I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 563 Pulling
Listening to the questioning from Zhang Junhou, Tuoba Jiefen fell into hesitation.

Speak for Tuoba Liwei?
Tuoba Jiefen felt that anyone who believed Li Wei's words was a fool!
He is not stupid. In this situation, even if he speaks for Li Wei, can he save Li Wei? It is just an extra person.

However, Tuoba Liwei was his most beloved son after all, his own flesh and blood, so Tuoba Jiefen did not have the heart to add insult to injury. Moreover, based on Tuoba Jiefen's understanding of the Han people, a large number of Han people advocated the practice of "protecting relatives from one's own faults", so it was a good thing that he did not take ruthless action against Tuoba Liwei.

After realizing that there was no need to "pay more", Tuoba Jiefen chose to remain silent.

After the scene quieted down again, Tuoba Liwei of course understood his situation. His father was no longer the same father as before.

After thinking quickly, Tuoba Liwei immediately knelt on the ground and cried, "I was helpless just now. Dou Bin threatened me with the lives of my brother and my nephew, so I had to do this!"

"I know I can't escape punishment for doing such a despicable thing. I only ask that when you announce it to the public, you can tell Dou Bin that I died because my conspiracy was exposed, not because I didn't obey the threats..."

After finishing speaking, Tuoba Liwei was already in tears.

At this moment, Tuoba Jiefen could no longer tell the truth from the falsehood in Li Wei's words. If Li Wei had said this when they were alone just now, he would have believed it, but now...

Looking at his son who was crying like a baby, Tuoba Jiefen opened his mouth but could not utter a word.

Suddenly, someone outside the tent shouted, "Greetings, Captain!"

Tuoba Jiefen was shocked when he heard this. Here, the only one who could be called a captain was Xu Rong.

And the fact that Xu Rong was able to appear here, even though no one came to report any information along the way - although all the people who had a say in the tribe had been gathered here by him, it still explained the problem.

Seeing Xu Rong leading a team of soldiers straight into the big tent, Tuoba Jiefen hurriedly went forward with his subordinates to pay their respects.

At this time, Tuoba Jiefen had no doubt that if Xu Rong had any feelings for him, he would not see the sun tomorrow.

Moreover, Xu Rong's personal presence further proves that Xu Rong knew about Tuoba Liwei's coming...but Liwei didn't believe him and did such a stupid thing.

"As soon as I arrived, I saw someone crying and wailing. What happened?"

Xu Rong generously signaled to those present that there was no need to be polite, and naturally came to the main seat, then listened to Tuoba Jiefen and Zhang Junhou talking about what had just happened.

"I see!" He then said to Tuoba Liwei, "Whether others believe you or not, I am willing to believe you."

After hearing this, Tuoba Liwei was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes.

With tears on his face, Tuoba Liwei was still looking for a way to survive.

He knew that the person in front of him was the one who could decide his life or death, and his biggest trump card now was how important his father was to Xu Rong, and he had to prove that saving his life would indeed help win over his father...

He doesn't want to die yet.

Suddenly, Tuoba Liwei said abruptly: "I know that I have committed a serious crime, and if I do not punish him, it will not be enough to deter my people. But please allow me to tell you all about Dou Bin before that, so as to thank you in advance for helping my brother and nephew."

If someone is careful, they will definitely find that Tuoba Liwei's words are slightly different from before.

And Xu Rong happens to be very meticulous.

He was famous for his strictness in military management.

At this time, Xu Rong took notice of Tuoba Jiefen's expression, and the latter indeed showed a look of reluctance.

He then looked at Tuoba Liwei who was performing.

Whether what the latter said was true or false was not important to him. In Xu Rong's opinion, Tuoba Jiefen had the potential to become an ungrateful person who could never be tamed.

After being ordered by Cao Cao to supervise Tuoba Jiefen, Xu Rong had been thinking about what kind of dog leash could be used to tie Tuoba Jiefen.

Although strong military pressure can make Tuoba Jiefen surrender, it may not necessarily make him convinced from the heart.

Can Tuoba Liwei become this dog leash?
Xu Rong thought about the news he had seen. Tuoba Jiefen's troops obtained many Xianbei women in the battle. As an adult, Tuoba Jiefen should get the second best.

But in the past few years, Tuoba Jiefen has not had any children... It is impossible that all of these women have problems.

The answer is already obvious.

Since Xu Rong had decided to try to use Tuoba Liwei, he said: "Considering that Tuoba Liwei was forced by Dou Bin and did not cause any harm this time, I will not punish him severely. However, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living punishment cannot be escaped. What do you think?"

After saying that, Xu Rong looked at Tuoba Jiefen and paid special attention to Tuoba Jiefen's expression.

Seeing that the latter seemed relieved, Xu Rong continued, "I will take Tuoba Liwei back to be tried for his crime later."

Seeing that Tuoba Jiefen seemed to be getting nervous again, Xu Rong said, "As for the rest of your children and grandchildren that you left behind in Dou Bin's tribe, I will find a way to get them back for you!"

Tuoba Jiefen faced Xu Rong's pulling and tugging. Even though he knew that this was Xu Rong's way of controlling him and Xu Rong did not hide this fact, Tuoba Jiefen's mood was still inevitably affected by Xu Rong and he felt uneasy following Xu Rong's words.

At a certain moment, an idea suddenly occurred to Tuoba Jiefen - there was nothing wrong with his current life, so what did the future of the Xianbei people, or any roundabout way to save the Xianbei, have to do with him?
Being a big man's dog seems to be pretty good too.

If he could just be a dog, perhaps he wouldn't be feeling so uneasy today!
In the end, the turmoil caused by Tuoba Liwei was easily resolved by Xu Rong. After hearing Tuoba Liwei's explanation of the inside story of Dou Bin's troops, Xu Rong verified it with the information he had obtained and found that what Tuoba Liwei said was true.

If Cao Cao and his troops were here, Xu Rong would have suggested to Cao Cao without hesitation that he take the opportunity to lead his troops to subdue Dou Bin's troops.

But the situation is different now, and Xu Rong believes that no matter whether Tuoba Liwei came here on his own initiative or was coerced by Dou Bin, Dou Bin will definitely make changes after realizing that Tuoba Liwei did not work. However, this does not prevent Xu Rong from taking this opportunity to cause trouble.

Today, Bingzhou is not something the Xianbei people can covet, even though Cao Cao has led his troops away.

Xu Rong has this confidence.

In his opinion, instead of waiting for the Xianbei people to test him, it would be better to take the initiative into his own hands.

"Take the initiative to attack?" Gongsun Zan asked the newcomer with some confusion, as if he had heard it wrongly.

"My Lord, that's what my Commander said." Then, Zhang Junhou told Gongsun Zan about the internal affairs of the Tuoba clan, and then said, "In my Commander's opinion, the only one who can lead this matter in Bingzhou now is you!"

Gongsun Zan, who was still hesitating, was immediately moved after hearing this.

When Cao Cao left, he took many of General Du Liao's subordinates with him, and General Du Liao Geng Zhi was just a supporting role for Cao Cao and could not carry the banner.

Gongsun Zan thought that he didn't know whether Cao Cao would come back after this battle. If he could take this opportunity to lead the Bingzhou soldiers to establish meritorious service, why would he worry about not being able to make further progress as the Bingzhou Governor?
As a result, Gongsun Zan completely ignored the look that Yan Gang on the other side was giving him, and immediately responded, "I have always hated the Xianbei. No matter who is fighting the Xianbei, I will be happy to help!" Zhang Junhou was overjoyed after hearing this. After arranging the time and plan for Xu Rong's planned troop dispatch with Gongsun Zan, he hurriedly said goodbye and prepared to write a letter to reply to Xu Rong, while he would stay and continue to communicate with Gongsun Zan.

After Zhang Junhou left, Yan Gang said, "Your Excellency agreed too quickly."

Gongsun Zan waved his hands and said, "You don't understand. Among the generals in Bingzhou, Xu Rong is the most outstanding. The others, such as Niu Fu and Li Jue, are slightly inferior to him in terms of military management and military strategy."

Seeing that Gongsun Zan had his own ideas, Yan Gang did not say much. After all, Gongsun Zan had already agreed to it in advance.

Gongsun Zan was always a man of his words, and soon he assembled his army and set out, together with Xu Rong and Tuoba Jiefen's troops, approaching the location of Dou Bin's troops.

They did not get too close so as not to scare Dou Bin away. After revealing the presence of the Han army, Gongsun Zan and Xu Rong sent out their envoy, Yan Gang, Gongsun Zan's trusted subordinate.

Facing Yan Gang, Dou Bin was afraid of the Han army behind him, so he was very polite.

Yan Gang also put forward his request: "Tuoba Liwei missed his children and pleaded with Envoy Gongsun in every possible way. In the end, Envoy Gongsun was deeply moved and decided to help him once."

Dou Bin said: "Li Wei's children are also my grandchildren. If they go to see their father, won't they lose their mother?"

Yan Gang said, "It is precisely because of the consideration that I don't want you and your daughter to be separated that Envoy Gongsun didn't bring your daughter with him. If you are willing to reunite their family, then of course it's fine!"

In the end, Dou Bin couldn't bear to part with his daughter, so he only sent away Tuoba Liwei's children.

But after achieving its goal, the Han army still did not withdraw.

The next day, Yan Gang came again: "This time it's not Tuoba Liwei who is crying, but Tuoba Jiefen... You know that since Jiefen abandoned the dark and joined the light, he has always been highly valued by the high officials in the court. Envoy Gongsun cannot ignore his request."

"So, please release Tuoba Pi Gu and his family!"

Dou Bin was helpless, but thinking that the situation was stronger than the person, he finally had to agree.

Although Tuoba Pi Gu was very reluctant to leave.

On the third day, Yan Gang came again: "There are some old men who followed Tuoba clan when they were in Suotou. Tuoba Jiefen misses them very much. They are people who can no longer support themselves. Why should you be stingy? Handing them over can save you goat milk..."

The fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day...

On the seventh day, Yan Gang came again: "Those old men from the Suotou clan miss their children... Don't worry, Commandant Xu has told Envoy Gongsun about your concerns... So this time it's voluntary, anyone who originally came from the Suotou clan and voluntarily wants to join the Tuoba clan can go... I'm sure you won't refuse this small request, right?"

Dou Bin thought about the compromises he had made every day before, and also about how Yan Gang would make further demands every day. He knew that he could not go on any longer.

He immediately said in a very firm tone, "This is the only time! If Envoy Gongsun and Commander Xu ask for anything else next time, I will not agree to it!"

Seeing this, Yan Gang responded, "Of course, of course! By the way, Pi Gu mentioned the number of people in Suo Tou before, and I brought someone to tell the people in Suo Tou that Pi Gu and his people are doing well... This shouldn't be too much, right? Don't let him speak in public? Of course you can!"

After hearing Yan Gang's words, Dou Bin even felt an unknown sense of gratitude in his heart.

Afterwards, Dou Bin gathered the people who originally belonged to the Suotou tribe in front of Yan Gang, but only fifty or sixty tents were willing to join Tuoba Jiefen and Tuoba Pigu, which made Dou Bin very satisfied.

In the following days, the Han army did not send any envoys.

But the Han army did not leave either!
Now it was Dou Bin's turn to be anxious.

He called his subordinates together to discuss countermeasures.

"The Han people still want to use us to deal with the tribes in the west. Father might as well agree to their harmless requests. Why do we have to go to war with the Han people?"

"Yes, this pasture originally belonged to us. Do we have to give up our best pasture just because the Han people came here? Father, you'd better discuss it with the Han people!"

Seeing his two sons Dou Suhou and Dou Huiti saying such stupid things, Dou Bin was about to scold them. Don’t his two stupid sons know how Qin devoured the six kingdoms?

Wait...it seems like they are not really familiar with each other...

But Dou Bin still wanted to start scolding, but before he did so, he suddenly noticed that the generals under his command actually generally agreed with the ideas of his two sons.

——Although the Han people had demands, they were not the ones who were hurt.

Seeing this scene, Dou Bin realized his mistake.

The Han people were indeed deliberately testing his bottom line step by step, and he should not have compromised so easily from the beginning.

But it's too late to regret now.

Facing the superior Han army, Dou Bin knew that it would be difficult to resist with his own strength. As for uniting with the tribes in the west? Don't even think about it. Internal enemies are more hateful than external enemies.

The Xianbei in central China, which was in chaos, were also unreliable.

"What should I do?" Dou Bin hesitated.

Suddenly, he looked at his two silly sons and realized something - now his tribesmen were completely willing to cooperate with and compromise with the Han people.

And Dou Bin was of Han descent!

If he really wants to cooperate with the Han people, he will be much better than Tuoba Jiefen and his ilk.

Thinking of this, Dou Bin felt that everything was solved. After he announced that everything would remain the same and he would send people to negotiate with the Han people, he called his two sons Dou Suhou and Dou Huiti and told them: "Remember, from now on, in front of the Han people, your names will be Dou Su and Dou Hui."

……

"Done?"

"It's done!" Xu Rong bowed to Gongsun Zan and said, "Envoy Gongsun, we have Dou Bin's full support. The next ones to be afraid of are Qifu and other tribes. Without you, we would never have accomplished this great feat!"

Gongsun Zan said happily: "Without the help of the commander, we would not have been able to accomplish this great feat!"

For a moment, it seemed as if everyone was a winner.

(End of this chapter)