I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 565 Drawing the sword and looking around at a loss

Cao Cao returned to Bingzhou where he had lived for many years. He found that Bingzhou had undergone considerable changes in just a few months' time.

Especially the Hu and Han soldiers who were returning victoriously with their sheep and horses, their faces were filled with happy smiles.

Cao Cao felt that he had missed something, but also did not miss anything.

"Meng De feels that his planning over the years has finally borne fruit, but he cannot witness it with his own eyes. That must be a bit regrettable!" Xiahou Yuan said on the side.

When Cao Cao heard this, he felt that Xiahou Yuan had touched his heart.

It's not that he didn't feel that he was being ripped off. After all, who could deny his years of hard work in Bingzhou's current situation? He believed that the emperor would definitely see it.

His biggest regret was that he couldn't participate in it.

Xiahou Yuan added: "But Meng De, think about this. If you still stayed in Bingzhou, would Qifu and other tribes dare to attack directly with your reputation?"

Cao Cao couldn't help laughing when he heard this and said, "Miaocai's words sound so nice that I am reluctant to recommend you and let you go."

Xiahou Yuan smiled and said, "Actually, there's nothing wrong with staying with Meng De..."

As they talked, they looked at each other and felt that the friendship they had since childhood had been sublimated again.

After walking for a while, Cao Cao suddenly received news that Dou Bin had decided to go to the court to meet the emperor after this battle and was now ahead.

Hearing the name Dou Bin, Cao Cao immediately thought of how he had threatened and bribed Dou Bin in the past, but Dou Bin had always refused to listen. Some time ago, Dou Bin finally couldn't bear it anymore, but he did not witness this scene with his own eyes.

Cao Cao immediately rode his horse forward, eager to meet Dou Bin.

"Greetings to Lord Cao... I was unwise and neglected Lord Cao's kindness. I am really ashamed. I hope Lord Cao will not be offended..."

Looking at Dou Bin, whose body had become very flexible, Cao Cao found that he still missed Dou Bin's previous rebellious look more.

Therefore, Cao Cao no longer wanted to continue talking with Dou Bin. After a few quick words, he let Dou Bin go south to Luoyang.

After walking forward for a while, Cao Cao saw a familiar flag in the distance.

He immediately rode forward again.

"Mr. Cao, I haven't seen you for a few months. How are you?"

Cao Cao laughed and said, "You are the same!"

Although the Southern Xiongnu's Qiangqu Chanyu was also very flexible, the difference between Qiangqu and Dou Bin was that the former was loyal to one person, which made Cao Cao accustomed to it.

Then he pointed to a child following Qiang Qu and said, "It's Leopard. He has grown taller than when I left."

Qiang Qu laughed loudly upon hearing this: "The little animals on this grassland always grow very fast."

At this moment, Yu Furuo in Cao Cao's army also rushed over. When his son Luan Dibao saw his father coming, his eyes lit up immediately. When Cao Cao and Qiang Qu saw this, they immediately let the father and son go and reunite.

After Luandi Bao left, Qiang Qu said with some sorrow: "Lord Cao knows Bao's character. He has always loved classics and can't put down a book whenever he sees one... I was thinking, when Lord Cao gets promoted this time, can we take him with us?"

After expressing his request, Qiang Qu was still a little nervous, but as soon as he finished speaking, he saw Cao Cao burst into laughter.

"What's so difficult about this?"

After hearing this, Qiang Qu finally put his heart at ease.

Cao Cao continued, "Not only Leopard, but even Chanyu... Didn't Chanyu tell me many times that he wanted to see the prosperity of Luoyang? It was just that I was worried whether Yu Fuluo would have enough prestige to suppress his troops, so I couldn't make the trip. Now that Yu Fuluo has made great achievements in Jizhou, I think what you want can also come true!"

"really?"

"Of course it is true. Are you happy?" Cao Cao asked.

"Of course!" Qiang Qu said in pretended surprise.

Once, when his status in the Southern Xiongnu was worrying and he had no trust from his people, Qiangqu hoped very much that he could become a marquis in the Han Dynasty and live a peaceful and smooth life.

However, as the situation of the Southern Xiongnu has improved in recent years, Qiangqu, as the Chanyu who took the lead in cooperating with the Han people, is no longer the weak dog who was at risk of being killed by his own people if he left the support of the Han army.

Therefore, he was no longer as eager to enter the court as he was at the beginning.

But Qiang Qu also understood that if the emperor was determined to let him go to Luoyang, he would not be able to refuse at all, and it would be difficult for him to show his unwillingness to go in front of Cao Cao.

Qiang Qu could only comfort himself by thinking that he could bring more wives, concubines and servants with him. After fighting for a lifetime, he might as well enjoy a good life in Luoyang.

This is a result that Qiangqu can accept.

Cao Cao led Qiang Qu's family back to the Chanyu Wangting in Xihe County, preparing to send the soldiers back to the garrison before returning to the capital to meet the emperor. On the way, he encountered another group of troops escorting Xianbei captives. Zhang Ji, the leader, met Cao Cao and hurriedly introduced him to Cao Cao: "Lord Cao, one of these Xianbei captives is the one who had previously instigated the Xianbei tribes to attack Bingzhou."

When Cao Cao heard this, he immediately became interested and was taken by Zhang Ji to meet Qifu Lian.

When Cao Cao saw the visibly decadent figure of the captured Qifu Lian, he could not help but laugh and said, "Although I was not in Bingzhou before, I still want to thank you for clearing the hidden danger for me. Now I can leave Bingzhou with peace of mind!"

Looking at Cao Cao's extremely arrogant attitude, Qifu Lian was no longer able to utter a word of rebuttal. Not only because what Cao Cao said was the truth, but also because Qifu now only regretted that he did not die on the battlefield.

Seeing Cao Cao was very happy, Zhang Ji wanted to curry favor with the general who had a promising future, so he invited him, "Lord Cao, I will also return to Xihe County after the escort is completed. I wonder if I can have the honor of inviting you to a banquet then?"

Cao Cao readily agreed: "As long as I am still here, I will definitely attend the banquet!"

Zhang Ji was delighted when he heard this and said, "I will return as soon as I hand over the captives and will not let Cao Gong wait!"

He thought to himself, since Cao Gong had such an attitude, he would bring his wife with him to visit Cao Gong. That way, Cao Gong would definitely think of him first when he needed people in the future!

……

In Luoyang, Liu Bian was naturally very happy when he received the good news from Bingzhou.

Regarding the threat from the north, Liu Bian's idea has always been to first develop an effective proactive defense strategy, and then wait until the internal transformation of the Han Dynasty is completed before freeing up his hands to defeat them one by one.

But the development of things was far beyond Liu Bian's expectations.

The Eastern Xianbei had been defeated by troops from Youzhou two years ago and could no longer pose a major threat. The Western Xianbei, which was once so aggressive, had also been defeated in Bingzhou. As for Tan Shihuai, who once made the northern border turn pale at the mention of his name, the Central Xianbei led by his descendants had already split up. Budugen, who inherited the largest number of people, still had some strength, but lacked the ambition to make progress and was not to be feared.

Budugen's brother Fu Hanluo, who once competed with Budugen for power, was also taught a severe lesson by Guan Yu, Zhao Yun, Lu Bu and other generals when they went out to attack Kobinen.

Liu Bian drew his sword and looked around, suddenly feeling a little confused.

Otherwise... Liu Bian looked at the Budugen tribe located in the north of Yanmen and Daijun, two counties bordering Youzhou and Bingzhou on the map. It is now the most powerful among the Xianbei tribes, with nearly 20,000 people. Although there is no record of large-scale looting in recent years, small-scale invasions have always existed. Maybe it's time to deal with it!
……

"A sneeze, a sneeze..."

"Why are you worried, sir?"

Hearing the question from his trusted subordinate, Budugen, who felt like a thorn in his back, sighed and said, "Now the Xianbei are divided into pieces and are being defeated one by one by the Han people. First it was the east, and now it is the west. It will be our turn in the central part in the future. How can we not be worried!"

His confidant Xi Bao heard it and replied, "Sir, I have something to say but I don't know if I should say it."

“Just say it!” Budugen always felt uneasy and his attitude was not very good recently.

Xibao took a deep breath and said, "In the past, Lord Tan Shihuai was unwilling to accept the title from the Han people, but that was Lord Tan Shihuai. We Xianbei only produce a saint every thousand years, and we are ignorant and cannot compare with Lord Tan Shihuai. I heard that the Xiongnu and Wuhuan people have lived very well under the rule of the Han people in recent years, and among the Xianbei, there are also Tuoba Jiefen and Dou Bin who have pledged their loyalty to the Han people."

After hearing this, Budugen angrily questioned, "Do you know that it was my father's decision not to accept the title from the Han people? How could I go against my father's teachings and violate the tradition left by our ancestors?"

After hearing this, Xibao immediately knelt on the ground and begged: "My lord, now that both the eastern and western Xianbei tribes have suffered setbacks, it is our turn next... For the survival of our tribe, please agree to make this decision that goes against our ancestors!"

After hearing this, Budugen remained silent for a while.

Upon seeing this, several other confidants of Budugen in the big tent knelt on the ground and made their request like Sibao.

Seeing this, Budugen could only sigh again and said, "You are putting me in an unjust position!"

"Well, go ask your people what they think and tell them that this is my order. I'll take the blame!"

When the leader Xibao heard this, he immediately cried again, "Absolutely not! It was we who proposed to surrender to the Han people. How can we let you take the blame for us? How can we serve you in the future?"

After hearing this, the others echoed it one after another.

Finally, Budugen had no choice but to agree to Xibao's request.

Xibao also breathed a sigh of relief after walking out of the tent.

The reason why he gained Budugen's trust was not because he had great talents and could guide Budugen, but because he could always see through Budugen's thoughts and dared to say things that Budugen could not say.

Now the attitude of his master proved that Xibao made the right decision.

Finally, with Budugen's manipulation, his tribe quickly achieved ideological unity. The next question was how to submit their loyalty.

"Tuoba Jiefen has always been friends with our tribe. Maybe we can send someone to contact him now."

"Otherwise, Tuoba Jiefen is no longer the same as before. He doesn't even show mercy to his own Suotou tribe. How can we count on him? It is better to go through Daijun to find Liu Yu of Youzhou who has the best reputation. Liu Yu will definitely be able to convey your intentions to the emperor of the Han people!"

"Even if Tuoba Jiefen is not good enough, we still have Dou Bin. Besides, these two tribes are closer to us, while Liu Yu is too far away!"

"So what if he's close? Have you forgotten who the governor of Bingzhou is? That's Gongsun Zan. I heard that he once sent people to kill the messenger who came from Wuhuan to surrender. Although Liu Yu is far away, he has never done such a thing. Moreover, as a relative of the Han people, Liu Yu's status in the hearts of the Han people is not comparable to Gongsun Zan. My lord, if you submit a petition through him, you will definitely be able to make friends with Liu Yu!"

"Okay! I have made up my mind. Dai County has been robbed over the years, so it is not appropriate. I should pass through the nearby Shanggu County to pay a visit to Liu Yu..." Budugen finally decided.

As for why he chose the far one instead of the near one, it was only because Gongsun Zan killed the competition.

……

Luoyang, Yuntai Hall.

"Whether it's mobilizing troops or migrating this year, it involves the mobilization of large quantities of food and fodder. Therefore, we can't mobilize troops against the Xianbei in the central part this year."

"But we can already make preparations in advance. We can send out troops after the summer harvest next year and restore peace to the northern border with one battle!" Liu Bian said with great force. "When the time comes, we can engrave our achievements on stone. Wouldn't that be a good thing?"

Xun Yu, who was listening to the emperor's words, did not have a clear opinion on whether to attack Budugen's troops, but when he heard the words of engraving on stone to record the merits, ripples of emotion emerged in his heart.

While thinking, Xun Yu suddenly noticed that Jia Xu beside him listened to the emperor's words without any ripples, and he couldn't help but admire him.

After deciding on the next strategy to target Bu Dugen, Xun Yu asked Jia Xu curiously as they were leaving: "When Lord Wenhe heard about 'carving a stone to record his achievements', wasn't he happy at all?"

Jia Xu shook his head, then nodded.

Even Xun Yu was a little confused by this action.

Fortunately, Jia Xu did not play it safe, but explained: "The great cause we are working for is to revive the Han Dynasty. Now that we are gradually achieving success, our names will be recorded in history, and we will not lack a single stone."

After hearing this, Xun Yu felt that he seemed to have misunderstood Jia Xu before. It turned out that Jia Xu was such a noble man, even better than him!
Just as Xun Yu was thinking about apologizing to Jia Xu, he heard Jia Xu say, "But it would be good if we could have one more stone."

Xun Yu immediately kept the words in his heart.

"But I'm not sure if there will be a time to conquer Budugen."

Xun Yu was a smart man and understood what Jia Xu meant after just one word.

……

"Budugen is going to submit his allegiance now?" Liu Bian felt that the foreign threat was resolved too smoothly, and for a moment he even felt a lack of sense of accomplishment.

Although facing the powerful Central Plains dynasty, Budugen's choice to surrender was very reasonable, it was impossible for Liu Bian to ask Budugen to play house with him in a conquest just for his own sense of accomplishment.

Liu Bian put down Budugen's memorial presented by Liu Yu and asked his attendants, "Where are the good horses that Budugen presented?"

Soon, Liu Bian saw the horses presented by Budugen in the palace. Even with his unprofessional eyes, he could tell that they were all good horses.

"Let Dong Zhaoyi choose one later." Liu Bian did not have any particular preference for BMWs, but Dong Heng did, so Liu Bian would not be stingy in this regard.

(End of this chapter)