I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 579: Northern Border Strategy
Zhang Fei felt like a failure because he discovered in the end that he could not win over anyone except Xu Shu, who became his true subordinate under the emperor's order.

In recent days, Zhang Fei has gone from being very enthusiastic at the beginning to accepting the reality now, and Guan Yu has been watching from the sidelines without intervening.

Because in Guan Yu's view, although Zhang Fei has corrected his bad habit of treating common people badly, he still lacks the ability to distinguish between right and wrong when dealing with scholars of high birth.

Through his contact with Pang Tong and others, Zhang Fei should be able to understand what those truly self-righteous and talented scholars are thinking. This is very necessary.

When Zhang Fei returned after his defeat, Guan Yu said, "This year I was in Bohai and other counties in Qingzhou to suppress rebellions. I saw many people who became famous scholars just because of their family background and marriage. They were all show and no substance. When you met Pang Shiyuan and his people, what difference do you think between him and the famous scholars you usually met?"

"Second brother, I finally understand!" Zhang Fei said with emotion.

Upon hearing this, Guan Yu could not help but stroke his beard. He thought that it would be good if Zhang Fei could come to his senses, and his efforts would not be in vain.

Zhang Fei said: "Although Shi Yuan and his men are still young, they already have the demeanor of a famous scholar. They are true famous scholars! Although I may not be able to recruit them, it is a great pleasure to get along with them!"

"Actually, I understand your worries, brother... From now on, I will never associate with those fake celebrities again. I will only make friends with real celebrities!"

Perhaps he had predicted Guan Yu's answer, Zhang Fei said confidently: "Every failure makes one wiser. With the characteristics of the fake celebrities in Qingzhou and other places that my brother told me about, my eyes are now my ruler!"

Guan Yu opened his mouth: "Yide..."

Looking at the look Zhang Fei was giving him, Guan Yu finally said, "It's good that you can tell the difference!"

He is already like this, what else can he ask for!

Guan Yu would be satisfied if Zhang Fei could stay away from those opportunistic people in the future.

Zhang Fei suddenly said, "Second brother, today I also met Zhou Yu, who will become your chief secretary. He is a very handsome man."

After hearing Zhang Fei's reminder, Guan Yu realized that it was time for him to meet with Zhou Yu to discuss how to manage Shuofang County.

He immediately said to Zhang Fei: "I will choose a day to invite Zhou Gongjin to come to the palace for a chat, and Yide can also invite Xu Yuanzhi to come. Although there are some differences between Shuofang and Beidi, they are essentially the same."

Two days later, Zhou Yu and Xu Shu came together, and the four of them gathered together.

Guan Yu first introduced the situation in Shuofang: "Although the Xianbei people who originally occupied Shuofang and other places were defeated and some have fled, some still remain in the south of Yinshan Mountain. During the time of Emperor Guangwu, Shuofang was gradually declining, and then the Xiongnu rebelled and it was eventually abandoned. Now, after all these years, there is no trace of Han people in the old Shuofang area... Even the Han people who never left Shuofang, as long as they can survive, have become Xianbei. Therefore, if we want to re-operate Shuofang County, the most important thing is population."

After hearing this, Zhou Yu asked, "May I ask you, sir? I heard that many people from Qingxu and other places were sent to Youzhou for resettlement. Can we transfer some of them to Shuofang to serve as civilians?"

"Now that they have settled in Youzhou, it is not appropriate to move them. However, the population already has a source - in recent years, there have been prisoners in every county and state," said Guan Yu.

The so-called criminals refer to prisoners who have been in prison for a long time and need to perform long-term corvée labor. Guarding the border and cultivating the land is a common way for the Han Dynasty to deal with criminals. In the specific implementation, there are two possible directions - one is that the criminals go to the border alone to do labor, and return home after the expiration of the term or amnesty, and the other is to bring their families with them. The latter itself is a policy to enrich the border population, and guarding the border with their families will undoubtedly receive preferential treatment.

"The reason why I haven't set out for Shuofang yet is not only because I want to wait for Yu Fuluo, the Left Wise King of the Southern Xiongnu, and Dou Bin, the leader of the Moluhui tribe, but also because I want to wait for the prisoners from all over the country to gather and serve as the commander of Shuofang County."

Zhou Yu asked with some doubt: "In my humble opinion, although there were prisoners guarding the border in the past, they were mostly from good families. Now they are all prisoners, many of them are lawless, and I am afraid there will be trouble."

In Zhou Yu's opinion, if there were only some prisoners, it would be fine. But if all of them were prisoners, even if some of them were good people who had no choice but to commit crimes, most of them would be evil people, and it would be difficult to govern them in the future. This matter concerned the long-term stability of Shuofang County, so even though he was not familiar with Guan Yu, Zhou Yu was determined to speak frankly.

Facts have proved that he made the right choice. Guan Yu was not angry at his objection, but praised him: "Gong Jin is right."

"But this is a different time," Guan Yu said. "I heard that Gongjin had many contacts with Shanyue people in Yangzhou. Although I have never seen Shanyue, I have heard that this barbarian tribe worships brave people because of the scarcity of supplies in the mountains. On the grassland, natural disasters and man-made disasters are constant, and this is even more serious! Facing the Xianbei people, if you don't want to be humiliated, you should be brave and ruthless! In the minds of the Xianbei people, weakness will only make you look like someone you can bully."

"Today, we have recovered Shuofang County. Although it is our homeland, it is no different from opening up new territory. The Xianbei people have lived here for many years. Instead of driving them away, we should divide and disintegrate them, follow the example of the Southern Xiongnu, and use them as a barrier for Shuofang. If we want to get along with the Xianbei people, we should first let the evil ones pave the way!"

"Then we will choose the right time to relocate people to the north."

After hearing Guan Yu's plan, Zhou Yu bowed and said, "Your Excellency has foresight, but I have not considered it carefully enough."

Guan Yu smiled and said, "This is not my opinion alone, but a strategy reached after consultation between the emperor and his ministers."

After briefly introducing Shuofang County, Guan Yu talked about Beidi County. Compared with Shuofang, Beidi County was in a better situation. Not only was there a population in the county, but it had not all been relocated to Zuofengyi. During the time of the previous emperor, several attempts were made to relocate Beidi County back to its original location. Later, the Xianbei invaded from the old location of Beidi County and were defeated by Cao Cao, Guan Yu and other troops. The relocation of Beidi County, which had been stagnant for a while, was continued because of the iron mine in Yiju County of Beidi County.

However, the best areas of Beidi County had not been taken back because the main force of the Han army was still tied up in Liangzhou. Now, taking advantage of the defeat of the Xianbei, they can all be taken back.

While Guan Yu and others were discussing future strategies, Meiji Marquis Luan Tiqiang Qu was explaining the next steps to Yu Fuluo - "In the future, I will take Bao to live in Luoyang. With the help of Weiwei Qing Cao Jun, there is no need to worry about Bao's worship of a famous teacher. But you, do you know what to do after returning to the royal court?"

Yu Fuluo replied, "Call the leaders of all tribes to come and see if there are any who have disloyalty because of my father's coming to Luoyang."

Qiang Qu shook his head and said, "If it were in the past, this would be the right thing to do, but it cannot be done now."

Seeing that Yu Fuluo was a little confused, Qiang Qu reminded him: "Your father and I are the only ones in Luoyang. Isn't it lonely?"

Yu Fuluo was stunned. What a joke! Qiang Qu had already made preparations to stay here permanently - he had wealth, tribesmen as slaves, wives and concubines, and young children, including his eldest son Luan Tibao. How could he be lonely?

But Yu Fuluo quickly realized what Qiang Qu meant when he looked at him. He thought about it and quickly replied, "I will select some leaders from various tribes to come to Luoyang to accompany my father after I return."

Qiang Qu immediately showed a teachable look, and then asked: "What if these people disagree?"

"How dare they not want to see the emperor?"

Qiang Qu then replied: "After Lord Cao left, the affairs of Bingzhou will probably be decided by Gongsun Zan and Xu Rong. Xu Rong is fine, but Gongsun Zan is eager to establish achievements that are not inferior to Lord Cao. If you can make good use of this, I can rest assured to leave the affairs of the Xiongnu to you." "But neither the emperor nor Lord Cao mentioned the matter of enthroning you as the Chanyu. Do you understand the meaning of this?"

Yu Furo nodded.

Qiang Qu said nothing more and continued, "You should spend more time with Bao in the near future."

Luan Tibao was already in his teens, not an ignorant child. Qiang Qu and Yu Fuluo did not avoid him when they talked. He already knew that after this separation from his father, he didn't know when they would meet again. Moreover, he stayed in Luoyang not just to study.

His heart is much more mature than his appearance.

Seeing that Qiang Qu and Yu Fuluo had finished their conversation, Luan Tibao suddenly said to them solemnly: "Grandfather and father, rest assured, I will study the Han Chinese classics well. The future of the Xiongnu people will be left to me!"

After hearing Luan Tibao's childish words, Qiang Qu and Yu Furuo were speechless for a moment and then laughed at the same time.

"Okay, the position of Chanyu belongs to your father first, and your father will be yours in the future!" Qiang Qu promised.

While Qiangqu and Yufuluo were discussing how to use the power of the Han Dynasty to deal with the Xiongnu tribal chieftains who were disliked by them, some chieftains in Xihe County were also very annoyed.

——"I'm telling you, what is five dou of rice? Don't lie to me. Even if you have a county official behind you, how do you know that you didn't trick him into giving it to you? What? You mean those monks? You are not allowed to say that about the holy monks!"

Zhang Lu's face was full of helplessness.

He knew in his heart that the Xiongnu leader named Pan Liuxi in front of him was not really unaware of his identity and origin, but was just acting that way on purpose.

But when it comes to the dispute over believers, Zhang Lu knows that he cannot convince Pan Liuxi today. With the influence of the Xiongnu leader on the tribe, his teachings can basically not be spread in this tribe. Moreover, Pan Liuxi is not an ordinary Xiongnu leader. He is the younger brother of Qubei, the Right Guli King of the Southern Xiongnu.

So... Zhang Lu happily took out a piece of gold from his arms and gave it to Pan Liuxi.

There is a cost to preaching, and there is no reward without effort.

Pan Liuxi also happily put away the gold and said, "It's not that I don't want to believe you, it's just that your Five Pecks of Rice Sect can't compare to Buddhism!"

Pan Liuxi had a reason for refusing. "The Buddha taught by the divine monk is the real Buddha, who can bless the next life... Look at my tribesmen, who can afford five pecks of rice? As for the mutual assistance after the five pecks of rice, even if there is no five pecks of rice, won't our fellow tribesmen help each other when we encounter disasters?"

When Zhang Lu heard this, he immediately showed great respect to Pan Liuxi. He didn't expect that this man, who seemed to be not very kind to his subordinates, would rescue them in times of crisis. It turned out that those who could become leaders were not mediocre people.

"So, if they have these five dou of rice, it's better to give it to me than to you!"

Zhang Lu: Give me back my respect!
Pan Liuxi added: "Although the livelihood of the tribe has improved in recent years, they still need relief from the court when encountering natural disasters. Rather than letting them waste grain in vain, it is better to believe in the true Buddha. They accumulate virtue and do good deeds in this life, and feed the cattle and horses for me. As long as they are sincere, they will definitely become superior people in the next life."

"Whether you believe it or not, I believe it anyway!"

If Buddhism is easy to govern, why can’t the Five Pecks of Rice Sect be governed as well?

Zhang Lu immediately said to Pan Liuxi: "My teachings can guide people to be good, make them obey the law, and be united in everything they do..."

As he was talking, Zhang Lu suddenly realized that Buddhism could also achieve the same effects.

Zhang Lu understood that he had met a competitor.

The filth he felt in Luoyang was real.

The teachings of Buddhism were very suitable for these Xiongnu leaders who treated their people as slaves. It was extremely difficult to expect them to join the Five Pecks of Rice Sect.

The reason why his Five Pecks of Rice Sect could spread so prosperously in Hanzhong was not only because it had a large number of believers, but also because of the morality contained in the "Twenty-Four Taoist Books" created by his grandfather Zhang Ling. Since the lower-level route was difficult to take for the time being, he would try the upper-level route first. Even if he could not rely on the leader of the Xiongnu, he would look for the kings and princes among the Xiongnu, or the Han officials who were related to the Xiongnu.

Zhang Lu was very clear about the principle that leaders should follow suit.

Facing Pan Liuxi, who had no interest in the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, Zhang Lu finally used his ultimate weapon: "Those monks only say that they worship Buddha in order to pray for the afterlife, but what about this life?"

"My way has methods to prolong life. If you practice Taoism to a deep level, even if you don't have the talent to ascend to immortality, you can still achieve immortality for hundreds of years!"

Pan Liuxi, who was originally only interested in gold, finally came to his senses. He no longer doubted that the Five Pecks of Rice Sect was a scam. But he still couldn't help asking, "Do you have any evidence for what you said?"

Zhang Lu answered confidently, "Since ancient times, there are many records in the classics that Peng Zu lived to be 800 years old. If it were false, wouldn't the ancients be laughing at it? As everyone knows, these cannot be false, they are all true!"

Pan Liuxi didn't quite understand. He didn't know the Han classics as well as his brother Qubei, so he felt that Zhang Lu's solemn words made a lot of sense.

Immediately, his attitude towards Zhang Lu improved a lot: "I don't ask to live to be 800 years old. As long as I can live more than 100 years, I will be satisfied."

However, he didn't expect that after he said this, he didn't get a positive answer from Zhang Lu.

"You are not young after all. From what I can see, you still have many hidden injuries from the past... Alas, it seems that you have suffered a lot in the past! Don't worry, let me diagnose your pulse..."

"Not good..." Zhang Lu then found an acupuncture point on Pan Liuxi's body, told Pan Liuxi and pressed it hard. Pan Liuxi immediately felt the pain.

Zhang Lu sighed, "You are not destined to live a long life! But don't worry, as long as you follow my teachings, this hidden disease is nothing to worry about. And as long as you continue to cultivate yourself and improve your character, you will live longer and healthier."

Looking at Pan Liuxi who had already joined the Five Pecks of Rice Sect, Zhang Lu was secretly delighted - the great terror between life and death was really useful!
(End of this chapter)