I, Liu Bian, Sanxing Han Dynasty

Chapter 589 Han Flag
Winter on the grassland has always been tough. Although the Yinshan Mountains help weaken the cold wind from the northwest, the people of the grassland have to face not only natural disasters but also man-made disasters.

Especially at a time when the Xianbei people were in overall chaos due to military failure.

The tribe led by the young Xianbei general Shengde actually had a roughly sized winter resting area within the Shuofang territory, but although he knew about this place, other tribes in the tribe that had a grudge against him also knew about it.

On the grasslands... even in the south of the Yinshan Mountains where there is abundant grass and water, conflicts and frictions over the competition for supplies are normal. If they can't rob the Han people, then they can't rob you?

In the past, in the Qifu tribe, which was composed of dozens of villages of varying sizes, the village of Shengde was protected by order.

But now, as the core of the Qifu tribe fled far to the north due to defeat in the war, the remaining Xianbei people can only rely on their own villages.

Therefore, Shengde has been looking for a new winter place to stay these days.

Not only must they be able to withstand the wind and snow, but they must also be able to guard against the enemy. At worst, the enemy must not be able to find their trace.

After all, there were too few men in their villages who could fight. Although some women in their prime could ride horses and draw bows, their fighting ability was ultimately insufficient.

Although Guan Yu left, the words he left behind made Shengde fall into deep thought.

Relying on the protection of the Han people, we don’t have to worry about the threat from the Xianbei people this winter, but... what is the price?

Shengde didn't know and he couldn't make a decision yet.

He only knew that the distance was twenty miles and if he was unwilling to rely on the Han people, it would not be suitable for him to stay here for long, and his village would need to find a new place to live.

But before preparing to set off, Shengde thought of the name of the new city that Guan Yu had built when he was about to leave, and got an answer - Shuofang City.

Guan Yu was not aware of Shengde's dilemma. In his opinion, he could accept Shengde whether he came or not. The villages led by Shengde lacked combat effectiveness. At most, his coming could speed up his control over Shuofang County. After all, in the future, all the Xianbei people living in Shuofang County would be subject to his jurisdiction.

He still led his troops to patrol the periphery of the new Shuofang City, which was newly built on the site of the old Shuofang City, to prevent the ignorant Xianbei people from attacking the Han people who came here.

After more than ten days, the ruins of the former Shuofang City have become presentable after the restoration work of Zhou Yu and others. Although the defense is still worrying, at least the renovated parts have lost their earlier abandoned look and reveal a thriving scene.

While Guan Yu was inspecting, many prisoners would bow to him respectfully.

In the past, when prisoners were doing hard labor, they would be tortured to death as long as they would not die. But with Guan Yu, although they had to work, they were well fed and warmly clothed. In order to cope with the cold winter, they were even provided with winter clothes filled with white cotton that most of them had never worn.

Most people respect Guan Yu from the bottom of their hearts.

After seeing the progress of Zhou Yu and others, Guan Yu called everyone together and announced his discovery: "Recently, I have led troops to the farthest place in the west, nearly a hundred miles away. The largest Xianbei tribe that remains here has no more than 2,000 people. I also found that there are many conflicts between the Xianbei villages. But even so, we have to be on guard against them uniting for food and grass here in winter."

"So, before winter comes, we have to hurry up and complete the plan to build a small city for defense based on the original Shuofang City!"

Zhou Yu replied, "My Lord, the prisoners have not been deprived of any food during this journey. If you give them more meat, it won't hurt if they work harder... But for those who have old illnesses, if they are too tired, I'm afraid that they can't make up for it by just eating good food."

Guan Yu knew that the first snow would come at any time, and time was very important. He had already thought about this: "I will personally lead the soldiers to participate in the repair of the city. In addition to the necessary troops for defense, the rest will participate."

Zhou Yu heard this and said, "With the Lord setting an example, it will surely be completed soon!"

From that day on, Guan Yu also threw himself into the battle. With him personally leading the charge, there was no need to worry about the soldiers complaining. Moreover, the resources provided by the imperial court continued to arrive, leaving them with no worries.

Finally, although it was not completed before the first snow of winter fell, Guan Yu had already climbed up to the city gate tower before the second snow came.

Looking at the city walls on all sides, although they are not very high or big, and some places are simply temporary walls made of mud and grass, they are enough.

Inside the city walls, there was not a single house to be seen, only felt tents. Outside the tents, there were people who had brought out their beds to bask in the sun.

After the city was built, Guan Yu gave holidays to everyone, including prisoners, and soldiers also took turns to take holidays.

Guan Yu looked at this scene and felt somewhat relaxed. At this moment, Guan Yu suddenly noticed a rider galloping towards him from outside the city. He did not dare to be careless and immediately got off the city wall. Not long after, the scout he had sent out for patrol today came to him.

"My Lord, there is a group of Xianbei people twenty miles away. They claim that they have accepted your request before and are here to seek asylum."

Guan Yu asked, "Can you tell me your name?"

It's no wonder that he didn't remember. When he led his troops to patrol the surrounding areas before, he found many villages of the Xianbei people who stayed behind. He recruited most of the weak ones among them.

"No," the scout replied, "but they claim to have been discovered by a hostile tribe. If the Lord is willing to take them in, they will be at his disposal in the future."

Now, Guan Yu did not ask any more questions and immediately gathered his troops and went out to fight.

At this time, 20 miles away from Shuofang City, Shengde was very anxious. He kept asking the Han scouts who stayed with him:

"When will that warrior come back?"

"I really did receive a promise from Lord Guan that as long as we are willing to serve him, he will protect our safety..."

"It's really dangerous here. The enemies who found my village may come here at any time...why don't we move forward?"

But in the face of Shengde's earnest pleas, Liu Zhuang, who was from the Northern Army and led the scouts, was not moved at all.

At this moment, suddenly there was a faint sound of horse hooves coming from afar. The people in Shengde's village were the first to lie on the ground and heard the noise. Soon Liu Zhuang also discovered the people coming from afar!
Sheng De became even more anxious. He hurriedly said to Liu Zhuang, "Warrior, the enemy is really here! It will be too late if we don't leave now!"

But Liu Zhuang still did not agree to Shengde taking the next step.

But Shengde came here to seek protection from the Han army and did not dare to disobey Liu Zhuang at all.

Seeing that Liu Zhuang was unmoved, Sheng De even began to doubt whether his decision to come here was a wrong decision that would destroy the life of the town.

As the enemy appeared within sight, the middle-aged men and women of Shengde Village, including children, who were already prepared for a fight, all mounted their horses and prepared for battle.

Shengde also rode back to his village to fight, ready to lead the enemy in a life-and-death battle. At this time, Shengde suddenly found that Liu Zhuang was also riding his horse to follow him, and the other Han scouts did the same.

Shengde was confused and asked curiously, "Are you here to fight with me?"

"No!" Liu Zhuang finally said something other than rejecting Sheng De, "Wait here for a while, I'll go and repel the enemy!"

Shengde:?
Then Shengde saw Liu Zhuang take out a red flag from his arms, put it on his spear, and then he rushed towards the town that was hostile to him, carrying the red flag fluttering in the wind.

The remaining few Han army scouts all looked at this scene and felt uncomfortable, as if these Han army scouts were eager to take over instead of worrying about Liu Zhuang's safety.

Not long after, the man and his horse finally encountered his hostile village.

To Shengde's surprise, the enemy village slowed down its pace in the face of this man and his horse, oh, and a flag, and finally stopped in front of Liu Zhuang.

Afterwards, Shengde didn’t know what they said, but soon, nearly thirty riders came back with Liu Zhuang. As for the remaining cavalry from the hostile towns, they all stopped.

As Liu Zhuang got closer, Shengde heard the sound of horse hooves behind him. He looked back and saw red flags again.

He knew that this was the Han flag.

But he was still a little confused. Liu Zhuang was just one man, while the hostile town had more than 500 cavalrymen. Why would they retreat directly?
Not long after, Shengde saw the commander of the enemy village appear in front of him following Liu Zhuang and glaring at him.

At this time, Shengde was not afraid of him at all, and even asked his doubts in Xianbei language, with a slightly teasing tone: "Kai Dahe, you have so many soldiers and horses, how come you are frightened by a Han Chinese?"

Kaidahe became even angrier after hearing this. He immediately asked back, "If it were you, would you dare to do it? You are just a running away rat!"

The answer stunned Shengde. If he were in Liu Zhuang's shoes, would he dare to attack him?
At this moment, he suddenly woke up from his dream - even if it was him, he wouldn't dare!

Or rather, he had never even thought of this possibility.

When Guan Yu arrived, Kaidahe immediately shouted, "It's so unfair! Even if we want to take them in, we have to wait until the grudges between the two villages are settled. This is the rule on the grassland!"

Hearing Kaidahe, who looked like a rough man, speaking fluent Chinese, Guan Yu, riding on his horse, squinted his eyes slightly and stared at Kaidahe: "I have never heard of any rules on the grassland. Since I am here, the laws of the Han Dynasty are the rules of the grassland!"

"Whether it is fair or not is for this governor to judge. What do you think?"

Kaidahe opened his mouth with difficulty under Guan Yu's gaze and uttered a few words: "I will follow the orders of the Lord."

"So you also know the etiquette of the Han family!" Guan Yu laughed loudly, and then ordered: "Tell me about the grudge between you two, and I will help you to decide the right and wrong today!"

But on the grassland, everything is done for survival, and it is now difficult to distinguish right from wrong in the grudges between the two sides.

Finally, under Guan Yu's order, the two sides shook hands and made peace.

Kaida Hezong was dissatisfied but did not dare to express it. They could only watch Shengde leave with his troops.

But he was still a little unwilling to let him leave like this. Suddenly, he thought of something and asked Guan Yu, who had not yet left, "General, can I exchange the horses and sheep in the village for some grain?"

When Guan Yu heard Kaidaha's words, he didn't expect the other party to make such a request. After a little thought, he agreed.

Kaidahe finally showed a look of joy. In this way, he could finally take the things back and explain to the people in the village.

Shuofang City.

After Shengde's surrender, a chain reaction soon occurred.

One after another, Xianbei villages, worried that they could survive natural disasters but not man-made disasters in the winter, chose to go to Shuofang City in search of safety. Some Xianbei villages even came here specifically to try to exchange horses and sheep for grain. Guan Yu and Zhou Yu accepted none of their requests.

"There is only one thing. As more and more Xianbei towns and villages surrender, they live outside Shuofang City and seem to be able to provide outer protection for Shuofang City. But once they have second thoughts, it will be a great disaster." Zhou Yu warned Guan Yu.

After hearing this, Guan Yu said to Zhou Yu: "Don't worry, Gongjin, I have made preparations when I first settled these villages. The weak ones are close to Shuofang City, the strong ones are outside, and the villages that are friendly to us are not placed in one place..."

"I heard that the Shanyue people often get a hundred people to respond to their rebellions because they each have their own territory in the mountains. However, after all these years of civil strife, the Xianbei people are no longer united! Not to mention that the major Xianbei tribes have all been driven back and fled to the north of the Yin Mountains."

Seeing that Guan Yu was confident, Zhou Yu temporarily put his mind at ease.

But on this day, the snow on the ground had not yet melted, and Shuofang City welcomed another villager who came to offer his services.

This village was the most powerful of all the villages that came here to submit, and the one who led them was Kaidahe, who had once pursued Shengde here.

He also brought the latest news - the Qifu tribe, which had fled to the north of Yinshan Mountain with its core remnants after being defeated in the war, actually returned in winter!

Kaidahe was also puzzled, and said to Guan Yu: "I have heard that the Qifu tribe did not stay in the northern foothills of Yinshan Mountain, but went to Mobei to recuperate. I don't know how they actually came back!"

After confirming the news through several channels, Guan Yu did not dare to be careless. Considering that many Xianbei people who remained in Shuofang had close ties with the Qifu tribe, Guan Yu also sent people to convey the message to Bingzhou and Beidi County.

At this time when supplies are scarce, the Qifu tribe has returned. I'm afraid they have ill intentions.

And it was for this reason that Kaidahe chose to join Shuofang City. He did not want the half-year income of his village to go to the departing Qifu tribe in vain.

At the same time, Guan Yu was a skilled and courageous man. After leaving enough soldiers to guard the city, he personally led 500 cavalrymen out to search for the traces of the Qifu tribe.

After more than ten days, he finally found his target.

However, the situation of the Qifu tribe was completely different from what he had imagined. Originally, in Guan Yu's expectation, the Qifu tribe should have raised their cattle and horses in Mobei to be fat and strong, and then come back to fight for Shuofang County.

But at the moment, what appeared before him - Guan Yu felt that it was not an exaggeration to say that it was a mob.

(End of this chapter)