Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 439 Let Them Complain

"Zhongda has observed the Xiongnu in great detail. This is a very good strategy!"

Liu Bei couldn't help laughing.

"A loyal minister who serves his sovereign should first advise him, and then give him advice. How can I repay my sovereign's kindness? I can only uphold my integrity, be honest and diligent, and worry about the world!"

After saying this, Sima Yi bowed again and respectfully took his leave from the emperor.

He stayed behind just to say these words, to reveal all his concerns and suggestions. As for whether His Majesty would summon him into the military tent again after half a day, that would depend on the Emperor's plans.

If he could be summoned at night to have a long talk, it would mean that he was truly valued by the Emperor of Han.

After Sima Yi left, Liu Bei couldn't help but smile and shook his head, glancing at Fa Zheng and asking, "Xiaozhi, can you see Zhongda's heart?"

"What do you think of Zhongda's plan? Is there anything missing?"

Fa Zheng, however, narrowed his eyes and looked at Sima Yi's departing back, stroking his beard in deep concentration. When he heard the emperor's question, he reacted instantly and answered with a folded hand: "Zhongda's advice is about the human heart, and I'm afraid he hasn't finished it yet. Perhaps he needs to wait for Your Majesty to summon him again."

"He has talent in his heart, but his moral character is slightly inferior, which is completely opposite to me. Although I am narrow-minded, I must make sure that everything is left out. I heard that Zhongda is generous to others, but he always has reservations, hoping to curry favor with the superior."

"But every inch has its own strengths and weaknesses. Choose the best and use them. This is what Your Majesty is good at."

"As for the quality of his strategy, let's not talk about it for now. Just from the perspective of a county magistrate, he was able to plan the lives of millions of people in several states. He is truly a talented person in the world. Even his brother Sima Boda is not as good as him."

"In my humble opinion, this strategy of Zhongda can be used."

Fa Zheng increasingly felt that there were many talented people in the world. After spending several years in the Secretariat, just hearing the advice that the ministers gave to the emperor in private made him put away his once arrogant heart.

There is no need to mention the two Xuns and one Guo. As for the rest, such as Lu Zijing, Zhou Gongjin, Liu Ziyang, Chen Yuanlong, Du Bohou, Huang Gongheng, Chen Changwen and Sima Zhongda in front of us, they are all under forty years old, but they have extraordinary foresight. The world's talents are truly as numerous as carp crossing the river.

Therefore, even though Sima Zhongda did not finish his words, which made him a little unhappy, he could also understand the other party's psychology. There were really too many geniuses in the world, and if he did not use some means to show his face more often, he would most likely be forgotten by His Majesty.

After hearing this, Liu Bei smiled and nodded, then returned to his seat and opened the military roster. He paused when he saw a familiar name and said, "The Pingyang Military Office has recruited all the auxiliary soldiers nearby. Xu Gongming made great contributions in the campaign against Yang Feng, and he is also quite good at military affairs. Let's transfer him to the Xiandeng camp."

"After all, when fighting the Xiongnu, there is no need for auxiliary soldiers to attack the city. The main force still lies in the cavalry and chariot infantry. Xu Gongming has been farming in Yang County for several years, and he must have been bored for a long time. Let's give him a chance to make achievements."

"The governor of Beidi is Duan Wei, so I am not worried about him. The governor of Shangjun is Zhang Wenyuan, who is also known as the 'Big Tree General'. Together with the governor of Xihe, Li Mancheng, they are enough to contain the Xiongnu in various places."

"The only person that worries me is Budugen, a Xianbei in the northern part of Bingzhou. His attitude is unclear, so we should be prepared early."

"Xiaozhi, write an imperial edict to order Gaotang Hou Qianzhao to be transferred to Yanmen as the governor, and to incorporate the five counties of Dingxiang County into Yanmen County. Let Zijing and Fengxian cooperate to defend against the Xianbei in the Taihang Mountains."

"Send another order to Yunchang in Ji County to pay more attention to the Xianbei tribes in Dai County and Shanggu. At the same time, he should also pay attention to the Wuhuan in the three counties east of Yuyang County. Among them, Chanyu Tadun has an old grudge against the Han family. Be careful that he will join forces with the Xianbei Kebineng to invade other places. The Youzhou Tuqi are still scattered and roaming everywhere."

What Liu Bei was most worried about was that a single move would affect the entire body. Unlike the Qiang and Hu tribes of Yong and Liang, who all migrated to the Han territory from various places, there were language differences between them, and the customs of each tribe were also different. Each tribe had different demands as a whole, which gave the Han Dynasty an easy way to divide and disintegrate them.

The Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan were different. They were all led by Chanyu, Khan, and kings, and their efficiency in dispatching and integrating tribes was far better than that of the Qiang and Hu tribes, and they were also connected to each other. It was like the scattered Qiang tribes were unified, even if it was just a nominal unification, it was different, and the sense of identity would be stronger.

Liu Bei sorted out his thoughts and then ordered: "After resting in Pingyang, the army will not stop and will head directly to Jinyang."

"First, call together the officials and nobles from all over the country to discuss matters, and then, in the name of the emperor, order the Xiongnu kings to come to Jinyang for an audience. If they do not come, it will be regarded as disloyalty."

"The Tiger Cavalry will be dispatched immediately to attack the Xiongnu royal court, capture the Xiongnu kings and bring them back to punish them."

"Yes! I will follow your orders!" Fa Zheng and other officials immediately bowed and accepted the order.

Seeing that everyone was busy again, Liu Bei took Xu Chu and Dian Wei to stroll around the military camp. They walked out of the camp and climbed a slope, looking to the northeast. There were many Xiongnu herdsmen grazing cattle, sheep and foals in the distance across the river, staring blankly at the Han army camp and a familiar "Liu" flag fluttering in the wind.

"Liu...Liu...The Emperor is here again!"

"Run!"

The Xiongnu herdsmen were immediately in an uproar. Some rode their horses and shouted, some drove the cattle and sheep back, and some even abandoned their livestock and turned around to run back.

The Han officials said that the Han army was only passing through Bingzhou, but they did not say that the emperor was also in the army. At such a close distance, if they suddenly crossed the river to attack, it would be all over.

The Emperor of Han liked to show weakness on the surface to lure the enemy, then launch a roundabout attack in secret, and beat the enemy to death once he got entangled with them. After the Battle of Qinshui, many herdsmen had dreams continuously, in which they all dreamed of the Han army surrounding them from all directions and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

I thought I would never see Liu again in this life, but unexpectedly, the red flag with the word Liu on it appeared on the other side of the river again. Who could withstand this?

"What are they sprinting for?"

Liu Bei stood on the slope, raised his whip and pointed it at the Huns. He couldn't help but frown and asked those around him.

Even though he knew a little about the Xiongnu language, he couldn't hear clearly because he was too far away. He only saw the herdsmen suddenly disperse and then run eastward.

Dian Wei, Xu Chu and others also shook their heads, not understanding what he meant.

Fortunately, the other party did not run far, and local officials crossed the river to explain the situation, which appeased some of the Huns. Even so, they did not dare to get close to graze, and turned around and drove their cattle and sheep to the east.

After Liu Bei returned to the camp, he heard an official come to report the cause and effect of what had just happened. He was immediately at a loss whether to laugh or cry, so he shouted: "As long as the Xiongnu in Hedong stop killing Han people, stop doing wolves and bandits, and always be friendly to the Han family, they don't have to be afraid of the Han army. If there is a drought or a poor harvest of water and grass, the court will also allocate money to help the herdsmen."

"Now that all the people are registered as Han herdsmen, the Liu family will definitely treat them equally, rewarding those who have made contributions and punishing those who have made mistakes."

"Order Ming and Empress to have the chiefs, baozhang, and dubaozhang of each tribe in Hedong come to see me..."

We still need to appease the herdsmen and let them complain about the sufferings of being oppressed by the nobles.

(End of this chapter)