Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 86 Returning home in glory
After returning to Chanhewu, Zhang Yu did not waste his time, but took everyone to inspect the three nomadic tribes of Houmo, Buluhu and Shiyi in the north of the village.

Although Zhang Yu had been away from Chanhewu for two years, the three Hu tribes had not defected because they were supervised by Zhang Ji and the leaders of the three tribes.

Of course, the three tribes of Hu people did not defect to Chanhewu, not because they were loyal to Zhang, but because their living standards improved rapidly after they joined Zhang.

When they followed Chi Ganren, they lived a nomadic life, and their lives were hard, and it was difficult for them to enjoy a comfortable life. But after they joined Zhang, due to the trade between Han and Hu, Zhang earned a lot of money through trade, and the living standards of the three tribes of Hu people rose.

For example, in winter, the Hu people did not have to work hard to find food, but could obtain grain through trade, which was in stark contrast to the difficult life they lived when they followed the Chi cadres.

Not only that, in terms of living environment, because the pasture is further south than their original pasture and the climate is warmer, it is a rare winter pasture, so there is no need to migrate to distant places to graze, making grazing more convenient.

In order to make the three tribes of Hu people settle down and feel at ease, Zhang Ji also taught them how to farm and reclaim wasteland beside rivers and streams. Although this could not make them rich, it allowed the three tribes to be as self-sufficient as possible.

After Zhang's efforts, the three tribes of Hu people gradually settled down and integrated into Chanhewu. In the past two years, under the auspices of Zhang Ji and Li's mother, more than 20 couples from the three tribes married in Chanhewu.

So when Qianman led his troops to the south to plunder, the three tribes of Hu people, led by their leader and for their own interests, took the initiative to warn the fortress of Chanhewu. The fortress soon took in the three tribes of Hu people, and the two sides guarded the fortress together to prevent the Xianbei from breaking into the fortress and plundering.

Instead, some of the Hu slaves in the fort were ready to gather together to resist in order to gain freedom, so as to welcome the Hu cavalry outside the fort. Unfortunately, they were discovered by the garrison, and under the combined efforts of the Han and Hu, the riot of the Hu slaves was suppressed, and seven were executed.

Today, when Zhang Yu arrived at the garrisons of the Houmo, Buluhu and Shiyi tribes, he could see with the naked eye that many changes had taken place in the three tribes compared with two years ago. Due to commercial trade, the herders no longer used fur as clothing, but traded fur with the Han area in exchange for coarse linen produced in the Han area for clothing.

In terms of living, although the three tribes still lived in felt tents, there were many pots, bowls, and utensils produced in the Han area in the tents, which was much better than the shabby life two years ago.

When Zhang Yu was inspecting the Hu tribe, he even found doctors from Chanhewu going to Shiyi tribe to treat sick women.

Seeing Zhang Yu's curiosity, Shi Yi said in awkward Chinese, "The owner of the village saw that there were no doctors in the three regions, so he often ordered Doctor Li to travel to the three regions to treat the disease. If anyone is sick, they can come to the village for treatment."

After a pause, he added: "If it weren't for Doctor Li's treatment, I don't know how many people would have died of the disease. Now all the three tribes of Hu are grateful to the master and the young master for their kindness."

Zhang Yu nodded slightly and said with a smile: "Shi Yihan speaks well."

Shi Yi smiled and said, "Since you know the Hu language, I dare not not learn Chinese."

Zhang Yu walked slowly in the tribe and asked, "Now that the three tribes are at peace, I wonder if the people in the tribe can be used?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Yi responded immediately and said solemnly: "Young Lord, if you give an order now, all the people of the three tribes, regardless of gender, can fight for you!"

Zhang Yu stopped and asked, "It is not necessary for both men and women to go out to fight. However, I will be the deputy commander of the Xiongnu Guard, and I am afraid that there will be conflicts with Qianman's tribe in the future. If there is a need for military force, you must lead your troops to follow me."

"Please rest assured, young lord. I will follow the old order and conduct training once a month." Shi Yi said.

"Practice once a month is not enough, try to practice four times a month. There is unrest in the desert right now, and there may be wars affecting us, so the people need to practice more." Zhang Yu said.

"promise!"

After Shi Yi left, Zhang Yu asked with a smile, "What do you think, Yuan Chang?"

Zhong Yao hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Ji'an and the owner of the fort are kind to the Hu people, so the three tribes of Hu people can be used. But Ji'an still needs to be careful. Although the Hu people are good at riding and shooting, they are not our kind after all. Don't rely on them too much."

Zhang Yu nodded and smiled, saying: "Yuan Chang understands my idea very well. I use the Hu people like raising hawks and dogs for hunting, and the Han people are my confidants. The Han people are the main ones, and the Hu people are the wings. I use the Han to control the Hu people, and use the Hu people to hunt my enemies. This is my strategy!"

"It seems clever that our dynasty used the Xiongnu to guard the frontier, but letting the Xiongnu go deep into the interior would cause unrest in the region. It would be better to let the Xiongnu live outside the frontier and let the Han people fill the border counties. Nowadays, the Han people are few and unable to resist the foreign Hu, and the Hetao area is gradually occupied by the Hu people."

Even though Zhang Yu understood the Hu language and had many Hu people under his command, he always believed in Han chauvinism. He believed that a country could have multiple ethnic groups, but the main ethnic group must be Han, and they had an overwhelming advantage over other ethnic groups.

Compared with letting the Hu people assimilate into the Han culture, Zhang Yu was more inclined to let the Hu people assimilate partially into the Han culture, rather than assimilate completely, or even separate them from their original social environment.

As for why, the reason is actually very simple.

If all the Hu people under his command were sinicized, it would mean that he had separated from his own ethnic group. In this way, he would not be recognized by his own ethnic group and would not be able to integrate into his own ethnic group. If this were the case, Zhang Yu would lack people who could help him govern the Hu tribe? Moreover, the sinicized Hu people needed to move inland to cultivate in order to continue to maintain the attributes of agricultural civilization. In addition to increasing the population, there was actually not much overall benefit.

On the contrary, if Zhang Yu could support a large number of Hu people who were loyal to him, he could use these people to rule more Hu tribes and indirectly control more Hu people.

Nomadic society is dominated by slave aristocracy, and blood relations are emphasized, whether it is the Xiongnu or the Mongols. Rather than using Han culture to change them, it is better to use systems and ideas to control them. The Qing Dynasty did a great job in this regard.

Therefore, Zhang Yu used Shi Yi in a special way. He used kindness to win over Shi Yi and encouraged Shi Yi to learn Chinese. However, Zhang Yu did not intend to let Shi Yi leave the Hu tribe. He wanted to use Shi Yi to help him govern the Hu people. Not only Shi Yi, but also Buluhutuli and Hou Moerlie.

Listening to what Zhang Yu said, Zhong Yao's eyes couldn't help but flash with a strange look.

It was hard for him to imagine that Zhang Yu, who was so young, had such a high level of thinking on the relationship between Han and Hu. He jumped out of the limitations of the fighting between Han and Hu, and went deep into how to control the grassland. If he operated according to Zhang Yu's thinking, he didn't know what the situation on the grassland would be like!

Zhang Yu didn't know what Zhong Yao was thinking. He valued the three tribes of Hu people, in large part because there were too few Han people in Chanhewu, and one less person would be one less person, and he needed troops right now.

In order to get closer to the three tribes of Hu people, Zhang Yu spent half of his time in the three tribes. In his spare time, Zhang Yu summoned the Hu cavalry to hunt and practice cavalry formations. Occasionally, he would summon the Han cavalry from the Canhewu to participate, which was considered to deepen the tacit understanding between the two sides.

In the blink of an eye, it was April. After Zhang Ji and Wang Hong confirmed the itinerary, Zhang Ji and Zhang Yu led their people south to Qi County to discuss the wedding date with Wang Hong.

Before leaving, Zhang Yu was worried about the three tribes of Hu people, so he asked Li Song to continue to be responsible for the daily affairs of the three tribes of Hu people, while Shi Yi was responsible for the training of the three tribes.

Hao Zhao accompanied Zhang Yu to the south to take up the post of deputy lieutenant. As a deputy lieutenant, Zhang Yu had the right to appoint subordinates. As he had not yet taken office, Zhang Yu did not plan to bring too many people with him. He planned to arrange his confidants to serve as subordinates according to the corresponding situation after taking office.

In April, Zhang Ji and Zhang Yu, at the invitation of Wang Hong, went south to Dalu Mountain to discuss the wedding date of Wang Ji and Zhang Yu. Zhong Yao accompanied them as a friend and went to Taiyuan to enjoy the mountains and rivers.

When passing through Mayi on the way south, Zhang Yu and Zhang Liao met again after two years.

Compared to two years ago, both of them have changed in appearance. The 18-year-old Zhang Liao has changed a lot in appearance and figure. His physique has become more sturdy and strong, and he has the style of a man who can fight against thousands of enemies in history. Zhang Yu, after two years of training in the Central Plains, has lost the immaturity on his face and replaced it with maturity.

Although the two men's appearances have changed, their friendship has not faded, but has become deeper with the passage of time.

When Zhang Yu came to visit him, Zhang Liao was even more excited.

When they slept together that night, they shared their experiences over the past two years. Compared to Zhang Yu's brilliant deeds, Zhang Liao was much quieter in the past two years because of his work in the county. In addition to inspecting the border cities, the most thrilling thing he experienced was the conflict with the Hu people.

After learning about the changes Zhang Yu had gone through in the past two years, Zhang Liao could only sigh. The great changes in Zhang Yu's official position and the richness of his deeds were beyond Zhang Liao's reach.

In response to Zhang Liao's sigh, Zhang Yu encouraged him as an elder brother, saying that their situations were different and therefore their experiences were different. With Zhang Liao's own abilities, he would naturally be able to excel in the future and bring honor to the family.

That night, due to the difference in status and experience, Zhang Liao asked Zhang Yu for advice on many things as a younger brother. Zhang Yu's insights and words made Zhang Liao admire him very much.

Zhang Yu was very happy about the change in Zhang Liao's attitude. He thought that this famous general with the same surname as him would not be able to escape his control.

The next day, although Zhang Yu politely declined Zhang Liao's invitation to stay, he told Zhang Liao to attend his wedding when he was free.

Heading south along the highway, Zhang Ji and his son finally arrived in Qi County after five or six days of travel.

When Wang Hong learned that Zhang Yu and his son had arrived at Dalushan, he ordered his servants to clean the courtyard to show his respect, and Wang Hong personally went out of the house to greet Zhang Ji and his son.

Seeing this, Zhang Ji was filled with emotion and said, "If my son had not returned home in glory, how could I have seen Wang come out to greet me!"

Zhang Ji still couldn't forget the cold treatment he received from Wang's family last time. Today, thanks to his son's efforts, Zhang Ji was able to vent his anger.

Zhang Yu also felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction. Today, he came to Wang's house as the deputy commander of the Xiongnu Guard, and Wang treated him with courtesy. If he were to rule Jinyang, he wondered how Wang's people would treat him, and what his father would think.
“If you don’t return to your hometown when you are rich and powerful, it’s like wearing embroidered clothes and walking at night. No one will know what you are doing!”

Although Xiang Yu's words were crude and lacked the bearing of a hegemon, aren't they what normal people pursue?
Even Liu Bang, who founded the Han Dynasty four hundred years ago, returned to Pei County to see his fellow villagers after he ascended the throne!
Therefore, it would be a shame if a man who has become famous does not return to his hometown to brag to his friends and relatives!

(End of this chapter)