Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 89: Living on the Floor
As the name suggests, the Protector of the Xiongnu General was in charge of protecting all the Southern Xiongnu tribes, so his station was in the same place as the Southern Xiongnu royal court.

In the early years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, the royal court of the Southern Xiongnu was in Yunzhong County. However, in order to prevent the Northern Xiongnu from contacting the Southern Xiongnu, the royal court of the Southern Xiongnu was moved south to Meiji County in Xihe County. From then on, the General of the Central Army who Protected the Xiongnu was stationed in Meiji County with them.

At that time, there were 2,500 soldiers in the camp to monitor the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu. If the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu rebelled against the Han Dynasty, the General of the Central Army would have the right to depose or enthronize him. If the Southern Xiongnu rebelled, the General of the Central Army would have the right to lead troops to attack them.

During the reign of Emperor Ming of Han, as the Northern Xiongnu grew stronger, in order to prevent the Southern Xiongnu from defecting, the post of General Du Liao was made permanent, and its base was chosen to be in Manbo County, Wuyuan, only a few hundred miles away from Meiji County.

At this point, the Eastern Han Dynasty had formed a system in which two generals with an official rank of 2,000 stones, General Du Liao and General Hu Xiongnu, led the two battalions of troops, Du Liao and Hu Xiongnu, to protect the Xiongnu royal court. This system lasted for a hundred years.

The reason why the two camps were abolished and moved, and the Southern Xiongnu royal court moved south, was related to the great defeat in Mo Nan that Zhang Ji, Zhang Yu's father, participated in ten years ago.

The defeat in the desert south not only led to the collapse of the border defense system, but also caused the Du Liao and Hu Xiongnu camps to be completely wiped out, along with the elite troops of the Xiongnu Chanyu. To avoid the southward looting of the Xianbei and to prevent the Xiongnu from joining forces with the Xianbei in rebellion, the Xiongnu royal court moved south again.

The southward migration of the Xiongnu royal court also led to the southward migration of the General of the Guards of the Xiongnu. The Du Liao Camp stationed in Meiji County was also abolished. It was replaced by the Xihe prefect who worked together with the General of the Guards of the Xiongnu to protect the Xiongnu royal court.

Xihe County abandoned 200 territories in the north of the county and moved its seat south to Lishi County (today’s Luliang City) on the east side of Luliang Mountain. The Xiongnu royal court moved to Gaolang County, dozens of miles away from Lishi County, and built Zuoguo City in the county as the seat of the Xiongnu Lieutenant General and the residence of the Xiongnu Chanyu.

When Zhang Yu was returning home from Guanzhong through Hexi County, he and others passed by Zuoguo City, but due to the need to hurry on their way, he did not enter the city to meet Wang Rou.

To reach Zuoguo City, Zhang Yu had to travel west from Qi County, cross the Luliang Mountains, and pass through the important city of Jinzhong, Yu Licheng, before he could reach Zuoguo City. The distance between the two cities was three or four hundred miles. After walking for about three or four days, Zhang Yu arrived at Zuoguo City in late April.

Zuoguo City was built with hills around three sides and faced a dry river to the west. The Xiongnu people lived along the river valley.

When Zhang Yu arrived at Zuoguo City, it was the busy farming season. Xiongnu people could be seen farming on both sides of the dry river, and many of them were grazing in the mountainous areas outside the river valley. A careful observation of the people's clothing revealed that they no longer wore fur clothes, but coarse linen. However, their clothing still retained many Hu customs.

Obviously, after nearly a hundred years of sinicization, the Xiongnu people, who had lived in a semi-agricultural and semi-pastoral area all year round, gradually became more like the Han people in terms of customs and clothing, unlike their ancestors who lived in the desert.

However, Zhang Yu knew that not all the Southern Xiongnu tribesmen were like what he saw before his eyes. Due to their living environment, the Southern Xiongnu tribesmen on the Ordos Plateau would not have a high level of sinicization in their customs and habits, and would be more similar to the desert Hu people.

After submitting his official documents for taking office, Zhang Yu was able to enter the inner city of Zuoguo City with Wang Rou's permission.

The inner city was where the Xiongnu Chanyu and the General of the Household who protected the Xiongnu lived. In order to control the Xiongnu Chanyu, the guards in the city were not provided by Xiongnu soldiers, but by the soldiers who protected the Xiongnu camp.

Walking up the stairs into the hall, Zhang Yu saw a middle-aged man sitting on a couch, talking to someone around him. His appearance was not outstanding, and the most impressive thing was his red nose, which was particularly eye-catching.

When Zhang Yu saw the man with rosacea, he remembered what Wang Hong had said about the characteristics of the Wang family of Jinyang. Most people of the Wang family of Jinyang had rosacea, and the rosacea of General Wang Rou was particularly obvious.

Wang Rou caught a glimpse of Zhang Yu out of the corner of her eye and waved to signal him to leave first.

Zhang Yu bowed and said, "Deputy Colonel Zhang Yu, Zhang Ji'an, I pay my respects to the General of the Central Army."

Wang Rou got up from her bed and greeted him, smiling and saying, "Ji'an has come a long way, and he must have had a lot of hardships on the way."

"Sit down!"

"Thank you, General!"

Compared to calling Wang Rou "general", Zhang Yu actually wanted to use other more elegant titles to call Wang Rou. Although Wang Rou was appointed as the General of the Central Army to Protect the Xiongnu, his temperament and words and deeds did not seem like a warrior.

Wang Rou looked gentle and smiled, "Although the Wang family of Jinyang and the Wang family of Qi County are not from the same lineage, they often have exchanges because of the same surname. Ji'an, there is no need to be so polite. Before you came here, Changwen had a letter, asking me to take care of it."

The five great noble families of Taiyuan were related by marriage, and their relationships were complicated. Especially after the defeat of Dachang Mobei ten years ago, under the policy of the court that people from the border guard the border, many of the five great noble families of Taiyuan were promoted to the rank of 2,000-stone officials, and gradually became a political force that could not be ignored in the court of the Eastern Han Dynasty.

For example, Wang Rou was appointed as the General of the Guards against the Xiongnu, his brother Wang Ze was appointed as the governor of Yanmen, Guo Yu was appointed as the governor of Dingxiang, Linghu Fa was appointed as the commander of Wuhuan, and Wen Shu was appointed as the governor of Dai County. Wang Hong and Wang Yun were the backbone of the Wang family in Qi County.

As for the relationship between the Wang family of Qi County and the Wang family of Jinyang, the two clans had different ancestors, but because they lived in the same Taiyuan County, the clans of both sides had to communicate with each other, so the friendship between the two sides can be called "old friendship". Among them, those who were friendly with each other would even call each other brothers because they had the same surname.

When they were young, brothers Wang Rou, Wang Ze, Wang Hong, and Wang Yun often played and socialized together. Although they separated after growing up and chose their own careers, the friendship of fellow townsmen and friends remained. Especially after Wang Hong returned home, the relationship became more and more harmonious due to frequent contact.

Although Zhang Yu was full of energy and ambition, judging from his current position, he was still indebted to Wang's favor.

With Wang Rou's guidance, Zhang Yu simply addressed himself as "Uncle".

"Excuse me, uncle. I have just arrived in Zuocheng. How can I help you?" Zhang Yu asked.

Wang Rou smiled and asked, "Ji'an, do you know our duties?" "To protect the Huns at home and the Xianbei abroad?" Zhang Yu said.

"Yes and no!"

Wang Rou nodded slightly and said, "Our duty is to protect the Xiongnu. It is important to ensure that the Chanyu is obedient to the Han Dynasty and that the Xiongnu people are safe and sound, and not to provoke a civil uprising. As for expelling the Xianbei, the border counties of Bingzhou are responsible for that, so it is not our duty."

Zhang Yu frowned. He came to Zuocheng to make achievements, not to play with the Xiongnu Chanyu. Wang Rou was satisfied with the present, but he was not. If he was not seeking promotion, wouldn't it be better for him to stay in Zheng County?
Zhang Yu thought for a moment and said cryptically, "Uncle, the Xianbei Chanyu Kuitou has passed away, and Qianman and Budugen are both Chanyu. Now that the two countries are coexisting in the desert, war is gradually rising. This is the time to make achievements. Why not unite with Budugen to prevent Qianman from invading the border."

Wang Rou understood what Zhang Yu meant, and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "Ji'an has just arrived in Zuocheng, and he doesn't know a lot of things. Since the defeat of Xiping, the soldiers of the Du Liao and Hu Xiongnu camps have been killed or wounded, and the Du Liao camp has been abandoned. Although the Hu Xiongnu camp has not been abandoned, it has no soldiers available."

"The imperial court has recruited soldiers to protect the Xiongnu Chanyu. Until now, the number of soldiers in the camp is less than 2,000. They can barely protect the Chanyu with the soldiers of Xihe County and intimidate the Xiongnu tribes. There are no more soldiers available!"

Zhang Yu understood Wang Rou's idea. For Wang Rou, it was enough for the Southern Xiongnu to not cause trouble during his term. He did not seek merit, but only to avoid mistakes. To put it nicely, he was conservative; to put it bluntly, he was just a figurehead.

After a brief understanding, Zhang Yu bowed and said, "I just arrived in Zuocheng and I am eager to make achievements. I hope my words are inappropriate. I hope you can forgive me, uncle."

"nothing!"

Wang Rou was quite easy to talk to, and said with a smile: "Jian is loved by you gentlemen, and he was promoted twice in one year, so he was inevitably anxious. Now that he has just been appointed as a deputy lieutenant, he is interested in making achievements on the border, and I can understand that he neglected the situation of the Xiongnu tribes."

After hitting a snag, Zhang Yu showed no dissatisfaction on his face, and asked respectfully: "My uncle is the chief officer, and he is my elder. Now that I am appointed as the deputy commander, I hope to ask my uncle for advice."

The General of the Central Army, Colonel, and Cavalry Commandant were actually all positions above the rank of two thousand stones. Now, as the adjutant of the General of the Central Army, the Colonel was given the title of deputy, and although his salary was reduced to one thousand stones, he still had the responsibilities of stationing troops and conducting expeditions.

At the moment, Zhang Yu was being humble, not only asking Wang Rou for advice on work, but actually asking Wang Rou for power. After all, as Zhang Yu was his adjutant, Wang Rou couldn't just ignore him.

"I heard from Chang Wen that Ji An will be married soon."

Wang Rou stroked his beard and thought, and asked, "Why not do this now? There is no important matter in Zuocheng now. Ji'an can first understand the situation of the Xiongnu tribes, and then get married. When the situation in the border counties is clear, let me make arrangements. What do you think?"

Apparently, Wang Rou, as the chief officer, did not know what position to assign to Zhang Yu. After all, since the establishment of the Lieutenant General for the Protection of the Xiongnu, his job responsibilities were not very busy. In addition to guarding the Chanyu, he had no other duties. Whenever there was a deputy, he was either sent as an envoy to the Hu people or to the southern desert.

Wang Rou didn't know what to do at the moment, so she could only leave Zhang Yu alone under the pretext of caring about him.

"Thank you, uncle, for the arrangement!"

Although Zhang Yu was depressed, he still looked grateful and said.

"good!"

That night, Wang Rou and Qiangqu Chanyu hosted a banquet for Zhang Yu, but Zhang Yu was not mentioned.

During the period when he had no specific duties, Zhang Yu had nothing to do and stayed in the archives room every day or chatted with Qiangqu Chanyu.

After some understanding, Zhang Yu discovered that the Southern Xiongnu were currently facing a serious problem, namely, the prestige of the Xiongnu Khan was not high due to the frequent dethronement and appointment of the Khan by the Eastern Han Dynasty.

In order to facilitate control of the Chanyu, Wang Rou's predecessors did not follow the strict system of bloodline inheritance, but chose people who were not from the Twin Di clan to serve as Chanyu.

For example, during the reign of Emperor Shun of Han, Chen Gui, the general who protected the Xiongnu, forced the Chanyu and his brother, the Zuoxian King, to commit suicide because the Chanyu could not control his subordinate tribes. The position of Chanyu Wang Ting was vacant for many years until the Han court appointed Doulouchu, the Shouyi King, whose lineage was unknown, as the new Chanyu.

Although the Eastern Han Dynasty controlled the Chanyu through a series of operations, these Chanyu successors lacked a political foundation and were difficult to convince the people, so their people often rebelled.

Although the current Qiangqu Chanyu has been on the throne for many years, his foundation is weak. In addition, due to the continuous decline of the Eastern Han Dynasty's deterrence against the Southern Xiongnu, Qiangqu Chanyu can only command his own tribe and the people of the royal court, and it is difficult for other tribes to obey his orders.

While understanding the internal situation of the Xiongnu, a letter from his father Zhang Ji regarding his marriage arrived.

According to the fortune teller Zhang Ji found in Jinyang, they were suitable to get married on July 28, in addition to February 3. According to Wang's agreement on the principle of proximity, the wedding date was set for July 28, and the wedding location was chosen to be in Jinyang.

It is already May, and the wedding is less than three months away. If we make careful preparations, it is not too late. In order to arrange Zhang Yu's marriage, Zhong Yao and Li's mother are both in Jinyang to help, leaving Zhang Yang alone in the fort to manage the affairs.

ps: Will be available tomorrow, thanks for your support
(End of this chapter)