Jinting Han people

Unable to rescue Niyang from Malan Mountain, Li Han considered starting from other places.

The first thing that came to mind was to emulate Suo Jing's previous strategy of harassing the Wei River grain route and attack the rebels' grain route. Suo Jing was able to force the rebels to leave Chang'an at that time, so maybe he could have the same miraculous effect this time.

But after a little thought and reconnaissance, Li Han found that the old method was no longer feasible.

Suo Jing's raids were successful because the terrain between Chencang and Chang'an was flat, making it impossible for the Hu people to abandon the Wei River valley and take another route. Attacking the Hu people's food supply routes from the north would be difficult for them to defend against.

However, Li Han's base was currently in Xiayang. The Hu people's grain route ran from Chencang to Meiyang, then along the Qiaoshan Mountains to the north. The route was mostly mountainous and forested, making it difficult for cavalry to fully utilize their mobility. Furthermore, rebel forces were lurking at Weiqiao and Tongguan. If Li Han attacked, he would be in danger of being cut off from his retreat. Unless the Jin army in Chang'an was willing to attack, his plan would be impossible.

Li Han was certainly not one to sit still and wait for death. Since he couldn't defeat the enemy with force, he opted for a clever strategy. He sent out propaganda, claiming the imperial court had reorganized its army and would dispatch General Ningshuo, Liu Hong, south to quell the rebellion. At the same time, he bypassed the Zhengxi Army Headquarters and sent a direct letter to Luoyang requesting assistance. He criticized Sima Rong's unwise words and actions, exaggerated the Jin army's superiority in Niyang, and attempted to create the illusion that the Jin army was within reach of quelling the rebellion and could secure victory with just a few reinforcements.

Unfortunately, the rebels surrounding Niyang remained unmoved, and the military reports sent to Luoyang fell on deaf ears, leaving Li Han feeling deeply frustrated. He abandoned any hope of receiving short-term support from the imperial court and instead placed his hopes on the Tuoba Xianbei in the north.

Liu Xian had arranged Lu Quyang in Xiayang in advance and had been communicating with Baba Che of Tuoba Xianbei at the market, but to this day, he had not received any news about the end of Tuoba Yilu's northern expedition.

One day, Li Han called Lü Quyang over and asked him, "Still no news from the north?"

Lu Quyang was also extremely anxious, but his boots were almost worn out from going to Baba Che every day. He could only nod helplessly and answer, "That's right."

Upon hearing this, Li Han clapped his sword slightly and spoke at a very fast pace, "Things have come to this point, it can be said that the situation is critical. No one knows how long Niyang can hold out. We can't wait any longer. We must ask the Xianbei for troops!"

"But without the leader's order, the Xianbei tribes are refusing to comply. What can we do?"

"How can people be suffocated by such questions? If Tuoba Yilu doesn't come back, we will go find him!"

Lu Quyang was shocked when he heard this, and then he heard Li Han grit his teeth and say:
"Haven't you heard this before? The Tuoba Xianbei have now split into three kingdoms: East, West, and Central. Their capitals are located north of Chanhebi, north of Yanmen, and north of Shanggu, respectively. Ride your horse quickly from Bingzhou and you'll reach Pingcheng in about ten days. Then, you can approach each of the three leaders one by one. One of them will surely be there. Even if none of them are, there will surely be someone in charge in the capital! Going there and asking for help will surely be more effective than waiting around now."

Li Han did not discuss this matter in a negotiating tone. He immediately called his disciple Feng Yu over and instructed him:
"Just the two of you go. If the person in charge doesn't care, you can privately contact some Xianbei nobles in their capital and promise them huge profits. I don't believe these barbarians talk about loyalty! They won't cause trouble without the master's orders? I don't believe it!"

"Lord Li's words are good, but how can we promise you such huge profits?"

Lu Quyang was in a dilemma. He knew the current situation in Xiayang. They had already tried their best to provide for Li Han's troops. How could they squeeze out any huge profits?

Li Han didn't care at all. He waved his hand and said, "This is easy!" He immediately took out a piece of silk from his chest and handed it to Lu Quyang and Feng Yu to see.

There were densely written words on it, and the content was from the voice of King Sima Rong of Liang asking for help from Tuoba Xianbei, requesting that they send some reinforcements in consideration of the long-term friendship between the two countries. If Qi Wannian became too powerful, the Xianbei people would probably not have peace. If Tuoba Xianbei could send reinforcements and defeat Qi Wannian, then he could take all the men, women, and gold and silk!
The letter's language was utterly condescending, its promises excessive, and it lacked the aura of a great Celestial Empire. Furthermore, the seal of the Western Expeditionary Army, clearly forged by Li Han himself, stamped on the end of the letter made Lü Quyang and Feng Yu sweat. If the imperial court learned of this, Li Han would be in great trouble, with no hope of a happy end.

Li Han's attitude was quite clear. He said, "At this point in our country's history, how can we afford to worry about trivial matters? If we succeed and repel the rebels, it will be a great achievement, and the court will certainly not pursue the matter. If we fail, it will not be a loss to the country, and as long as you keep it to yourself, no one will take it seriously. What's there to be afraid of? If anything goes wrong, I will take the responsibility."

Li Han downplayed such a taboo, leaving the two people who were listening speechless. They didn't know whether to admire his audacity or be terrified by his lawlessness.

But since Li Han had already shown a willingness to take responsibility, Lü Quyang naturally wouldn't refuse. He hastily packed his belongings and set out from Xiayang that same day. Besides Feng Yu, he was accompanied by two servants, each with three horses, so they could rotate horses along the way.

From Xiayang, through Hedong and Pingyang, all the way north to Taiyuan, Jiuyuan, and Yanmen, the journey was already over a thousand miles long. Furthermore, the road was surrounded by towering mountains, making it extremely difficult and treacherous. Li Han estimated that it would take them ten days, which was actually quite demanding.

But Lü Quyang was even more demanding of himself. Once the four of them set out on their journey, they barely rested. They rode so fast that the fierce wind made it hard to breathe. Aside from eating, drinking, and urinating, they even slept on their horses, tying their waists to the saddle and tying the reins to the lead horse's saddle to act as a guide. This way, several people could take turns leading the way, allowing them to travel the official road even at night.

Such a journey was extremely arduous. Almost every day, they would run a horse to death. Then, when they passed through the town of Bingzhou, they would buy another horse. They repeated this process over and over again. It only took them four days to reach Yanmen from Fenyin.

But after running all this way, everyone was exhausted, as if they were half asleep or falling apart. When they finally stopped to rest, even their stomachs couldn't help but churn, as if they were about to vomit something. The four of them rested for a long time, looking back from the top of Juzhu Mountain. They saw the vastness of the world, and they didn't know how many towering mountains they had left behind. The thousands of pine trees swaying on the mountaintops made them feel like they were not in the world anymore.

At this point, Shengle was still about three hundred miles away. Lü Quyang hurried to Guangwu City to seek an audience with Ningshuo General Liu Hong. Liu Hong had been closely following the war in Guanzhong. Upon hearing that the envoys were from the Zhengxi Army, he ignored Li Han's letter and immediately sent an envoy to lead them to Shengle City.

By this time, Lü Quyang and his companions' hips were blistered by the saddles and they could no longer travel at their usual speed. They had no choice but to slow down, pad their thighs with cotton cloth, and rush to the Tuoba Xianbei's western capital.

Shengle City was built by the previous Great Chanyu Tuoba Liwei and was also the site of the Tuoba Xianbei's celestial sacrifices. Legend has it that when Tuoba Liwei first established his kingdom, this area was a wasteland. However, seeing the abundant grass and water resources, and the Yinshan Mountains at its back, he settled there. He held an annual ceremony to worship the heavens, with the 108 tribes under his rule celebrating together. After establishing peace with the Wei and Jin dynasties, many Han Chinese arrived, bringing with them their customs. Consequently, they built a city wall here, creating a rare city beyond the Great Wall.

Upon arriving in the city, Lü Quyang was surprised to find it incredibly prosperous. While it lacked traditional Han-style city walls, its defensive function was nearly nonexistent, serving only to demarcate areas. Even so, this didn't affect the city's bustling atmosphere. Perhaps it was precisely because Shengle City was so small that it seemed so crowded and crowded.

Beneath the low city walls, one could see eight avenues extending from the city gates. Nomadic knights galloped along the official roads. Between the roads lay lush farmland and clear rivers, planted with wheat and bean sprouts. In the distance, on the emerald hillsides, herders could be seen herding cattle and sheep, singing at the top of their lungs. Nearby, one could spot Western merchants and Han Chinese, draped in animal-skin robes, arriving from nowhere.

These people occupied the gaps in the road, setting up tents, setting up stalls, and shouting their wares. The stalls had everything: swords, armor, saddles, silk, porcelain, jewelry... Lü Quyang even saw ivory Buddhist beads among them, said to be treasures brought over by Indian merchants.

Feng Yu looked around, feeling somewhat lost. He sighed to Lü Quyang, "Do the Hu people know how to govern a country?"

Lü Quyang was of Di ethnic origin and was particularly sensitive to the discriminatory tone of the words, but he couldn't get angry, so he said, "It depends on who you're competing with."

The implication is that the high-ranking officials in the court are not as good as those in the previous dynasty and do not know how to govern the country at all, not that Tuoba Xianbei is so talented.

Feng Yu certainly recognized the irony, but he was so caught up in the shock of entering a Hu city for the first time that he paid it no mind. Then, he was drawn to the faint cheers from the north. He looked over and saw white smoke curling around what seemed like numerous human heads moving around it, like motes of dust. They were probably over ten miles away, but he could still sense their excitement.

Something must have happened, so Feng Yu asked around on the street. Immediately, a Xianbei man proudly told them:

"The hawk has conquered the fox, and peace has returned to our country!"

Just the previous month, Tuoba Luguan, leader of the Tuoba Xianbei, had concluded his eastern expedition, defeating the Duan tribe of the Xianbei and the Liaoxi Wuhuan in a series of battles at Bailang Mountain. He had also instigated the Murong Xianbei to march north, attacking them from both sides and severely defeating the Yuwen Xianbei. The Yuwen leader, Yuwen Xunniyan, was left with no other options and ultimately surrendered to Tuoba Luguan.

Meanwhile, Tuoba Yilu, who had crossed the desert to the north, had also achieved great success. After three victories, he successively accepted the surrender of more than ten Gaoche tribes and obtained tens of thousands of cattle and sheep. He relocated these captives and cattle and sheep back to the south of the desert. The main force arrived in Shengle five days ago.

This great victory further expanded the influence of Tuoba Xianbei, especially by subduing the Yuwen Xianbei.

The Yuwen tribe held a high position among the Xianbei tribes, said to be remnants of the ancient Northern Xiongnu royal family left behind in the Xianbei mountains. Later, the Yuwen tribe strongly supported Tan Shihuai and made significant contributions to his unification of the Xianbei. Tan Shihuai reciprocated his support by dividing the Xianbei into three tribes: Eastern, Central, and Western. The Yuwen tribe became the Eastern Lords, ruling over the eastern region.

While times have changed and the Yuwen tribe is no longer as glorious as it once was, it remains the preeminent force in the east, hence its persistent attempts to curb the expansion of the Tuoba Xianbei. But now, Tuoba Luguan, emulating the old system of Tan Shihuai, has divided the country into three parts. This has not only broken the blockade and occupied new territory, but has also forced the Yuwen Xianbei to submit. How could the tribesmen not be overjoyed and proud?

At this moment, in the north of Shengle City, Tuoba Luguan was leading Tuoba Yilu and other Xianbei leaders to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth. At the same time, in order to further win over and control the Yuwen Xianbei, he married his eldest daughter Tuoba Luoqi to Yuwen Xun Ni Yan, thereby demonstrating his orthodox status as a Xianbei.

The scene Feng Yu had vaguely witnessed was, in fact, a Xianbei wedding. Xianbei customs differed from those of the Central Plains. They held a grand ceremony near the river at the turn of spring and summer. They set up yurts, roasted cattle and sheep, and boiled milk. Then, at the banquet, men and women from the tribe would get to know each other. Those who were attracted to each other would feast together, and at night, they would have sex in the yurt, and this was considered a marriage.

Of course, Tuoba Luoqi and Yuwenxun Niyan, the main guests at the wedding banquet, had adopted Chinese etiquette and, in public, knelt before their respective parents. At the conclusion of the ceremony, hundreds of cavalrymen gathered, each mounted atop a steed, their bows drawn, and shot arrows in the six directions, praying for the blessings of the gods.

After Feng Yu learned the details, he felt even more emotional and couldn't help but feel a little worried: although they had also encountered rebellion from their subordinates, the Tuoba Xianbei were now winning battles one after another and expanding their territory. On the other hand, in the battle of Guanzhong, the Jin army clearly had the advantage, but was defeated repeatedly by Qi Wannian, and the loss was no less than 60,000 soldiers.

Thinking of Qi Wannian's military achievements, Feng Yu asked himself: How could it be that the national fortune of the Hu people is rising, while the national fortune of the Jin people is declining?

But no matter what, it is undoubtedly good news to know that Tuoba Yilu and Tuoba Luguan are both in Shengle. If one wants to find someone to ask for reinforcements, now is the best time.

But will the Xianbei people really agree?

With this question in mind, they settled in Shengle City and, as planned, submitted a petition to the Xianbei royal court. Then, they waited. The fate of the Niyang defenders would depend on when Tuoba Yilu would summon them. (End of this chapter)