The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 241 Can't Keep Up

Wang Xin didn't really like Shuo Erhui's purpose, even though Shuo Erhui was currently of great benefit to him.

If Shuoerhui achieves his goal, and is given a territory to develop into a tribe that becomes a vassal state of the Great Zhou, strictly abiding by the laws of the Great Zhou and being even more loyal to the Great Zhou than the Zhou people, just like Nurhaci.

Before the eunuchs caused chaos in Liaodong and before the late Ming Dynasty completely lost control, Nurhaci was the most loyal henchman of the Ming Dynasty. On the contrary, the Jurchen tribes hated the Jianzhou Jurchen to death.

In ancient times, "hawks and hounds" was a positive term.

Of course, even a hundred Shuo Erhui might not succeed once, but the Hu people are so useful—they're cheap.

You can gain all the benefits without having to give anything in return.

The only cost was the use of Hu people, who were loyal to him, which is why Hu people were used in all nine border regions.

Historically, it wasn't just in Liaodong that nomadic people were used; they were also widely used in the other nine border regions. However, when nomadic troubles arose in other places, the Ming Dynasty was still able to maintain its political stability.

So it was suppressed or eased.

If he also accepts the use of non-Han people, it doesn't mean that Shuoerhui will necessarily become Nurhaci. Rather, it's about how his actions differ from those of other generals who use non-Han people, such as Li Chengliang.

The same fact is that before Li Chengliang became the Liaodong General, several Liaodong Generals died one after another, and the eastern Mongols plundered Liaodong every year.

It was only after Li Chengliang took office as the General Commander of Liaodong that he was able to completely stabilize Liaodong through winning over and dividing forces, as well as his own strength.

It was because Liaodong at that time could not do without Li Chengliang that the imperial court tacitly approved Li Chengliang's behavior in Liaodong.

Therefore, as long as it is advantageous to use the Hu people, then the outcome is predetermined.

Whether it takes a hundred years or two hundred years, statistically speaking, it will lead to an outcome that is 100% certain.

This is determined by interests.

People cannot go against their own interests.

Wang Xin glanced at Shi Ping, who put down his bowl and chopsticks, clapped his hands, got up to get something, and passed by Shuo Erhui.

Shuo Erhui felt uneasy.

Although he knew he couldn't hide it from Wang Xin, he still couldn't figure out what the other man was thinking.

Wang Xin broke his promise and ambushed and killed the Chanyu. Shuoerhui could understand Wang Xin's actions. Killing an enemy like the Chanyu would be beneficial to Wang Xin, no matter the cost. Therefore, Shuoerhui did not think that Wang Xin was a villain for killing the Chanyu.

This person must be a powerful and ruthless leader.

By becoming his henchmen and bringing him enormous benefits, as long as one remains loyal, Wang Xin will not skimp on personal gains. For such a person, personal preferences cannot influence their actions, and they will surely win people's hearts and minds.

The millet porridge of the Zhou people smells so good!

Shuo Erhui wasn't worried. He took a small sip, mindful of his manners. The Zhou people valued etiquette, and he needed to learn from them to become a well-mannered person.

"Wow."

Shi Ping suddenly elbowed Shuo Erhui in the back of the head. Even though Shi Ping was only sixteen years old, Wang Xin didn't dare to say that he was his match.

Shuo Erhui suddenly fell forward, then bounced back to sit upright, his eyes seemingly bulging out. The bowl in his hand fell to the ground, but because it was dirt, it only rolled once.

The other guards were stunned.

Shi Tou reacted quickly, without suspecting Shi Ping, and immediately reached out to press down Shuo Erhui's legs to facilitate Shi Ping's next move.

When Shi Ping elbowed Shuo Erhui, his eyes were fixed on the general.

Although Shi Ping didn't know what the general was thinking, he could tell what the general wanted him to do just by the general sneezing.

The look the general gave me just now was a signal that he should take action against Shuo Erhui.

It was really strange. Shi Ping couldn't figure it out, but it didn't matter. He just did as the general instructed.

However, Shi Ping still had some doubts about how far things should go. After all, Shuo Erhui's words showed his utmost loyalty to the general, and he himself did not understand why the general would want to harm Shuo Erhui.

Wang Xin calmly ignored it.

Shi Ping understood. He quickly twisted his head with both hands, and Shuo Erhui's head, which hadn't reacted at all, snapped with a crack. He then fell limply to the ground, where he was caught by a nearby stone and gently laid down without making a sound.

"Go find Liu Tong, gather the rest of the Hu soldiers in the name of Shuo Erhui, kill all those from the Shanyu tribe, scatter the rest, and transfer them to Zhang Can's hands."

Wang Xin's swift arrangements caught everyone off guard.

Shuo Erhui probably didn't even know how he died. Before he died, he never suspected that he would be the one to kill him. He thought so, and so did everyone else.

So, before anyone else could even think of it, they effortlessly dealt with Hu Bing from the Shanyu tribe.

The Anssa people did a good job at first, resolving all conflicts in the new land without leaving any hidden dangers. Later, they became wealthy and, after a short time as the leader, learned many of the bad habits of the ancient Eastern empire.

Moral standards have risen sharply.

Various inexplicable conflicts escalated.

The East Slavs, on the other hand, came up with some clever methods later on.

Unfortunately, the East Slavs were the losers, so in people's minds, such behavior was barbaric. The Onsa people, on the other hand, were the victors, so even more barbaric behavior could not affect people's admiration for the Onsa people's morality, and the Onsa people were labeled as gentlemen.

That's actually correct.

Inner sage, outer king.

They should be gentlemen to their own people, but when dealing with barbarians, they should be even more barbaric than the barbarians themselves. The 19th and 20th centuries were the most glorious period of the Anssa people's rise, and Wang Xin preferred the Anssa people's philosophy during this period.

As for the concept of "inner king and outer sage," the ancient Eastern empire, with its long history, has already shown that this period is one of decline.

Zhang Can led his team back to the camp.

He didn't look happy.

"He's still no match for Shuo Erhui. When he goes out, he can wipe out at least one tribe." Zhang Can sighed. He didn't see Shuo Erhui's banner. Had that guy set off again?
Whether it's three days, five days, or at the latest seven or eight days, they all have to go back to the camp to rest for a few days.

Zhang Can assumed Shuo Erhui was at the camp, but not seeing his flag, he subconsciously thought that the man had set off with his team again. He thought to himself that this man was really working hard and that he couldn't keep up.

He didn't care about the lives of the Hu people, but he couldn't disregard the lives of his comrades.

"Who cares? How can we compare to him?" one officer said dismissively.

The lives of the Hu people are worthless; once they die, they're gone.

Their cavalrymen receive two taels of silver in military pay each month, which is twenty-four taels a year. That's enough to buy countless barbarians to risk their lives. Not to mention the pensions. Their cavalrymen can't afford to die, and barbarians are worthless.

Everyone returned as usual, and although they sensed that the atmosphere was a bit dull, they didn't think much of it.

"what!"

Upon hearing the general's words that Shuo'erhui was dead, Zhang Can was filled with disbelief and couldn't help but ask, "Why?"

Wang Xin stroked his chin, sighed, and said, "He doesn't follow the Zhou etiquette."

Zhang Can's eyebrows twitched, speechless to himself.

Wang Xin didn't care about Shuo Erhui's matter and told Zhang Can his future requirements: "Many of the remaining Hu soldiers claim to be Zhou people. You don't need to worry about them. Just treat them all as Hu soldiers and lead them around."

Although Zhang Can felt sorry for Shuo Erhui and was even more shocked by the general's shamelessness, he still listened patiently to understand the general's next arrangements. Wang Xin would not go against his interests.

Using the allure of the Hu people, as long as there are benefits, the scheme will never end, and Wang Xin has not seen any country that can resist it.

However, bypassing the middlemen and directly employing Hu people, they can only serve as soldiers and cannot be promoted. At most, they can only become squad leaders, and even if they become platoon leaders, they must be Zhou people.

in short.

Since using the Hu people is advantageous, we should make full use of them and maximize their benefits.

As for the risks, if we are aware of them, we should completely prevent them, rather than creating hidden dangers that future generations can never eliminate for the sake of some inexplicable morality. Mrs. Donras did a good job later on.

The Zhou cavalrymen earned two taels of silver a month, enough to support their families and stimulate consumption, creating a cycle of profit. However, the price was high, and they couldn't afford to die.

The Hu cavalry were only provided with monthly rations and received rewards from the spoils of war. However, if a Hu cavalryman was killed, he would receive a pension. If he had a child, he would receive five coins of silver per month until the child grew up.

Having been raised by Zhou Jun since childhood, and without a small circle of people mainly of Hu origin, how could he possibly be a Hu person?
As for whether Hu cavalrymen can have children, at least this regulation will reassure many of them. As for their dissatisfaction, in the end, they will have to settle things with their fists.

Tens of thousands of Jurchen people conquered hundreds of millions of Ming people.

There are plenty of discontenters, yet we've remained submissive for nearly three hundred years—that's the truth.

After listening to the general's analysis and arrangements, Zhang Can couldn't help but swallow hard, looking at the general with a strange expression.

Wang Xin laughed and scolded, "Speak your mind, or spit it out."

Zhang Can sighed, "I never expected the general to come up with such a vicious plan."

Shuo Erhui died because of a single sentence. The general killed him. Zhang Can heard it clearly, but he didn't feel nervous at all and continued to speak as usual.

Wang Xin wasn't surprised.

It wasn't because of Zhang Can, nor because of his own system.

As long as one is strong enough, there will be no shortage of filial sons and virtuous grandsons, and the label of civilization will never be torn off. This is the principle of the victor being king and the loser being a bandit.

On the contrary, scholars who came from the imperial examination system were accustomed to a stable social order and subconsciously regarded the morality within that order as the universal truth, even saying without a doubt that "reason can prevail in the world."

"The general said so."

Inside the tent, a dozen or so Hu people gathered together. One of them said, "It is Shuoerhui who has not observed the Zhou rites."

Another person agreed and explained to his companions: "The Zhou people are the most polite, while the Hu people are not. That's why the Hu people are called Hu people. Wild beasts don't know how to behave properly, but humans should know how to behave properly."

"The Zhou people valued propriety, which is why they were powerful. This included their education, civilization, economic prosperity, and strength, all of which stemmed from their adherence to propriety."

“We Hu people live in poverty, and all our suffering is because we do not follow the etiquette of the Zhou people.”

Many of the Hu people agreed with these words.

In any case, they envied the Zhou people's life, so why couldn't they live like that? It must be because the Zhou people were not polite.

"The general truly hopes that we Hu people can live well, so he hopes that we must abide by the rites. Only when we all abide by the Zhou rites can we Hu people become human and live a good life like the Zhou people."

"So even though Shuoerhui made many contributions, his lack of adherence to Zhou etiquette posed the greatest threat to us. It was the general who didn't care, but for the sake of our Hu people's future, everyone should follow etiquette, so the general reluctantly killed Shuoerhui."

This makes sense.

They fought and robbed each other in the desert, and bandits and robbers roamed freely because they did not observe etiquette. If everyone observed etiquette and did not infringe on others, wouldn't it be as stable and harmonious as the Zhou people?

"fart."

Someone cursed.

"You don't understand, you're inexperienced."

"It is because there are too many uncivilized barbarians like you that we Hu people are no match for the Zhou people."

Day two.

The remaining seventy or eighty Hu cavalrymen were summoned. Even after the previous massacre, these Hu cavalrymen who had been spared still had no doubts. Although they were unhappy, none of them suspected that Zhou soldiers would continue to kill them.

really.

They met Zhang Can.

Zhang Can, his face dark, looked at the crowd and said, "The Chanyu did not observe the Zhou rites, so he died. Shuoerhui, relying on his merits, also did not observe the Zhou rites, so he also died. You must understand that only by observing the Zhou rites can you survive."

"General Zhang, we know."

“Upholding the Zhou rites is a sign of civilization, and only then can we live a good life. The general killed Shuo Erhui for our own good.”

someone shouted.

Zhang Can was stunned for a moment, then nodded repeatedly.

As the general was right, the most effective way to deal with the Hu people was to subdue them. Naturally, someone would come out to explain and provide a flawless explanation. Zhang Can didn't believe it before, but now he does.

The general is still the same general; the general is never wrong.

"From now on, you will observe the Zhou rituals. You are one of our own. The general still cares about you. I allow you to join my ranks and become my soldiers. Is that alright?"

Zhang Can asked loudly, blushing slightly afterward, though his dark complexion obscured the blush.

"We do."

"willing."

The Hu people joined in, their faces beaming with excitement.

They will be the Zhou people from now on.

Zhang Can nodded and then told them about their treatment.

Although they were not as good as the real Zhou cavalry, they could understand it. After all, those were real Zhou people, while they were just assimilated Hu people. How could they be compared to the real Zhou people? So it was normal for them to be treated worse.

However, they now have legal status, and even in death they are protected.

The children could be raised by Zhou Jun and would become true Zhou people, no longer barbarians. Everyone was extremely excited.

Zhang Can was also very satisfied.

With the addition of the Hu cavalry, he could act freely and not care how many Hu cavalrymen died. It wasn't because of the Hu people, but because of the profits; the death of a Zhou cavalryman was too costly.

Moreover, maintaining a Hu (non-Han) cavalryman is cheap and doesn't cost much.

Zhang Can is also a representative of Juzhongchang.

However, he joined not in his personal capacity, but in the name of the Zhenlu City military. There were also one person from Weiyuan Pass, one person from Tuanshan Pass, one person from Weiyuan Pass, and one person from Hexi Camp, for a total of five people.

However, Zhang Can's cavalry directly affected the interests of the Chamber of Commerce, so Zhang Can wanted to personally provide the merchants with a charter regarding changes to the army.

This is Wang Xin's request.

How should I write this? I also have to be responsible to the merchants? I can't keep up with the general's train of thought at all. Zhang Can buried his head in deep thought.

(End of this chapter)