Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 456

After enduring a long winter, Tuoba Yao surrendered the city as soon as spring arrived, and even specifically surrendered to Mao Dezhu.

It wasn't that he was particularly righteous, but rather that all the grain and livestock in Pingcheng had been eaten.

Mao Dezhu was the first to enter the city, occupy the palace, and control the treasury. Shen Tianzi was a step behind, so he vented his anger on the nobles of Wei, and Changsun, Shusun, Daxi, Qiumuling, Helan, Chigan, Wuniu, and Hexi were all wiped out.

The women were distributed among the troops, and their property was looted.

There were also the Sogdian powerful clans An and Kang, and the mixed Hu powerful clans Hounu and Houfu.

The Sogdians had been merchants for generations, accumulating enormous wealth, which helped Tuoba Gui restore his kingdom. When the Han army returned, they naturally wouldn't let them go.

Shen Tianzi even dismantled the gilded bronze gateposts of these powerful chieftains, taking everything he could and burning everything else he couldn't carry away...

Liu Guangzhi and Mao Dezhu couldn't stand it any longer and reprimanded them a few times before things quieted down a bit.

However, the other armies continued to plunder the wealthy Xianbei households in the city.

The land allocation system implemented by Tuoba Gui was certainly not fair to everyone.

No matter how much the Northern Wei imitated the Han dynasty's system, it was essentially still a nomadic state.

The Xianbei people occupied the most fertile lands, while other miscellaneous nomadic groups like the Xiongnu and Dingling occupied the less fertile lands. Only what was left over was distributed to the Jin people in the north.

This also led to the Xianbei people being generally wealthy.

Resentment towards the rich is human nature. The first to act were not the Han army, but the Xiongnu and other non-Han people in the city. They took advantage of the chaos to burn and kill. When the Han army tried to stop them, they discovered that there were so many who had escaped, so they also began to act...

By April, the remaining members of the Wei royal family and boatloads of gold, silver, and silk were sent to Chang'an.

However, compared to the Kingdom of Linyi, the Kingdom of Wei had very little wealth.

The Wei state was not wealthy to begin with, and after twenty years of existence, it was not as prosperous as Linyi, which had existed for two or three hundred years.

After a long winter, the livestock and warhorses were all eaten.

Liu Daogui enfeoffed Tuoba Si's eleven-year-old eldest son, Tuoba Tao, as the Marquis of Changle and placed him in Chang'an City. The other members of the Tuoba clan were sent to Chengdu, Guangzhou, Chang'an, Jiaozhi and other places, and were reduced to slaves.

The conqueror has no mercy or righteousness toward the conquered.

If it weren't for appeasing the 60,000 to 70,000 Xianbei slave households north and south of Yinshan, Liu Daogui wouldn't have even wanted to grant them the title of marquis.

After destroying the Wei Kingdom, Mao Dezhu, Liu Guangzhi, and Hu Fan led an army of 140,000 to garrison Jicheng, directly threatening the Northern Yan in western Liaoning.

The Northern Yan was able to survive in the cracks for three reasons: first, its marriage alliance with the Rouran; second, the Wei state's focus on the Central Plains; and third, Feng Ba's personal abilities.

During his reign, he revitalized the government, cleaned up official corruption, encouraged agriculture and sericulture, reduced taxes and corvée labor, established the Imperial Academy, and attached great importance to education. He issued several edicts ordering the people to "plant one hundred mulberry trees and twenty osage orange trees per person," and explicitly stated that "those who neglect farming will be executed, while those who work hard in the fields will be rewarded."

To bring a dying kingdom back on track.

However, Northern Yan was ultimately a small state, encompassing only Liaoxi and parts of Liaodong, with a total population of only five or six hundred thousand.

It would be best to surrender voluntarily to avoid a major conflict.

It doesn't matter if we don't surrender. The Han Dynasty is not the Northern Wei Dynasty. In front of 400,000 fierce soldiers, even the combined forces of the Northern Yan and Rouran would be no match.

If Liu Daogui were willing, raising another 400,000 troops wouldn't be difficult.

"Your Majesty, the Northern Yan has sent a letter of state."

In just half a month, Bei Yan reacted.

The letter to the emperor was written in an extremely humble tone, stating that the Feng family were originally Han Chinese, a family of generals for generations. During the Five Barbarian Invasions, they joined the Yan Kingdom to protect their ancestors. Now that the Han Dynasty was being restored, Feng Ba was also honored. However, Liaoxi was a land of foreign invasion, with many barbarian people in the country, and their intentions were not aligned. He asked Liu Daogui for five years to plan his course gradually. To show his sincerity, the Northern Yan would relinquish the title of Heavenly King and demote the emperor to Duke of Yan...

Liu Daogui was amused by the official letter.

Feng Ba was sincere, but he was still reluctant to give up his power and position.

"How does Your Majesty wish to reply?" Yin Zhongwen asked, picking up his pen.

After pondering for a moment, Liu Daogui said, "No reply!"

"Not replying?"

“That’s right. It’s his business to demote himself to the Duke of Yan, and it’s also his business to take things slowly. We just need to advance our troops and press him step by step.” Liu Daogui knew the ways of doing business.

When you have an absolute advantage, there's no need to rush to reveal your bottom line; let the other party guess for themselves.

Feng Kai said, "In that case, we can transfer Wang Zhongde's troops to Jicheng to form an army of 200,000. This will both intimidate Hebei and deter Northern Yan."

"It's not about intimidation. We don't need to trouble two different parties. After the autumn harvest this year, we will launch a large-scale attack on Yan," Liu Daogui corrected.

Only a real fight can have a deterrent effect.

Although the ruler of Northern Yan was a Han Chinese, it was essentially a nomadic state dominated by the Murong Xianbei.

There's no need to be polite when dealing with the Hu Kingdom.

Bingzhou has 200,000 troops under Wang Zhen'e, Shen Tianzi, and Zhu Lingshi, which is enough.

Liu Muzhi wore a bitter expression, "Grain supplies..."

"The army will settle and cultivate the land on the spot. The hundreds of thousands of cattle and sheep captured by Wang Zhen'e will not be transported back to Chang'an, but will all be sent to the front line. Jianghuai and Jingxiang should expedite the transfer. If it is still insufficient, each army should raise funds on the spot."

To raise funds locally means to find a way on your own.

Even if Liu Daogui hadn't issued this order, the soldiers would still have plundered the local Hu people.

It is springtime now, and with 200,000 troops and hundreds of thousands of slave households engaged in land reclamation, there will be enough for military use by autumn.

The various prefectures and garrisons would also transport grain northwards to support the troops of their respective prefectures.

The Hebei Canal connected with the Central Plains, allowing for a smooth passage from Fangtou to Youzhou, which greatly reduced the logistical supply costs for the Han Dynasty.

Liu Daogui remained inactive, as did Feng Ba. However, the Rouran in the north could not hold back. Muhanheshenggai Khan led 70,000 cavalry south to Tanhan Mountain, boasting 150,000 archers, and established a royal tent to pacify the Xianbei tribes that had fled north.

This place is located 400 li northeast of Pingcheng. It was once the royal court of Tan Shihuai, a powerful Xianbei ruler. Tan Shihuai used this place to control the Han lands to the south and the grasslands to the north, thus unifying the various Xianbei tribes.

The arrival of the Rouran army was undoubtedly in response to Feng Ba's call, and also to expand their power and annex the tribes north of Yinshan.

The Xianbei and Rouran both originated from the Donghu.

The Han army wreaked havoc in Hebei, causing countless Hu people to flee north, while the Rouran people took the opportunity to come and plunder.

"What audacity!" Liu Daogui was not angry but pleased.

The Rouran are hiding in the northern desert, and the Han army has to expend a lot of energy to attack them. Now, they are taking the initiative to go south and set up a royal camp, which is no different from courting death.

Liu Muzhi said, "The Rouran are coming with great force; it is not advisable to start another major battle."

"Rest assured, I will not send troops unless I am completely certain. Order Wang Zhen'e, Shen Tianzi and their troops to retreat to Pingcheng, withdraw their forces to the south of the Great Wall and abandon the area north of the Great Wall."

During the Warring States period, the Zhao and Qin states built the Great Wall in Dai County, starting from Dai County in the east, passing through Yunzhong and Wuyuan, turning northwest into the Yin Mountains, and reaching Gaoque, with a length of about 1,300 li.

At present, the Han army is short of food and supplies and is unable to launch a long expedition. It also needs to digest the newly occupied Hebei prefectures. Therefore, Liu Daogui showed weakness to the enemy and attracted the Rouran people to move south.

Taking advantage of the free time, the Ministry of Personnel reorganized the three prefectures of Bing, Ji, and You.

After the Yongjia era, the Hu kingdoms in Hebei were constantly changing hands, and the prefectures and counties were in chaos. Hu people were everywhere, and Han people were few.

Based on the current situation, Liu Muzhi, Gao Xun, and Liu Huaisu established Lingwu Commandery east of Helan Mountain, and made Lingwu, Shuofang, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, and Dingxiang Commanderies into Shuozhou, with its capital in Shengle City in Yunzhong. The city was built on the basis of the three surrendered cities of the Han Dynasty.

All three locations are situated on the north bank of the Yellow River, in a region rich in water and soil.

By controlling these three locations, one can control the entire Hetao region and launch an attack on the southern part of the Gobi Desert north of the Yin Mountains at any time.

This creates a situation where offense becomes defense.

Then, Dai Prefecture was established by combining Dai Commandery, Yanmen Commandery, Shangdang Commandery, and Changshan Commandery, with its capital in Pingcheng, firmly occupying the "birthplace" of the Tuoba clan.

Changshan originally belonged to Jizhou, and was located east of the Taihang Mountains.

The remaining five prefectures—Taiyuan, Xihe, Yanmen, Leping, and Xinxing—remained as Bingzhou, with its capital at Jinyang.

Shangdang Commandery was assigned to Sili Province, while Hedong Commandery followed the old system of the Han Dynasty and was assigned to Sili Commandant, directly under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.

The backbone of Hebei is Bingzhou, and the backbone of Bingzhou is Shangdang.

After the reorganization, the situation became a hierarchical one: Yanmen, the gateway to Shuozhou, was controlled by Daizhou; the southern barrier of Daizhou was under the jurisdiction of Sizhou; and Shanggu County, the eastern gateway, was under the control of Youzhou.

This arrangement avoids the situation where each side controls its own territory, creating a fragmented and intertwined landscape.

The root of the Five Barbarian Invasions lay in Bingzhou, so Liu Daogui had no choice but to devote more attention to Bingzhou.

Shuozhou and Daizhou were actually two military strongholds, serving as forward bases for the Han Dynasty's invasion of the grasslands. To enhance their military importance, the Ministry of Personnel proposed to abolish the position of governor and instead appoint a commander-in-chief.

Wang Zhongde was appointed Governor of Shuozhou and stationed in Yunzhong, while Shen Tianzi was appointed Governor of Daizhou and stationed in Daijun.

Liu Yiwu, the Prince of Lanling, was appointed as the governor of Bingzhou and stationed in Taiyuan.

Wang Yuande was appointed Governor of Jizhou and stationed in Yecheng. Hu Fan was reassigned as Governor of Youzhou and stationed in Jicheng.

Wang Zhen'e was appointed General Who Conquers the North, overseeing the military affairs of Shuo, Dai, and Bing prefectures, and preparing for the northern expedition against the Rouran. Mao Dezhu was appointed General Who Conquers the East, overseeing the military affairs of You, Ji, and Qing prefectures, and preparing for the recovery of Liaodong.

In addition to these prefectures and counties, the Ministry of Personnel took a step ahead and established the Northern Protectorate in Yanran Mountain, which governed five governorates: Hanhai, Songmo, Jinshan, Monan, and Langjuxu, as well as seven counties: Junji, Yanran, Jinwei, Jiankun, Songmo, Rouxuan, and Huaiming.

Based on ancient texts, the mountains, rivers, and waterways of northern Mongolia were renamed.

The five governors and seven prefectures were all located on the banks of major rivers or lakes.

The Ministry of Personnel even planned a Zhou state on the site of the former Xiongnu royal court, Longcheng, saying that it would be used to enfeoff princes there in the future.

"The Ministry of Personnel has put in a lot of effort this time," Liu Daogui praised in front of the entire court.

Although these areas were not captured, it does not prevent us from making plans for them.

Expanding territory is also a form of expansion; at least they dared to think about it and plan for it.

Liu Muzhi cupped his hands and said, "After we have discussed this for several days, once the Northern Protectorate is completed, we will relocate the Qiang and Di peoples, as well as the elite troops of the Northern Prefecture, to garrison it. This will solve the problem of the grasslands in one fell swoop."

The Qiang and Di peoples were largely assimilated, and their status in the Han Dynasty was second only to that of pure Han people, and far higher than that of the Xianbei, Xiongnu, Wuhuan, and other mixed Hu peoples.

Moreover, the Qiang and Di peoples, who had not yet unified their royal lineage, had already come to identify with the Han Dynasty from the bottom of their hearts.

According to the Ministry of Personnel, these governorates and prefectures may not actually be implemented, but rather these maps will be incorporated into the rule of China.

The predecessors planted the trees so that the successors could enjoy the shade. Even if the Han Dynasty could not do it, it still illuminated the way for future generations.

Perhaps a powerful ruler will emerge in the future and eventually incorporate these regions into the Chinese territory.

Just like the Zhou Dynasty, whose territory originally only included the Yellow River basin, it later enfeoffed many states, and its borders expanded rapidly to the surrounding areas, gradually forming the Huaxia (Chinese civilization).

"Wherever the sun and moon shine, wherever rivers flow, that is Han territory! Not only the northern deserts, but also Liaodong, southern Xinjiang, the western regions, and the Qiang lands can be planned in advance."

"I accept the decree!"

When superiors have certain preferences, subordinates will inevitably follow suit.

The temperament of the founding monarch often defines the temperament of the entire dynasty.

Liu Daogui was fond of expanding territory, and his civil and military officials were also influenced by him.

Several wars that destroyed nations benefited everyone from the highest-ranking officials to the common people.

The dual military system of the Tiger Guard and the Fubing laid the foundation for the Han Dynasty's external expansion.

(End of this chapter)