The Xianbei Chief?
Tian Yu's expression slightly hesitated, and he unconsciously swallowed a mouthful of saliva. His gaze turned to the emperor, and he blurted out, "Your Majesty, Keビineng is cunning and sinister. He has been rebellious and compliant with the Great Wei at times. How can such a person be appointed as the Khan!"
"The Xianbei have never had a Khan before!"
Wan Qián stood upright on the side, looking at the ground with his eyes, nodding his head while listening to Tian Yu's words.
Cao Rui softly laughed, "Is it that General Tian is afraid that I have bestowed the title of Khan upon Ke Bǐnéng, thereby creating a border trouble?"
Tian Yu shook his head to explain, "Your servant dares not make such speculations. It is just that Ke Bǐnéng's attitude towards the Great Wei is unstable. Appointing him as Khan might leave future troubles."
Cao Rui said, "General Tian, I ask you, does the title of Khan carry any value? When I was in Yè City, I met Hū Kūquán. He has been sitting foolishly in Yè City for more than ten years and is nearly fat as a pig!"
Tian Yu was once again startled.
He had intended to ask for clarification, but instead found himself caught up in thought.
At present, the only three relatively largest forces in the northern part of Great Wei are Xianbei, Wuhuan and Hun. The rest of the mixed nomads are not ranked.
The once glorious Huns, now only the Southern Huns exist in the Taiyuan commandery of the Jingzhong Circuit and the Pingyang commandery of the Sili Circuit, with a population of no more than one hundred thousand, and soldiers capable of drawing their bows numbering no more than twenty thousand.
The last Khan of the Southern Huns, Hū Kūquán, was detained in Yecheng by Emperor Cao in the twenty-first year of Jian'an. Along with this, the Southern Huns were divided into five parts: South, North, Left, Middle and Right, and their political system came to an end artificially.
The Khan of the Huns is just a fat old man living in Yecheng. The five parts of the Huns are all governed by officials of Great Wei.
The leaders of the Wuhuan and Xianbei are all addressed as 'Elder'. The Wuhuan once had a Khan, but the Xianbei never did.
Moreover, the Khan of the Wuhuan is also 'spurious'.
When Gongsun Zan was holding onto Yōuzhōu, he had long maintained military pressure on the Wuhuan tribes around him. When Yuan Shao defeated Gongsun Zan, the Wuhuan tribes contributed greatly to the victory, so Yuan Shao also issued an edict to bestow the title of Khan upon Tàdùn, Sūpúyán and Wūyán.
However, none of these three can be said to have had a good fate.
Tàdùn was killed by Zhang Liang on Báiláo Shān, and Sūpúyán and Wūyán fled to Liaodong and were killed by Gongsun Kang.
If Ke Bǐnéng becomes the Khan, he would truly be the only Khan in the northern part of Great Wei.
Tian Yu paused for a moment before responding, "Your Majesty, at present, the only Khan is Hū Kūquán of the Huns, who is currently residing in Yecheng."
Cao Rui nodded, "I think Yecheng is a good place. The mountains and waters are beautiful, suitable for retirement."
"A single Khan is nothing, so what harm is there in granting this title to Ke Bǐnéng? I see him joining Hū Kūquán in Yecheng. If he refuses to come, I am not opposed to attacking Gongsun Yuán at a later date and using him as a sacrifice on my flag."
Tian Yu finally put his worries to rest.
It turned out that the emperor had no intention of condoning Ke Bǐnéng at all, but rather openly set a banquet as a trap.
Hu Qiujian smiled and bowed, "Your Majesty is wise!"
"In the past, Your Majesty was far from Yanmen Pass, so Ke Bǐnéng could still decline to come. Now that Your Majesty is about to reach Yanmen Pass, he is still going to be appointed as the Khan of the Xianbei."
"If Ke Bǐnéng does not come again, Great Wei must devote all its strength to destroy him. It doesn't matter to put off the affairs in Liaodong for a year. If he comes, then he won't be able to leave."
Cao Rui nodded, "Ke Bǐnéng is a man with a string of bad records. Granting him the title of Khan to retire is an act of benevolence on my part, and it's also his good fortune."
Tian Yu sighed, "The Xianbei live on the grassland, like Tánshíshē and Huánshíhuái who ruled thousands of miles. It is very rare for them to meet someone like that in a lifetime. If Ke Bǐnéng is lost again, it may be the end of the Xianbei's rise."
Cao Rui nodded, "Fetch Liu Zhongshu from the outer chamber."
At the same time, the Hǔ Yìng soldiers behind him immediately issued orders to find Liu Fang.
Tian Yu has been stationed in the border town for more than a decade, where Xianbei constantly raided. He is a mortal enemy of Tian Yu. However, Ke Bǐnéng's fate, as well as that of the Xianbei nation, have been casually decided by Your Majesty with just a few words.
If Ke Bǐnéng accepts the command and comes, he will wear the Khan's crown to fight for the emperor and then retire to Yecheng.
If Ke Bǐnéng does not come, Your Majesty can easily defeat him with two thousand imperial army troops, accompanied by the Huns and Wuhuan tribes. At present, it is not the time of Tánshíshē and Shíhuái, and the Xianbei tribes are not as united as a single chord. Defeating Ke Bǐnéng is still easy.
Indeed, the affairs of the world must be settled by the strong. And the emperor himself, who governs Great Wei, is undoubtedly the strongest entity on this land.
How could Tian Yu not feel moved by this?
Liu Fang rushed in and said, "Your Majesty."
Cao Rui said, "The Secretary should draft an edict for me."
"Tell Ke Bǐnéng that I will personally inspect the border of You and Bing provinces. The emperor of the Central Plains has not done this for a hundred years. Have him lead ten thousand elite cavalry to Dai commandery for an audience with me, and I will personally confer upon him the title of Khan of the Xianbei."
"By the way, send someone to quickly make an Xianbei Khan's seal, and use Zhang Kongbái's edict to stamp it. Let him see the appearance of the seal of conferral."
Liu Fang has drafted edicts for the emperor countless times and is used to his unique ideas and actions. It's not the first time he will issue a decree to confer the title of Khan upon Ke Bǐnéng.
Without paper and ink in hand, Liu Fang relied on his memory to take down the content: "I have taken everything down. I will write it later." Tian Yu, watching Liu Fang's promise, was also moved in his heart: "Your Majesty, I would like to accompany the Secretary of State Liu to go. I also need to send a letter to Guangwu City, and have someone go with Zhong Shilang to Yunzhong."
Cao Rui waved his hand and said, "Go on then. The army will move out after you two have finished writing."
"According to Your Majesty's command!" Tian Yu and Liu Fang bowed and left.
The edict was hastily drafted, Tian Yu's letter was written quickly as well, and the gold seal was also prepared at the same time.
If it were a bronze seal, it would require some effort. But a gold seal is much easier to make.
The gold seal of the Han Dynasty for royal titles was not very large, only about an inch in length and width, small enough to be held in the hand of a child a few years old. Moreover, gold is extremely soft and easy to engrave, so the four characters 'Xianbei Khan' could be carved in an instant.
An edict, a scepter, a blank edict with the seal impressed, and a letter to be sent to Guangwu City - these are all the items that Dai envoy Zhong Yùn needs to take with him.
Just as the four cavalrymen had just returned to their ranks, Guàn Lù, who always acted together with the cavalry, approached and walked straight towards Zhong Yùn without paying attention to the others:
"Are you, Minister Zhong, about to set out on a journey?"
Zhong Yùn was startled and immediately dodged backwards, looking at Guàn Lù in panic, "How do you know this?"
Guàn Lù smiled and said, "I observe that the bone on your forehead of Minister Zhong is dark but shines, and your complexion is green with white. This is an omen of a journey, and the direction where you will go is to the northwest."
"Is that correct?"
The other three caviliers gathered around, staring at Guàn Lù as if they were observing a precious object. They knew nothing of this beforehand. It must have been Guàn Lù who consulted divination, and there could be no deception involved.
That day, when Guàn Lù consulted divination in the Feiyuang Hall, the four caviliers only heard about it and were not present. Now they have seen for themselves.
Zhong Yùn was already worried in his heart, and seeing Guàn Lù's divination about something that had not yet happened, he dared to challenge back, "If you are really so divinatory, can you tell me when I will die?"
"How can it not be?" Guàn Lù chuckled a few times and pulled out a row of I-ching grass from his sleeve. He then manipulated it in front of everyone, smiling as he said, "Isn't Zhong Yùn born on the fourth day of the fourth lunar month?"
Zhong Yùn's eyes were bulging.
He had never mentioned his own birthday to his colleagues, and Du Su didn't know about it, let alone the two newcomers He You and Xiahou Hui who had just arrived. Guàn Lù couldn't possibly have heard it from others.
Zhong Yùn hurried forward a few steps and grabbed Guàn Lù's hand, asking with increasing friendliness and urgency, "Master Guàn, Brother Gongming! I am about to set out on a journey, and I will leave soon. Please help me to divine a hexagram and see if this journey will be auspicious."
Guàn Lù chuckled and said, "Didn't Zhong Yùn want me to tell him the time of his death? I have only calculated the birth date, but I haven't…"
Zhong Yùn quickly interrupted and pleaded, "Brother Gongming, you can just call me by my courtesy name, Zhishu! Your talent terrifies me. My day of death can be entrusted to heaven, but never to you!"
Guàn Lù nodded, "Alright, Zhishu, wait for a moment."
In front of the four people, Guàn Lù began to play with the I-ching grass in his hand again. However, after a few moments, he exclaimed 'Ah' with surprise.
"Qian above Qian below, it's the Qian hexagram, which is the first of the Sixty-Four Hexagrams of the Book of Changes. I rarely get this hexagram!"
Looking at Zhong Yùn's eager eyes, Guàn Lù smiled and said, "This hexagram is favorable for travel, advantageous for seeing an important person, suitable for people to visit the capital, and beneficial for the journey to the northwest."
"Zhishu, go with no worries, it will surely succeed!"
Zhong Yùn was only an 18-year-old boy. At this moment, he needed the most reassurance, so he promptly bowed and said, "Thank you, Master Guàn, for divining for me. I will definitely repay you!"
After speaking, Zhong Yùn rode his horse and nodded slightly to the three people around him, "I will leave now, I will meet you again in Dai commandery."
Zhong Yùn was going on behalf of the court, and the others also bowed and offered salutations as they sent him off. Among colleagues, there was a great emphasis on etiquette.
Zhong Yùn walked for half a day, and when he set up camp to rest that evening, this news was already spreading to Cao Rui's ears.
Cao Rui smiled to the nearby Sima Yi and said, "In my opinion, it's a good thing that such a 'sage' exists in the military."
Sima Yi bowed and agreed, "May I ask Your Majesty, what does Your Majesty mean by this?"
Cao Rui slowly said, "Once the name of Master Guàn becomes known, if there are any issues in the military, his words can be used to calm the hearts of the soldiers."
Sima Yi also laughed and said, "Your Majesty's words are absolutely correct. He is now an official of the court, and for any major events, what he should or should not say, he must still follow orders."
Cao Rui nodded in agreement.
Zhong Yùn rode his horse at full speed for the whole day, finally reaching the county town of Guangwu City in Yanmen County at noon on the afternoon of March 10th.
On the way, Zhong Yùn constantly cheered himself up, saying that he had passed through here even the generals of Cao Shuang and Cao Zhao, so how could he not be able to pass through here as well?
The various tribes of the Huns and Wuhuan, in accordance with Tian Yu's call to arms, had all arrived at the northwestern part of Guangwu City, separated by a mountain range. The 3,000 Dai Wei border troops followed them along, while only 1,500 local soldiers remained in the city.
In the year of Taixuewen, Tian Yu was promoted from the position of protecting the Wuhuan Cadet to the position of protecting the Wuhuan General. The Yanmen County county chief, Feng Po, who had achieved merits during his tenure as Uru's protector, was also promoted to cadet and transferred to Tian Yu's command, where he was currently leading troops at Yinshiguan.
The official position has risen, even though the number of troops under his command has not increased, FengPo is already very satisfied. (End of this chapter)
