The Dai prefecture was situated to the northeast of Yandun, and it was the westernmost prefecture in Youzhou, a region known for its strategic importance on the border of Youzhou.
Of course, it was also a desolate and sparsely populated prefecture.
On the twenty-third day of March, the hustle and bustle of the city of Dai in the Dai prefecture could be heard outside. It had been a long time since so many armies had been stationed here.
The 2,000 light cavalry of Youzhou Wuhuan that had gathered here earlier were stationed in the northern part of the city. The next day, the 7,000 light cavalry from the Khuri Biannu department of Xianbei arrived at this location and joined them.
The Wuhuan light cavalry was closer to Dai County, while the Khuri Biannu troops were eight miles north of the city, as if they were always ready to make a quick retreat at any sign of trouble.
At noon, a mixed army of foot and mounted troops slowly approached from the southwest direction of Yanmen Pass.
In the front were 3,000 Wuhuan light cavalry, followed by Yanjie's left imperial bodyguard. The emperor's main army of 10,000 cavalry and Tian Yu's 3,000 infantry, as well as He Qi's 3,000 light cavalry, were placed in the center. The remaining 3,000 Xianbei light cavalry led by Su Dugen, Xie Guini, and the 3,000 light cavalry from five Huns led by Xue Lihu were at the rear.
The central army had 20,000 cavalry, with an additional 3,000 infantry in the outer army. Adding the 6,000 cavalry of the Xianbei, the 3,000 cavalry of the Wuhuan, and the 3,000 cavalry of the Huns, there were a total of 35,000 soldiers and cavalry. The formation stretched over ten miles long from front to back, slowly filling up the vast flat ground on both sides of Dai County's east and south.
Before the arrival of the emperor and Tian Yu, the person in charge of Dai County was his minister of protocol Pei Chen, and his general He Xin, who was an ancestor of the Tian family.
As an official of the General of Yanjie's army, He Xin did not need to immediately face the emperor. For him, the most important task was to bring Khuri Biannu and the remaining two Wuhuan chiefs to meet with the emperor in a timely manner.
With such thoughts in mind, He Xin and Zhong Yu set out of the city and galloped towards Khuri Biannu's camp.
"Have you met the Marquis He?" Khuri Biannu leisurely raised his hands: "Why did the Marquis He come here in such a hurry? Did the emperor summon me?"
Before He Xin could answer, Zhong Yu took the initiative to reply: "Your lordship has been summoned here by imperial decree, so it is natural for you to meet with the emperor. Please join us two and head there together."
Khuri Biannu nodded, "The envoy speaks sense. You two wait for a moment, I will prepare with those who are with me."
After saying that, Khuri Biannu raised his hand to the guards outside the tent and said: "Bring Marquis He and the envoy to the side to rest."
"That's fine, we'll wait for your lordship." He Xin bowed in farewell and walked out with Zhong Yu.
Just as they left, three Xianbei nobles walked into another tent of Khuri Biannu.
The oldest Xianbei noble among them said, "I still have some concerns. The king's visit to Dai County this time may pose a threat to the Han emperor!"
The other two nobles also began to hesitate, even advising Khuri Biannu to return to Yunzhong and avoid the emperor's army.
Khuri Biannu looked at the few of them, his eyes revealing a mixture of helplessness, sorrow, and other emotions.
"Are Lian, when you decided ten years ago to lead your tribe to follow me in Yuyang, what were you thinking?"
The elder Xianbei noble known as He Lian hesitated slightly and replied, "Among all the Xianbei tribes, only Your Highness deals with matters most fairly and has more victories than defeats in battle. In terms of the people's hearts and ability, there is no one in all the tribes who surpasses Your Highness."
"And with Your Highness personally visiting my tribe to offer inducements, how could I not follow Your Highness' orders, bringing my thousands of followers along?"
Khuri Biannu nodded, "He Lian, you have followed me for ten years. You are always the one who resolves the disputes and conflicts over grassland and livestock in our tribe. You should be the most wise among us."
"What would have been the outcome if you had not led your tribe to submit to me when I first came to your territory?"
He Lian was silent for a moment before blurting out a few words: "He would have been killed by the Great King."
Khuri Biannu asked again, "Would you have followed me if I had not come to your territory?"
He Lian shook his head in response.
Khuri Biannu spread his hands: "Your situation ten years ago was like this, and what is different about my current situation?"
Khuri Biannu, who was sitting cross-legged on a large white woolen rug, slowly stood up and reached out his right hand to grasp the hilt of his sword with various colored gems embedded in it, sighing:
"All things in this world follow the same principles. How can the rules of the Great Wei emperor be much different from those of Khuri Biannu?"
"Everything is best done personally. Whether the leader comes or not makes a world of difference."
"If the emperor does not come, He and I together can still hold on. But now that the Great Wei emperor has arrived in Dai County, as the Xianbei general, I must also see and follow just like He Lian."
He Lian asked anxiously, "Is Your Highness leaving? Take us three along as your personal guards!"
Khuri Biannu had an extraordinary calm expression on his face: "You three can stay here. If there really are people who wish me harm, adding you three will not make a difference."
……
Half an hour later, in the city's magistrate's office, Cao Rui had just entered the city and was discussing local customs with Dai County Magistrate Han Chong and Minister of Protocol Pei Chen.
As they were talking, the Assistant Imperial Secretary Zhong Yu walked in from outside and entered the hall.
Seeing Zhong Yu come in, Cao Rui smiled and pointed at him, "Han Qing, take a look at this person. He is the eldest son of Zhong Tufu's family, who has been raised by the emperor and will be dispatched to rule a region in the future." Han Chong was already in his mid-fifties and had a pale face with some slight obesity. He happily flattered him twice before bowing his hands to greet him as he entered.
Zhong Yu performed a bow: "Your Majesty, Khuri Biannu has been brought by Marquis He and the inferior official with me, waiting outside."
Cao Rui did not seem surprised, and he slightly raised his hand towards Zhong Yu, "First, summon the Minister of Works, General Man, and the two ministers of protocol. Then, have Khuri Biannu brought in."
"Following the imperial command." Zhong Yu was not worried about the merits of this mission, as the few words the emperor had just spoken about introducing him to Han Chong were clearly like introducing his nephews and nieces.
Sima Yi, Man Chong, Xu Shu, Lu Yu arrived together shortly after, making a total of six court officials present, including Pei Chen and Han Chong.
Khuri Biannu slowly walked in, under the gaze of a group of fully armor-clad elite bodyguards in front of the hall, and walked steadily into the hall step by step.
After that, Khuri Biannu learned the Han-style kneeling ritual and performed a deep bow: "The criminal Khuri Biannu bows to the emperor. May the emperor live for ten thousand years!"
Of the six court officials in the hall, none showed Khuri Biannu a favorable expression. Only Emperor Cao Rui's mouth curved slightly into a smile as he stared at Khuri Biannu.
"You are Khuri Biannu? I have often heard people say that you are tall and powerful, but upon seeing you today, I find that you do not possess such a majestic stature."
Khuri Biannu answered while kneeling: "Born and raised in the borderlands, I have a common appearance among the tribes. I have no relation to being tall or powerful."
Cao Rui slightly nodded: "That is indeed so. Just as I rule the Great Wei, I do not rely on the strength of a warrior who can defeat ten thousand enemies, but on the system and laws."
"At present, among the grasslands, only you can be considered a hero. Stand up and take your seat. Sit down before we talk further."
Khuri Biannu was utterly surprised by the emperor's unexpected gesture of respect. After expressing his gratitude, he knelt and sat on the ground, his movements as standardized as a Han, but with his Xianbei attire, there was an incongruity.
Man Chong wanted to threaten as he had done with He QiBu before, but he never found an opportunity. His eyes, seeking to intimidate, were gently waved away by Emperor Cao Rui.
Cao Rui smiled twice: "When you said earlier that you were a criminal Khuri Biannu, who came alone to this place at the invitation of the emperor, I have already understood your intentions. But the charges of killing Great Wei officials and raiding borderlands that you committed are impossible to erase."
Khuri Biannu bowed his hands in response: "The emperor's wisdom is unparalleled, and the criminal has a clear understanding of himself."
Cao Rui nodded: "Let's not talk about the guilt for now. You came here today at the imperial edict, and I cannot refrain from showing the majesty of the Son of Heaven. This time, I will attack Liaodong, and you should follow in the army and strive to accumulate more merits."
Khuri Biannu said: "I have come here to follow the imperial command and fight."
Cao Rui said: "You are also the head of a tribe. You know the matter of merits and demerits in your heart. I have a few questions to ask you."
Khuri Biannu found this emperor to be particularly easy to talk to. He bowed and said, "I am ready to answer Your Majesty's questions."
Cao Rui nodded and asked, "Where did you learn your Han Chinese?"
Khuri Biannu replied, "I learned it from King Wang Ji of Taoyuan during the Jian'an years."
Sima Yi suddenly interjected and asked, "Wang Ji? Is he from the Wang family of Taiyuan?"
Khuri Biannu was no longer as nervous: "Wang Ji was from the Wang family of Taiyuan. He passed away ten years ago. Although the Wang family is wide-reaching, Wang Ji was also an unsuccessful person. Otherwise, he would not have followed me to the Xianbei."
Cao Rui did not care about this and continued to ask: "Next, tell me, as the leader of a large part of the Xianbei, where have you gone to the east the most, and where to the west and north?"
Khuri Biannu was caught off guard by this question and took a moment to gather his thoughts before answering, "I have gone as far east as the Yilou Kingdom to the east of the Buyeo, the furthest north to the North Sea, and as far west as outside the Dunhuang Commandery."
Cao Rui asked indifferently, "The Yilou are the same as the Xuysen, who are by the sea? Have you ever been to the sea?"
Khuri Biannu shook his head and replied, "I have not been there. The Yilou Kingdom is sparse in population, and it is still a thousand miles away from the sea."
Cao Rui nodded, pointing at Khuri Biannu and laughing, "Ladies and gentlemen, look at this man! He has great ambitions! The furthest east I have gone is to Shouchun, and the furthest west is to Longyou. He has traveled further than I have!"
Sima Yi smiled lightly: "Fifty years ago, Tan Shihan led the Western, Central, and Eastern Xianbei tribes. Their territory spanned seven thousand miles from north to south and ten thousand four hundred miles from east to west."
"According to Khuri Biannu, he has reached seven-sevenths of Tan Shihan's ambition."
The hall was filled with laughter.
Even though Khuri Biannu had encountered countless dangers in his lifetime, he was slightly gaping his mouth, unable to respond at the moment. What kind of trick was this? The emperor and the Wei officials were making fun of him because he had traveled more places? Like Tan Shihan?
"Today, as you have come here at the imperial command, I cannot break my promise," Cao Rui nodded and said: "Bring in Liu Zhongshu. I will grant Khuri Biannu the title of Xianbei Tuchu here!"
Khuri Biannu felt a mix of fear and tension. He watched as Liu Fang walked in from outside, unrolled a scroll of bright yellow silk, read out the edict, then placed a golden crown on his head and handed him the seal of 'Xianbei Tuchu' with a purple belt and gold stamp into his hands.
In a daze, Khuri Biannu seemed to accept the edict, accept the reward, and take the seal of office in a blur. He had achieved a level of life that even Tan Shihan had not reached in the past.
Just as Khuri Biannu knelt down to express his gratitude, Cao Rui's expression suddenly turned cold. He said to Man Chong beside him, "General Man, you and General Tian speak to this Xianbei Tuchu about the important matters of this military campaign."
"The emperor is feeling a bit tired. Let's go rest for a while." (Chapter ends)
