The thunder and rain, all are Your favor, this sentence was once heard by Ke Beineng. Before Man Chong made his statement, the more the emperor smiled kindly, the more frightened Ke Beineng felt in his heart.
Ke Beineng is also a person who commands authority and enjoys self-proclaimed power in his tribe. With the current atmosphere in the camp, he replied more cautiously.
"Reporting to the Emperor, I am aware of this matter. I once heard the commander's aide in the Yandun Prefecture say this." Ke Beineng bowed and said.
Cao Rui grunted: "More than ten years ago, the court returned the frontier counties to the provinces of Jincheng and established a new county called Xinxing. This was not a permanent rule, but merely a temporary measure. Today, the leaders of the Xianbei, Wuhuan, and Hun three tribes are all in my tent, and I will explain this to you."
"Just now, Man General mentioned the six counties of Shuofang, Wuyuan, Yunzhong, Dingxiang, Shangxing, and Beidi in the northern region. Hetao and the southern part of Hetao will definitely be reestablished as counties in the long run. Both in the morning and evening, the great Wei will always set up counties with Chinese people as the main population. I will explain this to you today. This is a trend! And before the court established garrisons in Yanmen Pass, it was to carefully understand how Chinese people should live in frontier areas and how they should interact with you."
Ke Beineng heard this and bowed repeatedly: "Please forgive the crime of my subject. I really do not know the strategies of the court, and I have spoken out of turn."
The other several Hu people also bowed and agreed.
"Never mind, I won't punish you," Cao Rui said indifferently: "The borderlands are not exclusive to the Hu people. For hundreds of years, it has been a place where Han people have lived for a long time. During the latter Han Dynasty of Zhong and Ling, the country was in turmoil. The Han court had its own troubles to deal with, coupled with frequent wars and corrupt officials, which led to the control of the borderlands."
Under the rule of the Great Wei and me, such a situation will not happen again.
Cao Rui looked at Ke Beineng, who was still nervous, and continued to ask: "I remember you said that your Han language was learned from the Wang family of Taiyuan. Have they taught you 'Hanfei Zi'?"
Ke Beineng shook his head and said, "My subject has not learned this book."
Cao Rui smiled lightly, "Then I will teach you a sentence. 'To be weak and yet not afraid of the strong, to be impertinent and to insult a great neighbor; such behavior is doomed to fail!' "
Seeing that Ke Beineng seemed to understand some but was not quite sure, Liu Ye laughed and explained to him, "If the Khan does not understand, I can explain it to you. It is also quite simple. The court governs the whole world like spring rain and snow, and if someone relies on being remote and ignores the arrangement of the court, they are digging their own graves, like Gongsun Yuan!"
"Liu Ying is scaring the Khan," Cao Rui said, pointing to the several standing Hu people in front of him: "National affairs should be handled properly. The Han are my subjects, and so are the Xianbei, Wuhan, and Hun. How to make you get along well with the Han, how to make your tribes also prosperous like the central states and prefectures, and how to find a way for you out of this dilemma. All of you can stand up."
"Thank Your Majesty for your kindness." Ke Beineng rose with a respectful and respectful expression.
As the emperor waved his hand, the many Xianbei, Wuhan, and Hun people left and finally it was the turn for the officials in the tent to speak.
Man Cheng's face showed slight confusion: "This is a wise move by the emperor, but I still do not understand why you need to explain things so clearly to these Hu people?"
"These Hu people are gathered on the grasslands, and the emergence of a Tanshi Hui is already a favor from heaven. Now that Ke Beineng is in the camp of the Great Wei, if we were to execute Ke Beineng or send him back to Luoyang to be confined, wouldn't it be twice as effective and resolve the border disputes at once?"
Cao Rui shook his head: "There is no need for constant vigilance against thieves. When dealing with border Hu people, we should mainly use benevolence and only use strict punishments as a secondary measure. As I previously discussed with you in Yanmen Pass, using rewards and salaries to confine a Ke Beineng is enough."
Liu Ye nodded with deep thought: "These Hu people have all been with the emperor to suppress Manchuria and know the heavenly power of the Great Wei. Reasoning with them is enough, and there is a clear example of killing off the ancestors of Gongsun Yuan."
Man Cheng pondered for a moment, then sighed lightly: "Perhaps it is my narrow-mindedness. But I always thought that these Hu people have no sense of filial piety, loyalty, or faith. How can they be persuaded by reason?"
Cao Rui looked at Man Cheng and didn't need to think much. Liu Ye's words might have been aimed at agreeing with him, but Man Cheng's words represented the thoughts of many officials in the court since the Han Dynasty.
Can Hu people also be considered human?
Cao Rui sneered: "When it comes to methods, there are plenty of ways to deal with the Hu people, but I just prefer not to use them."
"I always think that the country has not yet unified, whether it's Xianbei, Wuhan, or Hun. They can always provide some cavalry forces for us, so I've been more tolerant of them."
Liu Ye heard this and became curious, bowing and asking, "Since the Han Dynasty, the methods the court has used to deal with the Hu people have been to punish the main culprits and to divide those who surrender. Do you, Your Majesty, have other ideas?"
The eyes of the other officials in the tent also turned towards Cao Rui.
Cao Rui smiled and said, "Liu Ying, Liu Ying, why are you trying to get something out of me? Then today I will tell you more."
Man Cheng, Liu Ye, and the three assistant ministers stood solemnly, waiting for the emperor to speak.
"Do not be so serious." Cao Rui waved his hand: "The ways of writing and martial arts are alternating between tensed and relaxed states. There are military and cultural methods."
"In terms of military means, does it not work to send cavalry to raid the border every year during the time when the Hu people's cattle and sheep are fat and robust, to smash their nests, to fight in order to maintain fighting strength, and to eliminate their population? And in terms of cultural methods, if the court were to redivide the Hu people, placing thousands in one pasture, and allowing them to leave their territory only with imperial edicts, with those who violate this order being attacked by both sides together, controlling their population by drafting able-bodied men and consuming them; can these methods work?"
Listening to the emperor's words, even Man Cheng was stunned. These cruel methods had never been heard of before, and he didn't know how the emperor came up with them!
Cao Rui looked at the expressions of the others and smiled: "These are just two of the easiest methods. As for more cruel methods such as propagating religion and reducing population, I don't want to talk about them with you."
"In short, I can deal with Wu and Shu, let alone those insignificant Hu people on the grasslands. Among the Wuhuan and Xianbei at present, there is no established system and order. If a leader is lost, no one will lead a rebellion. Therefore, I am temporarily holding off on dealing with the Hu people. After Wu and Shu are pacified, I will then gradually turn my attention to dealing with them."
"Your Majesty is truly wise!"
Liu Ye bowed and said, "The biggest trouble for the court is the two bandits, Wu and Shu, rather than the Hu people. Now that Manchuria is stable and Chongzhou has been established, Xianbei have submitted and served in the army. The focus of the court should now be on the south!"
"That is exactly right," Cao Rui nodded, "After returning to the capital of Wei, at Yecheng, and after rewarding the troops, the court should put the matter of military campaigns on the agenda!"
……
While Emperor Cao Rui and his army were resting at Jieshi, within the city of Luoyang, the North Palace was abnormally lively.
In front of the great hall of Changle Palace, Empress Guo and Empress Dowager Guo were sitting on a painted and carved gilded chair placed in a colonnade, with the left and right yellow door attendants and female officials rushing about continuously.
Of the twenty-one concubines left in the palace by Emperor Cao Rui, five were brought to Xuanchang from Luoyang at the beginning of the year. Among the remaining sixteen women, only Mao Yan, the Concubine Mao, and Sun Luba, the Consort Sun Zhao, were allowed to come to Changle Palace.
The emperor is a war-loving person, and the palace has always been lonely. Moreover, Mao Yan has a good character, and Sun Luba is quite perceptive. The two are very good friends in the palace, as they are the only two concubines in the palace who have offspring.
Empress Dowager Guo was well aware of the friendship between Mao and Sun, but she had no intention of intervening or interfering. It was the fourth year of Taiping, and the princes were still young. Once they were seven or eight years old and it was time to start their studies, their relationship would certainly not improve.
Watching the eunuchs playing with the two children, Cao Qi and Cao Yan, in the corridor below, and with the sound of continuous drizzle outside, Mao Yan whispered:
"Big Tiger, do you remember when the emperor took Empress Guo to Xuchang at the beginning of the year? It's already been half a year. At that time, Su Han's body was not yet showing, but now she is about to give birth."
Sun Luba smiled slyly: "I remember. How could I forget? At that time, you and I were envious of Guo Yao. Who would have thought that the emperor would not stay in Xuchang for a few days but instead directly head north to wage war."
"The court has already sent back news of victory, right? When the emperor returns to Luoyang and finds out that he has a new child, the scene will certainly be interesting."
Mao Yan also showed a smile: "That's right. It's just unknown whether Su Han will give birth to a prince or princess this time."
Sun Luba glanced secretly at Empress Dowager Guo, who was seated at the doorway, and then said, "Looking at Su Han's slender figure, it's certain that she won't be as lucky as her sister. Perhaps she will give birth to a princess."
Mao Yan nodded slightly, "Whether it's a prince or a princess, it's all good news. Now it's already the fourth year of Taiping, and the emperor still only has two offspring. No matter how you look at it, that's rather thin."
Sun Luba sighed and said, "The emperor is out in the field conquering the land, and he even doesn't have time to take care of us, let alone to have more children."
"But," Sun Luba leaned closer to Mao Yan and smiled lightly, "sister, you can have another one."
"Me?" Mao Yan laughed softly, "I already have the Crown Prince in the palace. It would be nice to have another princess as well."
"Tut tut, you two, lower your voices! I can hear you from here!" Empress Dowager Guo sternly scolded the two women standing next to her, Mao Yan and Sun Luba.
"Yes, Mother." The two women bowed and then walked about ten steps away before they started chatting again.
Empress Guo observed with a slight shake of her head, saying nothing more.
This year, the emperor is not in Luoyang, and there are many things to take care of in the palace. Among the few high officials who have remained in Luoyang, the only one who is a three-public official Hu Xin is old and sick, while Wei Zhen only handles government affairs and does not want to interfere with anything related to the palace.
Including the recently held funeral for Emperor Lin's Empress Ping, all these palatial troubles are handled by Empress Dowager Guo alone.
Although she is tired, Empress Dowager Guo seems to become more energetic as she gets more exhausted. In her youth, Empress Guo helped Emperor Cao Pi seize the throne.
Although she is not yet fifty, after years of being a widow with nothing to do, Empress Dowager Guo is in the prime of her life!
A yellow door attendant holding an umbrella against the rain entered the corridor, and as soon as he arrived, Empress Dowager Guo asked: "Have all three been notified? What did they say?"
The yellow door attendant bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Minister of Works Hu Xing is sick and cannot come. The Minister of Rites is on his way to the North Palace. As for the Director of the Secretariat,..." (The chapter ends)
