diymy Chapter 32 This plan may harm the harmony of Heaven.
Chapter 32 This plan may harm the harmony of Heaven.
That evening, Qiu Liju dismissed his attendants and, accompanied only by a few of his most trusted leaders, hosted a banquet for Liu Bei in the royal tent.
After several rounds of drinks, only a few people remained in the tent. Qiu Liju put down his wine bowl, bowed deeply to Liu Bei, and spoke solemnly.
"Lord Liu, you saved the lives of my entire Wuhuan tribe. I, Qiuliju, will never forget this great kindness."
"From now on, whenever Governor Liu has any requests, the Wuhuan people of Liaoxi will serve him faithfully without the slightest refusal!"
He could have just listened to that and dismissed it, but given Liu Bei's experience, he wouldn't have believed it.
Liu Bei quickly helped him up, smiling and saying, "You flatter me, sir."
"The Han people and the Wuhuan people lived side by side and should have helped each other. There is no question of gratitude between them."
"There is one thing I would like to ask you about, sir."
"Lord Liu, please speak freely, I will tell you everything I know," Qiu Liju replied immediately.
Liu Bei picked up his wine bowl and asked calmly, "I would like to ask about the current situation of the Xianbei in the east."
"After Tanshihuai unified the Xianbei, he raided the borders from the south every year, with Liaoxi bearing the brunt. I'm sure you are well aware of this, sir?"
Upon hearing the mention of the Xianbei, Qiuliju's face instantly darkened, and he spat out a curse, his tone filled with resentment and hatred.
"Hmph! The sandalwood tree is nothing but a jackal of the grasslands!"
"Ever since he unified the Xianbei, there hasn't been a moment of peace!"
"Now the Xianbei are divided into three parts: west, central and east."
"The Xianbei in the east were divided into four commanders: Mija, Queji, Suli, and Huaitou."
He put down his wine bowl, counted on his fingers, and explained to Liu Bei in detail.
The Eastern Xianbei had more than twenty settlements under their jurisdiction, making it the region with the most settlements among the three groups.
According to the usual scale of the Xianbei, a town had about 3000-6000 archer cavalry.
Including herdsmen and tribesmen, the total strength of the Eastern Xianbei was between 6 and 12 cavalry, with a total population of over 50, making it the most powerful force in the Tanshihuai Alliance.
The four generals each led a unit, and in peacetime they grazed their livestock in their own territories without any subordinate relationship. In wartime, they were coordinated and deployed by Tan Shihuai.
According to Qiu Liju, Queji was brave and reckless, Mijia was cunning and conservative, Suli valued promises and profit, while Huaitou had little ambition and lived a peaceful life in one place.
The Miga tribe, relying on the Buyeo Kingdom, commands tens of thousands of archers and is known for its cunning.
Adjacent to Liaoxi is the Queji tribe, located on the north bank of the Xilamulun River, with 13,000 archers, who are the most ferocious.
They were the ones who frequently raided western Liaoning.
Further west was the Suli tribe, whose cavalry was the most elite. They were the vanguard of Tanshihuai's southward raids on the border. They were skilled in archery and horsemanship, and fearless in the face of death. The border troops of the Han Dynasty had suffered many losses at their hands.
The easternmost point is Huaitou, which borders Xuantu County and has close ties with Goguryeo.
Qiu Liju paused, sighed, his tone full of helplessness and a hint of envy: "These four divisions combined have more than 50,000 archers, all under the command of Tan Shihuai."
"Our three Wuhuan tribes combined number no more than 30,000 cavalry, and our hearts are not united. Alas!"
"Nanlou of the Shanggu Wuhuan and Wuyan of Youbeiping are only thinking about self-preservation; they can't unite as one at all!"
Liu Bei listened quietly, secretly noting down every detail.
This information was something he was unaware of.
In his dream, he only knew Tan Shihuai, his son Helian, as well as Kebineng, Budugen, and others.
They did not know much about the Xianbei in the east.
He sighed, his tone full of empathy, and said, "You're right, sir!"
"Natural disasters on the grasslands are unpredictable. A white disaster can freeze most of the cattle and sheep to death, and a drought can cause the pasture to wither and die. Life and death are never in our own hands."
Liu Bei sighed and said indignantly, "Plundering is ultimately a minor path; it can only quench thirst temporarily, but it cannot bring lasting peace."
"It's like a person walking in the desert. If they are thirsty and keep stealing water from others, they will eventually be surrounded and killed. Only by finding their own water source can they truly survive."
"For the Wuhuan, the real source of water was never plunder, but peaceful coexistence with the Han Dynasty and the combination of farming and animal husbandry."
"We Han people and the Wuhuan should have joined forces to resist the Xianbei and protect our respective homelands. This is the only way to ensure a lasting relationship."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Liju's eyes lit up even more. This official was close to the Wuhuan people and could be befriended; he might be of great use in the future.
Qiu Liju became even more enthusiastic, pulling Liu Bei aside and exclaiming, "Lord Liu, what you said really resonated with me!"
"I've long wanted to join forces with the Han people to fight against the Xianbei!"
"It's just that the previous governors of Youzhou and the prefects of the border regions either treated us like barbarians and were wary of us."
"They either use us as pawns, or they've never had anyone genuinely cared for us like Magistrate Liu!"
He picked up his wine bowl, drank it all in one gulp towards Liu Bei, and complained, "If only Lord Liu were the governor of Liaoxi!"
Liu Bei smiled but didn't respond. Instead, he raised his wine bowl and clinked it heavily against Liu Bei's.
The two sat down again and chatted more and more congenially, from herding on the grasslands to farming in the Central Plains, from border trade to jointly resisting the Xianbei, talking until late at night.
Liu Bei drew upon Zhuge Liang's future strategies for governing the southern barbarians, and combined this with the current situation of the Wuhuan. Qiu Liju nodded repeatedly in admiration.
Even Tian Yu, who was standing to the side, began to admire Liu Bei more and more.
He thought that since he had grown up on the frontier and was familiar with the Wuhuan people, he would be able to offer advice on how to govern them in the future.
Unexpectedly, his lord's many insights enlightened him!
As the banquet ended, Liu Bei, emboldened by the wine, sighed seemingly unintentionally, his tone tinged with worry.
"What a world this is! A major epidemic is raging, nine out of ten houses are empty, and people are suffering terribly!"
"The Xianbei people have always been greedy. If they take the opportunity to plunder southwards, it could lead to a great disaster."
"Hopefully, there are intelligent people among the Xianbei!"
"Knowing that this plague is contagious, once they plunder the infected counties and bring the pestilence back to the Xianbei grasslands, countless people will likely die there!"
"Countless people have died or been injured!"
"At that time, heh, heh heh..."
These words were spoken lightly, as if they were just casually mentioned.
After saying that, Liu Bei changed the subject and started talking about the customs and culture of the grasslands, as if he hadn't taken the words to heart at all.
As Qiuli sat there, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, as if struck by a thunderbolt.
His hand holding the wine bowl paused slightly, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes.
Yes!
A major epidemic can kill people. What if the Xianbei people also contract the plague?
Didn't the Xianbei always bully the Wuhuan?
At that time, the four Xianbei tribes will surely suffer heavy casualties and be severely weakened, and will no longer have the strength to bully the Wuhuan!
And the vast grasslands belonged to the Wuhuan!
Once the thought arose, it spread wildly in his mind like weeds.
Liu Bei seemed completely oblivious to his thoughts, continuing to smile and chat with him over drinks, as if his earlier remark had been merely a casual remark.
Qiu Liju had lost all interest in drinking anymore and, using the excuse that he couldn't hold his liquor, hastily ended the banquet.
Upon exiting the main tent, Tian Yu exclaimed with admiration, "My lord, what a brilliant plan!"
"By diverting the blame eastward, the Xianbei will likely suffer countless casualties!"
Xu Rong hesitated and said, "However, this plan..."
"This plan might offend the will of Heaven!"