Three Kingdoms New Lü Bu
Lü Bu beheaded Yan Shuo and Bian Zhang, and his two armies merged into a large camp. The Xianbei people heard Lü Bu's name and were terrified. Lü Bu himself was also ranked as a Marquis of a village. However, Lü Bu did not think much of the feudal system of the Jin dynasty. The emperor could divide land to win over his ministers. For a military man from a later generation with strong national consciousness, this was unacceptable. Therefore, although Lü Bu received territorial rewards, he collected all taxes and tributes within his fiefdom as military funds.
At this time, Lü Bu again received an imperial edict, taking control of the military power of three commanderies. He then transferred his generals to various places to guard passes and cities. However, the court's allocation of funds was increasingly reduced, so Lü Bu could only send Zang Ba and Cao Xing out of Yunmen Pass to garrison Yinguang, while Cheng Lian and Wei Xu went to Shanggu to reside in Juyong. He also ordered the two generals to lead new soldiers to raid the Xianbei nomadic tribes, who had already raided Daijun. Hao Meng and Qi Zhou guarded Majun Pass, while Gao Shun and Xu Huang guarded Yunmen Pass. Zhang Liao, Jia Xu, and Yan Rou recruited new soldiers at Gaoliu to supply various places. He also disbanded Yang Feng's Wolf Cavalry and recruited Han people as his personal guards, using the Xiongnu people as commercial escorts, with Xianyu You as the leader and Yang Feng as his assistant. They disguised themselves as a merchant group, exited from Gaoliu, and went to the Xianbei to sell goods, but in reality they were searching for the Xianbei's main camp. Lü Bu felt that the Xianbei's main camp was probably located about 400-500 li north of Gaoliu, near the Ashihai River. He then reported this situation to Xianyu You alone and told him to use this information to search for the Xianbei's main camp.
Before leaving, Lü Bu called Xian Yu Fu to the inner courtyard of the prefecture and said to him alone: "This time going north to find the Xianbei tribe's tent, only you know the truth. Others think we really want to trade with the Xianbei. Remember this clearly. This matter is very important and cannot be known by a third person. If we really find the location of the Xianbei tribe's tent, return quickly. I will remember your great merit."
Xian Yu Fu saw Lü Bu's serious expression and knew that the matter was of great importance, so he didn't dare to be slow. He bid farewell to Lü Bu and led his merchant team north out of Ma Rong Pass, heading towards Xianbei. Because most of Xian Yu Fu's merchant team were barbarians, it wasn't easy for them to be detected, so they were able to smoothly sell their goods within the Xianbei territory. Lü Bu then set up a recruitment hall in the three counties, recruiting talented and extraordinary individuals. He also established a recruitment office, enlisting strong and capable men as border soldiers. The new and old combined forces of the three counties totaled 12,000 troops, among which Lü Bu recruited the elite, along with his original imperial guards, totaling 3,000 cavalrymen.
Zang Ba and Wei Xu guarded the two cities of Bian and Guan, and received Lu Bu's order to plunder Daidi. From the end of November in the sixth year of Guanghe to January of the following year, they raided more than 20 Xianbei tribes for two months. They killed 4,000 to 5,000 Xianbei herdsmen, almost daily raids. The three counties of Yanmen, Daijun, and Shanggu did not see a single Xianbei tribe within 50 miles outside the pass.
He also knew that Lü Bu was killing and plundering the tribes, but he was busy consolidating his position as king of the Xianbei, and was cracking down on the leaders of the opposing tribes, so he could only let Lü Bu do as he pleased. Lü Bu took advantage of the situation to recover Yunzhong and recruit more troops to garrison there.
Zang Ba and Wei Xu led new soldiers out of the city every day to raid the Xianbei tribes, killing nearly a hundred people each day and plundering countless horses, cattle, and sheep. Lü Bu carefully selected fine horses to equip his soldiers and built pastures to raise cattle and sheep.
Cai Yong saw Lü Bu's cruelty and advised him: "Although it is a good strategy for the state to plunder the Xianbei tribe to feed the soldiers, the Xianbei people are also human beings with flesh and blood. It would be enough for you to rob them of their property, why must you also kill them?"
Lü Bu sighed and said, "Sir, you don't know that I also know not to kill too many people. But the Xianbei are so ferocious and brutal, if we let them live, it's like releasing a tiger back into the mountains, and there will be endless troubles later on."
Cai Yong said: "If Feng Xian is worried about future troubles, it would be better to kill all the strong and capable people. Why not spare the lives of the old, the young, women and children? I am really afraid that Feng Xian's killings are too severe and he has gone astray. I hope Feng Xian will take benevolence as his guiding principle."
Lü Bu said: "I took the livestock as military supplies, and the herders rely on their livestock for survival. Without livestock, how can they survive? I ordered them to be killed, not wanting to leave behind the weak who would suffer from hunger and cold. If I didn't kill them all, they would have nothing to eat, and with the harsh weather, they would also starve to death."
Cai Yong said: "If you are not fond of killing, I hope you will spare the lives of those under your command. I have been here for some time and know that the strict laws governing women and children are quite a set. You should listen to me and take surrender as the main goal. If the barbarians are willing to surrender, they can be recruited as Han people, taught farming skills, and thus obtain the strength of the barbarians. If they do not surrender, it is not too late to attack. Even if you plunder, you should not kill women and children indiscriminately. You can capture them and bring them back, treating them as slaves, which would also be a way to obtain their labor."
Lü Bu thought Cai Yong was right, so he ordered the border army to first summon and then plunder. If they did not surrender, they would be looted again. As long as they were willing to surrender, they would not be killed, but would be taken back as labor slaves.
Cai Yong's trick was quite effective, fearing that they would be looted by Lü Bu and come to surrender, or be taken back by the border army as labor slaves, reaching one or two hundred thousand. To calm their minds, Lü Bu made an agreement with them: for three years, they would be slaves, working on farmland and pastures. After three years, he would incorporate them into the Han people, distributing grain, livestock, and land to cultivate. He taught them farming and craftsmanship.
Thus, from Yunzhong, Yanzhen to Daijun and Shanggu, over a thousand miles of land were under Lü Bu's protection, and the various Xianbei tribes did not dare to offend. This also allowed Lü Bu to have leisure time to develop agriculture, animal husbandry, economy and crafts.
Lü Bu arrived at Dai Commandery and never had a moment's peace. He fought against Tan and Shi, launched two surprise attacks on Yanmen Pass, and repeatedly recruited soldiers and trained generals. He plundered military supplies and never had a moment's peace. Two consecutive Spring Festivals were spent on horseback, and it was only with great difficulty that he finally had some leisure time to stroll around Gao柳 City.
On this day, Lü Bu took Zhang Liao and the two of them casually strolled out of the government office to get a feel for the city of Gaoyou. The two of them first had some wine at a local tavern, then wandered around looking at the scenery. Gaoyou City wasn't very big, but after Lü Bu killed Dian Wei, it gradually became prosperous. The streets were bustling with people coming and going, and the merchants' calls were quite lively.
Lü Bu and his companion walked down a street, passing by an ironwork shop. The ironwork shop was nothing out of the ordinary, just like any other ironwork shop they had seen before. However, Lü Bu's sharp eyes caught sight of a tattoo on the back of the ironworker's shoulder. He thought the tattoo looked familiar and after some careful consideration, he realized it was the character for "ink". This ink character was something Lü Bu had seen twice before - once on the hilt of the Heaven-Shaking Halberd, and another time on his own sword, the Fish Intestine Sword.
Lü Bu felt that this person was not ordinary. So he stopped in front of the iron shop, picking and choosing the iron goods, which made Lü Bu even more surprised. There were many iron goods, but most of them were civilian tools. Hoes, sickles, and so on were all very complete, but there were fewer weapons. However, Lü Bu still found that each weapon was not ordinary. The hardness of the weapons, the sharpness of the blades seemed to be better than those produced by his own military arsenal. Lü Bu secretly admired: This small civilian iron shop could actually produce better weapons than his own military arsenal? It's clear that this blacksmith is not simple. So he deliberately paid attention.
The blacksmith saw a customer selecting goods and stopped his work to greet him: "Ah, this noble guest, what would you like?"
Lü Bu glanced at the blacksmith and didn't respond, instead picking up a sword and plucking it with his middle finger. A clear "ding" sound rang out, lingering for a long time, and he couldn't help but exclaim: "Good sword."
The blacksmith heard someone praising him and smiled, saying: "Noble guest, you truly have a good eye. My family's ironwork shop in Dai Prefecture is famous, and we've been making iron for generations. The weapons we forge are very sharp, and even the newly appointed Northern Border Guard General's personal guards often come to our place to repair their weapons."
Zhang Liao, who was standing aside, said: "Don't spout nonsense. Lord Lü's guards' weapons are all made by the military's specialized iron foundry, how would they come to your civilian workshop for repairs?"
The blacksmith said, "This young man is not wrong, the military governor's mansion indeed has a special iron shop. But that military family's iron shop can't compare to our long-standing tradition, our craftsmanship has been passed down for generations."
Zhang Liao was about to say something, but Lü Bu raised his hand to stop him. He then swung the paired swords in his hands a few times, feeling that they were very suitable for him, and he was surprised at how good they felt. As a warrior, Lü Bu naturally often came into contact with weapons on the battlefield. He also knew that making a good weapon required craftsmanship. First, one had to select the materials, then create a design, determine the quantity, make a model, and only then could one temper and forge the metal. The choice of steel was very important, as it affected whether the weapon would be suitable for use. The amount of steel used also determined whether the weapon could be wielded with precision - too much and it would be heavy, too little and it would be light. The model used in forging was also crucial. Finally, it depended on the skill of the blacksmith, whether their methods were refined or not. Making a weapon from selecting materials to completion was a process where each step was more important than the last. Creating an excellent weapon required a great deal of effort and time.
Lü Bu swung the sword in his hand and saw that this iron shop was not simple. The length of the sword was suitable, the weight was suitable for the hand, and the sound of the gold water was also good, it can be seen that it is a sharp instrument.
Seeking gold medals, seeking collection, seeking likes, seeking comments, seeking red envelopes, seeking gifts, all kinds of seeking, whatever you want, just throw it over!
