Chapter 69: The Way of Benevolence and Forbearance (2)

  Rong Ge Lao has passed fifty years of age, but in this tribal expedition to the east, he rides and shoots on horseback, and when off his horse, he fights with all his might, his bravery not inferior to that of younger men. He is one of Da Lang Jun Tu Li's most steadfast supporters. In the heart of this elder, the resolute and decisive Tu Li is truly the best wealth left behind by Lao Yun for the Pin Department, as well as the most capable leader among several generations of Yun who can make the tribe flourish. At this moment, seeing that the tribal warriors have already entered the city, he turns around to face Tu Li on one side and says: "Congratulations, Da Lang Jun, Yan Prefecture is in our hands, we can now secure the old road to Liaoxi, and my Pin Department's eastern flank can be at ease."

  Tuli smiled and nodded, gazing at the Yan State. Suddenly, a loud shout erupted from within the city, and the gates creaked open with a "rumbling" sound as a large contingent of Khitan warriors rode in on horseback, finally calming down.

  Rong Ge Lao said, "I don't know what plans the young master has for his next move? My son Bo Deng is willing to go and take over Huaiyuan Military City for the young master, so that the young master won't have to trouble himself again." Rong Ge Lao had three sons, but only Bo Deng was still alive. At this time, seeing Tuli's good mood, he also wanted his son to have a chance to show off and gain some prestige in the tribe. With Rong Ge Lao's unwavering support for Tuli, this was an easy task, especially since the main force of Huaiyuan Military City had already dispersed. It was likely that Bo Deng would be able to take over the city without any problems, and Tuli probably wouldn't refuse his offer either.

  Who would have thought that Tuli actually shook his head, and Rong Ge Lao was stunned.

  "East of Yan County, including Huaiyuan Jun Cheng, belongs to Wu Wei Department. This is what I and Qi Hua Mai Da Ren agreed upon...This time helping him sweep away the main force of Huaiyuan Jun, counts as a favor, can also help me stabilize the situation in Yan County."

  It was only because of the great concession that Tuli made that Rong Ge guessed the reason, and it must be that Qi Huai bought the answer to allow Tuli to become the Pin Department's commander. However, such a major event, Tuli didn't tell himself until now, which made Rong Ge slightly unhappy. Since Xiao Lang Jun Chui left, Tuli has become less trusting of others and often makes decisions on his own without consulting with everyone. Fortunately, Tuli is sharp-eyed and brave in battle, and so far, he has not suffered any defeats, and the territory controlled by the Pin Department has expanded nearly tenfold. In the face of such great achievements, what do some minor flaws matter?

  Tuli said: "Uncle Rong, I'll leave everything in Yanzhou to you from now on. I plan to return to Liu City two days later."

  Rong Ge was somewhat surprised: "How did it happen so quickly?"

  Tuli said calmly, "The Shulü family's Abao has grown impatient and sent someone to urge me again the other day. They are at a critical moment in their battle with the Tang army and want me to open up a gap from the Yu Guan direction."

  This is another unclear transaction of Rong Ge's, he only roughly knew that the nobles in Diao Lu were starting to change their stance and support Tu Li becoming the Pi Bo Xi Jin, but Tu Li didn't say what the specific conditions were, could it be that attacking Yu Guan was one of them?

  Tuli suddenly smiled and said, "And then there's my younger brother. I heard he's not doing very well in Bai Lang Waterfront. As his older brother, I must go take care of him." He rubbed his nose as he spoke.

  He spoke lightly, but Rong Ge knew that this elder brother hated his own younger brother to what extent. Every time he rubbed his nose for profit, it showed that his anger and hatred had reached an extreme point, which was his habitual gesture when ordering someone to be killed.

  Rong Ge didn't want to say anything more about this, and quickly changed the subject, asking: "How are the Jurchen women in the city being treated?"

  Tuli said: "The old rules, the craftsmen are selected to be sent to Liu City, and the rest of the men who are taller than the car beam will be killed. The women and children will be divided among the brave warriors as slaves."

  Rong Ge hesitated for a moment, then said: "I heard that the Dada and Tujue tribes no longer kill prisoners of war after fighting against the Jurchen, Khitan, and Shiwei peoples. They even use prisoners as vanguard and auxiliary soldiers. I also heard that Da Yu Yue strongly agrees with and advocates for this, saying it is a way to practice benevolence. He also said that if we Khitans want to truly rise up, there are many things we need to learn from the Han people of the Central Plains."

  Tuli frowned and said, "The city of Cheng is stubbornly resisting, and not slaughtering the whole city is already a great mercy. Many things about the Han people are good, but we can't just copy everything, after all, we grew up on the grasslands, and many things still have to follow the rules of the grasslands. If we change all the things that our Khitan ancestors passed down, can we still be called Khitans? Besides, do you want these Jurchen captives to fight for us? Can you trust them? I don't trust them, and they won't fight either!" In the language of the Khitan people, the Jurchens were always referred to as "Nüzhen", and in later dynasties, the Central Plains referred to the descendants of the Jurchens as "Nüzhen", which originated from the Khitans.

  Tuli left 200 regular and auxiliary soldiers for Rong Ge Laoren and led the main force back to Liu City.

  Liu Chengyuan was the seat of the Youzhou Metropolitan Prefecture, and it used to be the center of the Tang Dynasty's rule over various tribes outside the Great Wall. As the Tang army withdrew from outside the Great Wall, Liu Chengyuan gradually fell into the hands of the Xianbei people. Later, the Khitan began to rise, expelling the Xianbei people from Youzhou, and Liu Chengyuan was occupied by the Khitan's Pingluo tribe, becoming their tribal headquarters. At this time, the Khitans produced several outstanding figures who led the entire tribe in learning from the Han Chinese in the Central Plains. By the time of Emperor Taizong of Liao, the Khitans' way of life had gradually shifted from nomadism to semi-nomadic and semi-settled, and their demand for cities also became a fashion.

  In the years following the occupation of Liu City, with frequent eastern and western expeditions, Pin Department gathered artisans and slaves from various tribes who were captured and brought to Liu City, where they engaged in large-scale construction projects, gradually restoring some of the grandeur of the former Yingzhou Metropolitan Governor's residence.

  The people of Liu City are a mixture of various ethnic groups, including Han, Khitan, Jie, Mohe and Shiwei, who all use Liu City as a place for gathering and selling goods. As a result, this is also an important transfer station outside the pass. People from various tribes outside the pass gather here, intermarry, and many people can no longer distinguish their own ethnic group, so people inside the pass generally refer to many non-Han people from Liu City as miscellaneous barbarians.

  The most famous of the Hu people in the Tang Dynasty was An Lushan, who once established the Great Yan state. He is considered a Hu person because his mother was a Turk and his father was also a non-Han Chinese, but it's unclear what specific ethnicity or tribe his father belonged to - not even An Lushan himself knew for sure, and probably neither did his mother. As for his surname "An", it came from his mother's later husband, the Turkic general An Boji's brother An Yanyi. Speaking of which, Liu City was also where An Lushan made a name for himself - it was here that he became the military governor of Tang's Youzhou province and took his first step onto the stage of the Tang imperial court.

  To be honest, the one who really built up Liu City was the late Pi Bo Shang's father, Da Lang Jun Tu Li and Xiao Lang Jun Wu Ri. This Pi Bo was extremely enthusiastic about the culture and way of life of the Han people in the Central Plains. After occupying Liu City with its geographical advantages, he moved all his tribesmen here and also concentrated the Han craftsmen and Mohe craftsmen obtained through conquest. He indeed launched a large-scale production campaign that lasted for several years. At that time, workshops, shops, and wine houses sprouted up like mushrooms after rain in Liu City. The city walls, government offices, and official residences were also renovated. In these years, Liu City has become much more prosperous and bustling.

  But this preference of the great Khan was not inherited by Yelü Dashi, who was very dissatisfied with all the changes in Liu City. In his heart, the Khitan people should have the appearance of the Khitan people, abandoning the vast and boundless grasslands and free nomadic life, can they still be called Khitan? Once the Khitan people get used to hiding under the cover of city walls, it also means losing the courage and determination to go out and conquer. Haven't you seen that the prosperous country of Bohai in the east of the sea learned from the Han people of the Central Plains to build earth and wood, and build city walls? The brave and good warriors of the Mohe nationality have long been unable to withstand a single blow. Do the Khitan people also want to take this path?

  Unfortunately, Tulie has not yet taken the position of Khan, and his authority in the department cannot be effectively exerted. On the contrary, the words of Wan Shiming, the great elder, seem to have more weight than him. However, this Wan Shiming is actually the most loyal follower of Tulie's father, and he has never expressed any attitude towards the dispute between Tulie and Wuri for the position of Khan.

  Tuli calculated that after leading the troops to capture Yu Guan, Yelü and Shulü would agree to support him. With the help of Wuwei Department's Qi Huomai, the tribal elder conference should be able to convene. Wenxunlang might also weigh his own strength at that time. Putting aside Qi Huomai, if Yelü and Shulü expressed their support for him, it would mean that the Dielei Department supported him. As long as the Dielei Department supported him, who else in the eight departments of Khitan could say no?

  After he took the throne, he wanted to move the Khitan people out of Liu City and restore their nomadic lifestyle, so that his tribe would not lose its sharp edge by hiding behind city walls.

  As for his brother, Wuri, who had moved to the shores of White Wave Lake, Tuli didn't think much of him. Originally, he was most wary of the Shulu family behind his mother's back, but now that they had turned towards him, what did he have to fear? At worst, when the time came, he would ensure his mother's safety and return her to the Shulu family. It was a pity about Kadan by Wuri's side - although the brave warrior wasn't skilled at commanding battles, he was incredibly courageous, truly a sharp blade for charging into battle. Such a warrior would be a fine addition to Tuli's side, but unfortunately, he followed Wuri...

  Tuli was deeply aware of Kadan's bravery, which could be called a fierce general; similarly, Tuli also had a deep understanding of Kadan's wisdom, making it difficult for him to lead the army. During these six months of eastern and western expeditions, Tuli closely monitored the situation in Wulina, roughly knowing some of Wulina's repeated setbacks at Yu Pass and Bairen Mountain. Therefore, he was hesitant about how to deal with Kadan. To kill or not to kill? This is indeed a problem.

  Apart from Wuli, Tuli was also considering the situation of the Han people in Yuguang. As soon as he returned to Liu City, he dispatched dozens of elite cavalrymen southward to gather as much information as possible about the Han people in Yuguang. In Tuli's view, although the Tang Dynasty's Lulong Army was not comparable to the Bohai State's military power, the Lulong Army's elite had already been depleted in the southern campaign against Weibo, and as long as they made thorough preparations, taking down Yuguang should not be a problem. Tuli heard that the Lulong Army's various passes along the Great Wall were being pressed by the Khitan tribes to the point of suffocation, and places like Zhenyuan and Jimen had even been breached at one point, allowing the Khitan tribes to plunder many valuable things. Tuli also heard that Wuli had once breached Yuguang, but only looted for a while before hastily abandoning it due to cowardice; if Wuli's useless brother could breach this fortress, why couldn't he?

  In his heart, he was calculating that it would be beneficial to visit the Great Elder Wanshou Ming again. His trump card had become much stronger and it was time to reveal some of it to Wanshou Ming. Otherwise, the tribal elder meeting could not be held for a long time, which would not look good. Tuli planned to have a good talk with Wanshou Ming, whom he had always respected deeply in his heart. In his mind, the opening of the tribal council should be set at the time when the snow was melting and it was warm, which was still more than a month away from now. This one month was the time Tuli left for himself to conquer the Yu Guan, and by the way, he would also deal with that incompetent but arrogant younger brother of his, thoroughly clearing the obstacles in front of him.