Three Kingdoms

In the desert of the Northern Territory, Zhang He had an additional follower beside him.

Sweet wind.

Perhaps because of similar temperaments, or perhaps because he discovered his own shortcomings in a certain incident, Gan Feng is now staying close to Zhang He almost all day long, asking about this and that, asking for advice on this and that.

For Gan Feng, this is a better way than reading a book.

Gan Feng has a problem, that is, he will feel sleepy as soon as he picks up a book, and then staring at the words, he feels like mosquitoes flying everywhere on the wooden slip...

Therefore, he prefers to listen to it rather than watch it himself.

And what Zhang He said can be listened to whether it is quoted or narrated.

This seems strange, but it makes sense. After all, Gan Feng has read few books.

Listening, speaking, reading and writing are arranged in order of difficulty.

Zhang He was not tired of Gan Feng's request for help.

Because most of the time, Zhang He also needs a certain amount of time to think. Through the process of explaining it to Gan Feng, Zhang He was gradually able to understand some aspects that he had barely touched upon before, and it was upgraded from pure tactics to strategy, or civil affairs. Governance…

"Trade, I didn't think it was that important before..." Zhang He sat on the stone and looked into the distance, "It's like I didn't have much impression of the salt and iron thing before..."

"Salt and iron?" Gan Feng said, "This...I don't have any impression..."

"Actually, there are salt and iron envoys in every county..." Zhang He said, "There are some places that do not produce salt and iron. However, as long as there is salt and iron production, there are salt and iron envoys. I know the main reason is to What? For the salt and iron tax. So why send an envoy of salt and iron? 』

Gan Feng thought for a while, "For supervision." 』

Zhang He nodded and said, "Yes... if management is not strict, the salt tax cannot be guaranteed." In fact, this is also true. If counties do not tighten their grip, not only will salt and rice be expensive, but population growth will also be reduced... I never thought of this before. What is the relationship between salt and iron prices and population growth? Now after reading Husband's Lecture Hall newspaper, I understand that if the people feel that the burden is heavy, they will not have children...the population will naturally be reduced...and the biggest burden is salt and iron...they have to eat it every day, every day You need to use..."

"There are still calculations..." Gan Feng nodded, "When I was still in Xiliang, I sometimes saw the corpses of babies thrown directly into the mountains and being dragged away by jackals... At first I thought it was someone's family. I accidentally lost it, or it was picked up by a jackal. It turned out later that I had thrown it away intentionally, because one more person means one more person... Sometimes it is said that one more person means one more person. The matter of a scoop of water, but this matter... cannot be solved by a scoop of water..."

Zhang He nodded, "That's right." I saw it said in the Di newspaper that the population of Guanzhong has increased a lot in recent years, especially the upper counties in the north. Now there are four new counties with 10,000 households... In comparison, there are almost no counties in Shandong. What a big change... The population in the northern part of Guanzhong has increased. I think it is related to the measures that my lord has taken since he came to power, such as cultivating the Tao, opening canals, opening up wasteland, and recruiting refugees... With more people, of course there will be more products. , the same amount of salt and iron is needed... It can be said to be "exploring and accumulating chestnuts, and colonizing Guanzhong"... So the lord's strategy also extends to the northern desert... because the Hu people also need salt and iron, even more than We Han people still lack even more..."

"But if you give salt and iron to the barbarians..." Gan Feng scratched the back of his head, "I don't understand it...but wasn't it forbidden to sell salt and iron to the barbarians before?" 』

Zhang He nodded and said, "Yes, it is forbidden, but it's like why each county sends salt and iron envoys... It's forbidden, can it be banned if it can be done?" The court was banned, and it was the court that was damaged. Not even half a penny could be collected from it, but

"This..." Gan Feng clicked his tongue, then shook his head, "It was these guys in Xiliang who broke it... But I really don't understand these..."

"Then tell me something you know...cavalry..." Zhang He smiled and did not hesitate to share the results of his thinking just because Gan Feng said he didn't understand. "You like to hear this, right?" 』

"Haha, yes, yes, you say it, you say it!" Gan Feng clapped his hands and said, "I'm familiar with this!" 』

Coded and uncoded, these are two completely different things.

Originally, the cavalry of the Han Dynasty was not the main force in the war.

Until the Han people ran into the Huns...

"In the beginning, when we fought against the Huns, they were known as "armored cavalry", but now it seems..." Zhang He smiled, "And now, we are the "armored cavalry" of the Hu people. I don't like it... The difference between this is that I originally thought that Emperor Huan Ling was fatuous, but now I think... it's not necessarily the problem of Emperor Huan Ling. 』

The Xiongnu horses have slightly shorter bodies and larger heads. They basically belong to the Mongolian horse system of later generations.

Although these Mongolian horses are not very tall, they have sufficient physical strength, long-lasting endurance, and fast movement. They are very adaptable to the plateau desert environment. Therefore, when these horses are equipped with more advanced horse-control tools, bridles and easy-to-ride tools than those of the Han Dynasty at that time, The saddle and soft stirrups greatly enhanced the combat capabilities of the Huns' army.

However, as the big Han caught up, he quickly overtook the Huns...

Zhang He knocked on the armor on his body and made a dull sound, "Look, if this armor was worn by Emperor Huanling, would you and I be able to wear it?" 』

Gan Feng shook his head, "At that time Dong... well, no one had such good armor... I remember that only Liangzhou Sanming was qualified to wear it..."

"There is almost a world of difference between infantry with and without armor. ” Zhang He said, “The same is true for cavalry. Many of the earliest cavalrymen of the Han people did not even have leather armor, while everyone in the Xiongnu had leather armor... Well, there were not many war horses at that time... So in the early Han Dynasty, the Hu people suppressed us and fought. Later, we had horses, and more importantly, we had armor. Even war horses were equipped with armor... However, at that time, most of them were leather armor. If a spear was pierced from the front, it would still be easily pierced..."

In the era of cold weapons that require close combat, the solidity of soldiers' equipment will greatly affect the overall combat effectiveness of the army.

"Looking at it now, even if the Hu people have armor, they are short of armor," Zhang He took off the armor from his head, put it in his hand, and said while gesturing, "And even if the Hu people have armor now, most of them have armor. Made of bronze, it is brittle and not hard enough. In addition, the front and back of the Hu's pocket are flat and have no edges. When wearing it, it does not matter whether it is front or rear. If someone cuts it from the back..."

Zhang He gestured for a moment, then patted the Douchi in his hand, "Look at the Douchun supervised by my lord. It has an edge in the front to protect it from wind and rain, and a curtain in the back to sharpen the blade... And these Douchun armors naturally require money. Build, and where does the money come from? It comes from salt and iron, or something similar to salt and iron... Just like the market we opened here in Mobei, it is for us and the armor on our sons..."

Zhang He brought Dou Ming with him, "This is why the Di'an newspaper of the Jiangwu Hall mentioned that generals in charge should know the economy... The Di newspaper also said that the fifth generation of armor is already being developed in Chang'an. It will be more comfortable and strengthen the ability to withstand the cold in winter..."

Gan Feng said happily: "That's a good feeling!" Then you won’t have to worry about being frozen! 』

"These all cost money," Zhang He said with a smile, "So now we know why we sell salt and iron, why we need to protect these barbarians, and formulate appropriate regulations...Who is coming over there?" 』

In the middle of Zhang He's words, he suddenly stood up and pointed at a group of people to ride on.

The messenger cavalry quickly arrived in front of Zhang He, and then presented Zhao Yun's general order.

Zhang He checked the fire paint, then broke the seal, took out the general order, looked at it for a few times, and then frowned.

"What's wrong? ” Gan Feng asked.

Zhang He raised his head, looked into the distance, and handed the order to Gan Feng, "Some barbarians have bypassed us... and entered Youbei..."

"Bypass us?" "Gan Feng couldn't understand it for a moment. He looked up and down at the general, as if he was trying to spot a flower.

Zhang He made a gesture, "Mobei is so big, it's impossible for our forward military fortress to cover all the areas... Maybe that's why they went around outside... By the way, some barbarians couldn't escape to us at that time." , did you say that you encountered some attacks? Then this group of barbarians were encountered by Cao Jun from Youbei..."

"What? Met Cao Jun? Gan Feng asked, "How did we meet?" 』

"I don't know, maybe you think Youbei is easier to fight?" Or is it just for supplies? "Zhang He shook his head. There was too little information to judge, "That's why the Protector asked us to investigate..."

"good! check! "Gan Feng responded immediately, then hesitated again, "Uh... where can I check this? 』

Zhang He thought for a while, "Let's go to the Rouran and Jiankun people first... They are in the outer area to the north of us. If we pass by them, there should be some news..."

…

Mobei has gradually become colder, and the severe winter is becoming more and more severe for these Hu tribes in Mobei. Most of the pastures are withered, and the cattle and sheep can only survive on the hay accumulated by the Hu people in summer and autumn.

Obviously, hay alone is not enough for cattle and sheep to live well. Hu people also have to add some beans or other nutrients to the hay to ensure that cattle and sheep will not freeze to death in the coldest season.

Nowadays, the markets opened by the Han people have become the last life-saving straw for these barbarians.

The Hu people who came to Mobei because of the severe cold could purchase or trade some of their urgently needed items, including daily necessities including salt and iron, at the bazaar built by the Han people to survive the cold winter.

This is undoubtedly beneficial to the Hu people, otherwise they can only kill the weak animals to free up more fodder for the strong cattle and sheep. This is why the old people in their tribe will survive. The reason I hope to leave it to their children is because the environment they live in is so cruel.

The Han people's market trading system gave them a sense of civilization...

Although in the early days of the market, the trade system was still very rough, and there were definitely some unreasonable aspects, but at least this was a brand new attempt and another expansion of the Northern Territory into the desert.

Many barbarians in the deserts of the northern region even came to the south from the North Sea to trade...

In the northern desert, the trading place built by the Han people was like a bonfire in the cold winter, bringing light and hope, but it also attracted cruel and greedy eyes.

Among the Hu people, there are those who are willing to abide by the rules, and there are also those who feel that they are the ones who follow the rules.

For example, the people of Xianbei in the west.

In fact, this is all the evolution of dominoes caused by Fei Qian.

Xianbei is divided into three parts after Tanshihuai.

West and Middle East, easy to understand.

The power of the central Xianbei was originally the largest and closest to the Han Dynasty. As a result, the central Xianbei split first and became two large tribes, Budugen and Kebineng. The western Xianbei was in the desert north of Longxi, and the eastern Xianbei Xianbei This is the area north of the Wuhuan people, bordering Xianbei in western Liaoning.

As the central Xianbei gradually declined under Fei Qian's continuous blows, part of the vacant area was occupied by the Wuhuan people, and the Wuhuan people soon followed in the footsteps of the central Xianbei. They were beaten so hard that they had to hide in Liaodong. The Bangzi Peninsula went to bully Fuyu and the Goguryeo people, and was later split. After the death of Louban Nanlou, the remaining Wuhuan people returned to Baishui Heishan and fell under the guidance of another Wuhuan master Gujin.

Large tribes such as Rouran and Jiankun, which were originally located north of Xianbei in the central part of the country, migrated southward under Fei Qian's friendly policy. The gaps left by these tribes naturally led to the further and deeper Chile in the desert. Gaoche, Ding Ling, etc., as well as the Xianbei in the west and center of the area north of Longyou.

There is also a saying that Chile and Gaoche are all a tribe. Their own name is Dili. In the Spring and Autumn Period, they were called Chidi. After the Western Jin Dynasty, all ethnic groups outside the Great Wall were called Chile. People in the Northern Dynasties were called Gaoche. Those who moved to the interior were called Dingling. …

But in fact, it is estimated that it should be a loose alliance similar to the Xiongnu Xianbei, and even the Xianbei has three main ways of distinguishing between west and east, among which there are also various Xianbei tribes, Suotou tribes, etc.

Especially Xianbei in the west.

Xianbei in the west was actually very chaotic. Even during the Tanshihuai period, it did not form an overall structure. It was divided into more than a dozen tribes of different sizes. Among them was a larger tribal alliance, the Qifu tribe.

The Qifu tribe is a descendant of the Xianbei people who fought across the north and south of the desert and settled in Longxi. Similar to the northern Xianbei, the western Xianbei also came from the eastern Xianbei. After all, the Liaohe River is the starting point and base camp for the Xianbei people to explore the world.

The Qifu Tribe merged with the Chile Tribe, and their power began to expand. Coupled with the Rouran Jiankun general moving south, they began to gradually approach the Han Dynasty. Historically, the Qifu tribe probably invaded the area from Longyou to Hetao during the Western Jin Dynasty and occupied a large area of ​​Liangzhou. Later, they surrendered to Fu Jian of the former Qin Dynasty. After Fu Jian's death, they rebelled and established the country, which was called the Western Qin Dynasty. . The Western Qin did not last long, and fell to the Later Qin, and then stood on its own, and was finally destroyed by the Xia Kingdom He Lian Ding led his army.

It can be said that from a historical perspective, the Qifu tribe actually showed a very obvious tendency to speculate. They took advantage of whatever was available and surrendered when the situation turned bad. Their flexible and mobile characteristics allowed them to basically integrate into the country even after the country was subjugated. Among other tribes, they eventually became the "surnames within" and "surnames from all directions" of the Northern Wei Dynasty.

This time the Qifu tribe came, they actually received an "invitation" from the Bald Tribe.

After the Bald-haired Tribe and the Tuoba Tribe were designed by Fei Qian, the remaining tribes dispersed, and most of them fled to Xianbei, Liaodong. As a result, they encountered Ke Bineng's madness again...

Another part of the Baldy tribe that fled to the west joined forces with the Xianbei of the Qifu tribe, and brought their hatred of Fei Qian and the Han people to the Qifu tribe.

After the Qifu tribe learned that Xianbei in central China had been basically hollowed out, on the one hand, it coveted the pastures in the central part, and on the other hand, Qifu Heqian's ambitions had swelled at this time...

Qifu Heqian can be considered a smart man. He made full use of the ignorance of the barbarians in the desert and claimed that he was transformed from a giant insect like "Lingfu". Of course, he was also quite brave and surrendered to Si Yin. , Chulian, Chilu and other tribes were elected as great khans, that is, Qifu khans.

From this point of view, Qifu Heqian still retains some of the characteristics of the Xiongnu, because Xianbei in the central part is generally called the king, and the big and small kings...

In the large tent of the Qifu tribe, a circle of barbarians were sitting around.

There are Xianbei people, Chile people, and Semu people.

Qifu Heqian looked at his men and said with some sadness: "We must unite!" Look at ourselves, once we are divided, how will we be bullied by the Han people? ! 』

Not to mention the Xianbei people, the Chile people are also divided and fighting. It can even be said that the current Xiongnu, Xianbei, Wuhuan, or Chile are actually inextricably linked to the Di Rong tribe during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

That's right, generations of the defeated alliance are full of hatred for the Central Plains.

"This time, we need to contact everyone who can unite..." Qifu Hegan said in a deep voice, "The Han people are our biggest enemies!" We must join forces to fight against the Han people! Otherwise we will all eventually become slaves of the Han people! Our property will be robbed by the Han people, our women will be taken away by the Han people, and our children will become the offspring of the Han people! Which of you wants to see such a future? ! Unite! Still united! You have also seen that as long as we unite together, we can also defeat the Han army! What's so great about the Han people? They can bleed, cry, scream, and be killed! 』

Of course, for the Hu people, they may not be able to completely distinguish which ones are the Fei army and which ones are the Cao army, just like the Han people often cannot tell which ones are the Xianbei and which ones are the Wuhuan...

"Great Khan!" Master Yu Zhutan is here! "Someone called the roll call outside the tent.

Great Khan.

Beg Fuhe to do what he has granted himself.

The Hu people like the word "Khan" very much, because most of the current Hu people are slaves, and everyone in the tribe has a common "father", or "master"...

Qifu Heqian stood up and walked out of the big tent. He held hands and hugged Yu Zhudan, and they were very affectionate.

Immediately, Qifu Heqian introduced the various tribal leaders under him to Yu Zhutan, and they laughed with each other and the atmosphere was harmonious.

That's right, Yu Zhutan was the person Qi Fu Hegan could "unite" with, because he was Ke Bineng's son-in-law.

If among the Xianbei people, the one who hates the Han people the most because of personal experience is undoubtedly Yu Zhutan. It can be said that Ke Bineng was just one step away from King Xianbei at that time, Bu Dugen's step. After falling, of course he suffered the most painful fall and hated the Han people the most. So when he heard the news that Qifu Heqian and others were coming, he immediately came to meet Qifu Heqian.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Yu Zhutan got down to business. He said seriously to Qi Fu Heqian: "The Han people have committed heinous crimes against us!" My father, my uncle... Phew... This time Khan comes, needless to say, I will do my best to assist Khan! However, I am still weak... So, Khan, we still need to find a few more people..."

"who? Qifu Heqian asked.

"Su Li, Gu Jin, don't protect the postscript!" ” Yu Zhudan pulled his fingers and said, “There is another person, Khan can also contact him... Rilu Family... This person is very interesting...”