Chapter 344: Follow the Xianbei’s path and leave the Xianbei with no way to go!
Mobei.

Zhao Yun and Wen Pin each led a team of 10,000 men to pursue the Xianbei leader Kebineng.

However, Kebi Neng was very cunning. He did not engage in battle with the Han army. He ran all the way out of the pass and never looked back.

Zhao Yun and Wen Pin were helpless as the entire army only had three days of dry food. If they pursued too far, they would easily be lured and killed by Ke Bineng. So they only reached the Great Wall and did not pursue further.

However, the report still had to be written. As the commander-in-chief, Zhao Yun asked in the report what to do with the Xianbei next.

...

The first month of the third year of Jian'an (198).

Wancheng, Nanyang County, Jingzhou.

Jin Mao received Zhao Yun's report and convened a think tank to ask for solutions.

The Xianbei's combat effectiveness is not high, and their numbers are not large, similar to the Wuhuan. They suffered more than 10,000 casualties and have been seriously injured. They are unlikely to dare to invade the border this winter.

But Jinmao just didn't want to give Xianbei a chance to develop, and he wanted to strangle it in the cradle!

The north is different from the south. Although the mountain people are difficult to govern, at least they do not migrate as fast as the nomadic peoples.

These Xianbei and Xiongnu may be in Youzhou this year, and may be in the Western Regions, Liangzhou, or Bingzhou next year. Their whereabouts are hard to predict and they are impossible to kill.

Throughout the dynasties, nomadic tribes have always been an unsolvable problem. Even a powerful emperor like Emperor Wu of Han could only conquer them but could not completely eliminate them.

As the territory grew larger, all the advisers were busy. The only ones still around were Jia Xu and Xun Yu. The former said he was old and didn't want to travel around anymore, while the latter was still under observation.

Xun You went out to Yanzhou to take charge, and Xun Yu was unable to return to retirement because of his previous incident, so he could only sigh that the world was difficult.

However, no one dared to embarrass Xun Yu, because everyone knew that he was once the white moonlight of His Royal Highness the King of Wu.

"Wen Ruo, Wen He."

Jin Mao's air of nobility became more and more prominent, and he began to put on airs unconsciously.

"What do you think about this matter?"

Jia Xu's eyes were narrowed and he seemed to be dozing off, but he sat upright without any disrespect.

Xun Yu did not admit his mistake, but he would not hide his shortcomings either. Especially when it comes to national policy, he would do his best.

"His Royal Highness King Wu."

Xun Yu bowed politely and then said, "I heard that not all the leaders of the Xianbei tribes obey Kebi Neng. Budugen is one of them, and his tribe is not small."

"Oh?" Jin Mao asked, "What do you mean?"

Xun Yu continued, "Your Highness, the Xianbei land is vast and boundless, with numerous tribes. Although Kebi Neng is gaining power and commands many tribes, they are not united. Budugen is a force that cannot be ignored among the Xianbei. His tribe is located in a strategic location. If we can use it, it can not only contain Kebi Neng, but also help our army in the future Northern Expedition."

"I think we should send an envoy with generous gifts to Budugen in secret, explain the pros and cons, and promise him great benefits. At the same time, we should promise that if he sincerely submits, our Han will help him consolidate his position and resist the invasion of Kebi Neng. This will not only weaken the internal unity of the Xianbei, but also add a reliable ally to our Han in the north."

"That makes sense." Jin Mao looked at Jia Xu and asked, "What do you think, Wenhe?"

Hearing this, Jia Xu slowly opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes. He stroked his beard and continued, "What Xun Gong said is very true, but we must be cautious in this matter. The Xianbei people have changeable personalities. Although Budugen is willing to resist Kebi Neng, he may also be swayed by interests. Therefore, the envoys sent must be both wise and brave, eloquent and able to adapt to circumstances, to ensure that your Highness's intentions can be accurately conveyed to Budugen and win his trust."

"In addition," Jia Xu changed the subject, "we also need to consider how to prevent Kebi Neng from taking retaliatory actions after learning about this. After all, if he learns that our Han Dynasty has formed an alliance with Budugen, he will definitely regard it as a provocation, which may lead to a greater conflict. Therefore, the border defense armaments need to be strengthened, and the intelligence network needs to be more closely connected to ensure that we can grasp the Xianbei's movements in a timely manner and be prepared for any eventuality."

After hearing this, Jin Mao showed an expression of approval and nodded, saying, "What Wenhe and Wenruo said are both good advice. However, it only treats the symptoms and not the root cause."

Jin Mao looked at Jia Xu again and asked, "Does Wenhe have a better plan?"

The better here does not mean to have the best of both worlds, but to let Jia Xu give full play to his nature as a ruthless scholar.

Jia Xu understood what was going on. He looked up and saw Jin Mao staring at him, so he glanced at Xun Yu.

Jin Mao understood immediately and warned: "Today's discussion will only reach the ears of the three of us. If it gets out, you will be executed without mercy!"

There is no need to say who the person who gave the warning is.

Xun Yu looked gloomy, but he did not change his mind.

Jia Xu then said, "My lord, I have a plan that can prevent the Xianbei from causing any trouble for decades."

"Hurry up and tell me!" Jin Mao couldn't wait.

Jia Xu stroked his beard and said, "This strategy is called helping the wolf swallow the tiger."

"The Budugen tribe is weaker than Kebi Neng, so my lord can help them grow stronger, overpower Kebi Neng, and then annex them!"

"In this way, when Budugen has not yet firmly established his power, they will support another weaker tribe and then annex Budugen's tribe. If this continues, the Xianbei will be in chaos for many years."

Jin Mao clapped his hands and said, "Great idea!"

Before Jin Mao could make a decision, Xun Yu stood up and objected, "This plan is not appropriate. If Ke Bineng is really talented, Bu Dugen will probably be persuaded. In this way, wouldn't it be a waste of time to strengthen the enemy's strength and make it more difficult to deal with?"

Jin Mao fell into deep thought, twirling his increasingly long beard for a long time without saying a word. He felt that it made a lot of sense. If he were in Ke Bineng's position, could he do it?
Never mind. I definitely can’t do that.

It's a world of the jungle on the grassland. With his physique, let alone subjugating him, he might even kneel down.

Kebi Neng was not the descendant of some great man, but was born in a small tribe. In just a few years, he gathered a large tribe of tens of thousands of people.

Although all this is closely related to Yuan Shao, Gongsun Zan, Liu Yu, Cao Cao and others, they are all buried in the ground, and Jin Mao cannot dig them up and whip their corpses.

That's so ugly.

Then, Jin Mao looked at Jia Xu and asked, "What does Wenhe think?"

Jia Xu bowed to Jin Mao and Xun Yu, and then said, "This requires a smart and capable person to do this."

"Of course stupid people can do bad things, but a smart and capable counselor can be as powerful as a thousand men, and is more powerful than a cavalry of ten thousand men."

Jia Xu stroked his beard and said, "I think of Guo Fengxiao. He caused unrest in Chang'an City with his own efforts. Nine out of ten houses were emptied, and it has not been restored to this day."

Jin Mao looked at Jia Xu strangely and said, "This is what you did before, but it was Guo Jia who did it in this time and space."

Seeing that Xun Yu no longer objected, Jin Mao asked, "Does Wenhe have a candidate in mind?"

Jin Mao initially thought that Jia Xu was going to recommend his own son to do this, after all, his eldest son Jia Mu was quite like his father, and if he went to the north, Jin Mao would not worry about failure at all. Imagine if a young Jia Xu went to Budugen's side, wouldn't he be played to death by Jia Mu with the cunningness of the nomadic people?
However, Jia Xu gave an unexpected candidate.

"Li Ru, a native of Guanxi, has been wanting to express his gratitude to the lord for taking him in. It would be best if we could ask him to be the envoy."

Jin Mao asked in disbelief: "Which Li Ru?"

Jia Xu said decisively: "Li Ru, the Minister of the Secretariat under the command of the former Grand Tutor Dong Zhuo!"

Jin Mao took a deep breath. Are all the people in Guanxi so cruel? Or is Jia Xu so cruel?

If Jin Mao remembered correctly, Li Ru was not young anymore, in his forties, which was considered half dead in this era.

Jia Xu is only in his early fifties, and he keeps clamoring to retire. If it were Li Ru, he would have to run so far away. He is really not a human being!
However, the person was recommended by Jia Xu. If Jin Mao refused, he would have to find someone himself. In desperation, he said, "Call Li Ru."

Li Ru was in Wancheng. Ever since he brought Dong Zhuo's family to Jingzhou, he has been playing the role of the Dong family's pillar. It is not known whether it was to repay Dong Zhuo's kindness or for his wife's sake.

However, Li Ru did not enter the officialdom, and was disdainful of negotiating for a living, so he could only work in a paper mill. In the past few years, he had not saved a penny, but instead looked much older.

Not long ago, Li Ru accidentally ran into Jia Xu. Actually, it was not that unexpected. Jia Xu's third son worked in the intelligence department, and it was not easy to investigate someone. Jia Xu came here specifically to see this former colleague.

To be honest, Jia Xu had once cheated Li Ru. Maybe it was to repay his past mistakes, or maybe the relationship between the two was really good.

In short, Jia Xu found Li Ru. Although the two were more than ten years apart in age, when they confronted each other, they felt like people of the same age.

That day, the two hugged each other and cried bitterly.

Then, Li Ru mentioned his desire to return to officialdom.

In the past few years, Li Ru has also figured out the general rules of Jinmao's employment and work. Compared with Dong Zhuo, Jinmao is more rule-abiding and will most likely not violate rules once something is established.

Even if there is a violation, there is a reason for it. This is called leniency outside the law.

Li Ru thought it was great, better than any other lord he had ever seen. If there were more people like this in the world, there would be no wars.
Therefore, Li Ru began to think about re-entering the officialdom. As a former Shangshu Ling, Li Ru still had some confidence. Even if he could not reach his previous heights, it was still within his reach for him to become a county magistrate.

Once he becomes the county magistrate, his treatment will be obviously different. At least Li Ru will have no problem supporting Dong Zhuo's family, and he will even have enough food to support his own family. If his political achievements are outstanding, he may be able to expand his family and create greater glory.

Jia Xu also understood Li Ru's thoughts. Although he kept shouting "I want to retire", it was actually because his three sons were all valued. If Jia Xu was also valued, not to mention anything else, the suspicion alone would kill his whole family.

Not to mention, being ostracized by colleagues.

Xi Zhicai is such a core figure, but his overall strength is not as high as Jia Xu's. If he doesn't retreat at this time, he is not called Jia Xu.

Therefore, Jia Xu knew how to advance and retreat, and understood Li Ru's mentality very well, so he handed this very dangerous task to Li Ru.

In addition, Jia Xu has a deeper thought.

Many people know that Li Ru used to be Dong Zhuo's man. Lord Xianbei is well-informed and would also know this.

At that time, Li Ru could use the excuse of revenge for Dong Zhuo to tie Budugen up and make him do something.

In this case, no matter how eloquent and good at networking, Kebi Neng is useless, because Budugen will fight with Kebi Neng to the end.

Not only the people in the Central Plains coveted that position, but the nomadic peoples did too. However, the Qin and Han dynasties perished because of their strength. The nomadic peoples of this period produced many outstanding figures, but they were slapped to death by the heroes of the Three Kingdoms. It was really unfair.

However, Li Ru also had his own ideas. Jia Xu's ideas were Jia Xu's own strategies. Li Ru did not think that his affairs required others to interfere.

When Jin Mao saw Li Ru, he almost thought he saw an ordinary worker in the workshop.

In fact, it's almost the same. Li Ru worked in the paper mill for two years, and he was just an ordinary worker.

"Li Ru pays his respects to His Majesty the King of Wu." As soon as he came up, Li Ru knelt three times and kowtowed nine times to perform the great ceremony.

Jin Mao hated red tape the most, but he also admired people who knew how to deal with current affairs. He stood up, walked down to the hall himself, and helped Li Ru up.

"Wenyou, you've suffered so much." Jin Mao pretended to blame himself and said, "It's been several years since we last met. I shouldn't have ignored you in the first place."

"Your Highness, you are too kind." Li Ru bowed and said, "Everything was Ru's decision. How can I blame Your Highness?"

"Oh, it's over, it's all over." Jin Mao took Li Ru's hand and said, "Don't worry, as long as you help me complete this matter, I dare not say more, I can give you the title of Sir Doctor. It's still okay."

Since everyone's titles started from scratch under Jin Mao's rule, Li Ru, the former marquis, is now just an ordinary commoner.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Li Ru said calmly, "Your Highness underestimates me. I have a plan that will make the Xianbei dare not trouble you for a hundred years!"

"Oh?" Jin Mao said with interest, "Tell me about it. If it really has such an effect, I will make an exception and confer you the title of Marquis after it is accomplished!"

Li Ru's eyes flashed with brilliance. Although Liehou was only the lowest rank of marquis, which was far inferior to the county marquis he once was, there were only a few people under Jin Mao's command who were granted the title of marquis. To have him jump to the top rank in one go, it could be said that he was valued.

Of course, as time goes by, there will be more and more marquises. After Li Ru succeeds, the marquises will definitely not be as valuable as they are now, but that is only relative. It is better to have some than nothing.

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Li Ru expressed his gratitude sincerely, and then told his story.

In fact, Li Ru's strategy was similar to Jia Xu's. The only difference was that Li Ru asked Jin Mao to take in the people of the defeated side, either as herdsmen or as slaves. In short, he wanted to make use of the waste.

As a result, the Xianbei's manpower would be greatly reduced, and it would take several years to recover.

At this time, the role of the Youzhou cavalry came to the fore. With the guidance of the local people, they could wipe out the Xianbei people tribally, making the Han border a forbidden zone for nomadic peoples.

Not only that, Li Ru also has a plan to wipe out the entire family.

Let the surrendered nomadic peoples herd sheep in the north, set up animal husbandry captains to specialize in breeding, follow the path of the nomadic peoples, and leave them with no way to go!
In essence, it is a process of naturalizing nomadic peoples. By then, everyone in the world will be one family and there will be no distinction between you and me.

"Great!" Jin Mao praised sincerely, "Wen You is so talented, I don't want to let you go on a mission, I always feel like you are being wasted."

Li Ru said modestly: "This strategy was not entirely my idea. Half of the credit should be attributed to you."

"Me?" Jin Mao was very surprised.

Li Ru nodded and said, "Your Highness, do you remember that you said you wanted to make all the tribes in the world naturalized as Han people?"

“Confucianism was inspired by this.”

"Wenyou knows me!" Jin Mao held Li Ru's hand tightly and said, "When you come back, I will definitely use you!"

Li Ru thanked him again.

(End of this chapter)