SWDnovel Chapter 1363: Several Expeditions
Chapter 1363: Several Expeditions
Chapter 1363: Several Expeditions
A servant hurried out of the Grand Marshal's Mansion and shouted to the guards:
"The Grand Marshal has ordered this person to come to the palace to meet him."
Upon hearing this, the guards put away their knives.
Tuoba Shamohan, who was still in shock, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He wanted to get up, but his body felt limp, his hands and feet were stiff, and he couldn't move at all.
The servant came up and took a look at Tuoba Shamohan's miserable appearance, with a puzzled look on his face:
"You are a Hu man, you are so lucky that you can get General Zhendong to plead for you in front of the Grand Marshal."
"General Zhendong?"
Tuoba Shamohan was startled and subconsciously looked next to the Sima Mansion.
The Zhendong General's Mansion is right next to the Grand Marshal's Mansion.
The General Zhendong was the second most important figure in the Han army after the Grand Marshal.
If I had known that General Zhendong would be so easy to talk to, then...
Tuoba Shamohan was struggling to stand up while thinking wildly.
Someone took his arm and helped him up.
"Thank you."
Tuoba Shamohan thanked the servants of the Grand Marshal's Mansion.
"No need, Mr. Tuoba, please don't delay any longer and go see the Grand Marshal and General Zhendong as soon as possible."
"Yes Yes Yes."
When he stepped into the gate of the Grand Marshal's Mansion, Tuoba Shamohan staggered, not knowing whether it was because he was too excited or because the blood in his feet had not yet fully flowed, causing his steps to be unstable.
I have heard before that the Grand Marshal's Mansion was built by His Majesty's special decree, and its area is the second largest in Chang'an - the first is His Majesty himself.
Now that he could walk in, Tuoba Shamohan felt dizzy.
I didn't know how far I walked before I was finally taken to a living room.
From the corner of his eye, he sensed that there was someone sitting at the top. Tuoba Shamohan didn't even dare to raise his head. He simply prostrated himself on the ground and shouted:
"The Hu people of the grassland, Tuoba Shamo Khan, pays homage to the Grand Marshal."
"Get up."
The Grand Marshal's voice startled Tuoba Shamohan. This voice... seemed a little familiar.
But he didn't think much about it, and quickly thanked him, then stood up, lowered his eyes and bowed his hands.
"Keep your head up."
Tuoba Shamohan raised his head as he was told. When he saw the person sitting in the main seat, his heart was shocked. For a moment, he could not control himself and cried out:
"It's you……"
As soon as he said it, he regretted it.
Two sharp gazes like swords were cast at him, making him feel cold all over.
Tuoba Shamohan was startled and glanced at the nobleman sitting to the lower left of Sima Feng.
This person is none other than the distinguished person whom we just met at the door, and he is most likely the General Zhendong that the servant just mentioned.
"I was just frightened, so I was rude. I beg the Grand Marshal to forgive me."
Tuoba Shamo Khan quickly bowed and apologized to Sima Feng.
"It's normal to be shocked," Sima Feng did not pursue the previous disrespect, "I also didn't expect that it would take so long for me to see Mr. Tuoba again after meeting him in Pingcheng."
(See Chapters 1169 to 1171)
When Tuoba Shamohan heard Sima Feng personally admitting the meeting in Pingcheng, which was also an indirect admission that he had concealed his identity from him, he felt mixed emotions.
"Logically speaking, it is a happy thing for old friends to meet again. Mr. Tuoba, do you know why I had such a pleasant conversation with you in Pingcheng, but avoided you in Chang'an?"
As if he could see through Tuoba Shamohan's thoughts, Sima Feng took the initiative to raise this issue.
"Villain..."
Tuoba Shamohan paused, not knowing whether he was unprepared because Sima Feng asked this question as soon as they met, or whether he really didn't know how to answer it.
He paused for a long time before speaking again:
"The Grand Marshal is busy with many things every day and is responsible for the restoration of the Han Dynasty. The civil strife among the Hu and Yi tribes outside the Great Wall is nothing but an insignificant matter in the eyes of the Grand Marshal."
Hearing the resentment in Tuoba Shamohan's words, Sima Feng had a sarcastic look on his face, but he smiled faintly:
"You are wrong. In fact, ever since we parted in Pingcheng, I have been waiting to see you for the second time."
"Ah?" Tuoba Shamohan raised his head in disbelief.
Feng Da Sima looked far away and said slowly:
"When I was in Pingcheng, I asked about your lord Tuoba Liwei. You said that Tuoba Liwei wanted to befriend the Han family and did not want to make the same mistake as Ke Bineng. I thought he was a man with a long-term vision."
Looking at Tuoba Shamohan again, his eyes began to become cold and stern:
"Do you still remember what you said to me at that time?"
Tuoba Shamo was sweating coldly and sweaty.
"You told me at the time that you came here on behalf of Tuoba Liwei to make friends with the Han Dynasty, and that as long as the Han Dynasty was willing to recognize the Suotou people as the masters of the grassland, Tuoba Xianbei would be willing to be a vassal of the Han Dynasty and pay tribute every year."
"And you also promised that your tribe is willing to follow the example of the Southern Xiongnu in the past, obey the call of the Han Dynasty, and send out the warriors of your tribe to help the Han Dynasty quell the rebellion and eliminate the bandits."
At this point, Feng Dasima's tone became increasingly severe.
Tuoba Shamohan's front and back were already soaked.
"At that time you said that as long as the Han Dynasty was willing to support your army, your army would go all out to the south, and when the time was right, the Han Dynasty would move from west to east, and you would move from north to south, attacking Wei from both sides."
"Bang!" Sima Feng slammed the table and shouted:
"Did you say that at the time? Did I remember it wrong?"
Tuoba Shamohan's legs went weak and he fell to his knees, prostrating himself on the ground, not daring to argue.
All I could hear was the superior Feng Da Sima laughing coldly:
"I really didn't expect that the Tuoba tribe sent you here to deliberately paralyze the Han people and make them lose their guard against you, but you turned around and colluded with the Wei thieves."
"You used yourselves as bait, and the Wei thieves secretly ambushed us at the border of Youzhou. That time, my Han soldiers suffered heavy casualties!"
The sweat on Tuoba Shamohan's forehead had already dripped onto the ground.
"Sir, Sir, I am guilty of death! I don't know why you suddenly changed your mind."
"When I learned about this, it was already a foregone conclusion. Even so, I urged you not to form an alliance with the Wei thieves. But, you didn't listen!"
"This time, it was precisely because I insisted on joining the Han that I was harmed by the traitors. I could not return to my clan and had to live in Chang'an."
Originally, Tuoba Shamo Khan had always had a question in his mind: why did Zhang Miao, in partnership with him to open up trade routes, have elite Han soldiers accompanying him in disguise?
Now he finally understood everything, thinking that there must be someone behind this who was instructing Feng Dasima.
Come to think of it, Zhang Miao's aunt was, after all, the concubine of the Grand Marshal. If he cooperated with her, how could he escape the eyes of the Grand Marshal Feng?
Even his every move in Chang'an had already fallen into the eyes of Sima Feng.
The reason why he didn't alarm himself was that he was actually waiting quietly for himself to fulfill the promise he made.
If I had not always sincerely wanted to make friends with the Han people and had no ulterior motives, I would have been beheaded long ago just because of the Youzhou incident, right?
People often say: far-sightedness... ahem, Da Sima.
It really is true that I am not deceived.
So “cruel and ruthless”, I guess it’s true?
When he thought of this, Tuoba Shamohan suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
I was so terrified and fearful, how could I dare to have any complaints?
Sure enough, Da Sima's voice was heard:
"If not for this, do you still think you can stay in Chang'an?"
"The Tuoba clan caused the death of 5,000 Han soldiers on the grassland. Their crime is unforgivable!"
When Tuoba Shamohan heard this, his heart sank.
Before he could speak, Da Sima said quietly:
"In the past, the Western Xianbei repeatedly went south without the consent of the Han Dynasty, and even robbed Han children and property. I followed the order of the Han emperor to guard Liangzhou. After several expeditions, I finally quelled the unrest in the grasslands north of Liangzhou."
Tuoba Shamohan swallowed his saliva.
Of course he knew about the demise of the Western Xianbei.
After all, you once fought against the Western Xianbei together with Dou Bin, the leader of the Moluhui tribe. Who would have thought that the entire tribe would be almost wiped out.
Later he led his people to live in Beichuan in the north to avoid the Xianbei in the west, which led to the prosperity of the Suotou tribe today.
But who could have imagined that when the Western Xianbei encountered the Han army, most of them were captured and used as laborers.
Everyone worked hard to move from the north to the south, but that time many people were forced to flee back to the north.
Another part fled to the east, and their own tribe also took in many Western Xianbei people.
"And Ke Bineng. When he was down and out, it was the Han who helped him and allowed him to rise again in Jiuyuan. Who would have thought that he would have such evil ambitions that he wanted to divide Guanzhong equally with the Han."
"I followed the order of the Emperor of Han and led the army eastward from Liangzhou. After several expeditions, I finally annihilated this beast."
Tuoba Shamo was sweating coldly for the third time.
Kebi was able to take back all of the former Xiongnu territory, from Yunzhong and Wuyuan in the east to the Liao River, all of which became the Xianbei court. He was the greatest Xianbei leader after Tan Shihuai.
Who would have thought that when they met General Feng, tens of thousands of elite cavalry were burned in the mountains and forests, and tens of thousands of clansmen were killed by the banks of the river.
"Now Tuoba Xianbei..."
As soon as Grand Marshal Feng mentioned the name, Tuoba Shamohan ignored his loss of composure and kowtowed repeatedly:
"Grand Sima, please be merciful! Not all of our people want to join the Wei thieves. It's just that some people were bewitched and did something foolish."
He was really afraid that Feng Da Sima would say "several conquests" again.
If that really happened, the Tuoba Xianbei might end up like the Western Xianbei and Kebi Neng.
Tuoba Shamohan had never so deeply realized the truth of the rumor about "the cruel and ruthless Xiao Wenhe" as he did at this moment.
The idea of bargaining with Da Sima before coming here had long disappeared.
The longer he stayed in the Han area, the more he realized that the Han State was powerful and no one his own tribe could rival.
Moreover, Tuoba Shamo Khan never thought that Tuoba Xianbei was stronger than Western Xianbei, let alone stronger than Kebi Neng.
If the Grand Marshal really wanted to take action against the Tuoba Xianbei, the fate of his own tribe would probably not be much better than that of the Western Xianbei.
When he thought of this, Tuoba Shamohan suddenly had an idea:
"I am willing to lead my people to atone for my sins. I only ask the Grand Marshal to show mercy."
The Western Xianbei were destroyed, but Kebi Neng's tribe was preserved.
It is said that Kebi Neng's younger brother, Ruolu Alius, recognized the situation in time, betrayed his brother Kebi Neng and joined the Han Dynasty.
This way he was able to not only save his life but also save some of his tribesmen from the Han army's slaughter.
(The dogs on the grasslands don’t believe that Ruolo A-liu didn’t betray his brother: I really didn’t betray him at that time…)
I heard that this person is living a very comfortable life in Chang'an!
And there is Xie Gui Ni, yes, Xie Gui Ni!
He originally surrendered to Kebi Neng, then betrayed Kebi Neng and surrendered to the Wei thieves, and finally surrendered to the Han Dynasty. Now, isn't he still leading his people to herd sheep and work in Yanmen?
If such a person could lead his people to survive, there was no reason why someone like me who was loyal to the Han people could not.
At this time, Tuoba Shamohan truly believed that he yearned for the Han Dynasty.
"Grand Sima, I really have my heart set on the Han Dynasty, and there are many people in the clan who support me. I only ask you to give me a chance."
Tuoba Shamohan's heart raced like lightning, but his head kept nodding:
"As long as the Grand Marshal can allow me to return to my tribe, I am willing to lead my tribe to submit to the Han Dynasty. I do not ask for anything else, but only for the Han Dynasty to allow my tribe to work or graze in the border counties."
"I don't ask for anything else, I just want to be rewarded with some food and clothing by the great man, so that I don't have to be like before, with no clothes to cover my body, no food to fill my stomach, and freezing to death every year due to the white disasters!"
Hearing Tuoba Shamohan's words, Sima Feng smacked his lips, while General Zhendong's eyes were already shining.
Tuoba Xianbei now claims to have two hundred thousand soldiers under his command!
How much labor does that require?
Even if it's a bit exaggerated, if you cut it in half, it would still be one hundred thousand.
How many years has it been since you did such a big business?
After coughing, Feng Dasima tried hard to maintain his character:
"If it weren't for the situation in Pingcheng, I would have seen that what you said was indeed sincere. I also saw that you went to Chang'an to make friends with the Han people in order to open up trade routes. Do you think you can live in the residence of the barbarians?"
"This time, you can appear in front of me only because General Zhendong guaranteed that you are still useful."
Sima Feng said this and gestured to General Zhendong who was sitting at the lower left and had remained silent.
Tuoba Shamo Khan then quickly kowtowed to General Zhendong again:
"I will always remember the kindness of General Zhendong and will never forget it. In the future, as long as General Zhendong gives me instructions, I will not be afraid even if my body is shattered."
A cold voice sounded, very straightforward and direct, without any hesitation:
"You don't need to break your body and head. The Grand Marshal ordered me to go to the border to conquer Tuoba Xianbei in the spring of next year. I asked the Grand Marshal for this favor just to ask you to lead the way."
"what?"
Tuoba Shamohan looked up in disbelief again.
"What? You don't want to?"
General Zhendong was very handsome, but his handsomeness was also cold, which made people feel awe when they saw him.
"Conquer...conquer Tuoba..."
Even though he had begged for mercy so much, could his tribe still not escape the fate of being conquered?
Tuoba Shamohan looked at Da Sima pitifully, asking for help.
Feng Da Sima did not speak, but raised his teacup, took a sip, and then said lightly:
"Didn't you say you wanted to atone for your sins? This is your chance to atone for your sins."
He glanced at Tuoba Shamohan with a cold gaze and said, "I spent so much time talking to you last time just to tell you that the Tuoba Xianbei should have been exterminated."
"But because of you, I may be able to leave a way out. As for how many tribesmen you can save, that will be your performance."
It was like falling into the abyss and then being pulled out suddenly.
Tuoba Shamohan was so overjoyed that he knocked his head again, ignoring the fact that his face was already covered in blood.
"Thank you for your kindness, General Sima, and thank you for your kindness, General Zhendong!"
The purpose of his trip was to borrow troops from the Han Dynasty and return to his tribe.
Unexpectedly, he inadvertently learned about the deep hatred the Han Dynasty had for the tribe, and was actually going to let General Zhendong personally lead the army out of the border to conquer the tribe.
Who is General Zhendong?
Having traveled to and from Han territory so many times and having stayed in Chang'an for such a long time, how could Tuoba Shamo Khan not know?
Following the Grand Marshal, he crossed thousands of miles of desert, fought thousands of miles, swept across Bingzhou and Hedong, drove the Hu people like cattle and sheep, and forced the Wei thief false emperor to move the capital...
With such great achievements, his status was second only to that of the Grand Marshal.
Therefore, if General Zhendong leads the troops, the Han people must be serious about their actions.
I came out of Sima Mansion in a daze, and the sun was only half left on the top of the mountain.
Tuoba Shamohan then breathed a sigh of relief, feeling both fear and relief in his heart.
This time, not only could he protect his clansmen, but he was also confident that he could borrow troops to return to the clan.
The little bit of shame I had felt when I came here has long since disappeared.
When he thought of the scene of being chased on the grassland, he even gritted his teeth secretly:
My lord, please don't blame me. You have been deceived by the wicked people. I am doing this to help you clean up the treacherous people around you!
(End of this chapter)