Dai County is located in the northeast of Yanmen. It is the westernmost county in Youzhou and has always been a strategic place on the border of Youzhou.
Of course, it is also a desolate county with a sparse population.
On March 20th, there was a bustling crowd outside Dai County, the county seat of Dai County. It had been a long time since so many troops had been stationed here.
The two thousand Youzhou Wuhuan light cavalry who had gathered here long ago and the seven thousand light cavalry of the Xianbei Kebineng tribe who arrived here yesterday were stationed in the north of Dai County.
The Wuhuan light cavalry was closer to Dai County, while Kebi Neng's troops were eight miles north of the city, as if they were ready to run away at any time if the situation turned bad.
At noon, a large army of mixed infantry and cavalry slowly marched from the southwest direction of Yanmen.
The 3,000 Wuhuan light cavalry were in the front, followed by Wen Qin's Yulin Left Army. The emperor's 10,000 cavalry, Tian Yu's 3,000 infantry, and He Qibu's 3,000 light cavalry were in the middle, and the remaining 3,000 Xianbei light cavalry led by Budugen, Xieguini, and Suli, and the 3,000 light cavalry of the five Xiongnu tribes were at the end.
The central army had 20,000 cavalry and the outer army had 3,000 infantry. Together with the 6,000 cavalry of the Xianbei, 3,000 cavalry of the Wuhuan, and 3,000 cavalry of the Xiongnu, a total of 35,000 infantry and cavalry, the team stretched for more than ten miles, slowly filling up the large flat wilderness on the east and south sides of Dai County.
Before the emperor and Tian Yu arrived, the people in charge of Dai County were the Shizhong Pei Qian and Tian Yu's Sima He Xin.
He Xin's status was not such that he had to meet the emperor in person. For him, the most important task was to bring Kebi Neng and the remaining two Wuhuan leaders to see the emperor in time.
With this idea in mind, He Xin and Zhong Yu rushed out of the city and headed towards Kebineng's camp.
"Greetings, Sima He." Ke Bineng bowed nonchalantly, "Sima He, why are you here in such a hurry? Is His Majesty summoning me?"
Before He Xin could reply, Zhong Yu spoke up first, "Your Excellency has come here by imperial decree to see His Majesty. Please come with us two."
Ke Bineng nodded and said, "The messenger is right. You two wait for a moment while I and my entourage prepare."
After saying that, Ke Bineng raised his hand and waved to the guards at the door of the military tent, "Take Army Officer He and the envoy to rest nearby."
"Well, we'll wait for you, sir." He Xin bowed and said goodbye, then walked out with Zhong Yu.
As soon as the two men left, three Xianbei nobles walked in from another door of Kebineng's tent.
The oldest Xianbei nobleman said, "I am still a little worried. When Your Majesty comes to Dai County this time, I am afraid that the Han emperor will do something bad to Your Majesty!"
The other two also hesitated, and even advised Ke Bineng to return to Yunzhong to avoid the emperor's army.
Ke Bineng looked at a few people, his eyes revealing a mixture of helplessness and sadness.
"He Lian, what were you thinking when you made up your mind to follow me with your tribe in Yuyang ten years ago?"
The elderly Xianbei noble named He Lian was slightly stunned and replied, "Among all the Xianbei tribes, only the king is the most fair in dealing with things, and has more victories than defeats in battles. In terms of people's hearts and abilities, no one in the tribe can surpass the king."
"Besides, the king has come to my tribe to recruit us, so how can I not bring my thousands of tribes to obey the king's orders?"
Ke Bineng nodded and said, "He Lian, you have been with me for ten years. You are often the one who resolves all kinds of disputes and fights about grasslands and grazing in the tribe. You should be the most knowledgeable person in my tribe."
"If you had not led your people to submit to me when I came to your tribe, what would have happened?"
He Lian was silent for a moment, then uttered a few words: "The king will kill him."
Ke Bineng asked again: "If I don't come to your tribe, will you obey me?"
He Lian shook his head in response.
Ke Bineng spread his hands and said, "You were in this situation ten years ago. How is my situation different from yours now?"
Ke Bineng, who was sitting cross-legged on a huge white felt blanket, slowly stood up, grasped the hilt of the precious sword at his waist inlaid with various gemstones with his right hand, and sighed:
"Everything in this world is based on common sense. How different can the rules of the Great Wei Emperor be from those of Ke Bineng?"
"I am most afraid of doing everything myself. It makes a completely different difference whether the leader comes or not."
"If the emperor hadn't come, it wouldn't matter how General Tian and I argued. But now that the emperor of Wei has come to Dai County, I, a Xianbei, have to see him and obey him just like you, He Lian."
He Lian asked anxiously, "Is the king leaving? Take the three of us with you as escorts!"
Ke Bineng's face was unusually calm: "The three of you stay here. If someone really wants to harm me, what can you three do?"
……
Half an hour later, in the prefect's mansion in the city, Cao Rui, who had just entered the city, was discussing the customs of the border areas with Han Chong, the prefect of Dai County, and Pei Qian, the attendant.
Just as they were talking, Palace Attendant Minister Zhong Yu came in from outside.
Seeing Zhong Yu coming, Cao Rui pointed at him and said with a smile: "Look, Mr. Han, this man is the eldest son of Tutor Zhong. He has been brought up by my side, and will be sent to another place in the future." Han Chong was in his fifties, with a pale and slightly fat face. He flattered him with a smile and bowed to Zhong Yu who came in.
Zhong Yu bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Ke Bineng has been brought here by Sima He and I, and is waiting outside."
Cao Rui did not seem surprised, and raised his hand slightly towards Zhong Yu: "First call the Minister of Works, General Man, and the two attendants, and then summon Ke Bi Neng to come in."
"As you wish." Zhong Yu was not worried about the merits of this trip. The few words the emperor used to introduce himself to Han Chong were clearly the same as when he was introducing his own sons and nephews.
Sima Yi, Man Chong, Xu Shu and Lu Yu arrived together a moment later. Including Pei Qian and Han Chong, there were a total of six ministers here.
Ke Bineng walked in slowly, and under the watchful eyes of a group of elite tiger guards in full armor in front of the hall, he walked into the hall steadily, step by step.
After that, Ke Bineng imitated the Han people's kneeling and bowing ceremony and bowed deeply: "Your Majesty, I, the guilty minister Ke Bineng, pay my respects to you. May your Majesty live forever!"
None of the six ministers in the hall showed a good look to Ke Bineng, except Cao Rui, who stared at Ke Bineng with a smile on his face.
"Are you Kebineng? I have always heard that you are strong and powerful, but when I see you today, I find that you are not as strong as I thought."
Ke Bineng knelt down and replied: "I was born and raised in a border area. I have an ordinary appearance among the tribes. I have nothing to do with being majestic or strong."
Cao Rui nodded slightly: "That's true. Just like when I ruled the Wei Dynasty, I didn't rely on military force like a thousand enemies, but on the system and etiquette."
"You are the only one who can be considered a hero on the grassland. Stand up and take your seat. Let's talk after we sit down."
Ke Bineng was extremely surprised by the emperor's courtesy. After expressing his gratitude, he knelt on the ground with standard movements like those of a Han Chinese, which looked quite incongruous with his Xianbei attire.
Man Chong wanted to threaten He Qibu several times like he did last time, but he never found the opportunity. His questioning look towards the emperor was stopped by Cao Rui with a light wave of his hand.
Cao Rui laughed twice: "Just now you said that you were a criminal minister, Ke Bineng. You came here alone today in response to the imperial edict. I roughly understand your intentions. But the charges of killing Wei officials and harassing the border cannot be erased no matter what."
Ke Bineng responded with his hands clasped: "Your Majesty is wise, and I, a guilty subject, know my own faults."
Cao Rui nodded: "Let's put the crime aside for now. You came here today in response to the imperial edict, and I cannot fail to show my generosity. This time I am going to conquer Liaodong, and you will accompany me in the army and make more contributions."
Ke Bineng said: "I came here to fight in accordance with your majesty's order."
Cao Rui said: "You are also a leader of a tribe. You know the merits and demerits. I have a few questions to ask you."
Ke Bineng felt that the emperor was very easy to talk to, so he cupped his hands and said, "I will listen to your questions, Your Majesty."
Cao Rui nodded: "Where did you learn Chinese?"
Ke Bineng replied: "I studied under the great scholar Wang Ji from Taiyuan during the Jian'an period."
Sima Yi suddenly interrupted and asked, "Wang Ji? Is this man from the Wang family of Taiyuan?"
Ke Bineng was not so nervous anymore: "Wang Ji was from the Wang family of Taiyuan, and died of illness ten years ago. The Wang family is very large, and Wang Ji was also an unsuccessful person, otherwise he would not have gone out of the border to follow us Xianbei."
Cao Rui didn't care about this and continued to ask: "Let me ask you again, when you were in charge of most of the Xianbei tribe, where was the easternmost, westernmost, and northernmost place you went to?"
Ke Bineng had never expected such a question, and he thought for a few moments before organizing his words: "The farthest I have been to is Yiluo, east of Fuyu, the farthest I have been to the North Sea, and the farthest I have been to the outskirts of Dunhuang County."
Cao Rui asked calmly: "Yilou is Sushen, which faces the sea to the east? Have you ever been to the seaside?"
Ke Bineng shook his head and replied, "I have never been there. Yilou has a small population and is a thousand miles away from the sea."
Cao Rui nodded, pointed at Ke Bineng and said with a smile: "Look, my friends, this man has great ambitions! The farthest I have ever been to in the east is Shouchun, and the farthest I have ever been to in the west is Longyou. He has traveled farther than I have!"
Sima Yi chuckled and said, "Fifty years ago, Tan Shihuai led the Western, Central, and Eastern Xianbei, with a territory of seven thousand miles from north to south and fourteen thousand miles from east to west."
"According to what Ke Bineng said, I can have 70% of Tan Shihuai's ambitions."
Everyone in the hall laughed.
Even though Ke Bineng had encountered countless dangers in his life, he still opened his mouth slightly and found it difficult to deal with it. What is this routine of your majesty and the ministers of Wei? I have been to more places, so I have great ambitions? Just like Tan Shihuai?
"You have come here today in response to the imperial edict, and I cannot break my promise." Cao Rui nodded and said, "Come here, call Liu Zhongshu, I want to decree the title of Xianbei Chanyu!"
Kebineng felt both terrified and nervous as he watched Liu Fang walk in, unfold a roll of bright yellow silk, read the imperial edict, put a golden crown on himself, and put the purple ribbon and gold seal of "Xianbei Chanyu" in his hand.
In the fog, Ke Bineng received the imperial edict, accepted the reward, and got the official seal in a daze, achieving a height in life that even Tan Shihuai had not achieved in the past.
Just as Kebineng knelt down to thank him, Cao Rui's expression suddenly turned cold, and he said to Man Chong beside him: "General Man, you and General Tian should talk to this Xianbei Chanyu about the importance of this military expedition."
"I am a little tired, I will go and rest for a while." (End of this chapter)
