My older brother is Gao Huan.

Chapter 169 Truly a Fertile Land
The 20th day of the eighth month of the first year of Xiaochang.

July's heat lingers into August, and the Central Plains are no longer as scorching as before, with the climate beginning to cool down.

More than 200,000 surrendered civilians from the six garrisons were settled in the three prefectures of Ji, Ding, and Ying for food. Their vanguard troops have begun to arrive one after another in this most fertile and prosperous land of the Great Wei!
The timing was also coincidental.

The imperial court happened to arrive just in time for the autumn harvest to settle such a large group of surrendered people.

Normally speaking, this arrangement is quite reasonable.

The past few years have been plagued by disasters, but this year there have been none. After the normal autumn harvest in Ji, Ding and Ying prefectures, the imperial court did have surplus grain to feed this group of people until these three prefectures completely 'digested' more than 200,000 people. Whether they were integrated into the local area or absorbed into the powerful families of the three prefectures as farmers or retainers, the imperial court did not care so much.

but……

However, the imperial court overlooked one point!
These more than 200,000 surrendered people came from military towns in the north of the Great Wall. They had lived in such a poor and harsh environment for many years and were naturally fierce and brave.

This isn't the end of it.

After the uprising of Baling in Po Liu Han, this group of people were trapped in the northern, Heng, and Shuo prefectures for two years. These were all poor places. In order to survive, their hidden 'animal instincts' had long been awakened.

The elderly, the weak, the sick, and the disabled simply cannot survive until this point.

Those who have survived to this day and were sent here by the imperial court are all strong and brave adult men, with only a very small number of the elderly, children, and women.

The vast majority of them have already survived the harsh winter and become food for others.

As Yuwen Luosheng rode his horse, he looked around. The fields were full of golden wheat, a sight he had never seen in Wuchuan. He couldn't help but exclaim, "What a fertile land!"

The fields they passed were spontaneously guarded by farmers armed with weapons, fearing that the surrendered people would come to rob their grain. In particular, some fields seemed to belong to powerful clans, who even sent their retainers to guard them. Each of them was fully armored and armed, and although they were only wearing simple leather armor, they were still much stronger than ordinary surrendered people.

Let's rest here for a while.

Yuwen Luosheng gave the order, and his troops all stopped.

Since parting ways with Gao Yu, Yuwen Luosheng has been wandering around the Heng and Shuo prefectures for the past two years. His father, Yuwen Gong, and his second brother, Yuwen Lian, were unlucky and had both died in battle.

Currently, Yuwen Luosheng is the head of the Yuwen family.

Originally a black rat, Yuwen Tai still had dark skin, but after two years of fighting, he had grown much taller and his physique had become much stronger.

Although Dugu Xin was in a sorry state, his original handsome appearance could still be seen.

"What a fertile land!"

Dugu Xin echoed Yuwen Luosheng's sentiments, feeling as if the wind carried the scent of wheat; this was truly the chosen land in the hearts of the people of the Six Towns.

With an abundance of food, there's no need to go hungry or overeat.

But unfortunately...

This fertile land did not welcome them. The imperial court only arranged for them to come and eat, but made no further arrangements.

Among the people of the Six Garrisons were Han Chinese, but their numbers were not large; the majority were from various tribes of the grasslands.

Their lifestyles and languages ​​were completely different, and the two sides were incompatible. Not to mention integration, they had already witnessed many conflicts and even deaths along the way.

"Qimitou, given the current situation, what do you think we should do next?"

After taking a few sips of water, Yuwen Luosheng opened the leather pouch and asked, "In a few months, it will be the dead of winter..."

Although it is located in the heart of the Central Plains, when winter comes, the heavens show no mercy.

Surviving the winter is a huge challenge; if enough food and supplies cannot be stored, people will die in the winter.

After looking around, Dugu Xin whispered, "If we can't survive, neither can the others. The court has thrown more than 200,000 people from the Six Garrisons into the three prefectures of Ji, Ding, and Ying to fend for themselves, but they no longer care about us. This is clearly like wolves throwing sheep into a den!"

“How ‘docile’ the people of the Central Plains are, yet they possess such wealth and provisions.”

"In my opinion, someone might raise a flag and rebel again. If that's the case... we should definitely go and join them in the rebellion!"

The reason they didn't rebel in Wuchuan was because they didn't understand the strength of the imperial court, and... the six garrisons were all penniless, so what could they possibly plunder if they joined in the rebellion?
But right now they are in the heart of the Central Plains, the most fertile and richest place in the Great Wei.

In Dugu Xin's eyes, the imperial court was essentially letting a group of ruthless bandits who killed without blinking an eye and ate people without spitting out bones into their own treasury. Those who could resist refraining from robbing were the ones who were truly ruthless.

Who are we testing?

The soldiers and civilians of the six towns could not withstand such a test.

Yuwen Luosheng wholeheartedly agreed, "I also think that someone will raise the flag to rebel again, so we should preserve our strength for now."

They were still unwilling to raise their own flag in rebellion, because anyone who did was considered a "chief culprit" who had to be executed in the eyes of the court. But if they followed others and couldn't hold out, they could simply surrender to the government troops and perhaps even be regarded as an example by the court and given good treatment.

Yuwen Tai, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Why don't we head to Dingzhou now?"

"Oh?"

Yuwen Luosheng countered, "Black Otter, what makes you say that?"

"I heard on the road that there are a large number of Dingling people in Dingzhou, and also a large number of Dingling people among the surrendered people in the Six Garrisons, perhaps..."

Dugu Xin and Yuwen Luosheng's eyes lit up. After exchanging a glance, they praised him repeatedly, "Black Otter is indeed intelligent!"

The Gaoche, Tiele, and Tiele were all Dingling people; they were just called by different names.

The large-scale settlement of Dingling people meant that unrest was likely to occur, since the Gaoche and Tiele peoples who migrated south were also Dingling, sharing the same ancestry. Especially in the heart of the Central Plains, where Han Chinese had settled for a long time, even the Dingling people of Dingzhou found it difficult to formally integrate into the Han population. The competition for resources, water, and land inevitably led to friction and resentment. If someone with ulterior motives were to instigate conflict, it would be easy to persuade them to join a rebellion.

"Alright! We'll head to Dingzhou now."

………………

Most of the troops led by Gao Huan had already arrived in Dingzhou.

The so-called 200,000 surrendered people were mostly organized, each revolving around a respectable family, a powerful leader, or a tribal chief.

There are very few ordinary people scattered around. Even those who were ordinary people before have long since joined and served various forces in the past two years in order to survive.

The people of the six towns knew better than anyone that in this situation, they had to stick together to keep warm; going it alone would either lead to death or becoming food for others.

"Damn! How can this place be so rich?"

This was the first time in Hou Jing's life that he had left the northern frontier and the two prefectures of Heng and Shuo. As soon as he entered Dingzhou, he was dazzled by what he saw. It was the first time he had ever known that there was such a wealthy place in the world.

"He Liuhun! What are we waiting for? Let's find a hilltop, set up camp, and pretend to be bandits to rob a bunch of people first!"

Cai Jun was also quite interested.

The imperial court did indeed put a group of bandits into its own treasury.

Which bandit could withstand such a test?
"Tsk tsk, that woman is so fair and delicate."

Hou Jing's appetite was whetted; he couldn't resist the urge to become a bandit.

Gao Huan shook his head and ordered, "Rest where you are."

After finding a water source to stop and rest, Gao Huan called over Hou Jing, Lou Zhao, Duan Rong, and others.

"We have arrived in Dingzhou. What do you think we should do next?"

Hou Jing had already learned to answer first, and he spoke up first, trying to entice us, "The three prefectures of Ji, Ding, and Ying are so wealthy. The court has settled us here, but hasn't made any follow-up arrangements. Isn't that just telling us to rely on our own abilities to rob them ourselves?"

"Why not go up the mountain again and become a bandit?"

Duan Rong shook his head, "I'm afraid that's not a good idea. The Han Chinese families in Ji, Ding, and Ying prefectures are deeply entrenched. If we rob them of their property, it might bring trouble upon us."

Hou Jing, however, was unconvinced, asking, "What is there to fear?"

"I've been observing the terrain along the way. Dingzhou is flat as a pancake. If we can't beat them, can't we just mount our horses and run away?"

In Heng and Shuo prefectures, the terrain is rugged and uneven, making it impossible for cavalry to fully utilize their mobility.

But now?
This flat terrain was the most preferred terrain for cavalry.

They just grab it and run around.

On the contrary, this side is short of horses. Even aristocratic families and powerful clans do not want to lose their horses to bandits, and they prioritize preserving their strength.

Gao Huan couldn't help but glance at Hou Jing again.

Wan Jing is indeed meticulous; it turns out he had been observing the terrain all along.
Gao Huan was also quite interested. He had been observing the terrain along the way. He didn't know the terrain of Jizhou and Yingzhou yet, but at least... he was sure that in Dingzhou, they could move like the wind on horseback. Unless they were surrounded by an enemy several times their size, ordinary people simply couldn't trap them.

grab!
It is indeed very tempting!

"This matter is of great importance and we cannot make a decision rashly. Let us all think it over carefully and discuss it again tomorrow."

Gao Huan did not rush to make a decision; he needed to observe the situation further.

Upon arriving at the carriage where Lou Zhaojun was, Gao Huan informed her of the situation and asked for her opinion.

"Does my husband intend to raise a flag and rebel?"

Lou Zhaojun saw through Gao Huan's thoughts at a glance.

Gao Huan did not deny it, but he also had his own concerns. "This place is the granary of the Great Wei. If we rebel here, it will easily incur the wrath of the court... I would rather someone raise the flag of rebellion and we go to join them!"

"The reason why Huai Shuo refused to submit to the bandits was because Huai Shuo was poor. But now the three prefectures of Ji, Ding and Ying are extremely rich. If someone were to raise a banner of rebellion, it would be easy to succeed in this fertile land."

"At that time, we can still observe and wait. If the court fails to quell the rebellion, we can seize the opportunity to take it for ourselves. If the court succeeds in quelling the rebellion, we can also submit our pledge of allegiance to the court and obtain an official position."

Lou Zhaojun, however, pointed out a clear path.

"Why don't you go to the northeast, my husband? Go to You and Yan. These provinces are not important to the court, but they have never been affected by war. The people there are also wealthy. You can go there to settle down and then observe the situation in Ji, Ding and Ying provinces."

“If the situation changes, my husband may go to seek refuge, or he may raise a flag and rebel in the two provinces of You and Yan.”

After a moment's thought, Gao Huan suddenly looked up.

Lou Zhaojun's suggestion turned out to be quite good.

While the three prefectures of Ji, Ding, and Ying appear to have a large number of surrendered people and are easy to succeed in, they are also the focus of the imperial court's vigilance, and many powerful Han Chinese families have deep roots in these areas.

Although You and Yan provinces are a bit remote, they are still close to these three provinces, as long as the situation changes.

No matter what choice I make at that time, I won't be wrong!
(End of this chapter)