Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 99 The Clan System
Upon his return, Wu Fei saw Gong Qian and immediately bowed, saying, "I have kept the imperial envoy waiting. I, Wu Fei, have been farming in the fields and have been unable to welcome the imperial envoy. This is truly a grave offense."

Gong Qian, seeing that Wu Fei carried the official seal with him, was also very respectful: "General, you are busy with military affairs, how could you offend me?"

Then came the formal announcement of the imperial decree, which was exactly what Wu Hanluan had told him in his letter home: the Emperor was summoning him to the capital.

After a series of rituals, Wu Fei presented a list of tributes from the southern border tribes over the years, and then both sides took their seats.

Wu Fei sensed a seasoned experience in the mastermind; this feeling was similar to the geologists he remembered from his previous life. As for the deputy, Qian Zheng, well, he was clearly just there to make up the numbers, with a disdainful look in his eyes and a lack of social experience.

Gong Qian looked at Wu Fei and sighed inwardly, "Good, such a handsome man!"
In Gong Qian's eyes, Wu Fei's gaze upon entering the room was like lightning! This was the sharp look one would give when commanding a large army, yet he switched to a remarkably composed demeanor when facing him. Although he was currently being very polite, Gong Qian recalled that in the Battle of Zhenzhou, it was this man who had been the "vanguard," seizing the passage and then swiftly turning the tide to push straight towards the puppet regime's Yongzhou, catching them off guard and throwing their plans into disarray. Therefore, he dared not underestimate this seemingly young general.

…channel match…

During their meeting, both sides expressed mutual admiration, and despite their opposing positions, the conversation was very pleasant.

Before long, a banquet was set out. Unlike the food served on the mainland of Da Yao, the banquet featured steamed taro with honey, and fish caught from the lake that was grilled over charcoal and then fried in oil. There were also plates of stir-fried seasonal vegetables.

Wu Fei respectfully offered a drink: "Imperial Envoy, please take a seat. The conditions here are not as simple as those inside the pass. Although there are pigs and sheep in the city, in the southern border region, pigs are only slaughtered at the winter solstice. Therefore, we cannot bring them out now, and can only use these fish and shrimp to fill the plate."

Gong Qian, however, was not particular. He picked up a slice of taro, chewed it with the bamboo sap in his cup, took a bite, and said, "Good, this is sweet." — He had eaten taro more than once since arriving in the Southern Frontier. So his current "freshness" was a sign of his appreciation.

Qian Zheng, standing to the side, showed little interest in taro. Although it was coated in honey, it was considered a common grain, and eating too much of it could lead to anal leakage. As a cultivator, he naturally ate little grain. He had no interest in such food. However, he did have a certain interest in grilled fish.

Gong Qian: "The people of the South love to eat taro. General, please share this joy with them."

Wu Fei gave an "awkward" smile and explained, "My lord, please don't laugh at me. Compared to rice and flour, taro can only fill your stomach. This thing is harvested from the fields, and it has too much moisture. One pound of rice or millet can make five pounds of rice porridge. But this thing doesn't change when steamed, boiled, or roasted. Therefore, it is far less durable than rice or millet when transporting people and horses over long distances. It is only because this thing is weather-resistant that the local people, who are lazy in farming, can also obtain this thing from the soil. Therefore, in order to make it easier for the army to eat in the border areas, our army has promoted this thing."

Gong Qian nodded upon hearing this. He knew that Wu Fei was defending himself for opening up farmland in the border region and for not reporting the acreage to the court.

These potato fields beyond the Great Wall can only be used for conquests beyond the Great Wall.

Gong Qian raised his cup: "General, leading the royal army here to deter the villains is a great achievement."

He picked up the glass beside him and drank it all in one gulp, then choked, coughed a few times, and looked at the wine in the glass.

Wu Fei, who doesn't drink alcohol at all, chuckled inwardly and quickly explained, "This is also brewed from 'potato grains,' it's too strong; if you don't like it, you might as well try a few sips of coconut juice."

Wu Fei had someone change the cups, but Gong Qian waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Different places produce different things. If you savor them carefully, they will have a unique flavor."

After three rounds of drinks
Gong Qian: "General, I imagine you have already heard of the imperial decree; His Majesty wishes to summon you to the capital." — He then began to observe Wu Fei's reaction.

Wu Fei: "I am deeply grateful for His Majesty's summons. I wish I could depart immediately. However..."

Gong Qian seemed to have anticipated this and gestured for Wu Fei to continue.

Wu Fei: "Could we postpone our departure by six months? Farming and sericulture are still underway this year, and next month, our army will conduct its routine military prowess march south."

Gong Qian: "Of course, but, General, on your journey south this time, could you please take me along to broaden my horizons?"

Wu Fei was slightly surprised, but then his stance was very clear: "It is excellent that the Imperial Envoy is willing to follow my Great Yao Heavenly Army and spread the Emperor's grace to all the barbarians."

…New sites require official approval…

At the end of August in the 33rd year, with the arrival of the dry season, troops from Yongji Pass once again marched out of the pass. The goal of this expedition had been set the previous year: to have the Lingjiang tribe learn the spirit of the "Eight Rites of Da Yao".

For this expedition, Wu Fei mustered a total of 5,000 soldiers, divided into three armies: left, center, and right. The left and right armies each had 2,000 soldiers, and the center army had 1,000 soldiers. Compared to the year before last, the number of troops sent out was reduced by 3,000.

Because southern Xinjiang is safer this year than last year, Wu Fei reduced the size of his troops for economic reasons.

The most severely reduced force was his own central army, which hadn't encountered any combat since last year. Wu Fei planned the routes for the left and right armies on the sand table inside the camp.

Despite the troop strength being reduced to five thousand, Wu Fei's command in this battle still maintained a standard of sweeping away the enemy's strongholds.

In mid-September, the army spent ten days traveling south along the road they had established in previous years to reach Lingjiang.

Along the way, Gong Qian noticed a peculiar phenomenon: wherever Wu Fei went, a portion of the local tribes from the southern border would come to the camp to join him, report on military affairs, and after Wu Fei gave the orders, they would continue southward.

Gong Qian was eager to see the situation of these clawed and horned troops, but the Wu Fei Army was moving too fast, and he couldn't keep up with them along the way.

Upon arriving at Lingjiang, Gong Qian saw a large river with a row of stone elephants guarding a bridge on both sides. After the entire army reached the southern border, he discovered the fortified system south of Lingjiang, as well as three thousand local auxiliary troops who were already waiting for orders.
This expedition was like a hunt. The two armies, on the left and right, swept along the roads that had been repaired last year, under the command of the central army, clearing out the small tribes in their nascent stage in the jungle.

These "small tribes" were small teams of a dozen or twenty young men. But this time, Wu Fei wasn't there to capture slaves; rather, he was there to reinforce certain concepts, taking advantage of the presence of the Grand Envoy.

These small tribes mentioned earlier are similar to lion prides on the grasslands. The male lions of a pride will drive the adult lion cubs out of the pride and let them become independent. These sub-adult lions will wander outside, and one day they will choose a pride, drive out the old lions, and re-establish a new pride.

However, since the beginning of this year, Xuan Chong has discovered through research that constantly arresting these small groups is, to some extent, working for the slave-hunting groups and stubborn factions in the southern Xinjiang region, which is not conducive to stabilizing the Tusi system he is promoting.

In relatively stable conditions in southern Xinjiang, large tribes may experience population explosions, but the means of production are limited, so tribal leaders will adopt a system of designated succession.

However, due to the intervention of some force, the large tribes chose to leave their property to their youngest son.

As for the older sons, if they are willing to lower their status in the tribe and obediently serve as servants to the younger sons, they can stay.

However, most of the eldest sons were disobedient, either being driven out of the tribe or forced to leave the tribe voluntarily by the maternal power of the younger sons.

Thus, the man led dozens of people from the tribe, forming the "prototype tribe" that is now in the jungle.

The existence of these "emerging tribes" is the origin of the constant troubles on the southern border of Da Yao in the past. That is, even if the Da Yao southern army defeats a large rebellious tribe, the remaining means of production, such as women and forests, will still be inherited. After decades of reproduction, they will recover their strength. And the recovered tribes will be even more aggressive than the original tribes. Therefore, Wu Fei's purpose in sending troops to the southern border this time is: "How can you still be stuck in a matriarchal society? This is not in accordance with the rites and laws of Da Yao. Restore all of you to the system of primogeniture!"

…The promotion of all values ​​is underpinned by practical considerations of order and interests…

In the jungle, Hao Qing, a young man from the tribe, watched in awe as the northern army, clad in full armor, drove their wolves and dogs to search the mountains.

This hundred-man force was practically impervious to swords and spears. And among this army of northerners, he saw servants of his enemies from his tribe.

Twenty minutes later, he was apprehended and met General Da Yao, as well as Gong Qian. In front of General Da Yao, Wu Fei questioned them one by one.

Hao Qing was quickly dragged out and made to look at the imposing General Da Yao. Not long ago, he and his fellow tribesmen would drink together, discussing how one day they would gather the brothers of the Southern Frontier to do something big! To force General Da Yao, the Vermilion Bird, to withdraw his troops back to the north bank of the Ling River! But now, upon seeing Wu Fei, he immediately trembled with fear.

Wu Fei: "You're the eldest son of the Geya tribe, and you were kicked out after your father died?"

Hao Qing stammered as he recounted the story: "His family gave him a wood-chopping knife and a map marking habitable caves in the mountains, which inspired him to go out and start his own great business."

Wu Fei: "My Da Yao follows the primogeniture system. Will you be loyal to Da Yao?"

Hao Qing was stunned for a moment, then immediately kowtowed to Wu Fei: "I am Da Yao's dog." As he lowered his head, the bristles on the back of his head and down to his neck changed from a frizzy state to a smooth state.

Wu Fei nodded: "Dress him up, put a crown on him (the standard for coming-of-age ceremony), carve out the ancestral tablet, and I'll take you back to inherit it."

Wu Fei then consulted Gong Qian, who stated that Wu Fei's actions were in accordance with propriety and law.

…Xuan Chong: The southern barbarians need the teachings of Confucius and Mencius…

After taking charge of governing southern Xinjiang, Wu Fei conducted in-depth research on the "tribal" forms of the feudal era.

Historical data was directly obtained from the system for research. The focus was on the differences in grassland policies between the Jin and Qing dynasties.

In fact, from the perspective of some modern political sciences, "gold" played the balancing act very well on the steppe. The strategy of supporting the weak and suppressing the strong kept the steppe in a state of long-term division and war.

However, the Jurchens overlooked the fundamental principle of "youngest son succession" on the steppes. This left a large number of able-bodied adults on the steppes essentially "proletarian" from birth, and forced them to undergo war education under harsh conditions. They then began to band together and compete fiercely to determine the victor, eventually leading to a chaotic struggle under the strongest leader.

It can be said that the steppe empire that made Eurasia tremble was not a historical inevitability, but rather something that was forcibly created by the Jin dynasty's misguided actions after failing to understand steppe culture.

In those days, it was inaccurate to assume the tribe's appeal when calculating the strength of nomadic tribes, because the "youngest son succession system" meant that if the tribe's leader was old and lacked sufficient military achievements, his own prestige in the tribe could not represent the appeal of young and strong men on the grassland.

Even in modern society, it's absolutely unacceptable to let a group of men live together as a family, because such a arrangement ultimately boils down to them "plundering the weak and giving to the strong." Unless men are completely spiritually castrated...

Qing: Yes, yes, I'll just pass on the Yellow Sect, and then there will be no more threat.

Of course, from the perspective of Han culture: this method is too grotesque; they wouldn't have dared to consider such a move even after fighting the grasslands for thousands of years. Because spiritual castration not only removes the fighting spirit but also severs the enthusiasm for labor and production.

Now the entire southern Xinjiang region is Wu Fei's territory. Wu Fei encourages the settlement and farming of the southern Xinjiang chieftain system to protect the interests of the farmers.

Wu Fei, who follows the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, believes that he cannot tolerate the fact that the infighting among the various tribes is pushing instability outward in order to support their young sons!

Wu Fei summoned the Confucian scholars accompanying him and shouted like moral guardians, "The eldest son must return home to inherit the family business. Stop messing around outside and leading a bunch of underlings. What kind of behavior is this! Anyone who dares to disobey the Great Yao system will be dealt with severely!"

When the Confucian scholars agreed that this was correct, they were willing to carry out the correct judgment for Wu Fei, and thus, a tribunal was established in the four fortresses of Lingjiang.

And so, this year, the lone lions south of the Lingjiang River suddenly encountered a benevolent ruler.
Many "wanderers" who originally started their businesses by sleeping on the ground in jungle caves suddenly found their "arduous entrepreneurial" life of wilderness survival less appealing after hearing about Hao Qing's example.

These men, who had been wandering far from home, rushed forward and knelt before the royal army, all expressing their willingness to lead the army back to restore order after the illegal practice of deposing the eldest son in favor of a younger one had occurred within their families. Of course—due to his own military limitations, Wu Fei had only ascertained the situation of Hao Qing and two other tribes.

With the transfer of auxiliary troops, three tribes were forced to take back their sons. Furthermore, the maternal relatives of one of the Claw tribes, who were supporting their young sons, went too far and captured the mothers of those prodigal sons, attempting to force them to commit suicide outside by burning at the stake.

Such a horrific tragedy, contrary to human ethics, could not be ignored by Wu Fei. Therefore, after the arrival of the Wu family army's violent legion, it was the maternal relatives of this tribe who were put into slave cages and transported back to the north as a supplement to the slave camp area. These wooden cages were made by the men from the southern border who had wandered outside, and they were very sturdy.

Such a shock led various tribal leaders in southern Lingjiang to come and request official recognition, to confirm their status as direct descendants.

On September 9th, in Cloud Cutting Valley, a place that left countless terrifying memories for the people of Southern Xinjiang, Wu Fei arrived riding a peacock. He met with the tribal chiefs and expressed his intention to forgive past transgressions, but stipulated that future succession must adhere to the Great Yao Clan Law system. —The eldest son's debauchery and serious violations of propriety could only be confirmed after verification by the General of the South, appointed by the Great Yao.

In other words, the southern guardian of the Great Yao holds the highest interpretive power. Whether the eldest son has committed misdeeds to the point of needing to be "deposed" or "established," and whether the situation has escalated to the point of needing a ruling, is up to the Great Yao.

On the new inscription, the words of the eldest son's succession were written with ink made from drops of Wu Fei's blood mixed with wine. As the inscription was melted and left with indentations, the mountains seemed to exude a peaceful aura, as if praising Wu Fei's immeasurable merit in erecting the monument. Regarding this scene, the Grand Envoy Gong Qian remained silent, vaguely sensing that he had been used by Wu Fei.

Wu Fei's inner thoughts were: "My official rank is not high enough yet, but with the imperial envoy here, my legitimacy is the highest! I am acting on behalf of the emperor."

At the grand ceremony erecting this monument to human ethics, a testament to the "Thousand Character Classic," Hao Qing knelt on the ground, his head bowed with the utmost sincerity. He had previously been like Snow White in the fairy tale, hunted by his stepmother. And now, the poisoned needle shot by a hunter from his tribe during his escape still clung to the animal skin on his chest. All hatred would be dealt with later.

Wu Fei once again brought a breath of fresh air to southern Xinjiang. But this spring breeze won't last. How could millennia-old customs and established power structures be easily overthrown? Naturally, the political struggles among these tribes in southern Xinjiang would accelerate in the coming days.
In the tribes that haven't yet driven their eldest sons out, some matrilineal factions will persecute any threatening offspring to death. Those who don't want to die will also flee.

Wu Fei Hip Hop: Under the Zhou Dynasty's legal system, it was common for princes of vassal states to flee, and it was not uncommon for them to go abroad to seek help only to be defeated and brought back.

After the spring breeze of Xiao Que in the Southern Frontier, all the chieftains of the various tribes who escaped will now definitely stand on Da Yao's side and ask Da Yao to uphold justice.

In this way, the social conflicts arising from the power struggles within the household no longer become a problem for the Wu family army to bear after a leader emerges from the chaos in the southern border. Wu Fei's move has reversed this conflict, pushing it back into the Wu family's territory.
Narrator: This is about the power struggles within the Joseon Dynasty on the Silla Peninsula. These power struggles have been gloriously inherited in modern times, and many TV dramas about wealthy families feature intense feuds.

Wu Fei knew that this military expedition had moved beyond the traditional strategy of defending the country's borders and was now deeply interfering in the internal affairs of various tribes in southern Xinjiang.

(End of this chapter)