Lu Bu: My wife comes from two thousand years later

Surrender or flee, these were the only two outcomes Zhang Liao anticipated.

If they surrender after being defeated, we will have the final say on how to deal with the prisoners of war; if they flee, we will naturally continue to pursue them and make sure that the remaining Hun soldiers completely lose their combat capability.

The purpose of Zhang Liao's battle was not endless massacre, but to deter people's hearts, eliminate the high-level leaders of the Xiongnu, and thoroughly cleanse the old Xiongnu system, so as to establish a new regime and implement a new system in the future, and truly achieve the unity of the Hu and Han.

Since the other side was willing to use the lives of the leaders of the Xiu Tu tribe as a sign of sincerity for surrender, it was obvious that they were truly afraid of the Tang army from the bottom of their hearts. Zhang Liao did not continue to attack, and the two sides confronted each other in the camp, waiting for Lu Bu to arrive.

The next afternoon, Lu Bu arrived at Jiling. He had originally planned to help Zhang Liao pursue the defeated army, but he did not expect that the Huns would not escape this time.

Accompanied by Zhang Liao, Lu Bu drove his horse into the Xiongnu camp. The old patriarch and a group of tribal leaders were waiting in front of the confrontation between the two armies. On his left were the leaders of the Xiutu tribe, and on his right were the leaders of other tribes.

"The Xiongnu rebels respectfully welcome His Majesty the King of Tang!"

The old patriarch raised his hands high, slowly bent his legs, and knelt on the uneven ground trampled by war horses. He crawled down and saluted Lu Bu. The other tribal leaders next to him also knelt down to salute.

"Are they all here?" Lu Bu sat on his Red Hare, looking down at everyone.

The old patriarch replied, "Most of them are here. There are still a few small tribes that dare not come here and are hiding in the Yin Mountains."

Lu Bu nodded. "Old man, please stand up! Tell us your request first."

The old patriarch said quickly, "As a sinner, I dare not ask for anything. I just want to ask the king for a word."

"Tell me about it!"

The old clan leader supported himself on the ground and stood up, bowing. "We rebelled against the Han Dynasty in the past, and now we are enemies of Your Majesty. We know our sins are grave and unforgivable, and we are willing to die as an apology. However, many of our clan members are innocent. We beg Your Majesty to show mercy and give them a chance to live. The Xiongnu are willing to be vassal states of the Tang Dynasty for eternity, and we will never again harbor the slightest thought of rebellion."

Lu Bu chuckled, "It's no big deal, I'm sure!"

"Your Majesty is kind-hearted. Eternal Heaven will bless you!"

The old patriarch's tense body slowly relaxed, and the leaders of the Xiu Tu tribe followed suit, kowtowed and thanked him. Lu Bu waved his hand unconcernedly, "Now, tell me what I want!"

Everyone fell silent and listened attentively.

"First, from now on, the Xiongnu will only have one Chanyu. All other Xiongnu official titles, such as Sijiao, Liujiao (note), and Guduhou, will be abolished. Officials will be appointed according to the official system of the Great Tang Dynasty and the Tang Dynasty system will be implemented. Do you have any objections?"

The leaders of the Xiutu tribes are already dead, so what opinions could they have? Even if other tribes had opinions, would they dare to raise them at this time?

"We will follow the king's orders!" Everyone bowed their heads.

"Your Majesty, I have a problem!"

Everyone had no objection. Lu Bu was about to say the second point when he saw Yu Furuo raise his right hand.

"Say!"

Under Lü Bu's icy gaze, Yu Fuluo steeled himself and asked, "According to the Tang Dynasty system, a provincial governor oversees all state affairs, and a military commander oversees all military affairs. So what does a Chanyu like me do? You've dismissed all my officials. Isn't that like sidelining me?"

Lü Bu said, "For the time being, there will be no governor for Shanzhou. The Chanyu will take charge of some government affairs."

Well, the Chanyu still has power. Yu Fuluo was slightly satisfied and asked, "What about military power?"

Lü Bu was a little impatient and said coldly, "The Xiongnu troops will be reorganized into the Bingzhou Military Region and will be temporarily commanded by Wenyuan."

"This, this won't work, right?" Yu Furuo objected.

Yu Fuluo was so bold! Lu Bu laughed in anger, "My Tang Kingdom's governors don't even have military power, and you, a Xiongnu Chanyu, want to take over military and political power. What are you thinking?"

When he said these last four words, his pupils slowly contracted, and his eyes were already filled with murderous intent.

Yu Fuluo shuddered and quickly knelt down, saying tremblingly, "Your Majesty, please understand. I, I have no aspirations. I will be loyal to the Tang Kingdom for my whole life, no, ten lifetimes."

Lu Bu had heard Zhang Liao talk about what Yufu Luo said and did along the way. This guy might be loyal, but he was also extremely ambitious. He was not as sensible as his brother Huochequan. Sooner or later, he would have to be replaced as the Chanyu.

Ignoring Yu Fuluo, Lu Bu continued, "Second, we will count the population and reorganize the household register. Except for the clan leader's blood relatives within four generations, all other herdsmen will be dispersed and registered in various counties. They will only be subject to Tang law, not clan regulations."

"How can this be possible?"

"My lord, this won't do!"

"My king, we on the grassland must stick together to survive the harsh conditions."

"Your Majesty, we can't divide it!"

"Shut up!"

Lu Bu shouted loudly, and the people who were talking immediately fell silent. Lu Bu looked at Sima Yi, who understood and stood up to explain to everyone.

"The princess will divide Shanzhou into animal husbandry and farming areas. Farming will be like the people of the Tang Dynasty, divided into counties, townships, pavilions, and villages, with officials in charge. Grazing will be different from your current nomadic life. Each area will have a fixed number of herders and a fixed number of livestock. There will be no need to move pastures. Officials and soldiers will be assigned, and you will no longer need to unite to resist foreign enemies. You only need to cultivate the land and raise livestock well, and you don't have to worry about anything else. As long as you are diligent, the princess will never let you go hungry, and your life will be much better than it is now. If you really care about your people, this population division is the best!"

The leaders were speechless. They were mainly concerned about their families. As for their clansmen, they were all tools to serve them. Now that the king wanted to take away all the tools, they would be just ordinary people in the future, only a little richer than ordinary people.

"Of course, if you want to make a name for yourself, the princess has also provided opportunities. She will build schools in every county, and all your children can be enrolled there. If you excel in the exams, you can become a local official. If you have outstanding achievements, promotion and nobility are not a dream. As for tuition, you don't have to worry. Since the princess is running a school, the fees she has set are naturally affordable for most families. Finally, to compensate the chiefs, the first batch of county officials will be selected from the outstanding children of your family."

After Sima Yi finished speaking, Lu Bu saw that no one had expressed their opinion. He said indifferently, "Since you are unwilling, then continue to fight. We must kill a few tribes before we can completely subdue your intentions. I was able to pacify Baibo, conquer Heishan, and destroy Yuan Shao. What else can I do to you Xiongnu?"

Everyone suddenly came to their senses and quickly said, "Yes! I'm willing to share."

Although they said this, they were actually complaining in their hearts. However, what could they do? They couldn't defeat them, and would fleeing to the Xianbei make their lives better than now? After all, the first batch of officials would be selected from among them, so the family still had hope, provided that the princess kept her word.

"Third, of all the leaders, officers, and soldiers who participated in the resistance against the Tang Kingdom, I will kill them by 11 strokes. That means one out of every ten will be killed as a punishment. If anyone rebels again in the future, their property will be confiscated and their clans will be exterminated."

"Your Majesty, we have surrendered to you. Why are you still killing people?" a tribal leader asked timidly.

Lü Bu said coldly, "Over four hundred of my Tang troops were killed in this battle. Do you dare to think of trading a few of my men for the lives of hundreds of others? Before you decide to fight me, you should have considered the price you would have to pay. Eleven strokes of the sword are already a great mercy."

Everyone looked at each other and finally had no choice but to grit their teeth and agree. If they agreed, as long as one tenth of them died, the probability of themselves being selected would still be very low. If they didn't agree, only half of the tens of thousands of people would probably escape, and no one knew where Cheng Lian's team was. If they were surrounded from the rear, the other half would not be able to escape.

Moreover, the person before them now was Lu Bu himself. If they dared to say no, he would kill them all in an instant. When they decided to surrender, they had no room for rebuttal. Lu Bu did not commit crimes against his family, which was truly a mercy outside the law.

After the general rules were explained, other details would be added later. Lu Bu ordered the execution of the leaders of the Xiutu tribe first, including the old patriarch of the Xiutu tribe, and then confiscated the weapons and horses of the Hun soldiers, and issued an eleven-draw execution order.

Note: The four corners are: the left and right Xian Kings, the left and right Guli Kings. The six corners are: the left and right Riju Kings, the left and right Wenyudi Kings, and the left and right Jianjiang Kings.

Sijiao and Liujiao are of the same clan as Chanyu and have the right to inherit the throne of Southern Chanyu.