Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

The meal was finished shortly afterward.

Liu Bei and his entourage were all thoroughly satisfied with their meal and drinks, and their spirits were lifted.

Tuoba Jiefen then chatted about some interesting things that happened on the grasslands.

Liu Bei also recounted some strange tales from the Han region.

Inside the dome, the atmosphere was harmonious, and laughter filled the air.

Seeing that it was about time, Tuoba Lin instructed his son Tuoba Jiefen to arrange a yurt for Liu Bei and his party to rest in.

The group immediately stood up and left Tuoba Lin's tent.

He mounted his horse again and rode past the yurts of the Xianbei people.

Tuoba Jiefen led Liu Bei and his entourage to several yurts that had already been cleaned and prepared:

"Liu Yu, Liu Gao, Xuande, this is the yurt arranged for you."

As he spoke, he dismounted from his horse.

Liu Bei and the others also dismounted.

There is a horse pen next to it.

Several Xianbei slaves came over, took the horses from the group, tied them to the stables not far away, and fed and cared for them.

So Liu Bei divided up the several yurts.

He lived in a yurt with Liu Yu, Liu Gao, Jian Yong, Qian Zhao, and Guan Yu.

The seven people—Dongye Ban, Xinyuan Jian, Wulu Dawang, Yang Feng, Zhang Fang, Zuo Zi, and Zhang Ba—lived in one yurt.

Xu Wushan's twenty-eight elite cavalrymen stayed in the remaining four yurts, with seven people in each yurt.

The assignments have been completed.

The group then went inside the yurt to rest briefly.

Tuoba Jiefen then arranged for several slaves to take care of their daily needs.

After more than a month of arduous travel, Liu Bei's caravan finally settled down in the territory of the Tuoba Xianbei tribe in the west.

That night, they slept soundly under the starry sky on the grassland, in their yurt.

By the second day, I felt that my body had recovered most of its strength, I no longer felt tired, and my energy was even stronger.

After eating beef and drinking mare's milk wine, I felt even more energetic.

Tuoba Jiefen, escorted by several Xianbei cavalrymen, rode swiftly to invite Liu Bei and his entourage to tour the pastures of their Tuoba tribe.

Liu Bei and the others readily agreed.

The group mounted their horses and galloped freely across the vast grassland.

They rode north on horseback, galloping all the way to the vicinity of Yinshan Mountain, where they saw the majestic and towering Gaoque Mountain standing in the north, like a heavenly gate.

—The Yinshan Mountains stretch for thousands of miles from east to west, from Langshan in the west to Gaoqueshan in the middle, then to Tanhanshan in the east, and some of its spurs, forming a continuous line that blocks the north and south.

Looking at the Yin Mountains, Liu Bei couldn't help but think of the poem "Leaving the Frontier" by the Tang Dynasty poet Wang Changling:

Qin Shiming Moon and Han Shiguan, Wanli Long March people have not returned.

But so that the Dragon City Feijiang will be there, he will not teach Huma Du Yinshan.

I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions.

During the Western Han Dynasty, Wei Qing and Huo Qubing drove the Xiongnu people to the north of the Gobi Desert, leaving no royal court south of the Gobi.

Dou Xian of the Eastern Han Dynasty even led his army to drive most of the Xiongnu people to West Asia.

However, later generations were unworthy, and the Hu horses crossed the Yin Mountains.

On the surface, it seems that the Han region lacks a "Flying General of the Dragon City".

At a deeper level, it is the decline of national power that has led to a weakening of military strength.

As Liu Bei rode his horse across the grasslands below Gaoque Mountain, he felt that the mountains and rivers of the empire were so magnificent.

We've finished our tour of Yinshan.

Tuoba Jiefen then led Liu Bei and his entourage on horseback to the Yellow River.

The mighty river surged past, its turbid waves towering high, a sight that was truly awe-inspiring.

Liu Bei felt a surge of emotion, thinking, "Your bodies and names will perish, but the rivers will flow on forever."

Following the Yellow River downstream, the group galloped away on horseback.

When you see a beautiful view, slow down and stroll leisurely.

They chatted and laughed all the way, and before they knew it, their friendship had deepened.

Tuoba Jiefen's once fierce, wolf-like eyes softened considerably.

As it was getting late, the group returned to their tribe.

The place where they lived was a fertile land with abundant water and grass, south of the Yin Mountains and north of the Hetao region, which was later called "Chilichuan".

The famous poem "Chilichuan, at the foot of Yinshan Mountain, the sky is like a yurt, covering the vast wilderness. The sky is vast and blue, the wilderness is boundless, the wind blows the grass low and cattle and sheep can be seen" describes this region.

After the Xianbei people left, the Tiele tribe occupied this area, which is how the name "Tielechuan" came about.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty, this area was referred to as "the southern foothills of Yinshan Mountain, beyond Yunzhong and Wuyuan," without a specific name. It was just a general term.

This area was located outside the Wuyuan Commandery during the Han Dynasty, a place where Han and non-Han peoples lived together.

However, the Han people in Wuyuan County did not interact much with the Xianbei people; they were largely isolated from each other, with only merchants traveling between them. They would only make contact during trade fairs.

Most Han Chinese people still harbored considerable animosity towards the Xianbei people.

After all, the Xianbei cavalry, led by Tan Shihuai, invaded Han territory and slaughtered civilians every year.

The closest Han Dynasty county to the tribes of the Western Xianbei Tuoba was Jiuyuan County, which was also Lü Bu's hometown.

Lü Bu's bravery, strength, and skill in archery and horsemanship stemmed from his life in the border region of the Han Dynasty, where he competed with the nomadic tribes from a young age and refused to fall behind.

Liu Bei thought that when he had some free time, he would go to Jiuyuan County to find Lü Bu and see what kind of work the guy was doing.

A few days later.

Zhang Fang, Zuo Zi, and Zhang Ba, leading twenty-eight strong riders, escorted the caravan's goods and arrived in the territory of the Xianbei Tuoba tribe under the protection of more than two hundred Xianbei cavalry.

Liu Bei and several others carried the goods into the yurt and drove the camels and horses into the stable.

They also arranged for Zhang Fang, Zuo Zi, Zhang Ba, and twenty-eight strong men who had just arrived to live in the yurt.

The busy day has finally settled down.

the next day.

After breakfast.

Liu Bei was just about to ride his horse to Jiuyuan County for a stroll when he saw Tuoba Jiefen leading dozens of riders at full speed.

"Xuande, Father wants you to come over and discuss some matters."

Tuoba Jiefen spoke to Liu Bei from afar.

Liu Bei had no choice but to say:

"Okay. We'll head over now."

He immediately summoned Liu Yu, Liu Gao, Jian Yong, Qian Zhao, and Guan Yu, and they each mounted their horses and followed Tuoba Jiefen.

Liu Bei originally thought he should go to Tuoba Lin's camp.

Unexpectedly, Tuoba Jiefen led Liu Bei and the others to a mountain far from the tribe.

In the dense forest, beneath several huge rocks.

A felt carpet was laid on the flat ground, and a long, low table was placed on it.

The low table was covered with all kinds of fruit.

Tuoba Lin was sitting alone on the carpet, smiling as he watched Liu Bei and his entourage ride in on horseback.

The surrounding dense forest was filled with Xianbei cavalry, forming a defensive line to prevent outsiders from entering.

They came closer.

Liu Bei, Tuoba Jiefen, and others dismounted.

The horse went off to graze nearby.

Tuoba Jiefen led Liu Bei and the others to Tuoba's side, where they each sat on a blanket.

"You've been here for a few days now, are you settling in well?"

Tuoba Lin asked in the Xianbei language.

Liu Yu replied:

"We all love it here; it's so free and comfortable."

Tuoba Lin listened, smiled, glanced at Liu Bei, Liu Yu, Liu Gao, Jian Yong, Qian Zhao, and Guan Yu, and then said:

"We are herders on the grasslands, unlike you Han people. But in recent years, since our people moved here, our population has grown significantly. It's very difficult to govern us."

"Now, the Xianbei people are divided into numerous tribes, and conflicts are increasing. Bloody wars are constantly breaking out between them, resulting in the deaths and injuries of countless tribesmen."

"I've heard that your Han emperor, Emperor Gaozu of Han, was very powerful and great. How did he govern the country?"

After listening to the translations by Liu Yu and Liu Gao, Liu Bei said:

"Let me answer Tui Yin's question."

Liu Yu and Liu Gao nodded.

In fact, they had already discussed and agreed on the plan in the yurt beforehand. Liu Bei would mainly offer advice and suggestions and control the overall direction, while Liu Yu and Liu Gao would provide appropriate supplements.

Therefore, Liu Bei said to Tuoba Lin:

"Tuiyin, if you want the various Xianbei tribes in the west to stop fighting each other, you must use iron-fisted methods to break the loose tribal alliance, consolidate the power of the tribal leaders in one person's hands, and establish a core regime."

"Only by consolidating power can we curb intertribal warfare, unify the allocation of resources among all tribes, and resist the threat of other tribes."

"After that, we need to establish unified laws to coordinate the actions of all tribes, so that we can eventually form a powerful force."

Liu Yu translated it for Tuoba Lin.

Tuoba Lin was overjoyed upon hearing this, his eyes shining brightly.

"Xuande, what you say is very good. But how can we consolidate the power of the various tribes and concentrate it in one person's hands?"

Liu Bei said in a deep voice:

"On the grasslands, force is the only option."

……

Jiuyuan Commandery. Emperor Wu of Han renamed it Wuyuan. Its city (Jiuyuan City) was bordered by the Chang River to the south and mountains to the north.

—Commentary on the Waterways Classic