Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

Immediately afterwards, Tuoba Lin discussed with Liu Bei and others how to divide the Tuoba tribe into eight parts in detail.

Liu Bei suggested:

"The Tuoba tribe was divided into eight groups, and the names of the seven brothers of Tuiyin could be used as the names of the tribes."

"For example, the tribe under the leadership of Tuoba Hegu, who served as Mohefu, could be called the Hegu clan, or simply the Hegu tribe. Later, Tuoba Hegu's descendants could use 'Hegu' as their surname. That is, the Tuoba surname was Hegu clan."

"Just like the Han people during the time of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, many clans originated from the same common surname."

Tuoba Lin listened and nodded, saying:

"Your suggestion is excellent. I'll take it."

Liu Bei then added:

"The Tuoba tribe was divided into eight, but the main Tuoba tribe was still led by Tuiyin and his son Tuoba Jiefen, serving as the core tribe. If Tuiyin wanted to rise above others, he could have Tuoba Jiefen lead the main Tuoba tribe."

"Among the eight tribes of Tuoba, the Tuoba tribe must still maintain the strongest fighting force. Only in this way can it effectively command the other seven tribes and prevent them from becoming too powerful to control."

"We must firmly establish our roots and strengthen our foundation. We must never abandon the essential for the trivial, and even less should we put the cart before the horse."

Tuoba Lin nodded after listening to Liu Bei's suggestion.

He couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

After a while.

Tuoba Lin then raised some new questions and sought Liu Bei's advice.

Liu Bei was well-versed in China's five-thousand-year history, so he used historical events to provide detailed explanations.

The two had a very pleasant conversation, and their discussion became increasingly in-depth.

More than an hour had passed before we knew it.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed down the mountain.

Immediately afterwards, more than a dozen horses galloped up the mountain.

On the grassland a few feet away from Tuoba Lin, they all reined in their warhorses.

Among them were seven or eight men who were quite old and strong, clearly brave and robust.

Among these seven or eight people, some of them looked somewhat similar to Tuoba Lin, but their eyes held a more murderous intent.

Upon seeing them, everyone knew that these seven or eight people must be Tuoba Lin's brothers.

Liu Bei looked at them and saw that most of them were between thirty and forty years old. They all had imposing appearances, sharp eyes, and were full of a powerful and wild aura.

He knew these people were all brave and strong among the Xianbei.

Even though they were in their thirties or forties, they still looked vigorous and energetic.

Tuoba Lin immediately introduced his seven brothers to Liu Bei and the others with a smile: Tuoba Hegu, Tuoba Baba, Tuoba Punai, Tuoba Yilou, Tuoba Qiudun, Tuoba Daxi, and Tuoba Sihai.

After hearing his introduction, Liu Bei realized that not all seven men were Tuoba Lin's biological brothers; some were uncles, some were cousins, and some were half-brothers.

When Tuoba Lin's seven brothers arrived, they saw Tuoba Lin with several Han Chinese, and their eyes showed a wary look.

When they exchanged pleasantries with Liu Bei and the others, they did not appear particularly enthusiastic, but rather maintained a certain distance.

After everyone was seated...

Tuoba Linbai then told his seven brothers about his idea of ​​dividing the Tuoba tribe into eight major tribes.

He also stated that the seven of them would serve as the Mohefu of the seven tribes of the Tuoba clan.

Upon hearing Tuoba Lin's words, his seven brothers were initially surprised, and then looked puzzled, as if they didn't understand why Tuoba Lin would do such a thing.

Of the seven, the oldest, Tuoba Hegu, was Tuoba Lin's uncle and brother. He immediately said:

"Tuoba Lin, you are Tuiyin of the Western Xianbei, and also the leader of our Tuoba tribe. Our Tuoba tribe members all live together and graze cattle and sheep on the same pasture. Isn't that good enough?"

Why divide the Tuoba tribe into eight tribes?

"You must have been misled by these Han people; they may be spies sent by the Han Dynasty."

"A few months ago, Liu Yu and Liu Gao were completely unwilling to offer us any advice."

"Now, they have brought even more Han Chinese to our tribe and suggested that you divide our Tuoba tribe into eight tribes. Isn't this deliberately trying to separate us?"

"Tuoba Lin, you mustn't fall for the Han people's treacherous scheme!"

He spoke these words through gritted teeth in the Xianbei language.

Liu Yu and Liu Gao then took turns translating for Liu Bei.

Liu Bei had already discerned Tuoba Hegu's suspicion and distrust from his extremely unfriendly gaze.

After Tuoba Hegu finished speaking, the others all echoed his words.

They all agreed that Liu Yu and Liu Gao, who had initially refused to cooperate, had returned because they were sent by the Han Dynasty to cause trouble and had no good intentions.

They all advised Tuoba Lin not to believe Liu Bei's advice and strategies.

Seeing that his seven brothers were so wary of the Han people, Tuoba Lin frowned and fell into deep thought.

Liu Bei, observing the situation, knew that Tuoba Lin also had doubts about Liu Yu and Liu Gao's return.

Seeing this, Liu Yu and Liu Gao felt uneasy, fearing that these reckless Xianbei people might suddenly turn against them.

Seeing that Tuoba Lin hesitated, Liu Bei then loudly proclaimed:

"Tuiyin, ever since all the major tribes of your Xianbei submitted to Tanshihuai, the Xianbei cavalry has become the most powerful force on the grasslands."

"Tan Shihuai, as the supreme leader of your Xianbei people, leads Xianbei cavalry to invade the borders of the Han Dynasty every year, killing people and plundering property."

"The Han people on the border have long harbored deep hatred for you. What is Tuiyin's view on this matter?"

Tuoba Lin pondered for a moment before speaking:

"The reason why our western Xianbei submitted to Tanshihuai is twofold: firstly, because his Xianbei cavalry was the most powerful on the grasslands, and secondly, because he was fair in his dealings and deeply trusted by all tribes."

"Moreover, the Xianbei tribal alliance he established was divided into three major parts: the East, the Central, and the West, comprising a total of sixty villages. In each of these sixty villages, his heroic deeds were being sung, and he gained the respect and support of all the Xianbei people."

"Tan Shihuai held extremely high prestige among the Xianbei people, and thus possessed absolute power. He made a pact with the leaders of our various tribes: whoever disobeyed orders would be killed."

"We can only obey any summons from Tan Shihuai and dare not disobey."

"The reason why Tan Shihuai invaded the border of the Han Dynasty year after year was because the Xianbei people had problems with their livelihood and had no choice but to do so."

Liu Bei spoke frankly:

"The Han people simply enjoy farming and living a peaceful life. They have never actively invaded the grasslands, slaughtered the Xianbei people, or robbed your cattle and sheep. I hope that Tuiyin will not send troops to follow Tanshihuai in invading the borders of the Han Dynasty."

Tuoba Lin sighed and said:

"As Tuiyin, a Xianbei chieftain from the west, I have always advocated peaceful coexistence with the Han Dynasty. Unfortunately, my word is not law."

"Furthermore, if I disobey Tan Shihuai's orders, he will kill me. We, the Western Xianbei, are not yet powerful enough to stand against Tan Shihuai."

Liu Bei then shouted:

"Now, we can assist you in unifying more than twenty Xianbei settlements in the west, just as Tan Shihuai unified all sixty Xianbei settlements."

"We can make Tuiyin the supreme leader of the Western Xianbei—the Khan! A Khan as noble as the emperor of the Han Dynasty!"

"Does Tuiyin not want to become the supreme leader of the Western Xianbei—the Khan—whose word is law and who wields absolute power?"

His words once again successfully ignited the burning ambition in Tuoba Lin's heart.

Tuoba Lin immediately steeled his resolve and sternly addressed his seven brothers:

"The people Liu Yu and Liu Gao brought are completely trustworthy. Don't forget, Tan Shihuai also has Han people advising him."

"I have long been fed up with the arrogant and domineering Tan Shihuai's contempt and bullying of our tribe, and I am unwilling from the bottom of my heart to follow him in invading the land of the Han Dynasty."

"We, the Xianbei of the west, cannot become the jackals and raccoons that the Han people speak of. Wouldn't it be better to live peacefully with the Han Dynasty?"

"If we want to break free from Tan Shihuai's ruthless control, then we must become strong and possess the power to contend with Tan Shihuai."

"If the loosely organized western Xianbei want to become strong, they must have a core tribe to lead them. That core tribe should be our Tuoba tribe."

"I am now dividing the Tuoba tribe into eight, not to disperse our strength, but to absorb the tribes led by the four masters Zhijian, Luoluo, Rilu, and Yanliyou, and integrate them into our eight Tuoba tribes, to be led by our Tuoba clan members."

"We will expand our Tuoba tribe to encompass the entire western Xianbei region, managing it as if it were our own home. This is the Han Chinese way of 'transforming the family into the state'."

"As you all know, ever since I came into contact with the Han people, I have admired their culture. The country they built is so powerful, isn't it worth learning from?"

"My mind is made up, so don't try to persuade me anymore."

Seeing the cold, murderous intent in the eyes of the shrewd, gentle, and composed Tuoba Lin, his seven brothers were all terrified. Their pupils shrank, and they dared not say another word.

Then, Tuoba Lin publicly announced that the Tuoba tribe would be divided into eight clans and tribes: Tuoba, Hegu, Pu, Baba, Daxi, Yilou, Qiudun, and Sihai.

Historically known as the "Eight Kingdoms of Xianbei".

Later, Tuoba Lin separated his uncle's descendants from the Tuoba clan to establish the Yizhan clan; he also separated some distant relatives from various clans to establish the Chekun clan.

The eight tribes of Tuoba, along with the Yizhan and Chekun clans, were known as the "Ten Surnames of Xianbei".

Later, after the Xianbei people established the Northern Wei Dynasty, the ten Xianbei surnames were known as the "Ten Imperial Surnames".

……

Seven generations later, Khan Lin sent his seven brothers and clansmen, Yizhan and Chekun, to lead their people into ten clans.

—Zizhi Tongjian