Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

"What about Rilu, the Xianbei chieftain? Should we kill him?"

After listening to Liu Bei's words, Tuoba Lin felt that it was indeed a good opportunity.

"Regarding Ritsu..."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's see how he behaves. If he obeys, everything will be fine. If he doesn't, we'll imprison him and keep him under strict guard. Then, we'll find an opportune moment to kill him, to intimidate the other Xianbei leaders in the west."

After listening, Tuoba Lin pondered for a moment before nodding and saying:

"Alright, then proceed accordingly. — Hegu Xun, lead the eighteen riders to Canhebei and inform Rilu of the situation here, and have him come to the Tuoba tribe immediately to discuss this matter."

"Yes, Khan."

Hegu Xun immediately accepted the order and left.

Watching Hegu Xun's departing figure, Tuoba Lin pondered silently for a while.

His gaze fell upon the distant grasslands, the endless plains stretching to the horizon.

After a while.

Tuoba Lin finally came to his senses, glanced at Lü Bu, Gao Shun, and the others, and asked Liu Bei:

"Xuande, are you planning to take in this group of people?"

Liu Bei nodded and said:

"Khan, they are all wandering knights from the Han lands. As you have seen, whether it is archery, horsemanship, or spear fighting, they are all first-rate warriors."

"Now is the time when we need manpower. If the Khan wants to sweep away the various Xianbei tribes in the west, they can all serve at the front."

Tuoba Lin also greatly admired Lü Bu's bravery, but he also had some doubts:

"Would this man named Lü Bu be willing to fight for our Tuoba tribe?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei was not entirely sure what Lü Bu truly thought.

But he believed he could persuade Lü Bu.

Only by supporting Tuoba Lin, the Khan of the Tuoba tribe, and making him a powerful force on the grasslands could the alliance between Tanshihuai and the various Xianbei tribes be broken.

This would allow Tuoba Lin to oppose Tanshihuai, accelerate the internal division of the Xianbei, and thus help the Han Dynasty severely weaken the Xianbei's national strength.

Liu Bei's original intention was not to have Tuoba Lin replace Tanshihuai and become another ruler of the grasslands.

Only when the various Xianbei tribes on the grasslands fall into division and fierce fighting will it be most beneficial to the Han Dynasty and the people of the border regions.

After all, to the Han people, the Xianbei were like barbarians who ate raw meat and drank blood, fearless of death, and possessed great fighting power, making them difficult to deal with.

Liu Bei believed that even if Lü Bu was brave but lacked strategy, he should be able to understand his tactics and plans.

His strategy of using "horizontal alliance" to break "vertical alliance" is actually quite simple and easy to understand.

Therefore, even a reckless and impulsive man like Lü Bu should be able to understand it easily.

Therefore, Liu Bei confidently assured Tuoba Lin:

"Khan, rest assured. After I defeated Lü Bu, he promised to obey my commands from now on. I will personally persuade him to serve the Tuoba tribe and conquer the grasslands."

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Lin was overjoyed and felt a surge of pride.

"Lu Bu is brave and skilled in battle, and Xuande is invincible. With the two of you as the vanguard of my Tuoba tribe, taking over the entire grassland is a piece of cake."

"As for the sandalwood tree... hehehe."

"As long as I can unite the military forces of all the western Xianbei tribes, I can definitely compete with Tanshihuai. Although the central and eastern Xianbei will have more cavalry than the western Xianbei if they join forces, war is not about numbers."

"According to your Han Chinese saying, the key to winning a battle lies in the commander-in-chief's strategy, the generals' bravery, and the unified will from top to bottom."

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei knew that Tuoba Lin's ambitions had grown once again.

However, Liu Bei would not allow Tuoba Lin to unify the entire grassland and become the next Tanshihuai.

If Tuoba Lin becomes the next Tan Shihuai, then his strategy of forming alliances will have completely failed.

Liu Bei still hoped that there would be no overlord on the grasslands, and that the three Xianbei tribes of the east, central and western regions would fight each other endlessly, just like in the Three Kingdoms period.

In this way, the Han Dynasty was able to skillfully control these fierce Xianbei tribes through checks and balances.

Tuoba Lin's ambition to unify the three tribes of the grasslands stemmed from his recognition of Liu Bei and Lü Bu as two unparalleled generals, and his willingness to serve them.

Throughout history, the ruler of the grasslands has always been the one with the strongest army and the most powerful horses.

Seeing the unparalleled martial prowess of Liu Bei and Lü Bu, how could Tuoba Lin not covet the position of the supreme ruler of the entire grassland?

Therefore, Tuoba Lin kindly comforted Lü Bu and his band of wandering knights, and provided them with shelter and slaves, just as he had treated Liu Bei with the same generosity.

The next day.

Liu Bei deliberately rode with Lü Bu to a secluded place, where he laid out his plan without reservation and explained it to Lü Bu in detail.

Upon hearing this, Lü Bu couldn't help but greatly admire Liu Bei's wisdom and resourcefulness:

"Xuande, I never imagined you possessed such exceptional martial prowess and wisdom. It turns out you disguised yourself as a merchant and infiltrated the western Xianbei Tuoba tribe to eliminate the greatest threat to our Han Dynasty—Tanshihuai."

"Your recklessness in risking your life has earned my sincere admiration. You not only surpass me in cavalry combat, but also in strategy."

"Since you have such a brilliant plan, I, Lü Bu, will follow you to the death. From now on, whatever you ask me to do, I will do. I will be at your beck and call."

"Because I know that everything you've done is for the sake of the Han Dynasty. That's enough."

Liu Bei was deeply moved when he heard Lü Bu speak such passionate and inspiring words.

He knew that if Lu Bu's agreement to be at Liu Bei's beck and call yesterday was a helpless act after losing a bet, then today he was willingly being driven by Liu Bei.

Lü Bu realized that he possessed only martial prowess but lacked strategic thinking and tactics.

The appearance of Liu Bei made up for this shortcoming.

Next, all he had to do was follow Liu Bei's instructions and use his martial prowess as much as possible while planning to eliminate the sandalwood tree.

"Fengxian, let us join forces to stir up trouble among the various tribes of the grasslands and strive for boundless vitality for the people of our Great Han!"

"Xuande, I will follow your arrangements in everything."

The two rode side by side across the grassland, their past grievances forgotten, and they both laughed heartily.

……

Another day has passed.

Rilu, one of the five great leaders of the Western Xianbei, arrived at the Tuoba tribe's camp at the foot of Gaoque Mountain from Canhebei in the east.

The three Xianbei tribes under Tan Shihuai's command had a total of twelve leaders.

The Xianbei people in the west occupied five of them.

Led by Hegu Xun, Rilu led five or six trusted men into Tuoba Lin's tent.

Rilu brought a total of one hundred riders with him on this trip, all of whom were carefully selected warriors.

Tuoba Lin only allowed Rilu to bring six trusted men into his tent.

Ri Lu, having no other suspicions, complied.

Inside the tent, Tuoba Lin and his ten subordinate Tuoba tribes' Mohefu were all present.

Liu Bei, Jian Yong, Guan Yu, Qian Zhao, Lü Bu, Gao Shun, Liu Yu, and Liu Gao, a total of eight Han Chinese, also attended the meeting.

As soon as Ri Lü entered the tent, he sensed that something was amiss.

His tall frame trembled slightly.

But he still plopped down on the low couch next to the low table and said casually:

"Tuoba Lin, I heard that my sixty or seventy cavalrymen were chased by the Han people and fled into your Tuoba tribe's camp. They didn't do it on purpose; they must have been chased by the Han people until they had nowhere else to go."

"On behalf of the entire tribe, I express my gratitude to you. Thank you for taking them in, protecting them, and saving them from the slaughter of the Han people."

"Rili, look what you've done!"

Tuoba Lin suddenly roared angrily at Rilu.

Rilu was startled, his face changed color, and he froze.

He looked at Tuoba Lin as if he were looking at a complete stranger.

"Tuoba Lin... what do you mean?"

Ritsu's voice trembled slightly as he spoke.

He realized he had fallen into a trap.

"What do you mean?"

Tuoba Lin said sternly, "Since you became a high-ranking official, it's one thing to be greedy and lustful, but you've also allowed your cavalry to plunder the people of Han territory, incurring the deep hatred of the Han people for us Xianbei. What crime should you be charged with?"

Upon hearing this, Rilu paused for a moment, then timidly replied:

"Isn't plundering Han lands a tradition of our Xianbei people? As our supreme leader, didn't Tanshihuai also invade Han lands several times a year to burn, kill, and loot?"

Tuoba Lin snorted coldly and said:

"I am Tuiyin, Khan of the Western Xianbei and one of the Ten Tuoba Tribes. From this day forward, I will not allow any cavalryman belonging to the Western Xianbei to ride deep into Han territory without my permission. Do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Ri Lu's anger surged, and he could no longer control himself. He slammed his fist on the table and roared:

"I, Rilu, and you, Tuoba Lin, are equal Xianbei rulers. By what right do you command me?! I only listen to Tanshihuai. If Tanshihuai forbids me from plundering Han lands, I will naturally obey."

"But you, Tuoba Lin... who do you think you are!? You actually dare to call yourself 'Khan,' such overstepping your bounds, who gave you the audacity!? Even Tan Shihuai has never called himself Khan!"

……

Shi Huai was fierce and valiant, and controlled all the lands of the Xiongnu chieftain.

—Book of the Later Han Dynasty