Filled with doubt, Tan Shihuai led his army into the tribe.
This place was originally a medium-sized outlying tribe with a population of around six thousand.
However, at this time, apart from a few scattered small tents and empty cattle and sheep pens, there was nothing else in the tribe.
Tan Shihuai looked around and found no corpses or bloodstains in the tribe.
Han Sui stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, it seems that the people of this tribe have migrated elsewhere, rather than being attacked!"
"Um."
Tan Shihuai nodded, his expression grave, and said, "But I have already given an order that no tribe is allowed to migrate at will. How dare this tribe disobey my order? What has happened?"
"Well..."
Han Sui was also somewhat puzzled by Tan Shihuai's question.
After all, given Tan Shihuai's current prestige, even the large tribes of the royal court wouldn't dare to disobey him in the slightest, let alone these small and medium-sized tribes that are treated like slaves.
"Alright, let's investigate further when we get back to the royal court. Let the warriors rest for a while before continuing our journey!"
Unable to understand the reason, Tan Shihuai stopped thinking about it.
Tan Shihuai's order quickly reached the entire army. The soldiers, who had been galloping for several days, jumped off their horses and lay down on the grass.
After finding a place to sit down, Tan Shihuai looked at Han Sui and asked, "Wenyue, He Lian and the others should have returned to the royal court by now, right?"
Han Sui nodded: "Your Majesty, judging from the itinerary, the young master and the others should have already returned to the royal court!"
Tan Shihua frowned: "That's strange. If that's the case, then where did the harassment team that the Han army sent out go?"
"Since they came to harass us, they certainly won't fight the young master's group head-on. Even if the young master catches up with them, there should be some survivors!"
Han Sui also showed a solemn expression, sensing that something was amiss.
Tan Shihuai's expression shifted: "Wenyue, do you think this raiding force might have fled south?"
"Escape south?"
Han Sui was slightly taken aback: "It shouldn't be like that. This team belongs to the Wuhuan cavalry of Liaozhou. If they flee south to Bingzhou, they would need to take a long detour. Besides, how could a foreign army be allowed to march within the territory of the Han Dynasty?"
"Heh~, that's hard to say. The Han Dynasty today is quite different from what it used to be..."
Tan Shihuai couldn't help but give a wry smile, and said something inexplicable with a sigh.
Han Sui sat silently to one side, saying nothing more.
He also knew that the way the people of the Great Han were doing things was something he could no longer understand.
After resting for about an hour and feeling that he had regained some strength, Tan Shihuai ordered them to continue their journey.
During their journey, Tan Shihuai passed by several small and medium-sized tribes, and as before, these tribes were all deserted, with not even a single wool left.
One or two might be a coincidence, but if it happens too often, then there's a problem.
As the sun set, Tan Shihuai's face, like the sky, became gloomy.
The sudden migration of so many peripheral tribes made him feel a vague sense of unease.
"Miga!" After the troops stopped, Tan Shihuai called over his trusted general.
"What are your orders, Your Majesty?" Mika asked respectfully.
Tan Shihuai said solemnly, "Immediately send out all the scouts to investigate the situation of the surrounding tribes, to find out why they migrated and where they migrated to."
"Also, send someone to the royal court immediately to find out what happened!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Mika respectfully agreed, then quickly retreated and began making arrangements.
Soon, the scouts, numbering several hundred, sped off in all directions.
"Wenyue, for some reason, I feel a tremor in my heart, as if something big is about to happen!"
Watching the scout's departing figure, Tan Shihuai's expression became more solemn than ever before.
"Your Majesty need not worry. No matter how those tribes migrate, they are still on this grassland. As long as we investigate thoroughly, we can simply recall them!"
Han Sui offered words of comfort, but his words revealed that he did not seem to care much about those tribes.
Like those leading nobles, Han Sui's thinking was also limited. He did not think that a group of slave-like herdsmen could do anything extraordinary.
"Alas, if only that were true. What I fear is that they would all defect to the Han!"
Tan Shihuai sighed, his face full of worry, and he felt a growing displeasure with Han Sui's shortsightedness.
In his opinion, although Han Sui was somewhat intelligent, he was far inferior to Li Ru in terms of both talent and vision.
If he hadn't been worried that Li Ru would become too powerful and become one of the powerful ministers in the Central Plains dynasty, he wouldn't have supported people like Han Sui.
Although Tan Shihuai didn't care much about the needs of these outlying tribes, these tribes had large populations and could provide him with a lot of cattle and sheep to support his own tribes.
Just like the dynasties in the Central Plains, everyone looked down on ordinary farmers, and even treated them as less than human beings.
But you still need to eat, right? You still need to wear clothes, right? Everything you have depends on the farmers, right?
Without the support and patronage of those at the very bottom, what are those at the top?
These are the things that Tan Shihuai is most worried about now. Once all these peripheral tribes have joined the Han Dynasty, it will be a problem whether the tribes under the royal court can survive, let alone develop and grow stronger.
Just then, a scout team came from the west to the east, heading straight for Tan Shihuai's army.
"Report!"
"Your Majesty, the eldest son, Helian, has an emergency and wishes to inform you!"
Tan Shihuai's expression shifted, and he asked urgently, "Oh? Has something happened at the royal court?"
"Your Majesty, according to reports from our spies in Juyan, the Han Emperor arrived there five days ago. The eldest prince is preparing to send troops to attack Juyan and capture the Han Emperor..."
The scout also told Tan Shihuai about Liu Hong's arrival in Juyan, as well as Li Ru and He Lian's plans and actions.
After hearing the scout's report, Tan Shihuai's surprise turned to joy, and his originally worried expression became somewhat excited.
Tan Shihuai looked at the scout and said in a deep voice, "Go back immediately and tell Helian that I agree to his actions. Tell him to gather all the able-bodied men of the tribe as soon as possible and surround the place before the Han emperor leaves Juyan."
"I will immediately change course and head to Juyan to join them!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The scout responded loudly, then mounted his horse and spurred it toward Tanhan Mountain.
"Haha~, great, great! There's always a way out! This is Heaven's blessing upon the Xianbei!"
Watching the scout's departing figure, Tan Shihuai couldn't help but burst into laughter, instantly sweeping away his frustration from the series of setbacks.
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