Liu Hong then unfolded Zhang Huan's report. At the beginning of the report, Zhang Huan reported to Liu Hong on the recent situation of the Bingzhou army and the movements of the Southern Xiongnu.
Then came the news about the movements of the Xianbei Tanshihuai and the Northern Xiongnu. There was no activity from Tanshihuai's side; they were probably preparing for winter.
"Huh?"
However, upon seeing the news about the Northern Xiongnu, Liu Hong's expression shifted, and he let out a soft exclamation.
"His Majesty?"
Seeing the emperor's changing expression, Xi Zhicai looked at Liu Hong with some confusion.
Liu Hong frowned slightly. "General Zhang reported that a tribe that came from the Western Regions recently surrendered to the Northern Xiongnu!"
"The Western Regions?"
Xi Zhicai was slightly taken aback. "Could it be from the Cheshi Kingdom?"
"Perhaps so, we'll see! I'm just curious what kind of tribe it is that would choose to ally with the Xiongnu as winter approaches!"
Liu Hong raised his eyebrows, then turned his gaze to the memorial and continued reading.
"Huh? What is this?!"
Upon seeing the situation of this tribe from the Western Regions, Liu Hong paused, his face turning extremely grim, and his breathing becoming much more rapid.
"Bang!"
Upon seeing the final document, Liu Hong could no longer contain himself. He slammed the memorial onto the table in anger, then stood up abruptly, his chest heaving.
Song Dian, who was serving nearby, was startled when he saw the emperor suddenly become angry and knelt down.
"His Majesty.....?"
Seeing this, Xi Zhicai also stood up and looked at Liu Hong with a puzzled expression. He didn't understand why His Majesty, who had been fine just now, had suddenly become like this.
"I am fine!"
After saying this, Liu Hong picked up the memorial and handed it to Xi Zhicai, saying in a deep voice, "Zhicai, you should take a look at it yourself. It's the third paragraph from the end!"
Xi Zhicai took the memorial with some doubt, quickly found the passage Liu Hong had mentioned, and then read it aloud softly:
"It is said that this tribe came from the Shi Kingdom in the Western Regions, with a total population of about 40,000. Their leader is named Shi Qi. They look different from those in the Western Regions and the grasslands. They have fair skin, high noses, deep-set eyes, blue eyes, and everyone grows long beards!"
"Your Majesty, is there anything wrong with this tribe from the Stone Kingdom?"
Aside from the difference in appearance, Xi Zhicai couldn't see any other differences, and he still didn't quite understand why the emperor was so furious.
"They are Jie people!"
Liu Hong's eyes narrowed slightly, and his voice carried a hint of coldness.
He knew the Jie people all too well. During the later Five Barbarian Invasions, the Jie people were the most ferocious. "Two-legged sheep" was their name for the Han people.
In the north under their rule, almost one in ten Han Chinese were killed, bringing them to the brink of extinction. Women were also openly served on the dinner table. The reign of the Shi Zhao dynasty can be said to be the darkest period in the lives of the Han people.
Later, the "Order to Kill the Hu" issued by Ran Min, the Martial King, suddenly appeared, and the "Hu" in it refers to the Jie people.
Because of their ferocity and ruthlessness, and because they were simply impossible to assimilate, of the five barbarian tribes during the Five Barbarian Invasions, only the Jie people were completely wiped out.
When Liu Hong saw the relevant descriptions in Zhang Huan's memorial, he found that both the Shi Kingdom and their appearance were basically consistent with the historical records of the Jie people.
Therefore, Liu Hong concluded that this tribe from the Western Regions who sought refuge with the Xiongnu must have been the Jie people who later participated in the Five Barbarian Invasions.
Liu Hong had a deep memory of the Jie people; the Hu people could be spared, but the Jie people had to be exterminated.
"Jieren?"
Xi Zhicai was slightly taken aback, clearly hearing this name for the first time, but from Liu Hong's behavior just now, he could tell that the emperor seemed to have a great aversion to this race.
Liu Hong explained, "I have seen records about them in an ancient book. It is said that they are extremely cruel and cannot be taught, and are the source of chaos!"
"How could they be so despicable?"
Xi Zhicai had no doubt about Liu Hong's words, and clearly had no liking for the incorrigible Jie person Liu Hong spoke of.
Liu Hong nodded and said in a deep voice, "Therefore, I must exterminate these people! They should not live in this world!"
After a moment's thought, Xi Zhicai said, "Your Majesty is right. Those who cannot be reformed do need to be eliminated. However, with war imminent in Youzhou, it is not advisable to start another war in Bingzhou. We need to consider this carefully!"
"Furthermore, the Jie people are easy to exterminate, but they have just surrendered to the Xiongnu. If we attack them now, I'm afraid the Xiongnu will not ignore them!"
Liu Hong snorted coldly, "Hmph~, the Jie people, I'm determined to destroy them! If the Xiongnu dare to interfere, I won't hesitate to wipe them out too!"
Liu Hong completely forgot about balancing the grasslands and taking things slowly. He had only one thought: to exterminate the Jie people at all costs.
Upon hearing Liu Hong's words, Xi Zhicai's expression froze. He could tell from the emperor's words that no matter what he said, he could not change the emperor's mind.
All I can do is try my best to help the emperor minimize his losses. If we can avoid war, we should try our best to avoid it.
Then Xi Zhicai spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that we can have General Zhang send a message to the Southern Xiongnu, stating that our Great Han urgently needs a batch of slaves and requesting that they take special care of these Jie people!"
Liu Hong nodded and said, "Yes! Zhi Cai's method is feasible! However, relying solely on the Southern Xiongnu is not enough. We also need to send someone to deliver a message to the Xianbei. I can exchange salt and refined iron for Jie slaves!"
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