Chapter 19 The Northern Alliance's Migration to the South
In May, Beiming had occupied Heian City for nearly two months.
After learning that his third son, Murdan, had secluded himself in the palace since conquering it and spent his days indulging in pleasure with a palace woman, Khan Gehair of the northern tribes quickly dispatched his second son, Homon, to Ping'an City.
At the same time, he also wrote a letter to Murdan, which Homon carried with him.
The old Khan and his second son, Homun, had both assumed that once he arrived in Peace City, he would at least be able to meet with Murdan.
As a result, before he even arrived, he heard that Murdan had taken a portion of his army and that woman to continue fighting south.
Fighting was no problem; conquering more territory was both practical and prestigious for their steppe tribes, so Homon had no particular interest in it. He just had brought a woman to the battlefield…
What does this mean?
Homun wrote to the old Khan and mentioned this matter.
The old Khan, however, was not too concerned about Murdan's unconventional approach. What he cared about was how many cities Murdan could conquer for him.
Good news kept arriving in the Northern Sea.
Ultimately, the Northern Tribal Alliance came to know that the territory north of Xiaoshui belonged to their alliance.
Some people were still not satisfied and hoped that Murdan would continue his campaign all the way south of the Xiao River.
However, Murdan abandoned his army on the north bank of the Xiao River and left quietly with only a woman.
The eldest prince, Tare, was in a bad mood every day because his father did not let him take over the city of Ping'an. When he heard about Murdan's affairs, he went directly to the Khan and questioned Murdan, asking if he was a deserter who dared to abandon his army and go off to enjoy himself with women.
Soon, others echoed this sentiment, and at the alliance meeting, they collectively demanded the return of Murdan and the continuation of the advance, with the intention of seizing the entire Central Plains and establishing a steppe empire.
Ghai's ears were throbbing with pain, and he only said one sentence: "Count them, are there so many people who can take over so much land and so many people, and manage them well and prevent them from rebelling?"
Ghehr had great ambitions, but what was even more remarkable was his clear-headedness.
Having more land and resources is a good thing. However, the conflict between the nomadic tribes and the people of the Central Plains did not develop overnight.
Why were they able to invade the borders of the Central Plains so many times before without causing any real damage? Why were they able to occupy the capital so easily and in such a short time, and even advance deep into the area north of the Xiao River?
These people were unaware of the inside story, but he was.
Know when to stop. Even if the pancake is fragrant and big, you still have to consider whether you can swallow it.
After two more alliance meetings, everyone accepted reality, and Ghehr began to truly distribute the pie to everyone.
For the grassland tribes, this is something to celebrate and something to be excited about.
They had long been dissatisfied with the Central Plains people who occupied the advantages of the land and enjoyed wealth and luxury, while they had to live a miserable life of lack of food and clothing and constant migration on the barren grasslands. This was the first time that they, as the victors, were about to enjoy the prosperity created by the Central Plains people, and could crush those proud and arrogant Central Plains people in every way.
However, Ghehr had already said: It's normal for you to want a good life. But if you want a long-lasting good life, don't be too harsh on the people of the Central Plains. The most realistic problem is that the steppe people are outnumbered by the people of the Central Plains. You must learn to control and tame them, rather than conquering them with simple and brutal force.
Naturally, some people disagree.
Gehair issued a military order: If any of you fail to perform this task properly, causing the people of the Central Plains to rebel, I, Gehair, will cut off your head as a sacrifice to the heavens!
As a result, the tribal alliance of thirteen ethnic groups on the grasslands gradually left the grasslands and migrated to the Central Plains with their families.
Gheir arrived in Peace City in May. Homon had already made all the arrangements, and Tare was left behind on the steppe.
That's their base camp, where the grassland people still live, and they need someone with status and ability to temporarily stay there.
Ghair convinced Tare and promised that once he went to Peace City, he could choose any of the subordinate cities besides Peace City.
Although Homon was unhappy about this, he wisely showed nothing to Ghehr.
It was also in May that the envoys from Nanxiao once again demanded the return of the hostages.
This time, however, he no longer prioritized peace negotiations.
After a month of waiting, the Southern Xiao envoy seemed to have noticed something amiss. Although his attitude remained respectful, he seemed to have hardened his stance on the issue of returning the hostages.
Homon reported this matter and presented the list of all the hostages to Ghehr.
Ghehr ultimately decided that all former officials of the Great Xiao who had "surrendered" would be spared along with their families, while those officials who resisted—some of whom had already died from torture—would have their families secretly disposed of to eliminate any potential threats.
Those who were somewhat famous in Da Xiao and hadn't died were treated to good food and drink, but they were all sent to their original royal villas and kept under guard; not a single one could be let go.
As for the women in the palace and the Xiao clan members who had little political influence, Gehair was not afraid of them and planned to let them go first.
The condition for the exchange is that Fu Mingyi must come to pick him up in person.
Ghehr directly told the envoy: "Whenever Lord Fu arrives, he will release the women. I'm afraid that by then, these women won't want to leave."
Therefore, he also gave a time limit: two months.
If he hasn't come for two months, there's no need to talk anymore.
Gehr felt it was a great pity that Fu Mingyi was not among the hostages.
He felt he had to take a look, no matter what. However, whether Fu Mingyi had the courage was another matter entirely.
Gehr was quite pleased that none of the women in the palace were Mingfei.
He inwardly gave Murdan a thumbs up, and privately jokingly said to his attendant, "The only one who has won my heart is Murdan."
That very night, after saying those words, Gehai didn't eat or drink a drop of water. He simply walked outside the palace with his hands behind his back, slowly following the moonlight that fell on the ground. After returning to the palace, he tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep until very late.
At the end of May, Xiao Qing and Fu Mingyi received this news.
By this time, the Nanhua regime had largely stabilized—at least on the surface.
When Wang Xiang served as prime minister, he directly controlled the six ministries: the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of War, and the Ministry of Works. The Grand Tutor was the emperor's teacher, a close advisor to the emperor, equivalent to a modern-day secretary, and had the ability to directly influence the emperor.
Therefore, everyone in the Nanhua regime knew that although Wang Xiang was the prime minister, in reality, the state had two prime ministers: Wang Xiang was the external prime minister, and Fu Mingyi was the internal prime minister.
It seems that Wang Xiang has an advantage because of his seniority in the court and his long-term control of the southern government. However, Fu Mingyi is the role model in the eyes of the northern officials, and he was already very famous in the Great Xiao Dynasty. Even if he does not actually hold any real power, his abilities, background, and position make him a force to be reckoned with.
The balance between Wang Xiang and Fu Mingyi reflects the balance between the officials of the North and the South.
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