"After the meeting, you will receive your five sticks." Liu Xie waved his hand and said to Pei Jun: "The same goes for you."
Pei Jun did not dare to argue and bowed obediently to accept the punishment.
Pei Mao lowered his eyelids and his face was as cold as frost, which made Pei Jun's scalp feel numb.
As a minister, it is also disrespectful to laugh when the emperor is discussing matters with his ministers.
Zhang Xiu was a little dissatisfied at first, but when he saw that Pei Jun was also about to receive the punishment, he felt relieved both physically and mentally.
"You don't know that Xihe is one of the six counties?" Liu Xie looked at Zhang Xiu and frowned slightly.
If you are from the Central Plains and are not familiar with the six counties, it is understandable. Zhang Xiu is from the border area, and it would be too much to not know which six counties are.
"I...I only know about Longxi, Hanyang and other Liangzhou counties, and I really don't know that Xihe is one of the six counties." Zhang Xiu looked aggrieved and said sarcastically: "There are no Han people in Xihe..., at least there are none in Yulin Qizhong.
.”
Zhang Yang also bowed and said, "I don't know, either. I often hear people talking about six counties and six counties, but I don't know which six counties they are, let alone that Xihe is also one of the six counties."
Liu Xie smacked his lips, a little helpless.
These generals lacked cultural literacy and would make jokes if they were not careful. However, they also had very strong self-esteem and would jump at the slightest touch. Pei Mao did not deliberately humiliate him to cause such a conflict. If he really wanted to provoke trouble, he would have been more harsh in his words.
, there is a real possibility of a fight.
Pei Mao was also a little embarrassed. He nodded to Zhang Xiu and said to Liu Xie: "Your Majesty, in fact, I can't blame Zhonglang for this. Today's Xihe County is no longer the Xihe County of Xiaowu's time. In the fifth year of Yonghe, the county government was pacified.
After moving to Lishi, Xihe County existed in name only. Not to mention the elite knights who were selected into the Yulin, not even a single household registration remained."
Liu Xie nodded and signaled Pei Mao to continue.
"But the reason for the low number of household registrations is not that there are no people in Xihe County, but that the court is unable to control it, and the people cannot protect themselves, and can only become vassals of the Huns. If the court can regain its strength and relocate the county to pacify it, the people will surely
The baskets and pots of food are used to welcome the king's troops. Even the Huns who enter the fortress will admire his teachings and are willing to make households."
Xun You couldn't help but said: "Is Shangshu Ling exaggerating? It is understandable that the people of the Han family welcome the king's teacher. How can the Huns be willing to create households without being favored by the imperial court? They herd horses, herd sheep, and live in pursuit of water and grass. How can they do this?
Register a household?"
Pei Mao smiled. "The servant doesn't know something. Not to mention that after the Huns entered the fortress, they did a lot of farming, and they may not all herd horses and sheep. Even so, they also hope to become my Han people."
Xun You was skeptical. "I would like to hear the details."
"Herding is not as stable as farming. A snowstorm may be a disaster. Even if the weather is good, they still need to exchange cattle and sheep for clothing, ironware, salt and other items. Non-subjects can only go through the designated Hu
Not only is it a long way to go, but it also has to be exploited by others. If you can become a Han citizen, you can directly exchange it in a nearby city. It saves people's effort and the price is low."
Xun You was slightly startled, but then he understood what Pei Mao meant.
He has no experience living in northern Xinjiang and has never thought about this before.
"What else?"
"The reason why the Huns rely on the Chanyu is because the grassland is bitterly cold, bandits are rampant, and there is no tribal restraint, so they are inevitably killed by others. Now that they have entered the fortress, they can live without relying on the Chanyu, so why worship the Chanyu? Moreover, the Xiongnu Chanyu is weak.
Being deceived by the ministers, self-protection is not enough, how can you have any spare power to protect the people? If your majesty resets Xihe, educates, protects and protects them from slavery, how can the Huns not want to register households?"
As he spoke, Pei Mao blinked his eyes and showed a meaningful smile.
"Your Majesty is wise and has his servants as his confidants and generals as his minions. Isn't he more suitable to be the king of Han and Hu than Shan Yu?"
Xun You suddenly felt enlightened.
Regardless of whether this suggestion was initiated by Pei Mao himself or was meant to flatter the emperor, this was the result the emperor wanted.
The emperor wanted to stay in Meiji for a long time, so Pei Mao gave him the most high-sounding reason.
"I have learned a lesson." Xun You said lightly and remained silent.
Zhang Yang, Wang Fu and others also looked at each other and turned their gazes to the Emperor.
They didn't understand the intention of Pei Mao's suggestion, and they couldn't judge whether it was good or bad. As a general, of course he couldn't ask for the opportunity to expand his territory. But when they think about the situation calmly, it seems unrealistic.
The previous plan was just to quell the Xiongnu rebellion, but if we work hard, we can still accomplish it.
Now it is necessary to reset Xihe County, which cannot be completed in a day or two.
Seeing that everyone was speechless, especially Xun You, Liu Xie glanced at Pei Mao, with a helpless smile on his lips.
Pei Mao had anticipated this scene when he proposed it enthusiastically.
Zhang Yang, Wang Fu and the like will not have any objections. As long as they can make contributions, they will get what they want.
But they alone cannot succeed. He needs the support of Xun You and more scholars.
This is a huge project that cannot be solved by force alone.
"Education is not a day's work, you might as well think more about it." Liu Xie coughed and ended the topic. "Go to Meiji first, summon all the Xiongnu tribes to see you, appoint a chanyu, and rebuild the royal court."
——
After leaving the imperial tent, Pei Mao hurried a few steps, walked side by side with Xun You, and came to Xun You's tent.
Xun You stopped, tilted his head, and looked at Pei Mao, but he had no intention of inviting Pei Mao to come in and sit down.
Pei Mao understood in his heart, so he came closer and whispered: "The servant has misunderstood the emperor, and he has also misunderstood me."
Xun You shook his head. "Your words are serious, how dare you."
"In that case, why didn't the waiter say anything?"
Xun You turned around and looked around. "Since you are not familiar with the customs and customs of the northwest, you cannot easily agree or disagree. You should treat it as an understanding before you can make any suggestions to the emperor."
He looked at Pei Mao again and raised his lips slightly. "Pei Jun, the Huns are not from Hedong. It's better to make more preparations before snatching food from the tiger's mouth."
Pei Mao blushed and was embarrassed to say anything more.
When he was in Hedong, the emperor asked him to summon the big families in Hedong. As a result, the big families in Hedong were not active, which made the emperor very embarrassed.
Yin Jian is not far away. If he does it again, the emperor will probably be disappointed in him.
The people of Hedong just treated it passively, refused to provide money or food, and supported the emperor, but the Huns might directly attack with troops.
The emperor did not agree to him immediately, but wanted to listen to people's opinions, perhaps because he was not at ease with him.
"Then...what do you propose?" Pei Mao endured the anger in his heart and said with a forced smile.
Xun You was silent for a moment and said: "If you want to get the land, you must first ask its people. Pei Jun might as well ask the Han and Hu people in Xihe first to see if they are, as Mr. Pei said, willing to create households for the Han Dynasty and bear the responsibility of a large army.
The danger of fighting the Huns for years. Hedong, Taiyuan, Shangdang had no time to take care of themselves, and the emperor had no choice but to recruit troops on the spot. This burden is not small."
Although Pei Mao didn't like Xun You's attitude, he felt that Xun You was right.
Everything will be done if you are not prepared, and if you are not prepared, it will be ruined. If you want to get things done, it is always good to make more preparations.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xun You returned the courtesy and watched Pei Mao go away. Just as he was about to enter the tent, a tiger came rushing towards him.
"Servant, Your Majesty has invited me."
Xun You turned around and saw the emperor, wearing a great cloak, standing in front of the royal tent, waving to him. Beside him were several tiger servants preparing horses.