Chapter 174 Ye Feng's "poison", the strategy to pacify the nomadic peoples

It has been raining continuously in Fanyang City for several days.

The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, in the back garden.

Ye Feng, Jia Xu, Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai sat around a round table.

It was windy and drizzling. The four of them each held a cup of hot wine and drank several cups in a row. Everyone had a relaxed smile on their face.

"In one fell swoop, we defeated the 100,000 elite soldiers of Wuhuan and captured tens of thousands of elite soldiers under Gongsun Zan. Together with Youzhou, the power of the Jizhou aristocratic families was completely destroyed."

"My lord, if you don't make a sound, it's fine. But when you do, it's amazing."

"This move shocked the world and won the admiration of all people."

Seeing that Jia Xu took the lead in flattering and saying all the good things, Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai naturally looked at him with resentment.

Ye Feng couldn't help but laugh and joke: "Wenhe, sometimes leave them a few words to avoid resentment."

"If this happens two more times, I'm afraid Fengxiao and Zhicai will really flip the table in front of me."

Jia Xu then noticed the appearance of Guo Jia and Xi Zhicai, and quickly stood up and clasped his fists and bowed: "I was wrong, I will make amends with wine another day!"

After a few pleasantries, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Ye Feng took out the latest news from Ye Wei from his arms.

"You three look at this."

The three of them gathered together, and when they saw that 'Yuan Shao gave up the position of alliance leader and handed it over to Ye Feng', a different look appeared on their faces.

After a moment of silence, Guo Jia sneered, "Yuan Shao seems generous, but he is actually setting a trap for the lord."

"This position of leader has no benefits, but it can provoke a fight between us and Dong Zhuo."

"His heart is to be killed!"

"But you are treating us like fools. How can the Lord not understand such a simple truth?"

Xi Zhicai nodded slightly: "That's a good point, but Yuan Shao's move announced to the world did not condemn the demise of the Cui family, the lord, and the cleansing of the Hebei family. If we directly refuse, it will give Yuan Shao a handle."

"Yuan Shao calculated this and did this on purpose."

"This is an open conspiracy. It depends on how the lord chooses."

After he finished speaking, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Xi Zhicai all set their eyes on Ye Feng.

Ye Feng looked towards Chen Liu with interest: "What do you think I will choose?"

Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Xi Zhicai looked at each other and said with a smile in unison: "My lord never shrinks from trouble or difficulty, but only faces it head-on."

"Yuan Shao has set up the Dragon Gate Formation, why wouldn't you rush in?"

Ye Feng looked at the three top counselors in front of him with approval: "You guessed correctly, but the Xiongnu in Bingzhou and the Wuhuan on the grassland who have been severely damaged cannot be let go."

"Who among you three is willing to take Yan Gang, Tian Kai and Bai Ma Congyi to the grassland?"

Jia Xu was the first to refuse: "I am old and cannot stand the hardship of traveling. It is best for me to stay in Fanyang and guard my home for my lord."

"You two young men, one going north and the other going south, decide between yourselves."

Xi Zhicai and Guo Jia looked at each other, stepped forward, clasped their fists and bowed: "I hope to ride on the grassland and completely solve the grassland disaster for my lord!"

Ye Feng helped Xi Zhicai up and said, "I have ordered Zhang He to be the chief general and Yan Gang to be the deputy general. They will lead 30,000 cavalrymen to Bingzhou tomorrow to repel the Xiongnu. You will be the military advisor and assist them."

"Thank you for your trust, my lord."

Ye Feng waved his hand: "Tomorrow I will also lead my troops south to attend the alliance."

"Before we leave, I have a question for you three gentlemen."

Seeing Ye Feng's serious words, the three of them lost their relaxed expressions and stood up quickly: "How dare we call you 'sir' in front of the lord?"

"My lord, please don't torture us!"

"As long as you give us an order, we will not refuse." Ye Feng said with a smile: "Go north to the grassland. How can we completely eliminate the Wuhuan and Xiongnu?"

"Completely eliminated?"

Xi Zhicai's brows were furrowed into a frown.

He knew that this question was asked by Ye Feng.

But the grassland is vast and boundless. Wuhuan and Xiongnu are both nomadic peoples who live by following water and grass. It is not difficult to defeat them on Chinese soil, but it is extremely difficult to completely eliminate them.

Back then, Huo Qubing and Dou Xian chased the Huns for thousands of miles, but they only beheaded their leaders, preventing them from causing trouble on the border for a hundred years. How could they completely eliminate them?

After pondering for a while, Xi Zhicai smiled bitterly and said, "I am incompetent and have not been able to come up with a perfect solution. Please forgive me, my lord!"

Ye Feng seemed to have known the answer long ago. He looked at Jia Xu and Guo Jia calmly: "Where are you two?"

Guo Jia and Jia Xu looked at each other and shook their heads: "It will take more than a day to completely wipe out the Xiongnu and Wuhuan."

"After all, they don't have a fixed residence, so it's not easy to find them."

Ye Feng said: "I know a good idea!"

"If we can't completely destroy the enemy, we will assimilate them and keep them under our noses."

"After three generations, their descendants won't even know how to ride a horse or shoot an arrow. They only know how to farm the land. What's the difference between them and us Han people?"

Xi Zhicai's eyes lit up, but after careful consideration, he said solemnly, "Why would they be willing to farm and weave?"

"It is extremely difficult to get the entire clan to settle in China."

Ye Feng raised the corner of his mouth and smiled faintly: "You forgot what I said before!"

"Killing one person is a crime, killing ten thousand people is a crime, and killing a million people is a crime among heroes."

"Anyone who is willing to go south to save his life will be considered as surrendering to China and his life will be spared."

"If you are unwilling to go south, you are our enemy."

"Since we are destined to be enemies, why should we show mercy?"

"Haven't you heard that 'wildfires cannot be extinguished, they will spring up again with the spring breeze?'"

It was clearly not winter yet, but Guo Jia and the other two felt cold from the bottom of their hearts.

Even Jia Xu, who was called a "poisonous scholar" by later generations, felt that Ye Feng's "poison" was far more poisonous than his.

He finally understood why Ye Feng asked this question.

It is not about asking the three of them for the solution, but about teaching them the solution step by step.

Jia Xu and Guo Jia were just shocked. As the military advisor of the army heading north, Xi Zhicai had to face unilateral massacres without resistance. However, these massacres were contrary to the principles he had learned from Confucian classics for many years.

"My Lord, will this...will this be against the harmony of nature?"

"After all, fighting on the battlefield is for each master, so even if it means losing both sides, it is normal."

"But how could we bear to kill those old, weak, women, children, wounded, sick and disabled people who are unable to resist?"

"This is inevitable, this is inevitable"

After three such refusals in a row, Xi Zhicai still didn't dare to say the next words.

Ye Feng still smiled calmly and said, "You think it's too cruel, no different from beasts, right?"

Xi Zhicai nodded slowly.

Guo Jia, who had not spoken for a long time, suddenly changed his expression and hurriedly pulled Xi Zhicai to kneel on the ground: "My lord, Zhicai lost his mind for a moment and talked nonsense. Please don't bother with him."

"His reverence for you is evident to all, as is the sun and the moon!"

(End of this chapter)