CHAPTER 1114: CHAPTER 1070: CHEN XI’S DECISION

To say that the Xianbei, Huns, Wuhuan, and Qiang and Hu currently have that capability, Chen Xi would not believe it at all. The Han Dynasty had suppressed them for hundreds of years, to the point where their spirit was crushed, leaving them only capable of petty thieving that couldn’t make it to the stage. The only ones daring to face off directly against the Han Dynasty were the Northern Huns.

Even though the Southern Huns and Northern Huns were initially one family, both under the name of the Huns, with no distinction of north or south, they were successfully defeated during the reign of Emperor Xuan of Former Han through three generations of Han Dynasty’s fierce battles.

Some surrendered to the Han Dynasty, these were the Southern Huns, while the others who stubbornly refused to surrender were the Northern Huns, and from then on the Huns split completely. The feud between the two might be even greater than that between the Huns and Han Dynasty, but it’s undeniable that in terms of combat power, the Northern Huns outshine the Southern Huns by miles!

The reason is simple, two words—spirit. The Northern Huns have never admitted defeat. Although they have been defeated many times, they never saw themselves as inferior to the Han people. They truly inherited the ferocity of the former Hun Empire.

Therefore, although the Huns were defeated two hundred years ago, by the Late Han, the Northern Huns were still lurking around the Western Regions and even lurking around the Altai Mountains for some time, continuously confronting the Han Dynasty.

At this point, the only Hu people daring to challenge the Han Dynasty one-on-one were the Northern Huns. Similarly, among these surrounding Outer Barbarians, the only ones the Han Dynasty took seriously were the Northern Huns.

Moreover, during this period, aside from some Northern Huns staying in the Western Regions, another group was actually lurking to the north of Bingzhou’s Northern County. Though it’s quite incredible, they were indeed staying there. Typically, the Xianbei, Qiang and Hu wouldn’t tread anywhere near Northern County...

As for why some of the Northern Huns would lurk to the north of the Northern County, it was mostly because, three generations ago, the Northern Huns took advantage of the Han Dynasty being stretched too thin in the Western Regions, seized control of the Western Regions, and dragged a whole generation of the Han Dynasty into a prolonged conflict in the Western Regions.

Eventually, of course, the Han Dynasty won, and the Northern Huns lost and had to continue migrating westwards. At that time, if the Northern Huns continued westward, they would run into the Parthian Empire. If it had been during the peak of the Hun Empire, they wouldn’t have cared about Parthia even if it was strong, but now they couldn’t afford to.

Encroaching a part of Parthia’s sphere of influence wasn’t much of a problem. Even if Parthia was dissatisfied, it wouldn’t specifically send troops to attack. But if they directly entered the Parthian Empire, the other side would certainly not turn a blind eye.

So, the Northern Huns stayed quiet for a while, then retreated back, and it was only about a hundred years later when Parthia finally fell, that the Northern Huns stepped over Parthia’s corpse to begin their westward migration. Before that, the Northern Huns had actually been lurking to the northwest and directly north of the Han Dynasty for a century.

Unlike before when they would aggressively fight back on any challenges, this time the Northern Huns were noticeably more low-key, because at this period the Northern Huns had no retreat left. If they weren’t low-key, they would face empires to both their east and west, and anyone with sense knew they could risk total annihilation.

Thus, during this period, the Northern Huns were noticeably subdued. However, being subdued doesn’t mean their strength diminished, nor does it mean they were going to stop causing trouble for the Han Dynasty. They had battled for over two centuries, and even if the original grudges weren’t that deep, by now the enmity ran as deep as the sea!

With everything considered, Chen Xi dared to bet that, during next year’s southern campaign, even if the Northern Huns didn’t directly intervene, they surely would add more than a few sparks to the fire!

Truth be told, after the Northern Huns entered Chen Xi’s view, he considered them an excellent source of troops. Unlike those weak foreign clans, the combat power of the Northern Huns wouldn’t falter when encountering the Han Dynasty, as they did inherit the Hun Empire’s ferocity.

However, Chen Xi later realized that he had no chance of obtaining such excellent troops. The animosity between the Han Dynasty and Northern Huns was too deep, with over five million casualties over two centuries of continuous war!

Given the chance, it would be best to eliminate this tribe. Chen Xi naturally came to this resolve. He wasn’t someone adept in diplomatic rhetoric, and the Han Dynasty’s repeated battles over two hundred years had clearly indicated one fact: the Northern Huns would never surrender. In this reality, there was no further need for contemplation.

Such a dangerous tribe that couldn’t be subdued, it would be better if they were dead. They were completely unlike the Wuhuan, Southern Huns, or Xianbei, tribes that could barely be assimilated. This tribe should still be annihilated!

Yet, it’s precisely because of this series of thoughts that Chen Xi made sure to prepare early on. He couldn’t let the Northern Huns take advantage of this lifetime again. Such a thing must not happen, and though there appeared to be minor differences in timing, Chen Xi believed that some grudges would remain unaltered.

In other words, if there was an opportunity to incite the Hu people to invade and cause trouble for the Han Dynasty, the Northern Huns would not miss it. At most, due to the Western Xianbei’s territory north of Bingzhou being partly sabotaged by the Qiang and Hu and Cao Cao’s alliance, manpower might be insufficient, necessitating a shift in location, and this wasn’t a substantial impact.

Unlike civil wars or battles under domestic control, when it came to foreign conflicts, Chen Xi wouldn’t bother about being meticulously precise. Well, even in civil wars, Chen Xi didn’t achieve complete meticulousness, merely controlling the army from overstepping. As for pillaging within certain limits, Chen Xi would turn a blind eye.

As for foreign wars, unless it would have a lasting impact on military discipline and dignity or amounts to a clear crime against humanity, Chen Xi would pretend not to see. While it should be restrained domestically, abroad, Chen Xi wouldn’t care about these matters at all, especially with tribes such as the Xianbei and Northern Huns that posed significant threats to the nation. Chen Xi didn’t mind hitting hard.

Therefore, this time Chen Xi’s words were exceedingly ruthless. Unlike in Central Plains wars, where crushing was the primary goal, against the Northern Barbarians, yes, it’s the Northern Barbarians, not some conquest or rebellion, it’s about flattening that place.

In dealing with the Northern Barbarians, Chen Xi’s keynote was to shatter and destroy the enemy’s resistance capabilities. Before the major situation was locked, Chen Xi wouldn’t refrain from raising the butcher’s knife. He’d capture the needed labor afterward. Before the Northern Barbarians clearly lost their resistance, Chen Xi wouldn’t hold back.

Unlike the definitions for Cao Cao and Sunx Ce, Chen Xi considered the Hu people as enemies. Cao and Sunx were considered of the same ancestry and origin, just differing in aspirations, internal disputes among fellow people. Their subordinates could be tolerated, but with the Hu people, before they submitted, they were enemies.

This was a colossal war. Shallow waters can’t breed big fish; likewise, small battlefields can’t nurture renown generals. Taking advantage of now, when everyone couldn’t fathom the depths, throwing Zhang Fei into the situation. By the time everyone realizes something is off, Zhang Fei would have only himself to rely on, and by that time, whether Zhang Fei possessed the potential of a renowned general would be evidently clear!

Seeking monthly votes! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, you’re welcome to visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)