Chapter 29: Let the Xianbei Be Great Again

Ma Yi is famous for having been where the Qin general Meng Tian once raised horses and built a fortress.

After the Tuoba clan rose to power, Ma Yi became a key frontier stronghold of the Northern Wei.

Whether marching north to campaign against the Rouran or south to fight various warlords, Ma Yi served as a vital logistical base.

Yet after the Northern Wei moved its capital, Ma Yi faced the same plight as Pingcheng.

Marginalization!

The Xianbei were military households, the Han were agricultural households, and the Xiongnu, Tiele, and other tribes served as soldiers and herders—yet the old order of the northern frontier has now begun to collapse.

“Farming? Farming? Is that something real men should do?”

Kedigan gathered a group of Hu tribal leaders at the gate of the Ma Yi governor’s office, shouting loudly.

Li Shuang had implemented a policy in the Ma Yi region to shift herding to farming; at first it went smoothly, but as time passed, many Hu tribes grew impatient.

Yet even when they gathered, they dared not storm inside.

The entire military structure of Ma Yi is now divided into three parts:

Li Shuang’s Han private troops,

the garrison troops of Ma Yi city,

and these Xianbei, Tiele, and other Hu military households.

Li Shuang’s private troops were naturally the most loyal; the garrison troops of Ma Yi city had been absorbed into his command during his early offensives; the remaining military households were the most troublesome.

These military households were the most numerous and the worst-equipped, and were the primary targets for reform from military to agricultural status.

Seeing the well-armed guards outside the Ma Yi governor’s office, the Hu tribal leaders shrank back, until finally Kedigan stepped forward.

“We demand to see the Ma Yi governor!”

“Wait—the lord is receiving an honored guest!”

“We didn’t have to wait when we went to Pingcheng to see Wang Yuanshen—how important can this guest be?”

Kedigan sneered and moved forward, but Gao Ang blocked his throat with a long spear.

“I said wait!”

At that moment, a Hu tribal leader leaned close to Kedigan’s ear.

“Brother Qianqiu, this Han dare treat you like this? If it were me, I couldn’t take it!”

Kedigan stared Gao Ang down, fearless, and roared with all his strength.

“Fine! We’ll wait!”

Inside the room, before Li Shuang sat a man with white hair and a ruddy complexion.

After the ritual ended, Li Shuang rose and asked:

“Master, has the Heavenly God forgiven me?”

Liu Ling nodded.

“As long as the military lord has not deceived the Heavenly God, the Heavenly God will forgive you.”

“Then I’m relieved. I have other matters—I’ll take my leave.”

Saying this, Li Shuang departed; Liu Ling immediately reached beneath the table to the mechanism, retrieved the silk scroll, and saw it read:

I accepted one hundred taels of gold from Du Gu Ru—she ordered me to kill Liu Ling.

The Heavenly God forgave me today, so I’ll kill him tonight.

If the Heavenly God did not forgive me today, I’ll kill him after tonight!

Liu Ling’s heart trembled; his hand slipped, and the silk scroll fell to the floor.

Regaining his composure, his first thought was to pack his belongings and flee under cover of night.

As he packed, Liu Ling cursed:

“What a vile Du Gu Ru—if I escape this, I’ll make you pay!”

After waiting an hour, Kedigan and the others finally met Li Shuang.

The Northern Wei implemented the equal-field system.

In the past, when the Northern Wei court distributed land to these military households, they always found excuses to refuse.

Even when land was granted, they preferred to let it lie fallow rather than cultivate it.

When their tribes ran out of grain, they went to Pingcheng to demand it.

If denied, they rioted.

These military households’ ancestors had followed the Tuoba clan in its rise, earning military merit; Pingcheng officials dared not truly neglect them, always giving them a little here and there.

But now, these tribal leaders realized their old tricks against the Northern Wei court had no effect on Li Shuang.

“Governor Ma Yi, you can’t treat us like this—we our ancestors fought alongside Emperor Taiwu, shed blood, and earned great merit!”

“What’s it to me? They didn’t shed blood or sweat for me.”

“If you speak like this, you’re leaving no room for courtesy—don’t you fear we’ll appeal to the court and accuse you of mistreating the descendants of meritorious officers?”

“Appeal? Go ahead. If your petition gets past Ma Yi, I’ll give you ten carts of grain for free.”

The crowd drew in a sharp breath—they’d seen rogues before, but never one this brazen.

Finally, someone growled out:

“Governor Ma Yi, aren’t you afraid we’ll defect to the True King and have the court punish you?”

Li Shuang burst out laughing.

“Do you even know how to rebel?”

The group exchanged glances and shook their heads.

“Look at you—all of you, never even rebelled before!”

At that moment, someone snapped back at Li Shuang:

“Have you ever rebelled?”

“When I rebelled, you were still herding sheep!”

Li Shuang sneered, gesturing for them all to sit.

They squatted on the ground, surrounding Li Shuang, as the youth spoke:

“Rebellion comes in many forms. What you’re doing—defecting to Po Liu Han Baling—is the lowest kind.”

“Then tell us a better way.”

“To sustain rebellion, you must first find a proper target—say, Pingcheng. Then secretly stockpile grain and weapons, and strike when Wang Yuanshen is unprepared. Once you seize Pingcheng, use it as your base: ally with the Rouran to the north, and capture Yan and You provinces to the east. Then, when you raise your banner, the righteous soldiers of the Six Garrisons will flock to you, and the people of the realm will follow. Only then can the Xianbei be great again.”

When Li Shuang finished, the group stared at him with dreamy eyes.

“Alright, now tell me the key points of rebellion I just taught you.”

“Seize Pingcheng, ally with the Rouran to the north, take Yan and You to the east—let the Xianbei be great again!”

Li Shuang flicked each of them on the forehead.

“Wrong! It’s stockpile grain, prepare weapons! Without those, how will you smash open Pingcheng’s gates with your head?”

“But we don’t have grain or weapons!”

“Then you must first farm here with me. When you have grain, sell it for money, buy weapons—and only then can you take Pingcheng and let the Xianbei be great again!”

The group nodded. Li Shuang beckoned Kedigan aside to a side room.

“You took my money and still came here to cause trouble, didn’t you?”

“How could I? If I hadn’t been your inside man, they wouldn’t have come with just this many people. I’ve confirmed it—there’s a shaman named Liu Ling secretly stirring them up to cause trouble here.”

“Liu Ling?”

Li Shuang smiled coldly, when Kedigan asked beside him:

“But what you just said about rebelling—is it real?”

“Those outside are fools, so I had to use ‘let the Xianbei be great again’ to fool them. But you’re smart—I’ll speak plainly. ‘Let the Xianbei be great again’? Just an excuse. What I really want is money and women. Why rebel? Because the Luoyang court only cares for their own pleasures, and won’t give us money or women…”

Kedigan nodded, his face full of agreement.

“Fine. We’re both smart men—no need to say more. From now on, I’m with you—even if Tao the Conqueror rose from the dead, it wouldn’t matter.”