Chapter 1155: The Zhang Clan of Yanmen

The Jiuzhou is sealed off; the current Barbarian Race is actually just as miserable as the Zhongyuan Human Race, perhaps even more so than those in the Zhongyuan.

This is because the Zhongyuan has a larger population, more people walking the path of the Transcendent, and with the Zhongyuan's vast territory, there are more Shanlan and more spiritual energy.

Although those of the Barbarian Race rely on their bloodlines, the bloodline only enhances their potential; without spiritual energy, even if one has the bloodline of a Saint, one remains a mortal.

It is just that the Liu Han Dynasty, during its peak, dealt a heavy blow to the Barbarian Race, forcing the latter to flee into the Huangyuan, and the Zhongyuan dynasty could only retreat, for that Huangyuan is even more treacherous.

Since then, the Liu Han Dynasty has never again launched campaigns against the Barbarian Race and the various tribes of the Caoyuan.

Over these thousand years, the various tribes of the Caoyuan have recovered significantly once more.

As the number of Transcendents on both sides gradually dwindled, they came to rely on mortals.

Among the mortals, the various tribes of the Caoyuan practice the way of the wolf, frequently heading south to plunder, forcing the Border Army of the Liu Han Dynasty to upgrade.

Even though the central government cannot provide support, the various great clans in the Beidi have instead integrated local power all the more.

Furthermore, gradually, the central government's rule over the border regions has become weaker and weaker.

After all, having previously sought reinforcements from the central government only to receive no response, relying entirely on their own blood transfusions, it is naturally impossible for the central government to take back control of the military now.

To truly treat those military aristocratic families of the Beidi as mere decorations—the fact that they have not stood up to rebel is already a sign of great tolerance.

Su Fan has been in various parts of the Beidi these days; in any case, there is no longer much awe for the Liu Han central government at the local level.

As for affection, that is even more impossible.

Regarding the lives of the common people, things are not easy here in the Beidi; it can be said that the commoners often greet the Imperial Court with curses, and as for those aristocratic families and local power-holders, they have no fondness for the Imperial Court either.

After all, they have supported the Border Army in various battles against the Caoyuan over these years and have shed blood, yet the Imperial Court has provided no support at all; how could they be grateful to the Imperial Court?

Therefore, in the border regions, there is growing anger toward the Imperial Court.

It is only out of fear of the Imperial Court's strength, though some ambitious individuals have already begun their preparations.

Su Fan has seen many families constantly strengthening their own power and secretly cultivating armies; especially here at the border, it is quite easy to obtain elite soldiers.

"The Liu Han Dynasty truly has lost the hearts of the people."

Su Fan shakes his head; here at the border, there are nearly a million elites, all of whom are battle-hardened veterans, and even the Imperial Guard around Luoyang, combined with the Feathered Forest Guard, only numbers a few million.

Their equipment might be the best, but if this million-strong Border Army were to fight against those few million, the ultimate victor would naturally be the Border Army.

Once the elite Border Army is lost, with ambitious men rising up everywhere in the future, the Liu Han Dynasty will almost certainly have no chance left.

If this million-strong elite Border Army could still remain loyal to the Liu Han Dynasty, then perhaps it could be prolonged.

But unfortunately, this is not history; in history, there was Ding Yuan, who led the Bingzhou Army to reinforce the central government.

There is no such person here.

Perhaps Ding Yuan existed, but the Imperial Army of the Beidi is firmly controlled by those military generals; as for the civil officials, those Prefects and Provincial Governors find it very difficult to control the army, unless it is an army they built themselves.

But unfortunately, the Border Army of the Beidi is composed of those aristocratic families and local power-holders who have continuously provided blood transfusions to resist the Caoyuan, along with small landowners and the common people at the bottom.

Even the aristocratic families cannot fully control them.

After all, the majority of the low-level officers also come from the bottom, having worked their way up step by step.

"The Zhang Clan of Yanmen does not look like a simple small landowner."

Having wandered through many provinces and commanderies of the Beidi, Su Fan arrived at the edge of the Great Wall; Yanmen Commandery is also the commandery closest to the Caoyuan.

With just a single use of his Divine Sense, Su Fan could almost grasp the information of the entire commandery in his mind.

The Yanmen Zhang Clan is clearly not as simple as they were in history.

The entire Yanmen Commandery is almost dominated by the Zhang Clan; here, the Zhang Clan has produced several Golden Core-level military generals.

Over these thousand years, on the front line of resisting the northern Caoyuan Xiongnu, six Clan Heads have died in battle.

The common people of Yanmen Commandery also hold the Zhang Clan in high regard.

The local garrison of Yanmen Commandery numbers a full one hundred thousand; these one hundred thousand garrison troops are not like the troops of other commanderies, but are battle-hardened veterans who have all participated in major wars.

The Yanmen Zhang Clan members all hold positions in the military, and the Prefect of Yanmen is almost always dominated by this Zhang Clan.

It can be said that this Yanmen Commandery follows the lead of the Zhang Clan in all matters.

"The current Clan Head of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Hu, was seriously injured thirty years ago by a Great Priest of the Xiongnu."

Zhang Hu sounds like a very ordinary name, yet this person is not ordinary at all; he can be called a legend of Yanmen Commandery, and even of Bingzhou.

This current Clan Head of the Yanmen Zhang Clan joined the army at fifteen, and he started from the lowest rank of Squad Leader.

One must know that the Yanmen Zhang Clan was already a great clan of Yanmen before this, and having experienced a thousand years, they had long since established themselves in Yanmen Commandery.

Moreover, they pass down the Martial Dao; not to say that every generation is full of heroes, but at least they have been able to maintain the level of a Martial Dao Grandmaster.

A Martial Dao Grandmaster, according to the world of cultivation, is equivalent to a level of strength before the Golden Core; in Su Fan's eyes, they are slightly stronger than an Immortal Cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage and weaker than the Golden Core stage.

However, because the Martial Dao is not like that of an Immortal Cultivator who can fly, generally speaking, a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment Peak can at least escape if they cannot defeat a Martial Dao Grandmaster.

Unless they are ambushed at close range by a Martial Dao Grandmaster, then there is no other way.

Placed in the era of the Great Qin, a Martial Dao Grandmaster could actually only be considered the bottom tier.

After all, the Martial Dao Golden Core realm of that time was probably at most a Hundred-man Commander, whereas now in the Liu Han Dynasty, they are already considered high-level military officers, and a Golden Core can even be a general commanding ten thousand men.

As for Martial Dao Refining Spirit, even if placed in the entire Liu Han Dynasty, that is a top-tier powerhouse.

It must be said that the dissipation of spiritual energy is a major blow to the Transcendents of the Jiuzhou; of course, the withering of the Transcendent Inheritance is also a reason.

The family Martial Dao Inheritance of the Yanmen Zhang Clan, in Su Fan's eyes, is something that any mid-level officer in the military before the Great Qin could have produced.

Yet the Zhang Clan treasures it immensely; clearly, this Transcendent Inheritance has almost been severed in the Liu Han Dynasty.

The Yanmen Zhang Clan is also a first-class Martial Dao noble family in Bingzhou; perhaps they are not as good as those top-tier aristocratic families, but a family that can produce Golden Core powerhouses is not something even those top-tier aristocratic families dare to underestimate.

What is more, the current Clan Head of the Zhang Clan, Zhang Hu, is a Martial Dao powerhouse who has reached the combat strength of Refining Spirit.

It was also this person who completely brought the Zhang Clan to the position of the number one family in Yanmen.

Starting from a Squad Leader, he rose to the position of Prefect commanding one hundred thousand garrison troops; among the thirteen commanderies of Bingzhou, his status is also ranked at the very forefront.

Even the Provincial Governor of Bingzhou, Wang Yan, treats him as an equal.