Chapter 306: Chiliarch Mansion, Sinicization, Governing The Grassland
“Are you a Han person? Where are you from?”
While the Northern Frontier Army was taking inventory of the spoils of war, Da Hu called Zhang Liujin over to him, asking with a hint of curiosity in his tone.
Judging by appearances alone, Zhang Liujin was no different from the herdsman slaves on the grassland, but as soon as he spoke, his Yan Yun dialect gave away his identity.
Zhang Liujin looked at the young and heroic general before him, his heart leaping to his throat, his palms sweating from nervousness.
Yet at the same time, an inexplicable surge of excitement welled up inside him; he vaguely felt that his chance to defy fate and change his destiny might have arrived.
“Re… replying to the general, this lowly one… this lowly one’s ancestral home is Daxing Prefecture in Zhongdu; sixty years ago, he was relocated to Linhuang Prefecture.”
Zhang Liujin stammered in response, his voice trembling.
Daxing Prefecture was the capital city of later generations, while Linhuang Prefecture was located in the Northeastern Region of later generations, right next to the eastern side of the Greater Khingan Range.
Sixty years ago, the Jin Dynasty had just been established not long before, and they forcibly relocated a large number of Han people to the Northeast; Zhang Liujin’s ancestors were among those who left their homes at that time.
What Zhang Liujin did not know, however, was that prior to this, another group of Han people had followed Yelü Dashi westward, establishing a new homeland in the Northern Frontier.
“Daxing Prefecture, huh!”
Da Hu sighed softly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: “No wonder!”
The Li Family’s ancestral home was also Daxing Prefecture; back then, during the late rule of the Liao State, it was called Xijin Prefecture.
It was only because Da Hu recognized this familiar accent that he specifically called Zhang Liujin over to question him.
“You Han people who were relocated to White Mountains and Black Waters, how have you been faring these years?” Da Hu continued, his tone becoming more serious.
This concerned the Northern Frontier’s future strategic layout for the Northeastern Region, so he had to inquire carefully.
Zhang Liujin gave a wry smile and shook his head: “This… it’s just so-so! At least we’re alive.”
He briefly described the living conditions of Han people in the Northeastern Region: supplies were fairly abundant, after all, the black soil was fertile, so no one starved.
But Han people there had become third-class citizens, suffering constant oppression.
The local hierarchy was rigid: first-class were Jurchen people, second-class were Khitan people, Shiwei people, and other nomadic hunting tribes, third-class were Han people, and fourth-class were Goguryeo people.
“Han people are still better off, since they’re docile and don’t easily cause trouble.”
Zhang Liujin added: “Khitan people are the thorn in the Imperial Court’s side.”
After the Liao State fell, there were still several hundred thousand Khitan people in the Northeastern Region.
Over these years, the Jin Dynasty relentlessly suppressed them and restricted their male population; conflicts between the two groups never ceased, but the Khitan people were always kept down and unable to rise.
Da Hu listened thoughtfully and nodded.
He then asked: “On the grassland, how many Han slaves are there like you?”
“To this lowly one’s knowledge, there are some.”
Zhang Liujin replied: “There are still quite a few Han slaves in the Yelijijin Tribe, and other tribes have at least a dozen, with more having even several dozen.”
“The closer to Han lands, the more Han herdsmen and slaves there are.”
Although the Jin Dynasty’s land tax was low, landlords and gentry were insatiable with greed, and Jurchen petty officials were even more hateful.
Many common people could no longer survive, so they fled to the grassland, and quite a few gradually integrated into the local tribes.
Some Han people were swayed by others’ deceptions, believing they could strike it rich on the grassland, riding fine horses, earning gold and silver, and picking any beauty they wanted.
So they sneaked across to the grassland, only to discover upon arrival that it was nothing like that.
They could not go back.
Da Hu immediately called over an orderly and instructed: “In future campaigns against the tribes, focus on identifying any Han people among the captives.”
He planned to give Han people some preferential treatment, letting them serve as squad leaders or similar minor officials.
After all, in his view, Han people were more obedient than Grasslanders and easier to manage, perfectly suited to bolster the Northern Frontier’s population.
“Understood!” The orderly responded and left.
“You’re called Zhang Liujin?” Da Hu turned back to Zhang Liujin, his tone softening somewhat.
“Yes, this lowly one is Zhang Liujin.”
“Alright, this commander remembers you.”
Da Hu pondered briefly and said, “I’ll grant you squad leader status to manage ten commoner households for the Northern Frontier.”
Hearing this, Zhang Liujin was stunned at first, then his face broke into a brilliant smile, his voice quivering with excitement: “Thank you, Commander! Thank you, Commander Lord!”
Squad leader!
In the former Yelijijin Tribe, that was akin to a minor noble.
For someone of slave status like him to attain such a position was like a dream.
The Northern Frontier Army really was different!
He’d heard before that the Northern Frontier Army killed without blinking, a band of butcher demons, but today he realized they had come to champion the poor and slaves like him.
What surprised Zhang Liujin even more was that this general spoke with a thick Yan Yun accent, which sounded especially friendly.
Perhaps they were even from the same hometown!
“The ancestral graves of old Zhang’s family must be smoking with green fumes!”
Zhang Liujin rejoiced inwardly, “Parents, little Sixth can be an official now!”
With such a great general from the same hometown watching over him, who would dare bully him in the future?
Perhaps one day they could even fight back to the Northeast.
Zhang Liujin suddenly felt his back straighten as he looked at Da Hu with eyes full of gratitude and awe.
Afterward, Da Hu continued leading the army in campaigns against the tribes of the Eastern Grassland.
They successively conquered the Shanzhi Kun Tribe, Diriexi Tribe, Hongjila Tribe, Hailar Tribe, and over a dozen large and small tribes, incorporating the Eastern Grassland into the Northern Frontier’s territory.
During the campaigns, the Northern Frontier Army took a hard line against the old nobles of each tribe, executing all noble men and distributing their wives, concubines, and daughters as slaves to the Northern Frontier Army’s officers and soldiers.
At the same time, they confiscated all property from each tribe—whether cattle and sheep, war horses, or camels—turning it all into Northern Frontier public assets.
According to the Northern Frontier’s distribution rules, one-third of the spoils of war from every battle was divided among the soldiers, a rule that never changed.
However, since livestock and such supplies were inconvenient to transport, the Great Protector’s Mansion would pay equivalent value in silver money to redeem them from the soldiers’ hands.
These were then all treated as public assets and handed over to pastures for rearing.
With the large amounts of silver money in hand, soldiers returning to the Northern Frontier could repurchase supplies, allowing their families to live better lives.
This silver money would then flow back into the Great Protector’s Mansion.
Everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
But the wars on the grassland never ceased.
This was because the tribal leaders had witnessed the Northern Frontier Army’s ruthlessness and were trembling with fear.
Not only did they confiscate their property, but they also took the lives of all male family members, distributing wives, concubines, and daughters as slaves—even humble submission was not accepted.
After all, the Northern Frontier’s conquest of the Northern Desert was for long-term rule over this land, and the existence of these tribal nobles was a major destabilizing factor.
They might submit today and rebel tomorrow.
Li Xiao was determined: even if it meant turning the Northern Desert into ruins and rivers of blood, he must thoroughly purge the original tribal rule system, placing tribesmen and slaves under direct management by Northern Frontier appointees.
In history, Temüjin had employed similar methods.
Through marriage alliances or violence, he killed or replaced the original tribal leaders.
He scattered and reassigned all herdsmen and slaves from the tribes, appointing his own confidants as chiliarchs and centurions.
This consolidated the scattered forces of the grassland tribes, laying the foundation for later campaigns against the Jin and Xia Kingdoms.
However, such reforms inevitably encroached on the interests of the old nobles.
Temüjin’s reforms were not smooth sailing, and the Northern Frontier’s reforms were accompanied by endless bloodshed and turmoil.
Thus, wars erupted one after another, with the remaining grassland tribes successively rebelling.
Some tribes even banded together for desperate battles against the Northern Frontier Army.
But these resistances all came to naught; the rebels were entirely reduced to corpses under the Northern Frontier Army’s cannons and iron cavalry.
Even Temüjin’s coalition army was no match for the Northern Frontier Army in a single clash; mere rabble from the tribes were even less able to withstand their powerful offensive.
Li Xiao would rather increase the difficulty of unifying the Northern Desert Grassland than leave troubles for his descendants; he wanted to settle everything at once.
In the founding period, everything was negotiable anyway—it was already ruins, so they could demolish and rebuild.
But once the state was on track, any reforms would face all sorts of constraints.
A large ship is hard to turn.
……
By the time the grassland wars subsided, it was already autumn.
The Northern Frontier had gradually completed the integration of the grassland tribes.
In the Middle Sea and Eastern Sea areas, a total of sixty-five chiliarch prefectures were established.
Fewer than the ninety-five chiliarchates historically formed by Temüjin.
This was because the Naiman Tribe had long been conquered, and many had been killed by the Northern Frontier Army.
The Yelijijin Tribe’s pastures were designated as the site for the Eastern Sea’s Eighteenth Chiliarch Prefecture.
On this day, Zhang Liujin was cutting grass on the pasture to stockpile fodder for the cattle and sheep over winter.
Suddenly, he heard someone shout: “Little Sixth, come over for a meeting!”
Looking up, he saw a burly man on horseback standing on the nearby hilltop, waving at him.
Zhang Liujin hurriedly shouted back: “Captain, I’m coming right now.”
He had been formally appointed as a squad leader, managing ten commoner households.
However, the personnel had not yet been assigned.
The one calling out was Zhang Liujin’s direct superior, Civilian Captain Huang Laonian.
Originally a civilian laborer from the Xia Kingdom, he was captured by the Northern Frontier Army and became a Northern Frontier civilian household.
War broke out just as it was his turn for military service, and he followed the army to the grassland.
His luck was good; he successively encountered several fleeing grassland soldiers and dispatched them with bow and arrow.
Thus, Huang Laonian earned merit and smoothly became a military household.
However, he was timid, had joined the army out of necessity, and was no longer young; he just wanted a peaceful life.
So he directly retired, was promoted three ranks, and became a civilian captain.
Zhang Liujin was one of his squad leaders.
“Captain, what’s up?”
Zhang Liujin rode over hastily to Huang Laonian and asked loudly.
“Another batch of herdsmen has arrived; the chiliarch wants us to go collect them!”
Hearing this, Zhang Liujin nodded with a grin: “Finally here; otherwise, I didn’t feel like a squad leader—more like a corporal.”
Because at that moment, Zhang Liujin was managing only four households under him.
Two former slaves, two former commoner households.
As for his good brother Ba He, he too had been appointed a squad leader.
Among civilian households, captains were officials, requiring military households with merit to serve.
Squad leaders were civilians who could be promoted in place based on contributions.
Those who became squad leaders were often originally slaves.
Because they had felt the fairness brought by the Northern Frontier Army and recalled the darkness they once suffered, they would guard everything they now had with all their might, refusing to let their current lives shatter.
Thus, former slaves were truly the Northern Frontier Army’s own people.
Commoners remained commoners, while nobles became slaves.
And because they were all Han people, Zhang Liujin had the best relationship with this captain, Huang Laonian.
Soon, Zhang Liujin arrived at the Chiliarch Prefecture with Huang Laonian and the other four squad leaders.
There, he also saw his former good brother, Ba He, who had likewise become a squad leader.
The two gathered together as usual.
Ba He was still the same Ba He, as well-informed as ever.
“I heard this batch sent to our chiliarch prefecture has over five hundred people.”
“Now we finally have the scale of a chiliarch prefecture.”
“What about the previous people?” Zhang Liujin asked.
He meant the former Yelijijin Tribe people; there had been over four thousand, but three thousand were transferred elsewhere.
Then a thousand herdsmen from other tribes were brought in.
Among the four households under Zhang Liujin, one slave and one commoner household came from other tribes.
“I heard many went to the Kereit Tribe side, even some to the Merkit tribe.”
“Anyway, they’re sent everywhere, shuffled around in a mess; I don’t know why—wouldn’t it be fine to just stay put honestly!” Ba He said, scratching his head.
His head couldn’t grasp these complexities, but Zhang Liujin, coming from Han lands, vaguely understood the purpose of such transfers.
Dilution.
Mixing people from different tribes together meant they wouldn’t be of one mind, making them easier for superiors to manage.
“It must be that general townsman’s idea; Han people’s brains are sharper after all.” Zhang Liujin thought of Da Hu and felt deep admiration.
He mused inwardly: “If it were these prairie barbarians, they’d just swap leaders and call it done; they wouldn’t think of all this.”
“By the way, Ba He, how do you know so much?” Zhang Liujin asked curiously.
Ba He said sheepishly: “Nothing much, just lots of brothers.”
Under Zhang Liujin’s pressing, he revealed that his younger brother was now running errands for the deputy chiliarch.
“What, that fierce-looking deputy chiliarch? I heard he’s from the Kereit Tribe!” Zhang Liujin said, eyes widening.
He instantly recalled that day when Da Hu casually shot three arrows, accompanied by this deputy chiliarch from the Kereit Tribe.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the words left his mouth, Ba He shushed him: “Keep it down.”
“The deputy chiliarch hates when people mention he’s Khitan.”
Ba He said urgently, glancing around guiltily.
He saw everyone sitting casually on the grass, chatting in small groups—squad leaders in one circle, captains in another—no one paying them attention, so he relaxed.
“Why?” Zhang Liujin was puzzled.
Why didn’t the deputy chiliarch like people saying he was Kereit?
“I heard~” Ba He’s voice dropped even lower.
“The deputy chiliarch was slave status in the Kereit Tribe before; later he followed the Northern Frontier Army on eastern and western expeditions, earned plenty of merit, and got this official position.”
“No one mentions he’s Kereit anymore; he’s changed to a Han name, Hu Yong.”
“The commander himself helped him change it; Deputy Chiliarch Hu loves it and always considers himself Han.”
“If anyone mentions the Kereit Tribe in front of him, he’ll lose his temper for sure.”
Hearing this, Zhang Liujin’s mouth fell open; he hadn’t expected such a backstory.
Foreign race soldiers in the Northern Frontier Army all gave themselves Han names, gradually assimilating into Han identity.
Hu Yong had integrated even more thoroughly, given his unbearable past status and experiences.
Soon after, Chiliarch Liu Cunxun and Deputy Chiliarch Hu Yong emerged from the large tent.
Compared to Hu Yong’s Kereit Tribe origins, Liu Cunxun was a pure Han person.
From Dunhuang Han people, he earned military merit to become deputy centurion of the First Division.
After transferring to local service, he was promoted three ranks to chiliarch, partnering with Hu Yong.
“The new herdsmen are arriving soon; I called you here to divide them up,” Liu Cunxun said to the crowd outside the tent.
In his chiliarch prefecture, not only were the herdsmen short, but leadership positions were also vacant.
They were just waiting for this batch of five hundred households of migrants.
“Among these migrants, some come from the Kereit Tribe, some from the Merkit tribe, Balahu Tribe, Oirats, all sorts of places.”
“Your job is to select from them, avoiding duplicates as much as possible, balancing origins from each tribe~” Liu Cunxun shouted loudly to his subordinates.
“Moreover, you must tell these newcomers that no one is allowed to cross into other chiliarch prefectures beyond our chiliarch prefecture’s boundaries.”
“If caught, it’s off with their heads.”
To secure a stable rear in the Northern Desert, Li Xiao shuffled herdsmen from various Northern Desert tribes in a grand melting pot fusion.
Ensuring each squad leader’s group came from different tribes as much as possible.
Then, managing them uniformly by chiliarch unit, forcibly assigning each chiliarch a fixed pasture where they could only graze, with no boundary crossing allowed.
After all, the hardest thing about nomadic people was their unpredictable movements, but fixing them in a set area with regular population checks solved many problems.
Soon, Zhang Liujin received his tribesmen: five households total, from five different tribes.
They arrived driving a herd of cattle and sheep.
Zhang Liujin settled them on the outskirts of his squad leader station.
And explained the Northern Frontier’s rules to them.
“Forget your former tribes; from now on, we’re all Northern Frontier herdsmen with only one master: the Great Protector.”
“In the future, you all must learn Chinese with me; adults can struggle, but children must learn it.”
“I’ll give each of you a Han name~”
“Cattle and sheep are all Great Protector’s Mansion property, merely lent to us for grazing.”
“Each household manages a certain number of cattle and sheep, which must be repaid with interest later.”
……
The herdsmen were somewhat troubled; after all, adults couldn’t master another language without hard effort.
But no matter; change bit by bit.
Days were steadily improving, after all.
Especially thinking of those cattle and sheep, everyone’s eyes gleamed with hope.
Among these five squad households, five had been slaves before, with nothing to their names.
Now they finally had property of their own, even if borrowed.
As long as they worked diligently and cared for the cattle and sheep well, once they produced offspring and were sold, they could gradually repay the Great Protector’s Mansion’s loan.
The original commoners were also fairly content with their current lives.
After all, by grassland custom, when one tribe overran another, its herdsmen were either killed or became slaves who could be slain at will.
Now, though they had lost property, they remained commoners and retained a spark of hope to slowly rebuild their fortunes.
It was already very good.
Thus, such a life continued.
Zhang Liujin and the others drank sheep milk daily, ate curds, cut grass, and tended sheep; living conditions were a whole level above their slave days.
He had no wife, so one full stomach fed the whole family; he wasn’t stingy with food.
This day, inside his shabby tent, he was calculating how long it would take to pay off his debts.
“One hundred sheep, twenty per year in interest; next year over fifty lambs…”
Everyone could tend a fixed number of cattle and sheep, and in autumn one person could cut fodder for at most over a hundred sheep.
So Zhang Liujin kept a hundred sheep.
He had to pay twenty sheep annually as interest, plus principal.
Among the hundred sheep, eighty were ewes; factoring in losses, over fifty lambs would survive a year.
Plus daily needs, it would take about five or six years to clear all debts.
These five years were their adaptation period.
After five years, the Great Protector’s Mansion would tax the pastures, another major expense.
The grassland had taxes too; formerly paid directly to nobles, now in the Northern Frontier there was a fixed standard.
Roughly similar to the rent and tax ratio for common people’s farming.
In the end, some surplus money remained for commoners and herdsmen, but not too much—otherwise everyone would slack off; who would strive for the Northern Frontier?
“Sigh, can’t be so casual; need to save a bit.”
Zhang Liujin swallowed all the mutton in his hand, looking regretful.
Good days were coming, so he’d slaughtered an older ram for a treat.
But he regretted it after eating.
Why couldn’t he control his mouth?
Better to sell rams in the future; eating them himself was wasteful.
Save more money, marry a wife, and carry on the family line—that was the proper business.
After eating, he got up and staggered toward the centurion’s residence outskirts to ‘listen to stories’.
This was their daily routine, a form of recreation.
Old soldiers like captains and centurions told tales of past battles.
Mainly Northern Frontier heroes, battlefield exploits, and Li Xiao’s radiant and majestic image.
At the same time, all were strictly forbidden from mentioning Temüjin, Zhamuha, or other grassland leaders, ancestors, and faiths.
The goal was gradual cultural influence on these herdsmen, learning Chinese through interactions for better integration into Huaxia.
However, halfway there, Zhang Liujin suddenly spotted a group approaching in the distance.
