sweeping the world

Chapter 964
To the east of the North Sea, although it is only the end of autumn, the sky is constantly falling with snowflakes.

Looking up, the branches and leaves of the treetops are covered with snow, the frozen soil on the ground is one black and one white, and the field of vision is full of white and other color spots.

"It's already a dead end, but it's just a dying struggle." Murong Ke didn't wear a mask on his face as usual. The once peerless beauty has been exposed to the wind and sun for a long time. His facial features are still bright and beautiful, but his skin has become rough. : "We have long been unable to go back."

"Yes, I can't go back." Tuoba Han said full of vicissitudes: "When I fled to the north of Dalin (Xing'an Mountains), I had expected it."

The two Xianbei remnants did not live in harmony at the beginning after fleeing far away. It should be said that they often fought with each other for the ranch.

They have been fighting each other for two or three years one after another. The population of each department is getting smaller and smaller. Realizing that if they continue to fight, they will inevitably become weaker. They use the greatest rationality to divide the pastures through negotiations. Although there are still many conflicts, they are not. If another war breaks out, it can be regarded as a little bit of peace.

The north of the Xing'an Mountains is not a very good place. There are at least two seasons of the year in a world of ice and snow. In a worse year, there are even three seasons where the ice and snow will not melt.

Farming peoples look at the sky to eat, but nomads are actually the same. It can even be said that farming peoples are less dependent on climate than nomads.

Living in an environment that is icy and snowy most of the time and not having enough pasture means that the livestock don't have enough forage.

Once there is not enough forage, the livestock will multiply wantonly, and it will be difficult to ensure that the number of livestock will not decline rapidly.

Although the nomads live by grazing, the main food of ordinary people among them is not meat, but various cheese products. Ordinary people want to eat meat because livestock die of disease.

Without enough material, livestock reproduction is difficult, and even the milk production of female herds is seriously insufficient.

For the two Xianbei remnants, they came to a barren land, where grazing was difficult to maintain food sources, and the frozen soil did not have the basis for farming. Fortunately, there were many wild animals around.

The only point is that even if there are enough wild beasts, they will be killed if they hunt again and again, or even let the wild beasts migrate, and gradually fall into the predicament of lack of food sources.

Whether it is a farming nation or a nomadic nation, the basis for population growth is sufficient food. Without sufficient food, the population will only show a downward trend.

In just a few years, the combined total population of the Tuoba remnants and the Murong remnants dropped to just over a hundred thousand, and they fell from the level of contact with civilization to the stage of regressing to the stage where they were almost ashamed.

If it weren't for the fact that the leaders of the two remnants of the Xianbei still had some ambitions, they would have been like those nomads who once had a good time, either self-destroying and splitting into an unknown number of wild tribes, or being digested by the powerful people around them. .

"The dominance of the Han people is beyond our imagination." Murong Ke lowered his head and stroked the horse's mane: "I didn't expect that they would use troops against us without solving Rouran, Donggaoche, and Xigaoche."

The two Xianbei remnants did not pose a threat to the Han Empire in any way. It should be the Rouran Tribal Alliance with a population of more than one million, Donggaoche, and Xigaoche that were the biggest threat to the Han Empire.

Generally speaking, even if the Han Empire hated Tuoba remnants and Murong remnants, it should temporarily ignore the two remnants of Xianbei who were not much of a threat, and concentrate on fighting with the Rouran tribal alliance and Donggaoche , Xigaoche is going to war, right?

"It's the Han people who are too strong." Tuobahan said with a wry smile, "They are so strong that they can fight across the board."

Murong Ke also smiled wryly, and he also knew the reason.

Tuoba remnants and Murong remnants ventured across the Greater Khingan Mountains. Before they entered the forest, there were about 8 people left, but when they left the forest, there were less than [-] left.

People are cut in half, but the rest is the essence. They accepted Yu Jiulubati's proposal to go to the alliance, and they would not tell the leaders of the coalition forces clearly, and even thought about spending all their family assets for appearances.

When Murong Xianbei retreated, he not only took away a large number of people in Liaodong, but also took away wealth and supplies.This is also the reason why they were able to survive in a completely unfamiliar wild area after losing their territory.It's just that they still underestimated the harshness of the unfamiliar environment, especially the difficulty of obtaining food.

"I have [-] cavalry armor, and you have [-]." Murong Ke said playfully, "The strength alone is not inferior to the [-] soldiers of the coalition forces of all parties. What do you think they will think?"

"It's not relying on it, it's being jealous." Tuoba Han said truthfully: "If we let them know that our tribe is running out, I'm afraid they will be more inclined to kill us."

Most of the vehicles of the two remnants of Xianbei who were on their way were left in the forest area, and there were not many livestock in the team. It was difficult for the whole team to see the elderly and children, and even women were very few.

If a tribe is dominated by young and strong men, it seems that it still has enough force, but it depends on the existence of other tribes around them.

If it can invade the surrounding area by force, continuously defeat other tribes and annex them, it will naturally be able to develop again.

If it is difficult to use aggressive means to normalize the various proportions of the tribal population, such as obtaining a sufficient number of women, then even if it seems to be powerful for a while, it will definitely not escape the fate of disappearing.

Wasn't Lou Annoying once a nomadic people with powerful force?But they not only like to slaughter the defeated indiscriminately, but they also don't care about the women of their own clan. As a result, the gap in the ratio of men and women in the future increases, and finally waits for the death of a generation of young and old, and Lou Fan disappears in the long river of history. middle.

Alliance with various tribes to fight against the Han Empire?
Murong Ke would not make such a choice. If he really had to work hard, he had a better choice.

Tuoba Han did not hide from Murong Ke that he had defected to the Han Empire, he and Murong Ke had already reached an agreement.

The remnants of Tuoba Xianbei formed false alliances with various tribes, and what they will do at that time is to serve as the internal support of the Han army. After this battle, they will return to the Han Empire, accept the family and be the end of the Han people.

Judging from the various signs and the news gathered from all parties, if today's emperor wants to say which tribe among the various tribes he looks at differently, it is undoubtedly the Tuoba tribe.

According to the understanding of the world, the emperor's relative kindness to Tuoba Xianbei was due to his love for Tuoba Xiu, and even the Tuoba clan thought that was exactly the case.

The Tuoba clan was protected by Tuobaxiu. Although Tuoba Xianbei no longer had the name of Tuoba Xianbei after being attached to the Han Empire, the Tuoba clan did not die out.For them, compared with the Jie tribe and other tribes that were exterminated, the fate is already the best one.

Murong Ke often asked himself, if Murong Xianbei could also get the treatment of Tuoba Xianbei, would he choose to give up like Tuoba Han?

Every time he asks himself, Murong Ke's answer is "yes".But Murong Xianbei didn't have a Tuobaxiu, they dared not and couldn't entrust their fate to the unknown.

Not daring to submit, and having achieved great brilliance, his spirit has not been completely wiped out, so Murong Ke chose to take another path.

On a snowy day, two remnants of the Xianbei tribe came to the gathering place where all ethnic groups met after a long journey.

Yujiulubati and Afuliyan joined hands to welcome the arrival of Murong Ke and Tuoba Han.

The two had been informed before that a large number of armored riding gear appeared in the two Xianbei armies. After they went out to welcome them, they saw the batch of armored riding gear with their own eyes, and their attitude was enthusiastic enough to melt the ice and snow.

"You two really believe in people!" Yu Jiulu Bati had a rough appearance, and his voice was even rougher. After a burst of "haha" laughter, he said: "With the help of two people, it will be more sure to defeat the Han army!"

A Fu Lijian originally wanted to walk first and wanted to speak first, but Yu Jiulu Bati took the lead and his expression flashed haze.

Murong Xianbei once entered the Central Plains and was influenced by many Xia cultures. In just a few decades, his clothes were no different from those of the Han people.

Although Tuoba Xianbei had never entered the Central Plains, a considerable number of Han literati went to serve, and they also moved closer to Zhuxia in terms of culture.

A group of people, although Murong Ke and Tuoba Han were wearing armor, the cloaks outside and the clothes inside the armor were all in the style of Zhu Xia, while Yu Jiulu Bati and A Fu Liyan were wearing animal skin clothes It looks so out of place together.

Facing the enthusiasm of Yu Jiulu Bati and A Fu Lixian, Murong Ke and Tuoba Han looked at each other.

"Thank you Khan for welcoming me personally." Murong Ke smiled boldly and said, "For those who are down and out, please ask Khan to take care of them in the future."

Tuobahan also said something similar.

They talked like that, but they didn't show any signs of inferiority, and they even showed a little pride in some aspects.

Yu Jiuluba Ti didn't seem to see the attitude of the two Xianbei leaders, but still enthusiastically invited them into the camp, and said that he would order people to treat the rest of the Xianbei people who came to help the battle.

"It's nice to say..." Afu Lixian said to Rouran's brave general Afu Ganzefu: "There is contempt hidden in their eyes."

"It's nothing." Afugan Zefu said bluntly, "If I have thousands of soldiers, I would have the same attitude."

"Jiashi..." Afu Liyan was speechless for a moment to retort, and after a long sound, he said, "That's right."

The entire Rouran tribal alliance gathered together and wondered if they could make [-] sets of iron armor. It was because Rouran had a period of friendship with the Han Empire.

Donggaoche is too far away from the Han Empire, they have not developed any level, it is a nomadic form close to the Stone Age, not to mention iron armor, not even metal weapons.

Before Donggaoche was not too impressed with the strength of the Han Empire. It was only when he saw that the Rouran people who were able to press themselves on the ground and rubbed against the ground were beaten helplessly by the Han army, it was considered a basis for the strength of the Han Empire. imagine.

"Xianbei..." A Fulijian asked not so sure: "He was beaten far away by the Han people, right?"

Afugan Zefu replied: "The Xianbei people once entered the Central Plains. After decades of good life, they were indeed driven away by the Han people."

A Fulixian nodded, with a thoughtful expression on his face.

A long time ago, since the Xiongnu repeatedly lost to the Han Dynasty, the grassland has entered the stage of learning from Zhuxia.From that time on, learning to write and speak Chinese characters, and even learning the dressing habits of Han people, was considered a way to become stronger.

Although the decline of the Western Jin Dynasty allowed the Hu people to take control of the Central Plains, they still believed that Zhuxia was a very powerful civilization, and believed that learning from Zhuxia was the only way to become stronger.

If the Central Plains were ruined through the Western Jin Dynasty, and the Eastern Jin Dynasty was still unable to recover the Central Plains through the Northern Expedition, the Hu people's strong impression of Zhu Xia would definitely disappear over time, and they would embark on a time period of contempt for the civilization level of Zhu Xia.

Liu Yan changed history. Although the Han people declined for a while, they quickly stood up again and took bloody revenge against the Hus who invaded the Central Plains, especially the massacre of the Jie people, which made all ethnic groups realize that the strength of the Han people is not inevitable. offend.

Now, although the Rouran people and the Dingling people are entering a full-scale war with the Han Empire, because they have been defeated repeatedly on the battlefield, they admit that the civilization of the Han people is still the most powerful civilization in the world. Seeing the serious trend of Sinicization of Xianbei people, not only did not feel that there was anything wrong, but even envy appeared.

When everyone entered the camp, Murong Ke observed the situation of the camp and saw that the camp was extremely chaotic, and a kind of relief appeared on his face.He is not an ignorant person, he can even be said to be a person who knows soldiers. Seeing that there is no order in the camp, he does not expect such an army to defeat the Han army at all, and he is grateful for the plan he made earlier.

"When we were at our peak, we were hundreds of times stronger than these barbarians." Tuoba Han obviously had the same opinion, and said in a low voice in Xianbei dialect: "We were a hundred times stronger and still lost to the Han army. The current Han army is better than defeating us." At that time, they were more than ten times stronger, and the outcome of the battle was clear at a glance, but they were still dreaming of defeating the Han army."

"Let's fight, it's better to lose even worse." Murong Ke smiled friendly when he saw A Fu Lixian looking at him.He looked at A Fu Lijian, and said to Tuoba Han: "The more miserable they are, the more credit you will make, and you may be able to win an official position in the Han Dynasty. The tribe that I take over will also be better." easy."

Tuobahan no longer responded.He chose to bring the remnants of Tuoba to join him. Firstly, he knew that the Han Empire was really powerless to resist, and secondly, all ambitions and ambitions were wiped out. Live the life of a rich man.

"After leaving Dalin, we have discussed not to use the name Xianbei anymore." Murong Ke seemed to have made some major decision: "There will be no more Murong in the future, so I decided to change my surname to Ashina."

"Ashina?" Tuobahan asked without thinking too much: "Return to the original? Decided to follow the grass, go west and never return east?"

Murong Ke also thought for a long time before he made such a decision. He chose "Ashina" because it has a meaning in Xianbei language, which probably means a noble wolf.What is expressed here is not to succumb to the arrogance of the Han people, and it also means to realize that you really can't beat the Han people and stay away.

(End of this chapter)