Chapter 363 - 357: Slightly Moved
Zhao Hanzhang didn’t expect them to have this understanding and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. In reality, they weren’t wrong in what they said.
But just because it is reality doesn’t mean it’s right. The founding emperor of the Han Zhao dynasty, Liu Yuan, clearly realized this, so he hoped that the Xiongnu and Han people could become like a family.
Liu Yuan is a Xiongnu, but he grew up with Han culture and was held as a hostage in Luoyang during his youth. His proficiency in Han culture matched that of a Jin person, so he highly revered Han governance.
Zhao Hanzhang believed that the reason he established the country’s name as Han was not only because he considered himself a descendant of the Han dynasty, inheriting the Shu Han’s rule legitimately (though it was an excuse), but also because of the education he received from childhood.
Now that he has just founded the nation, what he advocates is governing the barbarian through Han methods.
Despite having launched attacks on Luoyang for two consecutive years, he has actually been restraining his armies, hoping they wouldn’t harm civilians, so as to win the people’s hearts and fulfill the purpose of using the name Han to gain people’s trust.
He intends to place himself on par with the Jin State, replacing the old with the new. If one dynasty wants to replace another, it must conquer the capital and destroy the fallen country.
Liu Yuan never aimed to establish a Xiongnu Khanate; his goal was to replace the Jin State and unify the entire Jiuzhou.
Currently, the conflict between the Xiongnu and ordinary Han people is not actually irreconcilable. Liu Yuan initially leaned toward a gentle approach to ruling the Han people. It’s just that those subordinate to him kept failing to comply, due to the nomadic nature of the Xiongnu, who would raid property and habitually treat civilians as slaves once they occupied territory.
Even Han generals like Wang Mi showed no mercy when killing Han people, not to mention plundering property and capturing people.
In a few years, they would have killed even more people, and the tension between the Han and the Xiongnu would become irreconcilable. By then, he would abandon the Han governance model and implement the "Separate Governance of Barbarians and Han."
People would be classified, with the Xiongnu as the first class, above all ethnicities. Han people seemed the lowest class, but actually, the most oppressed and looked down upon were the Jiehu.
If not, then later the Jiehu wouldn’t have established their own regime just to retaliate against the Xiongnu.
Zhao Hanzhang contemplated with lowered eyes. Now the Xiongnu Khanate already shows such tendencies, indicating that even after becoming emperor a year earlier, Liu Yuan still failed to control the situation.
She curled her lips slightly; the Jiehu were always Xiongnu’s slaves, and the Han people’s fate was tragic, yet their treatment was even worse than that of the Han people.
The Xiongnu looked down on the Han but would learn Han culture, knowing deep down its merits. It was a mixture of inferiority and disdain toward the Han people;
but toward the Jiehu, it was pure arrogance and contempt.
However, was Jiehu really inferior to the Xiongnu?
No ethnicity is inferior to another. Each has its own attributes in their blood, and would the Jiehu always bow their heads to be slaughtered?
It’s merely that the time hasn’t come yet.
Zhao Hanzhang pondered, repeatedly weighing her thoughts, quickly making a decision, and asked, "The Li Family Wu Castle has already prepared grain and fodder for you, so why hunt down and eliminate everyone?"
Cheng Da replied, "We are merely following orders."
He said, "The general ordered us to gather grain and fodder, so we did. He ordered us to capture civilians, break the castle, and loot property, so we could only obey."
Zhao Hanzhang wasn’t sure how much to believe and asked, "Where is the loot?"
Cheng Da pointed to the central tent, the one the commander had fled, where Zhao Hanzhang had already confiscated the items. She looked away, "Is there nothing left?"
Cheng Da shook his head, "The civilians here are very poor, only Li Family Wu Castle had some money, but not much. All that could be looted was taken."
Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Are there relatives still at home?"
Cheng Da was startled and asked Zhao Hanzhang, "You Han people want to go to our country and capture our relatives? This is war; it shouldn’t involve family."
Zhao Hanzhang sighed deeply and said, "In this war, both of us are just innocent soldiers who got involved. Though you killed Han civilians, I am willing to give you a chance to live."
Cheng Da was not moved, responding plainly.
Such matters had happened many times to him and his companions. He surrendered and was a captive; if Zhao Hanzhang found them cumbersome, killing them would be normal;
If she found them useful, they would merely change from being Xiongnu slaves to Han slaves.
He and his companions had switched masters several times. When one general lost, they would follow another. If the new general disdained them, they would either be killed or driven to the frontlines as cannon fodder, as their companions died one by one. Such occurrences were quite usual.
They never had a choice.
So, was Zhao Hanzhang implying not to kill them but leave them as slaves?
Cheng Da, already numb, thinking it’s better to live another day, hesitated and thanked, "Thank you, General."
Yet he still wondered what this had to do with his family.
But he answered anyway, "There is a mother and a younger brother. I haven’t been home for years, don’t know if they’re dead or alive."
So, if you have the ability, go to the Han Kingdom and capture them, to know whether they’re still alive.
Zhao Hanzhang asked, "Can you farm?"
Cheng Da blinked, more baffled, while Wei You beside him promptly said, "I can! I can grow wheat and beans!"
Zhao Hanzhang smiled at them and said, "Then you can stay and serve as soldiers for me. I’ll assign you a few pieces of land; you farm when not in battle, and with money later, you can bring your family."
The five of Cheng Da were stunned, then hurriedly asked, "Assign us land? Are we farming for the General, or..."
"Just like the soldiers under my governance, you are soldiers and don’t need to pay taxes. The produce from the land belongs to you personally."
"We can have personal property?"
A slave’s body and mind were both their master’s; even when they had wealth now, it could be taken anytime when the master was in need.
Zhao Hanzhang said, "Of course, it’s yours. Even as the leader, I cannot unjustly seize your property."
The five were silent, unsure whether to trust Zhao Hanzhang.
Yet what difference does it make whether they believe or not? They’re captives anyway.
Still, a glimmer of hope arose in their hearts, warming them slightly. When Zhao Hanzhang questioned them again, they cooperated more, such as saying, "Qiao Xi is brutal. The reason he suddenly ordered us to plunder Han people is because he heard Wang Mi seized much property while collecting grain, and he became envious, so commanded us to loot Han people and hand the spoils over to him."
And also, "Qiao Xi has been unable to capture Guan City and fears the emperor’s wrath. He is planning to dig open the East Wind Canal and flood Guan City."
Upon hearing this, the smile on Zhao Hanzhang’s lips faded slightly, she leaned forward slightly, seriously gazing at them, "Is he going to dig it?"
"It’s hard to dig," Wei You said, "We were ordered to start digging a small hole. Now nearing winter, the river flow is low; digging won’t easily flood the entire Guan City, though the fertile fields below would likely be washed away."