Chương 521: Tribal Migration North

"Besides, what if he doesn't accept us and kills the envoy we sent? That Liu Ce is ruthless! Last time he captured our envoy and sent his head back. I couldn't sleep for three days straight!"

"Are you going to wait to die if you don't surrender?" Ke Zuitan glared at him, spitting all over his face.

"Six years have passed, and Liu Ce's strength has grown even greater. Moreover, now that he is the emperor, he has more soldiers and more supplies."

If he really sends a large army to attack us, we won't even have a chance to surrender! Not only will we have to submit, but our entire tribe will be wiped out! Do you want to suffer for the sake of saving face, or do you want to live? You're willing to do something that will bring about the extinction of your lineage?

"I don't think surrendering is an option either," Murong Huai shook his head, stroking his sparse beard.

"Liu Ce is a ruthless man who eliminates all threats. We fought against him for so many years and killed many of his soldiers, so he must hold a grudge against us."

"Before, when he wasn't the emperor, he couldn't make many decisions. But now he's the emperor, and he calls the shots. If we surrender now, we might just be walking into his trap and get wiped out."

"What can we do? Surrendering won't work, and we can't win a fight. Are we just supposed to sit here and wait to die?" Suliba said with a mournful face.

Then everyone started discussing and arguing, from noon until evening, until their mouths were dry.

The mutton in the pot had gone completely cold, and the mutton fat had solidified into a layer of white grease, but the argument still hadn't yielded any results.

Some supported surrender, some supported fighting to the death, some suggested running north, some suggested running west, and some even suggested digging tunnels to hide underground.

Finally, Ke Zuitan slammed his hand on the table, making the wine bowls on it jump, and shouted:

"Stop arguing! My ears are about to go deaf! I think we should do this: instead of surrendering to Luoyang, let's not cause any trouble. Let's move all the tribes northward, deep into the Gobi Desert, the farther the better, as far away from the border as possible, so that the Han army can't find us."

"Then, we will organize all the able-bodied men, train them every day, forge more weapons, and stockpile more grain and fodder, just in case."

"Let's send a few more men to secretly keep watch at the border. If Liu Ce really sends troops to attack us, we'll quickly flee north again; if he doesn't, we'll continue living in the northern desert and wait for another opportunity."

Everyone thought it was a good idea and nodded in agreement: "Great! Let's do it this way! Let's avoid that devil for now!"

"Yes! Hurry back and pack your things. We'll move north tomorrow! Take the best horses and sheep, and burn all the extra tents and supplies. Don't leave anything for the Han army! Take what you can, and burn what you can't. Don't leave them a single wool!"

"From now on, no one is allowed to cause trouble at the border! Anyone who dares to cross the border without permission, I'll chop off their head first! You want to die, but I want to live a few more years!"

As the meeting ended, more than a dozen tribal chiefs rushed out of the tent, forgetting even the mutton they hadn't finished eating and the wine they hadn't drunk.

Shamohan was running so fast that he almost tripped over the threshold and fell face-first into the mud, but he got up and kept running.

As he ran, Gudujin shouted, ordering his men to quickly drive the cattle and sheep hidden in the valley out.

Murong Huai was not in a hurry, but he took much larger steps than usual.

In the blink of an eye, the once lively tent was empty, leaving only Ke Zuitan alone.

All that remained on the ground were a pile of cleanly gnawed sheep bones and a few empty wine sacs. The fire was almost out, with only a few embers flickering in the ashes.

He picked up the half-leg of lamb from the ground, took a bite, but found it had no taste at all.

He walked to the tent entrance, lifted the felt curtain, and looked south.

The cold wind stung his face like knives.

He sighed and muttered to himself, "Liu Ce, Liu Ce, you're already the emperor, ruling the whole world, isn't that enough? Don't come looking for trouble again... Our little bit of wealth on the grasslands isn't enough for you to mess around with."

Outside the tent, snowflakes began to fall, one by one, landing on his beard and melting.

...

March 1st.

Inside the State Planning Commission office in Luoyang, the lights were on.

This government office is newly built, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and looks unremarkable, but inside it is bustling with activity.

Xun Yu, holding a thick stack of reports, reported to Liu Ce, his voice filled with barely concealed excitement:

"Your Majesty, so far, the new policies have been implemented smoothly. Slaves have been freed throughout the country... unclaimed wasteland has been distributed... Ninety-one powerful families have been punished for obstructing the new policies, of whom sixty-nine were beheaded, and the rest were exiled or dismissed from their posts. All of their land has been distributed to the people, who are overjoyed as if it were New Year's Day.

In some places, they have even spontaneously organized to celebrate with gongs and drums."

"In agriculture, high-yield crops such as wheat, rice, sweet potatoes, corn, and potatoes have begun to be distributed to farmers on a large scale. Our agricultural officials personally go to the fields to demonstrate and teach them step by step."

The Ministry of Works has already produced 100, 000 sets of curved plows and seed drills, which have been distributed to various provinces and counties. Farmers are now using the new tools, making their work much easier.

"In terms of industry... the first batch of coal has arrived in Luoyang. It's jet black and shiny, and it burns with tremendous force. The national cement plant has also been built and is currently in trial production. The first batch of cement will be used to build the main road from Luoyang to Chang'an. Song Yingxing spends every day at the factory, and he's lost a lot of weight."

"In terms of education, the site for the Royal University has been selected, located south of Luoyang, covering an area of 300 acres, and construction is underway. Thirty prefectures across the country have established prefectural schools, and more than one hundred counties have established county schools."

Most of the teachers at the county school were graduates of the former Youzhou Academy, and they were full of enthusiasm. Many children from poor families finally had the opportunity to study, and the sight of children from all the villages carrying their schoolbags to school was heartwarming.

"In military matters, the Royal Military Academy has also opened, with the first batch of one thousand students enrolled. These students are all elites selected from various units, all of them are in high spirits and have a high level of enthusiasm for training. They will be the backbone of the Han army in the future."

Among the first cohort of students were many from underprivileged backgrounds. They were very attentive in class and even secretly practiced late into the night.

Liu Ce looked at the report, nodded in satisfaction, and smiled: "Very good. All of you have made invaluable contributions to achieving such results in just over a month. I remember some people saying the five-year plan was a pipe dream; now it seems that the pipe dream is becoming a reality."

"But," he changed his tone, becoming serious, "this is just the beginning. The real difficulties are yet to come. Everything is difficult at the beginning, and once you get started, it gets even harder."