In fact, Yi Nan's previous analysis was correct. For thousands of years, the Central Plains dynasties have changed from generation to generation. There have been emperors throughout the ages, and there have also been foolish kings, but there has never been a situation where the Central Plains dynasty completely controlled the grasslands!
On the contrary, the nomads in the north have almost always been the strong enemies of the Central Plains dynasty. Sometimes they made peace with the Central Plains dynasty to obtain a large amount of living materials, and sometimes they went south to plunder, bringing huge disasters to the Central Plains dynasty, and sometimes even annihilation.
When the King of Qin conquered Liuhe, how heroic was he to look at him? But facing the grassland, Qin Shihuang could only look forward and sigh! Although Meng Tian defeated the Xiongnu by more than 700 miles to the north, which greatly frustrated the Xiongnu's spirit, the Qin Empire still built the Great Wall.
The Great Wall means defense, and defense is often carried out only when the offense fails; the Great Wall also means boundary. The Central Plains Dynasty in the north used the Great Wall as its boundary!
Although Baiyue and prefectures and counties in Lingnan were conquered in the south, the Qin Empire's overall strategy in the north was to defend and establish territory. The Qin political system has been implemented for hundreds of generations. The Qin Dynasty played this way, and the Central Plains dynasties in later generations could only play this way. It can be said to be path dependent, or it can be said to be copying, but the Central Plains Dynasty has never been able to break through the front line of the Great Wall and has always been in a defensive posture in the north.
This was true for Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and it was also true for the Western Han and Eastern Han Dynasties after Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty!
Afterwards, a Northern Wei Dynasty appeared and unified the entire northern grassland. However, the Northern Wei Dynasty was established by the nomadic people of Xianbei, and in the later period, the Northern Wei Dynasty also began to build the Great Wall in the north. Therefore, once the Northern Wei Dynasty became a dynasty in the Central Plains, it had to follow Qin Shihuang's routine.
Along the long river of history, and further back, according to the original historical "script", Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty was called emperor in the Central Plains and Khan of Heaven in the grasslands. The Tang Empire opened up the Yenisei River and the state capital Wanli Grassland!
However, Datang's strategy on the grasslands was not to rule absolutely, but to support pro-Tang forces and gradually assimilate the grassland tribes!
Li Shimin's strategy was very wise and his method was correct. However, the greatness of the Tang Dynasty had ended by Emperor Xuanzong...
Not to mention the Song Dynasty after the Tang Dynasty, the Northern Song Dynasty even lost the Henan land that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty captured, which is modern Ningxia. Therefore, the Northern Song Dynasty basically returned to the territorial era of the Qin Empire.
The Jurchen Daijin were also a nomadic people. Before they took over the Central Plains, they were the overlords of the grasslands. But what about after taking over the Central Plains? The Jurchens quickly became Chinese and did not even return to their hometown in the Northeast. They started with bloody massacres on the northern grasslands, then relied on the Tatar people to contain them, and finally built the Great Wall.
The Mongols were the most ferocious, but the Yuan Dynasty was only a part of the Great Mongol Empire. Therefore, the Mongolian nobles have never been completely Sinicized and have always maintained their grassland nature. Therefore, although Emperor Dayuan was in the Central Plains, his heart was attached to the grasslands. Therefore, the Yuan Dynasty's rule over the Central Plains was as extensive as possible. It was so extensive that it even forgot to collect taxes when it conquered the Southern Song Dynasty.
However, once the Central Plains was reintegrated, the Mongols could only withdraw north immediately. Because this group of people has never regarded the Central Plains as their home. The owner of the Central Plains no longer welcomes me, and even chases him away with sticks. Then I will run back to the grassland to sing and herd horses!
After the nomads conquer the Central Plains, they will definitely face two choices, which is also a dilemma: one is to quickly Chineseize, and then successfully take over, but will give up the grasslands; the other is to refuse Chineseization, and then it will be difficult to gain a foothold, so sooner or later they will be driven away.
Why did the Manchus achieve the unification of the Central Plains and the grasslands
The emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty created a trinity. He was called the emperor in the Central Plains, the Great Khan in the Mongolian grasslands, and the reincarnation of Manjusri in the snow-covered plateau. Therefore, the ruling methods of the Manchu nobles were quite powerful. But, the question remains: do you Manchus want to be Sinicized
This is necessary. Without Chineseization, we will not be able to stand firm in the Central Plains. But how should the Sinicized Manchus rule the grasslands
A lamasery is worth a hundred thousand soldiers!
This sentence is the understanding of the Manchu emperor, and it is also the Manchu emperor's strategy for ruling the grassland! The cost of conquering the grasslands for the Qing Dynasty people was much lower than that for the Ming Dynasty people!
But why didn’t the ancient Central Plains dynasty have an emperor who dared to rule the grasslands? It’s not that I won’t go, it’s that I can’t!
In addition to what Yi Nan said before, there is a deeper reason, that is, there is an essential difference in the underlying logic between the Han Dynasty in the Central Plains and the Prairie Dynasty!
In ancient China, what were Han people
Han people are defined by culture, specifically Confucian culture. As long as people accepted Confucian culture and lived according to the guidance of Confucian culture, they were regarded as Han people in ancient times.
Confucian culture first exists as the daily ethical standards of the public. Individuals who follow Confucian culture must live in a specific interpersonal structure. The specific interpersonal relationships required by Confucian culture require a relatively stable family organization, and the prerequisite is to settle down.
The prerequisite for settlement is farming, and farming has a rigid constraint, which is precipitation.
In ancient society, due to the rainfall requirements for farming, if the Han people crossed the north of the Great Wall and still wanted to survive, they had to become nomadic, otherwise they would be dead ends. Once they become nomadic, it means that all the Central Plains-style interpersonal structures have collapsed, and they can no longer live according to the Confucian way. And as long as your lifestyle is nomadic, you are no longer Han.
For the Central Plains dynasty, it was okay to send troops to expel the nomads, but to rule Mobei, troops must be stationed. It is obviously not possible to rely on transportation from the Central Plains for the garrison's logistical supplies, as the distance is too long.
It is precisely the dependence of the Confucian culture of the Central Plains Dynasty on geography that makes the Central Plains Dynasty unable to cross north of the Great Wall and can only develop in the Central Plains region!
In layman's terms, it is probably the vast expanse of grassland. To the rulers of the Central Plains, it is a barren alien land. It is not worth their entire country's efforts to attack and completely control it, because even if they conquer it It's not of much use, and you have to send troops to guard it, which is totally worth the loss!
According to the normal pace of history, although the Tang Dynasty finally defeated the Eastern Turks, as Yi Nan expected, the Tang Dynasty failed to fully control the grassland. There were still many tribes on the grassland!
But today's Tang Dynasty is no longer the "normal" Tang Dynasty in history. If a time traveler like Li Zexuan mixes in, will the result really be the same as before
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After all the chiefs of Tiele tribes expressed their intention to resist Jieli together, a few of them briefly discussed the next plan, and then went "each back to his own home, each to find his own mother"!
Now is indeed a special period. The tribal chiefs gathered together for a long time and were easily discovered by Jieli's spies. Therefore, Qibi Heli and others did not delay in the Xueyantuo tribe. After walking out of the camp, they , a few people disguised themselves and left Xue Yantuo's tribe.
However, although these chiefs were very careful, they somewhat underestimated the spies under Jie Li, or in other words, they underestimated the wolf guards in Jie Li's hands!
"Ouch~! Man Niu, help me look after it for a while, I'll go to the latrine!"
At the exit of Xue Yantuo's camp, a sergeant suddenly covered his stomach and screamed in pain. It seemed that he had eaten something bad and had a stomachache. The man shouted to his companions, then bent over and ran away in a hurry.
However, he did not go to the hut. He turned around and came to the foot of a hillside to the west of Xueyantuo. He put his thumb and index finger into his mouth and whistled. After a while, a black man not far away appeared. The man in robe came out in a flash.
The sergeant rushed forward and said without any nonsense: "Go and report to the Great Khan quickly. The chiefs of the Nine Tribes of Tiele came to the Xueyantuo Tribe to discuss matters with Yi Nan. They seemed to be planning some plan. They stayed in the Xueyantuo Tribe. It took nearly half an hour to leave!"
"good!"
The man in black robe nodded, said only one word "good", then turned and left. Within a few breaths, he disappeared, obviously his martial arts skills were good!
The sergeant, now looking around on the spot, made sure that he was not exposed, and then returned to his "post" calmly.
Who would have thought that Jie Li would insert a spy into Yi Nan's base camp!
Moreover, since Jieli can insert people into the Xueyantuo tribe, what about the other Qibi tribe, Huihe tribe, and Tongluo tribe? It’s simply terrifying to think about!
Obviously, Jieli's control over the tribes in the grasslands has far exceeded the expectations of Yi Nan, Qibi Heli and others!
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"...What? Chief, did you promise the Yinan leader to raise an army to resist Jieli?"
Qibi tribe, after Qibi Heli came back, he immediately summoned his brother Qibi Samana and his top adviser Gu Zang Jiming, and roughly told them what happened in Xue Yantuo tribe to Qibi Samana and Gu Zang Jiming. Hearing this, the militant Qibi Samana was naturally delighted, but Gu Zang Jiming was shocked.
"Alas! At that time, most of the chiefs had been convinced by Yi Nan. As the chief of the Qibi tribe, I must make a choice on behalf of the Qibi tribe!"
Qibi Heli sighed and said: "I know that using the strength of the Tiele tribes to fight against Jieli is like using a mantis's arm as a chariot. I also know that Yi Nan's ambitions will never stop there, but if the Qibi tribe does not want to annihilate itself against the iron To rein in all the tribes, we must join forces with Yi Nan and others to resist Jie Li!"
“…”
Gu Zang Jiming opened his mouth. Although he did not agree with the Qi Bi Department rashly starting a war with Jie Li, he also understood that under the circumstances at that time, Qi Bi He Li had no choice.
"Hey! If you ask me, Yi Nan is right. Now is a great time for our Tiele tribe to take revenge on Jieli! There was frost on the grassland yesterday, and now the herdsmen of each tribe are privately talking about Jieli's misconduct. In addition, You said that the national master Wu Jie has also left the royal court. If we don’t fight for profit now, when will we fight? With the prestige of our Tie Le Shi tribe in the grassland, brother, as long as you raise your arms, many tribes will definitely come to seek refuge. If you're afraid of his eggs, just do it and it'll be over!"
Gu Zang Jiming didn't say anything, but Samana Qibi couldn't help but speak at this moment. This guy has always wanted to defeat Jie Li, but his brother didn't allow him to act arrogantly. Now that he's got such a good opportunity, how can he endure it? Live, I suddenly felt a little carried away!
"Shut up!"
Hearing this, Qibi Heli's face darkened, he almost spit out a mouthful of blood, and couldn't help scolding.
He thought to himself, you kid, it's easy to say that, just do it and it will be over, no one will die in the war? Even though the Qibi tribe is very powerful among the Tiele tribes, the Communist Party only has such a small amount of wealth. How many times can they withstand it? He was beaten and beaten, and the tribe was wiped out!
"Jiming, in your opinion, what should our Qibi Department do now~?"
After being scolded, Samana Qibi obediently shut up. Then Qibi Heli looked at Gu Zang Jiming and asked.
Gu Zang Jiming frowned, pondered for a moment, and then said: "Since the chief has agreed to resist Jieli together in front of the leaders of each department, then we can only follow the plan and take one step at a time!
But even if it is true as Yi Nan said, Wu Jie has left the royal court, Jieli's strength is not something that I, Tiele tribes, can compete with! The most important thing for us right now is to withdraw the troops that surrounded the remnants of Tuli first, and then use the headquarters camp as a basis to absorb soldiers from other tribes. When we have the power to protect ourselves first, let's talk about fighting against Jieli! "
"Okay! Just as Jiming said!"
Qibi Heli nodded, then turned to look at Shamen Qibi and said: "Shamen, you go to the front line immediately and pass my order to ask Ge'er to withdraw the tribal warriors. The sooner the better!"
"yes, Sir!"
Samana Qibi said excitedly.
Because he knows that withdrawing the army is only the first step, and they can "do" Jieli in the next step!
"Jiming, there will be great chaos in the grassland. According to your opinion, where should our Qibi tribe go in this turmoil?"
After Qibi Samana left, Qibi Heli was silent for a long time, sighed deeply, and then asked.
In fact, from the moment he learned that the Iron Ten tribes had decided to resist Jieli, Gu Zang Jiming had already begun to think about this issue in his heart. At this time, hearing Qibi Heli's question, he pondered for a moment, and then slowly said:
"Frost has fallen from the sky, prophecies have come true, rumors have spread, national teachers have fled, and there are internal and external troubles. Now is indeed the most difficult and weakest moment for Jie Li. Yi Nan has indeed chosen a good time to rise up at this time. opportunity!
However, a skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Jieli has ruled the grassland for so many years, and his strength is far beyond what Tiele tribes can match. So Yi Nan wanted to use Tu Li's hand to lure Tang soldiers northward to help him attack Jie Li, and finally use a trick to drive away tigers and devour wolves, but...
It's just that the prerequisite for driving tigers and devouring wolves is to be equal to the strength of tigers and wolves. The Tiele tribes obviously do not have this strength. Yi Nan is obviously playing with fire. In the end, he is very likely to get burned and burn himself!
Yi Nan thought very well. The grassland was vast and could not be cultivated, so it was worthless to the people of the Central Plains. Therefore, even if the Tang Dynasty defeated Jieli, it would not have the intention to completely rule the grassland, so it would eventually support a Tribe, let the grassland people manage the grassland themselves!
But Yi Nan ignored one point, that is, even if the Tang Dynasty did not have the intention to control the grassland and wanted to support a force to govern the grassland, why would it definitely support him? Or support other Tiele tribes? Yi Nan was very ambitious, and the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty would not have known it! I think it is impossible for any ruler to support an ambitious person and leave endless troubles to his descendants!
Therefore, Yi Nan has the desire to drive tigers and swallow wolves, but he does not have the strength to drive tigers and swallow wolves. There is only one outcome, and that is to become the food of this tiger or wolf! "
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