When Tuoba Yilu received the news, he was hunting outside Pingcheng with his youngest son. Hearing this information, he immediately returned to the city to meet the soldier who had discovered this news.
This soldier was an operative planted in Bingzhou who had opened a lamb soup restaurant not far from Beigong Chun’s residence. His main task was to monitor Beigong Chun’s movements.
He would also buy a gazette every day. Although what could be published in the gazette was information the court allowed the people to know, it was still full of valuable content.
So he especially liked sending gazettes to his chief.
But he hadn’t expected that one day the information published in the gazette would be so important. This time he didn’t trust anyone else to deliver it. As soon as he got the gazette, he immediately found an excuse of illness to close the shop, then rode at full speed back to Pingcheng.
Tuoba Yilu read the gazette, his expression not looking good.
Tuoba Biyan was purely delighted. “Father, Auntie is going to become Emperor!”
Tuoba Yilu slapped his head with a smack. “Fool! What’s there to be happy about if she becomes Emperor?”
Tuoba Biyan covered his head. “She’s your sworn sister. Isn’t it good if she becomes Emperor?”
“Not good, very bad,” Tuoba Yilu said. “Daijun was borrowed. The little Emperor is without strategy or authority. Maintaining the status quo is best. In the future, if chaos erupts in the Central Plains, we Xianbei might not lack an opportunity to move south.”
He said: “North of Shengle City is bitter cold, and our tribespeople live very hard lives. My desires are not many—I only want to settle and establish ourselves in Bingzhou. Zhao Hanzhang has great talent. Though she has a woman’s body, she has ambition. In just one year she unified the south. Do you think she won’t reclaim territories still outside like Daijun and Xiliang?”
Tuoba Biyan: “But she promised Father that she would make Daijun your fiefdom.”
Tuoba Yilu: “She has kept her promise, but it’s only as my fiefdom. The heir apparent hasn’t been established, so there’s no succession. What if it ends in one generation?”
Zhao Hanzhang had indeed kept her word. When Tuoba Yilu sent troops to assist her, after returning to Luoyang two years ago, she issued an imperial edict in the Emperor’s name, changing Daijun to the State of Dai and formally enfeoffing Tuoba Yilu as King of Dai.
Originally she also wanted to enfeoff Tuoba Liuxiu as heir apparent, but Tuoba Yilu submitted a memorial saying Tuoba Liuxiu was unfilial, stupid by nature, so he didn’t want him as heir apparent, asking the Emperor to enfeoff Tuoba Biyan as heir apparent instead.
But the court officials believed in maintaining proper order of seniority, and that Tuoba Liuxiu had shown no actual behavior indicating lack of filial piety, so they considered Tuoba Yilu’s accusation unfounded and disagreed. The matter was thus delayed. Two years had passed, and the edict appointing the heir apparent still hadn’t been issued.
Tuoba Yilu was furious and had refused to see Tuoba Liuxiu for two years now.
He planned to wait until three full years had passed, then write to Zhao Hanzhang telling her that Tuoba Liuxiu hadn’t paid his respects for three years. But before three years had passed, Zhao Hanzhang was about to become Emperor.
Tuoba Biyan also remembered—this auntie preferred his eldest brother more. He heard that when Tuoba Liuxiu’s days in Xinping City weren’t going well, Auntie even sent people to give him money and goods.
Tuoba Biyan’s heart rose with worry. “What if Auntie becomes Emperor and insists on enfeoffing eldest brother as heir apparent?”
Tuoba Yilu lowered his eyes. After a moment he said: “I’ll write to your second uncle.”
He found an excuse to send Tuoba Biyan away, then summoned a general. “I see that Beigong Chun of Bingzhou is quite arrogant, frequently communicating with the Qiang and Hu tribes and Xiliang. He seems to have disloyal intentions. I guard the north for Third Sister, so I have a responsibility to help her watch over border military commanders…”
After saying so much, Tuoba Yilu had only one meaning—could they occupy part of Bingzhou to the south, giving them a larger area of activity?
His nephew Tuoba Qina immediately said: “Great King, I am willing to lead troops there.”
But most generals expressed opposition. “Great King, if you believe Beigong Chun has disloyal intentions, you can report him to the Grand General. But to send troops without orders might be improper.”
“What’s improper about it? Our purpose isn’t really for Great Jin. We’ll take the territory first. As long as our military forces are strong, Grand General Zhao won’t dare send troops against us.”
Tuoba Yilu nodded approvingly. That was exactly what he thought.
The Xianbei had two hundred thousand troops, especially strong in cavalry. It wouldn’t be easy for Zhao Hanzhang to defeat him. She had just ascended the throne, the nation was unstable, her power not yet fully consolidated—she certainly wouldn’t want war.
As long as he could hold a piece of territory for three years, three years later it might become legitimate. Even if it couldn’t, he could use this territory to exchange for other benefits.
Tuoba Yilu believed he could bend and adapt.
The opposing general didn’t quite agree. “Grand General Zhao has always been tough. What if she becomes angry and insists on sending troops?”
He showed them the gazette. “She’s currently forcing the little Emperor to abdicate. Her hands are bound—she certainly has no time to send troops. This might be our only opportunity in the next ten years.”
Once she stabilized her throne, trying to seize territory for the tribespeople would be impossible.
After discussing behind closed doors for a long time, they finally decided to send troops.
Tuoba Yilu was skilled in military command. Once the decision was made, he immediately deployed troops in batches toward the border, and sent people to summon Tuoba Liuxiu, ordering him to recruit twenty thousand soldiers and immediately rush to the border for reinforcement.
Beigong Chun was also deploying troops. He needed to guard against not only Tuoba Yilu but also the Qiang and Hu tribes to the west.
However, he had gotten along well with the Qiang people these past two years. He had established markets at the border, and since the other side of the Qiang and Hu territory bordered their old master Xiliang, plus Shi Lei mediated between them, they hadn’t had any conflicts these two years. So Beigong Chun didn’t station many people on the western border—most of his forces were positioned in three defensive lines to the north.
The first and third battalions moved twenty li toward the border line and planted their banners. On the vast grassland, everything was visible at a glance.
Tuoba Yilu was only halfway there when he received a report from scouts. He personally led people to observe.
His second son, Tuoba Pusgen, advised: “Father, Beigong Chun was prepared early. This battle will be difficult to fight.”
Other generals also said: “We’ve already lost the element of surprise. Since we can’t catch him off guard, we might as well give up.”
“Beigong Chun’s cavalry is renowned throughout the realm, no less than our Xianbei cavalry. If it were other Han generals, we could fight them. But him…”
Even if Zhao Hanzhang herself were guarding here, they would be confident in battle. But a prepared Beigong Chun…
Tuoba Yilu gripped his reins tightly.
Just then, people on the border side also seemed to have discovered them. From a distance, they could see a group emerging from the camp, moving toward them.
Just a cluster of small black dots, estimated to be about a hundred people.
Tuoba Yilu focused his gaze but still couldn’t make out who it was. He was about to have his second son go investigate when a messenger rode up from behind. “Great King, Great King, the eldest prince refuses to send troops. He says, he says…”
Tuoba Yilu asked angrily: “What does he say?”
“He says the Great King attacking Great Jin is an unrighteous act. He is unwilling to obey.”
Tuoba Yilu was furious and about to explode when a general with sharp eyesight immediately reminded him: “Great King, it’s Beigong Chun. He’s come in person.”
Tuoba Yilu was surprised and immediately suppressed his anger.