Way of Overlord
Chapter 142: The Application of Virtue

Chapter 142: The Application of Virtue

However, in that article, Jia Yi went on, describing exactly how his application of "virtue" would defeat the people of the Great Steppe.

"If the people of the Great Steppe see through the plan . . . there are several solutions. With regards to frontier markets, their cunning won’t help them, and they will yearn for the markets. Your Majesty . . . can promise the Great Steppe people large markets . . . There will be so many Steppe visitors flocking through the narrow passes that we will have to chisel them open .

Give generously to them . . . and the many bribes will make them reliant. They will admire and be grateful to Yan. Showing our splendour is a means of beckoning their people. In a matter of three to five years the people of the Great Steppe can be obliterated. This is called "the triumph of virtue."

Aeryon remembered all of this and then said to everyone in the tent

"Yan is our enemy. Zhou is the same. Trusting them is like trusting a starving man to guard a meat"

There is a common misconception that the Yan Dynasty established border markets because of people of the Steppe demands for Yan goods, which has grown into the "trade or raid hypothesis."

Basically, this idea states that the people of the Great Steppe needed Yan goods, and if they could not get them by trading, they would get them by raiding.

The assumption is that the people of the Great Steppe invasions of Chinese occurred because they could not survive without their agricultural products.

In fact, the Great Steppe people usually took livestock and prisoners, and almost never took grain, etc.

They relied heavily on nomadic pastoralism, which centred on herding livestock like horses, cattle, sheep, and camels.

These animals provided essential resources such as meat, milk, and hides, which were crucial for their way of life.

On the other hand, agricultural products like grain might not have been as valuable or necessary for them, considering their mobile lifestyle.

Therefore, their interactions with the Yan Dynasty might have been more focused on acquiring goods like livestock and prisoners through raiding or other means.

The border markets were a Yan idea aimed at luring the people of the Great Steppe closer to culturally assimilate them.

"there is an advisor in Yan dynasty during the reign of Emperor Wen" Aeryon started and he spoke what he just thought in his mind.

Mayeux knows this story and he nodded but for Belarion and Aeryon uncle how could they know such thing. His uncle frowned but as for Belarion he clenched his fist

"Those sheep people dares to fool us" Aeryon expected such simple reaction from Belarion.

Belarion hated when people lies to him and he hated even more when he is deceived. When Aeryon spoke, Belarion could tell those whatever policies that Jia Yi proposed, in the end, it is to cheat on the people of the Great Steppe.

"Those Yan people that knows no shame!" he cursed again

Aeryon then chuckles bitterly and then said

"That same Jia Yi compared his policy to a Yan device the Yao Chan"

What is a Yao Chan? Yao Chan is a device in which a flame was burned to lure cicadas

Like attracting moths to a fire

This policy formed the basis of much future Yan diplomacy with the steppe peoples, and at least some of them would come to see through this Yan stratagem.

But none of them managed to break through it and those who knows it, no one knows what they thought about it.

Aeryon then thought of something

"Mayeux, go outside and get something to write on"

Hearing this Mayeux was surprised but he went out and a couple of moment later he returned

"Write what I am about to say"

And then Aeryon begin to speak

"The words of the Yan people are sweet and silk of the Yan people is soft. They attract remote people, luring them closer.

When the Yan have settled remote people nearby, they devise schemes to create discontent. If a man turns against them, they show no mercy towards his family, his people, nor even towards babes in the cradle. In this way, enticed by the sweet words and soft silk of the Yan, many of our people perished .

"Ill-intentioned people give counsel in this way, saying, ’If you are far from the Yan people, they give you poor quality silk; if you are near, they give you fine quality silk.’ In this way, ignorant people were taken in, moved near the Yan people, and many of you perished"

And Aeryon finished his word.

Hearing this all three of them feel like a fire burning in their hearts. No one has said about the relationship between Yan and the people of the Great Steppe this detailed and comprehensives before like this.

Yan wanted to exploit them and so many people are taken in.

"Inscribe the words of mine on stone pillars. And stick them out on the surrounding grassland" Mayeux nodded.

Aeryon believe that not all people could read this runic script. But he hopes those who does would explain it to those who could not.

People assumption of the Great Steppe was that they fear and wished the pastoralist people of the Great Steppe to stay far away from the Wall of Yan

But that is a wrong assumption

in fact, Yan policy was often aimed at inducing them to come closer and to become dependent on Yan goods.

The Yan themselves came to refer to "cooked" versus "raw" barbarians. The "cooked" ones had been partially assimilated and could be dealt with more easily.

The "raw" barbarians were those who had avoided this fate and thus were far more difficult to handle.

Aeryon told Belarion, Mayeux and his uncle this and hearing this Belarion become more angry

He never thought those weak people thought of the people of the Great Steppe like this

Aeryon knows something that these people in the tent would never know and that is the conflict on the northern frontier would never cease.

There simply was no policy solution.

Aeryon remember that that in his world, there is a nation very similar to this. And there is only a few periods of times where they could achieve peace in the northern frontier

There is a nation like that in his world

China.

Different Chinese rulers and different Chinese dynasties would implement the different policies of the first century of the Han Dynasty.

Aeryon noted the similarities between the Yan dynasty and the Han dynasty with a few slight difference

In his world, they would try peace treaties and tribute payments, they would try cultural assimilation policies, and they would try outright war, but none would ever achieve a lasting resolution.

At that time their enemies were the Xiongnu.

And in that world, Even when the Xiongnu ultimately faded from power, new nomadic coalitions would emerge to replace them.

In due course, some of these coalitions, such as the Mongols and the Manchus, would succeed in conquering all of China, and this was the only time that peace ever came to the northern frontier.

And so, Aeryon decided that he would be that bringer of peace. As long as the Great Steppe could conquer all of Yan, there would be peace all over the northern frontier

Mayeux look at the words he had written and he had sighed.

He nodded.

"I never thought that you could put as eloquently as this"

Mayeux himself had always thought that Yan method is eroding the unity of the Great Steppe.

But before, he was not in high position and so he did not think of it as comprehensively like he did today. And he also understood what Aeryon wanted to do by inscribing these words of reminder on stone pillars all over the Southern Great Steppe

As long as even one more person could see the stratagem of the Yan dynasty that wanted to assimilate and exploit the people of the Steppe, that is an ally to Aeryon

Mayeux look at Aeryon and spoke

"Tomorrow I would ask a few stone smith to pick some stones and carve these words" Aeryon nodded.

Mayeux then put this task on the back of his mind. Because there is another task that Aeryon had given to him and should rank above in priority.

Mayeux asked.

"Should I organize a raiding party?"

Aeryon nodded.

"How many?"

"Five thousand men is enough" Aeryon thought.

Belarion look at Aeryon and Aeryon smiles. He immediately understood what Belarion wanted to say

"Let Belarion lead the raiding party"

Belarion laughed

"My brother knows my heart" Belarion laughs. Mayeux nodded and bow slightly

"Let’s go out an prepare’ Mayeux said to Belarion and Belarion still smiling follows Mayeux out of the tent

But, Rukari, Aeryon uncle did not follow those two.

Inside the tent, a palpable tension hung in the air as Aeryon uncle, Rukari, remained rooted in place, his gaze fixed firmly on his nephew.

The atmosphere is thick with unspoken words, and the silence between them felt heavy.

Sighing audibly, Aeryon decided to break the silence. He addressed his uncle with a mix of patience and curiosity.

"Uncle, it seems you have something on your mind. If there’s something you wish to say, please speak freely."

Rukari responded by closing his eyes momentarily, drawing a deep breath before finally choosing his words carefully.

As the winter wind howled outside, its frigid fingers crept into the tent, intensifying the already icy atmosphere within.

The cold seemed to seep into their very bones, matching the chill that had settled between the uncle and nephew.

After a pause, Rukari, his voice carrying the weight of his thoughts, finally broke the silence.

"The Southern Great Steppe is not yet conquered" his uncle suddenly said. Aeryon only smiles at his and simply said

"It is winter" that is Aeryon reply

Rukari sighed and nodded.

"If you could do what you promised you would do I would give you my entire support"

Aeryon then ask

"How about the elders? Are any of them dissatisfied"

There is another silence. The cold wind blows again and the curtain of the entrance of the tent flapped a bit

Rukari then said

"Do not worry about the Elders. I would restrain them for you" he paused for a second before saying

"Right now, with your prestige and reputation, none of those subjugated elders would ever dare to raise their voice in front of you. As for our Elders, they defer to you and they accept you. Bountiful meat and powerful warriors, how could any of us condemn you?" he said

Aeryon only chuckles at this.

He knows that his uncle must have facilitated a lot of this diplomacy work behind the scene so the only thing he could was

"Uncle, you have worked hard" Rukari only smiles at this.

And then he said.

"You have transformed this tribe. I am also curious of how far you would go. Maybe.....just maybe....you could really do what you said."

However, he paused for a second and then sighed

"But, I could not bet the tribe because of this. Unless you show me proof. Even if you get the entire Southern Great Steppe, it is not enough. It is not the first time; a person had risen to control an entire region of the Great Steppe. If you want to be what you said you want to be...then I could only trust you when you fulfilled the words you said"

There is silence for a second and then Rukari take his leave

Saying this words, Aeryon uncle then left the tent without giving him the chance to say anything. Seeing the back of his uncle leaving the tent, he only smiles

"Always have to have the last words" Aeryon smiles

...