Chapter 1: Kill Hu! Kill Hu!
Shileben was a member of the Jie tribe who entered the frontier. After ascending to the throne in Xiangguo (present-day Xingtai, Hebei), he was greatly angered by the designation of his own people as Hu by the Jie tribe. He enacted a decree stating, "Regardless of whether in speech or writing, the character 'Hu' is strictly prohibited; violators shall be executed without mercy." Therefore, Hu could only be referred to as the people of the state.
What is a "guoren"? During the Western Zhou period, it referred to the citizens living in cities, as well as those with the right to serve in the military. By the time of the Eastern Jin and the Sixteen Dynasties, the term "guoren" was introduced by Shi Le, the founding emperor of the Later Zhao, who believed that referring to the Hu people as such was derogatory; thus, they could only be called "guoren".
The year 340 AD is not well-known; among one hundred people, perhaps none would be aware of what year it was. In fact, starting from 317 AD, the land of Huaxia entered the historical phase of the Eastern Jin and the Sixteen Kingdoms, commonly referred to as the period of the Five Barbarians disrupting China.
My lord, the scouts have explored a radius of ten miles and have not discovered any other barbarian cavalry.
Kill Hu ! ! !
His name is Liu Yan, and he is indeed not from Jin, or rather, he does not belong to this era. His crew cut is due to repeated grooming; otherwise, it should have been shoulder-length.
The Sima family had nine sons, all of whom were heroes. However, what did this bring? Virtually nothing beneficial was brought forth; instead, it led to the Rebellion of the Eight Kings, inciting the Hu people to march south, resulting in the first dynasty in Chinese history to be destroyed by the Hu: the Western Jin
The numerous heroic tales of the Three Kingdoms were merely for the sake of vying for power and profit, ultimately ruining the situation where the four barbarian tribes submitted to the Han. They also drained the essence and population of the nation. Those so-called heroes fought desperately, yet how many of their disputes and successes turned out to be in vain, benefiting only the Sima family in the end
It is unclear what the situation is; the large fleeing group has not been together for just one day, yet the leader has never appeared, rendering them akin to a scattered mass.
A prolonged escape, pursued by the Hu people, rejected by the Eastern Jin court; they had actually lost all hope, and their continued flight was merely a manifestation of a survival instinct.
The Hu people went mad and once again launched a massacre against the Jin people. Tian Shuo, not knowing what he was thinking, actually took the lead in inciting the Jin people under his command to flee. He had the courage to do so, but lacked the corresponding organizational ability. Leading more than three hundred people in flight, within less than half a month, they lost many along the way or were killed, and by the time they encountered Liu Yan, fewer than a hundred were left barely surviving.
Strange events unfolded as the Jin people fled south across the Central Plains, pursued relentlessly by the Hu people. The Eastern Jin court, for reasons unknown, chose not to shelter their fleeing compatriots, leading to a series of tragic events that began to unfold in the lives of those unfortunate souls
Oh!
In the year 340 AD, the people of Jin would bind their hair as long as conditions permitted, and they adhered to the principle that "the body, hair, and skin are received from one's parents and should not be lightly destroyed." Even if their hair was unkempt, they would not trim it into a crew cut. Therefore, the people on the high slope could not possibly be from Jin
In addition, there are nearly a hundred individuals equipped with various weapons, who were taken in and trained by Liu Yan over time. In order to train them, and perhaps to accumulate strength, even Liu Yan, who possesses a golden finger, took a full six months before taking any action!
The Later Zhao's military campaigns against the Eastern Jin were unsuccessful, yet the conflicts between the two sides resulted in countless refugees. The ruler of Later Zhao, Shi Hu, decreed that the "people of the state" could freely mistreat the Jin people. Consequently, after the year 316 AD, another great exodus began across the Central Plains.
The Five Hu's chaos in China! ... That was a Han person from the North ... No, the Han Dynasty had long since fallen, and the valiant warriors of the strong Han have been swept into the dust of history; they are no longer the strong and valiant Han people, but rather the weak and self-abased Jin people. The chaos of the Five Hu belongs to an era when the Northern Jin people were at the very bottom of society, and it was even possible that they were on the verge of being completely exterminated.
The person speaking with Liu Yan is a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar. Tian Shuo was taken in by Liu Yan a month ago; he was originally a county magistrate serving the Later Zhao regime.
Liu Yan has traversed through time, and fortunately, he was not abandoned by the heavens, gods, demons, or aliens. He has obtained a system, a system named "Age of Empires II: The Conquerors," which at least provides him with a "golden finger," allowing him to secure his livelihood while also equipping him with the foundation to strive for survival in this era.
The phrase "the southward migration of the gentry" may sound quite artistic, but in reality, it was merely a group of homeless individuals discarding nearly everything that could be discarded, a complete and utter retreat in the midst of failure
In the midst of thousands, the mice scurry and the wolves rush, with no one caring for anyone else
The Hu cavalry, laughing, ceased their pursuit. They regarded the thousands of people as insignificant, as they dismounted and wielded their weapons to chop off the limbs of the corpses. They were heard discussing the need to find a good place to start a fire to roast them for consumption
Above the high slope, there is not only Liu Yan riding alone, but also the strength accumulated over a long period behind him, including military units produced by the system, as well as the Jin people who have been intermittently gathered and rescued.
The sounds of crying and wailing, a cacophony of various noises, filled the air as the Hu cavalry, pursuing the fleeing ones, laughed maniacally, akin to a cat toying with a mouse. They caught up with a few, cutting them down, and even had the leisure to stop and engage in acts of torture.
What did the southward migration of the Jin dynasty bring? It allowed the Jin dynasty to survive in a precarious state, while countless subjects were left to be ruthlessly abused and killed by the Hu people. Not only were they killed, but the Hu also indulged in feasting, making it exceedingly difficult for the Jin people in the northern regions and the Central Plains to even hope for a trace of yellow earth after death. They were consumed by the Hu, and after a period of digestion, they were excreted as waste
If we say that the stories of the Three Kingdoms are somewhat filled with heroic aspirations and tragic songs, then Cao Wei had the Jian'an literary style and suppressed the Wuhuan and Xiongnu; Sun Wu had a prosperous economy and intimidated the Baiyue; Liu Shu had loyalty and righteousness, as well as the subjugation of the Southern Barbarians. What, then, did the Sima clan, which unified the Three Kingdoms, possess?
On the distant high slope, a man straddles a warhorse, gazing far into the distance at the fleeing and the pursuit. He is clad in a red battle robe, complemented by black armor, and it is evident that he is bald as he does not wear a helmet.
Indeed! For the Jin people, the once powerful Han has long become a historical term. Not only has the momentum of "to openly offend the strong Han, though distant, must be punished" faded, but it has even become more severe. It is so severe that thousands of people are being pursued by only about thirty Hu cavalry. They seem to have never considered that they are the side with the greater numbers, and that as long as they are willing to fight desperately, they could overwhelm their pursuers with sheer numbers.
Who are they? Long, long ago, they were referred to as the Han people, and now they are referred to as the Jin people
Indeed! The cavalry pursuing the fleeing Jin people are the Qiang tribe, which is the group that was brought to East Asia from the Western Regions, West Asia, or some remote areas by the Xiongnu. Originally, they were lowly slaves of the Xiongnu, but later they overthrew the Xiongnu and became the overlords of the Central Plains, the last cannibalistic tribe in the history of Huaxia—the Qiang tribe
10 cavalrymen, 30 swordsmen, 50 archers, and 150 spearmen, these are the troops produced by Liu Yan using the system
Liu Yan came from the year 2016. He retired from the Marine Corps and stayed at home for six months. In May, he received a call-up order and was on his way back to report to the army when an accident occurred. When he woke up again, it was already the year 339. Today marks nearly eight months since his time travel, and the year is now 340.
Run away ! ! !
Liu Yan did not understand why the Han people, who share the same bloodline and have a common ancestor, are seen as brave and skilled in battle, while those who merely changed their name to Jin people could become so weak. He ignored the person who had collapsed on the ground in despair and directly charged towards the Hu people, who were flustered and had dropped the uncooked human parts in their hands, preparing to climb back onto their horses.
After Liu Yan shouted, he charged forward on horseback, followed closely by the system soldiers who fell silent at once. The trained Jin soldiers also shouted "Kill the Hu" before they began to move.
Thousands of people fleeing for their lives saw the army emerging from the high slope; they seemed to believe they were ambushed, and one by one, they fell to the ground with a cry of despair
The Hu cavalry showed no urgency in their pursuit; they were well aware of the dire situation faced by their targets. With the Eastern Jin refusing to accept them, that group could only continue to flee. Since the pursued had nowhere to take refuge, no one to come to their aid, and lacked any will to resist, they could take their time and find some enjoyment in this prolonged slaughter.
The fleeing individuals seem to have experienced a kind of herd effect, as they are merely following the fastest runners. It appears they have not considered that there are only about thirty Hu cavalry pursuing them; if they simply scatter, the Hu will be unable to catch up with everyone.
Fleeing all the way, anyone who ran even a little slower would have already perished. Among the group of fugitives, there are almost no elderly or young individuals; most appear to be young and strong.
The people of Jin living in the Central Plains had no choice but to flee. Originally, they lived on the territory of the Later Zhao as the lowest class of people. Later Zhao publicly issued laws stating that it was not a crime for the citizens to rob the Jin people, and that killing a Jin person could be atoned for with sheep's wool or hides.
At present, the Later Zhao's attack on the Eastern Jin is not going smoothly, and the Hu people within the country have begun to vent their anger on the Jin people. A new round of massacre has commenced, and the Jin people, unable to resist, can only flee.
Liu Yan could issue orders to the military units produced by the system in his mind, but he still raised his hand high, placed the helmet firmly on his head, secured the chin strap, and then shouted loudly: "Warriors, follow me to slay the Hu!"
In the year 340 AD, which corresponds to the sixth year of the Xiankang era of the Eastern Jin; the third year of the Hanxing era of Chenghan; the twenty-eighth year of the Jianxing era of Qianliang; the sixth year of the Jianwu era of Houzhao; and the third year of the founding of the Daiguo.