When all the barbarian kings heard this, their expressions changed drastically.
It turns out that His Majesty really wants to change the Prime Minister's strategy of "barbarian autonomy".
Those barbarian kings who were on their own deathbed were okay. After all, they all sincerely surrendered and did not think of rebelling against the court one day.
It's just that most of the barbarian kings still have ambitions, and they are full of fear and doubt at this moment.
He was afraid that His Majesty would suddenly turn against him and detain him during the banquet to intimidate his tribe;
I am also afraid that Your Majesty will simply stop doing nothing and eliminate all barbarian kings with "records" of rebellion.
Fear instantly enveloped most of the barbarian kings at the banquet.
At this time, King Dingpanmu of Yueyong County was the first to be unable to restrain himself and stood up directly and said:
"Your Majesty, the little king does not understand what your Majesty means. I hope your Majesty will make it clear!"
As soon as King Panmu spoke, all the barbarian kings in the hall focused their attention on him.
When Li Shimin saw this person, he asked:
"I see that you are a bit unfamiliar, and I wonder which barbarian king you are from?"
"Reporting to your majesty, the little king is Dingzhu Pangmu King!"
"Oh? When we were annihilating Yueyong Li Cheng a few days ago, I remembered that your name was mentioned in the battle report.
It seems that you were one of the barbarian kings who supported Li Chengzhi at that time! "
"This... Xiao Wang did support Li Chengzhi at that time, but Li Chengzhi was once a handsome man under Gao Ding, and he was in the same line as Liu Zhou.
Gaoding was once the leader of the tribes in Yueyong, so we had no choice but to support Li Chengzhi! "
"Whether you are helpless or not, you did help Li Chengzhi at that time, who can guarantee that you will not help the next Li Chengzhi?
In this case, I must think of a foolproof strategy that will not only make me feel at ease but also not make you too uncomfortable. "
"this……"
King Panmu was speechless for a moment, thinking that what his majesty said was indeed reasonable.
Seeing King Panmu's hesitation, Li Shimin said harmoniously:
"Don't think too ruthlessly of me. My goal is the stable development of Shu, and I don't have to do anything to you."
Seeing that all the barbarian kings were silent in thought, Li Shimin continued:
"My idea is very simple. In the past, my father-in-law only sent county guards to manage the local Han people, but did not send troops to maintain order.
This also led to some people with evil intentions being often dishonest in the counties of Nanzhong.
In the end, most of the people who sincerely attached themselves were threatened and had to participate in it and do things that harmed the court.
Now I hope to add several governor's offices in Nanzhong and other places where foreign races gather.
The generals of the imperial court were appointed as captains, and those from the imperial court or barbarians were appointed as deputy officers to supervise and protect each tribe.
The barbarian kings are still the leaders of the tribes and still live according to the habits of their tribes. However, all tribesmen must be registered with the county government to facilitate the management of the county guards or provide support and care.
Afterwards, the registered barbarian people could also apply to move to the land of the Han people, or even the land obtained from the Northern Expedition.
Similarly, Han people can also apply to the local governor to move into the barbarian land and the land they will occupy in the future.
Everyone is under the supervision and protection of the governor, and is also governed by the county government.
I will also issue decrees and set rewards to encourage intermarriage between Han people and Yi people.
I believe it won’t take long for Nanzhong and other places where foreign races gather to become more prosperous.
People of foreign races will also thrive under the supervision of the imperial court from generation to generation. "
When all the barbarian kings heard this, their faces showed embarrassment.
"If your Majesty's move is really implemented, wouldn't all the barbarian kings lose their freedom in the future?
On the surface, it seems that we are still living according to our previous habits, but we do have two more superiors: the county guard and the captain, one civil and one military.
In the future, if there are government orders issued by the county governor or the captain, we will have to abide by them..."
"Although His Majesty's move can ensure the safety of our territory, the price we pay is not small!"
Li Shimin saw that all the barbarian kings had complaints and knew that most of the barbarian kings were used to being "local emperors" and could not stand such control by the court.
He also thought that most people from foreign races admired the strong. The reason why they did not jump up to oppose now was because the imperial court was now strong enough, and the barbarians were frightened by the suppression of rebellions in several places.
If you want to implement this matter completely according to your own wishes, in addition to persuading you with words, you must make some drastic changes.
For example, let the people who are the governor of Xiang and may become the captain in the future come out to show their bravery.
Let there be more generals in Shu who are as awe-inspiring to the barbarians as Ma Mengqi, the "Mighty General".
At that time, if these generals are allowed to serve as captains in various places, the barbarians will definitely be convinced.
"You barbarian kings, I know that you have some complaints in your hearts.
All of you are the heads of local clans, and each of you has a unique skill that makes the barbarians admire you.
Now I don't want to force you to follow this decree. I plan to make a bet with you.
If you lose the bet, you should obey my will and live under the governance of the county governor and the supervision of the captain from now on.
Vice versa, I will not lie in front of all the gentlemen in the hall.
But I'm afraid you don't have the guts to bet on this game with me! "
When everyone heard this, they started whispering.
After some discussion, the barbarian kings seemed to have made up their minds.
After nodding to each other to confirm, Meng Huo, an official in the court, stood up on behalf of the barbarian kings and said:
"Your Majesty, please don't underestimate us!
The leaders of each tribe have to go through many tests before they can be respected by their tribesmen and then be elected as kings.
Since Your Majesty wants to make a bet, then we agree.
I wonder how your majesty wants to bet? "
Li Shimin couldn't help but feel happy when he saw that the barbarians were willing to gamble.
"Very good! I have indeed read you right, all barbarian kings are courageous people!
It is said that each barbarian tribe has warriors who are invincible, and some barbarian kings are even the best at fighting among their tribes.
I would like you to recommend the three bravest men to compete with the three generals in the army that I have selected.
The one who wins two games first will be considered the winner of the bet, and the rest will be ignored. Only the results of the three games will be considered. "
Meng Huo couldn't help laughing loudly when he heard this.
"Your Majesty, this is what you said. All the lords in the hall are witnesses today. I hope your Majesty will not turn your back and deny it!"
Li Shimin couldn't help but feel secretly happy when he saw Meng Huo being so confident.
Now the matter of the barbarians has been settled. Historically, the Shu Han has accomplished everything but has no shortage of powerful generals.
I hope Meng Huo can still smile so heartily after the competition...
“Since all the barbarian kings have no objections, then the matter is settled.
Don't wait too late. Tomorrow, the first day of the New Year, we will see the real results on the school field! "
Meng Huo looked around at the barbarian kings and saw that everyone nodded in approval, patted his chest and said:
"Okay, we'll accept it!"
When Meng Huo sat down, Li Shimin slapped his forehead and said with a smile:
"There is one more thing, I almost forgot.
Huang Hao, bring me the animal skin I gave you a few days ago. "
Huang Hao took the order, took out an animal skin from his arms, and quickly came to His Majesty's side with small steps.
"Your Majesty, this slave has brought the animal skin."
Li Shimin took the animal skin offered by Huang Hao with both hands, looked at the barbarian kings who were looking forward to tomorrow's competition, and then said with a evil smile:
"When I was in Wenshan County, I made an agreement with the local leaders. I wonder if you still remember it?"
The tribal leaders in Wenshan County were all confused after hearing this. Wei Lang first looked at the other leaders, then stood up and said:
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. Xiao Wang and others were only afraid of the power of the imperial court that day, and they really did not remember anything else in their panic."
Li Shimin unfolded the animal skin, waved it in front of Wei Lang's eyes, and said with a smile:
"Do you have your names on this animal skin?"
Wei Lang looked at the animal skin, thought for a moment, and suddenly realized:
"Ah! Yes, yes! Look at Xiao Wang's mind, he actually forgot about this matter."
After hearing what Wei Lang said, the other Wenshan County tribal leaders also hurriedly stretched their necks to look at the animal skins in His Majesty's hand.
After seeing it, everyone was stunned.
It turns out that His Majesty took this opportunity to demand compensation from the tribal leaders in Wenshan.
Wei Lang saw that everyone was relieved and said boldly:
"We will definitely do what we say on this matter. Since we promised your majesty to compensate for the losses caused by the rebellion that day, we will just let your majesty speak today and we will pay the compensation according to the agreement."
When Li Shimin heard this, he chuckled twice and put away the animal skin.
"I understand your sincerity.
It’s just that I don’t want to favor one over the other.
Since there were rebellions not only in Wenshan County in the past, I will not just fall on the leaders of Wenshan to pay compensation. "
As Li Shimin spoke, he looked around at the other barbarian lords. After scanning everyone, Li Shimin said seriously:
“A few days ago, when our country was at its lowest point, rebellions broke out all over the country.
For the sake of stability in Shu, I did not hesitate to send multiple armies to conquer rebellions everywhere.
Among them, expenses such as food, grass, baggage, and compensation for those killed in battle were huge.
Since most leaders and barbarian kings are more or less involved.
The losses to the imperial court should be paid for by all the princes together.
Today, all the princes happened to be here, and Wei Lang and others had already set an example.
Why don't all the princes follow the example of Wei Lang and other Wenshan tribe leaders and sign a 'compensation letter'.
At the early court next year, I will determine the content of the compensation, and then hand it over to the barbarian kings, and everyone will pay according to their needs.
What do you think of using this method to make up for the losses you have caused to the court? "
As soon as this statement came out, except for Wei Lang and others, the other barbarian kings who had participated in the rebellion were shocked.
Just when the Barbarian King was panicking, Xiaoyao Gong Fan Ji suddenly stood up and bowed his head and said:
"Your Majesty, I have some opinions on this matter. I wonder if I should tell you?"
