Chapter 31: The Xiongnu Invade, We Shall Pierce Through Them

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No marriage alliances. No tribute!

The Son of Heaven guards the nation’s borders!

The sovereign dies for the state!

These sixteen words left Liu Bang stunned.

What astonishingly unyielding words.

Were these the ancestral principles he himself had proclaimed?

Liu Bang had never imagined that he would one day establish such an ancestral code. In his view, marriage alliances and the payment of tribute were not especially humiliating. From the Three Dynasties through the Qin and Han, such arrangements had occurred countless times.

For instance, during the Spring and Autumn period, the State of Jin had adopted marriage alliances to stabilize its relations with the Rong and Di tribes along its borders.

Duke Xian of Jin had even taken a daughter of the Rong and Di as his wife—Li Ji, for example.

As Qin rose to power, its relationship with the Western Rong was likewise complex. To consolidate its influence in the west, Qin also employed marriage alliances. By marrying into the tribes of the Western Rong, Qin could not only reduce the military threat they posed, but also facilitate its expansion and development in the region.

In Liu Bang’s eyes, marriage alliances were indeed somewhat humiliating, but they could fundamentally resolve many troubles that would otherwise require military force. Otherwise, so many feudal states in ancient times would never have adopted such a policy toward foreign tribes.

According to his way of thinking, if one could not defeat the Xiongnu, then one simply formed a marriage alliance.

Once the Han had grown strong enough, it could strike back. It amounted to the same thing.

The only one to suffer would be his daughter. But as an imperial princess, she enjoyed wealth and glory—was it really unreasonable for her to make some sacrifice?

Must one refuse every marriage alliance and wage war simply for the sake of so-called backbone and pride, sacrificing the lives of ordinary people for nothing?

Yet now, after hearing Lu Xuan’s words and those sixteen ironclad characters, Liu Bang’s heart trembled faintly.

“He speaks sense. We ought to march against them!”

Liu Bang had a pride of his own.

The Qin and Han were both unified empires. Qin had been able to suppress the surrounding tribes so thoroughly that they did not dare invade. Even if the foreign tribes merely kept to their own corners and lived in peace, the First Emperor of Qin would still have sent troops to strike them.

What did the Han lack?

Besides, throughout history, how many men of Liu Bang’s humble origins had managed to establish a unified empire?

Qin had dared to fight. Was the Han now supposed to form marriage alliances instead?

At his advanced age, Liu Bang once more felt the fierce blood that had surged through him when he first raised an army and when he had been a wandering knight-errant.

Zhang Liang, however, frowned and said, “A great nation that delights in war is bound to perish.”

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“Moreover, the dynasty has only just been established, and everything is awaiting restoration.”

“At present, our dynasty cannot afford a major campaign of this scale, nor can it endure the cost.”

In the face of the Xiongnu Chanyu’s invasion, Zhang Liang’s greatest hope was that Han Xin, King of Han, could hold Mayi. If, as Zhang Liang feared, Han Xin proved unable to withstand the enemy and defected to the Xiongnu, then his second hope was that the Emperor and the Prince Who Stands Shoulder to Shoulder could defeat them.

Only after that would marriage alliance be considered.

But Zhang Liang firmly disagreed with Lu Xuan’s idea of refusing all peace with foreign tribes and fighting them relentlessly—“No marriage alliances, no tribute.”

That was precisely how the Qin had fallen.

“I know it is difficult to wage war repeatedly at the beginning of a dynasty.” Lu Xuan nodded, then continued in an even voice. “But I am a man from later generations. I am entirely confident that I can raise the dynasty to the level of a golden age within a short time, giving it the strength to suppress the surrounding tribes.”

Lu Xuan had graduated from the Department of History. He knew exactly how to use the knowledge of later generations to make a dynasty prosperous and powerful.

If nothing else, surely he could copy the answers from the future.

Consider the early Western Han. The empire’s strength had also been feeble at first, yet Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng, had created the glorious Era of Wen and Jing.

The foundations of the early Ming were somewhat stronger than those of the early Western Han, and its institutions were more developed as well.

Furthermore, the early Ming possessed one advantage that the early Western Han had not.

The Qin dynasty before the Western Han had lasted only twelve years. Before Qin, the various feudal states had resembled the many small nations of the later Western world; they had not accepted the idea of a unified empire. In the early Western Han, the realm was therefore still far from united internally.

Before the early Ming, however, there had been the Yuan dynasty. The Han people of the Central Plain had been suppressed by the Mongols for nearly a century. Once the Ming was established, the people were comparatively united, without distinctions of race or nationality.

Implementing various national policies in the early Ming would be simplicity itself.

Lu Xuan felt that he could entirely borrow the governing philosophies of emperors such as Zhu Gaochi and Zhu Zhanji, combine them with certain policies from the Qing, and copy the methods of Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng—“the teacher of emperors for a hundred generations.” That would be more than enough to bring the Ming swiftly into a golden age.

Once the dynasty entered that golden age, it could rely on the firearms technology it already possessed, together with the even more advanced firearms technology he would provide. With overwhelming firepower and superior weapons, how could it fail to crush the surrounding tribes?

“In short, I am not speaking empty words,” Lu Xuan said with great confidence. “When the time comes, I will create new gunpowder and firearms technology. Once the nation is prosperous and powerful, you will understand that marriage alliances with the so-called foreign tribes will no longer be necessary.”

Liu Bang’s eyes flickered. Following Lu Xuan’s words, he asked, “Lord Lu, tell me in detail about this new gunpowder and firearms technology.”

“It is complicated to explain. In brief, gunpowder possesses immense power. It can easily shatter city gates and blast enemies to death. Let me put it this way: a large firearm can shoot several hundred paces, kill large numbers of soldiers, and produce tremendous noise, flashes of fire, and clouds of smoke when discharged. The terror it inspires is immense.”

“In my view, once this new gunpowder and firearms technology is developed, the so-called cavalry of those foreign tribes will become a laughingstock.”

“Oh, and there is a joke from our later generations: ever since the Maxim gun was created, the fierce nomads of the grasslands have become a people who sing and dance.”

Liu Bang was shaken. Human imagination was truly without limit.

A weapon capable of easily shattering city gates—what kind of terrifying weapon was that?

With a range of several hundred paces, could it truly smash a city gate to pieces from that distance?

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If so, who knew how many soldiers’ lives could be spared?

And it could produce thunderous noise, fire, and smoke?

It sounded terrifying.

The thoughts in Liu Bang’s mind gradually changed. With gunpowder, firearms, and cannons, would he still need a marriage alliance with the Xiongnu?

He could simply blast them apart.

No wonder one could refuse marriage alliances and tribute. If he could blast the foreign tribes to death, why would he need to send his daughter to marry someone in such a distant land?

Why would he need to humiliate himself by begging for peace through a marriage alliance?

“Lord Lu, can you teach me how to manufacture this gunpowder and these firearms?” Liu Bang asked, filled with anticipation and urgency. He did not know whether they would be difficult to produce or require a great deal of time. If they could be made quickly, they could be used against Modu.

There was no need to produce many. A few would be enough.

His intention was to use them first to frighten Modu.

“This…”

Based on Lu Xuan’s earlier deductions, Uncle Ji had probably been brought to these Far Eastern tribes by Chen Li, the son of Chen Youliang. It was therefore perfectly normal that Uncle Ji did not know how to make gunpowder.

During the Ming dynasty, even when Zhu Di established the Divine Engine Camp, apart from the soldiers of that camp, who used firearms and cannons in their daily training, the other troops had merely heard the words “gunpowder.” They had never seen it, nor did they know its ingredients or the principles behind its manufacture.

Uncle Ji did not know how to make gunpowder and wanted Lu Xuan to teach him, but the matter was not so simple. To begin with, Lu Xuan was blind. Even if he gave them the instructions, they might not be able to manufacture it.

Still, Lu Xuan would not refuse a request from the man who had saved his life. He spoke slowly.

“I can give you the methods for making gunpowder and firearms. But I am blind at present, and I fear that you may be injured in an accident. You must proceed with the utmost caution.”

Liu Bang was overjoyed. He immediately ordered Zhang Liang to bring brush and ink so that he could write everything down.

After a long while, Lu Xuan finished explaining, and Zhang Liang finished recording his words. Liu Bang and Lu Xuan spoke for a little longer, after which Liu Bang hurriedly returned with Zhang Liang to the main hall of Linhua Pavilion.

His expression solemn, he spoke in a deepened voice.

“If this gunpowder and these firearms can truly be produced…”

“Then I shall proclaim an ancestral code.”

“From this day forward, the Han shall form no marriage alliances and pay no tribute!”

“The Son of Heaven shall guard the nation’s borders, and the sovereign shall die for the state!”

“If the Xiongnu dare invade, then smash straight through them for me!”