Time slipped back a little.
The Northern Royal Court.
"Chanyu, the Han court has behaved like anything but a proper son of man. They seized our land, destroyed our homes, and plundered our people. We beg you to stand up for us."
Tadun, former chief of the Liaoxi Wuhuan, knelt before the Xiongnu Chanyu.
He wasn't alone. The leaders of all sorts of miscellaneous Hu tribes were there too, including the Xianbei, Di-Qiang, and Jie.
There was no other reason: if they didn't come now, their tribes would soon be wiped out.
With Qi Fei leading the Han army north to reclaim lost territory, its main aim was to expand outward, absorb more people, and strengthen itself—not to slaughter everyone.
So it relied mainly on driving these assorted Hu tribes away or luring them over with incentives.
Contrary to what some imagined, nomadic tribes didn't feast on meat every day. The people at the bottom still went hungry and cold.
Even the middle and lower ranks might not live as well as ordinary employees at the Great Ranch.
The Great Ranch hadn't been around long enough for its cattle and sheep to be eaten at will. But it wasn't an isolated nomadic tribe, either.
It received supplies not only from the central government, but also voluntary donations from the great Aristocratic Families.
This time, they really were voluntary.
Some wanted to learn military strategy from Qi Fei, others wanted to learn how to run a Great Ranch, and some simply wanted to get themselves a couple of flashy steeds—
They all had different reasons, but none forgot to pay tribute to Qi Fei.
Then there was the harvest Qi Fei had brought in from the military farms on the Black Soil.
It was enough to keep the Great Ranch's employees