Duan Qizhen's expression went from astonishment to terror, then to bewilderment, all within a few moments.
Heaven only knew how delighted Duan Qizhen had been when Wen Yang spoke of the policy of civilization.
They wanted nothing more than to be incorporated.
In this bitterly cold land, they suffered every humiliation, without enough food to fill their stomachs or enough clothing to cover their bodies.
His elder brother had survived by swallowing other people's phlegm, and his own circumstances were hardly any better. Put nicely, he was a tribal chief; put bluntly, he was a penniless beggar.
The Duan Tribe was a force formed by Xianbei people gathering together starving refugees who could no longer survive. Everything they had achieved had been painstakingly built up from nothing.
Historically, the Duan Tribe had also worked exceedingly hard to integrate into the Jin Dynasty's ruling circles.
Duan Qizhen's son, Duan Wuchen, actively pledged allegiance to Western Jin and became the son-in-law of Wang Jun, the Inspector of Youzhou. Oh, this Wang Jun's father was Wang Shen, whose uncle was that Wang Chang in the Imperial Secretariat.
He later fought under Sima Yue, the King of Donghai, and was enfeoffed as Commandery Duke of Liaoxi and appointed Grand Chanyu.
Duan Qizhen's grandson, Duan Jilujuan, even became General of Agile Cavalry... quite surreal.
Their family were even diehard loyalists of the Jin Dynasty. When a Han man wanted to seize the Son of Heaven's envoy and surrender, Duan Pidi of the Duan Tribe roundly cursed him, saying that he knew nothing of propriety and was not even the equal of a Hu man like himself!
When he was bound and brought before Shi Hu, he still refused to bow, saying that he had received the Jin Dynasty's favor.
Later, he was appointed General Who