Killing them all was impossible, even Qin Feng couldn't achieve that.
How vast was the grassland?
If they simply found a place to hide, in twenty years a new race would emerge.
They were truly prolific!
After all,
There was nothing to be had on the great grassland; one had to travel dozens of miles just to go shopping.
Besides hunting and herding, their only form of entertainment was having children.
Of course,
None of this concerned Qin Feng. His next step had nothing to do with the foreign races.
Or rather,
It had nothing to do with the tribes on the grassland; it concerned the foreign captives.
"What?"
"Robbery?!"
Hearing Qin Feng's plan, Li Xiuning's jaw nearly dropped in shock.
Having the foreign captives pose as bandits and raid the wealthy merchants in various counties?
This, this was how it could be done?
"Why not?"
Qin Feng shrugged indifferently, a chilling smile on his face.
"Since they dared to sell swords to the foreign races, they should be prepared to endure the pain."
"But, but..."
Li Xiuning still felt something was amiss, and hesitated as she tried to persuade him:
"My lord, if we release those captives, won't they likely escape directly?"
"That's why it depends on whether they obey!"
"They won't obey!"
Li Xiuning retorted without a moment's hesitation, with firm conviction:
"No one would obey in such a situation; only a fool wouldn't run!"
"No!"
Qin Feng lightly wagged a finger, a mysterious smile playing on his lips.
"On the contrary, I believe they will obey!"
"???"
"Heh heh..."
Meeting Li Xiuning's gaze full of doubt, Qin Feng chuckled and explained:
"Tomorrow morning, I will have Zhang Fei lead troops to control their tribes."
"For the sake of their families, I believe they will obediently comply."
"What's more..."
"That grassland is indeed vast, but it doesn't belong to the Wuhuan people!"
"They are already on Han territory; where can they run if they don't obey?"
"Hiss~!"
As Qin Feng's words fell, Li Xiuning's expression changed.
Truly ruthless!
Threatening them with their families was one thing, but when coupled with high rewards of gold and silver...
Who could resist that?
People weren't stupid!
Obeying meant not having to be laborers, and being reunited with their families to settle in the Han.
Disobeying?
Not only would their families suffer, but they might not be able to escape either.
They were all Wuhuan people who had settled within Han borders.
Beyond the frontier?
Don't be ridiculous!
That was Xianbei territory!
If the Han hadn't intervened in time to help the Wuhuan as a buffer zone, the Wuhuan would have been wiped out by the Xianbei.
Because of this,
When the Han quelled rebellions within its borders, they could conscript Wuhuan cavalry.
And the result?
Foreign races are still foreign races!
When you are strong, we obey obediently, even bringing our own provisions to actively participate in your campaigns.
When you are weak?
Sorry!
It's our turn to be masters!
It could be said that,
The more docile the foreign races were when submitting, the more ferocious they were when they revolted.
There was no room for sympathy towards them.
Li Xiuning was certainly not a saint; her previous disagreement was purely because she felt it was uncontrollable.
Seeing that Qin Feng had a solution, she began to change her mind and consider the feasibility of this plan.
"Robbery is feasible!"
After pondering for a while, Li Xiuning set the tone, then emphasized:
"But the scale of the robberies must be controlled, and above all, no wanton killing!"
"Naturally, that's a given!"
Qin Feng nodded affirmatively, then stroked his chin and suggested:
"We can't just use the Xianbei; we must also insert some of our elite guards to control them."
"Those landlords and rich men, if they die, they die."
"But if even one commoner is accidentally injured, they will have to pay with their lives."
"This..."
Although the suggestion came from Li Xiuning, she couldn't help but ask at this moment:
"Isn't that a bit too harsh?"
"Harsh?"
Qin Feng looked at Li Xiuning with surprise, a hint of amusement in his voice, and said:
"Xiuning, don't forget, these people are merely our captives."
"Uh..."
Li Xiuning tapped her forehead, finally coming to her senses.
"My lord, I thought you were going to form them into auxiliary troops."
"Hmm..."
Qin Feng, who hadn't initially had any specific ideas, was reminded by Li Xiuning.
That's right!
Why not make them into auxiliary legions?
Although they wouldn't be useful in internal conflicts, it would be interesting to have foreign races fight foreign races!
Why did the Han conscript these Wuhuan cavalry? Wasn't it to suppress the Qiang and Hu?
In this way,
Whether they win or lose, the Han itself wins immensely.
It would be best if they all perished!
With this thought,
Qin Feng set aside his plans for visiting and began to ponder how to firmly control these foreign races.
Threatening their families?
No!
This method could only be used for a short time; over a long period, it would backfire.
Bribery?
Not entirely impossible, but how should it be implemented specifically?
Just give them money?
Too primitive!
And for these Wuhuan people, giving them money would be of little use.
They couldn't spend it!
Eh?
Wait?
Couldn't spend it?
Recalling methods of controlling foreign races from novels in his past life, Qin Feng subconsciously looked at Li Xiuning.
"Xiuning, do you think we can control foreign races economically?"
"Hmm?"
Li Xiuning couldn't keep up with Qin Feng's leaps in thought, her delicate brows furrowed as she asked:
"My lord, what exactly do you mean?"
"Look..."
The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and Qin Feng began to recall the methods of his predecessors.
"The grassland produces the most cattle and sheep, but lacks all sorts of daily necessities."
"If we use daily necessities..."
"Infeasible~!"
Before Qin Feng could finish speaking, Li Xiuning understood and shook her head, refuting:
"My lord, do you know why they say 'nurturing a tiger to invite disaster'?"
"Foreign races are still foreign races!"
"Once they discover they can simply rob, why would they honestly trade?"
"Then we'll kill them until they are honest!"
Hearing Li Xiuning's concerns, a cold smile appeared on Qin Feng's lips.
"I'm not doing business with them, nor do I need to."
"These foreign races are merely laborers!"
"Just like those captives now!"
"If I were to tell them now that as long as they rob the territory and livestock of their neighbors, they can exchange it for vast amounts of supplies from me."
"Tell me, would they rob their neighbors, or come to rob me, their powerful enemy?"
"This..."
Li Xiuning fell silent again, seriously considering the flaws in this plan.
But after thinking for a long time, Li Xiuning could only sigh helplessly.
Unless there was the risk of nurturing a tiger to invite disaster, they would suffer almost no losses.
Unless the foreign races united and first defeated them.
Otherwise,
They would only be gradually eroded by the Chakel tribe, controlled by Qin Feng.
Until... until the day it could no longer be controlled!