Chapter 518: Chapter 252: Submission of the Barbarian Nation_2
But this was not the end.
In the final days of the year, a few guests from the southwest brought another New Year’s gift.
Inside the South Pole Hall.
Lu Yuan, seated on the throne, looked at two men in foreign official attire who were bowing respectfully before him. After a long contemplation, he asked, “As far as I know, your Shizong and Milu kingdoms have long been subject states to Da Changhe Country, serving it for over a hundred years.
Your Yi countries, being generally lax, do not respect the rites and transformation of the monarchy.
Although we are all from Yangzhou, you have always had disputes with us, the people of East Yang.
Now, why have you decided to break away from Da Changhe Country and come seeking Great Chu, wanting to pledge allegiance?
Don’t give me hollow phrases like longing to join a grand country, admiring the transformation by monarchy. Tell me the real reason.
Otherwise, without a clear understanding of the details, I will absolutely not accept your two countries.
Da Changhe Country is not weak. It’s not worth it for your two small countries to offend such a powerful country.”
Yes, the two men before his eyes were from the southwest, serving as messengers of the Shizong and Milu Yi countries, which were under the rule of Da Changhe Country.
Now, these two messengers sought Great Chu, intending to break away from Da Changhe Country and pledge their allegiance to Chu State.
This was of such great importance that, at this crucial time at the end of the year, Lu Yuan had to make time to meet with them.
Listening to the serious words of the King of Chu, the two messengers looked at each other. Finally, the messenger of Shizong Kingdom had no choice but to speak the truth: “Your Majesty, as you said, our small countries have always depended on Da Changhe Country.
And we, the Yi people of the southwest, do not get along with the people of East Yang, and therefore, we do not really want to pledge our allegiance.
Our request for your majesty’s protection this time is due to other reasons.”
Yangzhou is a vast territory, encompassing roughly sixteen or seventeen provinces.
Long ago, many tribes lived within Yangzhou: Yi tribes in the southwest, Qiang tribes in the west, Barbarian tribes in the south, and Yue tribes, as well as Miao tribes. In the east, there were also Barbarian and Yue tribes.
Within the boundaries of the entire Yangzhou region, there were several major tribal lineages, and a countless number of small tribes under them.
Among those different tribes of varying sizes, their customs and cultures were distinct, and their ways of life varied so much that they might as well belong to two different worlds.
Under such circumstances, the various tribes could hardly get along.
The current state of Yangzhou was achieved through the ongoing expansions led by the Coastal Aristocratic Family, the ancestors who were among the first to come into contact with the mainstream culture of the Three Emperors.
After thousands of years of conquest, the original Yue people, also known as East Yang people, successively eliminated and defeated the Barbarian, Miao, Qiang, and Yue tribes, establishing prefectures and counties on their ancestral land, one after another.
By the Pre-Yue period, they even adopted the name “Yue” as their state title, indicating how deeply these places had been transformed, eradicating all other barbarian influences.
However, these areas did not include the Yi of the southwest.
Because until the Pre-Yue period.
The expansion of Da Yue into Yangzhou had just reached the three counties of Xichuan, Dongting, and Yulin.
Within these three counties, the Barbarian, Miao, Qiang, Yue, and other tribes were still deeply rooted.
Although prefectures and counties had also been established in these areas, assimilating the millions of foreign people within the three counties would still require a long period of time.
According to the usual practice, this period would normally take several hundred, or even thousands of years.
Therefore, before these three counties were fully assimilated, Da Yue naturally did not have the resources to start developing the southwest Yi.
After all, the combined strength of these Yi countries in the southwest was not insignificant. Together, they covered an area the size of six or seven counties, and had several Inborn Grandmasters.
It would not be easy for Da Yue to conquer them.
For this reason.
These Yi countries in the southwest basically formed their own small circle, playing their own games in the southwest of Yangzhou.
If the outside world did not disturb them, they would not actively cause trouble for the outside world, keeping peace with Yue Country.
So it was unexpected and unusual for the Shizong and Milu countries to suddenly send envoys to request to pledge allegiance to Chu State.
Without understanding the details, Lu Yuan did not dare to hastily agree.
Now, it was time for them to explain.
After stating their heartfelt words, the messenger of Shizong Kingdom continued, “Our two countries have come to request to pledge allegiance because we have no other choice, as great internal strife has erupted in Da Changhe Country.”
“Internal strife?”
Lu Yuan was taken aback upon hearing this news.
“Yes, internal strife.” The Shizong Kingdom messenger nodded, then elaborated, “Last year…”
In the hall, as the Shizong Kingdom messenger told their story, with occasional supplements from the Milu Kingdom messenger, Lu Yuan finally understood the reason why they were seeking to pledge allegiance.
It turns out that, last year, in the ninth year of Hongdao, turmoil broke out within Da Changhe Country.
A large fiefdom under the rule of Da Changhe Country, the Wuman Savage Country, had rebelled.
This is where we need to discuss the political system of Da Changhe Country, or the entire southwestern region.
Because of their backwardness and lack of desire to transform under the monarchy, the Yi states of the entire southwestern region, though they have their own countries, those countries are more like a number of tribes, only with the titles of countries.
For example, the Shizong and Milu countries that are now seeking to pledge allegiance, actually, their citizens all originate from two tribes, that is, the Shizong tribe and the Milu tribe. They have now simply transformed from a tribe into a state, establishing a monarchy and officials.
But essentially, they are still tribal states, sticking to the ways of tribal governance.
Within their countries, there are various tribal chiefs, these chiefs have official titles, managing their own tribal affairs, and collectively worship the chief of the largest tribe as their king.