In fact, Liu Chengzong's stay in Nangqian had to be postponed until the twelfth lunar month before setting off, not just to arrange for land reclamation.
He is also waiting for someone, the messenger from Tibet.
Counting the time and days, the news of the change of ownership in Kham is enough to spread to the snow-covered mountains. The north and south roads connecting Tibet to the Central Plains Dynasty are all under his control. Can the people in the snow-capped mountains still sit back and relax?
In fact, even if the messenger from the snow-capped mountains really comes, he will not be able to talk to others about anything constructive. He will look down upon what they can come up with, and they will not obey the demands he makes.
There is no such thing as pie in the sky. Liu Chengzong has gradually figured out how to establish a political power. This matter is outside the Central Plains. Building a political power from scratch is much more difficult than fighting a war.
In this bizarre era, people will always take unimagined paths. He originally just wanted to find a place in Xining and Qinghai Lake to complete the transformation from rogue bandits to separatist regimes. At the same time, he would have some strategic depth so as not to They were annihilated by the army at once.
If we really want to say that apart from this down-to-earth idea, there are any lofty expectations, it is nothing more than to let the generals and soldiers who follow him have a basic understanding of the New Beibei in the new dynasty.
After the Ming Dynasty's long-term border blockade, especially the two-sided attack by the Ming Dynasty and the Later Jin Dynasty on the Northern Yuan Dynasty, the precarious Mongolia could no longer be called a northern captive after the Wanli Year when the God of War frequently appeared.
If at this moment, the world's impression of Beibei is only weak, then Liu Chengzong is half a step ahead of others. It is inevitable in his heart that the new Beibei in the new dynasty is Orusi.
Under the encirclement of the three forces of the Ming Dynasty, Hou Jin Dynasty, and Orusi, the four tribes of the Wala, which were less blockaded, still had the strength to fight, but they were isolated in the northwest and were unable to succeed. As for the Han Dynasty in the Northern Yuan Dynasty and the Mongolia in Qinghai, they were bound to To rely on the Central Plains Dynasty.
But this idea changed when he came to Nangqian. Abolition of Jianfu County was his destiny.
Destiny does not mean that the virtuous will live there, but after stationing in Nangqian, even if he does not give the order, the Lion Army will move in this direction, which is what the army wants.
Everyone wants to do something, and all he can do is guide. After all, his people want to do too many things.
If we look at it from the perspective of those who are destined to be virtuous, if we randomly select ten Lion Soldiers to be slave owners, eight of them will be more virtuous than the gentlemen here.
There is exploitation and oppression everywhere, but there is a big difference between exploitation and oppression. At least they live in a world where natural and man-made disasters and land annexation are needed to oppress them.
Between direct rule and changing the system, he chose a path of immense merit, but it was also more difficult, required multiple times of effort, and had little effect in a short period of time.
In fact, although there is another road in front of him, the road of directly transforming into a slave owner is not feasible for Liu Shishi, because he has faith in the ad army.
Faith has always been an ordinary thing, not noble at all. The only difference lies in what you believe in.
Some people believe in money, some believe in morality, and some people should not have a court because of it, but most soldiers of the Lion Army believe that people should be able to eat enough.
They traveled across mountains and rivers, through grasslands and snow-capped mountains, and they did not come here to enslave others.
This made it impossible for Liu Chengzong to extend to the snow-capped mountains of Tibet. He couldn't have his cake and eat it too. This approach had countless benefits and only two disadvantages. The first was occupying manpower and the second was losing money.
He had no energy left to enter the snow-capped mountains.
The reform of Kangning Prefecture to abolish feudalism and build prefectures and counties took up too much manpower. Based on the experience here, Liu Chengzong realized that if the reform of abolishing feudalism and building prefectures and counties could not be completed, it would only be a war, which would bring greater disasters to the people.
If you live like an animal, you are still alive. No matter how comfortable you die, you are still a dead person.
Anyway, Snow Mountain has no interference from external forces and is not strong enough to form a strong power internally. It is like this now and will still be like this twenty years from now.
Therefore, setting the border between Nangqian and Qamdo, blocking the connection between the snow-capped mountains and the outside world, and putting the Mongolian army pretending to be Taiji into the snow-capped mountains as horns is the most advantageous choice at the moment.
But when it comes to dealing with the Zangba regime in the Snowy Mountains, it is one thing for Liu Chengzong to talk about it. Whether he can talk about it or not is another matter.
He was very unhappy. He was also a political power. How could he do it without diplomacy?
With this mentality, Liu Chengzong really waited for someone to come to discuss diplomacy with him, but it was different from what he imagined. They did not come from the southwest, but a tribute team from Hami in the northwest, calling themselves Mughalistan.
Liu Chengzong felt like he was dreaming when he heard this distant name.
It's not that no one paid tribute to him, but those tributes were like giving gifts, or even Liu Chengzong led his army to ask for bribes. When he went to a place, the local leader paid him some tribute, which was very different from paying tribute to the court.
But this tribute team was different. It came from far away Hami, went all the way to Haibei, and was led by his father to Kangning Mansion.
Standing on the third floor of the manor, Liu Shizi saw from a distance more than 200 Xining Guards bannermen escorting a group of more than ten people, leading yaks and horses. Their clothes were very different from those in Hekang District of the Central Plains. They set up a bonfire on the bank of the Zaqu River and waited. Liu Guoneng, who they came over, was running towards the manor, not forgetting to look around curiously.
Liu Guoneng and Liu Chengzong were old acquaintances. When they got closer, they didn't notice anything. He smiled and said, "Commander, I've brought you farm tools."
With that said, he handed over the bill of goods.
There are more than 4,000 pickaxes, sickle heads, hoes, axes, saw blades, plowshares, hammerheads, etc., all of which only have iron heads. There are also several boxes of nails. The names of the fourteen chieftains in Xining are also on the back of the manifest. .
Liu Chengzong was overjoyed when he looked at the cargo list and said with a smile: "Is this all brought by the toast from Hehuang Valley?"
"They are all good things." Liu Guoneng nodded and said, "Yes, the commander-in-chief wanted to sell these goods to the Mongols earlier, as a precautionary measure, but now he has used them first."
Although the number of these agricultural implements and tools is still very small, and the wooden handles and plow bodies still need to be made by Kangning Prefecture, they are enough to solve the urgent needs of Kangning Prefecture's farming.
Liu Chengzong nodded heavily several times, then patted Liu Guoneng and said with a smile: "How are you in Xining? Are you still used to it?"
"Habit!"
Liu Guoneng laughed loudly, and after Liu Chengzong signaled for him to sit down, he said: "Actually, I am here not only to transport goods and lead the tribute team from Hami, but also to ask for people and officials from the commander-in-chief."
Hearing this, Liu Chengzong frowned slightly and asked doubtfully: "How do you say this?"
"When the old man took office as the magistrate, he wanted to establish two additional counties, one in Haibei to guard the Qilian Mountains, and the other in Haixi to guard the Yanchi. The candidate for the Haibei magistrate is Chen Qindai, and he asked me to take over from the commander-in-chief."
"Besides, the old man took pity on my inconvenience in my legs and feet. I have a lot of trouble leading troops in Xining Guard. He plans to ask me to take up the post in Haixi. I came here to meet with the commander in order to get the license and seal."
Liu Guoneng finished speaking and waited for Liu Chengzong's reply.
"Wait a minute, let me think about it." Liu Chengzong thought for a long time, raised his hand and said: "There is no problem with you taking office as the county magistrate, but is it reversed? Isn't it good for you to go to Haibei and Chen Qindai to Haixi? What do I think? ?”
Liu Chengzong felt that there was no problem for Liu Guo to be appointed as the county magistrate. After all, he was also a scholar and the leader of the army in the early years. Besides, many tribesmen were also in the army. It was trivial to have someone to help guard a county.
Chen Qindai was proficient in Mongolian language, and it was easy for him to guard Yanchi and deal with the Mongolian tribes there.
Why did his father ask Liu Guoneng to guard Yanchi and Chen Qindai to guard Qilian Mountain?
Liu Guoneng smiled and said: "That's what the old man thought. Over at the Yanchi, the commander-in-chief has left General Zhong Hu with 1,200 sergeants. I will come out from the Xining Guard and lead some more tribesmen to seize the Nanshan Fort built by General Zhong at Nanshan Pass." , there are enough troops.”
"Chen Qindai is a border soldier. He was born as a commander in chief. There are many Mongolian tribes in Haibei. Qilian is connected to Zhangye and Suzhou. Gansu border troops have already come over, so he should be appointed as the county magistrate."
Liu Chengzong held his forehead and sighed heavily. The appearance of Xining Mansion will inevitably attract deserters from Gansu, and he will not be able to stop them when they come.
After thinking about it, he asked Liu Guoneng: "How is the situation in Gansu?"
"What can we do? The banner armies are the same all over the world. There is not much better than in northern Shaanxi. The cold weather kills the crops and all the farms are abandoned. From Gaotai Qianhu Station to Shandanwei, farming in the nearby fields takes a rest every year. In remote areas, it even takes one year of planting and three or four years of rest to restore the soil fertility. If you have a harvest, you can’t give half of it to the court? Haha.”
Liu Guoneng smiled bitterly and shook his head and said: "It only occupies a large area and is sparsely populated, and there is no place for the garrison to escape. Lanzhou catches deserters, and Gansu is surrounded by enemies on all sides. Now that there is Xining Prefecture, everyone who wants to escape will go here."
As he spoke, he took out a letter from his arms and presented it to Liu Chengzong: "This is an official document from the old man."
The matter was almost understood. Liu Chengzong opened the letter and read it while asking: "What's going on with the tribute team? There are yaks in Hami. Shouldn't we ride camels?"
"The yaks and camels exchanged for them in Ju'erwan were all left in the north." Liu Guoneng said: "These people are paying tribute to the emperor. When I heard in Jiayuguan that Ju'erwan had opened a border market for the Marshal's Office, I brought my things over here. , his words were extremely humble.”
As he spoke, the expression on his face was very exaggerated, and he shook his head and said: "We all thought that there are enemies outside Jiayuguan. Does the commander know how the local leader of Turpan calls himself the emperor? A slave."
Liu Chengzong was extremely surprised: "Can't you?"
Liu Guo asked Liu Chengzong to wait and asked the guards to take the tribute envoy's memorial and present it to Liu Chengzong.
Liu Chengzong was stunned when he saw it. It was clearly written on it: When I was young, I sent people back and forth and paid constant tribute. In recent years, due to the difficult situation in the area, the slaves have not paid tribute. The slaves are guilty. Nowadays, as usual, tributes of local products and various kinds of things are still carried out. Special envoys are sent to participate in the political affairs, such as Luli, etc., and go to the Golden Tower to kowtow before the King. His majesty knows about it.
Is this diplomacy?
He knows that small things are big things, and he knows that he claims to be his younger brother, or even his son; there are also people who claim to be nephews after marriage; but if he talks like this in the memorial, won't it cause turmoil in their country?
Liu Guoneng looked at his complicated expression, laughed, and said: "But, these Tatars also want to take over the Central Plains. They even thought about taking Ganzhou before, but it was useless. They beat them back. On the way I I have told them that this is the Qinghai Marshal's Mansion, so don't even think about cheating tribute. If you want to do business, you must get the consent of the Grand Marshal, so they came here."
"On the way, they were involved in politics and complained to me all the way. When I saw the fanzi, they even planned to start a fight."
Liu Guoneng laughed and talked, recounting the interesting things he had seen when he came: "This person who participated in politics and lost his political integrity told me on the road that they have been fighting with the Tibetan people for a hundred years."
"Ah?" Liu Chengzong looked extremely confused: "Why is he fighting with the Tibetan people in Turpan, fighting in a dream?"
"no!"
Liu Guoneng laughed and waved his hand and explained: "To the west, their Mughalistan is quite big. There are two cities in the far west, called Yarkand and Khotan. Marshal Yutian, you know, is one of the four towns in Anxi in the Tang Dynasty. one."
"The four towns of Anxi, you know, the land of our ancestors."
Liu Chengzong nodded: "Go on."
"They used to have a khan named Said who occupied that area about a hundred years ago. Bandits from Uzang kept robbing them. Once, tens of thousands of people attacked Yecheng, destroyed temples and cemeteries, and burned them. Killed and looted several towns with tens of thousands of households."
Liu Guoneng said: "They were originally at war with the Kazakhs and Oara in the north. Because of this, they stopped fighting with the north and went south to climb the mountains to fight against Uzbekistan. As a result, Said Khan died on the way. Going to Tibet over there was not as good as this." The road is much harder.”
After hearing this, Liu Chengzong suddenly realized that he knew that Said, the founder of Yarkand, died on the southern expedition, and was killed by Wu Zang's plateau magic. The gods and Buddhas in the sky on the snow-capped mountains were so disgusting that someone was coming to beat him. .
It was because of this incident that made Said decide to march south. He smiled in surprise and said: "Do the descendants of Tubo still have such ability?"
"Yes. Anyway, I heard that Fanzi was very capable. He would go down the mountain to rob them and capture slaves at every turn. The summer trade there with the Mughals in the west was ruined because of this."
Liu Guoneng suddenly remembered something, raised his hand and said: "And that Xie Erhu."
"What's wrong with Xie Erhu?"
Liu Guoneng said very seriously: "Don't look at him. He is very sweet to you. He is happy to give you some pickles and let you drive him around. He is also a tyrant in Huidan. In the past, many of his men went to Hami to rob. They are well-equipped Famous.”
Liu Chengzong was stunned, blinked and said, "He went from Guidan to Hami to rob. Can he get back the fodder he ran to?"
"What else should we do? Who do you want him to rob? Jiayuguan can't rob it, right?"
Liu Guoneng raised his hand and pointed to the north and said: "Who else? That Qianhu Daiqing who was stationed as a herdsman in Haibei before followed you south to fight. What's the name of his Taiji? He was called Chuoktu of Khalkha. He came from Mobei. That one, the resident animal husbandry is outside Jiayuguan Pass."
"The robbery of Hami is like celebrating the New Year. I go there during the New Year. I am the biggest enemy in Shili's mouth. When I came to rob Jiayuguan, I was beaten by the guard with a ground cannon and I only escaped with my life."
Liu Guoneng's trip was an eye-opener. He shook his head at Liu Chengzong and said with emotion: "The world is too big. Those who we think are very respectful may be very scary enemies to others... There are countless arrogant soldiers in the desert." Generals like Xie Erhu, as long as they can provide him with sufficient supplies of food and grass, they will be willing to fight for the commander-in-chief's mansion."
Liu Chengzong heard this sentence with his left ear, and threw it out with his right ear, pretending that he had not heard it.
Liu Guoneng had never been a frontier soldier, and he did not know that Liu Chengzong was unable to provide self-sufficient food and grass in Kangning Mansion. His township officials stationed in various counties had already begun hunting after work to find snacks for themselves to survive the winter.
Providing sufficient supplies of grain and grass is a useless nonsense. If there is sufficient supply of grain and grass, if the grain is produced today, the surname of Gansu will be Liu tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow will not be surnamed Zhu in Shaanxi.
It would be good if the Lion Army could have enough food. Everyone is short of food these days, and there is no shortage of heroes who dare to fight and kill everywhere.
Liu Guoneng could see that he didn't care about this matter, so he didn't go into details and just said: "The commander should see this loser. It's best to keep him by his side for a while. He knows a lot of information about the northwest. According to what he said, that Choketu also wanted to enter Qinghai, and it was because of this that the old man established two counties in Haixi and Haibei."
"And he also said that if he wanted to, he could go back and tell the leader that they would attack Uzang from Yarkand and we from Kangning Prefecture; or we would attack from Xining and they from Turpan and attack those Mongolian bandits from Chuoktu."
"Hehe, hehe."
Liu Chengzong was so amused by these words that he almost laughed out loud. Finally, he patted his legs and said, "You can meet me or stay here. Don't even think about the coalition forces. They don't want me to go there. If I go there, I won't let my ancestors go." If the land is taken back, it will be Anxi."
