The Dangxiang Qiang led by Tuoba Ningcong remained wild and lazy after the Sui Dynasty. They made a living by robbing the fruits of the people's labor. When they united the local Qiang people into a force, they were so bold as to attack Kaihuang. In the 16th year of the attack on Huizhou, because the matter had been concealed, it finally provoked the revenge of the imperial army. After a bloody suppression, the defeated party Xiang Qiang surrendered one after another, and sent his children to the court to apologize, and then honestly They actually accepted the arrangement of the court and moved to Taozhou, a border state. However, these people healed their scars and forgot about the pain. Soon after, they began to cause trouble to the place again.
Originally, they were causing trouble in Taozhou and had little to do with the people of Weizhou. However, after Yang Ji achieved brilliant results, he adopted a very tough attitude towards the Qiang people under his rule. Party Xiang Qiang did not dare to do evil in Taozhou, but he Unwilling to accept Liangzhou's policy of dispersion and separation, they slowly moved to Weizhou. Coupled with Liangzhou's "four-class people" policy, Dangxiang Qiang was directly classified as a second-class person, causing Tuoba Ningcong to lead The party leader Xiang Qiang was very angry and expressed his interests by harming the local area.
After Tuoba Ningcong was defeated by the imperial court in Huizhou, he annexed the weak Qiang tribes on the border and in the mountains of Taozhou for a long time, causing his power to expand rapidly. After seven or eight years of building momentum, its power has grown rapidly. The number of households that settled in Taozhou has increased from a few thousand to more than 20,000, with a population of 130,000, and more than 40,000 fighting men. As a result, Tuoba Ning Cong's ambitions skyrocketed and he was ready to take action. In addition to pretending to be a grandson to the Sui Dynasty, he also took advantage of the terrain to flirt with Tuyuhun.
In order to support this force that was hostile to the Sui Dynasty, Tuyuhun funded it in various ways every year, making the weapons and equipment of Tuoba Ningcong's army very advanced. In addition, he had business dealings with the aristocratic families of the Sui Dynasty, which gave him sufficient financial resources and food.
Currently, Tuoba Ningcong's sphere of influence is mainly at the intersection of Taozhou, Qinzhou, Weizhou, and Chengzhou. This is a mountainous area sloping to the north of the Qinling Mountains. Even if the imperial army wanted to deal with him, it would have to be careful and careful, let alone the local state soldiers.
From the moment Yang Ji's large team entered Qinzhou, Tuoba Ningcong already regarded them as a meal. Especially the huge food and ordnance convoy made Tuoba Ningcong's eyes red.
What made him even more ecstatic was that the Sui armies from Taozhou, Kuozhou and other places dispatched one after another to sit in the military fort where Tuyuhun faced off. In order to prevent the Sui army from invading, Tuyuhun also strengthened its border troops. The enemy and we are now constraining each other, and a war is imminent. How can there be any decent army to assist the bloated Yang Jijun?
If Yang Ji is defeated, not only will these supplies belong to him, but he will also be able to intimidate the surrounding Qiang people with his brilliant achievements, forcing them to surrender to him, further strengthening the strength of Dang Xiang Qiang.
As for the reaction of the Sui Dynasty, he didn't take it to heart. If Yang Jian sent an army to encircle and suppress them, they could just hide in the mountains to survive the crisis. When Yang Jian got impatient, they would give him a face and surrender. yes.
The five thousand horse thieves that the Sui Dynasty scouts investigated were none other than Tuoba Ningcong's former army. When Yang Ji moved into Wushan Town, 15,000 young men led by Tuoba Ningcong had already crossed the mountains and ridges.
In the big tent, Tuoba Ningcong was eating and discussing matters with his generals.
Tuoba Ningcong was sitting on the main seat, drinking wine and casually responding to everyone. Looking into the eyes of the leaders of each department, there was a faint glimmer of light.
He invaded Huizhou in the 16th year of Emperor Kaihuang's reign because he had previously proposed a marriage request to Yang Jian, hoping to obtain weapons and equipment, gold and silver, grain, furniture, ironware, seeds, medicine, craftsmen, etc., during his In the plan, if Yang Jian agrees, he will encroach on the Hehuang area step by step. When the time comes, he will expand his army internally and contact Tuyuhun externally, resulting in the fact of occupying the Hehuang area. However, Yang Jian simply ignored his appeal.
Later, Tuoba Ning's troops invaded Huizhou. However, the ideal was beautiful, but the reality was very cruel. Not only were there no benefits to be gained from that battle, but the Sui army also killed corpses everywhere and rivers of blood.
It was also the battle that seemed to wipe out the entire army, which made Tuoba Ningcong realize the gap between Dangxiang Qiang and the Sui Dynasty. After moving to the Taozhou mountainous area, he became a grandson honestly, and with the help of the prestige of the Sui Dynasty, Annexing the surrounding Qiang tribes, this series of annexations gave the tribes who followed him a real taste of the sweetness, making him more and more supporters and increasing his prestige, and the internal people of Dangxiang Qiang became more united as a result.
Tuoba Ningcong, who had suffered a great loss, originally thought that he would never have a chance to avenge his shame in this life, but the war clouds that filled the sky over the Sui Dynasty and Tuyuhun, and the fact that the troops from various states in Liangzhou had boarded the plateau, made Tuoba Ningcong daring. It got bigger.
He was like a cunning wolf. He had been testing the Sui Dynasty over the years. The weaker the local officials became, the more he believed that the Sui Dynasty was strong on the outside and in the middle, so his greed became more and more serious. Murong Fuyun sent an envoy just at this time, and Tuyuhun wanted to carve up Liangzhou with him.
Tuoba Ningcong carefully considered Murong Fuyun's proposal for a long time. He felt that although the Sui Dynasty was unprecedentedly powerful, no matter how powerful the Central Plains Empire was from ancient times to the present, their primary enemy was always the north and northeast, and this The Qiang people have always had the final say in this land. Even in the current Sui Dynasty, their enemies are still dazzling countries like the Eastern and Western Turks and Goguryeo. And the main enemy on this side is Tuyuhun, not the Dangxiang Qiang. . He followed Tuyuhun to drink soup, so it wasn't a big problem.
The real threat from Dangxiang Qiang still comes from within. Although various tribes now look up to him, if his plan does not meet the interests of most tribes, most tribal leaders will object, so he patiently persuaded everyone to send troops, but this is not enough. , only by letting everyone see the hope of victory and tangible benefits can they do their best in the upcoming war.
He saw everyone getting more and more drunk, and he also thought about his words, then grabbed a towel and wiped his oily hands, stood up and said with a smile: "Everyone, please be quiet, I have something to say!"
When Tuoba Ningcong opened his mouth, the leaders of the various ministries who were joking and talking fell silent and looked at him one after another.
Tuoba Ningcong smiled and pointed to his confidant, Gu Duzhi, and said: "Last time, we took advantage of the war between Yang Ji and the Turks to attack the border towns of Taozhou and Weizhou in the name of horse thieves. All tribes made a lot of money. You don’t want anything else from the bones. They specialize in kidnapping people who are good at farming. They captured more than 400 farmers. Others laughed at you at the time, but you later asked those farmers to help you open up wasteland and farm. Every year, there are You have a good harvest, and your tribe has no worries about food and drink. Now look, you are the shrewdest and most visionary person."
Gu Duozhi held up the wine bowl and said with a smile: "There is a place in my territory suitable for planting. At that time, I thought that instead of grabbing some gold and silver that would be gone after use, it would be better to grab some farmers who can grow crops. Later, The crops within a stone's throw can indeed feed dozens of families. However, although I grabbed the serfs at that time, I did not have any grain seeds or farm tools. I didn't know what to do, but Daqushuai gave me a lot of farm tools and grain seeds. It’s thanks to Daqushuai that our entire tribe will remember your kindness!”
Tuoba Ningcong smiled with satisfaction, waved his hand with a smile, and said: "I am the commander-in-chief of Qu because all the ministries trust me and support me. So it is my duty, Tuoba Ningcong, to let the people live a good life. It's nothing." Thank you very much."
After saying that, Tuoba Ningcong turned to another favorite general and said: "Mi Qinmo Duo, I heard that you kidnapped a pair of twin sisters from the Xueshan Qiang not long ago. Jiao, you are so blessed! When we win the battle, go back and work hard and let them give you more cubs, so that we can have more good men like you in the future!"
Mi Qin Mo Duo was a strong man in his early thirties. He was brave in battle but poor at speaking. After listening to Tuoba Ningcong's words, he just laughed and scratched the back of his head in a naive manner. His expression caused laughter from other tribal leaders, and many people made fun of him.
"I still have two major things to discuss with you!" Tuoba Ningcong said loudly again: "First of all, Murong Fuyun sent an envoy to invite us to send troops to Liangzhou. After the matter is completed, the land of Hehuang will belong to us. After all, they only want the Hexi Corridor, what do you think?"
All the leaders were startled. They discussed among themselves in whispers. One of the leaders raised his hand and said: "Shuai Daqu, it is not a problem for us to bite him when the Sui Dynasty and Tuyuhun are fighting. But once we occupy the territory of the Sui Dynasty, I'm afraid The Sui Dynasty will not give up."
Another leader echoed: "Yes, Marshal Daqu, our strength is fighting in the mountains. Whether it is attacking or defending the city, we, the Qiang people, are not good at it. If we invade the Hehuang area, we may not be able to defeat the imperial court." Counterattack.”
When the two tribal leaders spoke like this, the tent was like a hornet's nest. The leaders of each tribe started talking, some expressing support and some opposing.
Fei Tinglong, whose strength was second only to Tuoba Ningcong, was reluctant to refute Tuoba Ningcong's opinions because they were in-laws. However, Fei Tinglong did not believe that Party Xiang Qiang was capable of seizing the territory of the Sui Dynasty, so he adopted a strategy. A compromise strategy was that he agreed to attack Yang Ji and then attack Taozhou, which was empty of troops, but he did not agree to occupy it. Instead, he stopped after taking some supplies and people, and then left Tuyuhun to deal with the anger and revenge of the Sui Dynasty.
When Fei Tinglong expressed his opinion, the tribal leaders who opposed the occupation of Sui territory all moved closer to him.
Tuoba Ningcong kept smiling and listening. Whether he agreed, objected, or made peace, he did not refute. When he said this, he actually just wanted to find out what everyone's real thoughts and concerns were, and it was also a test of everyone's intelligence. It wasn't until the debate in the tent became quiet that he said: "I already understand your concerns. You are worried that even if we occupy the Hehuang area, we will not be able to hold it. Instead of working so hard and in vain, it would be better to rob the population of rice." The food is gone, isn’t it?”
Seeing the opponents nodding, Tuoba Ningcong added, "Actually, my original idea was the same as yours, so why did I change my idea?"
Tuoba Ningcong's eyes slowly swept over everyone, and when he saw that everyone was listening with bated breath, he continued: "Because there are many people in the Sui Dynasty who oppose the sage Khan. The power of these people is enough to shake the foundation of the Sui Dynasty. They are all here." Contact me secretly. They promised me: as long as we occupy the Hehuang area, they will send us advanced weapons and equipment, steel, iron tools, agricultural tools, seeds, medicinal materials, agricultural books, medical books, etc. If we don’t If they do nothing and cannot reflect the value of our party Xiang Qiang, why should they fund us? Without their funding, how can we grow stronger, how can we unify the Qiang people, and how can we build a country in which we, the Qiang people, are the majority?"
Listening to Tuoba Ningcong's three questions that were full of domineering and ambition, some leaders felt their blood boiling and they wanted to go into battle with their swords; while the more rational people like Fei Tinglong frowned and remained silent.
"Chief Feiting, what do you think of my statement?" Seeing no one answered, Tuoba Ningcong turned his eyes to his in-laws.
Fei Tinglong sighed, stood up and said, "I'm afraid these people Qu Shuai mentioned are just using us as knives and have no intention of fulfilling their promises. If we fall into their trap, we will lose all the wealth we have worked so hard to accumulate." , I’m afraid these people will find a way to use our heads to claim credit without the help of Sage Khan.”
Having said this, Fei Tinglong said earnestly: "Shuai Qu, the more than 40,000 young men in our clan are really insignificant compared to the Sui Dynasty with tens of millions. Even if the Sui Dynasty spent 400,000 Even if we fight all our 40,000 young men, they won’t damage the roots, but if our 40,000 young men are defeated, then we are doomed.”
How could Tuoba Ningcong not know what Fei Tinglong said? It's just that he is nearly sixty years old. If he does nothing at this time, he is worried that he will not see the party Xiang Qiang grow stronger in this life, and he is worried that his descendants will not be able to control the leaders of various ministries. He was silent for a long time, frowned and asked: "If you listen to the chief's words, can't we just give up?"
Fei Tinglong shook his head: "What Commander Qu said is too far away. Our top priority is to deal with Yang Ji in front of us. I think we can win this battle, so let's stop immediately! Wait until Sui Dynasty and Tuyuhun fight. It is not too late to make a decision once the outcome has been determined. If we express our stance too early and Tuyuhun is defeated, we will be the first targets of the Sui Dynasty."
When Tuoba Ningcong saw that none of his trusted leaders had any objections, and obviously agreed with Fei Tinglong's argument, he nodded silently and said, "Forget it, let Fei Tinglong listen to what the chief has to say."
Fei Tinglong breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "But I don't know what the second big thing that Qu Shuai said is?"
"We have another four thousand reinforcements this time." Tuoba Ningcong said calmly: "These are elite men sent by people who want to cooperate with us. They will attack Yang Ji when we fight against him. Concentrate on the rear."
Fei Tinglong smiled bitterly and said, "Should we use us to lead the charge?"
The displeasure in Tuoba Ningcong's eyes disappeared and he said: "They are just helping us fight. As for Yang Ji's supplies, all of them belong to us."
"That's good." Fei Tinglong nodded.
"..." This time, Tuoba Ningcong's face darkened. He didn't want to talk to this in-law anymore, and said to everyone with a dark face: "According to Yang Ji's marching speed, there will be a battle in Zhang County tomorrow." After settling in Sichuan City, we will attack the Sui army in Zhang County tomorrow. Get some rest early and don’t get drunk."
After saying that, he stood up and left.
He went directly to the back tent to discuss tomorrow's combat arrangements with the visiting Yuan Min and Yuen Long, as well as the ownership of supplies.
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