Shaanxi is located on the border of Song, Xia and Tubo. The main ethnic groups who have lived here for a long time are Han, Tubo and Qiang.
The current regime of the Tubo Kingdom is the Jisiluo regime established by the former Tubo Zampu and Langdama, a descendant of the Tibetan king, Nan Lingwen. Since the founding of the country, it has pursued a friendly strategy towards the Song Dynasty, especially after Li Yuanhao rebelled against the Song Dynasty and established himself. As he became more powerful, he joined the Song Dynasty to fight against the Xia Dynasty, and even bullied Nan Lingwen himself to accept the canonization of the Song Dynasty. He was granted the titles of General Ningyuan and Training Envoy of the Aizhou Regiment by the Song court.
Probably because of the consideration of bullying Nan Lingwen, Shaanxi was not the first priority of the Song Dynasty when considering national policies, and the threat to the Xisiluo Kingdom was relatively small. However, Li Yuanhao was constantly trying to expand externally, and the threat was greater than that of the Song Dynasty.
Based on Tubo's friendship with the Song Dynasty, most of the Tubo people living in the Song Dynasty were willing to accept the "household registration" of Shaanxi officials from the Song Dynasty. Those who were unwilling to leave the Song Dynasty voluntarily and moved to areas controlled by the Tubo people for a long time. Since Hehuang and Longxi were under the control of the Gusiluo State, the Tubo people would not conflict with the Song State because of household registration.
However, this situation is exactly the opposite among the Qiang people. Li Yuanhao, who founded Xixia, was born in Dangxiang, or should be called Dangxiang Qiang. He is a branch of the Qiang people. It is said that he is a descendant of the Western Qiang in the Han Dynasty and has occupied Qinghai since ancient times. The grassland around the lake and the area south of it.
Compared with other Qiang who have gradually disappeared from literature, Dangxiang, a descendant of the ancient Qiang, is recorded in Sui and Tang books. He was also active in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. He is an undisputed noble among the Qiang that has been handed down to this day. Among the Qiang, Enjoy high prestige.
The most famous of the Dangxiang tribe is Li Yuanhao. The Dangxiang Tuoba tribe has been the leader of the combined tribes since the late Tang and early Song Dynasty by accepting the title of Tang and Song Dynasty. Most of the other Qiang are also attached to it. Until Li Yuanhao rebelled against Song and established himself.
Therefore, compared with the Tubo people, the Qiang tribes in the Song Dynasty had more confidence to reject the Song Dynasty's unified household system. Once the Song Dynasty pushed too hard, they would simply turn to Xixia, boosting Xixia's power, and in turn fight against the Xixia army. They invaded Shaanxi together and forced the Song Dynasty to finalize peace talks.
On May 26, the leaders of the Tibetan tribes from Qinfeng, Jingyuan, and Huanqing came to Weizhou together, preparing to negotiate with the Song Dynasty on the issue of household registration for the people.
Knowing that Zhang Kang of Weizhou came forward on behalf of the Song Dynasty, he personally went out of the city to invite the leaders to the state government office in the city.
Perhaps seeing that these leaders were all arrogant, as if they were here to raise an army to accuse them, Gao Ruona deliberately gave them a break and told them to gather in the inner courtyard of the state government first, and only ordered the officials to provide them with tea.
A few dozen feet away, on the second floor of the restaurant across the street from Weizhou Yamen, Zhao Yang, Guo Kui, and brothers Zhe Jimin and Zhe Jizu stood at the window, looking at the group of Qiang leaders in the Zhou Yamen. , and listened to the brothers introduce the origin of the party items.
Zhe Jimin is the contemporary head of the Zhe family in Linfu. He is thirty-one years old this year and is in the prime of life. He has been granted the title of Guozhou regiment training envoy and the command of the Linfu Road soldiers and horses. Among them, the Guozhou regiment training envoy is equivalent to a military official with a salary in name only. The sixth-grade soldiers and horses are responsible for their official duties or dispatches.
Road-level military attache, the highest official position is the deployment of troops and horses - it was taboo to be called the general manager of troops and horses during the Yingzong period, followed by the commander of troops and horses, and the third is the supervisor of troops and horses, with the word "du" added to the senior one.
In view of Linfu Zhejia's family background, everyone from the imperial court to Shaanxi Fourth Road and Hedong Road took special precautions against Linfu Zhejia. If Zhao Yang hadn't been there this time, brothers Zhejimin and Zhejizu would have come to Weizhou. The situation was actually very embarrassing: Gao Ruona not only asked them to come forward to help persuade the Qiang tribes to surrender to the Song Dynasty, but he also took too much precautions against them, and was even not polite in his attitude.
After all, when the Song Dynasty was first established, the Zhejia was indeed needed to help resist threats from the west. But to this day, the Zhejia's military strength is of little use. The Song Dynasty court valued the Zhejia as a party member more. Because of his identity, he hoped to use the Zhe family to win over the Qiang people on the Song-Xia border. However, the Zhe family was not as prestigious among the Qiang people as the Tuoba Li family, which made the court feel that it was tasteless and a pity to abandon.
Of course, if the Zhejia's prestige among the Qiang people was higher than that of the Tuoba Li family, then the court would probably have to be more vigilant against him.
What's more important is that the Zhe family still enjoys a privilege that has existed since the founding of the Song Dynasty. It is hereditary control over the prefecture. It is not a fief, but it is not much different.
He was born in a party, had been a military officer for generations, had a piece of land that was almost the same as a feudal town, could be hereditary, and had a transcendent status. With all of the above, how could the Zhe family not be targeted?
Just like Hedong Road, there are a lot of precautions against the Linfu family.
Of course, Zhao Yang is an exception. He is quite familiar with the "Three Generals of the Northern Song Dynasty". He knows that the Zhe family is loyal to the Song Dynasty and has been guarding the border for the Song Dynasty for two hundred years. He was given extremely high courtesy, which flattered the Zhe family brothers who secretly marveled at how young Deputy Ambassador Zhao was.
Today, the Qiang leaders went to Weizhou to ask for an explanation. Zhao Yang held a banquet in a restaurant opposite the state government office and entertained the Zhe family brothers alone to listen to their opinions on the matter.
After looking at him from a distance for a long time, Zhe Jimin held a tea bowl and said: "Looking at the clothes alone, they seem to be Qiang people, but they are probably not Dangxiang people... Since the days of Li Jiqian and Li Deming, most of the Dangxiang people went to rely on them, let alone Li Yuanhao who rebelled against the Song Dynasty. Self-reliance should be attributed to the Qiang such as Xianling and Shaodang. Although they are both descendants of the ancient Qiang, they are actually far different from our Dangxiang."
"Can the Zhe family order them?" Zhao Yang asked.
Zhe Jimin smiled bitterly and shook his head: "If it is the Qiang in Linfu area, my Zhe family can still control one or two with our daily kindness, but the Qiang on the Fourth Road of Shaanxi are really beyond our power... In terms of appeal, I, Zhe, can The family here is not as good as Fan Xianggong, let alone the Tuoba Li family."
Zhao Yang was not disappointed either. After nodding, he asked, "If today's negotiations are unfavorable and the two sides meet at war, will it be difficult for the Zhe family to cope with being caught in the middle?"
"Of course not." Zheji Min Zhengse said: "Although my Zhe family is from Dangxiang, I have been loyal to the country since I joined the Song Dynasty. I am even ashamed to associate with the Tuoba Li family, let alone other Qiang people."
Zhao Yang nodded slightly. After all, the Zhe family had repeatedly repelled Xixia Li Yuanhao's invasion. Even though the Song Dynasty and the public were still wary of him, he believed it.
He comforted the Zhe family brothers and said: "Xiangong Gao asked you to come forward to persuade the leaders of the Qiang tribe. You two don't have to worry too much. It doesn't matter whether it succeeds or not. ... The reason why we asked you to come forward is to inform the tribal leaders. , the purpose of compiling households in the Song Dynasty was not to harm the Qiang people, but to make the Four Roads of Shaanxi more stable."
Zhe Jizu smiled bitterly and said: "The Qiang leaders must not listen to the hard work of Xianggong Gao and Deputy Envoy Zhao. What these people value is only their own authority. If all the clansmen are separated and resettled, these people will not be able to In my opinion, instead of negotiating with these tribal leaders, it is better to induce their tribesmen. Deputy Ambassador Zhao must not think that all the tribal leaders will take good care of their tribesmen. In fact, there are many tribesmen who are resentful of their leaders. Now, as long as you send people to lure you, I believe someone will defect."
Zhao Yang looked at Zhe Jizu with appreciation, nodded and said: "Xiangong Gao and I have also considered this, but have not implemented it yet. After all, we have not yet broken up with those tribes, so it is not easy to send people to lure their tribesmen. Let’s wait until both sides break their skins.”
"That's it." Zhe Jizu suddenly realized.
Afterwards, while waiting for Dr. Jiu from the restaurant to serve wine and food, Zhao Yang, Guo Kui and the Zhe family brothers ate and drank until they were full, and then slowly headed towards the state government office.
At this time, in the courtyard of the state government office, the Qiang tribesmen who originally shouted "Ask Weizhou to wait for me to explain", after Gao Ruona deliberately left them alone for nearly an hour, most of them lost their previous energy, and one by one they Sitting on the stool or leaning on the table, some anxious officials urged the officials who entertained them time and time again, but the only reply they received was always: "The high minister in charge of this matter is discussing important matters."
But in fact, Gao Ruona was just sitting in the state office drinking tea, and what he drank was the fried tea he begged from Zhao Yang.
Not long after, Zhao Yang led Guo Kui, the Zhe family brothers, Wang Zhongzheng and others into the house. Seeing Gao Ruona sitting on the main seat drinking tea, he casually asked: "How long are you going to leave them alone? Otherwise I Going to take another nap?”
Gao Ruona then ordered a Yuan Sui: "Go outside and see if those people are still shouting?"
Yuan Sui took the order and left. At this time, Gao Ruona glanced at brothers Zhe Jimin and Zhe Jizu, and then glanced at Zhao Yang, but he didn't say anything.
Later, Yuan Sui came to report with a smile on his face: "My lord, all those people have lost their spirit."
"Okay." Gao Ruona nodded with satisfaction and ordered: "Go to Zhang Zhizhou and ask him to come forward and invite those people to the state government office. Deputy Zhao and I will go there later."
"Yes." Yuan Sui took the order and left.
After the Yuan Sui left, Gao Ruona turned to look at Zhao Yang and asked: "When we negotiate with him later, who among you and me will be the evil person? Or..."
As he spoke, he looked at brothers Zhe Jimin and Zhe Jizu, with a hint of calculation flashing in his eyes.
However, Zhao Yang shook his head and said: "No, I still hope to ask the Zhe family to come forward to induce me. Zhang Kang and the Zhe family need to be here for a long time, so let them be good, and you and I will be evil people."
Gao Ruona was stunned for a moment, glanced at the Zhe family brothers, and nodded slightly.
It wasn't until Zhang Kang sent someone to invite them and everyone was about to go to the side hall that Gao Ruona took advantage of the Zhe family brothers not paying attention, grabbed Zhao Yang's sleeve and whispered: "The Zhe family..."
However, before he finished speaking, Zhao Yang had already guessed it, raised his hand to stop him and said, "I know, I will protect the Zhe family, and I will be responsible for anything that happens."
Gao Ruona frowned, but then relaxed. Perhaps in his opinion, the Zhejia of Lin Mansion only had a few thousand troops at its disposal. Compared to the two to three hundred thousand Qiang, it was not a big hidden danger. At least Not a priority.
After a while, everyone walked into the side hall of the state government office. Zhang Kang stood at the entrance to greet them. Zhao Yang took the opportunity to whisper a few words to him. Zhang Kang understood and nodded in response to Zhao Yang and Gao Ruona, then invited the two of them. Entering the side hall, he introduced him to the leaders of the Qiang tribe who had been waiting for a long time in the room: "Everyone, this is Gao Xianggong, the economic and strategic pacification envoy sent by the Song Dynasty court to be responsible for the household registration and the people's affairs. You have also been here before. I’ve seen you, this is Deputy Ambassador Zhao.”
He deliberately omitted the word "recruit" to prevent the atmosphere from becoming more tense.
Seeing that Song Fang's deputy envoy was actually a boy of fifteen or sixteen years old, the leaders of the Qiang tribe looked at each other with some contempt in their eyes.
But Zhao Yang didn't care, he smiled and bowed his hands, doing enough etiquette.
Later, Zhang Kang introduced the two brothers Zhe Jimin and Zhe Jizu. When he learned that the brothers were from Dangxiang, the leaders of the Qiang tribe showed respect, and some even asked the Zhe family brothers to speak for them later. This made the Zhe family brothers feel very embarrassed.
To be honest, if it weren't for Zhao Yang, the two brothers wouldn't know whether they could attend this negotiation. After all, Gao Ruona didn't treat them well.
The two sides exchanged a few words and then entered the negotiation phase.
Because there were a large number of Qiang tribe leaders coming this time, more than a dozen of them, Guzhou Yamen officials made some adjustments to the furnishings in the side hall. It was somewhat similar to the meeting room in Honglu Temple in the past. There are two square tables placed side by side in the middle, with the two sides sitting on either side. In the Song Dynasty, Gao Ruona, Zhao Yang, Zhang Kang, and Zhe Jimin, as well as Zhe Jizu and Guo Kui, as well as Fan Chunren and Wen Tingtong, who served as scribes, were all present. Sitting on the stool at the back; five people sat on the side of the Qiang tribe leaders, and nearly ten others sat on the second seat.
During this period, Zhao Yang curiously looked at the leaders of the Qiang tribes across from him. Although these leaders were all wearing brocade robes that were closer to the Central Plains, if you look closely, you can see that they still have many alien characteristics. The ornaments on their hair are made of braided animal teeth. The necklaces, and the sheepskin jackets worn by almost everyone, look a little nondescript, as if they are a mixture of the cultural customs of the Central Plains and the Qiang people.
As for the appearance, these people are slightly different from the Han people. For example, their eyes are larger, their nose bridges are straighter, and their cheekbones are outstretched, just like the characteristics of the Alpine people. They look particularly fierce when staring at others, which Zhao Yang can't help but think of the "Wolf Gu Yingshi" word.
His unscrupulous inspection naturally attracted the attention of the leaders of the Qiang tribe, but these leaders soon turned their attention to Gao Ruona.
Immediately, Ama, the leader of the Ama tribe, spoke first, using a Shaanxi dialect with a strong regional accent to introduce the tribal leaders who were traveling with him, including Qie tribe, Jizi tribe, Gulang, etc., and then asked Gao Ruona, Jili Gulu talked a lot, and he spoke very fast. Let alone Zhao Yang, even the bachelor Gao Ruona didn't understand.
Fortunately, there was an official from the state government who translated for him: "This is A Niu, the leader of the Niu tribe. He came today with the leaders of the sheep, white sheep, yellow sheep, white horses and other tribes. He asked Gao Xianggong whether the Jingyuan Road has been completed. Are you sure you want to abolish the traditional bond between the two parties?"
From the side, Zhe Jimin saw Zhao Yang's subtle expression and explained in a low voice: "Ma in Qiang language refers to cattle and sheep, Jizi refers to white sheep, Gurlangwa refers to yellow sheep, and Ma refers to horse... "
"Wait a minute, didn't you just say that horse refers to cow?"
Zhe Jimin shook his head and said, "That's Ma, which refers to an ox. What I'm talking about right now is Ma, which refers to a horse."
"..." Zhao Yang hesitated and looked at Zhe Jimin. He gave up the idea of continuing to learn the Qiang language on the spot and turned to look at Gao Ruona. Gao Ruona was conveying the court's instructions expressionlessly: " The establishment of households in Shaanxi is a decree of the Song Dynasty. How can it be changed? If you and others do not want it, we in the Song Dynasty will not force it. As long as you lead your people to leave our territory in the Song Dynasty, Tubo and Xixia, you and others Everyone can go, we will never stop you."
When the officials of the state government translated Gao Ruona's words to the tribal leaders, the leaders of the Qiang tribe were shocked and angry. The leader named A Niu... no, A Ma even slapped the table and angrily said that the Song Dynasty was aggressive.
Looking at the arrogance of these people, Zhao Yang guessed that most of these people did not know that the Liao Kingdom was attacking Xixia.
Seeing these people being so rude, a trace of anger flashed in Zhang Kang's eyes, and he had already jumped up because of his temper. However, today Zhao Yang asked him to act like a good guy, so he could only hold back his anger and persuade them with good words, and at the same time, he repeatedly said to Zhao Yang winked.
At this time, Zhao Yang also realized that empty talks were useless, and after exchanging a look with Gao Ruone, he was ready to attack.
He slammed the table to calm everyone, and shouted sternly: "That's enough! Director Guo, come get the map."
"yes!"
Guo Kui immediately stood up and spread the map he had prepared on the table. The map not only marked Weizhou, Zhenrongjun and other place names, but also marked the garrison locations of Ama and other tribes.
Among them, the Ama tribe's garrison is located between the Zhenrong Army and the Huaide Army.
"I'm only asking once, does the Ama tribe accept my Da Song Dynasty household registration for all people?" Zhao Yang asked Ama seriously.
When the officials translated Zhao Yang's words to Amma, the tribal leader looked surprised and uncertain, and muttered for a long time.
"What did he say?" Zhao Yang asked with a frown.
The official translator cupped his hands and said: "He said that Song Dynasty made a huge mistake by doing this and destroyed the friendship between us for more than ten or twenty years. He will never accept it."
Zhao Yang was angry and funny: "If you ask him again whether he accepts household registration and equalize the people, I only want to hear whether he accepts it or not, and I don't want to hear anything else."
The official asked Amma again, but the latter said a lot, but still did not answer face to face.
When Zhe Jimin secretly shook his head and sighed, the official raised his hands and said to Zhao Yang: "I reported this to Deputy Ambassador Zhao. I asked him many times due to his humble position, but he avoided talking."
Seeing this, Zhao Yang made a decisive decision. In front of everyone, he took a pen and drew a cross on the area marked "Aniu Tribe" between the Zhenrong Army and the Huaide Army.
Such a meaningful move caused Leader Ama's expression to change suddenly, and he shouted loudly at Zhao Yang. The official who acted as the translator hesitated for a long time and did not dare to speak, most likely because he had nothing nice to say.
However, Zhao Yang didn't care. He stared at the other party and said sternly: "You have three days to lead your tribe to move away. If you exceed the deadline, we will send troops to drive them away. The money and food consumed by the sergeants and all the consequences of this trip are all your responsibility." The tribe is responsible. …Explain it to him!”
"Yes." The official nodded and translated Zhao Yang's original words to the leader of Ama. The latter was shocked and angry, and reached out to grab Zhao Yang.
"What are you doing?!" Guo Kui shouted and was about to pull out half of his sword. Naama was so shocked that she immediately pulled her hand away.
"Who else is leaving?"
Zhao Yang held the pen and looked around at the other tribal leaders in the room.
The tribal leaders never expected that Song Fang would be so tough this time, nor did they expect that the person who threatened him would be Zhao Yang, whom they had previously despised. They looked at each other and were speechless for a moment.
