After a long period of silence, a leader of the Qiang tribe asked Zhao Yang in a deep voice. Zhao Yang vaguely remembered that the leader seemed to be the leader of the Huangyang tribe, named Jia'er. This person is estimated to be in his forties. His slightly dark face and the corners of his eyes are full of wrinkles, and there are gray hairs on his temples. However, his body seems to be quite strong and tough. Especially when he stares with his mouth closed, people can't help but feel inexplicably. With such fear, even Zhao Yang couldn't help but feel stagnant.
It is no exaggeration to say that if he met an uncle like this in a village or even a wilderness in the future, he would definitely stay as far away as possible.
However, he was now representing the Song Dynasty, but he could not show any flinch or fear, so he forced himself to calmly ask the official who was translating: "What did he say?"
The official hesitated and said: "He asked, you...uh, you...your little...little man, can you make the decision on such a big thing? If there are casualties caused by this matter, can the little man bear the responsibility?" responsibility?"
Zhao Yang didn't pay close attention to the official's hesitation in the first half of his sentence. He could probably guess that the other party had made some "embellishments". Hearing the words, he said seriously: "Please inform him of my official position, and then clearly tell him that this high-level position My husband and I, the officials of the Song Dynasty, have been ordered to come to Shaanxi. The emperor’s order cannot be changed, and we must implement household registration and equalize the people, and we must do this at all costs!"
The official nodded and explained Zhao Yang's official position to the leaders of the Qiang tribe. The leaders were shocked and widened their eyes in disbelief.
After hearing the entire sentence, the leader named Jia'er stared at Zhao Yang and said in a deep voice in a mixture of Shaanxi dialect and Qiang language: "This...is the land of our Qiang people."
The translation from an official in Pangzhou was similar: "He said that this place has always been the land of his Qiang people, and they have been living here for a long time since the end of the Tang Dynasty, for hundreds of years..."
Zhao Yang nodded, not knowing whether he was influenced by the other party, and said sternly in a similar sentence: "The land belongs to the Song Dynasty. You, the Qiang people, integrate into the Song Dynasty, and you can still live here if you have a share of the land. Otherwise, Eviction, non-eviction, expulsion, war.”
When everyone in the Song Dynasty had strange expressions, the official considered explaining Zhao Yang's words to Jia'er and the other Qiang tribe leaders. After hearing this, Jia'er frowned and said nothing, and many of the other tribal leaders were dissatisfied and shouted. The official didn't have an interpreter, so he probably didn't have anything nice to say.
After a long time, Jia'er said in a deep voice: "We will discuss it later if necessary."
After listening to the translation, Zhao Yang thought for a while and nodded: "Okay, I will give you a few more days to think about it. After three days, the Ama tribe will move away from the Song Dynasty, and the two sides will hold talks."
The leader of the Ama tribe, Ama, was very angry after hearing this. His face was full of anger and he was talking non-stop, but Zhao Yang was too lazy to pay attention. He had decided to use the Ama tribe as a chicken to scare the monkeys - if If you don't kill a chicken seriously, the Qiang in Shaanxi may continue to drag you down.
So today's meeting ended here. After Gao Ruona coldly said "You can take care of it yourself", he took the lead to leave. Zhao Yang, Zhang Kang, Guo Kui and others also left one after another. Zhe Jimin and Zhe Jizu brothers faced each other. He glanced at them and left. After all, it was not the best time for them to come forward and make peace.
After the meeting was over, Zhang Kang's deputy, Weizhou general magistrate Peng Liang, sent the Qiang tribe leaders out of the city on his behalf.
After arriving outside the city, the leader of the Ama tribe, Ama, was a little worried and asked other leaders for help in Qiang language: "I stood up for everyone and turned against the Song people. Brothers, you can't abandon me."
The leaders of the Qiang tribe expressed their willingness to advance and retreat together, which made Amma feel a little more at ease, so he invited the heads of the tribes to the headquarters of his Amma tribe, and they did not refuse.
At the same time, Gao Ruona, Zhao Yang, and Zhang Kang returned to the side hall to discuss countermeasures. With Zhao Yang's praise, Guo Kui, Zhe Jimin, Zhe Jizu, Fan Chunren, and Wen Tong were also present.
Gao Ruona was the first to speak: "As expected, some people jumped out to oppose it, just to scare the monkeys..."
After saying that, he turned to look at Zhao Yang. Before he could speak, he saw Zhao Yang raising his hand and saying, "Don't even think about it. As promised before, I am in charge of the military. If you say anything unpleasant, I will turn against you." .”
This ignorant boy!
Gao Ruona cursed secretly in his heart, but he did not dare to bring up the idea of leading troops to expel the Ama tribe on behalf of Zhao Yang. He hesitated and said: "Let me hear your plan first."
There is no need to hide this matter. Zhao Yang thought for a while and said: "Today and tomorrow, I will lead the Tianwu Fifth Army to move to the Gaoping Village of the Zhenrong Army. I know that Feng Wenjun of the Zhenrong Army has 12 cavalry battalions with a total of 4,800 soldiers. There are one hundred cavalry, three infantry battalions of one thousand five hundred men, one crossbow battalion five hundred men, a total of two thousand crossbows, plus our Tianwu fifth army's twenty-five hundred infantry, a total of nearly ten thousand horses. As for being unable to deal with an Ama tribe, right?"
"Enough." Guo Kui echoed from the side: "According to the official's knowledge, although Amma claims to have nearly ten thousand tribesmen, in fact there are only seven or eight thousand. If women, children, the elderly and the weak are excluded, the available young and strong people are only three thousand... …”
"Don't underestimate the enemy." Zhang Kang interrupted Guo Kui and said to Zhao Yang: "If the official's prediction is correct, the other Qiang tribes did not openly resist the Ama tribe today, but the Ama tribe took the lead in coming forward. , there must be secret help in private. If each tribe secretly helps a hundred people, the Amma tribe can get one or two thousand people..."
"And this is the limit." Zhao Yang waved his hand without any surprise: "As you said, each tribe can secretly assist up to a hundred people. If more people are sent, it will be too obvious, wouldn't it be giving me a handle? ? Five thousand, that’s the most.”
"Five thousand is not a lot." Zhang Kang thought for a moment and said, "Why don't I lower my official rank and lead the Imperial Army stationed in Weizhou to help out..."
Zhao Yang shook his head and said: "You are in charge of Weizhou. I have nearly 10,000 people and I can't deal with 5,000 people?"
"Having said that..." Zhang Kang's officials did not want Zhao Yang to be involved in danger. Gao Ruona, Wang Zhongzheng and others also tried to persuade him, so it was finally agreed that Guo Kui would lead the third battalion of the Fanluo Army stationed in Weizhou, with 1,200 Cavalry, and four battalions of the Baojie Regiment, 2,000 infantry, totaling 3,200 infantry, assisted Zhao Yang as a partial army.
Zhao Yang thought highly of Guo Kui and wanted to support him, so he agreed.
After the decision was made, Zhao Yang told Zhang Kang: "In order to prevent the Qiang tribes from sharing the same hatred with each other, try to separate them. ... In the name of Xianggong Gao, you send people to the Qiang tribes' garrison on Jingyuan Road and inform them that the Ama tribe Those who resist household registration will be ordered to move out of the Song Dynasty within three days. If they still stay in the Song Dynasty within three days, Jingyuan Road and Shaanxi Road will no longer protect the safety of the Ama tribe members and their wealth."
Gao Ruona was stunned for a moment, then took a deep breath and thought to himself: Driving the tiger to devour the wolf, this kid is so ruthless!
"Wonderful." Zhang Kang's eyes lit up and he said: "In this way, the Ama tribe needs to prevent other tribes from taking the opportunity to add insult to injury. Naturally, it will be difficult for each other to share the same hatred... Xiao Langjun, this is a wonderful trick!"
"No, no, no." Zhao Yang waved his hand and said, "This is Mr. Gao's clever plan."
Gao Ruona was stunned for a moment, and when he came to his senses he said angrily: "Why should I be that evil person?"
"You don't want the credit?" Zhao Yang lured him to gain advantage: "This plan can alienate the Qiang, which is a great achievement!"
Gao Ruona couldn't help but feel a little moved, but he still didn't want to be manipulated by Zhao Yang. He gritted his teeth and said: "I am a direct bachelor of Longtuge. How can I carry out such a trick? Deputy Ambassador Zhao should take the credit himself."
Seeing Gao Ruona's refusal, Zhao Yang was a little surprised, but he didn't take it seriously. He curled his lips and said: "Whether you accept the credit or not, I will do it in your name anyway. Zhang Zhizhou, that's what I will do."
"Yes." Zhang Kang immediately accepted the order and chose the former without hesitation between his patron and Gao Ruona.
Gao Ruona was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. This scene made the brothers Zhe Jimin and Zhe Jizu look at each other in confusion, wanting to laugh but not daring to.
A moment later, in the name of recruiting Gao Ruona, the pacification envoy of Shaanxi Economic Strategy, Zhang Kang sent people to inform the military prefectures on Jingyuan Road and the Qiang tribes' garrison, saying that the Ama tribe openly resisted household registration and had an unruly and unruly attitude. The whole family was ordered to move away from Song Jin within three days. If you still stay in the Song Dynasty after the time limit, Jingyuan Road and Shaanxi Road will no longer guarantee the safety of the Ama tribe members and their wealth.
An hour later, Zhao Yang led the Tianwu Fifth Army and the logistics battalion of about 4,000 people to move to the Zhenrong Army. Guo Kui led the 3rd Battalion of the Fanluo Army in Weizhou, with 1,200 cavalry, and the 4th Battalion of the Baojie Army with 2,000 infantry. He died and followed him to suppress the Rong army.
At noon, one of the messengers sent by Weizhou arrived at the Zhenrong Army first and handed two ultimatums to Feng Wenjun, the Zhenrong Army. One was issued by Weizhou in the name of Zhao Yang, saying that Zhao Yang would lead the Tianwu Army. The Fifth Army and Guo Kui led 3,200 people to move to Zhenrong Army, and asked Feng Wenjun to arrange the garrison in advance; another document was issued by Weizhou in the name of Gao Ruona, informing that "in three days, the states in the Song Dynasty will not Protect and protect the Amma tribe."
Feng Wenjun was very surprised when he saw it: "This is to drive the tiger to swallow the wolf. The Prime Minister Gao seems to have no military knowledge, but he actually has such a strategy... In this way, it will be difficult for the Qiang to live together, wonderful!"
At this time, there happened to be several commanders around him. Hearing this, they asked tentatively: "Since Mr. Gao has issued this announcement, can we also get a share of the pie in three days?"
Feng Wenjun thought for a while, shook his head and said: "This plan is obviously used to alienate the Qiang. Would it be ridiculous if our imperial army of the Song Dynasty also took the opportunity to plunder? I guess Gao Xianggong would not allow it. ... If you don't believe it, wait until Zhao When the deputy envoy comes, he will know as soon as he asks."
After being released by the Zhenrong Army, the messenger continued north to the Ama tribe's station.
At this time, Ama had invited the leaders of the Qiang tribe to the tribe, slaughtered sheep and cooked wine to entertain everyone. He was drinking to his heart's content and chatting with each other. Suddenly, a confidant hurriedly walked in and handed a proclamation issued by Weizhou to the leader. Amma: "Chief, this is what the Song people just sent."
"What?" Amma took the notice in confusion.
Most of the Qiang people on the border between Song and Xia are proficient in Chinese characters, but their pronunciation is very different from that in the Central Plains. Ama was no exception. After receiving the announcement, he only glanced at it twice, his face suddenly changed, and he yelled: "Treacherous Song people, so good It’s despicable!”
The tribal leaders looked puzzled and asked why.
Amma hesitated again and again, and finally handed the announcement to Jia'er, the leader of the Huangyang tribe. The latter also knew Chinese characters. He took the announcement and glanced at it. His expression also changed, and he sneered: "Sure enough, he is treacherous and despicable!"
After that, he handed the announcement to a leader next to him. In a short time, more than a dozen tribal leaders present had read it. They all accused the Song people of being treacherous and despicable, especially the instigator Gao Ruona.
But after venting their anger, the tribal leaders carefully considered the wording of the Song people's announcement, and the atmosphere in the tent gradually became more subtle.
You must know that there have always been conflicts between the Qiang tribes. In order to compete for pasture and water sources, it is not uncommon for two tribes to have quarrels and then turn into fights or even wars. In the end, most of them are led by third-party tribes. Persuade, or officials from Song and Xia countries - in Song, it was Song officials who persuaded, and in Xia, it was Xia officials.
To put it bluntly, in a sense, it was the Song and Xia countries that restrained the Qiang and Tibetan tribes, restricted mutual annexation and fighting, and protected the safety of the people and wealth of the Qiang and Tibetan tribes in disguise.
Now, Weizhou of the Song State has issued an announcement stating that in three days it will no longer guarantee the safety and wealth of the Ama tribe in the Song State. This means that the Ama tribe has lost the protection of the Song State, unless it moves to the Xia State and gains access to Xixia. Otherwise, if they are still within the territory of the Song State, other tribes can rob the Ama tribe's people and property without being punished by the Song State, and even divide and annex them.
Thinking of this, the eyes of several tribal leaders became a little strange.
Chief Ama also noticed something was wrong in the atmosphere in the tent, and hurriedly pointed out: "This is a trick by the Song people to drive a wedge between us. Even if you and others join forces and divide my tribe, won't the Song people want you to wait for the household registration in the future?" You still won’t be able to keep your position as clan leader.”
"That's right." Jia'er, the leader of the Huangyang tribe, also agreed: "The key is to get the Song people to give up household registration."
When the clan leaders heard this, the greed in their eyes gradually faded, and one clan leader asked: "What should we do now?"
Seeing all the clan leaders looking at him, the Ama clan leader also fell into deep thought.
Join Xixia?
To be fair, this is not the best choice. After all, Xixia's pastures and pastures are also limited. The Xia Kingdom's willingness to accept his Ama tribe does not mean that the Qiang tribes who are subordinate to Xixia are also willing to accept it. If there is not enough pasture, What do the people of his Ama tribe do for a living?
After weighing the balance, the leader of the Ama tribe said seriously to the heads of the tribes: "The key is to make the Song people give up household registration... I have an idea for this. If our tribes unite to rebel... Of course, I mean to pretend to rebel. At the same time, he raised his troops and sent warriors from his tribe to invade the military states of the Song Dynasty..."
The tribal chiefs changed their expressions when they heard this. A weaker chief shook his head and said: "I don't dare to do this. There are less than a thousand young people in my tribe, and the rest are old, weak, women and children. As long as the Song people send a group If the army comes to attack, I will not be able to resist it."
Before he finished speaking, another clan leader shook his head and agreed: "You can't rebel, you can't rebel."
Chief Ama said angrily: "I meant to pretend to rebel and force the Song people to change their minds."
But even so, most of the clan leaders present shook their heads. After all, they had lived here for many years and knew how huge the Song State was. Even if they suffered repeated defeats against Xixia, they still had at least one million troops. They could not They can't compete unless Xixia is backing them up.
After arguing for a long time, Jia'er, the leader of the Huangyang tribe, said: "Let me say a few words. Let's put aside the matter of pretending to rebel for the time being. If the lie comes true, we will not be able to resist the Song people's crusade, unless we can persuade Xixia to invade the Song Dynasty. , as a side response, we can also take the opportunity to force the Song people to give up household registration..."
"Xixia and Song have already made peace, how can they easily invade Song?" A clan leader interjected.
Chief Jia'er glanced at the man and said calmly: "There is no need to send troops, just convince Xixia to support us. Li Yuanhao of Xixia has always wanted to devour Shaanxi, and he may agree. ... In the next three days, we and others will Send hundreds of tribesmen to secretly assist the Ama chief. The Song people will see the clues. In the meantime, we will send people to Xixia for help. After three days, if the Song people really send troops to expel them, we will help the Ama chief to resist. Wait until Xixia sends people to help... During this period, if we can make the Song people return in defeat, we may be able to make them give up their plan to establish households. If not, we can only wait for Xixia to intervene. If even Xixia refuses to help, then I There is nothing we can do. For the sake of the clan, it is better to accept the Song people’s household registration."
"It can only be the."
Including Ama, the heads of the Qiang tribe nodded.
The next day, May 27, around noon, Zhao Yang and Guo Kui led their troops to the Zhenrong Army one after another. They were informed that Feng Wenjun, the Zhenrong Army, personally came out of the city to greet them.
After the two parties met, Feng Wenjun reported to Zhao Yang: "Yesterday evening, the sentry sent by the lower official to monitor the Ama tribe reported that around noon, the leader of the tribe, Ama, was suspected of bringing some people to his tribe. Station, and then slaughter sheep and cook wine in the station, which is very lively. ... Near dusk, the Bache tribe living in the territory of Huaide Army sent a hundred people to ride to the Ama tribe station, but they could only enter, but not come out..."
Zhao Yang chuckled and said: "As expected, the Qiang tribe secretly helped the Ama tribe. It doesn't matter. I brought more than 5,000 soldiers on this trip. Combined with your army, the strength can be three times that. If this is not enough, Sheng, it’s time for you and I to resign and apologize.”
Feng Wenjun smiled and did not dare to talk, but a garrison governor next to him clasped his fists and said: "If Deputy Zhao allows the soldiers who participated in the war to rob... I mean to pick up the property left behind by the Ama tribe when they moved, the military morale will definitely Big shake.”
"..." Zhao Yang turned to look at the resident governor. After staring for a few seconds, the latter couldn't help but lower his head.
Immediately, Zhao Yang sighed softly and said: "I have always known that the Forbidden Army is hard, and the guards stationed in Shaanxi Province are even more difficult. However, there are some things that our Forbidden Army cannot do, let alone set a precedent. ... In this way, you He also informed all the troops under his command that during these three days, each of the troops would be given two kilograms of mutton and a tube of mutton soup for two meals at noon and evening. He told the troops to eat and rest, and build up enough strength to defeat the Ama tribe in three days. , each person will be given a sheep or lamb and a corner of wine to celebrate."
"Yes!" The resident governor couldn't hide his surprise.
Feng Wenjun's expression changed slightly, and he tried to dissuade him in a low voice: "Deputy Ambassador Zhao, I'm afraid the cost of this is even 20,000 yuan..."
Zhao Yang didn't take it seriously and said: "Since the soldiers are required to sacrifice their lives, how can we be stingy with money? Include it in the envoy's money and record my name."
"As you command!"
Feng Wenjun accepted the order with emotion on his face, and the rest of the people present also looked at Zhao Yang with respect.
Under Zhao Yang's instructions, the Zhenrong army spent a large sum of money that day, spending nearly 4,000 guan, to purchase 3,000 sheep from the Qiang and Tibetan tribes, and now killed 500 of them, cooked the meat and made soup, and the fragrance spread for ten miles. The morale of the guards of the Rong army stationed in the town, Ma Busi's imperial army, was greatly boosted.
For three whole days, the Zhenrong Army slaughtered 300 sheep at noon and at night to comfort the sergeants, which also boosted the morale of the nearly 15,000 troops stationed in the Zhenrong Army.
We can fight!
