Yulin Road, Lingzhou.
The majestic Helan Mountains, like a majestic warrior, cut across the east and west, overlooking the Hetao Plain. It also seems to be a huge fence that separates Shandong and Shanxi into two worlds.
In the east of the Helan Mountains, at the intersection of mountains and rivers, with the imperial government's rule, batches of inland Han people moved in, which not only changed the local ethnic population structure, but also brought about rapid economic development. No matter where they were, Han people are always hard-working and good at management.
By the 20th year of Kaibao's reign, more than 70,000 Han people had migrated to Lingzhou alone, and they were distributed along the Yellow River to cultivate fields, grazing and breeding.
For this reason, three new counties, Huai, Shun, and Ping, were added under the rule of Lingzhou, forming a large area of Han settlement surrounding Lingzhou City. One problem that is completely unavoidable is that the immigration of a large number of Han people has also brought about serious ethnic problems.
After all, it is a place that has lost its royal status for a long time. Over the past hundred years, too many Hu people have taken root here and regarded it as their clan land. In addition, the Han Dynasty adopted many extreme measures in the process of recovery, as well as the policy of suppressing Hu after the Kaibao Year, which further intensified this contradiction.
The Han-Hu contradiction and ethnic conflict have always been a chronic disease affecting the security and stability of the northwest region. In comparison, the situation in Lingzhou is relatively good. The imperial court has been operating for a long time and has never given up control of this important town in the northwest for three generations.
However, there are fundamental differences between the practices of the Han Empire and those of past generations. The imperial court pursued complete control rather than maintaining a fragile balance, so it would inevitably adopt some strong and radical strategies that would naturally affect the original local social structure and interest classes. It caused a huge impact and also caused a lot of dissatisfaction.
The stability of Lingzhou was also maintained by the strong power of the imperial court and the strong combat power of the Han army. Earlier, it was not only the problem of Hu people, but also those Han people and criminals who were forcibly moved to the border. They also had strong resistance. However, after more than 20 years of management, they had their own land, houses and houses. Afterwards, and with the help of the imperial court, the resentment was somewhat relieved, but only to a limited extent.
But no matter how many problems there are, the prosperity of the Lingzhou area in recent years is visible to the naked eye. As an important town in the northwest, it means that the court has a lot of support and various preferential policies. At the same time, it is the hub of the Overland Silk Road and the exchange of merchants from the east and west. Especially after the end of the Kaibao Northern Expedition, the relatively peaceful and stable environment also stimulated the prosperity of Lingzhou, as can be seen from the endless stream of business caravans.
Compared with Shandong, Helan Shanxi has become increasingly desolate and remains poor. Barren land and vast deserts are destined to be barren and backward. The Han Dynasty has a vast territory, covering almost the entire northwest, including the vast area of Helan Shanxi.
However, for some people and forces, being desolate and backward also has its benefits. It means that the court does not pay attention to it, and it can even be said to be a lawless land. This land will inevitably become a hotbed of crime.
For example, the horse bandits, who have been causing harm to the northwest all year round, often operate in Helan Shanxi. Bandits, large and small, also occupy the water pools and oases between the Gobi and the desert, especially the areas near Helan Mountain.
The reason why the imperial court has repeatedly suppressed the public security and chaos is that it cannot be done without a large investment. Even if it is determined, it may not be able to do it thoroughly.
However, in the past six months, the bandits in the northwest have been having a hard time. After the outbreak of the Black Khan Mission, the court was shocked and Long Yan was furious. The civil and military officials and garrison in the northwest were also furious. Under the arrangement of King Zhao Liu Fang , once again launched a severe clean-up campaign on the security of the northwest.
All people of all races and types who are suspected of being bandits will be killed. The steel knife will open the way and the killing will take the lead. For a time, the entire northwest border was shrouded in blood.
Especially those horse bandits, they focused on attacking targets. This time, even if they hid in deserts and mountains, it was still difficult to avoid attacks from the government troops. The emperor was angry, His Royal Highness King Zhao also lost face, and the civil and military officials were even more angry. Wanting to keep their official positions through public security and suppressing bandits, the soldiers also wanted to make meritorious deeds, so they worked extra hard from top to bottom.
When the government and the army began to try their best, the thieves and bandits were naturally unlucky. Some fled, scattered, and hid. As for fighting, they did not have the courage at all. The Yulin and Hexi garrisons dispatched two full troops. Ten thousand cavalrymen used all their energy to fight against the Khitan.
In this regard, when the bandits resented the merciless treatment of the officers and soldiers, they could not help but curse the bandits who had stirred up a hornet's nest. They just wanted to be stable and responsible as horse bandits. They never wanted to offend the officers and soldiers or challenge them. The authority of the imperial court, this is a completely unwarranted disaster.
Under continuous attacks, the horse bandits who had been rampant in the northwest for more than ten or twenty years faced an unprecedented blow. By the end of September, according to reports from various bandit suppression officers and soldiers, a total of hundreds of horse bandits, large and small, had been killed. Branch, eliminate more than ten thousand bandits.
Such a result, even the local military and political officials in the northwest, are a little stunned. They don't seem to have too deep feelings at ordinary times. They never expected that under the rule of the Han Dynasty and in the current era of Kaibao, there would be so many bandits in the northwest. Rogue thief.
The results were huge and there were many gains, but many people hesitated to report such results to the court. Based on Zhao Wang Liu Fang's understanding of Emperor Liu, the uploading of such a report may not necessarily be a credit.
Liu Fang could almost imagine how Emperor Liu would ask, with so many thieves and bandits traveling to the northwest and causing harm to the region, what were these civil and military officials doing in the past? Is it indulging in trouble, raising thieves to respect themselves, or is it dereliction of duty, neglecting the king's affairs, or even colluding with soldiers and bandits!
After the outbreaks of Eucalyptus in Hexi and Eucalyptus in Hexi, the imperial court's efforts to clean up the northwest, especially Hexi, were very large-scale, and their attitudes and methods were so severe that the civil and military officials in the northwest were very sensitive.
However, no matter how hesitant, he did not dare not to report it, or even to conceal it in the slightest. After all, this was also an explanation to the court, that is, King Zhao Liu Fang, and Emperor Liu's instructions to him were conveyed to him word for word. middle.
And Emperor Liu's reaction was just as expected, shocking. After sneering, he said some heart-breaking remarks. Of course, taking into account the large-scale rectification of Hexi and the performance of the civil and military forces in the northwest, no substantial actions were taken in the future.
On the contrary, the officers and soldiers who had made great achievements in suppressing bandits were praised, rewarded with money, and promoted. This made the civil and military personnel in the northwest heave a sigh of relief. Emperor Liu's mind was still unclear, and his rectifications were limited. They could not damage the fundamentals and shake the Han's rule in the northwest. The security of the northwest still depended on those civil and military officials.
However, during the large-scale suppression of bandits by the Han army, some bad phenomena still occurred and many innocent people were injured, especially the Hu people, such as the Uighurs, Dangxiang, and Tibetans, many of whom were directly labeled as Hu bandits. .
At the same time, the most critical point is that the bandit who boldly robbed and killed the Black Khan Mission has still not been found, which is like a chokehold for the northwest civil and military forces.
Wu Desi, who was specifically responsible for investigating this matter, was also under great pressure. Although it was determined that the "Mingsand Bandits" were responsible for the crime, they had disappeared without a trace since then. The more this happens, the more it means there is a problem and the more serious the situation is. If there is no conspiracy behind it, Wang Yinwu will not believe it, let alone Emperor Liu.
In particular, after learning that their sincere mission had been massacred, and that the Han court actually gave an extremely perfunctory reply, the Black Khanate became restless.
Judging from the news returned to Tokyo in the past three months, the Black Khanate began to infringe on the merchants of the Han Dynasty, impose additional taxes, and even directly extort money. Liu Min, the king of Wei in Anxi, also reported the same, and the Black Khan's army began to cause trouble at the border. Cause trouble.
It seems that after ten years of rest, the Black Khanate seems to feel that it can do it again. After receiving the news, Emperor Liu's attitude remained strong and he also gave Liu Min a stern instruction. If the Black Khan invades, he will fight back resolutely.
"Rebirth of the Great Era of Fighting Waves"
