As the main settlement of Yelibu, even after government reorganization and split, there are still more than 700 households left, making it the largest settlement of Dangxiang people within a hundred miles except Anqingze in the south.
The government's rectification of the Dangxiang people actually only divided the population. More importantly, it was the subsequent reorganization and reorganization of households, so that they could be grouped into towns to achieve population concentration, limit their grazing range, and suppress their nomadic nature to facilitate management.
In addition, a large number of cities and towns were established and officials were assigned to manage them. Of course, the policies were not implemented well. As the situation changed, the vast desert area was still in a state of party autonomy.
This is not surprising. Even in traditional Han society, it is difficult for political power to directly manage the people, let alone in this remote northwest, among these party members.
As for the officials dispatched by the government, their main management functions are only in taxation and corvee work. As for education, propaganda, comfort, public security, disaster relief, etc., not many people care about it.
Huangyangping is still under the forcible influence of the government, and has undergone great changes compared to the past. It is surrounded by a low earth wall. There are streets, earth houses, huts, shops, and inns in the city.
Market trade has also developed tremendously. Hu and Han merchants come regularly, bringing some scarce local ironware, cloth, tea, wine and other goods. Farmers and herdsmen from dozens of miles away also go to the market periodically to sell livestock, Furs and native goods.
Outside the town, along the large and small water ponds, many fields have been opened up, and some drought-resistant food crops are planted. In the town, there is even a mayor's mansion built with a lot of manpower, which always demonstrates the authority of the government to the party members.
One of the more important points of the reform policy implemented by the imperial court was to redistribute the wealth and resources of the party members, and to appease the party members at the bottom by suppressing and plundering their upper-level leaders and chiefs.
In fact, the so-called ethnic conflicts and disputes between Hu and Han are just appearances. The core lies in interests. If Emperor Liu's will can be implemented and the lower-level Party members can be liberated so that they can enjoy tangible benefits, If customs are changed and households are organized to harmonize the people, there won't be such big conflicts.
However, the reality is that over the years, ordinary farmers and herdsmen in Dangxiang have discovered that they have just changed the people they pay taxes to, and they are still the ones being exploited. Most of the wealth they have created through hard work has been collected by the government. Life is still tight, and there is no fundamental change compared to what it was under the rule of the chiefs. For them, the chiefs are at least members of the same race and have the same beliefs.
In Huangyangping, in addition to the repeatedly mentioned ethnic conflicts and class conflicts, there are also some special phenomena, with more men and fewer women, and the yang is strong and the yin is weak. Of course, this is already very common among party members.
There are naturally internal reasons for this situation. Where have all the party women, especially young women, gone? There are two main directions. One is to marry a Han man who has migrated to the border to serve as an officer and soldier on the border; the other is to work as a slave in the government or a powerful family. Even these two are better than staying in the Dangxiang tribe. many.
Behind this, of course, the guidance and promotion of the government are indispensable. First, Han people must be satisfied with marriage, and then party members. The exodus of a large number of fertile women has naturally caused a decrease in the fertility rate of the Dangxiang clan, and it has been decreasing year by year. This almost "root-breaking" phenomenon has undoubtedly aroused public indignation among the Dangxiang people.
The yin does not grow alone, the yang does not grow, and the trend of yang prosperity and yin decline becomes more and more obvious. The social structure of the party members is not healthy. Those party men cannot vent their anger. What else can they do besides causing trouble? How can the public security situation be solved? good.
Survival and inheritance are human instincts, strong instincts. When these two needs are not met, the energy that can be unleashed is huge.
It should be the influence of Li Jiqian's rebellion. From last winter to early summer, the atmosphere at Huang Yangping's side has been very strange, with tension and excitement, and many party members are eager to try.
Last winter, Yulin officers and soldiers still pursued and suppressed the remnants of Li Jiqian's bandits, but the harvest was so small that later, after the bandit suppressing officers and soldiers harassed and plundered some party tribes, they withdrew their troops and returned to the city.
After a winter's rest, Li Jiqian regrouped and came back. After the beginning of spring, he led a large number of people southward, invaded Xiazhou, harassed the local Han people, and ordered Wang Qian to send troops to destroy them.
Li Jiqian's bandits were not many in number, with less than 500 riders, so they were no match for him. They were defeated again and fled north for the second time. In the process, some Dangxiang tribesmen were gathered along the way. At the same time, more Dangxiang men who were dissatisfied with the imperial rule brought their own weapons and horses and followed Li Jiqian with their families.
Li Jiqian proved his tenacity and it seemed that it was not a flash in the pan. Although he suffered repeated defeats, he still stubbornly held high the banner of anti-Han. This big flag is very attractive to the party members and has a guiding effect, allowing them to find a way to vent their anger and hatred. Life is already so difficult, so why be afraid of death?
Even in Huangyangping, a place firmly controlled by Xiazhou officials, some people escaped and went to Li Jiqian. Therefore, after being defeated by the official army again, Li Jiqian's strength not only did not decline, but was strengthened, restoring more than 2,000 capable warriors.
The mayor of Huangyangping is named Zhang Yan. His ancestral home is Jiazhou, Jiannan Road. He is also one of the powerful Han people who migrated to the border. He has been in Xiazhou for twenty-three years. Because he is fluent in writing and good at communication, he quickly became a Just got ahead of myself.
Of course, Zhang Yan's rise was due to a nobleman, Wang Qian, the Duke of Yan Kingdom. During Wang Qian's hunting trip, he accidentally saved Wang Qian who fell from his horse. The grace of saving his life was naturally rewarded tenfold.
Later, when Wang Qian took over as the commander of Yulin Daodu, after the celebration, Zhang Yan exchanged twelve taels of gold and five beauties for the position of mayor of Huang Yangping.
With a backer above him and help from his subordinates, Zhang Yan gradually became the local emperor of Huangyangping after taking office. In fact, it is these grassroots officials who severely suppress and exploit party members.
Zhang Yan, who came from a powerful family background, is even more comfortable with this. When he was in Jiannan, he was a master who could eat people without spitting out their bones. Now in the border area, he is still an uncle. For foreigners like Dang Xiang, there is no need to pay attention to eating habits. .
Zhang Yan mobilized half of Huang Yangping's men to build the mayor's house made of rammed loess. However, Zhang Yan is not in Huangyangping on weekdays. He is used to traveling to Xiazhou City to communicate and socialize. With Wang Qian's connections, everyone in the Xiazhou government gives him a face. Of course, this is also related to It’s about his generosity.
However, since Li Jiqian's rebellion, Zhang Yan had to return to Huangyangping to take charge. He also felt threatened. What he had done, and the party members' dissatisfaction with him and the court, Zhang Yan also knew that he had to do a good job. Preparation for repression.
Fortunately, Huangyangping is not far from Xiazhou, and there are two hundred garrison soldiers and fifty regiment training officers stationed there. Although Tucheng is small and fragile, it can be relied on. Coupled with the security patrols and retinues, Zhang Yan can mobilize as many manpower as possible. There were nearly four hundred people. And since he was Wang Qian's benefactor, the military academy in charge of the garrison was also very cooperative. Whether the two were colluding or working together, at least the Huangyangping government still had a certain degree of control over the local area, and at least it was capable of defending.
However, these are not enough to really reassure Zhang Yan, because the strength gap between the hundreds of armed men and the thousands of party members inside and outside Huangyangping, as well as the more than 20,000 party members in the surrounding areas, is really too big. .
Therefore, in the past few months, Zhang Yan has always been cautious, and has closely monitored Party members to guard against clinging to death. At the same time, they continued to ask for help from Xiazhou. Finally, Xiazhou got real feedback. The commander-in-chief Wang Qian decided to send an additional 1,000 garrison troops, 500 cavalry, and 500 infantry to Huangyangping to suppress the local area.
With the arrival of the well-equipped Han army, Zhang Yan felt relieved, and the imminent moves of Huang Yangping's party members were temporarily suppressed.
