Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 334 Pivot
On the twelfth day of July in the second year of Wende, outside Qingtang City, an altar covering an area of ​​[-] acres has been completed.

This is a simple earthen altar, which is divided into three levels, and is used for tribal oaths.

There were people, horses, cows, donkeys and other sacrificial animals in front of the earthen altar. Humans were supposed to be real people, but Commander Shao ordered that they be replaced by dummy ones.

The sacrificial animal was killed last night, and it was slaughtered according to the method stipulated in the sacrificial ceremony, that is, "broken its feet and cracked its chest", and put it in front of the altar.

The wizard prayed to the gods all night, presumably the gods have received the news that someone wants to send him food, and then ask him to be a middleman.

A god who likes to eat blood is probably not a false god!
The oath ceremony was similar to the oath ceremony of the Dangxiang people. The heads of all tribes who surrendered had already arrived. Under the auspices of the wizard, Shao Shude made an oath with dozens of leaders.

The content of the oath, of course, is to respect Shao.

One more thing, Qingtang Tubo has not experienced this kind of oath ceremony for almost a hundred years, because there is a lack of people with status to participate.The requirements for this status are still very high, and it must be Zanpu.

"Zanpu and Chen Sui made a small alliance, using sheep, dogs, and monkeys as sacrifices; three years old made a big alliance, eating at various altars at night, using people, horses, cows, and donkeys as sacrifices."

The Tibetan tribes of the Qing and Tang Dynasties were originally unwilling.But the situation is like this, Shao Shude doesn't mind participating in the ceremony as Zanpu, and even vigorously promotes it, the wizard agrees under coercion, what else can he do?
After the oath was over, just like the party's sacrifice to the sky, the wizard came out with a charred bone-how did Shao Shude feel that the bone looked like a human bone, these savages!
"The members of the Yumeng League are like animals." The wizard said, pointing the bones at the victim whose feet had been broken and whose chest had been broken, and died tragically in front of the altar.

All the heads of Tubo tribes bowed their heads, not daring to look more.

Shao Shude sat there, accepting the bow of the headmen.

For savages, the methods of savages must be used.Both Dangxiang and Tubo attach great importance to the oath of alliance.Holding such ceremonies from time to time to strengthen authority is the only way to stabilize the rule.

"This altar needs to be rebuilt. Each department can send out some people, cattle and sheep to quarry and repair it. This is the place where I swore an oath with all the chieftains. How can it be so simple?" After the ceremony, Shao Shude, accompanied by a wizard, Walked around the earth altar.

"Also, the ministries are not allowed to make an oath in private. If there is one, I will raise my troops to fight against it. Don't say it was unexpected."

All the chiefs naturally responded again and again.

In Qingtang and Tubo, "the races were scattered, the big ones were thousands of families, and the small ones were hundreds of families, and there was no reunification."

With tens of thousands of people, the largest tribe "Dafa" can produce tens of thousands of people, and the smallest tribe can only produce one or two hundred people.Such a split is of course in line with Shao Shude's original intention.

A private oath is a red line, and whoever dares to do so has a different heart.No matter how far the road is, Shao Shude will gather a large army to conquer, and nip the threat in the bud.

After returning to the city, Shao Shude found Chen Cheng again and asked, "Have all the Hewei tribes who sent troops together left?"

"Marshal, you have already left in batches, and most of them have arrived in Longzhi County at this time."

Longzhi County, one of the three counties under the jurisdiction of Shanzhou, was controlled during the last western expedition to Lanzhou.

"Let the Luma tribe leave Qinzhou and go to Minzhou to graze. The Bai clan in Huizhou and the Tuoba clan in Minzhou go to Shanzhou to graze. The pasture here is better than their original place, so we shouldn't be unhappy." Shao Shude ordered road.

There is nothing you can do if you are not happy, this is an order, not a discussion.

The Bai family is Han, and they have always been submissive. Bai Gui, a member of the Bai family, is a general in the army.He also dedicated his daughter-in-law to serve Shao Shude, and they keep paying tribute every year, so this time I will reward them.

Isn't the pasture in Qinghai Lake more fragrant than Huizhou?
"The leader of the Tuoba tribe is Tuoba Jin, right?" Shao Shude asked again.

"Marshal, everyone in the Tuoba tribe says that Marshal is the leader." Chen Cheng reminded.

This……

Such a great Tang County King, how did he become a tribal chief?Forget it, Jiedu envoy deserves it, and Wu Zu naturally deserves it.

And when you become a Khan, Wuzu, Zanpu, etc., you don't have a direct tribe, is it plausible?
The Tuoba tribe, in the past few years, has taken care of them. When they were guarding the border in Minzhou, they annexed many small tribes of Tubo and Qiang people. Dingkou is close to [-], which is not a small tribe.

There is also a tribe mainly composed of Tubo descendants from Wei and Min prefectures, with about [-] people, grazing at the foot of Helan Mountain.There are a lot of people, but there are not many people, after all, they used to be mainly old and weak.

In theory, this tribe is also a tribe directly under Shao Shude.

"Helan Mountain, what's the situation now?" Shao Shude asked.

"Returning to Commander-in-Chief, Ye Li of the Lifan Academy once mentioned that there are more than [-] people in this department, and the number of adult members is only [-]. In the past two years, many new members have been born, but none of them have matured. , claiming to be the Shao Clan. When Jiangshun came over, the tribal leaders were wiped out, and now they are under military law, and everyone in charge, big or small, pretends to be Shao." Chen Cheng returned.

Shao Shude: "..."

This is a self-proclaimed slave of Zanpu, hoping to get better treatment.

"The Tuoba tribe is grazing in the vicinity of Fucheng City."

"Bai Family, go to Shudun City to graze."

Of these two pastoral areas, one is located on the west bank of Qinghai Lake and the other is on the southeast bank.Both cities were once the capital of Tuyuhun, so the pastures are naturally not bad.

Distributing these two fertile pastures to Tuoba and Bai's family reflects Shao Shude's ambition to deeply control the Qinghai Lake area.

"Shao...Shao's family, go to the old Tubo land of Liugu in Liangzhou to graze, and free up the land under Helan Mountain."

The six valleys to the south of Liangzhou have criss-crossing rivers, lush water and grass, suitable for grazing and farming, and also control the thoroughfare between Lanzhou and Liangzhou. The location is actually very important.Move the Shao Family Department there, take control of this place, and recuperate for more than ten years. After its strength recovers, you can overlook Lanzhou and Liangzhou from a high position.

"In addition, the Liang Family Department, Luo Family Department, and Yang Family Department of the Hexi Dangxiang in Dafa Lingzhou, regardless of age, are all conscripted to come to Qingtang. First let their leaders hurry up and come to see me." Shao Shude ordered again.

"Marshal, there are [-] people in the three parts, how to arrange the grassland?"

These three are basically Hu Hua Han people, just like the Bai family in Huizhou back then.In the past few years, we have vigorously de-Humanized, but the way of life is there, it is impossible to be completely the same as the Han people.

"The leader of the Miaochuan tribe only came to surrender yesterday, and he is not respectful enough. After two days, a certain person will gather an army and ask the leader of the Miaochuan tribe if he would like to go to Lingzhou to graze. He should be willing." Shao Shude sneered: "Give the pastures of Miaochuan to the Liang family."

"The Liang family has taken advantage of this!" Chen Cheng thought to himself: "The Miaochuan tribe is a large tribe with 5 to [-] people, and their family has the final say on the Huangshui River Basin. After the Liang family occupies these pastures, it will be easy to manage. , decades later, it will be the Qingtang family. The Patriarch of the Liang family has a young daughter who has been serving the commander-in-chief, and she is more loved by the commander-in-chief than ordinary maids, there should be some reasons for this."

"The Yang clan went to the Xingxiu Sea and the Anrenjun area to graze. Before conquering a few small tribes, the pastures were vacated and given to the Yang family."

"Weirong Army and Yu Haijun also have vacant pastures for Luo Shi."

After a fierce operation like a tiger, Shao Shude finally stopped giving orders.

The great migration of various ministries has the demeanor of a loving father in later generations, but I don't know what troubles will arise.But now there are fierce generals and tens of thousands of lions around, as long as those tribes don't make trouble at the beginning, after going to a new place, there is no need to make trouble anymore.

"Tomorrow we will lead the army to the south, and I will inspect the Ningbian Army and the Jishi Army."

On July [-]th, Shao Shude left [-] soldiers of the rebel army to defend Qingtang City, and led more than [-] Fan and Han troops to the south.At the same time, an order was sent to the Jinglue Army to close the Kairun Department, ordering it to cross the river and go down to the Jishi Army.

Tens of thousands of troops patrolled the south, and the various tribes in Tubo were divided, so they were naturally frightened out of their wits.If you don't want to leave, naturally you can only offer a contribution and show respect.

Cattle, sheep and horses, Marshal Shao has already put down his numbness.

Qingtang Tubo numbered 10 people, and the total number of large and small livestock was more than [-] million.Most of the seized dogs, cattle and sheep were returned, but this was just a play on words—soon each ministry offered them up again in the name of tribute.

But Marshal Shao still has a conscience, so he sent someone to ask.Some tribes have been robbed so badly that if they don’t pay back at all, they may not be able to survive, so they can only seek refuge with other tribes, or simply rebel.This was not his intention, so he returned some more.

Overall, the tribes of the Qing and Tang Dynasties donated more than 300 heads of livestock and 100 million sheep.Previously, more than [-] million cattle, sheep, horses and camels were seized in Hexi. The harvest during this trip is still good, and in the future, it will continue to flow steadily, with a yearly harvest of about one million large and small livestock.

Do not underestimate the wealth of the grassland.They are poor because they cannot cash out their livestock, and at the same time they have a great demand for various commodities in the Han region. However, the Central Plains court still does not want to do business with them. There are occasional mutual markets, mostly for the purpose of appeasement, and from time to time Intermittent, not long.

Shao Shude read history books and learned that in the former Yan Saibei battle, "afterwards, General (Murong) Chui of the Fujun, General Qian of the Chinese Army, and General Ping Xi of the Protecting Army were dispatched to attack Saibei with 13 horsemen. More than ten thousand, [-] horses, hundreds of millions of cattle and sheep."

This "hundreds of millions" capture is mostly bragging, but the number of captured and beheaded horses should be true.There would not be many horses, if the grassland government did not specially manage horses, and the herdsmen did not like to raise them.Therefore, the actual number of seizures should be in the tens of millions, and it is absolutely impossible to have hundreds of millions. The number of livestock in Inner Mongolia in later generations is only more than 1 million.

But even if only 2000 million livestock were seized, it would be amazing!With plenty of rain and warm climate, it is a good time for grassland nomads!In the early years of the Kingdom of China, the three towns of Shuofang, Hexi, and Longyou could have a nomadic population of 250 million, and their livestock should be around 8000 million. What a huge fortune this is.

Wouldn't it be great for everyone if the Han land and the grassland communicate with each other?The problem is how to solve mutual trust.

Considering that in another 70 to [-] years, the temperature will drop sharply, and the precipitation will also decrease accordingly. To solve the grassland problem, we must pay close attention to it.

Stop and go along the way, on July 25, Shao Shude arrived at Ningbian Military City via Chengfengling (Guide Gorge) and Shudun City.The silver guns who acted as the vanguard had already crossed the river and occupied Jingbian Town on the southeast bank of the river, that is, Jishi Army City.

From the Jishi Army to the east for more than 120 miles, you can go to Dahua County, Kuozhou (northwest of today's Jianzha County), and then 500 miles to the east, to Guangwei County, Lisuo, Kuozhou (southwest of today's Hualong County). The Ningsai Army has [-] soldiers in charge.

Traveling 390 miles southeast of Kuozhou, you can reach the current seat of the shogunate in Longyou Town, Fanghan County, Hezhou.

Eighty li to the west, Jishi Army can reach Wanxiu City (now Gonghe).This is the thirteenth year of Tianbao, and it was placed by Ge Shuhan after he took over the land of Jiuqu of the Yellow River.There was Wanxiu Army in the city, which was later renamed Weisheng Army.

Sixty miles southwest of Jishi Army to Hongji Bridge, Hongji Army Town (now southwest of Gonghe) was set up during the Northern Anniversary, and Jintian Army was set up by Ge Shuhan.150 miles to the southwest of Jin Tianjun, it is the westernmost point of the excellent horse grazing land of Jiuqu of the Yellow River, and it is also the border of the country and the dynasty during the Tianbao period.

Jishijun, extending in all directions, it is not an exaggeration to say that it is a traffic center.Moreover, the Guo Dynasty used to farm here, and now there are still many residents in the city, there are Buddhist temples, and the business and trade are not bad.

Here, be a garrison!

"Lu Siye, remember it." On the north bank of the Yellow River, Shao Shude said suddenly.

The soldiers brought in the case again.

"The Jishi Army is regulated as [-] infantry and [-] cavalry, and they are divided into Jishi Army City and Hongji Bridge."

"The Heyuan army is regulated as [-] infantry and [-] cavalry, stationed in Linfan City, Shibao City, and Changning Bridge."

"Stay here temporarily, and adjust if necessary in the future."

Linfan City is tens of miles west of Qingtang City. It can be used as a road and can garrison thousands of troops.

Shibao City (now Hala Kutu City) is on the other side of a river sixty to seventy miles southwest of Baishui Army. There is Shicheng Mountain nearby. It has steep cliffs and dangerous paths on three sides. There is only one winding road to go up.

In the 17th year of Kaiyuan, the Zhenwu Army was set up, with thousands of soldiers in charge. In 29 years, it was trapped in Tubo, and the Tubo people called it Tieren City.Eight years after Tianbao conquered it, it was renamed the Shenwu Army, and later renamed the Tianwei Army, and the number of soldiers increased to more than [-].

"The Jishi Army and the Heyuan Army have [-] infantry and [-] cavalry. They are the fulcrums for me to control Shan and Kuo Prefectures." Shao Shude said: "The four towns have tens of thousands of elite soldiers. Speed ​​up the selection. If you are unwilling, some people may dare If you create chaos, you should seek peace."

"The Yinshan tribe, after so many years, it's time to donate a warrior. Send someone to the five inspection envoys to send an order. Before the twelfth lunar month, I will see the five tribes of Dangxiang, Turks, Uighurs, Qibi, and Zangcai. Thousands, together with Zhongyong's [-] riders, will be broken up and mixed up, and added to the Heyuan and Jishi armies."

What about the income of more than one million cattle and sheep a year, and there are tens of thousands of people.In Shan and Kuo prefectures, there are more than enough to support these soldiers.

"Give it to the courier as soon as possible!" Shao Shude said with a wave of his hand.

　Recommend a book on a small number of American civilizations: "Aztec Immortals", interested book lovers can read it.

　　


(End of this chapter)