Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 820
Pingdi Pine Forest is a place name, roughly located in the west of Keshiketeng Banner, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia today.

"Liao History III Taizong Ji [-]" records: "In the eighth year of Tianxian, (Yelu Deguang) hunted in the west, and stayed in the pine forest on the flat ground."

"For 12 years, the pine forest on the flat ground, and the source of the water."

At that time, the Liao capital went to Linhuang Mansion in Beijing, and the flat pine forest was to the west.

As the name suggests, "the pine forest on the flat land is thousands of miles wide", which is amazing.

Even after hundreds of years of development, Luo Hongxian of the Ming Dynasty recorded in "Shuo Motu": "From the southwest of Qingzhou to Kaiping, the land is full of pines, and it is called Qianli Pine Forest."

There were thousands of miles of pine forests in the Liao Dynasty, and there were still thousands of miles in the Ming Dynasty, which shows its vastness.

And because the upper source of Huangshui (Xilamulun River) is a plateau moraine desert terrain, and there are many pine forests, so the country called it "pine desert". Grasslands and forests together constitute the jurisdiction of Songmo Dudufu.

On the 24th day of the sixth month in the fourth year of Qianning, King Xi went to a place where Zhuyi was in decline and returned from the pine forest on the flat ground.

Several tribes in this area vacillated between Khitan and King Xi's Mansion, and even faintly leaned towards Khitan, which made him very disappointed.

The weather was gloomy, and the wind was blowing, making waves in the pines and forests.

Huangshui splashed, and fine sprays flew up, as if crying.

Qu Zhu stopped, walked to the river, picked up a handful of cold river water, and washed his face.

Drops of water flowed down his pale face, hanging on the eyelashes, beard, and hair tips.

"The ancestors made many mistakes back then, alas!" Qu Zhu sighed.

"After the Turks were defeated by the Tang people, our family paid tribute to the Tang Dynasty. When the Goguryeo was conquered, all the tribes of our Xiren sent troops to follow the expedition, and they made great achievements in battle."

"In the 22nd year of Zhenguan, the Raole Dudufu was established. Five prefectures were set up based on its land. The five chiefs of the Xi tribe each led a prefecture, and the Raole Dudufu presided over a prefecture, a total of six prefectures. The military forces of the state, the governor of Rao Le, and the county magistrate of Loufan, gave it to Li. 'The Khitan at that time could not bully us at all."

The eldest son, Su Zhi, came over and said, "Grandfather (meaning father), why is this so? The people of Tang Dynasty are brutal, and our family is the eagle on the grassland. How can we be used and abused for a long time? The Khitan chieftain was a servant, whipped and humiliated at every turn. Every time he sent troops, he had to confiscate them arbitrarily, resulting in many casualties. During the famine years, instead of giving relief, they continued to levy taxes and levy cattle and sheep. What did such a court do with him? ?”

Indeed, from the later years of Taizong to the Gaozong Dynasty, no matter whether it was to use troops against the Turks or conquer Goguryeo, the Xi and Khitan tribes had to send troops, horses, and cattle and sheep.If there are not many, it's fine, but the wars are too frequent, the tribesmen suffer heavy casualties, and dissatisfaction continues to accumulate.But at this time, frightened by the military power of the Tang Dynasty, they dare not rebel.

In the reign of Empress Wu, the problem of poor management became more prominent.Not to mention the generals of the frontier, even a governor, he treated Xi and the Khitan chiefs as slaves, humiliated them wantonly, and sometimes whipped them in front of everyone.The Khitan suffered a disaster and the tribe suffered from starvation. The chief ran to Yingzhou to ask for relief, but the governor of Yingzhou Zhao Wenhui didn't care at all and kicked them out, which eventually led to the rebellion of Khitan Li Jinzhong and Sun Wanrong.

"At that time, it's time to rebel." Qu Zhu turned his head and said: "As the so-called officials force the people to rebel, they constantly recruit troops to fight wars, pay tribute, and don't provide relief when disasters occur. This is not treating us as human beings."

"But Emperor Wuzong of the Tang Dynasty made a mistake during the Huichang period." Qu Zhu sighed: "The Uighurs perished, we sheltered the rest of the party, and still used the Uighur official seal, but the Khitan begged the Tang Dynasty to grant the official seal, and got the 'Khitan Seal of Serving the Country'. This is a Big mistake, hate it!"

Su Zhi also knew about the past, and was silent when he heard the words.

Uighur Wujie Khan invaded the border, was defeated by the Zhenwu army, suffered heavy losses, and fled to Xiren pasture to avoid the limelight.Tang Ting heard about it and ordered Xiren to hand over Wujie Khan, but Xiren refused and placed his remnants in the tribe.

In the first year of Emperor Xuanzong's Dazhong (847), Zhang Zhongwu, the governor of Youzhou, conquered the Xi people, "the chicken chief canal, burned 20 tents, and took three hundred ears below the governor, seventy thousand sheep and cattle, and five hundred bags. Present the capital."

The price has been terrible.

300 chieftains, big and small, had their noses and ears cut off, their tents were burned, their cattle and sheep were robbed, and [-] carts of property were taken away. It was almost completely humiliating, and the momentum declined.The Khitan took the opportunity to develop, and their strength came from behind, surpassing the six tribes of the Xi clan.

Datang is powerful, Zhenwu Army and Tiande Army can defeat [-] Uighur cavalry together, and Youzhou Town can trample on the six tribes of the Xi clan wantonly, not to mention the Khitan who was not as powerful as Xi at that time.They are so powerful that they can't hate even if they want to, so there's no need to seek trouble and revenge for themselves.

But the Khitan, who was close at Chichi, took the opportunity to rise up, but Xi Ren fell into a huge disaster.

The Khitan people took advantage of the favorable opportunity when the six tribes of the Xi clan were raided by the Tang Dynasty and suffered heavy losses. King Xi Zheli was abolished and internal turmoil occurred, and they launched a large-scale crusade.Yaonianbala Khan defeated the six tribes of the Xi clan and captured "half of the trilogy".

This is not over yet, Khitan's offensive has never stopped.In the period of Yaonihen Dejin Khan, Sara (father of Yeluyi) and Shilu (uncle of Yeluyi) plundered the tribes of Xi and Shiwei for four consecutive years, and "served them all".

The strength of the six tribes of the Xi family is getting weaker and weaker, and now they are basically Khitan vassals, providing soldiers, food, equipment, and horses for their campaigns—yes, the Xi people also farm land, mainly millet.

"Grandpa, why don't we find a way to find a backer?" Su Zhi said, "Because all the tribes have not been completely controlled by the Khitan, let's move westward and choose a strong lord to join us. Food, but the Khitan people also take it. The Khitan is harsh, and the tribes suffer unspeakably, no matter how cruel the Tang people are, it is nothing more than that."

"Who do you rely on?" Qu Zhu asked, with a hint of an exam.

Obviously, he had already had this idea, and it wasn't just a whim.

"How about sending an envoy to contact Li Keyong, King of Jin?" Su Zhi said, "Li Keyong was born in Shatuo, and many tribes in Daibei obeyed him. The army is so powerful that even the town of Youzhou was taken down by him. According to the people there, the King of Jin can get 15 strong soldiers, and he will rule Hebei sooner or later."

The six tribes of the Xi clan were oppressed by the Khitan, and some people could not bear it long ago.They were powerless to resist, so they fled to Fortress of Youzhou and asked for their protection.I heard that my life is not bad, although I have to do military service, but it is really not as harsh as the Khitan people.

"Li Keyong does understand grasslands, but there is another person in the west who understands grasslands better." Qu Zhu reminded.

"Could it be Shao Shude, Xia Wang of the Tang Dynasty?" Su Zhi smiled and said, "I've heard of this man. He pretended to be the Supreme Khan, which made people laugh out loud."

Qu Zhu frowned, and said: "Among the wolves, only the strongest one can be the wolf king. When the wolf king gets old, there will be new wolves to challenge. Nothing is justified, Supreme Khan It's the same. Khan is for those with strong soldiers and horses, Shao Shude is powerful, even if he calls himself Khan, who can control him?"

Su Zhi was taken aback, and asked, "Where is Shao Shudeqiang?"

Qu Zhu's frown deepened, and he asked, "What have you been busy with these days? You don't even know what happened in Shanbei?"

Su Zhi was a little apprehensive. He had been traveling between several tribes recently, so he really didn't have time to inquire about the outside world.

"Ruyuan has already fought. The Tatars and Uyghurs were defeated and fled everywhere. The warriors who attacked them were Xia Wang Shaoshude's warriors. There were a large number of them, and it was heard that there were no less than 50." Qu Zhu said.

"50? How is it possible?" Su Zhi was stunned.

"The Tatars may have exaggerated to conceal their incompetence, but there are more than [-] soldiers and horses." Qu Zhu said: "So many soldiers and horses came all the way from the west and crossed the territory used by Li Ke. Have you ever sent troops to stop it?"

Su Zhi didn't know, so he could only shake his head.

"This is an ambitious army leader, and his expansion will never stop here." Qu Zhuxiang's son analyzed: "Ruyuan is less than five hundred miles away from the pine forest on the flat ground. Jing rides one man and two horses, but Five days."

The flat pine forest is not far from Xiren Yazhang.

The tooth tent is located on the north bank of Huangshui in Balin Zuoqi, Chifeng City in later generations, and there is a stone bridge across Huangshui nearby.The Xi people are skilled craftsmen, good at making ships, vehicles, and bridges, and also farming land and smelting iron. The development of that area is still very good.

Going down the Huangshui River Valley, you can reach the Khitan Yazhang.

It is located in the area of ​​Kulun Banner, Tongliao City in later generations, on the south bank of Huangshui.Going northeast through Khitan Yazhang, you can pass through Beishiwei and Bohai Sea.

Generally speaking, the Xi people occupied the upper reaches of the Huangshui River, and the Khitans occupied the lower reaches of the Huangshui River.

Of course, that is the old calendar.In recent years, the six tribes of Xiren have become weaker and weaker, and the eight tribes of Khitan have become stronger day by day. Under the conquests from east to west, Shiwei, Xi and other tribes all surrendered, and their territory became bigger and bigger.The Xiren tribe has also been relocated, and many of them have left the Huangshui River Basin and no longer listen to him, King Xi.

A while ago, when Li Ke used Liu Rengong to defeat Liu Rengong, he smashed the camp and pacified all the tribes. There were many Khitan and Xi people in the local area.

"Since grandpa said so, may we try to get in touch?" Su Zhi asked: "Maybe Shao Shude is stronger than Li Keyong, and with his strength, he can better escape the Khitan's control. King Jin, I don't think he is determined to go to the north." , I don’t even care about the defeated battalion and Pinger Prefecture, and they will be taken away by the Khitan sooner or later.”

"You can get in touch first, but don't rush to make a decision." Qu Zhu said, "It's fine that Li Ke doesn't care about Ying and Ping. He doesn't even want Guizhou? Without Guizhou, Youzhou will be exposed to the outside world. It's very dangerous. There is no doubt that sooner or later a big battle will break out between him and Shao Shude. Although I am more optimistic about Shao Shude's victory, I might as well wait and see who wins before making a decision."

"Do you want to send someone to contact you?" Su Zhi asked.

"Of course!" Qu Zhu said without hesitation: "You go in person for this matter. Don't make too much noise. Many people in the six tribes of the Xi clan are unreliable, and they are all lackeys of the Khitan people. You choose some confidantes to accompany you and bring a horse A hundred horses, set off at night and go to Ruyuan."

"Okay, I'll do it now!" Su Zhi responded immediately.

If Shao Shude or Li Keyong can't help them get rid of Khitan's oppression, then I really don't know what to do.

(End of this chapter)