The Flourishing Tang Dynasty: Beginning with Marrying Yang Yuhuan

Chapter 248: Arrangement after Consideration
However, as for the Tuyuhun tribes in Guazhou and Shazhou, Li Heng could not simply kill them based on their identities, nor could he take the initiative to provoke a war.

Because the issues involved are extremely complicated.

First of all, the Tuyuhun people under the rule of Guazhou and Shazhou themselves had a complex composition.

The Tuyuhun tribes in Gua and Sha states moved in in several batches.

The earliest group were the indigenous people during the period when Tuyuhun was at its peak.

The second time was during the Daye period of Emperor Yang of Sui, when Emperor Yang of Sui conquered Tuyuhun, part of the Tuyuhun tribe in the east migrated westward to here.

Later, in the third year of Longshuo (663 AD) during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Tubo defeated Tuyuhun, and some Tuyuhun people surrendered to the Tang Dynasty and were settled here.

Finally, in the second year of the Shengli period of Wu Zetian (699), a conflict arose between the Tubo Zanpu and the Lun clan. Lun Qinling committed suicide after his defeat, and Lun Qinling's younger brother and sons surrendered to the Tang. The Tuyuhun tribe, which was originally controlled by the Lun clan, once again surrendered to the Tang and part of them moved here.

From this we can see that the Tuyuhun tribes in Gua and Sha states migrated at different times and for different reasons, and their degree of sinicization and loyalty to the Tang Dynasty were also different.

Secondly, there are the Moli Army and Doulu Army in Gua and Sha states, and even the Yiwulu Army in Beiting Yi state. Many of the soldiers in these armies are Tuyuhun people.

If Li Heng were to be killed in one fell swoop, these troops would most likely fall into civil strife.

Finally, Li Heng's attitude towards Tuyuhun also represents his policy towards ethnic minorities in border areas to a certain extent.

The ethnic composition of Anxi, Beiting and Hexi is extremely complex, and there are neighboring tribes everywhere. Most of the generals under Li Heng are from ethnic minorities.

For example, Gao Xianzhi was a Goguryeo noble, An Sishun and Cao Lingzhong were Sogdians, Bai Xiaode was a descendant of the royal family of Kucha, Fu Menglingcha was Qiang, Qibi Zhong was Tiele, and the Lun brothers who had followed Li Ying before were Tibetans...

Li Heng was surrounded by the minority Pangcheng tribe and minority soldiers. If his ethnic policy was too strict, it would arouse the vigilance and even resistance of other ethnic tribes and soldiers. If it was too lenient, other ethnic tribes and soldiers would lose their awe of him.

This is just based on ethnic policy considerations. If we take into account interests, military achievements, the people, local development, etc., it will become even more complicated.

If Li Heng wants to be a good governor, he must balance the rights and interests of all parties and maintain a high level of strategic determination.

Seeing that Li Heng was silent, Li Siye advised: "Your Highness, if this is the case, why don't we take the initiative to attack and strike first?"

"No need." Li Heng shook his head. "Taking the initiative to attack can certainly help us seize the initiative, but it is unfounded. Now is a great opportunity for Tubo to plunder Guazhou and Shazhou and advance northward. They will definitely not want to miss it. We just need to wait for them to tire themselves out."

Li Siye wondered, "Why is now a good time for them to advance northward?"

"Although Tubo has not marched into Qixi for ten years, they have been secretly making plans and waiting for the right opportunity. General Wang Zhongsi now controls Hexi and Longyou, but his focus is now on Longyou and the western part of Jiannan. Longyou and Jiannan are too close to Chang'an, so General Wang must first solve Chang'an's immediate problems. As for me..."

Li Heng smiled slightly, "I ordered Liangzhou and Ganzhou to hold a grand meeting at Yanzhi Mountain. Tubo thought I was still in Liangzhou and had no time to look west. You must keep the news of my return a secret."

"Yes." Everyone responded in unison.

Although Gao Xianzhi and Feng Changqing had strong military capabilities, they were not the commander-in-chief of Qixi after all. The manpower and material resources they could mobilize in Qixi were limited, and the generals under them might not necessarily obey their orders.

Therefore, as long as Li Heng did not come back, Wang Zhongsi would not be able to take care of the west, and Gua, Sha states and Qixi would definitely not be able to withstand the strong attack of Tubo.

"Also, General Li, you should go to Guazhou and Shazhou first to check the accounts of the Doulu Army and the Moli Army." Li Heng continued.

Li Siye scratched his head and smiled, saying, "Your Highness, you asked me to lead the troops to fight and capture cities, and I will do it without hesitation. But I know nothing about checking accounts. You might as well send Liu Yan, who is an expert in this area." "Come with me." Li Heng called Li Siye aside and continued with a smile, "It is precisely because you can't do it that I let you go."

Li Siye asked in confusion: "Why is this?"

"Xiang Zhuang dances with a sword, aiming at Pei Gong." Li Heng patiently explained, "I asked you to check the accounts, but that was just a superficial thing. In reality, I just wanted you to scare them and force them to reveal their true colors."

Li Siye asked, "Your Highness, do you mean that there are people with evil intentions in the Dou Lu Army and the Mo Li Army?"

"That's right." Li Heng nodded. "Kang Yi and Mi Qian are wealthy Sogdian merchants. They had contact with An Lushan earlier. When they were in Hexi, they had contact with Tibetan scouts. Before I came to Qixi, they fled all the way west and fled to Guazhou, where they disappeared."

"There is such a thing!" Li Siye was a little surprised. After thinking for a moment, he said, "But even if I just want to scare them, I have to say something."

Li Heng asked, "According to the regulations, how much food should each soldier be given each year?"

"Each soldier in the border army will be given 12 stone of grain." Li Siye replied.

"How much food does a horse consume in a year?" Li Heng asked again.

Li Siye said: "About 18 stones."

Li Heng said, "The Dou Lu Army has 4,000 soldiers and 400 horses. According to the regulations, they receive 55,200 dan of grain every year. But last year, the Dou Lu Army received 78,000 dan of grain. They received more than 20,000 dan more. Go check where they used the extra 20,000 dan. The same is true for the Mo Li Army. They used 20,000 dan more last year."

"Yes." Li Siye felt emboldened after hearing what Li Heng said, and immediately accepted the order. After thinking for a while, he said, "But I am a soldier from Qixi, and Guazhou and Shazhou are under the jurisdiction of Hexi."

Li Heng said, "I am also the Hexi Demotion Envoy. You go as the former scout of the Demotion Envoy."

"Yes." Li Siye no longer had any doubts.

Li Heng said: "If someone tries to stop you, you don't have to investigate. You just need to scare them and find out who is reliable and who is not."

Li Siye said: "I understand. I will do it immediately."

"Thank you, General Li. Go ahead." Li Heng said.

"Yes." Li Siye saluted Li Heng and retreated.

After Li Siye left, Li Heng found Cen Shen and said to him, "General Cen, send a secret letter to General Wang Zhongsi in my name at an urgent speed of 600 miles, telling him that Guazhou and Shazhou are in danger."

"Yes." Cen Shen accepted the order.

According to Li Heng's previous style of doing things, as the "supervising" envoy of Hexi, if war broke out in Gua and Sha states under his nose, he would exercise self-control. However, because the governor of Hexi was Wang Zhongsi, things were different.

Before the Qianqiu Festival, Wang Zhongsi and An Lushan had some unpleasantness. The reason was that An Lushan, in the name of building a castle, petitioned Li Longji to ask Wang Zhongsi to send troops to help, hoping to annex Wang Zhongsi's elite troops, but was then retorted by Wang Zhongsi.

Therefore, Wang Zhongsi was extremely sensitive to military affairs, and he would notice something unusual if he was not careful. Li Heng had to greet him first to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.

Moreover, this can be regarded as respect for Wang Zhongsi, which is in line with Li Heng's principle of treating him as a national hero.

(End of this chapter)