Tibet

After pulling out the two nails in the Big and Small Stone Forts, the Tang army renovated the Big and Small Stone Forts, stationed 300 people here, and restored the Tang names of Zhenwei Army and Dingrong City.

Li Ye immediately inspected various places in Shanzhou to understand the complete defense mechanism of the Longyou Tang Army against the Tubo Army. He was also waiting for news about Xin Yunjing and Li Baozhen.

At this time, all the wheat in the Hehuang Valley had been harvested. The Tubo army had only planted 30% of the land, but the harvest of more than one million shi of grain was enough to feed the 200,000 Helong army for a year.

It’s no wonder that the Jiedu Mansion of Longyou wanted to place its government office in Shanzhou. It’s no wonder that Longyou was a famous grain-producing land in the Tang Dynasty. It’s even more no wonder that Tubo fought desperately with Longyou for the Hehuang Valley. This is indeed a fertile treasure land. , if you run this place well, it will become your biggest logistics center.

Li Baozhen came back first, bringing news about the Nine Bends of the Yellow River.

"Your Highness, there are tens of thousands of Tubo Han households living in the Jiuqu area of ​​the Yellow River, including civilians and slaves, and they are controlled by Tubo officials and troops.

Most of them were slaves of the Tubo nobles. They planted food in the Jiuqu area and sent the harvested food to the nobles. They annihilated the 4,000 Tibetan troops there, executed more than 20 Tibetan officials, and released all the people. slave.

But these Tubo Han people are unwilling to come back. They have been assimilated by the Tubo people and regard themselves as Tubo people. "

The Tubo Han people are a big headache for Li Ye. They are said to be Han people, but they are no different from the Tubo people. Their language is assimilated, their customs and living habits are also assimilated, and their beliefs are the same. But if they are said to be Tubo people, they are not different from the Tubo people. They were clearly descendants of the Han people who were taken captive to Tibet.

Li Baozhen said to Li Ye again: "I have been thinking about it all the way. At present, the Jiuqu area has been occupied by us. We can merge the Jiuqu area into Hezhou and have it managed by Hezhou."

Although Li Ye had a headache, he had principles in dealing with the Tubo Han people. He did not want them to become Han people again, which would become the source of turmoil in Longyou in the future.

He did have a bold idea to hand them over to the Tuyuhun people to manage.

Li Ye nodded and smiled: "I will consider this matter carefully, but now I want to know, how many young and strong men are there in the Tubo Han people?"

Li Baozhen shook his head, "It's miserable. Basically, there are no more. Only the old, weak, women and children are left. I estimate that in ten or twenty years, the tens of thousands of Tibetan and Han households will turn into thousands. In a few decades, they will Just slowly die away.”

"That's best. Are there any troops left in Jiuqu?"

"My humble position has arranged for Guan Pei to lead five thousand troops to temporarily guard Jiuqu."

Li Ye thought for a while and said: "Hezhou will add another five thousand garrison, which can support Jiuqu at any time. Let Zhang Bingquan take charge of Hezhou. I will make arrangements when Xin Yunjing comes back."

The next day, Xin Yunjing led his army back to Shanzhou, and he also brought with him Murong Daoming, the chief of Tuyuhun.

As a dynasty, Tuyuhun perished during the Zhenguan period. Some of them moved to Xiazhou, Yanzhou and Qingzhou, and later gradually formed the Dangxiang people. The other part moved to Hexi and integrated with the Hexi Qiang people.

However, dozens of tribes remained in the Xihai and Heyuan areas, forming a tribal alliance and electing a chief as their leader. Murong Daoming is currently the chief of the Tuyuhun people.

Now that Tuyuhun is a vassal state of the Tubo people, they are not only being brutally exploited economically by Tubo, but the young and strong Tuyuhun people have become the servants of Tubo, leading the battle for Tubo.

In the past two years of fighting with Li Yehelong's army, Tuyuhun soldiers suffered heavy casualties, so that now basically only the old, weak, women and children are left in all the Tuyuhun troops.

Murong Dao will be about fifty years old next year. He is not tall, but looks very strong and has dark skin. With him came five Tuyuhun elders who came to see Li Ye. They were all from the ruling class of Tuyuhun and were from Xianbei.

Murong Dao led five elders to kneel down in front of Li Ye and paid homage. "Murong Daoming, the great chief of Tuyuhun in the lower state, met with His Highness the King of Qi and thanked His Highness for leading the king to descend from heaven and save Tuyuhun from water and fire!"

Li Ye said calmly: "Great Chief Murong, please get up, elders please get up!"

Li Ye invited everyone to sit in the tent, and when he found an opportunity, Xin Yunjing whispered to Li Ye, "They are actually here to implore His Highness to release the prisoners of war!"

Li Ye nodded. It was not impossible to release the prisoners of war, but the other party had to show sincerity.

At this time, Murong Daoming said to Li Ye: "The population of our thirty-two tribes in Tuyuhun has dropped sharply from more than 300,000 to about 200,000. All men over the age of fourteen and under the age of fifty have been forcibly recruited to join the army. At present, our Tuyuhun is on the verge of annihilation. If the Tibetans come again, I am afraid that even our young women will be forcibly recruited, so I come here this time to plead with Your Highness to save Tuyuhun."

Li Ye said slowly: "Currently, Tubo is in turmoil because of the death of Zampu, so almost all the Tibetan troops have withdrawn to the plateau. We have also restored the boundary line of Tianbao in the 13th year, with Dafeichuan in the north and Jiji in the south. The natural dividing line of Stone Mountain leads to the plateau further south, which our soldiers cannot bear.

In this way, Tuyuhun is within our defense range, so I don't care what you were like before, I care more about how you get along with Tang Jun in the future? "

An elder said: "Of course we are fighting side by side against the Tibetan army!"

Li Ye shook his head, "You can't just talk with your mouth. At least you didn't tell me the truth just now!"

Murong Daoming was startled, "I did not deceive Your Highness!"

Li Ye said slowly: "We released three thousand Tuyuhun soldiers in Xincheng back to Tuyuhun. When we attacked Shanzhou, 12,000 Tubo soldiers in Shancheng County escaped. At first I thought they were Tubo Han people, but later Only then did I realize that they were all Tuyuhun soldiers. Now at least 15,000 young and strong men have returned home. How can we say that they are all old, weak, women and children?"

"this."

Murong Daoming smiled bitterly and said: "I just said that the census results more than a month ago did not include them. Of course, it is a little better now."

Li Ye nodded, "I can understand if you say this. I'll tell you what I think about Tuyuhun!"

"Your Highness, please speak!"

Li Ye said calmly: "In the Jiuqu area, there are about 100,000 Tubo Han people. I am considering incorporating some of them into Tuyuhun. In the Shuofang area, there are still 15,000 Tubo Han prisoners of war." I was also sent back and became a salt household with their family members to collect salt for me in the salt lake. They are also Tyuhun people.

In addition, there are about 4,000 Tuyuhun people in the Hexi Corridor, and about 7,000 Tuyuhun people in Yanzhou, Xiazhou and Qingzhou. We are planning to move them all back to their hometowns.

I also plan to release the 15,000 Tuyuhun prisoners of war in my hands. In this way, your population will be greatly increased, and I will even support the restoration of Tuyuhun. "

Li Ye's move can be said to be a blow to the bottom of the fire, and the Tuyuhun people in Yanzhou, Xiazhou and Qingzhou will be moved back to their homeland. In the future, there will be no more Dangxiang people and no more Xixia.

After listening to Li Ye's words, especially his support for Tuyuhun's restoration of the country, several elders were trembling with excitement and asked in trembling voices: "Is what His Highness said true?"

Murong Daoming was very sober, and he asked calmly: "Thank you very much for your highness's arrangement, but I want to know, what are your highness's conditions?"

Murong Daoming knew very well that the other party's generosity must have conditions.