Chapter 10 The sand in the desert is like snow, and the moon in Yanshan Mountain is like a hook (4)
"These foods are quite interesting." Shao Shude sat in the tent, looked at the food on the table, and said with a smile.
Cheese, cow's and goat's milk, mare's kumiss, milk syrup, butter, milk rinds, these things were seen a lot in later generations, and occasionally in Xiazhou, but after all, they were very different from the dietary customs of the Han people.
Of course, he is from a later generation and is not averse to these foods. At the same time, he also feels that the food of the Tang Dynasty people is far less rich than that of later generations. He wants to drink milk tea, but he doesn’t know if it can be done in this era.
There are also some cakes on the table, packed with snake skin. It is the custom of the Dangxiang people that after the cakes are put into bags made of snake skin, they will not be bitten by mice when placed in the warehouse. Well, the cakes are all freshly made and taste good.
In the past few days, he had eaten too much vinegar cake from the army, which made him very unappetizing. After being a commander for two or three years, he seemed to be gradually unable to get used to the hard life he had when he was the leader of the team. Alas.
The vinegar cakes in the army are made from baked biscuits soaked in vinegar, dried and collected. They can be eaten for fifty days without spoiling. You can imagine what it feels like to eat them.
I don’t know if other time travelers can do it. Even if they become high-ranking officials and generals, they live as simple as the sergeants. Anyway, I can’t do it. Even if you do it by force, your family will not let you do it, and your subordinates will also use it.
Looking at you with strange eyes, even alienated.
Isn't it just for the sake of wealth and future that everyone is fighting for you? Just save on official expenses and keep your private life simple. This is a subtle warning to the people below, so what's the point of following you? There are so many vassal towns in the world.
If you don’t leave me here, I will leave you alone.
“How far is it from Dijinze?” Shao Shude asked after eating some more beef and taking a sip of kumiss.
“It’s less than a day’s journey,” Zhiyao replied.
"Then tomorrow will come." Shao Shude stood up, took two steps with his hands behind his back, and said, "Just follow the rules you said. As long as these grassland tribes remain stable for a few years, it will be enough. After a few years,
Even if they want to, they can't ride the big waves."
Today, the cavalry has come to report. Last night, three groups of fine cavalry raided Dijinze and captured a lot.
The two largest lackeys of the Tuoba family, the Manu tribe and the Laer tribe, have been defeated and captured more than 2,000 Dingkou, more than 15,000 women and children, and more than 200,000 cattle, horses, alpacas, donkeys and other miscellaneous livestock.
This news also surprised Shao Shude. These films had actually received the news two or three days in advance. They spent a lot of time arguing and hesitating in vain. Maybe they were a little lucky. They thought that they would lead the army there just to reprimand and contribute.
It was just a matter of ordering cattle and sheep. But I didn’t expect that I was rushing to ransack the house and kill people, and suffered a big loss.
Later, when I felt something was not right and wanted to move away, I spent another whole day packing my things and created a mess in the tribe. As a result, I was attacked by three lines of cavalry at night and suffered heavy casualties.
Once the Manu tribe and the Laer tribe were wiped out, the remaining tribes were actually scared. Some wanted to escape immediately, and some wanted to resist desperately. Fortunately, Zhe Zongben came forward in time to appease the tribes, which stabilized the people's hearts.
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Shao Shude wouldn't be able to do this kind of thing because people don't believe you. Only a family like the Zhe family, which has great influence on the grassland, has the prestige to win over all the tribes. Zhe Zongben's idea was to
It is estimated that it is here. The Tuoba family's possible counterattack is withheld by themselves, and their family can accept the tribes with peace of mind and expand their strength. There may be some tribes that surrender directly to Xiazhou, but overall they are still making a profit.
Shao Shude thought hard for two days, and with the suggestions of Chen Cheng and Pei Shang, he came up with a plan. That was to order the tribes near Dijinze to go to the bank of Wushui, thirty miles north of Xiazhou City, when they offer sacrifices to heaven every year.
A ceremony will be held. At that time, he will also personally participate and give to the chiefs of various tribes some gold and silverware, brocade, tea, porcelain and other rare things on the grassland. Each tribe will donate horses, medicinal materials, honey, deer leather, wolf skin, yellow
Sheepskins, sand fox skins and other specialties. He didn't want to make this a face-saving project, but wanted a win-win situation. The rewards and tributes were of equal value. When brought back to each house, the value could be doubled or even several times higher. Isn't that good?
We can even go one step further. After the heaven-sacrifice meeting, we can also hold a trade meeting. Each ministry can bring over their own bulk commodities to sell, such as livestock, furs, medicinal materials, etc. Xiazhou merchants can sell Central Plains utensils.
Grain, tea, etc., if we set up our own business to collect taxes, we should be able to maintain this relationship for a longer period of time.
When there are signs that the relationship cannot be maintained and disobedient tribes appear on the grassland again, the obedient tribes will be ordered to lead a large army to conquer. In short, they will do everything possible to maintain this relationship.
The grassland should not become a burden to oneself. This is the first priority. If this goal is achieved, then you can try to use it as your own financial source. Herdsmen are not born to hunt and kill. If you have any questions, communicate in time and help you make recommendations.
Commodities, help you buy things, Ding Nanjun makes some money as a middleman, hello, me, hello everyone.
“Commander, General Zhe sent an envoy to ask what to do with the captured Dingkou cattle and sheep?” Li Yixian suddenly came into the account to report.
"Dingkou will be sent to Yinzhou first. As for the cattle and sheep, we will wait until the commander and the family clear up the accounts," Shao Shude replied.
Li Yixian immediately went out to deliver the order.
Brothers have to settle accounts openly. This is not a treat, but involves real interests. In this northern expedition, the Zhe family contributed a lot, providing guides, planning practical routes, and allowing vassal tribes to send troops and supplies.
, he also personally participated in the battle and helped stabilize people's hearts after the war.
The captured cattle and sheep, as well as the offerings from each tribe, must be discussed with them before being dealt with.
On April 26, Shao Shude arrived at Dijinze with the main infantry force of the Tielin Army, and Wei Cai and other chieftains came out to greet him respectfully.
Looking at the tribal leaders kneeling on the ground, Shao Shude could not help but feel a sense of pride in his heart. Although they were all small tribes with no climate, both Qiang and Hu, it really made him feel very happy. At that time, Taizong
Conquering the grassland and sending the nobles' sons from various tribes into the palace to serve as bodyguards, I'm afraid this is the same feeling, right?
The feeling of a conqueror is indeed extraordinary!
Zuri Zongben watched silently. His son-in-law, who was only in his twenties this year, had reached this point. He was kind and righteous to the people, righteous to the soldiers, ruthless to the enemy, and full of lust for power. Combining these characteristics,
He couldn't help but think of several people.
When I married my daughter to him, I originally planned to deepen the relationship between Sui and Lin states and help each other. At that time, Shao Shude was just a young man who had taken the eunuch path and suddenly got the title of governor. But who will become it?
Thinking about it, after two years of conquering Huangchao, he actually became the governor of the Dingnan Army and took control of the four states with an army of 20,000.
The next step should be to destroy the Tuoba family, right? This man has a strong desire to conquer. Whether it is an enemy or a woman, he wants his enemies and women to surrender under his feet. The Tuoba family is separatist in Youzhou, and Shao Shude must not be able to tolerate it.
If he sets his sights on the Zhenwu Army in the future, how will the Linzhou Zhejia deal with themselves?
Confrontation? Or peace of mind and be a vassal?
“General Zhe, we attacked at night the day before yesterday, and the general’s subordinates have made great achievements.” Shao Shude walked up to Zhe Zong himself and thanked him.
“It is better to use the strength of the army to deter the enemy. Without the support of the general, these subordinates may not be willing to join in the fun.” Zhe Zongben said with a wry smile: “The first merit should belong to the general.”
Shao Shude smiled and stopped arguing about this topic, but asked: "Are all the ministries here? When will the oath-taking ceremony be held?"
"All the large and small tribes near Dijinze are here. The king's military power is too strong. Once the Manu and La'er tribes were defeated, the tribes did not dare to neglect, and they all came in two days." Zhe Zongben said.
The Dangxiang people are a tribe and have some primitive customs, such as revenge and peace. If two tribes fight each other and both people die, and there is a grudge, according to custom, they will have to fight to the death, as shown in "Song Dynasty" compiled by Yuan people.
It is said in "History": "(Dangxiang) has many feuds and does not interact with each other."
"History of the Liao Dynasty" also records: "I like revenge, but if there is mourning, I will not attack others. I will carry armor and leaves on my back to recognize them. Those who are too weak to avenge will gather strong women, enjoy cattle and sheep, drink and eat, go to the enemy's house, set fire to their houses, and burn down their houses."
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Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, revenge activities have been very frequent within and outside the Dangxiang tribe within the eight towns northwest of Beijing. They generally do not kill the captives they capture, but cut off their ears and noses and return them. But if this person has killed his own tribe, then
"Exploring his heart and liver and eating it", or "painting his head as a drinking vessel", the folk customs can be described as tough.
But then again. Although there are many Dangxiang people in the eight towns northwest of Beijing, they have always been controlled by the imperial court. The border generals often bullied them, raped and robbed them, probably these things. What should the Dangxiang people do when they are unable to resist?
There is another way to step down, and that is to break up.
All Dangxiang tribes generally have Heduan officials who mediate between the two parties to reconcile them. If someone dies, they will be compensated with money or cattle and horses. In the Tang Dynasty, if Dangxiang people were killed for no reason, if they wanted to reconcile, they would have to pay about 100 yuan for each life.
, at most one hundred and twenty min, they will not pursue it if they give the money. The Dangxiang people killed the Han people and gave them a few horses as compensation, which was probably worth less than two hundred min.
The Song Dynasty was more expensive. In the fifth year of Shaoxi, Song soldiers killed the Qiang man Menpa, who was an ordinary person. He was afraid that the tribe would cause trouble, so they paid him 3,300 yuan. After receiving the money, they performed a peace ceremony.
, I swear to God, the matter is over. To be honest, the price is too outrageous.
There were too many party members killed by the army this time, and it was impossible to pay compensation. Zhe Zongben came up with an idea, which was to give some robes with colored forgings, and a few self-defense letters, and the matter would be almost done.
Shao Shude was convinced that he did bring some brocade with him on this expedition. He originally planned to give it to the obedient tribes. It was a sign of kindness, but it came in handy today.
In fact, when later generations Zhe Congruan defeated various Dangxiang tribes, they also gave them some silk and official positions to report themselves, and then made them swear an oath and break up, and accepted them as subordinates. There are rules on the grassland, so just follow this.
While the two were talking, a ceremony had been prepared over there, and someone was sent to respectfully invite Shao Shude over.
In addition to Shao Shude, Zhe Zongben and the vassal tribes, those who participated in the reconciliation ceremony also had several tribes that had been attacked and killed and later surrendered. When someone died in the tribe, the reconciliation ceremony must be performed.
When Shao Shude arrived at the ceremony, he saw many skull wine vessels placed, containing wine mixed with dog blood. The badly beaten Tibetan chieftains picked up the wine vessels with human heads, drank them all in one gulp, and then swore to God
: "If you take revenge, the grain will not be harvested, men and women will be bald, six animals will die, and snakes will enter the tent."
The breeze blew, and the smell of blood and wine in the wine vessel floated over.
Shao Shude also picked up the wine vessel with human heads and drank it all in one gulp. He thought he would reject this kind of thing, but after drinking it, he found that he didn't feel any discomfort at all. I really don't know where his lower limit is! Maybe he has been assimilated by the times.
There's no lower limit.
After drinking, without his instructions, his general Li Yixian sent a lot of Sichuan brocades and distributed them to the chiefs of the tribes who had sworn the oath. At this point, the matter of revenge was over.
"Everyone!" Shao Shude sat on his favorite seat, and more than a hundred soldiers were lined up in front and behind. Not far away, a large group of Tielin Army infantry were arrayed on the side, wearing armor and holding spears. This persuasion suddenly became stronger.
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"You are all Tibetan people under the rule of this king. We had some misunderstandings in the past. Now that they have been clarified, forget it. I only want to say three things today. First, starting from this year, all tribes must go to Xiazhou to pay tribute; second,
First, the heaven-sacrifice meeting will be moved to Xiazhou; third, they must perform military service. Do you agree or not?" Shao Shude looked at the chiefs of various tribes standing on the grass and asked.
The sun shone on his body, and the bright red military uniform actually showed a faint blood color. People big and small didn't dare to look too much, and they all lowered their heads in response.
"Well! A meeting to worship the heaven will be held this winter on the bank of Wushui. At that time, various tribes will send tributes. Another warrior from the tribe will be selected to return to Xiazhou with a certain one. Do you have any objections?" Shao Shude asked again.
“No objection,” the chiefs replied one after another.
“Well! Li Yixian, I’ll give it to all the leaders to sue you.”
Shao Shude prepared dozens of petitions in advance, all of which were shogunate officials such as Dijinze Inspector and Deputy Inspector, under the jurisdiction of the Marching Sima. The largest one was a petition from the Metropolitan Inspector, which was handed over to
Weicai Sudu, the leader of Weicai tribe.
These positions have no salary, and they have little practical significance. They are just a formal restraint on them. If you want to truly rule these people, you will have to convene all the shogunate officials in the future to work together to formulate and improve the new system. Today, it is just the beginning.
That's all.
As for the tribes that have joined the Zhe family, he has no intention of getting involved, and he will not sue them. The Yue family still has to give them face, after all, they have contributed.
Shao Shude stayed in Dijinze until the beginning of May. During this period, more than ten leaders of scattered small tribes came over, each offering more than a thousand cattle, sheep, horses and camels. Shao Shude accepted them one by one, and then gave them to Sui Sui and comforted him with gentle words.
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After such operations, these grassland barbarians in the northern border of Xiazhou and the western part of Linzhou were almost managed to be settled. The tribes on the Dijinze side had relatively more people and stronger strength. After defeating them, the other tribes
A small tribe naturally knows what to do.
On the tenth day of the fifth lunar month, Shao Shude ordered the troops to take charge.
The army was vast and stretched for more than ten miles. It returned south with more than 4,000 horses, more than 8,000 camels, more than 44,000 cattle, and more than 215,000 sheep as spoils of war.
Shao Shude was sitting in a carriage, looking at the spectacular scene outside the window, feeling proud. Beside him, Weicai Laimei, the granddaughter of Weicai Sudu, was beating his legs.
