Chapter 30: The Celestial Sacrifice Conference (2)
It was still dark outside, but Shao Shude woke up very early.
He stretched out his hand and touched his left and right sides, but Zhao Yu was not around. Then he remembered that today was the day when the heaven-sacrifice meeting was held, and he had already stayed by the Wushui River.
Get up and inspect the camp, then return to the tent for breakfast.
The meal was relatively simple, consisting of dolphin, fish, chicken, physalis, milk, and corn porridge. Shao Shude finished it quickly.
He went to the bank of Wushui to hold a heaven-sacrifice meeting, and he brought 7,000 infantry soldiers of the Jinglue Army with him. This was not only for his own safety, but also to promote the demonstration. Party people's atmosphere advocates bravery. For such an important gathering, you don't have to show your strength.
A little hard power can easily breed contempt in them.
Outside the military camp, there were many tents set up by party members. At this time, a sculpture of King Mi Yao had been erected on the ground, which had been prepared in advance and used for sacrifice.
Several wizards and shamans were dancing under this statue of a goat-headed person, muttering: "The light shines brightly on the universe, strives to drive away evil spirits, and is responsible for bringing blessings and disasters."
They took turns to fight, and they didn't stop all night.
But it’s no wonder they have to sing and dance at night, because this is a prayer for the Dangxiang people to worship the stars, and it won’t work after dawn.
Being a magician is also a hard job!
“Commander, all the chiefs and lords have arrived.” As the sky dimmed, Li Yixian walked into the tent and reported.
“Let’s go!” Shao Shude, dressed in military uniform, stood up and, surrounded by his own soldiers, strode into the sacrificial scene.
Weicai Sudu, Yeli Jingchen, Wu Zangqingxiang and other great chiefs, plus dozens of minor chiefs, came to pay their respects.
“Please enter the Sword Gate!” A masked wizard shouted loudly.
The sword gate is used for making oaths, that is, the sword is tied to the gate, and everyone passes under it, and entering is the meeting place.
The ritual of offering sacrifices to heaven has never been simply about offering sacrifices to God. Starting from the time of the Huns and Xianbei, it has a very strong political significance, and this time is no exception.
The wizard's sacrificial activities have reached a climax.
Under the guidance of others, Shao Shude pulled out a dagger and inserted it into the neck of a tied sheep. Hot blood spurted out.
After drinking all the blood on the tip of the sword, Weicai Sudu stepped forward with a solemn expression, also drew out his dagger and stabbed it into the sheep's body, drinking all the blood.
“Poor sheep and cows!” Shao Shude stood aside and watched one tribal chieftain after another pass under the sword gate, stabbing the cows and sheep again and again.
After this step of the ceremony, several more people came forward, carried a wooden statue of a woman, and threw it into a pit.
This step was originally supposed to use real people, but Shao Shude felt that it would harm Tianhe, so he ordered wooden sculptures to be used instead. The wizards did not agree at first, but when they saw the 7,000 foot soldiers that Shao brought over, they were speechless. , pinching his nose and agreeing.
The body of the female statue was covered with thorns. At this time, everyone picked up a stone, knocked it away with all their strength, and finally dug soil to bury it.
“Commander.” A wizard reminded softly.
Shao Shude nodded, took three steps forward, stood next to the pit, and said: "You are all citizens of the Tang Dynasty. Under the rule of this commander, you should work together as one and not attack each other and obey my orders."
“We only obey the command of the commander-in-chief.” In Weicai Sudu, Yeli Jingchen and Wuzang Qingxiang took the lead, and all the chiefs prostrated themselves and shouted loudly.
The wizard stepped forward at the right time, took out a lamb face bone that had been burned by flames, and hissed: "Those who break the oath should be treated like this."
This is a wizard's curse. In this superstitious era, the target is the relatively ignorant Dangxiang tribe, but the effect is still there.
After the oath-taking ceremony was completed, Shao Shude had his throne brought to him, and the chiefs of the various tribes were ranked according to their strength. Well, the scene was a little chaotic, because some people were glaring and pushing and shoving in order to compete for position. The closer Shao Dashuai is, the higher his status is. This is a very clear truth.
The following ceremony is a formal sacrifice to heaven.
The wizards took out props again, killed cattle and sheep for divination, and finally concluded that the pasture will be prosperous next year.
Another wizard observed the clouds in the sky and concluded that there will be troops in Da'an next year.
Shao Shude watched carefully from the side, and was thinking in his heart: Can the prosperity and decline of the pasture and the stability of the situation be controlled by wizards? Sometimes their predictions are wrong, right? If they make many mistakes, wouldn't their credit be bankrupt? Why do some people still believe it? I'm afraid it's not like stock commentators. It doesn't matter if their predictions are wrong countless times. As long as they are right a few times, they will immediately brag. Fans will also selectively forget the things they predicted wrong before, and they will shout awesome.
That’s probably what it looks like.
At the same time, Mr. Shao also felt that the prairie magicians were really upright and gave direct conclusions without any ambiguity. They had more professional ethics than the charlatans of later generations.
After the ceremony, of course, cattle and sheep were cooked, and there was a feast. There were also dances, but they were not the prairie girls dancing that often appear in movies and TV dramas, but people from various tribes.
Shao Shude looked at all this with a smile. Among the commanders of the Tang Dynasty, there should be no one who was as "condescending" as he was, and was so integrated with the grassland people, right? If you want to rule them, you must convince them and make them feel that they are one of your own.
, even if it only appears to be one of our own.
A stable rule will inevitably fail if it relies solely on fighting and killing.
Wei Cai Sudu, Yeli Sutra, Mu Zangqingxiang and others performed dances one after another, and they danced pretty well. I really underestimated them. Maybe next time, we can let people perform dances to see who doesn't like them.
Convinced.
“Aguda, why don’t you perform a dance? Is there any objection?” This is probably the routine, and Shao Shude found it very interesting.
After the ceremony, there is the reward and donation ceremony.
Weicai Sudu was the first to step forward and presented a pair of golden eagles, fifty sand fox skins, a hundred deer skins, and two hundred yellow sheep skins. This is not a small gesture. Generally speaking, it is not like this, but it may be.
It was my first time to attend a conference in Xiazhou, so I must have been bleeding heavily.
With quick eyesight and quick hands, Mozang Qingxiang was the second one to offer gifts before Nori Susugatomi: two tiger skins, six leopard skins, honey, wax, some medicinal materials, eh, why is there a tiger whip.
The gifts presented by Nori Nobuomi were similar to those offered by Muzo Qingxiang. After all, they were both members of the Hengshan Party and their living environment was almost the same.
After the three chiefs presented their gifts, it was the turn of the small lords. Some offered horses, some offered leather, some offered medicinal materials, no matter what, Shao Shude accepted it with a smile and comforted him warmly. Several shogunate officials stood in front of them.
Behind him, he kept writing in his hand, recording the gifts presented by various ministries, and at the same time, he quickly evaluated and agreed on how many gifts he would give to these chiefs in the future.
According to Marshal Shao, the two values should be equal, and they can be slightly more, but not less. The gifts in return are mainly high-quality brocades and tea from Shu purchased through Marshal Zhuge, which are very valuable to the nobles of various tribes.
It's suitable, after all, they have enough daily necessities and are beginning to pursue a more luxurious life.
"Everyone, Shao will keep it in mind for those who can come today." After the gift-returning ceremony was over and the meal was almost finished, Shao Shude stood up and stood in the field, saying loudly: "From now on, if there are disputes among the tribes, you can come to Xiazhou
If you are looking for someone, you are not allowed to attack or kill each other. If there is an invasion by a foreign enemy, report to someone as soon as possible and set up a large army to attack it. All tribes will also send troops to help each other."
“In addition, each tribe selects 4,000 warriors to join the rebel army for two years. After two years, each tribe will return to its own tribe, and another group of people will take over.” Shao Shude said.
There are currently 800 people in the Yi Cong Army, and these people have been listed in the Yamen Register. After the 4,000 warriors selected by the grassland and Hengshan Party Departments arrive in Xiazhou, these 800 people will be the backbone of the Yi Cong Army, ensuring that this army is as strong as an arm.
Use your fingers to play their due role in the battle formation.
4,800 people, including a thousand cavalry. If there is a large-scale war and there is a shortage of troops, the possibility of further recruitment and expansion to 10,000 people cannot be ruled out.
The purpose of controlling the grassland is not to eat, drink, dance, and offer sacrifices with them. There are more than 200,000 Pingxia party items. It would be too wasteful to just collect cattle and sheep as tribute, and the potential for exploitation is still huge.
After the heaven-sacrifice ceremony, the scene automatically turned into a trade meeting. Merchants from Xiazhou and even other towns, who had already spotted the opportunity, drove over in large and small cars one after another, trading goods with the entourages of the chiefs, and exchanging information.
none.
The shogunate's branch, Caosi, had already made preparations in advance to collect taxes on transactions. Trade is one of the important means to deepen control over the grassland. The construction of Suizhou East City is about to be completed, and Xiazhou South City is also in preparation. These are the two
A wholesale trade market that is open all year round. But it is not enough. Shao Shude feels that the commercial potential of the grassland needs to be further developed. This is a mutually beneficial thing for both parties. It can not only improve the lives of grassland herdsmen, but also reduce the possibility of rebellion.