"The tribes in Lu'er Mountain and Cuojia Mountain surrendered in the tenth year of Jianji."
"More than ten tribes near Dadanbo, Yemabo, and Khan Spring were either pacified or sent envoys to pay tribute last year and surrendered to the imperial court."
"This year we have also conquered the tribes in Mianquan, Jingbo, Princess City, and Meijian City. The door to the Uighur Yamen is now open."
In Dijinze, Beiya Privy Deputy Envoy Wang Yao focused on reporting on the achievements of the past three years.
"How come the Tatars are like animals growing out of the ground? After asking for one group, another group appears." Shao Shude frowned and said: "I vaguely remember that I once attacked the Uighur yamen tent, and there were no people along the way.
So many tribes.”
"Your Majesty, that was all twenty years ago." Wang Yao said with a smile: "Tatars moved westward, day and night. If a tribe is destroyed, its tribes will be scattered, and they will only be annexed by other tribes.
If no one cares about the vacant pasture for a long time, it will be taken over one by one."
"This is indeed the truth." Shao Shude said: "After mowing batch after batch, as long as the pasture is freed, they will breed like rabbits. Once the population increases and cannot be fed, they will plunder everywhere."
In fact, it is the same as the Central Plains, except that the grassland environment is harsh and productivity is low, so this situation will happen faster. If you don't reduce the number of people, tens of thousands of horse bandits will emerge for you in just thirty years - Yueli
Duo married Abaoji at the age of fourteen. It was still early to get married on the grassland. Thirty years might be two generations.
"Next year when we attack Heichengzi, gather as many livestock as possible to use as a marching route." Shao Shude ordered.
"I obey the order," Wang Yao replied.
After issuing the order, Shao Shude got on his horse and inspected Yulin. More than 10,000 guards and troops gathered in Woyang Second Palace.
They went south under the imperial edict, and went on an autumn hunt with Ding Zhuang from Dijinze, Kujiesha, Hengshan Yeli, and Wuzang.
This is a traditional project on the grassland. It can not only enhance feelings, but also train the army. Hunting is the second best.
Wang Yao watched it from a distance, and then drank tea and chatted with various Tibetan and Han officials.
He is relatively satisfied with his current status.
The work of the Privy Council is actually not that onerous. He comes from a vassal family. When he was a child, he studied literature and martial arts without falling behind. He is very familiar with all kinds of paperwork and it is not difficult to deal with it. Moreover, in this position, he can still save money.
I made a lot of friends, chatted and laughed with various elders, and overall it was pretty good - the generals of the Imperial Army were not very willing to join the Privy Council, because it would make them lose the opportunity to lead troops in war, and then lose the opportunity to be knighted for meritorious service. Generally speaking,
, only the kind of nobles who provide for the elderly will serve in the Privy Council of the North and South Yamen, such as Li Tangbin.
Zhao Kuangning also came today, and Wang Yao specially greeted him.
One of them is the former Jingnan Jiedushi, and the other is the Hezhong Jiedushi. They have similar past experiences. Now they have the same status and status, and their relationship is actually very good.
"I heard that the envoy to Goryeo has returned..." Wang Yao said softly, holding a tea bowl and looking forward.
Goryeo is the old name of the Mo Zhen Kingdom. Under normal circumstances, people are still accustomed to calling the country founded by Gong Yi Goryeo. After all, the name of the country changed by the "Bodhisattva" is a bit outrageous.
"Yes." Zhao Kuangning also whispered: "Li Shouxin went on a mission and heard that he was treated courteously. Wang Jian also withdrew his troops from Falcon Rock City. Yin Xuan guarded the isolated city for several months, and the saint issued a decree to commend him."
"Gong Yi will come sooner or later." Wang Yao said: "The reason why he withdrew his troops was because he could not figure out the attitude of the imperial court and was afraid. After Baekje and Silla were conquered, Li soldiers would come from the north."
Zhao Kuangning agreed with him.
After the Great Xia established Lezhou, they expelled all the Koreans who had penetrated into the north bank of the Xu River. They also repaired the walled city along the river, which was the so-called "Thirteen Cities of Changxun" built by the local wealthy family at that time. The intention of holding on was very obvious.
The Koreans have always been shameless. If you give in, they like to push their troops further. With this retreat, it is indeed possible that they saw a good opportunity to attack Baekje and Silla, so they just tolerated it for the time being.
"The situation in Falcon Rock City has calmed down. The prime ministers in Zhongshu must be very disappointed, right?" Wang Yao laughed again.
"Not necessarily." Zhao Kuangning laughed and said: "Conquering Goryeo and conquering the Western Regions are both quite far away. What if the saint gets interested and ignores the Western Regions and conquers Goryeo himself? Isn't it like stealing the chicken but losing the rice?"
From Chang'an to Pyongyang, it's thousands of miles no matter what.
From Chang'an to Yinzhou, it is more than 4,000 miles; to Xizhou, the home of the Uighurs in Gaochang, is more than 5,000 miles. This distance is similar to that of the Conquest of Goryeo, not much different - from Chang'an to Qiuci, the seat of the Western Protectorate of Tang An,
Seven thousand miles, to Suiye, nine thousand miles (at the end of Emperor Gaozong and the beginning of Empress Wu, Suiye Town once replaced Yanqi as one of the four towns in Anxi).
"That's right." Wang Yao said: "These idiots just think too much. How can people like this be influenced by them?"
Unexpectedly, Zhao Kuangning sighed and said: "The Maoist disciples are not entirely wrong. Li Shimin, the former Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, personally conquered Goguryeo in the 18th year of Zhenguan. How many years did Zhenguan last?"
Wang Yao was stunned. Zhenguan only had twenty-three years in total!
"Isn't it?" Wang Yao said.
"Silence." Zhao Kuangning didn't want to talk about this dangerous topic anymore.
They are now civilian military attachés of the Privy Council, and they don't have any strength at hand. Once there is a change, it will mean that the sky will not respond, and you will not be able to respond, and there will be nothing you can do.
"That's right." Wang Yao smiled awkwardly, changed the subject, and said, "Zheng Renmin in the south seems to be making some moves. Will it hinder the Western Expedition? How dare he?"
"Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite." Zhao Kuangning took a sip of tea and said: "Nanzhao went on a military rampage and suffered repeated defeats. All the famous ministers and generals were slaughtered by the former Tang Dynasty. The people in the court who were disloyal to the Meng family were greatly moved.
Reduced. After the new king takes the throne, it is inevitable that the power will be lost. But even so, Zheng Maisi also found that the country was not upright. He killed more than 800 members of the Meng family in Wuhua Tower, even the infants. Why was he so cruel? "
"He is afraid, he is not sure." Wang Yao said.
"Yes, that's the truth." Zhao Kuangning said: "Zheng Maisi was afraid that the descendants of the Meng family would return to the country, so he killed him. But such cruel methods would also arouse dissatisfaction in the country and even make the public angry. After Zheng Renmin succeeded to the throne
, without Nai’s father’s reputation, the situation would only be more unbearable. What would you do if you were him?”
"We can only give it a try." Wang Yao said: "If we win a big victory in foreign wars, especially if we defeat our old enemies in the Central Plains, our prestige will be greatly increased and the situation will stabilize."
"This is what I'm talking about Zheng Renmin's difficulty." Zhao Kuangning nodded and said: "The emperor's position is not easy to sit in. Sometimes it is just a fire pit. When you are down there, you can have all the power and glory, but once
If you sit on it, you will immediately become a loser, and those who have no ability will only be burned out."
Wang Yao nodded silently. If the emperor is like this, how can the military governors of the past not be like this? What is the purpose of becoming an official? Rich! But if you become a military governor, you have to spend all your family wealth, even borrow money and pay rewards, and you will still be in danger.
, what's the point of being an official? It's better to be a minister, whoever becomes the emperor will have to use them? Maybe there will be some benefits, and the family will become more noble.
"If the Great Chief and the country raise an army, the saint will definitely be furious. The soldiers from all walks of life in the south may not be swarming southward. Zheng Renmin is really looking for death and cannot see the situation clearly." Wang Yao shook his head and sighed.
"He spends all day fighting with the ministers. He is exhausted both mentally and physically. How can he care about anything else?" Zhao Kuangning sneered and said: "Moreover, Nanzhao may know a little about the situation in central Guizhou and Lingxi. How can he care about anything else?"
Most of the other Taoists are not well understood. His misjudgment is actually very common. Furthermore, during the Nanzhao period, he fought back and forth with the former Tang Dynasty, and he was very bold."
"This is really asking for death." Wang Yao also smiled and said: "The generals of the Forbidden Army will be very happy when they hear this."
"Maybe they are not the only ones happy." Zhao Kuangning also smiled.
****
The autumn hunt lasted for five days.
On the Dijinze grassland, there was a roar of killing and thousands of horses galloping.
Shao Shude rode his horse across a small river, splashing countless water splashes.
To be honest, he still likes to command tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of troops in the open wilderness and see countless warriors charging and killing under his orders.
It makes people open-minded and passionate!
But the autumn hunting was finally over. After issuing a batch of rewards, he looked regretfully at the vast grassland and ordered his troops to return to the court.
No more detours on the return trip.
Heading south from Dijinze, we arrived at Xiazhou on September 15th. Then we passed through Wuyan City, Papaya Ridge, Ningshuo County, Pingfeng Valley, Luziguan, Saimen Town and other places to enter Yanzhou.
We walked very slowly along the way, occasionally stopping for a few days to investigate the situation in Hengshan Dangxiang.
The work of reforming the land and returning it to local people has actually been going on. The methods are relatively gentle, always looking for various opportunities, and silently absorbing land and population one after another. Townships, li, and villages are slowly but firmly established and mastered.
The population in the hands of the prefectures and counties is increasing, and they are directly under the orders of the Yeli clan, while the population without the Zang clan is getting smaller and smaller.
Yeli and Wu Zang Erbu were not fools. Of course they were aware of the court's actions. But they did not resist, perhaps because they did not dare, or perhaps because it was not necessary.
This is a silent contest between the monarch and his ministers. The result of the contest is obvious, and Shao Shude gradually sees clearly the true thoughts of the Yeli and Wuzang families - they have given up and are willing to exchange their tribesmen for their own family name.
of wealth.
The agricultural level of the people in Hengshan has also made great progress. Once upon a time, the harvest per mu was only four or five dou, which was almost the same as the wild beasts in the south. It was really outrageous. After years of improvement, it is now possible to achieve more than eight dou per mu, and some
Fertile farmland can have more than one bush.
Such great progress was achieved with the help of the Libo Yuan and prefecture and county officials. The common people in Hengshan Dangxiang also knew who could bring benefits to them, and the work of reforming the land and returning it to the local people became smoother and smoother.
At the end of September, Shao Shude arrived in Yijun County and stayed at Yuhua Temple in the north of the county. At this time, he received the news that the chief minister and the king of the country, Zheng Renmin, sent envoys to the court to ask for the princess of Daxia in marriage. The two countries would always be allies.
"Zheng Renmin really has no shame." Shao Shude threw the certificate of credence forwarded by Honglu Temple on the ground and said with a sneer: "I can't afford to lose this person, so let the envoy get out. In addition, call Li Tangbin and Zhu Shuzong to discuss the matter."