Chapter 27: The Qiang Tribe

  A young man dressed as a scholar walked into the hall and bowed his hands to Yang Chengfeng, saying: "I have seen the King of Liao."

  "Are you Xu Lin Kun? What brings you to me?" Yang Cheng Feng sat above, coldly staring at Xu Lin Kun.

  "It's me who has come to save Liao Wang's life." Xu Lin Kun smiled lightly, not minding Yang Cheng Feng's tone at all.

  "Save me? Humph, as the imperial prince of the royal court, I have 100,000 elite soldiers from the Tianlang Army under my command, and I occupy Wuwei. What danger could I possibly be in?" Yang Chengfeng coldly snorted.

  "Haha, King Liao, you may have an army of 100,000, but more than half of them are either the Wuwei garrison or the Ma family's troops. Can you guarantee their loyalty? Moreover, since you occupied the Ma family's pasture and slaughtered everyone in the Ma family, you've lost the hearts of the people in Wuwei. The collateral branches of the Ma family are secretly stirring up trouble, and the aristocratic families in Wuwei are uniting against you in secret. Can you withstand their counterattack?

  Permit Lin Kun changed his tone: "Furthermore, the tens of thousands of Mongolian iron cavalry in Lanzhou can march east at any time. The governor, Fang Shu Liang, has gathered 40,000 garrison troops in Longxi. Hmph! You surely understand what that means, King Liao!"

  "Do you know how? Don't know how?" Yang Chengfeng looked at Xu Lunkun with a cold gaze and said, "I'm not afraid of them coming, I'm just afraid they won't come."

  "Is that so? The Prince of Liao wants to obtain Liangzhou, is that right?" Xu Lin Kun's eyes shone brightly as he looked at Yang Chengfeng and said: "Your Highness thinks too simply. Your Highness thinks that after annihilating Fang Shu Liang's garrison troops in Liangzhou, there won't be anyone who can be your match inside Liangzhou, is that right? If it really is like that, then Your Highness is not far from destruction."

  "Huh?" Yang Chengfeng's face showed surprise, it seemed that this Xu Linqun still had some ability, he was actually able to think of him sending troops to Longxi, if he were the enemy... Thinking of this, Yang Chengfeng's face changed greatly, his gaze at Xu Linqun filled with murderous intent.

  Xu Lin Kun smiled slightly: "Your Highness doesn't have to worry, Fang Shuliang still doesn't know about this matter."

  "What does the teacher mean...?"

  "Xu has come this time specifically to offer his advice and plans for Your Highness." Xu Lin Kun said.

  "Is that it? That's all?"

  "Of course not, Xu hopes Your Highness will avenge me."

  "Revenge?"

  "Yes, take revenge on the Qiang tribe."

  "Qiang ethnic group? Can you tell me why?" Yang Chengfeng asked. At the same time, information about the Qiang ethnic group appeared in his mind. The Qiang ethnic group was a part of the ancient Rong people. According to "Guoyu - Zhouyu", during the Western Zhou Dynasty's King Xuan period, there existed a powerful "Qiangshi Rong" that defeated the royal army. Among the Jiangrong were the Shenrong, who later joined forces with the Quanrong and others to destroy the Western Zhou and kill King You of Zhou. According to "Zuozhuan", during the early Spring and Autumn period, there existed a "Jiangrongshi" that lived in western Henan, whose customs were similar to those of the Qiang people.

  The Qiang people lived in the southern part of present-day Liangzhou during the Warring States period, and were known as the Yiqu Rong. They practiced cremation and many scholars believe they were the same as the Qiang people. They "built cities numbering dozens, calling themselves kings", interacting with various vassal states, frequently at war with Qin, with victories and defeats on both sides. In the late Warring States period, they paid tribute to Qin, but were later destroyed by King Zhao of Qin, who established the five commanderies of Longxi and Beidi. During the early Warring States period, those Qiang people living in the Hehuang region were still at a relatively backward stage, with no fixed abodes, following water and grass, with little land for the five grains; their clans had no fixed names, or used their father's name as their surname; "they did not establish rulers and subjects, nor did they have elders, the strong divided into tribes to become chieftains, the weak became attached to others, frequently plundering each other, with strength being the basis of heroism; killing people was avenged by death, there were no other taboos" ; "they considered dying in battle auspicious, but dying from illness inauspicious. Those Rong people without bows or swords were considered heroes," "when they were taught agriculture and animal husbandry, they gradually became respectful and trustworthy, the people of their tribes relying on them increasing daily", becoming prominent among the Hehuang region. The descendants of Xian Sword became chieftains generation after generation. When Xian Sword's great-grandson Ren lived, Qin Xiangong had just ascended to the throne, expanding westward. Ren's uncle Ang feared Qin's power, leading his people in a southwest migration. Afterwards, his descendants dispersed, becoming the Qiang people living in present-day Gansu and western Sichuan during the Han dynasty, such as the Mao, Baima, Canlang and others. Ren and his younger brother Wu remained in the Hehuang region, Ren had nine sons who became nine tribes, Wu had seventeen sons who became seventeen tribes, gradually rising to prominence. By the time of Xian Sword's fifth-generation descendant Yan, Qiang military power was at its strongest, with Yan becoming the tribal name; by the thirteenth generation, Shaodang was extremely powerful and heroic, his descendants later changing their name to Shaodang.

  At the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu was powerful, and the Qiang people belonged to the Xiongnu. Some requested to move inland, and Emperor Jing of Han Liu Qi allowed Yan Shuai to lead his tribe to migrate to Didao, Angu, Lintao, Zidao, and Qiangdao in Longxi County.

  Emperor Wu of Han Liu Che opened up the Hexi Corridor to counterattack against the Xiongnu's invasion, cutting off the connection between the Qiang and the Xiongnu, and sent troops into Zhongyuan, building the Lingju Great Wall in present-day Yongdeng, Gansu; later, counties were set up in the Zhongyuan area, and the Protector of the Qiang was established to govern the affairs of the Qiang.

  During Emperor Zhao's reign, Jincheng County was established, with its territory extending west to the source of the Huangshui River and south to the Xiahe River. In the first year of the Jianyuan era, due to the slaughter of Qiang people by officials, the Qiang people were resentful and angry, and they rebelled.

  Han Emperor Xuan Liu Xun sent Zhao Chongguo to conquer, and Chongguo took the lead in recruiting and surrendering, minimizing killings and punishments. The Qiang people gradually surrendered. Then, they settled along the banks of the Huangshui River from Linjiang to Haohan. Later, they continued to carry out military settlements and migrant farming, as well as water conservancy, road repair, and city construction. In the second year of the Shenjue era, Emperor Xuan of Han established the Jinchen subordinate state to govern the surrendered Qiang people. These measures promoted the development of the Qiang area and the integration of the Qiang and Han ethnic groups. The Qiang people's animal husbandry was developed, and agriculture also made some progress, with "Qiang fields" and "Qiang wheat" frequently recorded. The Qiang people exchanged livestock products with the Han people for grain, cloth, and handicrafts, and also traded with the Mongol Empire and the Roman Empire.

  In the first year of Yuanshi in the Han Dynasty, Wang Mang sent envoys with a large amount of gold to lure the Qiang people outside the pass to surrender and submit to the interior. As a result, Xihai County was established. After Emperor Guangwu of the Eastern Han Dynasty Liu Xiu ascended to the throne, many Qiang people who had surrendered and submitted were repeatedly relocated to the interior, and the Qiang people scattered in the interior were called Dongqiang. They suffered greatly under the oppression and enslavement of local officials and powerful families, leading a miserable life; The Western Qiang people who remained in the Hexi region were also bullied and killed by the Hu Qiang school lieutenant, the border county lieutenant, and others, and could not live in peace. The Qiang people continued to resist, becoming a great disaster for the Eastern Han Dynasty in its later period.

  During the Three Kingdoms period, the Xirong and other Qiang tribes in Hexi were separately subordinate to Wei and Shu. Wei and Shu mutually attacked each other, both recruiting Qiang troops to participate in battles, many Qiang people moved into Long, Shu, Qin, and Yong territories. During the Western Jin dynasty, the Qiang people living among Han Chinese in Guanzhong were numerous, mostly becoming tenant farmers, slaves, and servants of local landlords and officials, suffering deep resentment.

  The western ethnic minorities or Tibetan ethnic groups who were mainly nomadic had rebelled and caused trouble many times in the late Eastern Han dynasty.

  After the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Qiang people took advantage of the great chaos to invade and settle in the Liangzhou region, beginning to live among the Han people. At that time, the Qiang people joined forces with local powerful families or launched rebellions on their own, causing endless headaches for the Eastern Han government.

  By the time of the Wei, Jin, Northern and Southern Dynasties, the Qiang people who had entered and lived in the interior mixed with the Han Chinese, engaged in agriculture, and gradually merged with the Han Chinese. At the beginning of the establishment of the Great Qin Empire, in order to effectively resist the Caesar Empire in the west and the Mongol Empire in the north, a policy of merging with the Qiang people was implemented. The Peacock Legion at Jiliu Fortress and the Blue Feather Legion in Lanzhou had a large number of Qiang people.

  "The Qiang people and I have an irreconcilable feud." Xu Lin Kun's eyes were filled with hatred.

  "Are you asking me to slaughter all the Qiang people? If so, then please leave." Yang Chengfeng said. There were nearly 8,000 Qiang people in his Heavenly Wolf Army, and if he agreed to Xu Lin Kun's request, a mutiny would occur within his army.

  "Haha, I just need Your Highness to kill the Qiang tribe's chief, Nuo Tongshuo." Xulinkun smiled calmly.

  "All right, I'll answer your question, sir." Yang Chengfeng continued to ask: "I don't know how you knew that I would send troops to attack Fang Shuliang's garrison?" As he had decided to take in Xu Linqun and Xu Linqun had guessed his intention, Yang Chengfeng no longer hid anything from him.

  "This is a trap, a trap set by the aristocratic families for Your Highness. Their goal is to lure Your Highness into sending troops to Longxi." Xu Lin Kun analyzed: "When Your Highness destroyed the Ma family, the aristocratic families of Wuwei and even the entire Liangzhou were extremely resentful towards Your Highness. In their eyes, family interests are above all else. Your Highness's attitude towards the Ma family made them feel threatened, and Your Highness's foundation in Wuwei is shallow without the support of these aristocratic families. Facing their pressure, you will definitely resort to military force. However, Your Highness is unaware of the relationship between the Liangzhou aristocratic families and the Qiang people. After years of integration, they have become inseparable from the Qiang tribe. I am certain that in Longxi, apart from the 40,000-strong garrison, there will also be elite troops of the Qiang tribe. As soon as Your Highness's army enters Longxi, it will fall into the encirclement of the Qiang tribe and Liangzhou's defense forces. At that time, even if Your Highness has divine abilities, you will not be able to escape."

  "How detestable!" Yang Chengfeng's face changed greatly. "Does sir know how many troops the Qiang tribe can gather in Longxi?"