Chapter 171: Suiye Li Clan (5k)
The old general surnamed Li immediately said, "My men, follow me and cover the rear!"
A young man beside the old general also drew his sword and said, "Grandpa, I want to kill the enemy with you too!"
The old general said sternly, "No! You must lead your people back to Middle-earth. This will be your responsibility after I die."
The young man nodded repeatedly, and the old man said, "Remember, we are the descendants of Liang Wang Li Hong, and we are dressed in Chinese clothes. Do you remember your mission?"
The young man held back his sobs and said, "Explain the current situation of the Han people in the Western Regions to the Emperor of Wei, and request that he send troops to the Western Regions to restore the ancient Chinese territory."
The old man nodded with satisfaction and said, "There are still many Ganliang Western Army soldiers like us in the Western Regions waiting for the king's army. You should take the map and the register of people to Luoyang and ask the Emperor of Wei to expel those Tuyuhun, Hephthalites, and Gaoche people and rebuild the Western Regions Protectorate!"
Then the old general shook Gao Hui's hand and said, "Envoy Gao, please take my people back to Middle-earth and complete their mission!"
Gao Hui was also very clear that the area they were in now was controlled by the Tuyuhun people, and the Xiping City not far away was also a Tuyuhun town. It would be a deadly act for the old man to go and cover their retreat, and it was just a chance for him to survive.
Gao Hui also held the old man's hand and said, "I will definitely fulfill the old general's wish!"
After saying this, the old man turned and left. The middle-aged men in the team behind him followed him. The young men also wanted to kill the enemy, but were held down by the fathers and brothers around them.
Then some old men with white hair and beards like the veteran general also picked up their weapons, and this group of people killed the Tuyuhun army behind them.
Gao Hui raised his banner and shouted, "Quick! Follow me south!"
Everyone knew that their father and brother would have a chance of death if they fought this time, but they were also clear about their mission and could only follow Gao Hui with tears in their eyes.
Perhaps it was the old soldiers led by the old man who played a role, Gao Hui bypassed Xiping City and went south without encountering any obstacles.
When they reached the bank of the Yellow River, Gao Hui's tense heart finally relaxed. He continued to move eastward and was about to enter the territory of Hezhou. The Tuyuhun cavalry dared not chase him anymore.
Gao Hui was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions when the new emperor ascended the throne.
In fact, he had once been on a diplomatic mission to the Hephthalites, when King Yuan Xie of Pengcheng was still alive.
But when the envoys were sent to the Western Regions for the first time, the Hephthalites were still at war with the Persians, so their control over the Western Regions was very loose, and they only required the countries in the Western Regions to pay tribute.
At that time, the Hephthalites were very submissive to the Wei Dynasty. They agreed to pay tribute to the Wei Dynasty, send caravan envoys, and ensure the smooth operation of the Silk Road.
But during this mission, the situation changed.
The Hephthalites defeated the Persians and forced them to cede land and pay tribute to them. Then the Hephthalites went south to defeat the Gupta Empire and occupied the Punjab region.
The Hephthalites extended their hand to the Western Regions, successively defeated and annexed the states of Kucha, Shule and others, threatened the states of Khotan, Yanqi and others, and even pointed their troops at Gaochang, a vassal of the Northern Wei.
Therefore, this time Gao Hui was unable to reach the Hephthalite royal court of Daxia. He was stopped when he arrived in the Western Regions. The Hephthalites even arrogantly demanded that the Northern Wei Dynasty cede Gaochang, otherwise they would form an alliance with Tuyuhun and support Tuyuhun in attacking Hezhou and Liangzhou.
Gao Hui naturally did not want to return empty-handed. Since he failed to enter the Hephthalites, he began to operate in the Western Regions, hoping to divide and destroy the Hephthalites' rule in the Western Regions through diplomatic means.
Gao Hui indeed found the opportunity.
He discovered a Han military organization called the Ganliangxi Army in the Western Regions.
In fact, starting from Cao Wei, the northern regimes in the Central Plains have been making great efforts to open up the Western Regions.
One example is Emperor Ming of Cao Wei, Cao Rui. This emperor of Cao Wei, whose sudden death in his prime changed the course of history and led to the usurpation of power by the Sima family, had the favorite food being grapes and fruits from the Western Regions, and his favorite drink being wine from the Western Regions.
He also died suddenly of "drinking thirst", which means he was thirsty for water, lost weight rapidly, became blind and had skin ulcers, which are typical symptoms of late-stage diabetes with serious complications.
The Western Jin Dynasty was also able to exercise effective control over the Western Regions. Later, when the Central Plains fell into war, the Western Regions lost order again, and then a fierce man named Fu Jian emerged in the north.
Fu Jian ordered General Lu Guang to lead an army of 100,000 men to invade the Western Regions. Lu Guang lived up to expectations. The 100,000-man army swept across the Western Regions, and the countries in the Western Regions came to submit one after another.
However, after Lu Guang finished his campaign in the Western Regions, he heard the news that Fu Jian had been defeated in the Battle of Feishui.
So Lu Guang did not return to the Central Plains, but instead established a Western Region empire in Hexi that spanned the Pamir Plateau in the west and reached the Yellow River in the east. This was the Later Liang.
The 100,000 soldiers that Lu Guang brought to the Western Regions settled down there.
A hundred years ago, Houliang declined, and Li Guang's descendant Li Hong proclaimed himself Duke of Liang in Dunhuang and established a regime called Western Liang.
However, Li Hong's son was not ambitious enough and was overthrown by his subordinate general Juqu Mengxun.
Li Bao, a descendant of the royal family of Xiliang, crossed the Liusha Desert to the west, occupied Hami in the Turpan Basin in the Western Regions, established the Longxing era, cared for the refugees well, and controlled Gaochang, establishing Yiwulu Xiliang (also known as Hou Xiliang). Due to the war in the Central Plains at that time, Han people in Ganzhou and Liangzhou areas flocked to him.
When the fierce Northern Wei general Tuoba Tao launched a western expedition and Yiwulu and Xiliang surrendered to the Northern Wei, Li Bao's branch returned to the Central Plains to serve the Northern Wei. However, there were still some Han people who had lived in the Western Regions for hundreds of years and were unwilling to leave.
Since Emperor Xiaowen, the Northern Wei stopped expanding its territory and had no time to manage the affairs of the Western Regions. The Northern Wei gradually lost control of the Western Regions and was squeezed and occupied by the Gaoche in the north, Tuyuhun in the south, and the Hephthalites in the west.
These Han people in the Western Regions banded together under the banner of the Ganliang West Army to survive.
The special terrain of the Western Regions and the oasis city-states in the desert, such geographical conditions naturally created a large number of gem-like city-states.
The Ganliang West Army controlled some oases and established some Han Chinese gathering areas. Some of the Ganliang West Army also became mercenaries in the Western Regions and even controlled some cities in the Western Regions.
But all this changed after the arrival of the Hephthalites.
After defeating Persia, the Hephthalites turned their attention to the Western Regions and began to strengthen their control over the countries in the Western Regions.
Becoming a vassal and paying tribute were the lightest requirements. The Hephthalites demanded that the Western Regions send princes as hostages and dispatch envoys to control the courts of the Western Regions. In order to prevent the Central Plains from continuing to control the Western Regions, the Hephthalites demanded that the Western Regions expel the Han people.
As a result, the living space of the Ganliang West Army was further squeezed. Gao Hui discovered such an army of the Ganliang West Army headed by the Li family, a descendant of the Xiliang royal family, in Suiye City near the Wusun Kingdom.
After seeing Gao Hui, the leader of the Ganliang West Army was very excited and asked Gao Hui to lead a part of his people back to their homeland in Ganliang. He also asked Gao Hui to take him to meet the Northern Wei Emperor and told him that there were still a large number of Han people in the Western Regions waiting for the royal army. He hoped to present the map and population register of the Ganliang West Army and ask Gao Hui to send troops to the Western Regions.
So Gao Hui led the Ganliang West Army back to the east.
The journey was extremely dangerous. In addition to the harsh natural conditions, Gao Hui was also chased and blocked by the Hephthalites, Gaoche people, and Tuyuhun people along the way.
Because Gao Hui was afraid of being pursued, he did not dare to take the Hexi Passage. Instead, he led his men over the Jishishan Ancient Road and entered Hehuang. Now they finally saw the border of Hezhou.
Gao Hui touched the map in his arms and looked at the population register on horseback. This was a map of the power distribution of hundreds of thousands of Ganliangxi troops in the Western Regions. With so many Han people in the Western Regions who were loyal to their homeland, only tens of thousands of troops were needed to regain control of the Western Regions.
How would his mission be evaluated in history books? Would it be comparable to Zhang Qian and Ban Chao?
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In the royal court of the Rouran people, Princess Shouyang touched her gradually bulging belly, leaned on a carpet made of white tiger skin, and listened to Madam Feng's report on the situation.
"The various departments are still arguing about the division of grassland. I request your Highness to arbitrate. I have already sent someone to handle it."
Princess Shouyang touched her belly and nodded, "How is the negotiation going on about favoring those small tribes and asking them to send their sons to the royal tent to learn animal husbandry next year?"
Madam Feng grinned and said, "Of course they are willing. In the past, animals could only wait to die when they were sick. Now that they see that the king's tent is willing to teach them veterinary skills, they are vying to send their smartest sons to the king's tent."
Princess Shouyang said: "Don't treat them as hostages. When the little Khan is born, make them his companions."
The companions are the Khan's personal guards, which means "partners" on the grassland. This is naturally a great benefit to those small tribes.
The Rouran system was still relatively backward, and the few positions in the royal court were basically appointed based on nepotism. Being able to establish a relationship with the Khan from an early age would naturally bring many benefits in the future.
This was the strategy that Su Ze set for Princess Shouyang when he left, to control the royal tribe, win over the small tribes, and leave the other large tribes alone.
This policy obviously had a very good effect. The technology brought by Princess Shouyang could help small tribes quickly improve their technology and living standards. They were often bullied by large and medium-sized tribes and needed someone to support them.
The royal tribe was at its weakest. The most powerful military official in the name, Yujiulü Brahman, had a very low prestige within the royal family. There were even rumors in the royal tent that he had murdered the Rouran king, Anagui. Of course, these rumors were suppressed by Princess Shouyang. Princess Shouyang was also flexible. She persuaded Yujiulü Brahman to be the regent of the king's uncle, but she also promoted some young and strong men to share his military power, successfully disintegrating the alliance within the royal tribe.
As long as the baby in her belly is a boy, Princess Shouyang will be able to continue to have stable control over the grassland.
"How are the Gaoche people doing?"
Madam Feng said, "The Gaoche people have been living in peace for a long time since they were defeated by the captain last time. They have also agreed to manage the Western Region with us."
The Silk Road not only has a southern route, but also a northern route.
The northern line is the grassland route, where goods from the Western Regions are transported across the long grasslands to the northern region of the Central Plains Empire.
Liaodong and Hedong, these regions all had demand for goods transported on the Silk Road. Princess Shouyang held the exclusive trade rights with the Northern Wei Dynasty. She was certainly not satisfied with just selling some dairy products and furs. The goods on the Silk Road were more valuable.
Madam Feng added, "However, due to the recent disturbances by the Hephthalites and Tuyuhun in the Western Regions, trade routes have been frequently cut off, and the King of Gaoche is clamoring to raise prices."
Princess Shouyang said, "At most 10%. If it's more, tell them not to sell it."
"Tell King Gaoche that the unrest in the Western Regions won't last long. Su Lang has already taken office as the General Protector of the Qiang in Hezhou. The Western Regions will soon be stable. Let him continue to send caravans to the Western Regions."
"With the Silk Road as a piece of fat meat, how could Su Lang not want to eat it? Tuyuhun's unlucky days are coming."
After saying this, Madam Feng also smiled, but Princess Shouyang became troubled again:
"I heard there are many beauties in the Western Regions. Is that guy going to cheat again?"
Madam Feng remained silent as a response. After Princess Shouyang calmed down, she asked again:
"How's the Six Towns doing?"
Madam Feng sighed and said, "What else can we do? Although we have withdrawn our troops, there is still not enough food in the Six Towns. A few days ago, several tribes that could not survive came to the grassland and were sent back to the Six Towns by patrolling cavalry."
Princess Shouyang also sighed. The problem of the Six Garrisons was an economic problem. The Northern Wei court could not support so many people in the Six Garrisons, but did not dare to let them move freely.
The day before yesterday, Princess Shouyang received news that after General Li Chong returned to Luoyang, he submitted a memorial to the court to change the Six Garrisons into ordinary prefectures and counties, cancel the hereditary military status of the military and civilians in the Six Garrisons, and allow some of them to migrate to inland areas for resettlement.
As soon as this memorial was submitted, Li Chong was attacked by the entire Northern Wei court.
A more conservative approach would attack him for violating the ancestral laws established by Emperor Xiaowen, while a more radical approach would attack Li Chong for disrupting the northern border defense and having ulterior motives by abolishing the Six Garrisons.
Princess Shouyang sneered and said, "To put it bluntly, it's because these Hedong nobles don't want the six towns to move inland. They are the closest to the six towns and are the richest. Once the six towns are allowed to move inland, they will be the most affected."
The states along the Six Garrisons are all prosperous areas of Hedong, and now Hedong has the strongest power in the court. They oppose the abolition of the Six Garrisons, in fact, it is for the benefit of Hedong.
This is very similar to the establishment of overseas Chinese counties in the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
When the Eastern Jin Dynasty's elite migrated south, the top noble families had already prepared to migrate south, and they had already established territory in Jiangdong in advance.
After the Five Barbarians Invaded China, some poor families and ordinary people moved south again. The wealthy and powerful families were unwilling to let them cross the river because they were afraid that these people would also take root in Jiangdong and undermine their interests. They were also afraid of the public security problems caused by the influx of population.
Therefore, the Eastern Jin Dynasty established overseas Chinese counties in the north of the Yangtze River to accommodate these refugee poor northerners. This also allowed them to actively resist the invasion of the northern regime, thus becoming a natural buffer zone for the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
The population of these overseas counties eventually became the Northern Army, and eventually overthrew the rule of the Jiangdong nobles.
Obviously, the Hedong gentry had learned their lesson, so they tried their best to prevent the people of the Six Garrisons from moving freely and not allowing them to migrate to Hedong.
Li Chong's last effort was doomed to be in vain. Princess Shouyang also agreed with Su Ze's judgment that the Six Towns would be in turmoil sooner or later.
However, even an important official like Li Chong could not solve the problem of the Six Garrisons of the Wei Dynasty, let alone her, a princess who was married to a foreign country, to worry about it.
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Luoyang.
Princess Chenliu spread out a piece of Xiaoxiang paper on the table and was writing a letter to Su Ze.
She grabbed the pen, but didn't know what to say first.
Li Chong was attacked by officials of the imperial court because he requested to abolish the six military garrisons and turn them into prefectures and counties. Now he can only take sick leave and stay at home.
The struggle in the court became more intense. Tongzhilang Song Wei impeached Prince Qinghe for treason, and Prince Qinghe wrote another ten-thousand-word letter to show his loyalty. Empress Dowager Hu issued an edict to comfort Prince Qinghe, but did not punish Song Wei for writing the letter. This made speculators in the court start to target Prince Qinghe.
Princess Chenliu no longer understands the actions of her sister-in-law. If you trust Prince Qinghe, you should punish Song Wei, who wrote a letter to impeach him, and at least send him away.
If you believe Song Wei, you should suspend King Qinghe from his position and send someone to investigate King Qinghe to clear his innocence or confirm his guilt.
What is going on with this treatment now?
In addition, there was another family matter, that is, Princess Lanling and King Song finally remarried. Empress Dowager Hu restored King Song's title, and Princess Lanling also moved back to King Song's mansion to live. However, from the news Princess Chenliu heard, the relationship between the two was still tense after marriage.
It has started snowing in Luoyang, and the first year of the Shengui era is finally coming to an end. This year has been eventful for the Northern Wei Dynasty, but fortunately, the Southern Liang Dynasty also showed the same level as the Northern Wei Dynasty, resulting in a evenly matched fight between the two sides.
The New Year was approaching, and the messengers of Bai Lu Cao frequently delivered news back to the Southern Dynasty.
First, Xiao Hong, an "old friend" of the Northern Wei Dynasty and the good brother of the Southern Liang Emperor Xiao Yan, was appointed as the governor of Yangzhou.
Ten years ago, Xiao Yan sent an army of 100,000 to the north, with Xiao Hong as the commander. The Liang army had sophisticated equipment and was in great shape. After capturing Liang City, Xiao Hong hesitated to move forward, encountered a storm at night, abandoned his army and fled, causing the army of hundreds of thousands to disintegrate.
From then on, the Southern Dynasty never launched a large-scale northern expedition again. However, even so, the Bodhisattva Xiao of Southern Liang did not punish Xiao Hong and still let him hold a high position.
Princess Chenliu picked up an article entitled "On the Foolishness of Money" on the table. It was an article written by Xiao Yan's eldest son, Prince of Yuzhang Xiao Zong, which satirized Xiao Hong's greed.
It is said that not long ago someone secretly informed Xiao Yan that there were weapons and armor hidden in Xiao Hong's storehouse.
Xiao Yan went to visit in person, and when he opened the warehouse, he found that more than 30 warehouses were filled with copper coins and countless treasures of all kinds.
At this time, Xiao Yan's doubts disappeared. Not only did he not blame Xiao Hong for being greedy, but he praised Xiao Hong for being an expert in financial management.
The royal family of the Southern Dynasty was extremely greedy, but Xiao Yan was always able to forgive them, which led to a very corrupt and decadent atmosphere in the entire officialdom.
This year, the Northern Wei Dynasty encountered the Mahayana Rebellion and the Rouran Invasion in succession. The Southern Liang Dynasty did not take any action at all, not even a tentative attack. There was no war on the entire southern front.
The rebellion in the first year of Shengui had been quelled, the southern front was also safe, and the New Year was approaching. There were more voices praising the emperor in the court, and Buddhist temples throughout Luoyang were more prosperous. Empress Dowager Hu's mood also improved, and she finally went to Yongning Temple to worship Buddha again.
Princess Chenliu also accompanied them. In order to welcome Empress Dowager Hu, Yongning Temple spread silk on the ground from the entrance of the mountain gate to the front of the Main Hall. The gables of the entire temple were also decorated with brocade.
Empress Dowager Hu was overjoyed when she saw this, and ordered that silk be taken out from the treasury to reward Yongning Temple.
Princess Chenliu wrote all the news in a letter and gave it to the messenger left behind by Su Ze. She was thinking that there were many caravans traveling between Hezhou and the Western Regions, and she wondered if any seductive Hu girl would climb into Su Ze's bed?
The charming Hu Ji was not there. Su Ze, who was sleeping alone, was awakened by his confidant. A long team appeared on the other side of the Yellow River and was heading towards Baohan City!
I will update 8k tomorrow, I want to read a book.
The book "Research on the History of the Hephthalites" by Mr. Yu Taishan that I bought online has arrived. This is a very authoritative book on the research of the Hephthalite history. I spent half a day looking for it online before I could buy it.
Actually, it’s okay to write randomly. To be honest, I don’t even know the two words “嚈哒”.
But that's where the historical charm lies.
The Li family of Suiye is the ancestor of Li Bai. Only after reading this did I understand why Li Bai is said to be related to the Li Tang royal family, and why the Li family was able to take root in Suiye, and the plot naturally emerged.
Also, let me report the results. This book has reached the boutique line. This is Feiniao’s third boutique book. Although I have this confidence, I still want to thank everyone for their support for being able to get the boutique badge so quickly!
I will continue to update the day after tomorrow!
(End of this chapter)