Chapter 170 Guiyijun Youth Edition (5k)
Su Ze's Beifu soldier squad quickly took control of the city gate, followed by fully armored cavalrymen riding into the city. By this time the defenders in Baohan City had completely lost the ability to control the situation, and could only watch as Su Ze's banner was raised in the city. Su Ze rode a horse and entered Baohan City, surrounded by soldiers.
Liang Zhao regretted not making a decision earlier and letting Su Ze take control of Baohan City. Now he could only rush out of the mansion and go out to greet Su Ze.
When he thought of this, Liang Zhao's heart was filled with resentment.
The Liang family is a powerful Qiang family that has lived in Hezhou for generations.
Liang Zhao's grandfather Liang Mu was once a Qiang leader under the rule of Tuyuhun. At that time, Fuhan was still under the control of Tuyuhun. Liang Mu launched a military coup to control Fuhan City and presented the city to the Northern Wei Dynasty. He was named Duke of Lintao for his merits.
Liang Zhao's father also held a high position as Shangshu before Emperor Xiaowen.
But by the time of Liang Zhao, because of Emperor Xiaowen's sinicization reforms, the Han people from Hedong were promoted to merge with the Xianbei high-ranking officials. The Liang family, a Qiang leader who was neither a core Xianbei tribe nor a high-ranking Han family, gradually declined.
Now Liang Zhao's title has been reduced to the Earl of Xinyang County due to his father and grandfather's inheritance, and his military position is the Lord of Baohan Army. His life is much more miserable than that of his father and grandfather.
Liang Zhao sent his son to Luoyang to seek the position of General Protector of the Qiang for himself, but Su Ze got the upper hand.
Su Ze also learned about the Liang family's affairs from the merchant Huang Xin, but he would not give up the position of General Protector of the Qiang. From the moment he took office as General Protector of the Qiang, the conflict between him and the Liang family had become irreconcilable.
Su Ze had no intention of repairing his relationship with Liang Zhao, but now was not the time to deal with Liang Zhao either.
Several generations of the Liang family have lived in Baohan City, and their influence in the city is deeply rooted.
Now Tuyuhun is eyeing us covetously from the outside. If not handled properly, Liang Zhao may rebel again and offer Baohan to Tuyuhun.
Even if Liang Zhao could not surrender the city, if he became a guide for Tuyuhun, Su Ze's control over Hezhou would not be strong enough to resist the Tuyuhun army alone.
So Su Ze just pretended that he didn't know about the Liang family's collusion with Que Tiehu. He helped Liang Zhao, who was waiting for him on the side of the road, and took his hand as he walked into the General Huqiang's Mansion.
Liang Zhao also breathed a sigh of relief. He had not made up his mind to betray the Northern Wei court. If he took the city and defected to Tuyuhun now, his son in Luoyang would be dead.
It seems that the newly appointed General Hu Qiang did not realize the connection between himself and the Que Tiehu rebels.
Liang Zhao even comforted himself that all the successive Protector of the Qiang generals had to rely on him to guard Baohan City. Even if Su Ze knew about his connection with Que Tiehu, he might pretend not to know.
Liang Zhao decided to remain dormant for a while. Su Ze was such a good fighter, if he was promoted one day, he could continue to seek the position of General Huqiang.
Liang Zhao comforted himself in this way. After all, he had endured it for so many years, and it would be okay to endure it a little longer.
Both sides had their own thoughts, but they both acted as if they respected each other.
In the residence of General Hu Qiang, the leaders of other small forces in the city finally felt relieved when they saw how close the two were.
It took Su Ze less than twenty days to quell the Que Tiehu Rebellion. His fighting power was truly terrifying!
When two ferocious beasts fight, the first to suffer are often the weaker animals around them. Seeing that Su Ze, the new general protecting the Qiang, did not conflict with the local tyrant Liang Zhao, the leaders of other forces in Baohan City also breathed a sigh of relief.
Afterwards, Su Ze had someone serve a banquet and began to entertain everyone in the General Huqiang's residence. Liang Zhao had completely let down his guard, and it seemed that Que Tiehu's rebellion was over.
However, Su Ze had no intention of hastily ending Que Tiehu's rebellion. After the banquet, he called Su Chao and other confidants to the secret room in the Huqiang General's Mansion to discuss.
Su Bai had taken over the general's mansion in advance, and he discovered this secret room during the search.
There are many spies in the general's mansion. This should have been built secretly by the previous generals who protected the Qiang.
Su Bai has already cleared out most of the spies. As the envoy of Bailu Cao appointed by Emperor Xiaowen, his professional ability is much stronger than those of the powerful people in Hezhou.
Su Ze also felt at ease and pulled Su Chao and others to discuss matters.
Those present were all Su Ze's confidants. After everyone was seated, Su Ze said:
"Hou Jing."
"exist!"
"You have made great contributions in destroying Tiehu this time. I have asked Governor Li to commend you for your achievements. Before the imperial court's reward comes, I will temporarily appoint you as a military officer in the general's mansion."
Hearing this, everyone looked at Hou Jing with envy.
The Huqiang General is one of the five subordinate officials of the General's Mansion. Although it is only a ninth-rank military position, it is already a genuine official position in the imperial court!
Currently, the only person under Su Ze who has an official position granted by the court is Su Chao, who is the Chief Clerk of the General's Office.
Su Ze looked at everyone and said, "As long as you can make contributions, this general will reward you generously!"
After hearing this, everyone became more determined to make achievements.
There are still three vacancies in the General Protector of the Qiang's office. Hou Jing has made meritorious services this time and will have the opportunity to be appointed an official in the future.
Hou Jing immediately knelt down and performed the ceremony of paying homage to Su Ze as his benefactor. The relationship between the two men changed from a simple superior and subordinate to that of a sponsor and a subordinate.
After the rewards were given, Su Ze got down to business.
"Lingchuo, how is the arrangement for the resettlement of the Quetihu tribe going?"
Su Cho immediately said, "General, we have arranged for the women and children of Que Tiehu's tribe to return to their pastures, and the men from the rebellious tribes have been recruited and incorporated into our new army according to your instructions."
If Su Ze wanted to control Baohan City and even the entire Hezhou, the two hundred cavalry he brought would definitely not be enough.
Judging from the rebellion of Que Tiehu this time, the local powerful people in Hezhou are not trustworthy.
So the solution Su Ze came up with was to select young and strong men from Que Tiehu's rebel army to form a new army.
After defeating the rebels, Su Ze led his troops to Baohan City. He handed over the civil affairs in the rear to Su Chao, and left a team of archers led by Wang Hui to assist him.
At the beginning, Wang Hui did not think highly of Su Cho as a scholar.
For Su Ze's group, Su Chao, the chief secretary of the general's mansion, is an outsider. He is not from the Yulin system or the Northern Border system. He is just Su Ze's junior brother, and was therefore given an official position.
Moreover, Su Cho was young, and his beard had not yet fully grown. Su Ze's subordinates were all arrogant and brave generals, so they naturally did not like Su Cho.
However, Su Cho did not care about the opinions of these officers. He led the military judges to begin counting military merits, appease the surrendered tribes, select young and strong soldiers, and contact local powerful people. He was even able to handle several things at the same time, and each thing was handled in an orderly manner.
Moreover, Su Chao went from team to team, personally verified the soldiers' military achievements, and quickly resolved disputes within the barracks. He soon gained the admiration of the soldiers for his fairness.
Su Cho added: "Those tribes that were repatriated have also been settled with our people, and they have also sent their children to Baohan City to learn medicine and animal husbandry."
This was another means for Su Ze to control these tribes, and it was also the governance idea that Su Chao suggested to Su Ze, which was to "mix the kingly and hegemonic tactics together."
Defeating these rebels head-on, training new troops from the surrendered soldiers, and forcing them to surrender by force is a tactic of hegemony.
However, it is also necessary to appease the tribal families of these soldiers so that they can work hard for Su Ze sincerely. Therefore, Su Chao suggested that Su Ze open a clinic in Baohan City, let these tribes send people to learn medical skills and animal husbandry techniques, and then alternately place tribal leaders in these tribes to control these tribes.
This suggestion was exactly what Su Ze wanted. During the war, not all the systems were garbage.
There were a few followers of the [Ordinary Veterinarian] series, but because they all had negative prefixes such as [Laziness] and [Corruption], most of them were blue and green. In addition, there were a few followers of the [Tribal Headman] and [Ordinary Herder] series, which were also blue and green, but they could be placed in the Qiang tribes as Su Cho wanted.
Finally, Su Ze also got a few followers from the [Grassland Doctor] series.
At first Su Ze was very confused. It was obviously a follower with professional skills, so why was the ordinary follower only of green quality? After reading the follower's introduction, he realized that this follower was really useless for treating diseases.
【Ordinary grassland doctor】
Quality: green
Effect: Simple treatments can be performed using herbs and "witchcraft" placebos, but whether the treatment can be successful depends entirely on the patient's luck.
Evaluation: "Mongolian Doctor"
Price: 100 wentai and baht coins, a piece of cheese for treatment.
It turns out he is a quack. However, in a place like the grassland where there is almost no medical care, these grassland doctors should be able to provide some basic services.
These followers were also arranged by Su Cho to various tribes to treat some simple diseases for people and livestock.
However, in order to improve the survival of these tribes, more advanced animal husbandry technology is still needed, so Su Chao asked these tribes to send a group of people to Baohan City. These people are not only hostages, but also let them follow [The Veterinary Saint with Buddha's Hand Demon Heart] Su Yizhi to learn veterinary technology.
At the same time, the classics that Su Ze brought from Luoyang also included medical books such as "Shennong's Herbal Classic", and Su Cho was also preparing to teach them simple medical skills in Baohan City.
After Su Cho implemented this whole plan, the Qiang tribes who followed Que Tiehu in rebellion burst into tears, and the new troops who were being trained also became loyal to Su Ze and trained more and more diligently.
The officers in Su Ze's camp also saw Su Chao's abilities and no longer dared to look down on this junior fellow of General Su. They really regarded him as the chief secretary of the general's mansion.
Su Cho said: "We have organized 800 people from Que Tiehu's rebel army. According to the general's order, we have recruited another 800 good family men in Sanchang Village, Hezhou. A total of 1,600 people have been arranged to train in the military camp in Baohan City."
Su Ze nodded with satisfaction. Just as Su Chao had analyzed to him, there were mainly several types of soldiers in Hezhou.
One type is Qiang generals like Liang Zhao. Their tribe is a large tribe in Hezhou. They have been in the army for generations and have their own troops and clansmen. The generals who protect the Qiang in all dynasties have relied on these Qiang generals to maintain the stability of Hezhou. This is also the most convenient way.
Next came the rebels like Que Tiehu, who were from small and medium-sized tribes who were exploited by the government and local warlords. They lived in the grassland area in the northwest of Hezhou. In addition to being exploited, they had to endure natural disasters and looting by Tuyuhun. They rebelled because they could not survive.
These people are just like the lower-class people in the Six Garrisons. They are natural soldiers, but they need to be tamed before they can be used with confidence.
Then there are the Han fort owners at the bottom of the Hehuang Valley and the people from the Sanchang Village promoted by Emperor Xiaowen.
In fact, contrary to what most people think, throughout the entire Jin and Sixteen Kingdoms period, and even the Southern and Northern Dynasties, it was the northwest region that truly preserved the seeds of the Han system and technology in the north.
The places where the bloodiest killings took place during the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China were also the most fertile places in the Central Plains in the past, namely Hedong, Shandong, and Henan.
In the northwest region, five regimes with the word "Liang" in their names were established, including Former Liang, Later Liang, Western Liang, Southern Liang, and Northern Liang. These separatist regimes had Liangzhou, Hezhou, Longzhou, Hexi, and the Western Regions as their main territories. Although the regimes changed frequently, no large-scale bloody battles broke out, and the Han system was well preserved.
Some Han fortresses in Hezhou have been established for more than a hundred years. They have experienced several dynasties of "Liang" and have also been involved in the struggle between the Northern Wei and Tuyuhun.
So in Su Cho's opinion, these people are also not trustworthy.
Only those villages in the three long villages where Emperor Xiaowen implemented the policy of granting land were the most loyal supporters of the imperial court in Hezhou. Their lands were granted through the decree of Emperor Xiaowen. Once they lost the support of the imperial court, their lands would be taken away by the Han fortress owners who had been rooted in the local area for hundreds of years.
Su Ze also agreed with Su Chao's idea, so he authorized him to go to Sanchang Village to recruit soldiers.
This group of people is the core team established by Su Ze in Hezhou.
Su Ze nodded with satisfaction, and he issued a military order to divide the 1,600 people into four camps, with Hou Jing, Murong Shaozong, Wang Hui, and Yang Zongjia being responsible for training and organizing a new army.
After the military affairs were discussed, many officers left the secret room. Su Ze looked at Su Chuo who stayed behind and asked:
"Ling Chuo, is there anything else?"
Su Chao looked at Su Ze and said earnestly: "Brother, I know you have always disliked those powerful families, but if we want to gain a foothold in Hezhou as soon as possible, especially to deal with the Liang family, we still have to win over a group of powerful families."
Su Ze sighed and could only nod slightly. Nowadays, the aristocratic families are still a political force that cannot be ignored. It is far from the time to completely ignore them.
Apart from anything else, Su Cho was from the Wugong Su family, and Yu Jin was from the Jia surname Yu family. If they were not employed simply because they were born into wealthy families, that would also be a kind of dogmatism.
Su Ze said: "Is there any big family with a good reputation in Hezhou that can compete with the Liang family?"
Su Chao replied: "Yes! There is a branch of Bohai Gao in Hezhou."
Bohai Gao family?
Su Ze couldn't help but sigh, the Gao family of Bohai can be compared with the Murong family of Former Yan, how come they even have a branch in Hezhou?
So, Gao Huan claimed to be a descendant of the Bohai Gao family, so maybe there really was nothing wrong with his bloodline?
Su Chao said: "The late Hezhou governor Gao Ba moved one of his branches to Hezhou during his tenure. Gao Ba died while serving as Hezhou governor, and his son Gao Ren was appointed as Hezhou deputy governor by the court. The family has thrived in Hezhou until now. The Gao family has a strict family tradition and a good reputation in Hezhou."
Beijia is an official whose status is second only to the governor in a state. Gao Ren and his son both hold important core positions in the governor's office. The Gao family is indeed deeply involved in Hezhou.
Su Cho added: "In addition, Gao Ren's uncle Gao Hui, who was promoted to Acting General of Pingxi and Imperial Attendant, was a former subordinate of the King of Pengcheng and is now on his way to serve as an envoy to the Hephthalites."
The position of Yuanwai Sanqi Changshi is equivalent to a candidate for prime minister. Su Ze thought of Yuan Xie, Prince of Pengcheng, who is the father of Princess Shouyang.
King Pengcheng had failed in the political struggle and had fallen. The fact that his former subordinates were able to serve as such high-ranking officials in the court showed that Gao Hui was truly capable.
When Su Ze heard about the diplomatic mission to Hephthalite, he understood that Gao Hui was a technical official with a professional background in diplomacy, which was why he was still entrusted with important tasks by the court even after his political backer fell.
The Hephthalites, also known as the White Huns in Western historical records, were at their most prosperous during this period.
The Hephthalites once defeated Persia in the west and forced Persia to pay tribute and submit to their rule.
The Gupta Empire attacked India to the south and beat the Indians into tears.
To the east, they competed with the Gaoche and Tuyuhun for control of Gaochang. At their most prosperous period, they controlled the countries in the Western Regions and monopolized the interests of the middle section of the Silk Road.
Since its establishment, the Northern Wei Dynasty has attached great importance to maintaining the Silk Road and has sent envoys to the grasslands and the Western Regions many times. For example, Yu Jin's grandfather was sent as an envoy to Gaoche, and delegations from the Western Regions also often went to Luoyang to pay tribute.
Su Ze nodded and said, "So the Gao family can indeed be won over. Ling Chuo, you should go to Jincheng in person, present gifts to the residence of the Hezhou Beijia, and ask the Gao family to send some of their children to Baohancheng to serve."
Su Chuo crossed his hands and said, "Yes!"
-
Just as Su Ze and Su Cho were talking about the Gao family of Hezhou, a skinny middle-aged man with unshaven beard used the banner in his hand as a crutch to help him climb a stone mountain.
Looking ahead, the middle-aged man finally found the abandoned ancient road. The old officer beside him asked, "Envoy Gao, is this the Hezhou ahead?"
The middle-aged man held the banner and shook his head and said, "We haven't arrived yet. This Baohan Xiping Road was originally a route to the Western Regions, but it has been cut off since Tuyuhun occupied Xiping City a few years ago. We have to bypass Xiping City and then go west along the river to enter Hezhou. As long as we reach Baohan City, we will be safe."
This middle-aged man was Gao Hui whom Su Ze had just mentioned. Behind him was a group of soldiers whose attire was completely different from that of the Northern Wei army. These soldiers were pushing carts with their families, children and livestock.
The old officer beside Gao Hui looked at the ancient road invaded by weeds, tears welling up in his eyes. He knelt in front of Gao Hui and said:
"Thank you, Envoy Gao, for risking your life to bring us home! After a hundred years, our Ganliangxi soldiers can finally return to Middle-earth!"
Gao Hui held the old general's hand and said, "If I hadn't been on this mission to the Hephthalites, I wouldn't have known that you, the Central Plains army, were supporting us in the Western Regions. As long as we shake off the Tuyuhun pursuers behind us, we can return to the Central Plains!"
Just as Gao Hui finished speaking, there was a commotion from the rear, and a scout rushed over to report: "General Li, the Tuyuhun people are catching up again!"
(End of this chapter)