Chapter 41

"Grandpa, that's how it is." Wang Ju recounted the events and their implications in detail.

There were things he did not mention, such as the underlying reasons for the invasion, which could not be blamed on the Zhu family. Regardless of whose face the Zhu family considered, they treated the villagers in the settlement quite well, including the concessions made by the Xia Kingdom's sword.

"Xia army..."

"Grandpa, don't be afraid. It seems only a group of Zhaoling soldiers have come."

In fact, at this time, the upper echelons of both the Song and Xia dynasties were the least eager to start a war. On the Xia side, Mi Cang E Pang and Li Liangzuo were about to reveal their true intentions. They could raid and plunder, and scare the Song, but they had no intention of starting a war with the Song. However, this was the best opportunity.

As long as they supported Mi Cang Lun Pang in decisively eliminating Li Liangzuo, the Xia Kingdom would be finished. The reason was simple: Mi Cang E Pang was not of the Xia royal family, the Tuoba Li clan, and the Mi Cang tribe was not one of the top tribes in the Xia Kingdom, so his backing was not strong. Li Liangzuo's son, Li Bingchang, had not even been born yet, and it was possible that Li Liangzuo's little tadpoles were not even swimming in Liang's belly at this time.

Moreover, the operation was not difficult. As long as they reminded Mi Cang E Pang to pay attention to his daughter-in-law and not let her hear any news, Li Liangzuo would be dead, and the Xia Kingdom would fall apart.

Before parting, Zhao Nian Nu said, "I'll give you a great contribution."

This was what she was talking about.

But strangely, there had been no movement so far.

If it dragged on, the Song would be too late to act. Then history would continue.

The emperor would occasionally fall seriously ill, and the heir was not determined, so everyone had to tolerate the villains.

But the Song army understood the higher-ups' intentions. However, if the Xia army understood the intentions, why would they fear the Song? Besides, it was just an invasion of a small settlement.

Sigh, a tragic and stifling country. What made Wang Ju feel most tragic and stifled was that he was reborn in the declining Northern Song. If he had been born a few decades earlier, he could have enjoyed the peaceful times under Emperor Renzong.

"Zhaoling soldiers are also part of the Xia army."

"Clan Leader Wang, don't be afraid. You should listen to the young master's ideas," Zhu Qing said.

"Da Niu is still a child."

"Child? You treat him like a child? No wonder the settlement treats him so thinly."

"Manager Zhu, the clan leader has his own thoughts. In fact, he is not so thin. Two years ago, when I brought my younger brother and sister back from Baoan military city, if it weren't for the help of the villagers, we wouldn't have survived. A meal of kindness should be rewarded with a thousand gold. Moreover, the villagers gave us hundreds of meals."

"Little Master..." Zhu Qing couldn't continue.

"I'll think of a way." Wang Ju said, looking into the distance. Many villagers were working in the fields. Spring is the time for planning, and many laborers were sent out, so even the women went to work. However, in the more distant areas, the scenery was not pleasant. The mountains were still barren, with a few small trees sparsely growing, their branches drooping as if the vitality was also being lost with the soil erosion.

At the edge of the horizon, there were still people, a group of fierce Qiang people.

...

"Commander Guiniang, please," Wang Quan said politely.

The largest tribe in the northwest of Baoan military city was the Guiniang tribe of the Tangut people.

Shan Yu Weiliang's first stop when he fled to the Song was the Guiniang tribe, staying at the home of Commander Guiniang Huailuo. Guiniang Huailuo reported to the Baoan military city's northern border patrol, Liu Huai Zhong, who then reported to the Baoan military city's commander, Zhu Ji: "Shan Yu Xianggong, Qu Ji Xianggong, the two Taizu, the three Taizu, and Chi Ye Xianggong raised an army of more than two thousand people on the second day, plundering villages and tribes, all within the territory of Youzhou."

In fact, it was impossible for more than two thousand of Shan Yu's people to escape to the Song. At that time, Li Yuanhao had already personally chased them to Youzhou.

Of course, Zhu Ji and Guo Quan did not know that Li Yuanhao was pursuing them.

How Li Yuanhao dealt with Shan Yu's people is unknown, but it is likely that most of them were massacred.

However, with more than two thousand of Shan Yu's people, how many of them were influential "royal" descendants of the Xia Kingdom? The merit would be even greater. However, Guo Quan wrote a memorial, acting on his own: "We have ordered the Baoan military city to question Shan Yu and others about the reasons for their arrival and ordered them to return north. We have also ordered the leaders of the border tribes to patrol strictly, and if any more people come from the north, they should be sent back, not accepted, to avoid causing trouble."

Then, Zhu Ji led the army to the Guiniang tribe to capture Shan Yu and his family and send them back, allowing Li Yuanhao to shoot them like porcupines at the border.

Later, when Li Yuanhao invaded, he did not dare to attack the Guiniang tribe because it had grown strong. It was not that he did not dare, but the cost of attacking a tribe was too high. Because of this, the relationship between the Guiniang tribe and the Xia Kingdom deteriorated. Li Yuanhao took many Tangut people back with him, but the Guiniang tribe did not follow him to the Xia Kingdom. Because of this, the Guiniang tribe was not very loyal to the Song.

However, with the Song's clumsy military and diplomatic strategies, they did not pay much attention to them. As long as they did not rebel, they were treated as a buffer zone.

This was a large tribe, with nearly six hundred households of Tangut people.

The one who came was Guiniang Huailuo, but he was also old.

"Commander Guiniang, this is our young master Wang Ju from our settlement. He has great talent and is self-taught, and even the young masters in Yanzhou city respect him greatly."

"Nice to meet you, young master." As a scholar, he was respected in the Song, and Guiniang Huailuo had to be polite.

"I dare not, nice to meet you, Grandpa Guiniang." Wang Ju did not use his official title but called him "Grandpa," which was a respectful term for elderly people in the Song.

"Commander Guiniang, all the changes in the settlement are his ideas."

"Oh."

"Grandpa Guiniang, let me show you around."

"Sure."

Wang Quan planned to form an alliance with the Guiniang tribe.

The Han people were industrious, so under the same conditions, they would be wealthier than the Qiang people. Especially in Qin Prefecture, without the threat of the Xia Kingdom, the gap between the Han and Qiang was significant. Moreover, due to the decline of the Tubo, the Song had a lot of prestige in Qin Prefecture. Being wealthy and strong, not just wealthy, would make one a fat rabbit that others would think about how to carve up. Being strong but not wealthy would eventually lead to disintegration.

In Qin Prefecture, the Han people were both wealthy and strong, so the Qiang people respected them. Even Qiang women were proud to have Han "seeds." In Yan Prefecture, the situation was worse. The Han people showed the Qiang their industrious and wealthy side, but also their weakness. However, in general, the Qiang people, though not like the Qiang in Qin Prefecture, still liked to form alliances with the Han.

On the other hand, the Han people did not like to form alliances with the Qiang, considering them crude, ignorant, and lazy. The larger environment also discouraged intermarriage with other ethnic groups, so the "seeds" of the Han in Qin Prefecture became even more valuable.

However, Wang Quan was asking for the hand of Guiniang Huailuo's granddaughter, which was a bit of a stretch. The Wang family settlement had to offer something that would make Guiniang Huailuo interested.

"Grandpa Guiniang, in just two years, the settlement will undergo a complete transformation," Wang Ju said as he led Guiniang Huailuo around the settlement.

Many Han people might fear and look down on the Qiang, but Wang Ju did not think so. The Qiang's savagery was the result of the Song court's weak policies. A combination of kindness and authority, but only kindness without authority, would naturally lead to savagery. Look at how even a small country like Jiaozhi dared to invade, which was the result of a policy of only kindness and no authority.

Wang Quan had already discussed the dowry, so Wang Ju did not mention it.

He talked about the prospects of the Wang family settlement.

"This is the Xia Kingdom sword."

Guiniang Huailuo picked up the sword and examined it. "A good sword."

"It can bring thousands of strings of cash to the settlement each year. My second brother is learning this craft, and once he masters it, he can earn more than seventy strings of cash a year."

The settlement was poor, so he had to talk about the prospects.

As long as the young couple worked hard, they could support themselves, and the seventy strings of cash would allow them to live a comfortable life, without making Guiniang Huailuo's granddaughter feel wronged.

"So what?" Guiniang Huailuo smiled.

If there were no other reasons, he would not oppose the alliance. But the Wang family settlement needed the support of the Guiniang tribe. Was it worth offending the people on the other side of the mountain for this small price?

"Grandpa Guiniang, come closer..." Wang Ju whispered something in his ear.

"Aren't you afraid I'll inform the other side?"

"Grandpa, you have a reputation in this area. I trust you."

"Let me think about it." Guiniang Huailuo would definitely not inform the other side, and Wang Ju's words had also moved him. However, he had to weigh the pros and cons.

"Also, I have a promise for you, Grandpa Guiniang. Once I make it, I will certainly advise the emperor to pay attention to the Guiniang tribe, and even give the Guiniang clan leader a position as a prefect."

"A prefect?" Guiniang Huailuo laughed.

Zhu Qing said on the side, "Commander Guiniang, please take this promise seriously. Wang Ju has a ninety percent chance of being named at the Donghua Gate."