Chapter 78: The Camp in Turmoil (Part 2)

Following Zhao Long, who had entered earlier, were the Qiang people of the Qingtang tribe. They all had thick braids coiled on top of their heads, greasy and unwashed for many days. They wore layered brocade robes, with sheepskin inside and fine silk outside, not much different from the Tibetan clothing of later generations. The leading Tubo person had dark skin, and his weathered face made it hard to guess his age, which could be anywhere from thirty to fifty.

Liu Changzuo accompanied the Qiang tribal leader out, and Han Gang knew that for Liu Changzuo to personally see them off, and for Wang Zhao to have Zhao Long lead them out of the hall, this Qiang person must have a high status.

"It's Xia Yao, the brother of Yu Longke." Liu Changzuo returned to the hall after seeing the Qiang people out, while two bodyguards continued to escort them to the main gate of the city hall. Zhao Long was about to turn back to report, but Han Gang held him back and asked about the identity of the visitor, who turned out to be the younger brother of the chief of the Qingtang tribe.

"Stupid names..." Wang Shunmin spat in the direction where Xia Yao and his group had left. His father, though not killed in battle, died from an old arrow wound sustained in a confrontation with the Western bandits. Listening to his father's groans every night was the most vivid memory of Wang Shunmin's childhood. When it came to his views on the Qiang people, whether the Tanguts or the Tubo, he was more radical than Han Gang and Wang Hou. "Qiang people are just Qiang people, they never have proper names! Yu's brother is named Xia... Perhaps his mother found them two different fathers."

Han Gang laughed. The names of the Qiang people were indeed strange, but the names given by the court to the Qiang who had submitted were no less absurd. Zhao Sizhong, Zhao Baozhong, Zhao Jinzhong—fortunately, there was no Zhao Quanzhong because it was considered unlucky.

"What's not proper about it..." Wang Hou chuckled, "Fish and shrimp are from the same family, right?"

Perhaps Wang Hou's voice was a bit louder, and Xia Yao suddenly stopped, turning back to glance at them with a cold look.

Xia Yao's eyes were as defiant as a wolf's, with a hint of malice. Wang Hou felt uncomfortable and coldly snorted, while Han Gang smiled and met his gaze. The last time Han Gang saw such eyes was in another world. In his previous life, he had worked for a company for a short time, and one of the subordinates of a client he dealt with had eyes as defiant as a wolf's.

Han Gang's personality was also defiant, but he knew how to hide it, unlike that fool who hadn't learned to conceal his thoughts. That person was reportedly run over by an unlicensed truck and split into two pieces not long after... Ambition was fine, but don't write it on your face; no boss would tolerate such a subordinate.

Xia Yao had already walked far away, but Han Gang was still thinking about his eyes. Yu Longke probably didn't like seeing his brother Xia Yao, no wonder he sent him out to give gifts during the New Year. "Xia Yao doesn't seem like someone who would be content to be subordinate..."

"Unwilling to be subordinate?" Wang Hou was taken aback, then suddenly smiled sardonically. "He only has Yu Longke above him, right? Why don't we give him a push and let him compete with Yu Longke?"

"Dealing with a small Qiang tribe, do we need to use strategy? With the army at our disposal, he can't have a second thought. If he refuses to submit, we can just kill him. Using strategy... that would be too much of an honor!" Han Gang shook his head.

If the goal were only the Qingtang tribe, inciting internal strife would be fine. But the current goal is the entire Hehuang region, and to win the hearts of the people, we must not use underhanded tactics against the Qingtang tribe. To deal with Yu Longke, there are only two strategies: one is to offer high office and rich rewards, and the other is to completely eradicate and uproot him, using decisive measures to intimidate the surrounding Qiang tribes.

Emotionally, Han Gang actually agreed more with Xiang Bao's tough stance on the Qiang. But his rationality told him that in the Hehuang region, where Han people are far fewer than the Qiang, we can only focus on pacification. Otherwise, we would be pushing the Qiang tribes into the arms of the Western Xia. The population of Qinzhou was only over ten thousand, while the Qiang population in ancient Weizhou alone was comparable to Qinzhou, and west of ancient Weizhou, the Qiang population was several times to ten times that of ancient Weizhou. But when dealing with a single tribe, we have the options of using a warning example or showing favor.

In the plan discussed by Wang Zhao and Han Gang, subduing ancient Weizhou should be a prelude to expanding into the Hehuang region. The many Qiang tribes, the chaotic internal situation, and the interference of external forces make the situation in ancient Weizhou identical to that of the Hehuang region. Thus, ancient Weizhou is a microcosm of the Hehuang region.

Through the trial in ancient Weizhou, a series of measures and strategies on paper can be tested in reality, and any problems can be promptly corrected. Confirmed methods can then be promoted when expanding into the Hehuang region. More importantly, this can help train the talent needed for the expansion into the Hehuang region.

Since Emperor Taizong, the Song Dynasty has not expanded its territory, but has instead lost land. Expanding into the Hehuang region has no precedent in this dynasty. The trusted subordinates, like Han Gang, have no practical achievements; the Qinzhou army is good at defending but lacks offensive capability. Wang Zhao himself is also a paper tiger, having never handled actual military affairs. If a capable team can be forged through the prelude in ancient Weizhou, Wang Zhao would be more than happy.

The plan to conquer the Hehuang region is to subdue the Tubo tribes led by Dong Zhan by eliminating Mu Zheng and capturing Hezhou. Subduing the Qiang tribes in ancient Weizhou is similar. The foundation has already been laid in ancient Weizhou, equivalent to capturing Hezhou. By targeting two non-compliant Qiang tribes, we can take advantage of the situation to subdue the Qingtang tribe and use them to suppress the other Qiang tribes in ancient Weizhou...

"It's a pity that the Naji Linzhan tribe has too few people; otherwise, we could support them to suppress the Qiang tribes in ancient Weizhou." Han Gang said with some regret. He did not like the Qingtang tribe, and if the Naji Linzhan tribe were on par with the Qingtang tribe, he would definitely suggest allying with the former and eliminating the latter.

Wang Hou nodded, sharing the same view as Han Gang: "After all, they are descendants of the Han, and are closer to us than the Qiang of the Qingtang tribe."

The Qiang tribes in the Hehuang region are not all pure-blooded Tubo. A large part of them are descendants of Han people who were captured by the Tubo during the Tang Dynasty. The Tang Dynasty's wars with the Tubo, starting from the reign of Emperor Gaozong, often ended in catastrophic defeats. For example, Xue Rengui's defeat at Dafeichuan, Li Jingxuan and Liu Shenli's defeat at Qinghai Lake, with 110,000 and 180,000 soldiers respectively, were completely annihilated, and tens of thousands of soldiers were captured.

After the Anshi Rebellion, the Tang Dynasty's power declined, and the Tubo took advantage to expand. The Anxi and Beiting protectorates were cut off from the Central Plains, and the many prefectures and counties along the Hexi Corridor fell into the hands of the Tubo. The Tubo army even entered and left Chang'an three times, and hundreds of thousands of Han people living in the Hexi region were mostly enslaved by the Tubo.

Ordinary Han people were branded with holes in their shoulder bones and tied with leather ropes, becoming slaves who followed the water and grass, herding sheep and horses. Scholars who could read and write were branded with "Imperial Household Minister" on their arms and recorded as household slaves by the Tubo king.

Over three hundred years, the Han nobility gradually became the slaves of the barbarians. Many of the current Tubo tribes are descendants of the Han. Especially in the Hehuang and Qingtang regions, which are Wang Zhao's target areas, a large part of the population are originally Han families that have been transformed into Tubo tribes.

The Naji Linzhan tribe, also known as the Zhang family, has all its chieftains surnamed Zhang. In Qinzhou, there are the An family, the Dama family, and the Xiaoma family; in ancient Weizhou, there are the Zhang family and the Ding family, and further away, there are the Xing family, the Zhou family, and the Zhang family. Their origins are all Han families that have been assimilated by the Tubo.

These tribes with Han blood have chieftains who "can speak Han and recognize characters," and due to their weak power and frequent bullying by the pure-blooded Tubo tribes, they often attach themselves to the Song court. In Wang Zhao's expansion plan, they can be useful allies.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside the government office, as if people were arguing. Li Xin went to inquire and returned, saying, "It's the Shuotuo and Longbo tribes fighting outside..."

"The Shuotuo and Longbo tribes?" Wang Hou's knowledge of the Qiang tribes amazed Han Gang. The small tribes mentioned in the documents he had read were not named, but Wang Hou could immediately name them: "They are hereditary enemies, and their leaders are near Weiyuan. They have been fighting over pastures and water sources for decades, and only recently have they calmed down a bit..."

"Murder! Murder!" Outside, a hundred voices suddenly shouted, interrupting Wang Hou's introduction.

"What? Murder?" Wang Shunmin became excited, "We must go and see..."

Wang Shunmin had just run out when a group of guards rushed out in a panic. A clerk rushed into the office, and soon Liu Changzuo came out with a stern face. He walked quickly to the door, and in a moment, the other side of the wall was silent.

Wang Zhao also slowly came out, and his gloomy face for several days showed signs of improvement. The two small Qiang tribes causing a death in ancient Weizhou would certainly result in Liu Changzuo being blamed for poor management. Matters related to the Qiang tribes are Wang Zhao's responsibility, and this is a good opportunity for him to intervene in ancient Weizhou.

Seeing Han Gang come forward, Wang Zhao couldn't help but smile with relief. If it weren't for this young man's plan, which brought him to ancient Weizhou for the New Year, he wouldn't have seized this lucky opportunity. A single Qiang life would likely have been covered up by Liu Changzuo.

When the Shuotuo and Longbo tribes resume their conflict, the Qiang affairs commissioner, who cannot even grasp basic Qiang intelligence, will become a laughingstock in the Guanxi official circles and will face the dissatisfaction of the emperor and Wang Anshi. Li Shizhong and Xiang Bao will certainly take the opportunity to attack him, in order to regain control of Qiang affairs. If they succeed, Weiyuan will be fortified, and the Hehuang region will be expanded, but the credit will no longer belong to the Wang family, but to Li Shizhong and Xiang Bao.

I really need to thank Han Gang, Wang Zhao thought, not in vain for recommending him to the court. His voice carried a smile, "A fight between the two tribes, resulting in a death, is no small matter. Let's see how Liu Zijing handles it..."

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