Northern Dynasties

Chapter 1373: The Power of Taoshui
Regarding the rectification and reform of Sifang City, Li Tai only decided on a general direction, and there will be someone to promote the subsequent related matters. The future business environment in Longyou will also change as a result. In short, adjustments will be made on the premise of maintaining the current business prosperity, so that the actual situation can move closer to the envisioned state.

Next, Li Tai stayed in Tianshui for a while and summoned local celebrities and the Diqiang chieftain Qu Shuai.

There were a large number of Di, Qiang and Hu tribes in Longbian. The Han people were only more well-organized in society and occupied the main farming areas and water and land passages. However, apart from these, the wider mountains and fields in Longbian were almost completely occupied by the Di, Qiang and Hu tribes.

Therefore, whether Longyou can maintain long-term stability and peace is also very important to the management of these Di, Qiang and Hu people.

The Diqiang tribes were divided into the raw and cooked tribes, which were divided according to their degree of civilization. The cooked tribes had lived with the Han people for many years and were not much different from the Han people in all aspects. Some of the powerful families in Longyou were Diqiang nobles. This part of the Diqiang tribe could be managed in the traditional way of registering households and encouraging farming and weaving, just like the Han people.

As for the Sheng Qiang, they were not civilized enough and had little or even difficult communication with the Han people. This part of the Di Qiang Hu people was the biggest regional hidden danger in Longyou. They often raided counties and towns and needed to be strictly suppressed and guarded against. Of course, there were also Di Qiang tribes who were willing to accept the Han people's system and culture, and even accept the tributary rule. The most representative of them was the Dangxiang Qiang.

The Dangxiang Qiang mainly lived in the upper reaches of the Yellow River in Qinghai, roughly in the eastern region of Tuyuhun. Today, they still maintain a certain primitive tribal organization, divided into several major clans. For example, the more well-known Xixia Tuoba clan in later generations belonged to a branch of the Dangxiang Qiang.

The Dangxiang Qiang used to be dependent on Tuyuhun, and often followed Tuyuhun to Longyou to plunder and cause chaos. The Western Wei army had previously conquered Tuyuhun several times, and the Dangxiang Qiang also resisted together with Tuyuhun.

But this is not because the Dangxiang Qiang are so loyal to Tuyuhun, but because of ignorance and blind obedience. As the Dangxiang Qiang become more and more familiar with the external situation and realize the power of the Tang Dynasty, they are gradually abandoning Tuyuhun and choosing to move closer to the Tang Dynasty.

The Dangxiang Qiang's rapprochement included small groups of herders fleeing to the counties of Longyou, and entire tribes requesting to submit to the central government. As of now, there are tens of thousands of Dangxiang Qiang people attached to the prefectures of Longyou. Li Tai's trip to Longyou also had the intention of pacifying these Qiang tribes.

Now most of the Qiang chieftains gathered in Hezhou in Longyou. Li Tai stayed in Tianshui for ten days. When Xin Wei, the governor of Hezhou, sent someone to report that arrangements had been made to welcome the emperor, he set out again and continued his journey westward.

On the banks of the Tao River in Hezhou, the civil and military officials of the state, led by the governor Xin Wei, lined up early to await the arrival of the emperor.

At the rear of the team there was a group of Hu chieftains from various tribes wearing all kinds of strange costumes. These Hu chieftains were obviously not used to such occasions. Although the state officials next to them kept shouting at them to restrain them, they still acted on their own. Their formation was crooked, and their words and deeds had no etiquette or rules. Some of them were shouting loudly, and some even drank and went crazy.

"Sir, do you want to punish these Hu chieftains?"

A state official saw this chaotic scene and could not help but step forward and whisper to Xin Wei, worrying that these Hu chiefs were too presumptuous and rude and would offend the upcoming imperial carriage.

"These barbarians are rude and disrespectful, and it is difficult to teach them in a long and complicated way. Even if they are punished, they will only behave respectfully for a while, and will soon return to their old ways. Only by showing them great power can they be frightened and alert, and then they can be subdued. Your Majesty has summoned these barbarians to wait here, and I believe he has this intention. They can just wait for the Holy Lord to come, and there is no need to worry about it."

Xin Wei glanced at the Hu chiefs who failed to observe etiquette and spoke softly.

He was transferred from Longnan to Longyou in the middle of the year. After entering the country, he has been supervising the financial affairs of the Western Tour. He has not yet had a deep understanding of the Hu situation in the country. This time, it was the order of the Supreme to summon all the Hu chiefs here to see him. Xin Wei could also guess what the Supreme's intention was, so he did not waste too much time and energy teaching these Hu chiefs etiquette.

After all, no matter how much they are taught, it is difficult for these Hu chieftains to suddenly transform into humble gentlemen who accept etiquette. However, if they are allowed to directly realize the power of the Tang Dynasty, they will at least have a certain degree of self-restraint in their words and deeds and dare not be too presumptuous.

The sound of horse hooves could be vaguely heard from the east. The sound soon became clearer and was obviously approaching quickly. At the same time, a large cloud of smoke gradually appeared in the sight of the people waiting on the banks of the Taoshui River.

For a moment, everyone could not help but stand on tiptoe and look towards the east. Even the Hu chiefs stopped talking and fooling around with each other, staring straight towards the east, and their expressions gradually became solemn and serious.

First, an inconspicuous black line appeared in the wilderness, but soon it expanded into a torrent of steel. The majestic cavalry team rushed over, the sound of galloping horses was like thunder, the knights were strong, well-armored, and the swords and spears in their hands were all sharp, which made many spectators unable to help but show their fear. Some Hu chiefs even forgot to breathe for a while. When the strong feeling of suffocation made them unbearable, they suddenly shivered and gasped. Although most of the Diqiang tribes also maintained nomadic living habits and had to deal with cattle and horses in daily life, not everyone had seen such a powerful cavalry team. In particular, the Tang cavalry soldiers were armed to the teeth killing machines, which were completely different from the herdsmen that the Hu chiefs saw on a daily basis, and far exceeded the former Qinghai overlord Tuyuhun.

The arrival of the vanguard of the Tang army had already shocked these Hu chieftains. And when the main army arrived at the bank of the Tao River, the mighty and huge cavalry team made the Hu chieftains so scared that their faces turned pale. They no longer dared to say or do anything outrageous, and the contemptuous thoughts in their hearts disappeared completely.

"There is such a mighty king in the world..."

There was no shortage of Hu chieftains muttering to themselves in Qiang language. It can be imagined that this scene will frequently appear in their minds in the future, making them always maintain fear and respect for the powerful empire.

When a group of people came forward to pay homage to the Supreme, those Hu chieftains who had been undisciplined before now became like docile quails, lowering their heads and following closely behind Xin Wei and other civil and military officials of the state, and they couldn't help but glance at the dense forest formed by swords, flags and banners on both sides, not daring to breathe.

"Your Highness, I, Xin Wei, the governor of Hezhou, and I, together with the civil and military officials of the state and the leaders and commanders of the Di, Qiang and Guiyi tribes, are here to pay our respects to His Majesty and to welcome the Emperor to Hezhou!"

Xin Wei was the first to pay homage in front of the imperial chariot, and the people behind him also shouted, "Your Highness, we respectfully welcome our emperor!"

The team of Hu chieftains in the rear seemed a little messy. Most of these Hu chieftains did not understand the Han people's greeting etiquette, and they had not put their heart into learning when the state officials explained and taught them before. Now they used their own tribal ways to express their awe and welcome to His Majesty the Emperor. Some of them drew their swords and stabbed their arms and tattooed their faces, some knives knelt and sucked the sand and dust in front of the imperial sedan chair, and others danced and cheered. For a moment, it was like a group of demons dancing wildly.

Li Tai sat upright in the imperial carriage, raised his hand to stop the personal soldiers who were about to stop the Hu chieftains, and watched the performance of these Hu chieftains with a smile. The Hu chieftains made a lot of noise for more than half a quarter of an hour, and then they quieted down, bowed in front of the imperial carriage, and prostrated themselves on the ground without daring to raise their heads.

"Although these Qiang people do not understand Chinese customs and etiquette, if they can be respectful, it will not be difficult to educate them!"

After seeing this scene, Li Tai laughed again and raised his hand to signal Xin Wei, the governor of Hezhou, to come forward. He also stepped down from the imperial carriage and met the officials of Hezhou one by one under Xin Wei's guidance and introduction. Of course, the Hu chieftains who were still kneeling on the ground and dared not stand up were also present.

Most of these Hu chieftains had surrendered to the Tang Dynasty in recent years, and of course this was their first time seeing the emperor. The Supreme was already very handsome, and now surrounded by thousands of soldiers and horses, he naturally gave people a sense of majesty and awe. The Hu chieftains were also very nervous in front of the Supreme, feeling ashamed of themselves.

These Hu chieftains were not familiar with Han customs, and some of them did not even speak the Han language, so it was difficult for them to have any effective and profound communication. This time they mainly deployed their troops on the Tao River and showed off their military power. Judging from the reactions of the Hu chieftains, the effect was quite good.

When the emperor entered the city and the disciples paid more formal obeisance, these Di, Qiang and Hu chieftains all offered gifts without any instruction, such as gold, silver, jewelry, cattle, horses and livestock, and some even offered their children and relatives.

Although these Hu chieftains had previously lived in remote areas, they had accumulated considerable wealth because they were close to the Qinghai Road of the Silk Road. Some of their wealth was obtained through conventional trade, while others was obtained through looting and other means.

The reason why Tuyuhun was able to win over the various Hu tribes under its command was, on the one hand, because of its own relatively strong power, and on the other hand, because of its control over Qinghai Road, it forced those Hu tribes who wanted to participate in the profiteering to rely on it.

Nowadays, the Longyou trade route is becoming more and more smooth, while the relatively dangerous Qinghai route is gradually declining. The Tuyuhun's Qinghai hegemony no longer exists. In recent years, in order to reverse the decline, it has also made frequent small moves. Although it suffered a serious blow before, making Tuyuhun dare not directly launch plundering in Longyou prefectures and counties, it has been interfering with the development of Longyou's commerce and people's livelihood by threatening and blackmailing passing merchants and travelers and sheltering Hu bandits.

If it was just to intimidate the Di, Qiang and Hu chieftains, it would not be worth Li Tai's efforts. So after reviewing the troops and hunting in Taoshui, Li Tai continued to set out for Liangzhou.

At the same time, he sent envoys to the Tuyuhun capital, Fuqi City, to order the current Tuyuhun Khan, Kualu, to go to Wuwei in Liangzhou to pay homage to the emperor. If he did not arrive within the deadline, the Tang army would go straight to Fuqi City and capture the Tuyuhun royal city!

(End of this chapter)