I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 470: Courting Death! Using Su Liang's Robe as a Diaper for Children

March 25th, Qinzhou Prefecture Government Office.

Early in the morning.

Qinzhou magistrate Liu Cun and assistant judge Wang Huxiong came to the back court where Di Qing and Su Liang lived, saying they had important matters to report.

The three of them gathered behind the meeting room.

Liu Cun took out a handwritten letter from Qi Fei, the commander of the garrison camp in Xihe Town, Qinfeng Road.

Su Liang met Qi Fei when he first came to the Northwest.

At that time, Qi Fei was still a captain in charge of resettling veterans.

Now he is the battalion commander.

Qi Fei said that the veteran leader of Xihe Town, One-Armed Lao Qiao, was eager for revenge.

He and more than thirty old friends were trapped in a barbarian tribe led by a leader named Tuo Wo.

Tuowo demanded three hundred sheep, three hundred rolls of silk, and one hundred horses from Xihe Town before he would release the people.

After Di Qing and Su Liang finished reading the letter.

Liu Cun added, "The Tuowo tribe has about 2,000 people and controls an area of ​​about 200 miles. Only 600 to 700 of them are capable of fighting. Although it is a small tribe, they are good at escaping. If we attack them rashly, the lives of the veterans may be in danger."

"These barbarians are desperate. If they keep fleeing westward, it will be difficult for us to catch them. But if we make this deal with them, I'm afraid some of them will become even more aggressive in the future. Moreover, they often break their promises and will not let you go even after taking your property!"

After hearing this, Di Qing and Su Liang both frowned slightly.

Xihe area.

It is surrounded by mountains and has many rivers.

Han people, Fan people, and Dangxiang people lived together, with hundreds of tribes and complex forces.

In the eyes of the people of the Song Dynasty, the Qiang people were actually a collective term for the barbarians and the Dangxiang people.

The ethnic groups that were less influenced by Han culture formed the Fan; the ethnic groups that were more deeply influenced by Han culture and formed their own ethnic group were the Dangxiang people.

The situation in the Xihe area was particularly chaotic, with some of the Fan and Dangxiang peoples being pro-Tubo and some pro-Xixia.

Although the Qingtang Tubo ruled by Zuo Siluo had the greatest power among the Tubo tribes, it was also relatively pro-Song.

But they couldn't control those small tribes at all.

This led to some tribes becoming lawless and treating burning, killing and looting as business.

Wars often broke out between them.

Di Qing thought for a moment, looked at Su Liang, and said, "Jingming, take the Longyu Army and go to Xihe Town today!"

"Okay, I'll take care of it." Su Liang nodded.

Last night, Su Liang reached a consensus with Di Qing.

Su Liang first went to Xihe Town to investigate the rebellion of the Qiang bandits, while Di Qing waited in Qinzhou for the army to gather, and then redeployed the Western Army.

Di Qing was the commander.

Sitting in Qinzhou is more deterrent to the Tibetan tribes and Xixia people than leading troops to attack.

Su Liang originally planned to see off the Fan family members when they carried the coffin back to their hometown tomorrow, and then go to Xihe Town.

But now the matter is urgent, so he can only go to Xihe Town first.

The Longyu Army is best at solving such kidnapping and extortion cases.

……

After a while.

Su Liang went to Fan's house and said goodbye to Fan Zhongyan's coffin again.

Then, he and the five hundred Dragon Feather Army finished their lunch early and headed straight for Xihe Town.

At this time, the five hundred Dragon Feather Army were completely used as light cavalry.

The Longyu Army's war horses, armor, and crossbows were all being transported by the large force behind them.

As for the subsequent supplies and weapons, they were all prepared by local soldiers organized by Liu Cun, the governor of Qinzhou.

This time, five hundred Dragon Feather soldiers came out together.

The team was led by chief instructor Xu Mang and deputy instructor Liu Sandao.

Du Lei and Sun Sheng, who were often brought out by Su Liang, were sent to Hebei to be in charge of the training of the Hebei Imperial Guards.

Xu Mang and Liu Sandao were both from the Western Army and had served as Di Qing's personal soldiers, so they were very familiar with the environment here.

Xihe Town is more than 300 miles away from Qinzhou.

Su Liang and others will arrive in four days.

If Su Liang hadn't held them back, this group of people would have been able to reach Xihe Town in three days.

……

The northwest region is vast and sparsely populated, with much Gobi desert and rocky terrain.

The vegetation is mainly thorny and dwarf trees.

Su Liang and others ran westward, raising clouds of dust on the road.

Occasionally, after running for more than ten miles, you would see some villages, or people driving cattle and sheep, or some caravans hurrying on their way.

This kind of scene is much better than it was a few years ago.

Before Xihe Town was built, there were no caravans here and most people gathered near the river.

Sometimes I could ride my horse all day without seeing any human habitation.

Because of the existence of Xihe Town.

This northwestern border area has become much more prosperous than before, and the lives of the people have improved greatly.

At night, the vast wilderness was pitch black and it was impossible to travel any further.

Su Liang and others had no choice but to set up camp on the spot, eat and rest, and set off again at dawn.

……

Four days later, it was almost dusk.

Su Liang and his group of more than 500 people finally arrived at Xihe Town.

present.

Xihe Town did not become depopulated due to a looting.

On the contrary, outside the gate of Xihe Town, on both sides of the three-mile-long road, there were grass markets spontaneously formed by the people.

There are porcelain, cattle, sheep, horses, grain, clothes, shoes, books, farm tools, etc.

People of all ethnic groups gathered together, making the event very lively.

Many people from different tribes here actually have no disputes, and some even intermarry.

They just want to live a quiet and peaceful life.

Xihe Town is the most beautiful place in their hearts.

Unfortunately, resources here are unevenly distributed and there are too many poor people, which has led to unrest.

drive!
drive!
drive!
As a cloud of sand spread, Su Liang and others arrived at the city gate.

Many vendors stood up.

When they saw the flag of the Longyu Army, they were all stunned.

"This... this is... this is the Longyu Army, the emperor's personal army. The emperor cannot have such a ceremonial guard. It should be that Censor Su, no, it's Zhongcheng Su who is here!" Some people said excitedly.

Di Qing and Su Liang came to the northwest to hold funeral for Fan Zhongyan, and the local people also heard about it.

Back then, it was all thanks to Su Liang’s strategy that this Xihe Town came into being.

The people of Xihe Town were very grateful to Su Liangdu.

During the Huangyou period, when Di Qing and Su Liang were on a southern expedition to quell the Nong Zhigao Rebellion, someone spread a rumor that Su Liang was dead. The veteran soldiers of Xihe Town almost came out in full force to head to the southern border to avenge Su Liang.

In addition, Su Liang had killed 28 Western Xia criminals including Ye Lici in anger at the Western Xia border town in the northwest, and forced the Western Xia prime minister Mo Zang Epang to write an apology letter.

Such miracles gave courage to the people of the Song Dynasty at the border. Even a three-year-old child could shout out: Anyone who offends the Song Dynasty must be punished!
Su Liang's influence in Xihe Town is no less than that of Fan Zhongyan and Di Qing.

Upstairs at the city gate.

When Qi Fei, the commander of the Xihe Town garrison camp, saw the Longyu Army flag and Su Liang, he could not help but be overjoyed and shouted, "Central Prime Minister Su is here, go out and greet him immediately!"

Some veteran soldiers who volunteered to stand guard at the city were also very excited when they heard the news, and they all rushed to the city gate.

At the city gate, Su Liang stopped his horse and looked around.

Qi Fei and other generals and many veterans bowed in greeting.

"Meet Su Zhongcheng!"

Su Liang smiled and said, "Everyone, how are you? Let's chat inside the city!"

Qi Fei immediately led Su Liang and his men into the city.

A middle-aged man wearing a straw hat looked at the cavalry behind Su Liang and murmured, "He came here with 500 men. He really doesn't know how to live or die!"

After saying that, the middle-aged man left quickly.

……

After a while.

In the government office in the city, Su Liang sat in the upper seat.

Xu Mang and Liu Sandao sat on one side.

Qi Fei, commander of the Xihe Town garrison camp, Yang Hu, the chief of Xihe Town, and two veterans sat on the other side.

Su Liang asked straight to the point, "How are Mr. Qiao and the others doing?"

One-armed Old Joe is the spiritual leader of the veterans. He has written to Su Liang many times, and Su Liang also calls him Master Joe.

Qi Fei said: "Tomorrow at noon is the day of the transaction. They will send some people to the city gate to collect the property, and then promise to release Mr. Qiao and his men before nightfall."

"Can their words be trusted?" Su Liang asked back.

Qi Fei shook his head helplessly and said, "These people have always been untrustworthy and do things based on their own preferences. However, if they knew that you came to Xihe Town, they might restrain themselves a little."

Su Liang shook his head.

"Not necessarily. Maybe someone wants to become famous by stepping on my shoulders!"

Su Liang asked again: "Are all the items for the transaction ready?"

"Get ready! Mr. Qiao and his men are much more valuable than these properties!" Qi Fei said.

"Hand over all your property to them at noon tomorrow. After ensuring the safety of Mr. Qiao and the others, we will deal with them!" Su Liang's eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Followed by.

Su Liang asked again: "Have you identified the Qiang bandit who looted Xihe Town's property and killed people at will?"

"It is basically confirmed that at least five Tibetan tribes worked together, and it is very likely that they were instructed by Xixia."

"Okay, after we rescue Mr. Qiao and the others, we will deal with these people one by one!"

immediately.

Su Liang looked at Xu Mang and said, "Old Xu, you will contact Commander Qi later to get information about the Tuowo tribe. This tribe must be wiped out. In addition, we must consider what we should do if they want all the money and property but don't release us!"

"This will be the first mission of the Dragon Feather Army when they arrive in the northwest. Not only must we complete it, but we must complete it beautifully!"

"I will obey your orders!"

Xu Mang and Liu Sandao stood up and bowed heavily.

The Longyu Army enjoys the best welfare benefits in the entire Song Dynasty.

Their mission is to win battles and complete tasks that other soldiers find difficult to accomplish.

……

At night, the weather turned cold.

The night in Xihe Town is particularly dark and quiet.

After Su Liang finished his meal and washed up, he lay down and fell asleep.

Days of hard riding had exhausted his body, and his legs were shaking from riding so much.

……

The next day, it was already dawn when Su Liang got up.

Then, under the leadership of Qi Fei, Yang Hu and several veterans, they patrolled Xihe Town.

Eight thousand veterans.

Today, there are less than two thousand people still living in Xihe Town.

Some died, some followed the caravan to the Western Regions, some married and had children and chose to live a stable life, some started small businesses, and some returned to Qinzhou to open inns...

As their temples turn gray and their strength fades, many of the veterans who once held out here have lost their devotion.

But the old soldiers who are still guarding Xihe Town have become even more obsessed.

Their parents, wives and children had died in the war, and their homes, lands, and fellow villagers had been destroyed by the Xixia people.

Their only purpose in life is to take revenge on Western Xia.

Like One-Armed Old Joe, in his eyes, life is no longer important. What is important is to guard the northwest border and to take revenge on Western Xia.

Some veterans burst into tears when they saw Su Liang.

He kept shouting the famous words Su Liang left in the northwest: Anyone who offends the Song Dynasty must be punished.

……

Near noon.

Qi Fei drove all the three hundred sheep, three hundred rolls of silk, and one hundred horses that he had prepared to the outside of the city gate.

Wait for the people sent by the Tuwo tribe to come and take it.

After a while.

Dust was rising in the distance, and about forty or fifty people were riding horses towards us.

Su Liang looked carefully and found that most of the horse riders were old men over 50 years old. Judging from their clothes, they should be herdsmen from nearby.

These herdsmen are definitely not from the Tuwo tribe; they were just hired to take these properties.

This was the most common tactic used by foreigners to kidnap and extort Song people.

After taking away their valuables, the herdsmen would disperse and return home. They were familiar with the routes and could avoid being followed. Then they would find a secret place to hand over the valuables to the employers.

Due to the vast area and sparse population, it is very easy to be discovered when tracking others here, and it is easy to fall into an ambush.

Therefore, this is a fairly safe way of extortion transaction.

When these people arrived outside the city gate, they drove the sheep and horses without saying a word and pulled away the silk cloth in horse-drawn carriages, completely ignoring the soldiers on the city wall as air.

at this time.

A man in his thirties with a very dark complexion rode his horse to the city gate and looked up.

"Who is Su Liangsu Zhongcheng of Song?"

Su Liang said loudly: "It's me."

The man snorted coldly and said, "My leader said that we originally thought this was just an ordinary transaction, you pay the money and we release the people, but when we heard that Su Zhongcheng came to Xihe Town, it was different!"

"My leader has long admired Su Zhongcheng's name. He hopes that Su Zhongcheng will give him one more thing before he lets the person go!"

"What?" Su Liang's face darkened.

"Please, Su Zhongcheng, take off your robe and throw it to me right now. My leader has just had a son and is in need of diapers. He wants a diaper that has the aura of a Song Dynasty scholar-official!"

"Looking for death!" Qi Fei scolded.

Liu Sandao on the side even drew out the crossbow from his waist. As long as Su Liang opened his mouth, he could immediately shoot and kill the other party.

Use Su Liang's robes to make baby diapers.

It is obvious that Tuowo wants to become famous by stepping on Su Liang's shoulders.

If he dares to do so and gain a reputation as a bad guy, many ruthless bandits in Tibet will join him in the future.

These uncivilized barbarians have always been brutal, barbaric and inhumane.

The more cruel and reckless they are, the more people will follow them.

Su Liang smiled faintly and slowly took off his light gray robe.

"Zhongcheng, you..."

Before Qi Fei could finish speaking, Su Liang threw his robe down.

The soldiers on the city wall and the people below the city all saw this scene clearly.

"Thanks!"

The man took the robe, turned his horse around and rode away.

Not far away, the herdsmen were driving horses and sheep, pulling silk cloth, and heading towards the Gobi desert ahead.

At this time, Su Liang turned and looked at Xu Mang.

"We will take action after Mr. Qiao and his men return safely. If these barbarians refuse to let us go, we will rescue them forcefully. My requirement is that none of our people should be harmed, and all the resistance from the Tuowo tribe must be killed!"

Su Liang's tone turned cold.

This time, he wanted to use the Tuowo tribe to establish his authority and let all the rioters around Xihe know what the consequences would be if they provoked him.

"Yes, Longyu Army is guaranteed to complete the mission!" Xu Mang murmured.

(End of this chapter)