I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 472: Identity Book! Xihe Town is expanding, and those who come here are people from the Song Dynasty

Revenge never takes overnight, and beheading is merciless.

The news of Su Liang's destruction of the Tuowo tribe and his speech in front of the gate of Xihe Town spread quickly.

The Tibetan tribes and Xixia people scattered in the Xihe area were all very frightened.

The past.

Fan Zhongyan always focused on defense and advocated pacifying foreign tribes. He almost never sent troops abroad to kill people.

However, this favorite of the Song Dynasty had just arrived and was extremely cruel in his actions.

Those murderers who took advantage of Fan Zhongyan's death to loot Xihe Town, causing nearly a thousand casualties, are about to be in big trouble.

……

Xihe Town Government Office, in the back hall.

Su Liang, Xu Mang, Liu Sandao, Qi Fei, Yang Hu, and the one-armed Lao Qiao gathered together.

One-armed Old Joe stood in front of a beast-skin map at the front.

He held a small wooden stick and pointed at the map, saying, "After our investigation, we found that there were four tribes that looted Xihe Town on the night of February 23."

"They are the Conago, Nazang, Achailuo and Yogong tribes."

"Among them, the Conago tribe has nearly 2,000 warriors, the Nazang tribe has nearly 300 warriors, the Acailuo tribe has nearly 100 warriors, and the Yogun tribe has nearly 700 warriors."

The warriors here refer to the combat-capable adults in the tribe.

"That night, 172 of our soldiers and civilians were killed, and 756 were slightly or seriously injured. While looting, they intentionally beat and killed civilians. I am sure that this is definitely not a simple looting incident, and there must be someone behind it.

"I guess the mastermind behind the scenes may not be the Xixia people. It may also be...... other forces, but... but I haven't found any evidence yet." One-armed Old Joe hesitated to speak.

"It may not be Xixia people?" Su Liang said quickly: "Mr. Qiao, if you have any guesses, just speak up. There are no outsiders here, so it doesn't matter if you are wrong."

Mr. Qiao thought about it and put the stick aside.

"I suspect that the mastermind behind this may be the Xixia people, the Qingtang Tubo people, or even the Liao people."

"The Xixia people are the most suspicious, because Xixia soldiers are most likely to cooperate with these foreign tribes to carry out looting. Xixia has suffered a severe drought this year, and they may take risks for money and property, and test our bottom line."

Su Liang nodded in approval.

Most of these Tibetan tribes scattered across the border were at odds with the Qingtang Tubo.

Some of them had already secretly defected to Western Xia.

Some wanted to surrender to Western Xia and do this as a stepping stone to find a backer.

One-armed Old Qiao continued, "The second is Qingtang Tubo (the Zuosiluo tribe)."

"Although Zuosiluo has always been pro-Song, he is 58 years old after all, and his prestige in the tribe has weakened a lot. He has three sons, each of whom has his own power. The eldest son Xiazhen should be pro-Song, but the second son Mozhenjiao and the third son Dongzhen are not. They may help these small tribes to carry out looting, and then frame the Western Xia, causing the Song and Xia to go to war, and they will benefit from it."

"As for the Liao Kingdom, they already had spies planted in the Tibetan tribes. They may also be the masterminds behind this, trying to frame the Western Xia so that they can quell the civil unrest."

Su Liang nodded slightly.

At first, he thought it must be the Xixia court who ordered it.

The Western Xia Prime Minister Mo Zang Epang submitted a letter to explain that it was not their court's doing, but was just to cover up, which was actually superfluous.

I didn't expect the water here to be so deep.

Not only the Song Dynasty was eyeing this area, but the Liao, Xia, Qing, Tang and Tubo were also eyeing this area.

Su Liang thought for a moment and looked at the one-armed Old Joe.

"Mr. Qiao, we already know the identity of the robbers. Is there any outside information?"

"Not yet. Only a few of us know. The four tribes probably didn't expect that I could identify them from a few bodies."

"I went out to gather intelligence on those four tribes, but I never thought I would be captured by the Tuowo tribe when I passed by them!"

Su Liang stood up and looked at Qi Fei and Yang Hu.

"Qi Fei, Yang Hu, post a notice outside the city gate tomorrow, offering a large reward for the leader of the bandits who looted Xihe Town on the night of February 23. Anyone who provides information will be rewarded with a thousand strings of cash; anyone who kills him and sends him to Xihe Town will be rewarded with five thousand strings of cash; anyone who captures him alive and sends him to Xihe Town will be rewarded with ten thousand strings of cash."

"Yes!" Qi Fei and Yang Hu quickly stood up and responded.

Su Liang looked at Xu Mang and Liu Sandao again.

"Old Xu, San Dao, starting tonight, the Dragon Feather Army will be dispatched secretly. I want you to capture the leaders of these four tribes alive, the sooner the better!"

"I obey your command!" Xu Mang and Liu Sandao bowed together.

At this time.

Xihe Town Chief Yang Hu couldn't help but say, "Central Prime Minister Su, I have another idea."

"speak!"

"I understand that the high reward is a deliberate attempt to confuse the leaders of the four tribes into thinking that we don't know the murderer, which will make it easier to catch them. However, the death of four leaders is of no use!"

"The leaders of many small Tibetan tribes often change, and sometimes a new leader is appointed after a fight. For example, in the Conaguo tribe, their elders are the ones in power. We can't seriously injure them by killing their leaders. I suggest that we can wipe them out like we did with the Tuowo tribe. That would be satisfying, and we have the strength to do it!"

Qi Fei on the side immediately echoed excitedly: "Su Zhongcheng, I think what Qi Dutou said makes a lot of sense. This is the only way to show the power of our Song Dynasty and make these people dare not make trouble again!"

Su Liang smiled slightly.

"I know this is more fun, and I know we have the ability to do it now. But what if we wipe out these four tribes? As long as we weaken our forces here, the remaining tribes will come to plunder us."

"They want to live, and for the tribes in this area, Xihe Town is the only oasis standing in the desert. If they want to live and live well, they will definitely come to plunder Xihe Town. How can we stop them?"

"Then...then...then let's kill them all!" Yang Hu said with clenched fists.

Old Joe, the one-armed man standing by, shook his head helplessly.

"The Tibetan tribes are sparsely populated and have vast territories. We don't have the energy to wipe them all out. Even if we can wipe them out, it will be too difficult to station troops in such a vast area!"

"Doesn't that mean there will always be looting and war here?" Qi Fei murmured, and he and Yang Hu lowered their heads helplessly.

Su Liang picked up the stick beside him and said with a smile: "Don't be discouraged, the court has already thought of a countermeasure. Today, I will tell you all about my plan to come to the northwest."

Hearing this, everyone looked up.

"Initially, our purpose in building Xihe Town was not just to build a city. Our ultimate goal was to expand the border and destroy Xia!"

When they heard the words "expand the border and destroy Xia", everyone became excited instantly.

Su Liang picked up the stick and pointed at the map.

"If we want to destroy Xixia, we should not march straight in and attack Xixia, but occupy Hehuang and seize the land on the left side of Hengshan. Doing so will cut off one arm of Xixia. We have the advantage of terrain and can defend and attack. Neither Xixia nor the Tubo tribes can use the speed of cavalry to plunder Xihe Town, or even our Qin and Wei states."

"Prime Minister Di Shu and I came here to take Hehuang first and then destroy Xixia. We will either capture or pacify the tribes of the barbarians in Hehuang. As for the tribes of the barbarians further west, fighting is not a good idea. We must assimilate them by continuously building cities and spreading Han culture, and then make them Song people. As for those barbaric and bloodthirsty people, we will expel them!"

"My current idea is to capture the leaders of these four tribes first, establish our authority in Hehuang, and then expand the city while pacifying the surrounding people. I will focus on pacifying and expanding the city, and also give the surrounding foreign tribes an illusion that we are about to start expanding the city's defense again!"

"When the time is right, Prime Minister Di Shu will lead the army to chase and attack the northwest, completely occupy the Hehuang area, and face Xixia directly. By then, the Xixia people will not be able to sleep! As for Qingtang Tubo, if they surrender, we will be fine. If they dare to cause trouble, we will fight to Qinghai Lake and completely open up the old Silk Road!" "In short, we will take a two-pronged approach. On the one hand, we will expand the border and destroy Xia, and on the other hand, we will make the land we have obtained more suitable for the lives of the new people of the Song Dynasty."

……

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Xu Mang and Liu Sandao knew some of the news and were not too surprised.

But Qi Fei, Yang Hu and one-armed Lao Qiao were stunned where they were. It took them a long time to recover and then they laughed excitedly.

Since Taizu and Taizong, the Song Dynasty has never expanded its borders. Now it not only has to expand its borders, but also has to destroy Xia.

This is an unprecedented achievement.

All participants feel proud of it.

Yang Hu touched his head and said excitedly: "The court is really thoughtful, too thoughtful!"

Yang Hu is a native of the border.

He felt the court's unprecedented respect for the people from Su Liang's words.

Su Liang continued, "In addition to offering a reward and capturing the thief leader, there are two more things to do."

"First, I plan to expand Xihe Town again. In three years, I will make it a big city like Qinzhou. I have already applied to the court for the necessary funds. As for the craftsmen, in addition to the soldiers from Qinzhou, we will have to rely on the people in Xihe area. This matter will be put on the agenda soon. It is up to you to lead the work and supervise it. This matter can be posted on the bulletin board to inform everyone!"

"Second, print leaflets to inform the people outside the territory of our Great Song that as long as they are innocent and have not committed acts of burning, killing, and looting, no matter what ethnicity they are, they can become citizens of our Great Song and participate in the expansion of Xihe Town for a fee. They can be allocated fields and pastures later, and all children will have books to read... and we can guarantee their safety."

"Master Qiao, you are more familiar with those foreign people, so you can take the veterans to collect information! Appearance, home address and even fingerprints must be counted, and then I will send this information to Qinzhou to establish an identity register. Once you are included in the identity register, you can enjoy a stable life. You can contact Old Xu for the specific details."

"Yes, sir. I will complete the task!" said the one-armed Mr. Qiao excitedly.

Su Liang thought for a moment and said, "I also brought some cotton seeds. It's just April now, so they can still be planted. You should plant them as soon as possible. Don't underestimate these cotton seeds. Whether Xizhou City can become the most prosperous city in the entire northwest in the future may depend on these cotton seeds!"

Hearing this, Yang Hu and One-Armed Lao Qiao immediately straightened their chests.

If someone claimed that there was a way to turn Xihe Town into a city in a state and make it the most prosperous city in the entire northwest, they would definitely not believe it.

But they believed Su Liang's words without a doubt.

At this moment, everyone was full of fighting spirit.

Everyone felt that they were doing something major that would change the fate of all people in the Northwest and go down in history.

That night.

Forty Longyu Army soldiers were divided into four groups and left Xihe Town.

Ten people captured one alive.

Enough face has been given to the four tribal leaders.

……

The next day.

Outside the gate of Xihe Town, a notice was first posted, offering a large reward for the leader of the thieves who would seize Xihe Town, and then a notice was posted that Xihe Town would be expanded.

The people were talking a lot.

Most people think that Su Liang is still following Fan Zhongyan's approach and strengthening the city to prevent thieves.

Many people who wanted to make a living by robbing Song breathed a sigh of relief.

They felt that Su Liang's arrival this time was just a lot of noise with little results, and he was still using the same old tricks.

After they leave, Xihe Town will become their money bag.

Three days later.

Printed and copied leaflets were delivered throughout the Hehuang area via merchants' caravans.

Xihe Town also sent out hundreds of literate people to read the contents of the leaflet.

The core idea is just one sentence——

"As long as we are good people, regardless of race, we are citizens of the Song Dynasty once we come here."

The leaflet described the many benefits of becoming a citizen of the Song Dynasty, such as: allocating land and pasture; participating in the expansion of the city, earning 100 coins a day and providing three meals a day; ensuring the safety of family members, etc.

For the sake of the old soldiers, Su Liang first destroyed the Tuowo tribe, and gave a moving speech, which has won the trust of some people.

Soon, many Tibetans were tempted.

Because of the prosperity of Xihe Town, they actually already understood that the tribes were unreliable, the Western Xia was unreliable, and only the Song Dynasty could keep them from hunger and cold and save them from war.

Ever since.

Many foreign people, even those who did not know whether they were foreigners or Han people, came to Xihe Town in the Song territory and begged to become citizens of the Song Dynasty.

In response to this, Yang Hu and one-armed Lao Qiao conducted a very strict review in accordance with Su Liang's requirements.

If someone has bullied the weak and killed others, it is not impossible for him to become a citizen of the Song Dynasty, but the prerequisite is that he needs to confess his crime and then go to Qinzhou to be sentenced. Only after serving his sentence will he be eligible to become a citizen of the Song Dynasty.

Su Liang has been very busy these two days.

He had to report the latest developments to the court, inform Di Qing of the current situation and discuss the next course of action, instruct Qinzhou governor Liu Cun to cooperate, and deal with the affairs of Xihe Town.

He even wrote a letter to Cao Yi, Cao's uncle, asking him to send more caravans to transport different types of goods to speed up the prosperity of Xihe Town.

At this moment, Su Liang felt a little regretful.

I regret not bringing along talents like Wang Anshi or Sima Guang.

Xu Mang, Liu Sandao, Qi Fei, Yang Hu, the one-armed Lao Qiao and others are all rough people and not good at writing. If Su Liang fails to explain something well, problems will arise.

That afternoon, Su Liang was busy in the back hall.

Liu Sandao suddenly said, "Boss, Qinzhou Governor Liu Cun is here!"

Su Liang was stunned: "Why is he here? Is there something wrong with what I told him? Come in! Come in!"

soon.

Liu Cun walked quickly into the hall, followed by four middle-aged men in long gowns.

When Liu Cun saw Su Liang, he immediately bowed and said, "Central Prime Minister Su, I know that Xihe Town is expanding, and I certainly lack the talent for coordination and management and writing. I have the audacity to ask Prime Minister Di Shu to bring people to help for two months. Qinzhou has Wang Tongpan to handle the daily affairs, which is enough!"

"You're here just in time! Liu Zhizhou, you've helped Xihe Town a lot. After this incident, the court will definitely not treat you unfairly!" Su Liang said with a smile.

"I will do my best!" Liu Cun bowed heavily.

After Liu Cun learned that Xihe Town was going to be expanded into a provincial capital, he realized the significance of getting involved in this matter.

He also wanted to participate in this unprecedented achievement, in order to gain a better career for himself, or even a chance to go down in history.

(End of this chapter)