I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 476: Su Liang enters Hehuang! Listen to Fan Wenzheng's "Fisherman's Pride"

After a while.

Di Qing and Su Liang walked out of the house.

"Jingming, don't see me off!" Di Qing strode outside, while Su Liang stopped.

Soon, Di Qing saw Liu Sandao and Yang Hu at the corner.

The two of them stood up quickly.

Di Qing said seriously: "From now on, Su Zhongcheng's orders are my orders. You must do whatever he tells you to do, even if it means going through mountains of swords and seas of fire, you must not hesitate!"

"Yes!" The two of them bowed at the same time. They naturally dared not disobey the order of the prime minister and their idol.

"I'm back to Qinzhou!"

After Di Qing finished speaking, he walked out of the government office with the four personal soldiers who were standing guard nearby.

Liu Sandao and Yang Hu were both a little confused.

I don't know why Di Qing was in such a hurry.

The two of them quickly came to Su Liang's house.

Su Liang said, "Give orders that the news of Prime Minister Di Shu coming to Xihe Town should not be spread outside. Everyone should pretend that they don't know about it, and there is no need to inform Prefect Liu."

"Yes." The two bowed again.

Because Di Qing arrived early in the morning, few people knew that he had come to Xihe Town except the soldiers on guard.

It is relatively easy to keep it secret.

……

That afternoon.

Qi Fei, the commander of the garrison camp in Xihe Town, Qinfeng Road, came to report.

Western Xia has completed the transfer of all the compensation received from the Conago and Yogun tribes to Xihe Town, and the Song soldiers are being pulled back to Xihe Town.

Su Liang was immediately relieved.

The internal situation of Western Xia was currently unstable, and it did not dare to play the game of pretending to obey but actually disobeying the Song Dynasty.

That night.

One-armed Lao Qiao and Yang Hu handed a "Summary of Tribal Situations in the Hehuang Region" to Su Liang.

Su Liang immediately began to read it carefully.

There are many mountains and rivers in the Hehuang area.

Most places are called villages or forts, such as Ninghe Village, Nanchuan Village, Anlong Village, Lintan Fort, Anchuan Fort, etc.

Larger ones are called cities, such as Dingqiang City, Laibin City, etc.

Some forts have walls and pass built with strong defenses; some forts are just simple settlements that can be left by breaking camp.

In the area circled by Su Liang, there were about thirty tribes, some large and some small. Some were close to the Qingtang Tubo Zuosiluo tribe, some were hostile to the Zuosiluo tribe, and some were close to the Western Xia.

These tribes all have one thing in common.

That's infighting.

If the Tibetan tribes were united, their power would definitely be far stronger than that of Western Xia.

However, due to the lack of food, pasture, livestock and other resources, they have been torn apart, and some tribes have even reached the point of fighting to the death.

……

The next day, early in the morning.

Su Liang called Liu Sandao and one-armed Lao Qiao to his study.

The three of them stayed in the study until the afternoon.

Then, Liu Sandao and One-armed Lao Qiao were both very excited after walking out of the study.

Especially the one-armed Old Joe, who muttered to himself, clenched his fists, and a smile appeared on his face from time to time.

Near dusk.

Su Liang said that there was an important task to be assigned.

Liu Cun, Qi Fei, Xu Mang, Liu Sandao, Yang Hu, and the one-armed Lao Qiao were all called by Su Liang to the meeting room in the backyard of the government office.

Inside the meeting hall.

There is a map of the northwest of the Song Dynasty hanging on the wall.

The most obvious thing is that there is a circle and a route in the Hehuang area.

immediately.

Su Liang informed everyone of his plan to lead 200 Longyu Army soldiers deep into the Hehuang area to persuade the tribes to surrender.

Liu Sandao and One-armed Lao Qiao knew the inside story and would follow Su Liang to the depths of Hehuang, so they did not react much.

Liu Cun, Xu Mang, Qi Fei and Yang Hu were dumbfounded.

Not to mention them, anyone who hears about this plan for the first time would be dumbfounded.

It's too risky.

"Minister Su...this...this...this..." Liu Cun trembled and was interrupted by Su Liang halfway through his words.

"Everyone, I am not here to discuss this with you. I want you to fully cooperate with me!"

"At present, the imperial court is still unaware of this matter. I intend to send a letter to report to the emperor when I set out the day after tomorrow. I will not elaborate on the benefits of this plan. This is the best way to deal with all the Qiang tribes in Hehuang. If it succeeds, Hehuang will be very stable, trade will flourish, and a huge massacre will be avoided..."

"The only danger may be that the lives of the more than 200 of us heading to Hehuang may be in danger, but I am sure and confident that we can return safely!"

"Are you willing to cooperate with me fully?"

"Yes!" everyone shouted in unison without any hesitation.

"Okay, then let's do something that has never been done before. After it's done, I will report your achievements to the court!"

Su Liang immediately began to assign tasks.

"San Dao, tomorrow you will select 200 Dragon Feather Army soldiers who have good coordination and are good at riding and shooting, and prepare all weapons, firearms, clothing, and food. Don't prepare too much food, just enough for half a month. On the way, we can also obtain food, horses, or rent what we need from the tribes willing to surrender."

"Yes." Liu Sandao agreed.

"Master Qiao, you will lead the surrender army. Select a few veterans who are familiar with Hehuang and in good health to accompany us."

"Yes." One-armed Old Joe agreed.

"Old Xu, your mission is the most difficult. You will lead the remaining 300 Dragon Feathers to deliver intelligence and collect intelligence from the surrounding tribes. Our route will be relatively fixed, and we will always be in contact with you. If anything unexpected happens, you will need to bring the remaining Dragon Feathers to rescue us immediately!"

Although Su Liang's trip was risky, he had made relatively safe arrangements, and he did not want to lose his life in Hehuang.

"Yes!" Xu Mang said loudly.

"Liu Zhizhou, you will be in charge of Xihe Town from now on. You can continue to expand the city. In addition, you should publicize as much as possible the measures taken by Xihe Town to benefit the people and the care for the people of other ethnic groups. If Xizhou wants to become more and more prosperous in the future, the more people there are, the better."

"Yes!" Liu Cun bowed heavily to Su Liang.

He was very impressed by Su Liang's plan. If it were him, even if he could think of this plan, he would never dare to take the risk himself.

"Qi Fei, Yang Hu, when I tell Old Xu that the persuasion to surrender is over and we can start expanding the border, Di Shu will lead the army into Hehuang. You two and your soldiers must not move. The veterans in the city must not move either. You must protect Xihe Town to prevent a surprise attack from the enemy!"

Su Liang thought for a moment, and then said, "Don't worry, if we destroy Xixia in the future, I will definitely let you and the veterans have fun!"

Hearing this, Qi Fei and Yang Hu were both excited.

"I will obey your orders!"

……

After Su Liang finished his explanation, he let out a long sigh.

"Everyone, make good preparations tomorrow. At three o'clock the day after tomorrow, we will officially start the Hehuang surrender plan!"

"Yes!" everyone said in unison, each of them was very excited.

……

The first day of May.

It was three o'clock in the morning and the weather was slightly cold.

There were few stars in the night sky and silence outside Xihe Town.

Su Liang led more than 200 people out of the city.

Everyone was dressed in black, with their weapons wrapped in cloth.

In addition to cold weapons such as bows, crossbows, swords, spears, etc., he also brought fifty wind and fire guns and ten wind and fire thunders.

Wind, Fire and Thunder were carried by ten soldiers of the Dragon Feather Army.

This is a life-saving item. Su Liang will never use it unless it is absolutely necessary.

"drive!"

Following Su Liang's low shout, a group of people ran towards the wilderness ahead.

On the city floor.

Liu Cun's eyes turned red, and he murmured, "It is a blessing for the Song Dynasty to have Su Zhongcheng."

At the side, Yang Hu also puffed out his chest and said, "In ancient times, Zhaojun went to the frontier, and now Su Zhongcheng leads his troops to Hehuang. How magnificent! How magnificent!"

Qi Fei rolled his eyes at him.

"If you don't know how to use words, don't use them randomly. How can Wang Zhaojun be compared with Su Zhongcheng? Zhaojun went to the frontier to marry a foreign king, which was a shame for the Han Dynasty. Our Su Zhongcheng went to Hehuang to expand the border, which was the glory of our Song Dynasty!"

“Yes, Prime Minister Su is the glory of our Song Dynasty!” Yang Hu smiled naively and looked into the distance. In the desolate wilderness, these more than 200 heroes of the Song Dynasty slowly disappeared in the gray night.

at the same time.

A post soldier carrying Su Liang's handwritten memorial also rushed to Qinzhou.

Su Liang planned to let Di Qing report the matter to the court.

By the time the imperial court learns of this, it will take at least twenty days to go back and forth.

By then, Su Liang had already penetrated deep into the Hehuang River, and it was impossible to pull him back.

Perhaps the court knew that Di Qing must have known about this in advance, but Zhao Zhen and the officials understood Su Liang's temper, and as long as they could save face, they would not punish Di Qing.

……

Five days later.

Su Liang and more than 200 people followed the Tao River and finally arrived at the first planned destination, Jiehebao.

The Hehuang area is dry with little rain, and the temperature difference between day and night is very large.

If Su Liang had not been accustomed to Xihe Town for a period of time, he would probably have health problems if he rashly started such intense cycling.

Jiehebao is located on the bank of Taoshui River, and there is a tribe called Zhequ tribe in it.

The Zhequ tribe had nearly two thousand people and about seven hundred warriors. Where the tribe lived, there were passes and high walls.

It is a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. The leader of the tribe is called Zhequ, who acts low-key and basically does not leave the village. He only moves around in his own territory of nearly 200 miles.

The tribesmen lived a relatively peaceful life.

At the beginning of last year, two tribes living on the banks of the Yellow River attacked the Zhequ tribe. However, the Zhequ tribe had strong defenses and many bows and arrows, so they finally returned empty-handed.

The Hehuang surrender-persuasion army stopped when they were two miles away from the pass of the Zhequ tribe.

Su Liang's strategy for surrender adheres to four words: first courtesy, then force.

He ordered the one-armed Old Joe to take two Dragon Feather Army soldiers and rush towards the tribe's gate.

Soon, one-armed Old Joe was discovered by the other party.

Nearly a hundred archers suddenly appeared on the city wall in front, all holding bows and arrows, aiming at the one-armed Old Joe and the two Dragon Feather Army soldiers accompanying him.

One-armed Old Joe pulled the reins and walked to the gate of the village with a smile on his face.

"The Chief Censor Su Liang, the supervisor of the four imperial guards in Shaanxi Province of the Great Song Dynasty, has specially invited the leader of the Zhequ tribe, Zhequ, to meet him. Go and report it immediately!" The one-armed Old Qiao said loudly.

Su Liang's name had long spread throughout the entire Northwest, and the news that he had arrived in Xihe Town was also already known to everyone.

The soldiers on the city wall dared to shoot arrows at other tribes, but they did not have the courage to do so when facing the Song Dynasty.

The Tuowo tribe is the best example. Anyone who offends the Song Dynasty will be exterminated.

And this moment.

Su Liang found a shady place and sat on a rock.

About a quarter of an hour later, the gate of the city wall opposite opened.

A thin middle-aged man rode out on horseback with more than a dozen guards.

He is the leader of the Zhequ tribe, Zhequ.

Zhequ saw the one-armed Old Qiao at a glance and said, "You...you...you must be Mr. Qiao, right? My...our tribe has nothing to do with the looting of Xihe Town, and we don't know anyone from those four tribes. You...you...did you find the wrong person?"

Mr. Qiao has one arm and a long sword on his back, which makes his features very obvious.

Most people know that this is the chief veteran of Xihe Town, Mr. Qiao.

Seeing that Zhequ was a little panicked, the one-armed Old Qiao said, "Chief Zhequ, don't be nervous. Su Zhongcheng just wants to discuss something with you. Can you go over there and talk?"

Zhequ followed the gaze of the one-armed Old Qiao and saw a man standing in the shade a hundred meters ahead. He should be the beheaded censor Su Jingming.

He smiled helplessly and said, "I'm afraid it won't work if I don't go!"

Immediately, he waved his hand, asked the guards behind him to stay where they were, and then rode on horseback following the one-armed Old Joe towards Su Liang's location.

Zhequ knew that if the Song Dynasty wanted to destroy the Zhequ tribe, it would be as easy as crushing an ant to death, and killing him would be even easier.

It makes no difference whether he has guards or not.

Soon, Zhequ came in front of Su Liang.

He quickly dismounted and bowed to Su Liang, saying, "Zhequ pays respect to Su Zhongcheng. My... my Zhequ tribe has never done anything to harm the Song Dynasty. Su... Su Zhongcheng came here in person. Did he find the wrong person?"

"If you...if you are short of cattle, horses, food and fodder, I...I can pay some of it. I wonder if that can guarantee your safety?"

Hearing this, Su Liang laughed. It was obvious that Zhequ had been blackmailed many times.

Su Liang said straight to the point: "My Great Song wants to occupy this area. I wonder if the Zhequ tribe is willing to surrender to the Great Song and become its citizens from now on?"

“Ah? No…no…no…we are not worthy!” The bent head shook like a rattle.

Su Liang naturally knew what he was thinking, and continued: "Don't worry, if the Zhequ tribe becomes a citizen of the Song Dynasty, I will definitely protect your safety and ensure that you live like the people of Xihe Town."

"Besides, I will not be like the Tanguts who want to recruit warriors from your tribe to serve as soldiers. The Song Dynasty has more soldiers than we can use. I sincerely hope that you can become the people of the Song Dynasty, so that the entire Hehuang area can be stabilized and trade can flourish..."

Su Liang glanced at Liu Sandao, who immediately understood and took out the document he had been holding in his hand, saying, "Chief Zhequ, this is the promise that our Song Dynasty can give to your tribe. Take a look."

Zhequ immediately opened the document and read it carefully.

The tribal leaders in the Hehuang area basically all knew Chinese characters.

After reading it, Zhequ looked hesitant and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Su Liang said calmly, "No need to force me! If you don't want to, you just need to leave here. You sign a moving contract with me, and I will give you a moving fee. We can do this like a business, and only when both parties are willing can we reach an agreement."

"But I need to remind you that if you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again. In the near future, you may not even be qualified to become a citizen of the Song Dynasty!"

On the side, One-armed Old Qiao and Liu Sandao were listening to Su Liang's words carefully.

Next, when Su Liang meets other tribes, they will speak many words on his behalf.

Su Liang will only step in when they can't handle it, otherwise Su Liang will be too tired.

Zhequ thought for a moment and said, "Central Prime Minister Su, can you let me go back and discuss this with the tribe members?"

"Okay, but you only have one hour. After one hour, you must give me an answer!"

Su Liang's tone became stern.

If the other party keeps wavering and hesitant, he will immediately sign a relocation contract with the other party, ordering the other party to leave within a limited period of time.

If the other party is tough, not only will they not get the moving fee, Su Liang will also put them on the blacklist, and Di Qing will deal with them then.

In order to maintain stability in Hehuang and cut off the right arm of Western Xia, Su Liang must be decisive and ruthless, using both hardness and softness, otherwise hidden dangers will be left behind, which may bring unexpected troubles to the people of the Song Dynasty.

"Okay, one hour is enough!" Zhequ nodded, then took the documents, mounted his horse and galloped towards the castle.

aside.

Seeing that the sun was approaching noon, Liu Sandao shouted, "All soldiers, listen up and cook!"

Immediately, the soldiers got busy.

In addition to the various tribes, you can also meet some herdsmen on the road, and you can exchange some of the silver you carry with you for daily food.

At present, there is no problem at all in daily eating and drinking.

Half an hour later.

Su Liang had just finished a plate of mutton steak with rice when he saw Zhequ riding a horse and galloping towards him with a smile on his face.

Soon, Zhequ came in front of Su Liang.

He dismounted, knelt on one knee, and said to Su Liang according to their etiquette: "Su Zhongcheng, the Zhequ tribe is willing to surrender to the Song Dynasty, and all the tribesmen are willing to become citizens of the Song Dynasty!"

Su Liang quickly helped Zhe Qu up and said with a smile, "We don't have this kind of kneeling ceremony in the Song Dynasty. No need to be polite."

"Chief Zhequ, before signing the agreement to return to Song, I will make it clear to you. If you regret it later, you will be hunted down endlessly by the Song Dynasty, and your tribe will be even more miserable than the Tuowo tribe! Of course, if you sincerely want to be a citizen of the Song Dynasty, I will fulfill all my promises and make your life better and better!"

Zhequ was excited and said, "Don't worry, Prime Minister Su, we are absolutely sincere in returning to Song. We are not only bullied by other tribes here, but also blackmailed by the Tanguts. No matter how you look at it, it's better to return to Song!"

"Your tribesmen will definitely thank you for what you did today!" Su Liang patted Zhequ's shoulder.

Afterwards, Zhequ signed the contract to return to Song Dynasty that Su Liang had prepared long ago.

Zhequ smiled and said, "Central Prime Minister Su, we are family now. How about you come to our village and sit for a while and have a drink? If you are in a hurry to leave, I won't force you to stay. If you are not in a hurry to leave, you can stay for one night."

"Haha, that's great. I won't stay here, but I can still have a drink!"

Since Su Liang considers the other party as his own, there is no need to be polite. "

If they don't go, the other party will think that they are still treated as outsiders.

Then, Su Liang waved his hand, and everyone went to the Zhequ tribe together.

……

Half an hour later, inside the Zhequ tribe.

Su Liang and more than 200 others stood on a stone street.

The members of the Zhequ tribe brought jars of homemade wine and began to distribute them.

These people were very nervous, curious and afraid of Su Liang and others.

Zhequ is very knowledgeable about the rules.

After the ceremony, he and his followers drank several bowls of wine to show their sincerity, and then poured wine for everyone.

The Zhequ tribe is still relatively simple.

If there are not enough wine bowls, they use rice bowls, or even bamboo cups.

But Su Liang was still very happy with their hospitality.

Because of the prosperity of Xihe Town and Fan Zhongyan's reputation for benevolence, they have never been hostile to the Song Dynasty.

Zhequ raised his wine bowl and said, "Today, Su Zhongcheng has come to save us. Let's toast to them!"

A man from the Northwest.

Whether they are Tibetans or Han people, they are all very generous and honest.

Immediately, everyone drank it all in one gulp.

The Longyu Army was also very happy and felt that what they were doing was very valuable.

Not long after.

Su Liang and others left the village and prepared to continue their journey.

Su Liang had never expected that the first battle would be won so smoothly.

Zhequ personally escorted Su Liang and others out of the village, and then said: "Su Zhongcheng, you go ahead, we have a surprise for you."

"Surprise? What surprise?" Soviet Union looked curious.

Zhequ smiled mysteriously and said, "You will understand after you leave!"

Then, Su Liang and others formed pairs and headed north.

At this time, a loud voice came from the wall of the village.

"The scenery in the frontier is different in autumn, and the geese from Hengyang leave without notice. The sounds of the frontier rise from all directions, and in the thousands of mountains, the long smoke and the setting sun close the lonely city..."

This is Fan Zhongyan's "Fisherman's Pride: Autumn Thoughts"

Although the timing was wrong, this might be their highest respect for the Song Dynasty and Fan Zhongyan.

Liu Sandao, who always had a fierce look on his face, suddenly had red eyes when he heard this voice.

Who doesn’t miss Fan Zhongyan?

Su Liang shouted loudly: "Brothers, let's respond as well!"

"A cup of muddy wine, my home is thousands of miles away, and I have no way to return until Yanran is engraved. The sound of the Qiang flute is long and the ground is covered with frost, people are sleepless, the general's hair is white and the soldiers are crying..."

The soldiers shouted at the top of their lungs.

The setting sun stretched everyone's shadow very long.

Su Liang was also somewhat touched.

He felt that he had done the right thing. If he had used force to open the border, the Zhequ tribe would have surely resisted, and there would have been heavy casualties.

This is the result that everyone wants to see.

(End of this chapter)