I served as an admonisher in the Song Dynasty

Chapter 477: The King and His Ministers Favor Su Jingming, Two Tribes in the Wilderness Fight for Grass
May 12, near noon.

Bianjing City, Forbidden City, Chuigong Hall.

An urgent military report from the northwest was delivered to Zhao Zhen.

This urgent report contains two memorials.

One of them comes from Suliang.

It is the overall content of the strategy he proposed to persuade Hehuang to surrender.

The second comes from Di Qing.

This is a detailed report on the situation of Su Liang and more than 200 people who had entered Hehuang on the first day of May.

After reading it, Zhao Zhen's face turned pale.

He slowly stood up, walked to Su Liang's "Supervisory Censor's Robe", and murmured: "This Su Jingming is simply throwing his life away. Doesn't he know how important he is to the Song Dynasty?"

"Call all the ministers of the Secretariat to come to the Chuigong Hall to discuss matters!" Zhao Zhen said to the eunuch beside him.

The eunuch immediately trotted outside.

About a quarter of an hour later.

Wen Yanbo, Fu Bi, Zhang Fangping, Wu Yu and Ouyang Xiu hurried to the Chuigong Hall.

After reading this urgent military intelligence report, they were also quite surprised.

Expand borders to the northwest.

The original plan was to expand the border by force and to persuade the invaders to surrender as a supplement.

The imperial court adopted the combination of "Di Qing as commander and Su Liang as military supervisor" because Di Qing was prone to being reckless, while Su Liang was steady and had more strategies.

If two people cooperate, they will act more steadily.

Never thought about it.

However, Su Liang acted recklessly and took the enemy by surprise.

This strategy of persuading Hehuang to surrender was something no one had expected.

Everyone knew that he did it for the court and to reduce casualties, but this move was too risky.

Zhang Fangping spoke first, "Your Majesty, I suggest that you order Prime Minister Di Shu to bring Jing Ming back immediately. Hehuang is in chaos, and it is a big taboo to go deep into the area alone. There is no law in that place. If something really happens, it will be very difficult for us to find the murderer!"

Wen Yanbo shook his head helplessly.

"Jingming has been deep in Hehuang for twelve days. It may be too late to issue an order now. Everyone should know Jingming's temper. If he gets stubborn, no one can stop him!"

"Then... just let him act on his own without the court's consent? Put his own life at risk?" Wu Yu said angrily.

"No matter how far Jingming has gone, this move is an unauthorized change of the court's border expansion plan and must be stopped immediately!" Fu Bi also added.

Zhao Zhen nodded in approval.

"Chase, we must chase! The Tibetan tribes are barbaric to begin with, how can we persuade them to surrender? Issue an imperial decree immediately and inform Di Qing to do his utmost to chase Su Liang back!"

The reason why they were so emotional was mostly because they were concerned about Su Liang's safety.

Su Liang is too important to the Song Dynasty, and this move is too risky.

If you are not careful, you will lose your life.

at this time.

Ouyang Xiu, who had never spoken, stood up.

"Your Majesty, I think it is useless to pursue them. Why not send an edict to the northwest to inform Prime Minister Di that the court agrees with this strategy of persuading Hehuang to surrender, and ask him to fully cooperate with Jingming!"

"You want me to agree?" Zhao Zhen glared at Ouyang Xiu.

"When Su Liang returns, I will definitely scold him. He could have subdued the Tibetan tribes in Hehuang with force, but he was kind-hearted and acted on his own initiative, risking his own life. He even said that it was for the reputation of the Song Dynasty and for the people of Hehuang. Doesn't he know how important his life is?"

"I will never agree to this!" Zhao Zhen said angrily.

Ouyang Xiu bowed again.

"Sir, you are so concerned that you are confused!"

"If the one who led more than 200 people deep into Hehuang this time was just an ordinary general, would you still think this strategy is bad? Although the probability of success is not high, it is indeed a good strategy. If it succeeds, it will be far better than the effect of surrendering by force."

"Jingming said in his memorial that he implemented this policy for one reason: first, to tell all Qiang people that the Song Dynasty's expansion of the border is not an invasion, but a help, which is to promote the name of our Song Dynasty; second, to reduce the killing and let the Qiang people feel the sincerity of our Song Dynasty and the benefits of becoming a citizen of the Song Dynasty. This move is conducive to the long-term stability of the northwest. What we get is not just a piece of land, but all the people's hearts in this area, which cannot be achieved by force."

"This is a profound and far-reaching reason, and the court should approve it!"

Hearing this, Wen Yanbo stood up.

"Uncle Yong, your point is correct, but you have overlooked the value of Jingming. Ten years later, we are all old. Who can continue the achievements of the reform of the whole Song Dynasty, who can unite the civil and military officials in the court, and who can continue to assist the emperor and create the prosperity of our Song Dynasty?"

"There is only Jingming in the court right now. In my opinion, we can't expand the border to the northwest, but we must not lose Jingming!"

Wen Yanbo was generous in praising Su Liang.

He was not at all worried about the suspicion of court officials or that Su Liang would become too powerful and endanger the imperial power.

Su Liang is not greedy for power, nor is he interested in high positions and high salaries. He treats almost everyone like a gentleman, which is recognized by everyone.

What Wen Yanbo said was exactly what everyone, including Zhao Zhen, was thinking.

In fact, everyone is a little bit dependent on Su Liang, so they think that Su Liang is taking such a risk, which is not worth it.

At this time.

A smile appeared on Ouyang Xiu's face.

"Jingming is smart. He knows that the emperor and the gentlemen will not agree to such a risky strategy, so he decided to act first and ask for permission later!"

"My Lord, my Lords, first of all, I still think this is a good plan. If it works, it will not only stabilize the people of Hehuang, but also let the people of Yanyun see our respect for the people, which will be of great benefit to the recovery of Yanyun in the future."

"Although Jingming's move is risky, I think we should trust him."

"If we try to intercept them rashly at this time, not only will it fail, but it will also disrupt the entire plan to expand the border to the northwest."

"In addition, I feel that the court should take a risk and support Jingming once."

"If Jingming's move fails and he returns to Xihe in disgrace, what will he think if he is met with a round of scolding from the emperor and the ministers?"

"If Jingming succeeds in this move, but because of our lack of support, he will still be charged with the serious crime of 'disobeying the court and acting on his own', and the emperor is planning to demote him to the position of a censor?"

"This is unfair to Jingming! He is completely public-spirited and selfless, but in return he is scolded or exiled. And according to the court decree, he has to do this!"

"I think the court should share some of the pressure with Jingming. If Jingming's strategy of persuading Hehuang to surrender fails, whether Jingming can come back alive or not, he is a hero of the northwest frontier expansion. The fault of this strategy lies with the government and us. We must tell the world that it was our strategic mistakes that led to Jingming's accident, not Jingming's willful behavior."

"If Jingming's plan is successfully implemented, it is all Jingming's idea, and he will be the first to make the contribution. The emperor and the secretary are just nodding in agreement!"

"Over the years, Jingming has protected the entire court from wind and rain. He is indeed the most meritorious person in the reform of the Song Dynasty. We cannot treat him coldly. We must let him see the court's care for him and its unreasonable trust in him. He deserves this treatment!"

After Ouyang Xiu finished speaking, the entire Chuigong Hall fell silent.

If other officials heard this, they would be so shocked that they would be incoherent.

Ouyang Xiu's meaning is simply -

Su Liang's strategy was entirely out of public interest. If it fails, it will be all the fault of the court; if it succeeds, it will be Su Liang's first achievement.

Zhao Zhen looked at the official robe of "Supervisory Censor Su Liang" not far away and suddenly laughed out loud.

"Uncle Ouyang Yong, you are still at a higher level. You have convinced me! I also hope that when Su Jingming leaves Hehuang, I will praise him instead of scolding him. He can do something unselfish, but we cannot let him down."

"What do you think?" Zhao Zhen looked down. Wen Yanbo and other ministers all smiled helplessly.

Su Liang is not only a favorite of the emperor, he is also a favorite of all the ministers.

"I have no objection!" said all the ministers in unison.

……

May 14th, Hehuang area.

After Su Liang and others persuaded two small tribes to surrender near Taoshui, they changed their route to the southwest and continued on their way.

There are more tribes in this direction.

This was also the place where Su Liang felt there might be problems when he was planning the route.

In the afternoon, the sun is scorching.

Su Liang and more than 200 people were walking in a wilderness.

Everyone wore a wide-brimmed hat and was completely covered up.

In this season, you must wear sunscreen, otherwise the skin exposed to the sun will peel off in an hour.

Once you get sunburned, you are prone to illness.

At the side, the one-armed Old Qiao said to Su Liang, "Zhongcheng, go west for another ten miles and you will reach Ninghe Village. There are two tribes stationed there, one is the Yalu tribe and the other is the Bala tribe. There are about 400 warriors in each tribe. These two tribes are brave and aggressive, neither of them is easy to deal with, and they often fight with each other."

With veterans like the one-armed Old Joe guarding Su Liang, he can always understand the general situation of the surrounding tribes.

at this time.

A soldier who was delivering information came to Su Liang.

"Reporting to the Prime Minister, we have discovered that the Yalu tribe and the Baci tribe in Ninghe Village will fight for the grass at noon tomorrow. The location is on a slope ten miles ahead."

"Battle for grass?" Su Liang looked at the one-armed Old Joe in confusion.

Old Qiao explained: "There are many herdsmen in the Hehuang area, and the herdsmen rely on grass. Right now, the grass is lush, and some tribes often fight over a piece of grassland."

"And the rule here is that warriors from both tribes will fight each other, and the winner will be awarded the right to own a piece of grassland for a year. This is the battle for the grassland!"

Su Liang understood immediately.

Although this area may seem desolate, each tribe actually has its own pasture and grazes their livestock in their own area.

However, some pastures may be formed by the drying up of lakes and rivers, resulting in no owner, which will lead to disputes.

In the past two years, most of the conflicts between Qingtang Tubo and Xixia were caused by the competition for horse grazing land.

Pasture is very important to every tribe.

Su Liang thought for a moment, and said to Liu Sandao: "Sandao, when we get to the shady place ahead, we will set up camp and rest. When the two tribes fight for the grass tomorrow, we will go and join in the fun."

"Okay!" Liu Sandao bowed.

Half an hour later, Su Liang and others stopped.

These Tibetan tribes operated independently and information was spread very slowly.

Su Liang sent people to inquire the surrounding herdsmen, but no one knew at the time that Su Liang was leading a group of people to persuade them to surrender in the Hehuang area.

Soon, the sun set and night fell.

The temperature plummeted.

Tonight, there are no stars or moon. If the campfires around are extinguished, it will be pitch dark.

The night was as black as ink and silent.

It is even lonelier than a small boat floating on the sea.

Fortunately, Su Liang and the others were good at finding joy in adversity. They talked and laughed, and then lay down to sleep.

……

The next day, it was nearly noon.

In a wilderness covered with lush grass, there are two high slopes, one in the south and one in the north.

And this moment.

The warriors of the Yalu and Baci tribes rode on tall horses and stood on each side.

As soon as the sun reaches its highest point in the sky, they will immediately start fighting.

This is how they fight for resources, no exchange, no cooperation, just fist bumping.

Whoever has the bigger fist can enjoy better resources.

There are many young faces of fifteen or sixteen years old in the team.

These young men held weapons and had determined eyes.

Ever since they can remember, they have been taught to fight with their lives to protect the elders, women and children of the tribe.

They also knew how important the grassland ahead was to their tribe.

Therefore.

Everyone fought with the other side with the intention of risking their lives.

Just when both sides were ready to charge, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar.

Tap tap tap! Tap tap tap!
The sound of horse hooves is getting closer.

Then, they saw a group of strangers running towards the middle of the two tribes.

At the front of the Yalu tribe, the leader Yalu, a very strong man about thirty years old, frowned.

"Look, their riding skills are extraordinary, far better than ours. They must be good at fighting. The boots on their feet and the saddles on their horses are not ordinary. They... they must be soldiers, not ordinary soldiers. They seem... they seem to be the Western Soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty. How did they suddenly appear here?"

Yalu looked puzzled, then turned to the soldiers behind him and said loudly: "Those coming from the east are most likely the Western Soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty. If they are just on their way, we will stand still. If they are looking for trouble, we will first see the situation clearly. Without my order, no one can take action, let alone draw the bow and shoot arrows. We can't afford to provoke the Western Soldiers of the Great Song Dynasty, and there is no need to provoke them!"

"Yes!" the soldiers said in unison.

at the same time.

The leader of the opposite Baci tribe, Baci, also guessed the identities of Su Liang and others.

"Brothers, those should be Song soldiers. We should not act rashly. Although they appear to be only about 200 people, they are definitely not people we can afford to provoke. Do not move without my order. They may just be passing by!"

"Yes, Chief!" the soldiers said in unison.

soon.

Su Liang and others came to the middle of the two tribes and stopped.

Then, two soldiers ran to both sides and shouted, "The Supervisor of the Four Forbidden Army of Shaanxi Province of the Great Song Dynasty, the Chief Censor Su Liang, specially invites the leader of your army to come forward and see him!"

Yalu and Baci were both shocked when they heard the word "Su Liang". Su Liang's name was well-known in the northwest.

After hesitating for a moment, the two men, each with two warriors, rode towards Su Liang's position.

The various Tibetan tribes had the courage to rob merchant caravans on the border of the Song Dynasty, or dared to attack and kill the people of the Song Dynasty. Some even did not take Qinzhou Prefecture Governor Liu Chuang seriously at all, and would dare to kidnap him if they had the chance.

However, when hearing the name "Su Liang", there are really few people who have bad ideas in their minds and dare to become his enemy.

(End of this chapter)