The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 585 Provisional Settlement of Xiliang
Qin Shou stared at Cang Ci's determined eyes for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter.

"Very well! I'll give you three months!" He waved his hand, ordering the flag bearer to relay the command, "The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry will temporarily be stationed in Dunhuang, but if the Qiang region is not pacified after three months, I will not only crush the Western Regions, but also offer Cang Ci's head as a sacrifice to the flag!"

Cang Ci bowed deeply: "Your subject obeys the decree."

At dawn the next day, three hundred veterans were ready to go. They were not elite soldiers, but literate old soldiers. Some had difficulty walking, and some had poor eyesight, but each of them carried books and farming tools.

"Taking these pieces of junk to subdue the Qiang people?" Xu Chu looked at the caravan with disdain and said, "Your Majesty, why not let me lead three thousand elite cavalry? Within ten days, I will surely make the Qiang people submit."

Qin Shou remained silent, watching the strange group disappear into the sandstorm.

Cangci's first stop was a Qiang tribe at the foot of the Qilian Mountains. Upon learning of the Tang envoy's arrival, the Qiang chieftain Zhade led his people to greet him with swords.

"Han Chinese! Either get out or die here!" Zade's roar drew a chorus of howls.

Cang Ci remained calm and ordered the veterans to unfold a silk map: "We bring you the Emperor's grace—those who cultivate wasteland will not have to pay taxes for three years."

The Qiang people laughed and said, "What we want are cattle, sheep, and salt, not crops!"

That night, a fierce storm raged, and cries of agony echoed from the Qiang camp. Cang Ci led his men to investigate and found many tents flooded, with the elderly and children shivering in the cold wind.

"Dig ditches to drain water and build high platforms." Ignoring all advice, Cang Ci led his veterans to work in the rain. By daybreak, the Qiang camp was safe and sound.

Zade's expression was complicated: "Why are you helping us?"

Cang Ci pointed to the eroded slope beside him: "Nomads rely on the weather for their livelihood, while farming can ensure a survival. The Tang Dynasty can teach you how to build terraced fields and construct irrigation systems."

After several attempts, Zha De finally agreed to try planting Tang millet. Unexpectedly, a month later, the seedlings were hit by a locust plague. The Qiang people were furious and believed that the Han people had brought the disaster.

"Kill them as a sacrifice to the heavens!" The fanatical Qiang people surrounded the Cangci camp.

In the critical moment, Cang Ci opened the last three carts of goods—not weapons, but densely packed bamboo cages.

"Release them!" The old soldiers opened the bamboo cages, and countless fat ducks swarmed out, devouring the locusts in an instant.

Zade stared in disbelief. Cang Ci wiped the locust remains from his face: "The Tang Dynasty has thirty-six methods for controlling locusts, and this is just one of them."

The Qiang people were finally subdued, and some tribes gradually accepted the settlement policy. However, the Western Qiang king, Shaodang, resolutely refused to comply and, in alliance with the Silk Road bandits, launched a surprise attack on the tribes that had submitted.

"The Tang envoy is nothing but a petty trickster!" The Shaodang cavalry, having plundered Zha De's camp, laughed wildly, "This is the fate of all those who submit to the Han!"

Cang Ci requested an audience with Qin Shou that very night: "Your Majesty, please send troops to suppress the bandits."

Qin Shou sneered, "Only half of the three months have passed, and you're already admitting defeat?"

"It's not to admit defeat, but to fulfill our promise." Cang Ci handed over the map. "The bandit's lair has been located; we only need a thousand elite soldiers."

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry launched a night attack and, as expected, annihilated the sand bandits in Devil City. Qin Shou ordered the heads of the sand bandits to be displayed in the Western Regions, thus clearing the Silk Road.

When the news reached the Qiang region, all the tribes were shaken. The Western Qiang king, Shaodang, was isolated and, in desperation, kidnapped thirty old soldiers who were teaching the Qiang people how to build a canal.

"Want people? Let the Tang Emperor come and exchange them in person!" The envoy from Shaodang was extremely arrogant.

Qin Shou was furious and prepared to personally lead the army into battle. Cang Ci, however, stopped him, pleading, "Your Majesty, you must not fall for their trap. The Shaodang tribe intends to lure you deep into the desert. I have a plan."

Three days later, Shao Dang did not see Qin Shou at the agreed location, but instead saw Cang Ci arrive alone on horseback.

"Just you alone?" Shao Dang looked around in confusion. Cang smiled and said, "His Majesty said, 'Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut?'"

Suddenly, the surrounding sand burst open, and hundreds of Xuanjia soldiers emerged from the sand—they had been lying in wait for three days and three nights! Xu Huang took the lead and charged straight at Shaodang.

In the chaos of battle, Cang Ci was struck by a stray arrow, yet he still fought valiantly to rescue a captured old soldier. The Shaodang forces fled westward in panic, only to be intercepted by Wei Yan.

"The Emperor of the Great Tang Dynasty has decreed: Those who resist to the bitter end shall be killed without mercy!"

Outside Dunhuang, the head of the Western Qiang king, Shaodang, was hung high. Various tribes of the Qiang region surrendered, and the Silk Road was reopened.

When Cang Ci was bedridden and recovering from his injuries, Qin Shou personally visited him.

"You have won." The emperor said in a complicated tone, "The Qiang people are won over, the Silk Road is open, and they have even begun to call you 'the Commissioner of Colonial Farming'."

Cang Ci struggled to his feet: "This is not my victory, but the victory of the Great Tang. The Qiang people are gradually adopting agriculture; given time..."

“But Zhang Kai is right. The newly rich have already started acquiring land.” Qin Shou looked out the window at the newly built mansions of powerful families.

Cang Ci coughed a few times and quickly said, "Therefore, I request Your Majesty to establish a Protectorate in the Western Regions, not only to command troops, but also to supervise the land—the land must belong to the farmers."

On the day the three-month period ended, a grand ceremony was held in Dunhuang. Qin Shou publicly burned the old contracts for the Qiang lands and promulgated the "Tuntian Decree": all those who reclaimed land in the Western Regions, regardless of whether they were Han or Qiang, would be exempt from taxes for three years, and the permanent land would belong to them.

The Qiang people cheered loudly, but the Han powerful families showed their dissatisfaction.

That night, Qin Shou climbed the city wall and looked out into the distance, seeing Cang Ci talking with the Qiang people in the fields. Xun You quietly arrived: "Does Your Majesty truly believe that Cang Ci can break the cycle?"

Qin Shou stroked the Han Guang sword and said quietly, "I don't trust anyone, only interests. The Qiang people gained land, the Han people gained the Silk Road, and the court gained stability—this is the true cycle."

He suddenly chuckled and said, "Besides, don't we still have my Tiger and Leopard Cavalry?"

The following day, Qin Shou issued an edict establishing the Protectorate of the Western Regions, with Cang Ci appointed as its first Protector-General, in charge of all military, political, and agricultural affairs. The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were temporarily stationed in Dunhuang, ostensibly to guard the border, but in reality, as a deterrent force.

Before leaving, Qin Shou handed half of the tiger tally to Cang Ci: "Remember, if one day you become a new powerful figure..."

Cang Ci bowed and accepted the gift, saying, "Your subject is determined to commit suicide to atone for your sins."

The emperor laughed and departed. As the imperial carriage returned east, Pang Tong looked back towards Dunhuang and asked, "Does Your Majesty truly trust Cang Ci to guard the Western Regions alone?"

Qin Shou closed his eyes to rest: "If he is loyal, he is the cornerstone of the Tang Dynasty; if he is treacherous, the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry will arrive in a day."

Suddenly a scout came to report: Cang Ci swore in public that every blade of grass and every tree in the Protectorate belongs to the imperial court, and if anyone were to privately seize it, he would be killed by both heaven and man.

Qin Shou opened his eyes, a smile flashing across his face: "Tell Cang Ci that I will wait for him to return to Chang'an and tell him how we conquered the vast Western Regions with three hundred old soldiers and thirty carts of farm tools."

As the sun sets, the emperor's entourage disappears below the horizon. On the city wall of Dunhuang, Cang Ci is supervising the measurement of land, with thousands of acres of fertile fields beginning to be sown behind him.

Further west, the Silk Road echoed with the melodious sounds of camel bells, and caravans came and went in an endless stream. The dragon flag of the Tang Dynasty was finally planted all over the Western Regions.

But Qin Shou knew that this peace was only temporary. Now that the Central Plains was strong, the Qiang people dared not act recklessly. Once the Central Plains fell into war, these Qiang people would rise up again and continue to cause trouble.

Liangzhou has been a poor and chaotic place since ancient times; otherwise, it would not have become the birthplace of the Five Barbarian Tribes.

But none of this mattered to Qin Shou. He had a powerful army, and he could simply kill anyone who dared to disobey him.

(End of this chapter)