The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 590 Intimidation

When Yang Qianwan arrived alone at Hongyan Qiang Village, the setting sun was painting the village's stone walls a blood-red hue. The guards on the walls had already spotted him, and the archers were drawing their bows, watching the uninvited guest warily.

"I am Yang Qianwan, the Prefect of Wudu County, and I request an audience with Chief Zaxigeler!" Yang Qianwan shouted in fluent Qiang language, his voice echoing through the valley.

A commotion arose on the city wall. A short while later, the gate slowly opened a crack, allowing only one person to pass through. Yang Qianwan dismounted and walked in calmly, only to be immediately surrounded by four Qiang warriors who confiscated his sword.

Zaxigeler, the leader of the Hongyan Qiang, sat before the hearth in the council hall, his face haggard. He had been Yang Qianwan's classmate when they studied in Dunhuang, and now his face was weathered by time, only his eyes remained sharp.

"Yang Qianwan, how dare you come here?" Zaxigel's voice was hoarse. "Zhao Yun's army has already slaughtered all the tribes, and now they want to wipe out my Hongyan Qiang?"

Yang Qianwan looked directly at his old friend: "I have come to save the Hongyan Qiang. Gele, surrender. Hand over the murderers who attacked the Han and Di villages, and I can guarantee that the Hongyan Qiang will not be wiped out."

Zaxigeler suddenly stood up and roared, "Do you think I don't know the Tang Emperor's decree? He wants 31,900 heads! We're still short 3,000, so we'll just use my Hongyan Qiang to make up the difference!"

The leaders in the hall all gripped their knives, their eyes filled with ferocity.

Yang Qianwan shook his head: "Gele, you and I both know that it wasn't the Hongyan Qiang who attacked the village. It was the Baishui Qiang and Heishui Qiang who did it, and they have already paid the price. The Hongyan Qiang have never harmed the Han and Di people, so why should they die for them?"

"Because the Qiang people are one!" an old chieftain roared. "The Han people never distinguish between different tribes; they only see us as Qiang people!"

“The Emperor of Tang can distinguish right from wrong.” Yang Qianwan stepped forward. “His Majesty’s precise calculation of the cost to each victim is to tell the world that Tang Dynasty is fair in its rewards and punishments, does not kill the innocent unjustly, and will never let the guilty go unpunished.”

Zaxigeler's eyes flickered slightly, signaling Yang Qianwan to continue.

“Offer the relatives of the real attackers—according to Qiang tradition, blood must be repaid in blood. Then the entire Hongyan Qiang tribe will swear eternal submission to the Tang Dynasty, and I can ask General Zhao to show leniency.” Yang Qianwan’s tone was sincere. “Gele, we were classmates in Dunhuang for three years, you know I never speak recklessly.”

Zaxigel remained silent for a long time before finally waving for everyone to leave. When only the two of them remained by the fire pit, he sighed deeply: "Please, there are indeed relatives of the attackers in my tribe, but according to Qiang tradition, handing them over is no different from exterminating the entire tribe. How can I face my people?"

"Then let the entire Qiang people be buried with a few scum in your tribe?" Yang Qianwan retorted. "The Tang cavalry is already outside the village. If you do not surrender by this time tomorrow, the Red Rock Qiang will be wiped out of the Qiang tribe. Gele, think of the whole tribe."

Just then, a bugle call sounded outside the camp. A soldier rushed in, shouting, "Chief! The Tang army is forming ranks!"

Zaxigeler and Yang Qianwan climbed the stockade wall, where they saw the Tang army already arrayed for attack below. Zhao Yun, clad in silver armor and riding a white horse, stood at the front of the formation, banners waving behind him.

“He won’t even give you a single day,” Zashigel said with a wry smile.

Yang Qianwan frowned: "This isn't right. General Zhao promised me one day."

Suddenly, a whistling arrow pierced the air and landed precisely above the village gate. A roll of sheepskin was tied to the arrow.

The soldier took it and handed it to Zaxigeler. A simple map was drawn on the sheepskin: the Red Rock Qiang Village was surrounded, and a place in the village was specially marked—that was the location of the village's water source.

"How did they know?" Zashigel's expression changed drastically.

Yang Qianwan was startled. Zhao Yun's move was no longer persuasion, but intimidation! He immediately understood: the general did not believe that persuasion would succeed and had already prepared for a full-scale attack.

“Gele, for the sake of our friendship, please hear me out,” Yang Qianwan said urgently. “The Tang Dynasty is unlike any previous dynasty. His Majesty does not want conquest, but order. Those who submit live, those who resist die. There is no middle ground.” Zaxi Gele looked at the imposing military formation below the mountain, then back at the terrified people in the village, and finally closed his eyes: “Tell them to lay down their weapons. But Qianwan, you must promise not to kill women and children.”

"I swear on the lives of my entire Yang clan," Yang Qianwan solemnly declared.

The surrender of the Hongyan Qiang went surprisingly smoothly. Zhao Yun accepted the seventeen immediate family members of the attackers handed over by Zashigeler, but instead of executing them immediately, he ordered them to be recorded and escorted to Chang'an.

That night, a huge bonfire was lit in the center of the Qiang village. Zhao Yun summoned all the Qiang leaders and announced to them, "His Majesty has decreed that 31,900 Qiang people be killed. 28,471 have been killed so far, and 3,429 are still missing."

Upon hearing this, all the Qiang people turned pale, thinking that the Tang army was finally about to begin massacring the village.

Zhao Yun then changed the subject: "But the Red Cliff Qiang have not harmed the people of the Tang Dynasty. His Majesty is benevolent and has granted them the option of labor service instead of execution. Ten Qiang people serving a year of labor service can be exchanged for one life. Are you willing?"

Having escaped death, the Qiang leaders knelt in gratitude. Only Yang Qianwan noticed that the number of laborers Zhao Yun mentioned perfectly matched the number of missing "heads." It had all been calculated all along!

Three days later, at the Imperial Palace in Chang'an.

Qin Shou looked at the battle report sent by Zhao Yun and smiled slightly: "Well done, Zhao Yun. He really understands what I mean."

Jia Xu, who was standing to the side, asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, is the policy of making the Qiang people pay with their lives through labor too merciful? I fear it may damage Your Majesty's imperial prestige."

Qin Shou shook his head: "Wenhe, do you think I really want to kill all the Qiang people? No. What I want is for the people of the world to understand: the lives of the people of the Great Tang are valuable! Very valuable! But I also want people to know: the Great Tang has the wrath of thunder, but also the grace of rain and dew."

Jia Xu suddenly realized: "Therefore, precise numbers are both a deterrent and a means of communication."

“It’s also about the measure,” Qin Shou continued. “Too much of a good thing is bad. Too much killing makes one a tyrant, while too much leniency makes one lose authority. This number is to tell everyone—in the Tang Dynasty, every life has a price, and it’s very precious.”

A month later, a public memorial service was held in Wudu County. The names of thirty Han Chinese and nineteen Di people were inscribed on a stele for posterity. Zhao Yun led the entire army in mourning attire, and representatives of the Qiang people were also forced to participate.

Yang Qianwan stood beside Zhao Yun and whispered, "General, those Qiang people who are forced into labor."

"They have been incorporated into the road construction team and are building the highway from Chang'an to the Western Regions." Zhao Yun looked at the newly erected stone tablet. "Ten years later, they will regain their freedom."

"So His Majesty never intended to actually kill more than 30,000 people from the very beginning?"

Zhao Yun turned to look at him: "Does the Prefect know why it is specifically 'a thousandfold compensation'?"

Yang Qianwan shook his head.

“A thousand times the number would be enough to shock the world, but not enough to drive the Qiang people to despair and fight to the death.” Zhao Yun’s gaze was far-reaching. “What Your Majesty wants is not the lives of the Qiang people, but their generations of submission.”

Suddenly, a messenger on horseback galloped up. He dismounted swiftly: "Urgent report! The Xianbei from Hexi have invaded the border, plundered merchant caravans, killed thirteen Han Chinese, and abducted dozens of civilians!"

(End of this chapter)