Has the Han Dynasty been restored today?

Objectively speaking, Yong and Liang were poor and chaotic, with Han and Qiang people living together. The Ministry of Personnel was not well-developed, and if the various Qiang rebellions were counted, the chaos had lasted for at least a hundred years. Furthermore, the two prefectures of Nan'an and Tianshui bordered the Shu Han, so the Wei state only punished typical cases of escape, such as the prefect of Tianshui, Ma Zun, and merely pacified the officials in the prefectures and the Qiang and Di people in the jurisdiction.

For example, when Jiang Wei himself became an official in the Shu Han dynasty, his family, the Jiang clan of Tianshui, was not implicated. His wife, children, and elderly mother were not punished, and members of his clan were still able to hold official positions. Some even served as officials in Cao Zhen's household.

What else can we do? If Wei is a little stricter and kills more people, what difference will it make if these counties surrender to Shu Han again?

Clearly, the Prime Minister did not only launch this one northern expedition.

In the following years, the Prime Minister launched two, three, four, and five campaigns in quick succession. During the campaigns in Guanzhong, the Prime Minister's military might was enough to intimidate those in Longyou. While fighting in Longyou, the Prime Minister's army even besieged Shanggui, the heart of Tianshui Commandery, engaging in a standoff while harvesting wheat, and also constructed the Lucheng Garrison east of Qishan…

Tianshui County was a border county.

Over the years, most of the knowledgeable people in Tianshui County, from the aristocratic families to ordinary officials, as well as the Qiang and Di tribes within the territory, have come to a consensus: the Han army may come again at any time, and it is best not to offend anyone or anything related to the Shu Han!

The fates of officials and gentry were in the hands of the government. Due to constraints, they had no choice but to obey orders, but their hearts remained restless. However, for the Qiang and Di tribes, the best approach was to offend neither side.

The messenger from Wei gave the order, and we should obey it.

If the Han state summons us for something, we must respond politely and not cause any trouble!

Jiang Wei was able to summon Shao Ge to Jianwei so easily because of this principle. Shao Ge had to submit to both Wei and Shu Han, and he had to please both sides! When the Prime Minister's army marched out of Qishan, the route they would take was only about a hundred miles away from Shao Ge's tribe.

Not to mention that Jiang Wei himself was a native of Tianshui Commandery, from a prominent family with intricate connections, and was highly valued by the Shu Han dynasty. Shao Ge wasn't lying; ten years ago, when Jiang Wei was the commandery's chief accountant, Shao Ge had already heard of Jiang Wei's name! He truly dared not conceal it from Jiang Wei.

The news brought by Shao Ge today also clearly confirms the movements of the Wei Kingdom, or rather, Sima Yi.

That is, taking advantage of the death of Prime Minister Zhuge Liang and the wavering of the Qiang and Hu people in Yong and Liang, we will appoint officials to the leaders of these Qiang and Hu tribes, so that they will be brought under the control of Wei!

"Shao Ge, you did well in this matter." Jiang Wei stood up, hands on his belt, looking down at Shao Ge with an arrogant air. "Go to Linwei if you need to. Tell me what you need to do when you return. Understand?"

Jiang Wei did not usually act this way in Hanzhong. However, he was very familiar with the customs of the Qiang and Hu people. If he were to be polite and courteous to them, they would think that he was easy to bully.

This can be considered a rudimentary explanation of why the Qiang and Hu people "fear power but do not cherish virtue".

Seeing this, Shao Ge also stood up and nodded in agreement, saying, "General Jiang, please rest assured. If anything happens, I will definitely send someone to report. It will not delay your work."

"Alright." Jiang Wei nodded in response, "Your tribe originated from the Lao Qiang, which in turn came from the Lao Jie Qiang, and further back to the Xian Ling Qiang. You are a prominent Qiang ethnic group. In recent decades, your tribe has become more and more like the Han people. You are a sensible person and should have a bright future."

"Alright, is there anything else you want to tell me? Have any unusual occurrences been reported among the tribes near yours? How are the Qiang tribes of Chiting faring lately?"

Shao Ge cupped his hands and replied, "It is said that Yao Ke of Chiting received a reward from Shu Hun, the Prefect of Longxi, during the New Year's festival..."

As night fell, Shao Ge and his light cavalry stayed overnight in Jianwei, leaving early the next morning. Jiang Wei, meanwhile, led his 300 accompanying cavalry southwards, leaving Jianwei in preparation for their return to Hanzhong.

Jianwei is located in the northernmost part of Wudu Commandery, not far from Qishan, which is controlled by the Wei Kingdom. Jiang Wei's return journey would require him to travel from north to south through the entire Wudu Commandery, a journey of over 400 li, before he could reach Hanzhong.

Of these four hundred miles, only Wudu, Xiabian, and Wuxing had troops stationed there. The rest of the vast area was either inhabited by Di people and scattered Qiang people, or it was all uninhabited.

The reason for this situation can be traced back to the time when Liu Bei and Cao Cao fought for control of Hanzhong during the Jian'an period.

In short, Liu Bei personally led generals such as Huang Zhong, Zhao Yun, and Wu Yi to attack Yangping Pass, which was guarded by Xiahou Yuan, and ordered Zhang Fei, Ma Chao, and Wu Lan to attack Wudu County. Cao Cao also sent Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, Cao Hong, Zhang Ji, and others to march into Wudu.

The Di people have always been the majority in Wudu Commandery. Some of the Di people remained neutral, some followed Ma Chao under the leadership of Lei Ding, and another group of Di people supported Cao Cao under the leadership of Qiang Duan.

After this battle, Cao Cao was victorious and Liu Bei was defeated. Wu Lan, Lei Tong, Ren Kui and other generals in Liu Bei's army died in battle. Afterwards, Cao Cao relocated more than 50,000 households of Di people in Wudu County to Fufeng County and Tianshui County. Only the Qiang Duan and Fu Shuang tribes who had supported Cao Cao remained in Wudu County.

Of course, just as the Wei Kingdom did not massacre the two commanderies of Nan'an and Tianshui, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang would not do anything to the Di people who had surrendered again after conquering Wudu Commandery. He would mainly focus on pacification.

Therefore, on the western border of the Han and Wei states, the Qiang and Di tribes near the border could always be seen constantly wavering between the two states, which made the border situation in the northwest of the Shu Han state increasingly complicated.

Jiang Wei's intuition told him that the wavering of these Qiang and Di tribes had already begun to clearly lean towards the Wei state after Prime Minister Zhuge's death!

Three days later, in Mianyang City, Hanzhong Commandery.

Jiang Wei sat in the newly established main hall of the Ministry of War in the Hanzhong Military Headquarters, and succinctly explained his deductions to one minister and three deputy ministers in the hall.

All four were originally military advisors in the Prime Minister's residence. Xu Yun, who had previously visited Gao Xiang at night and delayed Yang Yi, was appointed Minister of War, while Jiang Wan's cousin Liu Min, Ma Qi, and Cuan *** were appointed Vice Ministers.

When the prime minister was alive, these four were among the most important military advisors, and they were well aware of the military affairs of the Northern Expedition and the situation of the surrounding Qiang and Hu tribes.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yun's eyes showed a hint of solemnity: "If what Boyue said is true, Sima Yi intends to gather all the Qiang and Hu leaders in Yongzhou to Chencang before assigning them official positions. Even the Lao Qiang Shaoge of Tianshui County has been brought in. The Di people Qiangduan and Fu Shuang tribes in Wudu County are so close to Chencang, it's impossible that they haven't been brought in."

"It seems that Qiangduan and Fu Shuang are going to betray Han and join Wei."

"Minister Xu," Jiang Wei said, his eyes gleaming, "I wonder how long it will take for His Majesty and Minister Fei to arrive in Hanzhong?"

Xu Yun thought for a few seconds and then answered decisively, "It should take about half a month more."

"We can't wait any longer, not even a day longer!" Jiang Wei said solemnly. "Sima Yi will gather all the Qiang and Hu leaders by February. If we allow Sima Yi to take control of the Qiang and Hu first, the court's strategy of advancing westward into the Qiang region and conquering Liangzhou will be in jeopardy! Currently, there is no one in charge in Hanzhong. Minister Xu, I intend to go south to find the Emperor. What do you think?"

Xu Yun frowned, pondered for a long time, and then nodded in agreement: "I agree with Boyue's words."

"I second that," Liu Min said, bowing slightly.

"I second that as well," Ma Qi and Cuan Xi said in turn.

"Very well." Jiang Wei stood up proudly, cupped his hands in greeting to the group, and said, "I will now depart south!"