The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 117 Shangyuan and Xiafu Pilgrimage

The Dangxiang were a different kind of Qiang people during the Han and Wei dynasties. After the Jin Dynasty, they were forced to migrate inland due to the bullying of the Jie and Turkic tribes. But they were not a whole. Each surname was a tribe and had its own clan. It was also very chaotic. Within each surname, there were several small groups, some with 10,000 cavalry and some with only a few thousand people.

Life... is still at the stage of eating raw meat and drinking blood. They decorate their houses with cow tail wool, wear animal skins, and live by herding. There are no grains on the land, and they can't do farming skills. Of course, no one teaches them. In winter, they drive their livestock everywhere to sell them in exchange for food from the Han people. Poor material conditions make them addicted to stealing. The tribes often fight, stealing each other's felt tents, wives, and property. Then they make peace, and then fight again. But every time the prefecture and county send people to mediate and warn not to fight privately. The noisy herdsmen will be very obedient again, but as soon as the officials leave, the tribal conflicts will immediately return to the old state, and they will fight happily. In their hearts, there is no higher authority except Changshengtian.

It's funny, but also very sad.

Some people could not stand this kind of life and fled. In the fourth year of Kaihuang, Ning Cong, the leader of the Tuoba tribe, led his people to wander eastward, and Emperor Wen gave them a state as their home. Taizong's attitude towards the Dangxiang was mainly protective, and he successively took in various tribes and settled nearly 400,000 herdsmen.

In the eighth year of Zhenguan, the imperial court went to war with Tuyuhun. Chici, the leader of the Tuoba tribe, sent troops to help Tuyuhun because he had a marriage relationship with the Tuyuhun royal family. Perhaps because Chici, who was bound by family ties, remembered some past events, Taizong did not blame Chici, but gave him the surname Li. This was the first person in the Dangxiang to be given a surname. From then on, the Dangxiang became a part of the Tang Dynasty.

In the Kaiyuan period, facing the oppression of Tubo, the Tanguts who remained in Hexi surrendered to the emperor in large numbers. When the An-Shi Rebellion broke out, Shouji, the leader of the Tuoba tribe, led a group of ragged herdsmen to cross the pass; this was the first time that the Tanguts came to the emperor's defense.

After the war, the Tanguts in Lingyan bordered Tubo. Tubo liked to tempt them to be cannon fodder. Because these poor people would fight for you if you gave them a full meal. Seeing this, the imperial court moved them to Xia, Feng, Yin, and Yanzhou to live with the Han people. To this day, there are Xifeng, Feiting, Mozang, Zheju, Miqin and other surnames.

The two states of Sui and Yan were mainly inhabited by the Yeli tribe.

The Tuoba tribe was rewarded with the title of Pingxia tribe for their contribution in defeating Huang Chao. This was the capital of the Xia Dynasty during the Sixteen Kingdoms period, so it was also called the Pingxia tribe.

There was another branch of Linzhou that was also well developed - the Zheju clan. At this time, their customs were no different from those of the Han people, and their surname was simplified to Zhe. They married into the local powerful Yang clan. The saint's deputy privy envoy, the Lady of Xinqin County, Yang Kezheng, was a girl from this family. Later, Yang Ye's wife also married into the Zhe clan. The two families formed an alliance to fight against Tuoba in the west and Shatuo in the east.

The above are the so-called Suidangxiang people. Regardless of whether they shave their heads or tie their hair into a bun, they must obey the rule of the prefectures and counties.

In addition, there are the six states of Dangxiang in the border of Jing and Long. During the reign of Emperor Daizong, more than 100,000 people from six tribes including Qianfeng, Guiyi, Shunhua and Hening went to Fengxiang to ask to return to their country; but they were Dangxiang who were assimilated by Tubo. The northern tribes did not regard them as relatives. Finally, there were the Dangxiang of Hei, Xueshan and Lanshi, who grazed sheep for the Uighurs and served as slaves for Tubo... It was miserable.

"So many disasters!" Tuoba Sigong sighed.

On the fifteenth day of the first month of the second year of Jingfu, Zhuque Street. This is the central axis of the nine streets and eleven lanes in Chang'an. It enters from Mingde Gate in the south and reaches Taiji Palace in the north, running through the capital. It is more than a hundred feet wide, corresponding to the meridian, dividing the city into two halves. At this moment, several delegations are walking on the street. The officials and people who are watching are pointing and talking. Xia, Fu, and Lin actually came to the pilgrimage in the name of the Lantern Festival. It is really strange.

Tuoba Sigong and Tuoba Sixiao rode side by side, looking at the red buildings and black houses and the peaceful faces along the way, and recalled the pastoral idyll they saw in the suburbs, with low thatched roofs. It was not like this when they came to serve the king ten years ago. There was only blood flowing like a river and corpses piled up in the streets.

"The saint is gifted by heaven, born with divine spirit, and in just over a year he has made the Three Prefectures flourish; the saint has accomplished great things." Tuoba Sigong couldn't help but sigh: "I have heard that great sounds are silent, and great images are invisible, so this should be the case. The saint is an emperor like Yao and Shun."

"It is just as the military government said. The Tang Dynasty has not yet been satisfied." Tuoba Sixiao took over the conversation and sighed, "I wanted to take this opportunity to see China's strengths and weaknesses..."

After hearing the result of the Battle of Tongguan, they were somewhat surprised and panicked. More than 100,000 Bian bandits were beaten to a pulp by the saint who fought back desperately, and their inherent impression of the king's army as a mob was broken. But they were still calm, after all, they were experienced killers who had fought through mountains of swords and seas of fire. But when they learned that many people under Zhu Wen, who had been deprived of his power and punished, responded to the imperial edict and rebelled, they were afraid, worried that the same thing would happen to them.

When the court didn't blame them, there were always people in the country making commotions. If they were scolded... So, during the Lantern Festival, the two brothers brought treasures, livestock and other valuables to visit the emperor, trying to leave a good impression and see the strength of the court. Is this good? The saint is indeed powerful! The common people can see smiles on their faces, the fields have crops, and the soldiers are brave and disciplined. There are no piles of bones on the roadside. Along the way, I saw the counties in the royal capital settling refugees... These are strength.

Without these, no matter how high the prestige of the generals is, or how powerful the army is, it is all in vain. If people's livelihood is too poor and the treatment of the warriors cannot be guaranteed, the generals will not be able to sit firmly in their positions!
As he walked, Tuoba Sigong felt more and more upset, and he no longer had the heart to continue investigating the "enemy situation".

The saint has really lost his mind!
If an emperor doesn't have hawks and lackeys, indulges in extravagance, and messes around with women, what kind of emperor is he? What fun is there in being an emperor... It is the duty of the minister to be diligent in government and love the people! The saint is a good prime minister, but not a good emperor; Tuoba Sigong thought so.

As the convoy passed Kaihuali, someone suddenly shouted at the gate of Jianfu Temple in the distance: "The two saints have returned from the water and land ceremony!"

"What kind of ceremony is this?" Tuoba Sigong asked the spectators in confusion.

"We will hold a ceremony to pray for the souls of the fallen heroes. We will also move the bone box to the Kaiping Shrine later."

"Without a queen, how can there be two saints?"

"Your Highness Shufei often gives alms to widows and widowers outside the Yintai Gate, so the people of Chang'an respectfully call Your Highness the Second Saint."

A gust of wind blew, and all the children who were playing on the street ran to the temple gate. Some little girls held preserved fruits in their hands, and some boys waved wooden swords, chasing each other to the temple gate to watch the two saints riding in their chariots.

"Your Majesty, please return to the palace. The streets of Heaven are temporarily closed!" A large group of warriors wearing felt hats and brocade jackets appeared on the streets of Heaven, shouting at the pedestrians. Arm guards, shoulder pads, and black cloaks showed the majesty of the Tiance Central Army. The blades and spears reflected golden light under the sunlight, which made Tuoba Sigong's eyes pierce and he lowered his head in a hurry.

The convoy was also forced to stop.

Suddenly, a burst of clear and beautiful music sounded. The children retreated one after another. The children in the capital were well-informed; they could tell at a glance that this was the music played by the horizontal blowing band in front of the carriage, which meant that the two saints were about to appear. Several boys put their toy wooden swords against their legs and pressed them with their hands, imitating the warriors standing guard. The little girl wiped her nose and poked her head out from the gap.

Tuoba Sigong frowned.

What kind of magic potion did the saint give to these children?

A bunch of little killers!
"Here it comes!" the boy shouted in a low voice.

Si Gong, Si Xiao, Zhe Si Lun, Yang Ke Xuan, Yang Ke Xi and others looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a large group of soldiers with missing arms and legs or blind eyes limping ahead to clear the way at the foot of the mountain gate in the distance.

"This is a disabled warrior who survived the battle. He was recruited by the saint as his personal soldier and named Qingji Martyrs, and is stationed in the palace to defend the city!" A girl beamed with joy, her face showing a look of satisfaction: "My eldest brother is in there as a guard for the two saints."

Tuoba Sigong's face darkened. What's the point of keeping such a waste? Who would do such a stupid thing? They just gave him a fortune and let him fend for himself. Can't the saint finish his food? Tuoba Sigong's mouth twisted. The saint is really stupid. It's a waste of effort to win people's hearts in this way; it's not what a wise man does.

Over there, a large group of blue-clad warriors walked out of the mountain gate in an orderly manner. They were all muscular and strong, wearing imposing iron armor.

"Long live the army!" said a calf-like man.

"Bullshit, this is Yingwudu." Another older girl refuted, "I've seen Yingwudu in blue clothes so many times. Besides, the largest unit under the Imperial Guard is Du, where does the Jun come from? You're not a military dependent, so you don't understand."

The man was too lazy to argue with this military girl, so he turned around and looked at the blue-clad warriors with envy.

The heroes and warriors drove out of the temple, their armors collided with each other, and the sound of footsteps mixed in. The eyes behind the helmets swept across the streets, and the officials and civilians who were seen fell silent, waiting for the other party to look away.

Tuoba Sigong's body tensed up subconsciously, as if he was being stared at by a ferocious beast; what a killer!
After the army had organized its ranks, the imperial concubines walked out holding banners, whisks, and screen fans. They were all beautiful, with soft and gentle faces and a gentle and relaxed smile. Then, a large number of eunuchs, old men in purple and red robes, and female officials in green and red jackets with crane cloaks came out one after another, guarding the three figures and getting on the chariot.

"Long live the two saints!" The officials and the people burst into excited cheers.

"A golden carriage and a procession of thousands of people!"

Tuoba Sixiao's face slightly changed. It was like one person calling for a hundred responses. He didn't even have such prestige in the tribe...

Zhe Silun glanced at Yang Kexuan and Yang Kexi, feeling very complicated. He originally planned to establish himself as the governor of Linzhou after Zhe Zongben passed away... Yang Kexi smiled sweetly, and Yang Kexuan was quite proud. His father made the right bet by sending his sister to the palace. Silun should not panic, the saint would not do anything to the Zhe family for the sake of the Yang family. In the future, when he wants to deal with the Pingxia tribe, Yang Zhe will also be a helper. The governor of Linzhou can be obtained by merit.

The children even knew the procession... Tuoba Sigong seemed to be wearing a mask of pain. Did the saint show off his power outside at dawn and dusk? He was really confused, and: "Aren't there two saints... Why are there three people sitting on the golden carriage..." "The other one is the virtuous concubine, the Shatuo woman who came to plot against the country." A scholar whispered.

amount.

It seems that Li Zei's daughter is not very popular among Chinese people.

"Gee!" The driver standing in front of the golden carriage grabbed the reins and started moving.

Yang Kexi, Tuoba Sigong and his party lowered their heads in tacit agreement. They were not officials from Chang'an. If they looked at them a few more times, they would be observed by the warriors staring at the crowd and might be considered to have rebellious intentions.

The golden carriage opened to the center of Tianjie.

The naughty kids on both sides chased the carriage.

The curtain was opened, and a young woman who looked to be about 26 or 27 showed her rosy face, and asked the maid to feed the nearby children. Her face was dignified and beautiful, and at this moment her body was slightly leaning, squeezing her surging chest as if it could no longer contain it. What a beautiful woman, is this the concubine? Hugging the saint in her arms late at night, loving him, would she suffocate him to death...

With such a woman, and a few more sluts around him, how many years can the saint stay as a wise ruler...

While worrying about the saint, Tuoba Sigong felt ashamed.

How can a minister imagine the two saints having sex?

Regardless of his brother's plan, he ordered it.

Xia Sui is a big man, but there are only 10,000 people who can really conspire for great things, and there are also Zhe and Yang Dadi outside. Who dares to use the Yajun that has been passed down as a family heirloom by the successive military commanders? Anyway, he dared not, and he could digest it for another ten years. But now, the court has revived. The soldiers are not stupid, and they will not hesitate at all between danger and wealth. In addition, the troops he just saw also scared him a little.

For the Pingxia tribe, it seems that the only option left is to be a loyal subject.

I walked to Danfeng Gate in a daze. The eunuchs had been waiting for a long time: "Go to the Mingtang of Linde Hall to summon me."

Although it was said that the external ministers were meeting the emperor alone, in fact, there were still people accompanying him; the scene was similar to the last time Zhao Fu and Zhao Jia were summoned. The saint sat behind the white curtain with a wooden expression, and was dressed up by the internal ministers to look sacred.

As for Tuoba Sigong, Tuoba Sixiao, Zhe Silun, Yang Kexuan, Yang Kexi and others, the waiter handed them the futons and asked them to arrange their seats.

Yang, Zhe and Tuoba tribes are not enemies, but they are incompatible. The order of the seats shows who is stronger and who is weaker. By the way, it fanned the flames. Zhe, Yang and Tuoba are in harmony... This is not what the court wants. When Zhe Zongben was supported as the military commander of the Five Towns and certified, the original intention was to take advantage of the ambitions of the two families and instigate their internal fighting.

The tree planted by the Tang people also bore fruit in the Song Dynasty. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, as the Tuoba tribe became more and more powerful, Zhe and Yang had to turn to the Central Plains dynasty. The subsequent Song-Xia war has always been the mainstay of the Zhao family in the northwest.

"Old thief! Get out!" Zhe Silun pushed Tuoba Sigong. Yang Kexuan and Yang Kexi also stood beside him, glaring at the Tuoba brothers.

Tuoba Sigong's old face turned red.

If it weren't for the fear that the Yang family had a new Qin County Lady, Yang Kezheng, who was the Deputy Privy Envoy in the palace—

Forget it, just bear with it. He glanced at Zhe Silun and bowed to the sage calmly: "I, the Prince's Tutor, the General of the Left Guard, the Inspector of the Sikong, the Envoy of the Xiasui, Yinyoujing and other states of Dingnan Army, bow to your majesty. Please offer me a dance and then play a song."

Actively dancing at this time is a way of expressing submission.

This old guy is quite sensible.

The saint nodded slightly towards Nangong Chongyan.

Nangong Chong pointed at the tablet and said, "The Emperor has approved it."

After thinking for a while, Tuoba Sigong twisted his fat body, and his face turned redder, perhaps because he was embarrassed, but he forced a smile. Sixiao, Yang Kexi, and Yang Kexuan had no choice but to dance with him; since they had come to the court, they had to be prepared. So the Taiwei, Liu Chongwang, He Yuqing, Zhu Xiewusi, Zhao Ruxin, Zhazhu, Wang Congxun and other people sitting with him watched all this with a smile. Du Rangneng was almost unable to hold it in. When would he see the governor of a big town take the initiative to come to the court and dance?
Yang Kezheng looked at his sister dancing charmingly after not seeing her for many years, and felt a lot of emotions in his heart. When Kexi was sent to the palace, she was still young. He thought he would never see his family again, and that he would die with the country one year. He did not expect that his fate would be so unfortunate, and today he would meet Linde... When he left, the willows were swaying, and when he saw her again, it was raining and snowing. The changes in the world are wonderful.

She glanced at the Saint. The future was unpredictable before, so even though she was held under the pillars and was pregnant, she still refused to contact her family. The death of a woman was much more serious than the destruction of a family. But now... the Saint, the wise ruler, could persist, and it was okay for the Yang family to be loyal to the royal family...

Zhu Xiewusi supported his chin and admired the dancing of Tuoba Sigong and others with great interest.

These Dangxiang people, besides being fierce and aggressive, are also good at dancing. We really underestimated these Western Qiang mountain barbarians.

Suddenly, she noticed someone standing in the corner, motionless as a mountain.

"Zhe Silun, why don't you dance?"

Other ministers also wanted to ask. Why didn't you jump? Are you dissatisfied and have other intentions? Well, let Concubine Xian be the villain, anyway, her family had already fallen out with the Zhe family. It's the old calendar - in the Qianfu year, Li Guochang rebelled, and Zhe Zongben, who was a general under him at the time, led his troops home directly and criticized Li's father and son in private. After Li Keyong came to power, he submitted a petition to cede Linzhou to Hedong. This angered the Zhe family again; the two sides became enemies.

"Your Majesty, Your Highness, I only know rudimentary martial arts, but I can't dance." Zhe Silun said with a bow. It's not impossible for the emperor to force him to dance, but the Shatuo bandit asked him to dance, and he would never dance even if he died.

"Just jump casually." Zhu Xiewusi said with a smile.

"I really won't. I'm afraid it will offend your Highness' eyes."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Xian's face looked unhappy, and the atmosphere became a little solemn for a moment.

"No, forget it. Does the Taichang Temple need any songs and dances?" The saint interrupted Zhu Xiewusi's pressure. The scene where the virtuous concubine made things difficult for Zhe Silun was what he wanted to see. The two families already had a grudge, and if it deepened, the Zhe family, who were facing the Tuoba tribe and Hedong at the same time, would cling to his thighs tightly. But since he wanted to take over Xia and Fu, Zhe Yang was a good helper. He gave him some face so that the Zhe family would remember a favor.

Besides, forcing people to dance is not a good sign. If you happen to meet a ruthless guy like Aguda, it would be a lot of fun.

"Thank you for your tolerance, Your Majesty."

Concubine Xian observed Zhe Silun's appearance and expression, and felt unhappy. This man was ambitious, looked around unpredictably, and was also an ambitious killer.

The saint was about to say something when the privy councilor Wenren Chuchu walked in quickly, lifted the curtain and walked to his side, suppressing his joy and saying, "Everyone, the Wei people killed Luo Hongxin and made Tian Xide the successor. The Wei Bo Jinzouyuan submitted a petition to return to the court to resist Zhu Ni."

Hearing this, Tuoba Sigong, who was sweating profusely from dancing, stood there in a daze.

The smelly, hard and poisonous Wei Bo was also conquered by the saint?

(End of this chapter)