Chapter 130 Suppression of Bandits in the Northwest
Yulin Road, Lingzhou.
The majestic Helan Mountains, like a majestic warrior, cut across the east and west, overlooking the Hetao Plain. They also seem to be a huge fence, isolating Shandong and Shanxi into two worlds.
In the east of the Helan Mountains, at the intersection of mountains and rivers, with the imperial government's rule, batches of inland Han people moved in, which not only changed the local ethnic population structure, but also brought about rapid economic development. No matter where they were,
Han people are always hard-working and good at management.
By the 20th year of Kaibao's reign, more than 70,000 Han people had migrated to Lingzhou alone, and they were distributed along the Yellow River to cultivate fields, grazing and breeding.
For this reason, three new counties, Huai, Shun, and Ping, were added under the rule of Lingzhou, forming a large Han settlement around Lingzhou City. But there is a completely unavoidable problem, which is that the immigration of a large number of Han people will also
It brought about serious ethnic problems.
After all, it is a land that has lost its royal status for a long time. Over the past hundred years, too many Hu people have taken root here and regarded it as their clan. In addition, the Han Dynasty took many drastic measures in the process of regaining it, and
The policy of suppressing Hu after the Kaibao Year intensified this contradiction.
Han-Hu conflicts and ethnic conflicts have always been a chronic disease that affects the security and stability of the northwest region. In comparison, the situation in Lingzhou is relatively good. The imperial court has been operating for a long time and has never given up control of this important town in the northwest for three generations.
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However, there are essential differences between the practices of the Han Empire and those of past generations. The imperial court pursued complete control rather than maintaining a fragile balance, so it would inevitably adopt some strong and radical strategies, which would naturally affect the original local social structure and interest classes.
It caused a huge impact and also caused a lot of dissatisfaction.
The stability of Lingzhou was also maintained by the strong power of the imperial court and the strong combat power of the Han army. Earlier, it was not only the problem of the Hu people, but also the Han people and criminals who were forcibly moved to the border.
However, after more than 20 years of business, after having my own land and houses, and needing the blessing of the court, the resentment has been resolved to some extent, but it is also limited.
But no matter how many problems there are, the prosperity of the Lingzhou area in recent years is visible to the naked eye. As an important town in the northwest, it means that the court has a lot of support and various preferential policies. At the same time, it is the hub of the Overland Silk Road and the exchange of merchants from the east and west.
Especially after the end of the Kaibao Northern Expedition, the relatively peaceful and stable environment also stimulated the prosperity of Lingzhou, as can be seen from the endless stream of business caravans.
Compared with Shandong, Helan Shanxi is more desolate and still poor. The barren land and vast desert are destined to be desolate and backward. The Han Dynasty has a vast territory, covering almost the entire northwest, including Helan.
A vast area of Shanxi.
However, for some people and forces, being desolate and backward also has its benefits, which means that the court does not pay attention to it, and it can even be said to be a lawless land. This land will inevitably become a hotbed of evil.
For example, the horse bandits, who have been causing harm to the northwest all year round, often operate in Helan Shanxi. Bandits, large and small, also occupy the water pools and oases between the Gobi and the desert, especially the areas close to the Helan Mountains.
The reason why the imperial court had to suppress the law and order repeatedly was because of this, it was impossible to do it without heavy investment, and even if it was determined, it might not be possible to do it thoroughly.
However, in the past six months, the bandits in the northwest have been having a hard time. After the outbreak of the Black Khan Mission, the court was shocked and Long Yan was furious. The civil and military officials and garrison in the northwest were also furious. Under the arrangement of King Zhao Liu Fang
, once again launched a severe clean-up campaign on the security of the northwest.
All people of all races and types who were suspected of being bandits were killed. Steel knives opened the way and the killings took the lead. For a time, the entire northwest border was shrouded in a flash of blood.
Especially those horse bandits, they focused on attacking targets. This time, even if they hid in the desert or high mountains, it was still difficult to avoid the attacks from the government troops. The emperor was angry, His Royal Highness King Zhao also lost face, and the civil and military officials were even more angry.
Wanting to keep their official positions through public security and suppressing bandits, the officers and soldiers were also eager to make meritorious deeds, so they worked extra hard from top to bottom.
When the government and the army began to try their best, the thieves and bandits were naturally unlucky. Some fled, scattered, and hid. As for fighting, they didn't have the courage at all. The two garrisons in Yulin and Hexi dispatched two full troops.
Ten thousand cavalrymen used all their energy to fight against the Khitan.
In this regard, when the bandits resented the merciless attitude of the officers and soldiers, they could not help but curse at the bandits who had stirred up a hornet's nest. They just wanted to be safe and stable, and they did their duty as horse bandits. They never wanted to offend the officers and soldiers and challenge them.
The authority of the imperial court is completely unreasonable.
Under continuous attacks, the horse bandits that had been rampant in the northwest for more than ten or twenty years faced an unprecedented blow. By the end of September, according to reports from various bandit suppression officers and soldiers, a total of hundreds of horse bandits, large and small, had been killed.
Branch, wipe out more than ten thousand bandits.
Such a result, even the local military and political officials in the northwest, were a little stunned. They usually did not seem to have too deep feelings. They did not expect that under the rule of the Han Dynasty and in the current Kaibao era, there would be so many bandits in the northwest.
Rogue thief.
The results were huge and there were many gains, but many people hesitated to report such results to the court. Based on Zhao Wang Liu Fang's understanding of Emperor Liu, uploading such a report may not necessarily be a credit.
Liu Fang could almost imagine how Emperor Liu would ask, so many thieves and bandits were traveling to the northwest and causing harm to the local area. What were these civil and military officials doing in the past? Is it to indulge in trouble, to feed thieves to respect themselves, or to be derelict in their duties, neglecting royal affairs, or even
Soldiers and bandits collude!
After the outbreaks of Eucalyptus in Hexi and Eucalyptus in Hexi, the imperial court's efforts to clean up the northwest, especially Hexi, were very large-scale, and their attitudes and methods were so severe that the civil and military officials in the northwest were very sensitive.
However, no matter how hesitant, he did not dare not to report it, or even to conceal the report at all. After all, this was also an explanation to the court, that is, King Zhao Liu Fang, and Emperor Liu's instructions to him were conveyed to him word for word.
middle.
And Emperor Liu's reaction was just as expected, shocking. After giving a sneer, he said some heart-breaking remarks. Of course, considering that Hexi has been reorganized on a large scale and the performance of the civil and military forces in the northwest, there will be no follow-up.
What actual action to take.
On the contrary, the officers and soldiers who had made great achievements in suppressing the bandits were praised, rewarded with money, and promoted with promotions. This made the civil and military personnel in the northwest breathe a sigh of relief. Emperor Liu was still not confused in his mind, and his rectifications were limited and could not be hurt.
To fundamentally shake the rule of the Han Dynasty in the northwest, the security of the northwest still depends on those civil and military officials.
However, during the large-scale suppression of bandits by the Han army, some bad phenomena still occurred, and many innocent people were injured, especially the Hu people, such as Uighurs, Dangxiang, and Tibetans, many of whom were directly labeled as Hu bandits.
Already.
At the same time, the most critical point is that the bandit who boldly robbed and killed the Black Khan Mission has still not been found, which is like a chokehold for the northwest civil and military forces.
For Wu Desi, who is specifically responsible for investigating this matter, he is also under great pressure. Although it has been determined that the "Mingsha Bandits" committed the crime, they have disappeared without a trace since then. And the more this happens, the more...
If there is a problem with the representative, it means the situation is serious. If there is no conspiracy behind it, Wang Yinwu will not believe it, let alone Emperor Liu.
Especially, after learning that their sincere envoys had been massacred and the Han court actually gave an extremely perfunctory reply, the Black Khanate became restless.
Judging from the news returned to Tokyo in the past three months, the Black Khanate began to infringe on the merchants of the Han Dynasty, impose additional taxes, and even directly extort money. Liu Min, the king of Wei in Anxi, also reported the same, and the Black Khan's army began to provoke provocations at the border.
Cause trouble.
It seems that after ten years of rest, the Black Khanate seems to feel that it can do it again. After receiving the news, Emperor Liu's attitude remained strong and he also gave Liu Min a stern instruction. If the Black Khan comes to invade, he will fight back resolutely.