Chapter 355 The tiger of the north, another sturdy nation
After Ali Qi's explanation, Xiao Tang learned that at least from the current point of view, the most unruly and fierce people in the Liao Kingdom, who often gathered in crowds to fight against the government, were not the Zhenzhen tribes in the White Mountains and Black Waters, nor were they the sons of the Han family who had the same bloodline as the Southern Dynasty and Song Dynasty.
, but the majority of the people are the Sumo Mohe people, and many Bohai people who immigrated from Goguryeo are integrated into it.
Under the rule of the Yuan Empire established by the Mongols in later generations, the various ethnic groups were divided into four categories: Mongols, Semu people, Han people, and Southern people according to the chronology of the peoples in the conquered areas. Among them, the Bohai people, Jurchens, and Khitan people
, after the Korean people were classified as Han people (the collective name for all ethnic groups in the areas formerly ruled by the Jin Kingdom), this ethnic group was gradually assimilated and disappeared.
At present, compared to the Han, Khitan, Jurchen and other ethnic groups, Xiao Tang pays much less attention to the Bohai people. In fact, this ethnic group is also extremely tough and good at fighting. In the Liao Dynasty, there are "three Bohai people as one tiger"
” statement. In the establishment of the Liao Army, there was also a separate Bohai Navy. They were mainly stationed in the Tokyo Road area and were the main force of the Liao Empire’s border defense against Goryeo.
After the Bohai Kingdom, which was known as the "Prosperous Kingdom in the East of the Sea", was destroyed by the Khitan, for nearly two hundred years, the Bohai people who were unwilling to be ruled by the Liao Kingdom continued to rebel and try to regain the country, and the scale of each rebellion increased.
Far more powerful than the Pu Nie tribe, which is known as the most ferocious among the Jurchens. Therefore, for the Liao Kingdom, while they were recruiting Bohai people who were good at fighting to join the army, they also had a headache because of this unruly and unruly nation.
I heard Brother Duan Jingzhu once say before that when he was buying and transporting horses on the border of Song and Liao, he had some dealings with the horse thieves who had a large number of Bohai tribes, and the horse thieves often fought with the Liao Yuanlanzi army. It seemed that they were all involved.
It is indeed true to say that Bohai people are brave and brave...
Xiao Tang thought again: The Bohai people came from Sumo Mohe, while the Jurchens came from Heishui Mohe. However, the customs and habits are very different to this day. What's more, the Bohai people are far more numerous than the Jurchens. When the Liao Kingdom was conquered
When the Jurchens were destroyed, most of the Bohai people quickly surrendered to the Jin Kingdom. Since I want to explore Liaodong, at the time when the Liao and Jin Dynasties were fighting for power, would I have the opportunity to make a fuss about this ethnic group?...
...
Xiao Tang made his own plans along the way, and when the group of people gradually arrived at Liaoyang Prefecture, the capital of Tokyo Road in the Liao Kingdom, the first snowfall of the year had already arrived in the Northern Kingdom.
Snowflakes were falling from the sky in droves, seeming to cover the earth outside the pass with a layer of silver-white gauze. When the snow gradually became heavier, everything was covered in silver and turned into a vast expanse of white. Xiao Tang looked around
, everywhere is desolate. In the silvery white world, countless snowflakes are like catkins and goose feathers, which look particularly enchanting.
Fortunately, Xiao Tang and his party soon arrived at Liaoyang Prefecture in the Liaohai area of Tokyo Province, which is known as "hundreds of thousands of households and thousands of miles of cultivation". If there are more heavy snowfalls like this, for farmers who rely on farming to make a living,
, it is a good thing that auspicious snow heralds a good harvest, but for the tribes who make a living by raising livestock, it is a "white disaster" that causes the livestock to freeze to death. The Bohai people who have lived in the north for generations have also started farming and planting millet and wheat.
Various crops such as rice, beans, buckwheat, etc., together with Han Jiaerlang and other people who are good at farming, cultivated the wasteland here, settled down and multiplied.
After passing Liaoyang Prefecture, we headed northeast and passed through Yinzhou (today's Tieling, Liaoning), and we soon entered the territory of Jilin Province in Northeast China. There were few village roads along the way for hundreds of miles. Except for some migrating Khitans, the nomadic tribes of the Xi people passed by by chance. , it’s basically a no-man’s land.
In terms of people's livelihood and public security, Tokyo Road where Liaoyang Prefecture is located is far inferior to Nanjing Road adjacent to the Song Dynasty. In this vast and sparsely populated area, some nomadic tribes who are forced to make a living due to natural disasters are likely to brazenly attack other tribes. , and even launched attacks on the villages around Liaoyang Prefecture. Although the Liao army officers and soldiers guarding Liaoyang Prefecture were able to maintain peace in the important areas of the city, they could not do everything.
What's more, the many nomadic tribes in Tokyo Road are mostly fierce ethnic groups who can mount a horse and shoot a bow regardless of their age. When the necessary supplies for life are scarce and officers and soldiers serving hundreds of miles around are rare, these nomadic tribes only need to When they can snatch life-saving food from their opponents by waving their sabers and riding bows, what choice will they make?
In the Song Dynasty, people gathered in the green forests and grasslands, and those who occupied the mountains and cut paths were called strongmen. However, in the northern part of the Liao Kingdom, all the nomadic tribes who were forced to make a living would turn into strongmen at any time in order to survive.
After Xiao Tang and his party entered Liaoyang Mansion, they saw that the atmosphere of Tokyo Prefecture, one of the five capitals of the Liao Kingdom, was indeed much more lively than the villages and towns they passed along the way. There were houses, gambling houses, wine shops and even various shops, mules and There are everything you need, such as carriage shops, and many farmlands have been reclaimed near many houses. In the market not far away, there are local Bohai people and Han family members exchanging iron pots, salt, grain, etc. for cattle, sheep, and animal skins from the nomadic tribes. Animal tendons and other goods. There were several teams of Liao officers and soldiers patrolling the area to guard against some nomads openly robbing goods in the city.
The biting cold wind howled by, whipping up snow foam all over the sky and flying everywhere. Shi Jin, who was beside Xiao Tang, couldn't help but shrink his neck. He said: "Brother Xiao Tang, let's go to the embassy to rest quickly! I heard that Qiong Xiang Wen said, although the food here is not as elaborate as in Guan Nei, there are hen ginseng and Feilong hazel pheasant stewed in a big pot, which also have a unique flavor, and some Liehou shochu to warm the stomach, it will be quite enjoyable!"
Xiao Tang smiled. He saw that two streets ahead was Ali Qi, the embassy residence where Qiong Yao Nayan had mentioned for him to rest. When he was about to rush forward, he suddenly heard someone in the market next to him. He shouted: "No! You have a dozen sheep that are as skinny as firewood, and they are not even lambs. How can you have the nerve to trade for my cloth and salt? No! No!"
Xiao Tang looked around and saw a middle-aged man driving away a man dressed as a Khitan man like a fly.
The Khitan man had a painful look on his face, and he begged: "Uncle Awuli, our tribe is also your regular customer. When we exchange goods, have I ever deceived you? Not long ago, our tribe was living in Xianzhou. During the Jurchen war, not only most of the young men lost their lives, but most of the clan's supplies were also robbed by those damned Jurchens... Look at how hard the snow is falling, I'm afraid that my clan members They won't be able to survive this winter. Please do me a favor and give me some cloth and salt so that my people can have a way of survival. I also go in and out of Liaoyang Mansion often, and I will definitely return double the amount in the future."
The man named Awuli snorted and said: "I pity you, who will pity me? But... there is no way. Look at you wandering around with your tribe, sleeping in the open air. It's easy, I can show you a clear way."
After hearing this, the Khitan man's eyes lit up and he said quickly: "Uncle, if you can do it, I will definitely do it."
Awuli chuckled and said: "There are several chiefs in the city who are in need of slaves and maidens. Are there any more beautiful women and stronger men in your tribe? If there are, I can take care of them for you."
"What!?" After hearing this, the Khitan man became furious. He pointed at Awuli and yelled: "Bah! None of our tribesmen treat them as other people's slaves. It's in vain that I used to have more livestock. But you came to fight against me, trying to take advantage of me!?"
Awuli was pointed at the nose by the Khitan man and yelled at him. He immediately changed his color and shouted back: "You don't know how to show appreciation. You deserve to be killed by freezing and starving to death!"
When the Khitan man heard this, he became even more furious. He raised his fist and was about to hit the man named Awuli in the face!