Chapter 398 Betrayal
But no matter what the reason is, there are frequent conflicts between Zunsiluobu and Xixia, and now there is even a war. It can be said that they have a blood feud.
Let Dong Xiang control Hehuang, and there is no worry that he will defect to Xixia. Secondly, there is another advantage. Dong Xiang is a Tibetan.
As long as he is strong enough, the resistance to annexing Hehuang and Tubo will be much smaller than the Song Dynasty's occupation of Hehuang.
And because of his status, it will not be Xixia that prevents the Song Dynasty from increasing its troops in Hehuang, but the Song Dynasty that will prevent Xixia from intervening in the situation in Hehuang.
"Does the Grand Prime Minister know something about Dong Fei? What is his ability?" Zhao Xing asked.
It is almost impossible for Dong Fei to defect to Xixia, but there is another very important point, and that is ability.
If Dong Zhan cannot manage Hehuang well and achieve the goal of bringing down Xixia, then there is absolutely no point in leaving Hehuang to him.
Hehuang is indeed barren, but the reason for its barrenness is that the people who occupy Hehuang are the Qiang and Tubo tribes.
The Qiang people are a nomadic people, while the Tubo people are half-cultivating and half-grazing.
Although the Qiang people had surrendered to the Han Dynasty as early as the Han Dynasty and changed from nomadic to farming.
But because he often rebels, he can only be regarded as half-cultivating and half-grazing now.
However, both the Qiang and Tubo tribes are far behind in terms of planting compared with the Han people.
It's still completely dependent on the sky.
Although the Han people relied on the sky for farming, the ancients and ancestors were actually already studying how to get rid of this situation.
Methods such as diversion of water for irrigation and fertilization have actually changed to relying entirely on the weather.
But the Qiang and Tubo tribes only have a superficial understanding of these technologies.
In fact, although the Hehuang land is in the northwest, the water system in the territory is still relatively developed. At least in the northwest, it is considered a very suitable land for farming.
When the ancients chose place names, they mostly liked to choose them based on their geographical location and nearby conditions.
And the name Hehuang must have a river.
Although Hehuang is very barren under the management of the Qiang and Tubo people, it can still be self-sufficient as long as it takes some time to manage it.
Therefore, for Zhao Xing, if handing over Hehuang to Dong Xiang cannot strategically suppress Xixia and restrict its development, but also threaten Xixia and force Xixia to strengthen border defense against Hehuang, then Ningyuan will spend some money At the cost, we can gradually manage Hehuang well.
As for whether raising tigers will cause trouble, Zhao Xing is not worried.
Even if He Huang has some potential, his potential is only so great.
No matter how powerful Dong Xiang was, he would not be a threat when surrounded by powerful enemies.
"Your Majesty!"
Han Zhang said: "I do know Dong Fei a little bit. He entered the army as a young man to gain experience. He has participated in many wars and won many times. His ability is acceptable."
"That's doable."
Zhao Xing nodded when he heard this. Since Han Zhang said that Dong Xiang's ability was acceptable, with the support of the Song Dynasty, letting Dong Xiang take charge of Hehuang could indeed pose a certain threat to Xixia and achieve the purpose of weakening Xixia.
"But the details will have to wait until he arrives, and Dong Xiang may not be willing." Zhao Xing said.
Plateau and Hehuang are already connected. If the Xisiluobu wanted to attack Hehuang, they would have done so long ago.
To put it bluntly, people look down on that place in Hehuang.
The Song Dynasty proposed that Dong Xiang be stationed in Hehuang, but Dong Xiang might not agree.
"The current situation cannot help him not agreeing." Han Zhang said with a smile.
The Song Dynasty and Xixia had an alliance, and the Great Wall was built in the north. These were all reasons for refusing to send troops to help.
The situation was stronger than the people, and Dong Fei had no choice.
"In this case, the reception will be left to the Grand Prime Minister. When the Grand Prime Minister meets this person, he can test it first to see his attitude." Zhao Xing said.
He was the Emperor of the Song Dynasty. His younger brother was bullied and asked him to make the decision. It was hard for him to refuse.
At this time, the subordinates have to come forward first.
"Yes!" Han Zhang responded. …………
In the peaceful valley, many birds were suddenly frightened.
Not long after, a group of ragged people fled into the forest.
There were only over a hundred people in this group. After climbing over the hill, the leader, a man in his twenties, shouted: "Stop and rest for a while."
After hearing this, the others dropped their weapons and lay down on the ground, breathing heavily.
"Brother, the pursuer was deceived by eldest brother and did not pursue us this way."
A boy of seventeen or eighteen years old jogged to Zuo Qi and said.
Zuo Qi breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this and said: "This person is quite powerful. He has seen through several of the suspicious soldiers he arranged."
"Brother, why should I have other people's ambitions!"
The young man said disdainfully: "No matter how good the imperial soldiers and horses are, they have been trained for many years, and they are large in number and have sophisticated weapons and armor, which gives them an advantage. But our people are all weak-minded, and the training time is too short, so they have not become an army at all. , it’s normal to be seen through, but we haven’t dumped him yet.”
"Strong brother! Don't underestimate the enemy!"
Zuo Qi looked at the young man and said seriously: "On the battlefield, it is a taboo to underestimate the enemy."
Zuo Qiang was still a little disapproving when he heard this.
Seeing this, Zuo Qi sighed: "On the battlefield, if both sides are evenly matched and fight head-on, then what is the point of learning the art of war and strategy? There is never any so-called fairness in war. Our strength is not as good as the imperial soldiers and horses, but we are ahead of the game..."
"That's because the court discovered it in advance, otherwise the eldest brother's plan will definitely come true!" Zuo Qiang said.
“…………”
Zuo Qi was speechless upon hearing this, and gave up the idea of lecturing.
According to Zuo Qiang's logic, the imperial troops should have foolishly fallen into their trap.
"Alas."
Zuo Qi sighed and laughed at himself: "There is a saying in the art of war: before you think about victory, think about defeat first! I am also a little too confident. If I had considered the possibility of exposure earlier, why would I be in such a mess now?"
He preached to his cousin, but he also made a big mistake this time.
I thought I had planned everything well and had everything under control, and I never considered the possibility of failure.
Otherwise, if you had prepared early, you wouldn't be chased around at this moment.
"Brother, this is not the time to talk about this. We only have so many people now. Once we are caught up again, it will be over. We have been going in circles with the imperial soldiers for so long, and it is time to rush to join the leader." Zuo Qiang reminded.
"Hmm!"
Zuo Qi nodded, stood up, pointed forward and said: "The mountains and forests here are densely covered, and it is difficult for the imperial army to completely surround and search. We will continue to go deep for two or three days, and then turn around and go to meet the leader..."
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"It's not good!"
At this moment, a secret sentry placed on the periphery ran over with an anxious look on his face.
"General Shenwei, we are surrounded!"
In order to hide his identity, Zuozaki did not tell his subordinates that he was a member of the Wizard Cult, but instead called himself General Kamui.
"Huh?" Zuo Qi was stunned when he heard this.
Zuo Qiang said anxiously: "How could the imperial troops come so quickly, unless..."
"Unless someone leaks our whereabouts!" Zuo Qi said.
"Brother, it seems there is a traitor among us!"
Zuo Qiang looked at the people aside with fierce eyes.
Zuo Qi followed Zuo Qiang's gaze and looked at the more than a hundred people who had survived.
(End of chapter)