The revival of the Han Dynasty must start with Dong Zhuo

Chapter 150 Volume Qiang Disaster
Martyrdom?

Who?
Dong Min?

Liu Xie hugged Dong Bai's arm and subconsciously exerted force, almost strangling Dong Bai awake.

Dong Zhuo was indescribably angry and incredulous at this moment.

"What did you say?"

Jia Xu wrote down the official document that he had prepared long ago, and then continued to kneel on the ground.

Dong Zhuo could read ten lines at a glance. As there were more words written on the paper and the information recorded was denser, he finished reading the entire content quickly and was stunned.

When Liu Xie saw Dong Zhuo's reaction, he immediately realized that Jia Xu was probably talking nonsense.

Liu Xie snatched the official document from Dong Zhuo and glanced at the contents.

Dong Min followed the imperial court's order and went to his hometown Lintao to prepare for the establishment of a fiefdom for Dong Zhuo and a ancestral temple for the Dong family.

Ma Teng had great goodwill towards Dong Min. He not only sent craftsmen, materials, money and food to Dong Min, but also often presented him with some rare treasures. He was just short of becoming sworn brothers with Dong Min.

These are naturally not free.

At a banquet, Ma Teng suddenly asked Dong Min to write a letter to the court to send back the more than 1,000 cavalrymen and Pang De who had been left in Guanzhong that day.

Dong Min decisively rejected Ma Teng's request——

"Now Pang De is one of the five military commanders under the emperor to protect the capital. How can he return to Longyou?"

Not to mention that there are more than a thousand cavalrymen, which are quite valuable wealth and combat power. How could Dong Min offend the emperor and his brother Dong Zhuo because of Ma Teng?

After Ma Teng begged Dong Min again and again without success, he finally told the truth.

It turned out that after Ma Teng returned to Longyou, some local people also learned about what happened in Guanzhong.

Especially Han Sui's subordinates.

When they heard that Ma Teng had killed Han Sui, they all shouted for revenge on Han Sui.

Ma Teng was able to divide and win over the local powerful families and lure them with benefits, but he had no way to deal with the Qiang people who supported Han Sui.

A Qiang man named Midang even went to Wudu and Yinping counties, and joined forces with local Di leaders Qiangduan and Agui to plunder in Longyou along the way, making Ma Teng miserable.

Because of this, he wanted to ask Dong Min to request the court to release the fierce general Pang De and more than a thousand cavalrymen to help him attack the Qiang and Di.

Unexpectedly, Dong Min disagreed after hearing this: "My elder brother is well-known among the Qiang people! If they hear the title of Grand Tutor, they will definitely submit to the court."

Ma Teng tried to persuade him with kind words: "When the Qiang are strong, they are divided into tribes and become chieftains. When they are weak, they become dependents. They are violent and fight against each other, relying on strength to gain dominance. Killing someone means death, and there is no other prohibition! They are strong and brave, and have the energy of the metal element in the west! How can they be so easy to deal with?"

Not only the Qiang people, but all the barbarians have always bullied the weak and feared the strong, and have no knowledge of etiquette.

When Dong Zhuo was guarding the border in the past, there were indeed many Qiang leaders who were on good terms with Dong Zhuo.

But at that time, the Han Dynasty had not yet weakened to the point it is today. In addition, the famous general Duan Xing had fought hundreds of battles against the Qiang and Hu tribes, beheading more than 60,000 heads of the eastern and western Qiang tribes, and naturally, these Qiang people did not dare to compete with the court.

But now, the Qiang people have been causing chaos again in the western border for more than ten years!

Over the past ten years, the treatment of the Qiang people has undergone a generational change.

They had long forgotten the power of the Han Dynasty, forgotten Duan Ying's bloody sword, and forgotten Dong Zhuo's agile warhorse.

Even if Dong Zhuo came to Longyou in person, they might not give Dong Zhuo face, let alone you, Dong Zhuo's younger brother?

However, Dong Min seemed to be extremely confident in Dong Zhuo. Not only did he not ask Dong Zhuo for help, he also took the initiative to go to the Qiang tribe to persuade them to withdraw their troops.

Perhaps Dong Min's words were too arrogant, so those lawless Qiang people did not let him go just because he was Dong Zhuo's brother. Instead, they pushed him out of the camp gate and beheaded him in public.

It is said that before his death, Dong Min stood up straight, his knees unbending, and he shouted to the sky: "I am a noble of the Celestial Empire! I only know the emperor of the Han Dynasty, not the false kings of Qiang and Di! I am just one step ahead today! When the iron cavalry of the Han Dynasty arrives, I will surely plow through your homes and crush you to pieces!"

After he finished speaking, he took the initiative to hit the blade and died standing upright.

……

Liu Xie put the document down without saying anything.

At this moment, Dong Bai in his arms finally woke up slowly.

"Have you arrived in Chang'an?"

The little guy seemed to be still immersed in the world just now.

"Huh? Why are you here too?"

Dong Bai seemed to still remember Jia Xu, and Jia Xu forced a smile: "Replying to Lord Weiyang, I have official business to report to the Emperor and the Grand Tutor."

"Oh."

Dong Bai likes to act foolishly on weekdays, but never acts as a burden when it matters.

"In that case, I'll just walk back."

Just as he was about to get off the carriage, Dong Bai seemed to remember something and said to Dong Zhuo with dissatisfaction: "Since grandfather is sick this year, I won't blame him for this birthday."

"But next year, I will be coming of age and getting married, and Grandfather can't be in trouble again! Everyone must be there safely!"

"Grandfather will come too, Uncle Niu will come too, and my great-uncle who has returned to his hometown will also come! If anyone doesn't come next time, I won't be like I was today! Don't think I'm easy to talk to! I'm really bad when I get angry!"

Seeing that Dong Zhuo ignored him, Dong Bai ran to Dong Zhuo and waved: "Grandfather, please remember this! Don't forget it!"

"it is good."

It was Liu Xie who hid the document in his hand and gently pushed Dong Bai out of the carriage.

"The Grand Master is just a little tired, Lord Weiyang, don't worry."

Dong Bai then gave up, jumped off the carriage and left impatiently, obviously wanting to go back to Changle Palace to show off with Cai Yan, Fu Shou and others.

Silence returned to the carriage.

Liu Xie took out the document again and read it over and over again. Finally, he fixed his gaze on the end.

"Dong Min is a loyal and righteous man who deserves to be martyred for his country."

"Bang!!!"

Dong Zhuo punched the carriage hard, causing the horses pulling the carriage to become agitated.

"It was me who harmed Shuying!"

If Dong Min didn't trust Dong Zhuo so much, how could he dare to go to the Qiang camp so easily?

Dong Zhuo's eyes were red.

Dong Min is his younger brother, and is the person in the world who has been with him the longest, no doubt about it.

Although Dong Min was often unable to satisfy Dong Zhuo on some things, Dong Zhuo never blamed him.

Even when Dong Min slandered the emperor last time, Dong Zhuo was just angry instead of blaming him.

But now, the younger brother whom I had protected all my life was actually killed?
Moreover, he was killed by the Qiang people?
Even, he was killed in his hometown?
……

Dong Zhuo wanted to stand up, but his huge body immediately filled up half of the carriage. His terrifying power made Jia Xu bury his head even lower.

After all, it was he who proposed that Dong Min go to Longyou to guard Dong Zhuo's ancestral temple.

But perhaps he had not yet recovered from the cold, for as soon as Dong Zhuo stood up, he fell back again, gasping for breath.

Liu Xie stepped forward to help Dong Zhuo rub his back and help him recuperate, and told the coachman to drive the carriage directly to a spacious area in the palace so that Dong Zhuo could recuperate.

"Please accept my condolences, Grand Master."

Condolences?

The most correct approach should be to let the enemy mourn!

Dong Zhuo's fist, which was as big as a casserole, was placed on his leg and kept shaking.

If there was a Qiang man in front of him now, Liu Xie had no doubt that Dong Zhuo would smash the man to death with his iron fist, drink his blood and eat his flesh.

The pain of losing a loved one often surpasses everything!
It seemed as if countless poisonous insects were biting at Dong Zhuo's chest, tearing his heart into countless pieces, smashing it! Tearing it apart!

The pressure in my chest was greater than ever before, and even black fog began to appear above my vision, making me dizzy.

"Go and get a doctor in secret!"

Dong Zhuo's appearance undoubtedly frightened Liu Xie, and he quickly asked someone to call for another doctor.

When they arrived at the palace gate, Liu Xie ordered Lu Bu to carry Dong Zhuo to the couch and regulate his breathing.

Fortunately.

The doctor came and thought that Dong Zhuo was just suffering from anger and was not seriously injured.

After settling Dong Zhuo down, Liu Xie called Jia Xu and Lu Bu outside with a grim face.

"When did the news come?"

"Just arrived today."

"Where is Dong Min's body?"

"It is said that Ma Teng has ordered someone to redeem him and has buried him in his hometown of Lintao."

Liu Xie's frown finally relaxed.

"Leaves return to their roots, that's how it should be."

Liu Xie asked again: "Wenhe, you are from Liangzhou. Has the Qiang trouble in the west really reached this point? Do those Qiang people really dare to be so lawless?"

……

The rampant Qiang invasion in the west actually far exceeded everyone's expectations.

The Qiang originally came from the Sanmiao, another branch of the Jiang surname. (Note 1)

Ever since Emperor Taikang of the Xia Dynasty lost his country, the Qiang people have been causing chaos on the borders of the Xia Dynasty.

During the Shang Dynasty, Cheng Tang and Wu Ding even came in person to quell the Qiang invasion, which made the Di and Qiang tribes surrender. They also left behind the poem "From the Di and Qiang tribes, none dares not to be king."

During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the Qiang Rebellion reached its peak. Even the Tiao Rong and Ben Rong tribes among them defeated the army of the Zhou emperor and destroyed the fiefdom of Jiang Hou.

During the reign of King You of Zhou, the Rong people surrounded Quanqiu, captured the brother and uncle of Duke Xiang of Qin, and joined forces with the Marquis of Shen to invade the Zhou Dynasty. They killed King You at Mount Li, causing the Zhou royal family to move eastward and enter the Eastern Zhou era.

It was the Qin Dynasty that started from the western border and defeated Dali and Yiqiu along the way, setting up counties there, which later became Longxi, Beidi and Shangjun. Only then did it suppress the Qiang threat that had plagued the Second Zhou Dynasty for 800 years.

Later, the Han and Xiongnu fought for supremacy, and the Qiang people were weak and had always been dependent on the Xiongnu. It was not until the reign of Emperor Wu that the Hexi Corridor was forcibly built with the iron fist of the Han Dynasty, which cut off the connection between the Huangshui River and the Hetao River. Only then did the Qiang people in the south begin to submit to the Han Dynasty.

Until the Later Han Dynasty, the Qiang people continued to grow in size. In order to distinguish them, the Qiang people who migrated to the inland and settled in Shangjun, Anding, Beidi and other counties were deliberately called Eastern Qiang, and the other Qiang people were called Western Qiang.

However, as the Later Han Dynasty continued to weaken, it not only lost the Western Regions, but also gradually weakened its control over the four counties in Hexi, which eventually led to a sharp increase in the power of the Qiang people.

Even though Duan Jiong fought hundreds of battles against the Qiang and Hu and Dong Zhuo guarded the Western Qiang, they could not change the fact that the Qiang people were gradually becoming stronger.

"Your Majesty, the word 'Qiang threat' is probably not enough to describe the situation in the western border."

Jia Xu was a Xiliang man after all, and he couldn't bear to lie to the emperor about this matter.

"Nowadays, in the land west of Guanzhong, the people who really control the situation have long been the Qiang people!"

------

Note 1:

Most of the historical materials about the Qiang people come from the Book of the Later Han Dynasty: Biographies of the Southern Barbarians and Southwestern Yi, and Biographies of the Western Qiang. Interested readers can check it out on their own.
(End of this chapter)