You have truly caused me great suffering!

Chapter 97 Subduing and Differentiation
Chen Shao and his wife stayed at the Zhong residence for one night.

The next day, the Zhe family still tried to persuade him to stay.

Zhong Lingxi also secretly shed tears.

Helpless, Chen Shao suggested that she stay here for a few more days while he went to Yinzhou first.

After returning to his room, the wedding ceremony was basically completed, but Chen Shao still had many important matters to attend to.

Zhong Shidao nodded in agreement, saying that he would send troops to escort them back to Youzhou, and that Chen Shao could rest assured.

Nowadays, no one in the Northwest dares to touch the convoy escorted by the Zhong family.

Zhong Lingxi saw him off. The weather wasn't good today; the clouds were low and the wind was sometimes strong and sometimes weak, so it might rain.

She suddenly regretted staying and clung to Chen Shao's arm without saying a word.

Chen Shao felt a little happy and gently stroked her face.

Such an intimate gesture brought a faint blush to Zhong Lingxi's face, making her look as beautiful as a peach blossom with a hint of pink.

Chen Shao mounted his warhorse, waved goodbye, and headed towards Yinzhou with his personal guards.

After walking for a while, it started to rain. Zhao He asked, "Master, shall we find an inn to rest for a while and wait for the rain to stop before continuing?"

Chen Shao shook his head, stopped his horse, and said, "Put on your raincoat and straw hat, and let's keep going!"

They set up their tents and rested for the night.

At noon on the second day, we arrived at the Hengshan Mountains and followed the mountain road, passing through about ten checkpoints.

This place was once the front line of the war between Song and Xia, and countless bloody battles broke out here.

After crossing the mountains, we arrived at the city of Yinzhou.

It was originally built against Hengshan Mountain, and was an important stronghold for the Tuoba tribe of the Dangxiang people to govern and subdue the Qiang people of Hengshan.

The struggles on the grasslands were once quite unique. The victors were powerless to completely subdue the defeated; they only required submission. There was no possibility of gaining complete control and management over the defeated.

Because at that time they lacked the strength and management system.

If you submit, then just keep a low profile and behave yourself within your tribe's territory. Once the war is over, you live your life and I live mine. The loose social structure and nomadic lifestyle of following the water and grass allow each tribe to still have considerable autonomy.

Therefore, as long as the seven Dangxiang clans surrender, the war will end, and the seven Dangxiang clans will still have absolute control over their own tribes and will not be controlled by the Li clan of Xiazhou.

Later, the Li family (Tuoba clan, bestowed the surname Li) established the Western Xia, and the situation changed. The Western Xia's state apparatus was powerful enough that it could no longer allow the Qiang people of Hengshan to have such great autonomy.

In many places, the Western Xia abolished the native chieftain system and established prefectures and counties to govern the local people.

However, the Qiang tribes of Hengshan were quite powerful and had a strong sense of tribal identity, so the only option was to retain the Jimi Prefecture, acknowledge the hereditary right of the chieftains, but require them to accept the investiture from the Western Xia and pay tribute.

The traditional pastoral areas belonging to the various Qiang and Hu tribes were coordinated by the General Pasture Administration, which uniformly allocated grasslands, collected livestock taxes, and ensured the supply of horses for the Western Xia army.

Chen Shao stayed in Yinzhou City for two days. After reviewing the official documents from that period, he instructed people to prepare for a face-to-face meeting with the Qiang people of Hengshan.

His purpose in coming here is to redistribute land among the Qiang people of Hengshan.

The Qiang tribes of Hengshan were the most troublesome rebel group for the Western Xia.

The Hengshan region, stretching from Hongzhou to Yinzhou, was known as the "Right Arm" by the Western Xia. It possessed the advantages of salt and iron resources, was a breeding ground for fine horses, and had a strategically important and easily defensible terrain.

The Western Xia built fortresses here and trained the valiant "Shan'e soldiers" (Hengshan Qiang soldiers) as a core barrier against the Song Dynasty.

They regarded the Qiang people of Hengshan as an important source of soldiers and economic pillars, frequently conscripting them to participate in the war against the Song Dynasty. The prolonged wars exhausted the Qiang people, and coupled with the Western Xia's policies of heavy taxation and forced migration, this triggered strong resentment among the Qiang people.

In addition, the Song Dynasty kept sending people to persuade them, promising them benefits and urging them to rebel.

So they started to rebel.

This rebellion lasted for nearly eighty years.
In addition, they had a long-standing feud with the Li family of Xia Prefecture, and their history of conflict was roughly the same as the founding of the Western Xia Dynasty.

The Qiang people of Hengshan were overjoyed when the Song Dynasty captured Yinzhou, and they also contributed greatly to the attack on Yinzhou.

After the Zhong family army captured Yinzhou, they put forward many conditions, to which Zhong Shidao replied that the area belonged to the Dingnan Five Prefectures and told them to wait and discuss with Chen Shao, the Commissioner of the Dingnan Five Prefectures.

When Chen Shao arrived, they couldn't wait to come and claim their benefits from him.

Before Chen Shao came, he had thoroughly investigated the situation here. He also knew that the most important thing for him to accumulate strength was the Qiang people of Hengshan.

If we can find a way to use them for our own purposes, then we will have a huge reserve of soldiers, as well as food and warhorses.

He rode his horse on the hillside, watching a group of people gradually disappear along the continuous mountain range.

"Not here yet?" Chen Shao asked.

This time, Chen Shao arranged for them to meet with the leaders of the Qiang tribes in the village of Mingsha.

The Singing Sand Dunes are a hill near Hengshan Mountain that makes a sound when someone slides down the sand dune or when the sand flows.

Sometimes it sounds like thunder, sometimes like singing; it's truly magical.

The Western Xia built a city here and named it "Mingsha Hui".

Upon arriving at the Mingsha Gathering, Chen Shao was surrounded by the crowd and led to a large hall.

Chen Shao took the seat of honor without hesitation. This was because, in recent years, when the Song Dynasty had instigated external conflicts and provoked the Qiang people of Hengshan to rebel, it had dared to make any empty promises.

Therefore, the conditions previously proposed by the Qiang people of Hengshan were quite outrageous.

They were given everything, including Yinzhou.

The Qiang people of Hengshan are also very confident. This is not something we asked for without any real knowledge; it is all what you promised to give us.

Historically, after Tong Guan took control of the entire Hengshan region, he implemented a dual approach of "appeasement + military suppression" against them.

Chen Shao did not intend to do that.

He smiled and looked at Zhu Lingling on his left, the representative chosen by the Qiang people of Hengshan. After making eye contact with Chen Shao, the two nodded and smiled.

Chen Shao turned his head and smiled:

"Gentlemen, you are all warriors of Hengshan. Over the years, you have fought against the Xia bandits, and you have made great contributions and endured hardships. Today, we are sitting together for no other reason than to hold a commendation ceremony for you!"

“I have arranged luxurious residences for you all in Yinzhou City, so that you can manage all the affairs of the tribe in Yinzhou City.”

"I will also work with you all to build roads on Hengshan Mountain so that your goods can be easily transported to Yinzhou City!"

Most of the clan leaders listened with great interest, but some sensed something was amiss.

This Lord Chen Shao seems to want to separate them from his own tribe.

Life in Yokoyama was very tough, even for the leader.

Especially under the oppressive policies of the Western Xia, they lived in dire straits. Any slight involvement with the Song people would result in fierce retaliation from the Western Xia.

Nevertheless, some people are unwilling to leave the tribe.

They felt that leaving their tribe would lead to a gradual loss of power.

However, these people did not immediately object, but waited for Chen Shao to continue stating his conditions.

Chen Shao stood up and continued, "As you all know, the Xia traitors are completely finished, and their annihilation is not far off."

Without the exploitation of the Xia thief and the Li family scoundrels, our good days are just around the corner! Autumn is almost here, and our cattle and sheep hides will be transported to the Central Plains just as winter begins, so we can sell them for a good price.

As for the merchants, you don't need to worry. Anyone who wants to sell goods can register with the Yinzhou government. The Yinzhou government will take care of the relatives of those merchants who go out to trade. If anyone still absconds with the goods, the Yinzhou government will be responsible for compensation!

Some clan leaders were overjoyed; this method was indeed convenient and effortless for them.

These clan chiefs manage the livelihood of their clan. They are not only valiant warriors but also wise men of the clan, possessing profound knowledge of management, production, and trade.

Chen Shao said that they had already thought it through clearly, and even extended their understanding further than Chen Shao. If this plan could be implemented, they would certainly understand the enormous benefits it would bring.

However, some people frowned even more deeply.

They separated themselves from the tribe and its people, allowing the government to directly contact the tribe members, while the tribal chiefs themselves only collected money behind the scenes.

I didn't do anything.
It seems like a carefree and leisurely life with money to be made, which is wonderful.

Sitting in his luxurious mansion in Yinzhou, money flows in endlessly, and he doesn't have to worry about anything.
But as time goes on, will the tribe members still recognize him as their leader?
Their gazes turned to Zhu Lingling, the leader chosen by various ethnic groups. He was the one who led everyone in the battle against the Western Xia people, and now that they had driven them away, he was highly respected.

Zhu Lingling stroked his beard and laughed, saying, "Marshal Chen is truly wise. Once this method is implemented, our good days will begin!"

"We don't have to stay cooped up in this mountain valley anymore. Let's go see the bustling world outside. We've fought and suffered for generations, it's time for us to enjoy ourselves!"

Once he spoke, the clan leaders who had already agreed no longer had any reservations and all expressed their loyalty.

Chen Shao exchanged another glance with him, and they turned their heads away in tacit understanding.

Why was Zhu Lingling so cooperative?
Chen Shao had already bribed him, promising him to be the number two person in his group, and that he and his family would receive a cut of all the business dealings of the Hengshan Qiang in Yinzhou.

To achieve a goal, bribing a person or a family is always the best shortcut.

Such people, commonly known as compradors, can easily betray the interests of the entire collective to achieve their own selfish goals.

In Zhu Lingling's eyes, Chen Shao's behavior was tantamount to repeating Li Yuanhao's betrayal of Song Jianxia.

Therefore, he wanted his family to become the new 'Yeli Clan', as the second largest family after Chen Shao.

Of course, he had a condition: Chen Shao had to take his daughter as a concubine and have her give birth to a child as soon as possible.

Chen Shao readily agreed to this!
Zhu Lingling was a little uneasy and insisted that someone must supervise her, to which Chen Shao reluctantly agreed.

If you're physically strong and healthy, having a baby is a piece of cake if you actively try to conceive.

In the center of the hall, a Qiang warrior was gently turning a sizzling, plump lamb, cutting it off and placing it on a plate, which he then distributed to the esteemed clan chief and Commander Chen.

Chen Shao raised his wine cup and said, "I am truly happy to gather with you all today and drink together!"

"Come, drink this cup to the brim!"

Everyone cheered and stood up, raising their glasses to drink together.

Suddenly, a chieftain asked, "General, if you separate us from our people like this, after a while they will only know about the Yinzhou government, and will they still know who the clan leader is?"

(End of this chapter)