The barbarians south of the Dadu River are weak, but that doesn't mean they are few.

According to the administrative division of later generations, when the two forests were at their peak, they owned the southern part of Ganluo County, the eastern part of Yuexi County, and the northern part of Xide County. The population of the tribe is in the tens of thousands.

Now there may be 20,000 or 30,000 people left, and they were driven to Xide County by Qiongbu Chuanman, and at the same time controlled part of the land in Yuexi County.

The reason why Yu Wenchang is clear about its strength is because Li Zhou has information from various ministries decades ago. At that time, the national strength of the Great Song Dynasty was still quite strong, and occasionally the Yi soldiers would be recruited to fight, and at most they could gather more than 10,000 people, and the two Lin Barbarians would send three or four thousand troops at that time.

"If you want to attack the Qiongbu Chuanman, just take these more than 300 Xiang troops?" Yuwen Chang asked.

Zhu Ming said: "If you also recruit some of the service troops, and then recruit Shuyi on the north bank of the Dadu River, and then recruit some people to transport grain, you can claim that there are 10,000 troops." ”

The amount of the Xiang army in Lizhou is enough to have an army (2,500 people).

However, the Tea and Horse Division took away more than 1,000 people, which were specially used to escort materials to the market. At the state and county levels, there are also chamber troops in service, and the chamber army is purely used as a servant.

There are only 350 people left who can really fight (300 infantry troops, 50 horse troops), and it is indeed a bit outrageous to claim an army of 10,000 people.

Zhu Ming suddenly asked: "The Xiang army is under the command of a full-fledged infantry army, and there should be 500 soldiers, why is there only 300 people here in Lizhou?" ”

Yu Wenchang said: "In the first two years of the Lunanyi rebellion, the envoys conscripted the troops of various states, and two hundred Lizhou soldiers were taken away. Then there was a barbarian rebellion in Maozhou, and the 200 Lizhou Xiang Army has not been returned, and the exact number of casualties has not yet been given. ”

Zhu Ming was a little speechless: "......"

This kind of operation is normal, Lizhou belongs to the miasma, and the rule set 110 years ago is that the box army here changes its guard once every two years.

But it hasn't changed guards for decades, and most of the troops are recruited locally.

After the envoy transferred the troops, he casually threw some crooked melons and cracked dates back, which can be said to be a change of guard in two years. As for the pension for the dead and wounded, it is estimated that it will not be much, and it will have to be found on its own side by Lizhou.

Yuwen often said: "Most of the remaining 300 infantry troops were personally recruited by me, and they were all good citizens in the countryside. ”

This is a blessing in misfortune, the Song Dynasty Xiang army recruited many unemployed vagrants and displaced people, training and fighting were not very obedient, Yuwen often recruited good people in the countryside to do a good job.

Zhu Ming said: "The Qiongbu Sichuan Barbarians are growing day by day, and in the past few decades, the population of the territory has nearly doubled, and the channels between various ministries have been cut off. In the long run, it will be a big problem. Now that the various ministries can be ordered to send troops to besiege it, in another thirty years, will the government still be able to call on the barbarian troops to send troops? ”

Yuwen often sighed: "Success is still a teenager." Not to mention whether we can win by sending troops, can you and I transfer troops privately? ”

Zhu Ming said: "Everything can be flexible, recruit some unemployed vagrants to fill the number, and turn all the existing van troops into village soldiers." As for the fact that the officers are not easy to change, let them temporarily serve as the conscripts in the Xiang Army, and the governor can send conscripts to do things. ”

Yuwen Chang was dumbfounded when he heard this: "Once you do this, once it is verified, at least it will be hanged." ”

"Scholars generally do not sentence to death," Zhu Ming said with a smile, "I am not for meritorious promotion, but to deter the barbarian tribes in Lizhou." ”

Yuwen often did not want to take risks with Zhu Ming, so he wrote a sternly worded letter, angrily reprimanding the Qiongbu Chuan Barbarian's disobedient behavior, and ordering him to return the people and goods looted from the Lianglin Ministry.

Zhu Ming took the initiative to ask: "I'll deliver the letter." ”

Yu Wenchang has already figured out Zhu Ming's path a little: "You want to explore the terrain in person, right?" ”

Zhu Ming smiled and didn't speak.

……

Yu Wenchang finally agreed to let Zhu Ming deliver the letter, because he also wanted to know the reality of the barbarians.

The next day, Zhu Ming set off with more than ten horsemen.

Li Jien, the son of the leader of the Lianglin Tribe, served as a guide and crossed the river more than ten miles downstream of the Han River into the Dadu River.

After crossing the river, there is a river valley in front of you, with high mountains on both sides.

Li Jien said: "This place used to be owned by the two forest departments, and there are also villages in the mountains, and those villages are now under the orders of the Qiongbu Chuanman. But as long as the government wins the battle against the Qiongbu Chuanman, the mountain villages will definitely no longer obey them. ”

Zhu Ming asked, "Is this the only passage to the north?" ”

Li Jien pointed to the east: "There is a long way to go north, and you must pass through the edge of the territory of the Void Hate Department. ”

The Ministry of False Hate is in Ebian County in later generations, which no longer belongs to Lizhou, and nominally belongs to the jurisdiction of Jiazhou.

Li Jien pointed to the west again: "There is a long way away, and there is also a passage to the north, and after crossing the river, you have to pass through the five tribes. ”

Zhu Ming asked again: "In addition to the two forest barbarians in the south, which other tribe has enmity with the Qiongbu Sichuan barbarians?" ”

Li Jien said: "Bao Zhai Man, they may send troops to help." ”

South of the Dadu River is the territory of the Wuman.

Whether it is the Qiongbu Sichuan Man, the Baozhai Man, or the two forest barbarians, they all belong to the Wuman Tribal Alliance.

One or several villages, forming a small tribe, the leader of which is called the "ghost master".

A number of small tribes unite to form a large tribe, and the leader is called the "Great Ghost Lord".

The leader of the overlord level is called the "Great Ghost Lord of the Hundred Barbarian Capital"!

The barbarians fought back and forth, in addition to expanding their territory and population, just to compete for the title of "the great ghost master of the hundred barbarians".

During the Tang Dynasty, the leader of the Qiongbu Sichuan Barbarians was the master of the capital.

In the fifth generation, this title was snatched away by the two forest barbarians.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, Qiongbu Chuanman and Lianglin Man fought back and forth, and in the end, Qiongbu Chuanman won.

It is rumored that the "Great Ghost Master of the Hundred Barbarian Capital" can communicate with ghosts and gods, and obtain the help of ghosts and gods in the dark.

After continuing to walk for two days, Zhu Ming suddenly saw a village with two stone towers in the village.

"Bunkers are built in all ministries?" Zhu Ming asked.

Li Jien said: "This is called a cage room. ”

The cage house is also called Qionglong, and in modern times, it has even evolved into a Qiang dwelling. Generally, there are three layers, the upper layer is for grain, the middle layer is for people, and the lower layer is for livestock.

But in ancient times, it was a dual-purpose building for military and civilian purposes, and only tribal nobles could live in it, and soldiers were called in for defense in wartime.

The name of the village is called "Pugu Cage", which is named after the highest and largest cage in the village.

After a few more days, I came to the confluence of two rivers and saw a large village.

The village faces the river on three sides, and there are five pillboxes on one side.

"Where is this?" Zhu Ming asked.

Li Jien had mixed emotions, looked at the village and said, "My grandfather used to live here. The highest cage room used to be the home of the great ghost lord of the two forests, but now it is occupied by the Qiongbu Chuanman. ”

In fact, it is where the county seat of Ganluo is located in the later generations.

Zhu Ming took the initiative to go to the village to rest, and learned that he was the magistrate of Hanyuan, and the village leader personally led the crowd to greet him.

The barbarians here are all dressed similarly, with men wearing hair in a bun and women wearing hair and hair. In the etiquette of the Han people, the bun belongs to the mourning bun, or the bun of the witch blessing, and I don't know how it has become the daily hairstyle of the barbarians.

The leader of the village is the younger brother of the great ghost lord of the Hundred Barbarian Capital, named Busu.

Several nearby villages are the territory of Busu, which belongs to the subordinate tribes of the Qiongbu Sichuan Barbarian Bedeng Department, and Busu himself also has the title of ghost master.

This thing doesn't speak Chinese, so he called a Han man to be the translator.

"Huan Huan, meet the county honor!" The Han people arched their hands.

Zhu Ming asked: "Since you are for the Han people, why do you do things for the barbarians?" ”

Qian Huan replied: "You can't live in the Han land, you can only go to the barbarian land to survive and steal your life." ”

Zhu Ming asked, "If you can live, would you like to go back?" ”

Chen Huan bowed his head and said no more.

That night, the ghost lord set up a banquet to entertain him, and in the evening, he also presided over the ghost sacrifice ceremony.

This kind of hospitality ceremony is not very formal. When they encountered large sacrifices, they sacrificed human animals to demons, often from captives of rival tribes.

Zhu Ming didn't dare to drink too much, so he went to rest after he was full.

I don't live in the bunker provided by the ghost master, and I only borrow the wooden house near the bunker, and I can slip away at any time in case of attack.

Zhang Bo and Li Bao took turns to take a few cavalry on duty.

In the second half of the night, I only heard Li Bao scolding in a low voice: "Who is outside?" ”

A voice came from the darkness: "It's me, I have something important to tell you!" ”

Zhu Ming had already woken up and asked Li Bao to let people in.

Everyone went outside to guard, and even Li Jien, the son of the leader of the two forest barbarians, was ordered to stand outside the door and not eavesdrop.

Zhu Ming asked, "What's the matter with you?" ”

Chen Huan said in a low voice: "Two years ago, the envoy who requested to build a city and a mutual market on the south bank of the Dadu River was not from Qiongbu Chuanman, but was instructed by the Gao clan of Dali State. ”

Zhu Ming asked, "Why does Qiongbu Chuanman listen to Dali?" ”

Chen Huan explained: "As early as the Tang Dynasty, Qiongbu Chuanman married with Nanzhaoguo, and now it has become Dali and is still marrying. The soldiers of Dali are strong, and many of the barbarians here are controlled by it. In the past few decades, my Great Song Dynasty has not shown military power in Lizhou, and the barbarians dare not resist Dali. The leader of the Qiongbu Sichuan barbarians also needs to use the Dali State to subdue the barbarians. ”

Zhu Ming sneered: "The sons of these two Lin Barbarians' ghost masters, they are not telling the truth, and they are unwilling to tell the truth, they must have ill intentions. ”

Chen Huan said: "Lianglin Manming is a vassal of the Great Song Dynasty, but he has quietly become a vassal of Dali. How dare they tell the truth about such a great sin? ”

After communicating with Chen Huan, Zhu Ming basically figured out the situation.

The barbarians, sandwiched between the Great Song Dynasty and Dali, accepted the canonization of the two countries at the same time. Taking advantage of the mutual jealousy of the Great Song Dynasty and Dali, the barbarians can survive, and no one dares to easily annex these barbarians.

However, the Great Song Dynasty did not use soldiers for a long time, and its prestige among the barbarians was diminishing.

The barbarians had to fall to Dali and follow the orders of Dali. At the same time, they wanted to get rid of the clamps of Dali, but they couldn't do anything, because it was impossible for the Great Song Dynasty to send troops for them.

Because of the intermarriage with Dali, Qiongbu Chuanman received material support from Dali, so he developed the most rapidly, constantly expanding his territory and population.

The real purpose of Li Jien, the son of the ghost lord of the two forests, is to provoke a war between the Great Song Dynasty and the Qiongbu Sichuan Barbarians!

Moreover, it is very likely that the two Lin Barbarians will retain their strength, and it seems that they will fight a life-and-death battle by smashing pots and selling iron, and most of them will paddle at critical moments - this is Zhu Ming's guess.

Although Yu Wenchang didn't know the truth, he subconsciously felt that there was a problem, so he didn't want to be used as a gun by Lianglin Man.

Only Zhu Ming, who was stunned, wanted to send troops when he heard the news.

Once the government starts a war with the Qiongbu Sichuan barbarians, it goes without saying that they will win the battle. If the battle is lost, the two forest barbarians will immediately fall to the Dali Kingdom, and even send money and women to show their loyalty, and the Dali Kingdom will inevitably take the opportunity to strengthen its control over the barbarians.

The relationship is very complex.

There are roughly three forces: the Great Song Dynasty, the Great Li, and the Barbarians.

There are countless forces in the subdivision: Qiongbu Chuanman, Lianglin Man, Baozhai Man, Fengpaman and so on.

Each barbarian alliance is divided into many tribes.

For example, there are six large tribes in Qiongbu Chuanman. Five of the big tribes are the barbarians, and one is the white barbarians, and although they are in a group with the outside world, they also fight with each other. Once the external environment changes drastically, it is likely that you will start a fight.

Zhu Ming decided to try his best to find out the situation of the barbarians.

(End of chapter)