Qin Official

Although there is no harm in being cautious when marching outside, those hundreds of Qiang and Rong who cautiously approached the Qin army were not here to offend, but to...kneel and lick.

Looking at the Qiang Rongjun who was worshiping at Li Xin's feet, wearing a military uniform and braided hair, Heifu glanced at the charioteer Sangmu and signaled him to hide the high-saddled stirrups, and then asked Qiang Huang softly:

"Could this person be the leader of a vassal state that surrendered to Qin?"

Heifu knew that he was a "dianke" who was one of the nine ministers of the Qin Dynasty. It was dedicated to "taking charge of the Guiyi barbarians", and the "pedestrian office" under it was equivalent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in later generations.

Xiongnu, Donghu, Yuezhi, overseas Jizi Korea, Hao Kingdom, various barbarians outside the southwest, Minyue, Ouyue, Nanyue, Xiyue in the southeastern coastal area, various ethnic groups that have established contact but have not yet surrendered to the Qin Dynasty , the Pedestrian Department is responsible for liaison, and there are also staff specialized in translation work.

In addition, there is an organization under Dianke called "Dianguo", which is responsible for "controlling those who surrender the barbarians". That is to say, the Di Qiang barbarians who had surrendered to Qin and still had independent forces within Qin's territory were equivalent to the United Front Work Department in later generations.

For example, Ganyue in Yuzhang, Yuyue in Kuaiji, and the Ba people in Nanjun of Bajun were all under the jurisdiction of the "Dian Kingdom". The imperial court called them "the rulers of the state, the rulers of the state, the rulers of the state," a bit like the chieftains of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. When Lao'ai rebelled, they incited the rulers of Rong and Zhai in Longxi.

After praising Li Xin as "Flying General", Qiang Huang seemed to be more pleased with Hei Fu and responded:

"However, during the more than a year since the general was appointed as the county lieutenant, he has not been idle. Seven or eight tribes west of the Tao River and more than a hundred miles east of the river have surrendered to the Qin Dynasty under the general's persuasion! "

"How to persuade, with a strong crossbow and a sword?" Heifu looked at the trembling look of the minister, but he didn't think Li Xin would have a good discussion with him.

Qiang Huang smiled and said: "The right concubine is right. The general went out to collect firewood once and wiped out a large tribe that had repeatedly rebelled. These Qiang Rong became more honest and asked to be attached as vassals."

From Qiang Huang's mouth, Heifu learned that Qin's laws gave preferential treatment to these "subordinate princes" who had surrendered, allowing them and their children to enjoy the treatment of "Shangzao" title.

If a person commits a crime because he does not understand the law, he should be sentenced to imprisonment or more, and he can pay for the crime. And because these Qiang and Rong people like to rob each other by nature, if the "group robbery" of robbing other rulers occurs, they will be given a lighter sentence, ranging from death to ghost wages. If you want to impose a punishment of corruption, considering this is a great humiliation, you can also sentence it to "redemption of the palace" and pay for the sin. If you don't have money, you can use the cattle and horses from the tribe to pay off the debt.

Of course, if the Qin people were plundered without their lives, then the judges and officials of the subject country would have to have a straight face and impose harsh punishments...

Ordinary Qiang and Rong people who belong to the state are regarded as heads of Guizhou and have no legal privileges.

These preferential treatment are like the green grass that lures the goat into the pen. Once in the pen, it is difficult to get out.

The law also stipulates that people belonging to the minority nationalities of Qin who are dissatisfied with their superiors and want to go to Xia will not be allowed. What does "going to summer" mean? Wanting to leave the territory of Da Qin is called "going to Xia".

This is equivalent to restricting the migration rights of people from Qiang and Rong states. If you are not willing to submit to a powerful chief, you can apply to become a Qin householder in the Qin Dynasty. The government will place you elsewhere and start as a farmhand. But they cannot leave the country. If the whole family moves, it will be regarded as rebellion! Will be treated as a group of thieves and killed.

In addition to paying tribute of cattle, sheep and horses, when war comes, the Qiang and Rong states must also send cavalry to join the Qin army in fighting.

In fact, the Qiang Huang family was also the head of the Qiang vassal state in Beidi County. However, they had already entered the Qin Dynasty for four generations, and their language and food had been assimilated. His grandfather Qiang Fang even led the Beidi Qiang Rong cavalry to join the army. As Wang Jian's deputy general, he went on the Eastern Expedition. Fighting in the west, he made great military exploits and became a great leader. Now the whole family regards themselves as Qin people, not Qiang people.

Thinking about this, Heifu discovered that the Great Wall built by the Qin Dynasty not only prevented the Rong and Di from outside the country from invading the people, but also served as a fence for the sheep. It would surely raise the Rong and Di within the country as livestock so that they could stay with the Qin people for a long time and survive. The Rong became a mature Rong and finally assimilated completely.

"After all, as long as one parent is from Qin, the children will be the Qin people's 'Xiazi' system. As immigrants intermarry, there will only be more and more Qin people, and there will be fewer and fewer Qiang, Rong and Zhai people in the territory... "He looked at the Rong people driving cattle and sheep and looking at the Qin army in fear from a distance, and thought to himself.

This system had been mentioned by Heifu from Bazhong many years ago. At present, it seems that Qin's assimilation policy is successful. There are a large number of Rong people from Qin in the garrison in the three counties of Kansai. He remembers that when he visited the Terracotta Warriors and Horses in his previous life, there were also many Qin soldiers with foreign features on display.

However, outside the Great Wall, there are no fences around the sheepfold. It shouldn't be difficult for the ministers and rulers to escape from Qin's rule, right?

"Leave? They don't want to leave."

After Heifu asked, Qiang Huang pointed to the lush Tao River Valley and said: "The Di Qiang are mainly engaged in shooting and hunting, but they also raise cattle, sheep and horses, and grow some millet. There are many mountains outside the Great Wall, which are not suitable for grains. Only along the Tao River , there are some flat valleys that can not only grow grains, but also facilitate livestock grazing. They don’t want to leave this fertile land and go to Hehuang and Qiang to compete for food with the more arrogant Di and Qiang tribes.”

Heifu understood that starting from here, the further west, the higher the terrain, the more severe the natural conditions, and the fewer tribesmen that could be fed. The rich Hexi Corridor was occupied by the powerful Yuezhi, and the Qiang and Rong tribes were torn apart. The small tribe is no match at all.

Instead of going to the barren mountains and rivers, it is better to stay here and be a dog for Da Qin...

What's more, Longxi County also used trade as bait, making the ministers and princes even more reluctant to leave.

Heifu heard from Qiang Huang that as early as the beginning of spring, Li Xin had sent people to set up a sentry post at a place called "Puhan" where the big river meets Li Shui. At that time, he drove his cattle and sheep to Wuhan for trade.

"That's why we carried a lot of cloth, salt, sugar, and grain..."

Hei Fu understood, and it was no wonder that Li Xin strongly agreed with Hei Fu's "Western Expansion" strategy. This was what he had been doing for more than a year, and the Qin people were already very skilled at doing similar things.

Not long after, after Yi Tong paid homage and realized that Li Xin did not lead his army out of the fortress to "collect firewood," the ministers relaxed and pointed at the Tao River, which they called "Luqu", and swore that they would never After rebelling against Qin, he also gave the Qin army five yaks as a labor force...

…

That night, when they were camping and resting on the west bank of Taoshui River, the soldiers of the Qin Dynasty set up a bonfire. After slaughtering the yak meat, they skewered it on wooden sticks and roasted it until it was seven-mature. They sprinkled it with the green salt they brought, which was also a delicacy. .

While feasting, Heifu also had an in-depth exchange with Li Xin, mainly about high saddles and stirrups.

"Although I am from the south and have only fought on foot, I have also heard that the criteria for selecting knights for the Qin army are those under forty years old and over seven feet five inches tall. They must be strong and agile. He must be faster than ordinary people; he can gallop on horseback and draw a bow and shoot arrows on horseback; he can handle battles in all directions, front and rear, left and right, and advance and retreat skillfully; he can ride his horse over ravines, climb hills, overcome obstacles, and cross floods. Only in this way can he be able to survive in the world. Those who pursue strong enemies on the battlefield and defeat many with a small number are called martial knights!"

In an era without high saddles and stirrups, knights could only make up for it with more intensive training, so there were such harsh standards.

"May I ask General, among the hundreds of knights on this trip, how many are worthy of the name of 'Martial Knight'?"

Of course Li Xin knew the level of his men, and said without hesitation: "No more than fifty, all of them are cavalry officers or above."

The Qin military system consisted of five cavalry and one commander, ten cavalry and one official, one hundred cavalry and one general, and two hundred cavalry and one general. Among the Longxi cavalry, which is the best in the world, only about one-tenth are elite "martial knights". The riding skills of the others are not bad, at least better than Heifu...

Chariot soldiers also have similar selection criteria, and they are called "Chariot Warriors." Heifu knew that Zhao Gao was a Chariot Warrior, and he was also a guy with strong martial arts skills.

According to these two standards, Heifu would not be qualified even if he practiced for five more years. The southerners who only learned to ride horses as adults would never be able to compare with the northerners who had been climbing on horses since they were teenagers. It is incomparable to Hu'er who rides a sheep at the age of three, rides a horse at the age of eight, and can draw a strong bow for everyone.

Heifu asked again: "But if they are equipped with high saddles and stirrups, how many of the generals under his command can become martial knights?"

Li Xin has experienced the convenience of high saddle stirrups today. The high saddle makes him more comfortable and stable when riding. The stirrups made his feet feel as if they were on the ground. He no longer had to have his legs hanging empty on both sides of the horse's belly like before, without any support. He had to clamp the violently lame horse with his legs to maintain himself. of stability.

The hands are completely freed, and riding, riding, shooting, forward and backward, left and right, and circling forward and backward, which were difficult to do in the past, are now much easier.

It is conceivable that if this thing is used by his horsemen, it will have similar effects.

After thinking for a while, Li Xin said: "In that case, at least half of the five hundred knights can be called martial knights!"

"That's right!" Hei Fu raised his hand. Sure enough, Li Xin had tried it once, and it was much better than what he had just described.

In addition to making the strong stronger, high saddle stirrups can also greatly shorten the training period of Qin cavalry during training. Three years later, tens of thousands of cavalry entered Hexi, and taking the Hetao was no longer a dream.

The expansion to the west is no different from the expedition to the south. It definitely requires coordinated operations by horse, foot and cavalry. Especially the war against Hexi and Hetao requires long-distance marches of more than a thousand miles. Without high saddles and stirrups, it is almost impossible to do it.

This is also the purpose of Heifu showing these two things to Li Xin.

"I would like to ask the general to join me in Shangshu. I propose to build a cavalry force in Longxi, Beidi, Shangjun, and Neishi each. Recruit good men from Guanxi who are skilled in bow and horse to join the army, and equip them with high saddles and stirrups. Secret training will make everyone a martial knight! They will be of great use in three to five years!"

If Heifu, a southerner, raised a high-saddled stirrup to make a proposal, he might be said to be like "a southerner talks about a horse, a northerner wields a spear"! Even if they were recognized by the emperor, those arrogant cavalry servants from the three counties might still be like Qiang Huang, who were proud of their riding skills and refused to use them, causing trouble for nothing.

But it is different to join forces with Li Xin.

The general who is best at playing cavalry in the world has agreed, so who can object?

Of course, Li Xin was happy to see this kind of good thing that was even more powerful, but he noticed the words "secret training" that Heifu said.

"You, concubine, do you think this thing should not be released lightly?"

"Of course! This is a sharp weapon of the country and cannot be lightly shown to outsiders! It must be hidden and used later. Three or five years later, Hu Rong will be caught off guard again! After the high-saddled stirrups shine, Qin's sheepfold fences can be extended Go thousands of miles away, encircle Hexi, Henan, and Hetao. The rich pastures will be occupied by Qin. They will open up wasteland and farmland, immigrate and garrison troops, and build cities!"

Heifu said: "At that time, there will be only two choices before Hu Rong."

Li Xin understood, and the general's eyes were full of brilliance. He handed a piece of yak meat to Hei Fu and said with a smile: "Are you going to be a sheep to be slaughtered in the pen, or are you going to be a hungry wolf in the Gobi tidal flats?"