Chapter 426

... In a feudal dynasty, someone actually dares to spit at you? How is his grave doing?

Great King: "Pretty good~"

"I mean that tomb, that grave!"

Great King is speechless; the person is still tied up nicely behind the carriage.

"Brother Bai, the hatred in that person's eyes—I was quite shocked at the time."

He didn't even know I am the actual ruler of Liangzhou; he harbors such great hatred toward someone who looks like they're from the Great Jin and has some status, which confirms my earlier feeling was correct: the western Tao River has broken away from Longxi, and these locals do not consider themselves Jin people, and may even direct their anger at Jin people.

"Why are you looking at me like that? The matter isn't even clear yet! Besides, he's not yet an adult; even if the northern border laws are harsh, I wouldn't just kill him outright."

"Alright, alright, dragging him back to grow cotton is more valuable than killing him—you know your place is vast but sparsely populated, and people are a rarity!"

Great King: "..."

Bai Yang unfolded the map and studied it together with Da Wang, saying, "Here, in our history, the Shaodang Qiang have repeatedly harassed and attacked the Longxi region. Although many historical figures and place names differ, the general pattern is quite similar. The Western Qiang have launched countless attacks and submissions, tossing back and forth with the rise and fall of the Central Plains, tormenting countless dynasties."

It was not until the seventh century that the Sui and Tang dynasties brought it under control, and only in the thirteenth century was it formally incorporated into the territory of Greater Huaxia; the entire plateau was not officially taken over until the eighteenth century. Do you know how close the eighteenth century is to me? Only four hundred years ago.

Da Wang, you only need to remember: those not of our kind must have different hearts. To achieve a permanent solution, we must destroy them.

Most importantly, I want to remind you that the Shaodang Qiang rose to power over two thousand years ago, roughly on the same timeline as yours. At that time, the Shaodang Qiang became the strongest tribe of the Western Qiang Alliance, causing great trouble for the contemporary Central Plains regime.

You now have the ability; you had better crush them first!

Da Wang furrowed his small brow, listening intently, while his eyes sparkled.

It sounds like subduing the Western Qiang took nearly two thousand years? No matter how long, it was still subdued. Once he has stockpiled enough grain and fodder...

Before they could discuss further, Da Wang heard Bai Ze calling his name.

"Brother Bai, I have to go back for a bit; Bai Ze is calling me, probably the scout has returned. I'll come back later."

Thus, Bai Yang's melon‑eating heart reached its peak; he was anxious, saying, "We agreed, you must come back—I won't go back and wait for you here!"

When Da Wang went out, it was indeed the scout returning, and he brought along a former magistrate of Jinhui City.

In terms of land area, Jinhui is larger than the southern commanderies, but because it is barren and sparsely populated, this vast expanse is merely a small county under Longxi's jurisdiction.

"What do you mean Jinhui has been under Shaodang control for twenty years? What do you mean its able‑bodied people are all slaves of the Qiang? This place was my father's just over a year ago, and now it's mine—when did it become Qiang territory?! If the Qiang have occupied it, why wasn't the court reported?!"

That magistrate was nearly sixty, his beard and hair all white, kneeling before Da Wang and weeping tears that streamed down his face.

He muttered something unintelligible; Da Wang looked at the scout with a puzzled expression, wondering if this was the person sent back to report—couldn't they have found someone more articulate?

"Your Highness, please forgive me; this old fellow was quite clear‑headed before." Otherwise they wouldn't have dared to bring him out.

The scout leading the team had no choice but to drag the old magistrate, who was lying on the ground, to his feet, saying, "Before you stands the Prince of the Northern Border; since last year Longxi has belonged to the Northern Border. Your Highness has arrived in person, and someone is speaking up for the people of Jinhui—yet you still won't give a proper answer!"

The old magistrate stared for a moment, then suddenly knelt upright and knocked his head hard against the ground in a deep bow to Da Wang—*bang*—with utmost sincerity?

After rising, he wiped the tears from his face, his voice trembling: "For twenty years, our Jinhui's Jin people have been branded like livestock, and all able‑bodied folk are slaves of the Qiang!"

For twenty years, Jin women must be taken by the Qiang before they may marry!

For twenty years, the people of Jinhui, when young, have farmed and herded for them; when old and unable to work, they have had their limbs broken and been thrown into the wilderness!

For twenty years, Your Highness has arrived—have you heard the wails of the Jinhui people?!

Jinhui has wailed for twenty years, and Chang'an has finally heard it—hahaha~

Da Wang's face turned pale: "Twenty years? Why didn't you report to the court?!"

"The court? Chang'an? Do you know what Chang'an means to Jinhui, Your Highness?"

"The road to Chang'an is too long!"

"Ninety‑nine percent of us have never set foot on the far bank of the Tao River. We aren't lacking in attempts. Years ago, a dozen of our brothers slipped past the Qiang's watch and ran south; in the end, they were picked off one by one. We didn't give up—countless people fell on the road to Lintao, over three hundred li away, and we did succeed at times, but what reply did Longxi give? Only that they would report to the court and first let us organize self‑defense—because the Qiang never declared war!"

"That's what they said—'small‑scale harassment isn't a big deal.' Hahaha~ 'Self‑defense!' With what shall we defend ourselves? This reply has lasted twenty years, twenty years of nobody caring whether we live or die!"

"Last year, we heard a new king had taken the throne. We refused to give up, escaped again to seek help, and my son, dragging his broken leg, crawled into the prefecture office. The Longxi prefect told us to look for the garrison at Jade Gate Pass. Jade Gate Pass—where in the deep desert is that Jade Gate Pass? Nobody told us!"

"The most pitiable are those children, born into slavery to the Qiang, not even knowing they are Jin people—hahaha~"

Da Wang snapped the jade crown in his hand with a *crack*.

"Zhang Fangtong, he deserves to die!"

Previously, Da Wang didn't much like the slick Longxi prefect, but since his stay was brief he never got any leverage on him—sure enough.

Da Wang didn't realize that the distance a Black Wind Horse could cover in a day and a half equals twenty years for the people of Jinhui.

He understood that, in an age when communication is difficult, remote rural folk relying on word‑of‑mouth could easily produce such an absurd situation.

Yet his heart still found it hard to accept.

All he knew was, "This is the disgrace of the Bai Li clan!"

Da Wang had the old magistrate, who alternated between crying and laughing, taken away, saying, "Let Wei Ke interrogate the city's situation in detail; I need some quiet."

Da Wang sat in the tent for a while before returning to Bai Yang's shop.

Bai Yang hearing this could no longer laugh, "... Beasts! Utterly outrageous!"

Da Wang silently produced the map to show Bai Yang the current extent of the Shaodang Qiang, saying, "According to the Wei family's intelligence, the Shaodang Qiang are now holed up only here—such a tiny spot… so close to Jinhui City that I shouldn't suffer from lack of oxygen when I go there, should I?"

He had never been to the southern side of the Qilian Mountains; during his western campaign he had only seen from afar that the summit was a sheet of white snow blocking the entire Western Qiang Alliance.

"You want to mobilize the troops of Shan Yang Pass to beat him? Right, beat him! I'm fuming along with you!"

Da Wang said nothing, flipped the map, and remarked, "My chest feels blocked; I can't wait any longer."

Bai Yang jumped in alarm, "You go out to inspect the disaster with only a handful of men—are you mad?! Come on, let's rally the troops at Shangyang Pass! Too far? Then how about Luoshui Pass?"

"I still have four hundred snow cavalry."

"Huh?"

Anti‑objection guide: Don't say this is absurd and exaggerated; similar things have happened in history. We won't say which part—guess.