March 5th, Wushaoling.
As expected, Nori Eiji arrived.
Not only did he come, but he also brought with him the chiefs of more than a dozen small tribes, as well as... envoys from the Tuyuhun and Uyghur.
The meeting place was chosen to be a grassland at the foot of the ridge.
Yeli Rong led 10,000 cavalrymen and set up camp on the east side of the grassland.
Each tribal chief led several thousand people, scattered around the area.
Roughly estimated, the total troop strength exceeds 30,000.
Wu Shangzhi's side only had 13,000 men, and they had to divide their forces to guard the area.
"General, there are quite a few of them," Murong Chunhua whispered.
"A rabble." Wu Shangzhi dismissed it. "Take five thousand men and ambush them on the north slope. When you see the red signal arrow, charge down. Don't hide in E'pang."
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead your cavalry and form ranks on the west side. If the talks break down, you will be the first to charge."
"yes!"
After making the arrangements, Wu Shangzhi led only a hundred personal guards and rode his horse to the center of the grassland.
A large tent has already been erected there.
Ye Lirong sat in the main seat. He was a middle-aged man in his forties with a dark face, a hooked nose, and a sinister look in his eyes.
Chiefs of various tribes sat on either side, while envoys from the Tuyuhun and Uyghur tribes sat at the lower end.
"General Wu, I've heard so much about you." Nori Ei said in broken Chinese, "Please sit down."
Wu Shangzhi sat down calmly, his gaze sweeping over everyone: "Is everyone here? Let's begin."
Nori Eiji was taken aback by his directness and paused for a moment before replying:
"General Wu, let's speak frankly. The court has been delaying the delivery of tea, salt, and iron to the Dangxiang people for a long time. The Tuyuhun and Uyghur tribes have also not received their rewards for a long time. Today's meeting is to demand an explanation."
"The explanation is simple," Wu Shangzhi said calmly. "The war in the Central Plains is about to be settled, and the imperial court will soon reorganize the Northwest. Those who are in arrears will be compensated double. But the premise is—everyone should keep to their own course and not violate the border."
The Tuyuhun envoy sneered: "Empty words, who would believe them?"
"Then what do you want?"
“Simple,” Yeli Rong continued. “Open three trade markets in Liangzhou, with tea, salt, and iron readily available, and prices based on those of three years ago. Also…please have the court formally appoint me as the Deputy Grand General of the Dangxiang, to command all the Dangxiang tribes in Hexi.”
This is to divide up the power of the former Zang Yuankang and to control the trade routes.
Wu Shangzhi laughed: "Ye Lirong, do you know that Mu Zang E Pang is currently in our army?"
Yeli Rong's expression changed: "So what? He defected to the imperial court; he's a traitor to the Dangxiang!"
"Traitor?" Wu Shangzhi slowly rose to his feet. "Meicang Epang led his people to surrender, seeking a way out for the Dangxiang. And you—colluded with foreign tribes, robbed merchants, and plunged the Dangxiang into injustice. Tell me, who is the traitor?"
His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a knife.
Ye Lirong flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table and shouting, "Wu Shangzhi! Don't forget, this is my territory! Believe me, with one command, none of your hundred men will be able to leave here!!"
Before the words were finished, a deafening battle cry suddenly erupted outside the tent.
Ye Lirong rushed out and saw that on the north hillside, a black torrent of iron was rolling down.
To the west, Mozang Epang's thousand cavalrymen had already formed ranks.
What alarmed him even more was that the banners of the Yin Army also appeared to the south and east—these were feints arranged by Wu Shangzhi in advance.
But in Nori Eiji's view, he was surrounded on all sides.
"You...you were prepared all along?!" Nori Ei's face turned deathly pale.
Wu Shangzhi stepped out of the main tent and looked around at the tribal chiefs: "Gentlemen, I have come here today not to fight, but to give you a way to survive."
He raised his voice: "The Central Plains will be pacified, and the Great Yin Dynasty is about to be restored. The imperial court has decreed: those who are willing to submit will be supplied with tea, salt, and iron as needed; trade will be reopened; and all tribal leaders will be granted official positions. Those who remain obstinate..."
He looked at Noriyoshi: "Kill them without mercy."
The tribal chiefs looked at each other in bewilderment.
They were already under Ye Lirong's control, and now that they saw the strength of Yin's army and Wu Shangzhi had promised them great benefits, their minds were all stirred.
An old chieftain rose shakily: "General Wu, will the imperial court... really keep its word?"
"I will stake my life on this."
Wu Shangzhi said, word by word, "Moreover, I can tell you all some news—the Qiang and Rong tribes are under the Great Yin's banner, and now they have pastures, tea, salt, and ironware. Their people live in peace and prosperity. Are the men of the Dangxiang tribes inferior to the Qiang and Rong?"
This statement hits the nail on the head. For the nomadic tribes, honor is paramount. If the Qiang and Rong could have it, why couldn't the Dangxiang?
"Our tribe is willing to submit!" The old chieftain was the first to kneel down.
"My department is willing too!"
"Me too!"
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen chieftains knelt on the ground.
Only Yeli Rong and the envoys from Tuyuhun and Uyghur remained standing.
Ye Lirong's face turned ashen; he knew he was finished.
“Ye Lirong,” Wu Shangzhi looked at him, “surrender now, and I may spare your life. If you resist…”
"I surrender!" Yeli Rong suddenly knelt down and kowtowed, "This humble general was confused for a moment, please spare my life, General!"
Seeing this, the envoys from Tuyuhun and Uyghur knew that the situation was hopeless, and they quickly knelt down and begged for mercy.
Looking at the people kneeling on the ground, Wu Shangzhi felt no joy, only heaviness.
The root cause of the unrest in the Northwest lies in poverty and hardship.
You can suppress the enemy temporarily with force, but you can't suppress them forever.
"Get up, all of you." He helped the old chieftain to his feet. "In three days, we will hold a formal alliance meeting in Liangzhou. At that time, tea, salt, and iron will be transported here, and the imperial edict of investiture will also arrive."
He paused, then added, “But there is one point—each tribe must send its sons to the capital as hostages, and at the same time send troops to assist in the war. No more 'Cang E Pang'.”
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead the surrendered tribes to form the Tangut battalion and follow me on my eastern expedition."
Mei Zang'e was overjoyed: "Yes, sir!"
Three days later, the Liangzhou Alliance was held.
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