Chapter 1031: The Root of the Conflict

Ma Chao’s words left all the Qiang tribal leaders in silence. They recognized his position as the Qiang King and acknowledged his strength. Ma Chao's straightforward and blunt manner of speaking resonated well with the Qiang people’s direct nature.

How many times had the Qiang wanted to become subjects of the Han Dynasty, only to be disappointed? In the end, they were left with no choice but to fight, knowing they would lose. If they didn’t resist, they would have nothing, but if they fought, there was at least a slim chance of survival.

"King, you’ve never led our people. You don’t understand the efforts we’ve made. We also wanted to have food and drink, and as long as we paid our taxes, we hoped the state would protect us. But we’ve been disappointed for far too long," the Grand Elder said, bowing with a deep sense of bitterness.

After the Grand Elder spoke, all the Qiang tribal leaders began voicing their complaints. The previously quiet royal tent was soon filled with angry outbursts. Did Ma Chao really think the Qiang had never wanted to join the Han? That was a joke. As the most powerful and wealthiest nation of the time, the Han Empire was naturally appealing to the Qiang, who shared the same ancestry and lacked a strong sense of ethnic distinction. Of course, they had thought about joining!

But the reality was that when the Qiang wanted to join, the Han Dynasty, when it had the strength, didn’t want to accept them. As the most powerful empire, the Han didn't just allow anyone to join. You had to prove your worth or show your capabilities, or else you were left to fend for yourself.

Some Qiang people had indeed joined the Han Dynasty in the past, but they couldn’t bear the high taxes that left them impoverished. Eventually, they were forced to rebel, only to be defeated and pacified again. When a new group of officials arrived, the exploitation would start again, and the cycle of rebellion would continue.

This endless cycle was the reason for the Qiang's repeated rebellions. If they didn’t rebel, they had no way to survive. If they did, they still might not survive, but at least they could vent their frustrations before they died. Why wouldn’t they rebel when the outcome was the same either way?

In this situation, the Han’s approach to the Qiang was a mix of suppression and appeasement. They worried that after each defeat, the Qiang might rebel again, so they applied harsh suppression. This only pushed the Qiang to rebel more, creating a vicious cycle.

The more the Qiang rebelled, the harsher the Han’s suppression became, making life even harder for the Qiang. The harder their lives became, the more they rebelled. This cycle turned into a death spiral, with the Han becoming increasingly distrustful of the Qiang, and the Qiang growing increasingly resentful of the Han. After each defeat, the Qiang faced endless exploitation. It became an unbreakable knot.

Before Dong Zhuo’s time, even the "Three Bright Stars of Liangzhou" and other leaders of the Han responded to the Qiang rebellions with iron-fisted policies, often resorting to massacres. General Duan Ying, for instance, would sweep through and wipe out the Qiang wherever he went.

Though Han generals like Huangfu Gui and Zhang Huan were slightly better, they still couldn’t treat the Qiang equally. In the end, violence was the only way they resolved the Qiang problem.

For the Han, this was a way to deal with the Qiang, but it clearly didn’t solve the root cause of their rebellions. As skilled as Duan Ying was at killing, he couldn’t wipe out the three million Qiang people. Massacres weren’t a viable long-term solution, and this approach only deepened the animosity between the Han and the Qiang, making them bitter enemies.

While the "Three Bright Stars of Liangzhou" were strong, they weren’t Bai Qi. Solving the problem of a population of three million in a cold-weapon era was incredibly difficult. To eliminate that many people through slaughter would be no small task.

The Qiang were left with no choice. They would die if they didn’t resist, and they would die if they did. Either way, death was inevitable, so why not fight? Live for today and worry about tomorrow later.

The Han, on the other hand, had to face the reality that violence wasn’t solving the problem. But by the time the Han realized this, the rift between them and the Qiang was too wide to bridge. Even if the Han wanted to negotiate, the Qiang no longer trusted them.

It was around this time that the Qiang fully transitioned into a nomadic people, learning from the Xianbei to raid when the opportunity arose. Negotiating with the Han was no longer an option—they had given up on that entirely. The trust between the two had fallen below zero.

At this point, the only people the Qiang could still trust were the Ma family. However, by the time of the "Three Bright Stars of Liangzhou," the Ma family had already started to decline due to their policy of maintaining private armies and relying on bandits. They were no longer capable of acting as mediators between the Qiang and the Han.

Then came the era of Dong Zhuo. During his time in Liangzhou, Dong Zhuo had been known for his strength and fairness, treating both Qiang and Han equally in his policies. Though he implemented a hierarchical structure in the military, the Qiang respected the Han’s combat capabilities and accepted Dong Zhuo’s methods.

Furthermore, Dong Zhuo was sharp at that time. He understood his foundation and never withheld supplies from his army, ensuring that the Qiang and Hu people had enough to eat. This was why the Qiang, though initially forced to follow him, gradually built trust in him.

Even though Li Jue and the others occasionally warned them harshly, threatening to take extreme measures if the Qiang encroached on their territories, the Qiang didn’t rebel. These men ensured the Qiang had enough to eat, and though the rules were strict, as long as they followed them, no one would deliberately cause them trouble.

In fact, Li Ru's strict laws provided the foundation for maintaining the relationship between the two sides. It was clearly defined what would happen if either side crossed the line. Although the laws were harsh, they were clear and provided security, along with a steady supply of food. The Qiang naturally chose to follow Dong Zhuo, knowing that rebellion was a dead end, while following Dong Zhuo, though difficult, provided them with stability.

After Dong Zhuo’s death, the situation deteriorated. Li Jue failed to supply food to the Qiang, so they withdrew. According to Li Ru's decrees, when the soldiers of Western Liang had enough to eat, their Qiang followers had to be provided for as well. Failing to do so was a violation of the law, and the Qiang had the right to use force.

Li Ru's decree essentially allowed the Qiang to use force when faced with great injustice. However, the law didn’t say that the Western Liang soldiers couldn’t fight back. When the Qiang used force for the first time, Li Jue certainly wasn’t going to stand by idly.

In reality, Li Ru had set a trap from the start. He allowed the Qiang to use force, but he also permitted the Han forces to retaliate. In the end, everything would still be settled by strength—the one with the bigger fist was right. The law was just a tool for maintaining peace in normal times, but when push came to shove, it was brute force that settled things.

The Qiang were beaten bloody and forced to retreat. Even after this, they managed to seize some of the Han territories in Western Liang and settled in to wait.

Now, the Qiang's relationship with the Han had become extremely complicated. While they harbored some respect for the Western Liang army, their trust in the Han court had completely eroded. The Qiang were open to interactions, but they would never fully trust the Han again.

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