Chapter 60: Envoy to Lanzhou (III)

An Uighur official who spoke excellent Central Plains was persuaded to several injured Black Eagle Army soldiers and said, "This is purely a misunderstanding. Put down your weapons, and we guarantee your lives safety."

A Black Eagle Army soldier replied: "Stop talking nonsense, ask us to put down our weapons and wait for the next life."

"I've earned enough to kill people, so I'm here to come."

Seeing that the five people did not surrender, Geza also looked at him with red eyes. Geza waved his hand and said, "Catch them alive."

More than 20 Uighur soldiers jumped out of the team with long spears with hooks and approached the Black Eagle Army soldiers. Five Black Eagle Army soldiers fought to the death, but they were still dragged to the ground by hooks. The Uighur soldiers did not give them a chance to commit suicide. A Black Eagle Army soldier fell to the ground, and three or four brave Uighurs rushed up quickly and held the Black Eagle Army soldiers.

In the Gesa Army's tent, Gesa walked around with a dark face. Duluo, Pugu and other generals focused their attention on him. After Gesa turned around for more than a dozen times, he stopped and said, "You must not have a conflict with the Black Eagle Army now. You must give the Black Eagle Army an explanation."

The servant is the most mature and persistent, and he is most afraid of going to war with the Black Eagle Army. When he heard Ge Sa say this, he agreed: "Liu Chengtong escaped, and I don't know when he will return to Fengzhou. If the war comes together, the Lanzhou Uighurs will be attacked on both sides, which is extremely unfavorable. I suggest sending envoys immediately, bringing two hundred war horses, apologizing to Hou Dayong, and stabilizing the Black Eagle Army."

Duluo said angrily: "Why should I apologize to Hou Dayong? This conflict was an accident. Fifteen people died in the Black Eagle Army, and eighteen Uighurs died. Everyone is even."

Gesa interrupted Duluo and said, "There is not a saying by the Han people that it is not too late for a gentleman to take revenge for ten years. We should not be quick to show off our temporary pleasure and let the overall situation be passive."

Duluo's face turned red and he said loudly: "Give me three thousand troops and I will defend Longxi, and the Black Eagle Army will not be able to move. Last time we entered Qinzhou, we suffered a loss because we had no food. Are we Uighur warriors really afraid of those cowardly Han people?"

The servant sneered: "Cowardly. You have seen what happened today. Are the Black Eagle Army soldiers cowardly?"

In the Uighur army, Pu Gu's qualifications are much deeper than Duluo. Duluo once served as a soldier under Pu Gu. He said to Duluo bluntly: "We Uighurs have been in the Central Plains for a hundred years, and we have our own reasons. The Turks are so powerful, there are so many people and so wide, where are they going now."

Duluo dared not argue with the servant, and he kept a calm face and stopped talking.

Geza made up his mind and said, "General Pugu said it makes sense. Hurry up and send envoys. Take the horses with him and go to Fengzhou to stabilize Hou Dayong."

Liu Chengtong, who rushed out of the Uighur military camp, followed two Black Eagle Army riders and fled southeastward without stopping. After running for more than ten miles, the Uighur cavalry still chased each other. Liu Chengtong and the other two turned into a mountain, abandoned their horses and climbed into the forest before throwing away the Uighur pursuers.

Liu Chengtong hid halfway up the mountain, watching the Uighur cavalry slowly heading north along the ravine, and finally no one was seen. He breathed a sigh of relief.

When the incident suddenly started, Liu Chengtong didn't know the truth at all, but was just running away based on instinct. When he learned the truth of the conflict, Liu Chengtong beat his chest and stamped his feet, but the matter was irreversible.

The two Black Eagle Army soldiers looked at the secretary helplessly. The three of them sat speechlessly on the hillside for a while before Liu Chengtong recovered and said frustrated: "It's over now, it's useless to blame anyone. Let's hurry back to Fengzhou and report the matter to the Jiedushi."

A sergeant took out the map he carried with him and looked into the distance. Then he used the branches to draw a simple route on the ground and said, "The war horse is lost, and it is a bit troublesome to walk back. You have to walk for a month. This is the nearest route."

Liu Chengtong stood up, kicked the big tree beside him, and said, "When we keep breaking and keeping up, we will immediately set off and return to Fengzhou. Never cause conflict between the Black Eagle Army and the Uighur Army because of this matter. Otherwise, my envoy will be a great sin."

After the three of them went down the mountain, they crossed the mountains and rushed towards Fengzhou.

Two days later, the three of them were already deserted and were so hungry that they felt anxious. On the evening of the next day, they met a shepherd from an unknown tribe. Although they could not speak, the shepherd enthusiastically asked them to have a full meal, and asked the hostess to make a big pancake, put a few water bags on the three of them, and let them take them to the road to eat and drink.

Liu Chengtong carried some Zhou Yuantongbao on him. Before leaving, he took out Zhou Yuantongbao to express his gratitude. The male owner flatly refused. After a few refusals, the male owner began to change his face. Liu Chengtong understood that he really didn't want money, so he had to give up.

Liu Chengtong is a scholar. In poetry and books, the surrounding ethnic minorities are all barbarians and need the education of Central Plains culture. Liu Chengtong had not had contact with specific Hu people before, and he also deeply agreed with this. When he saw the owner of this family enthusiastic and generous, he did not want to hug them back, and did his best to help them. While he was grateful, he couldn't help but think of the many cunning people in Daliang City. A question came to his mind: "Does the surrounding barbarians really need education?"

On the fifth day, the three men's feet were covered with blood, especially Liu Chengtong, whose feet were swollen. When the three men stood on a low hillside and saw Lanzhou City from afar, Liu Chengtong could no longer walk. The two Black Eagle Army soldiers were very strong, and ten-mile cross-country had already become a common practice for the Black Eagle Army training. They walked for five days and did not walk fast in order to take care of Liu Chengtong's speed. It was not a big problem for them. However, they had been pressed by big pancakes for three days, and they had already stretched out their hands in their throats.

"It's cold and ice, and there's no prey, otherwise you can get some wild animals and you can also help you."

"Without bows and arrows, there is nothing we can't kill. When we rushed out of the Uighur military camp, why didn't we think of getting the bows and arrows?"

"It would be great if you can escape. What other brothers want to use a bow and arrow? I wonder if the other brothers escaped?"

The two Black Eagle Army soldiers chatted without a word, and mentioned the Black Eagle Army soldiers in other places, both of them remained silent. It was a miracle to be able to escape from the three of them when using force in the Uighur military camp, and the other soldiers must be unable to escape.

At this moment, the grass in front of him moved for a moment, and a big yellow dog exposed his head and barked at the three people. When the two Black Eagle Army soldiers saw the big dog, they immediately stood up and pulled out their waist knife.

If there is a big dog, there is a dog owner.

Sure enough, more than a dozen people appeared in front of them with knives and sticks and bows and arrows, surrounding the three of them in a fan shape, with rules between advancing and retreating. The group of people were all wearing fur clothes, but the style was quite chaotic. There were Tubo styles, Uighur styles, and more were in a slightly deformed Tang suit.

A man with a Chinese appearance and wearing Uighur costume carried a bright knife and walked forward two steps, scolding in fluent Central Plains words: "You must be robbers who steal chickens. Put the knife down so as not to suffer from flesh and blood."

The two Black Eagle Army soldiers did not answer, held their swords and looked at the group of people vigilantly.

Liu Chengtong bowed politely to a man with a calm demeanor in the Perlanzhou Uighur Army's scimitar and said, "The three of us pass by the land, we are not stealing people." Liu Chengtong made a very accurate judgment. This person was the leader of this group of people.

The man quietly clasped his fists and bowed, "I'm here Zhou Yaowu from Zhoujiazhuang, and caught a few chicken-stealing thieves. I wonder if you have seen it."

Liu Chengtong: "I have only arrived here after a few people. I just rested here for a while and I have never seen anyone else."

Zhou Yaowu smiled and said, "It depends on parents at home. When going out, it depends on friends. Meeting each other is a kind of fate. Seeing that everyone is busy, I must have been away for a long time. It is better to go to the village, have a glass of wine, take a rest and then leave."

Liu Chengtong thought for a moment and realized that Zhou Yaowu had no malice. If he really had malice, he would just come forward to capture him. There was no need to make it so complicated. Seeing him asking him for advice, he said, "This will disturb the owner of the manor."

Zhoujiazhuang is the largest Han village outside Lanzhou City. There are more than 3,000 villagers in the village, most of which are Han people, and a few Tubos and Uighurs. The ancestor of the owner of Zhoujiazhuang was originally a general of the Tang army. He has been stationed in Lanzhou for many years. Tubo attacked Lanzhou many times and abducted a large number of people in Lanzhou City. The land near Zhoujiazhuang was mostly deserted, and the Zhou family's villagers continued to move to the mainland, farming this large area of ​​deserted mature land, gradually forming a scale.

Tubo initially fought against the Tang Dynasty, but later it turned to seize land. After occupying a large area of ​​land, it began to seize populations because of its vast land and no one was able to cultivate it. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang established Longyou and Jiannan, two governors, who were dedicated to preventing Tubo’s internal invasion. At that time, the country was strong and wars occurred for years, with equal victory and defeat, and Tubo did not gain any profit. After the Anlushan Rebellion, most of the elite soldiers and generals of the Tang Dynasty were transferred internally and their border defense was empty. Over the years, dozens of states in the northwest were successively lost, and from the west of Fengxiang and north of Binzhou, they all became the territory of Tubo.

Tubo treated the Tang people with two treatments. One was that there were about 500,000 residents who had not moved eastward in Helong, all of which were regarded as low-ranking servants. The other was the Han family of aristocratic families. The Tubo people not only retained their land, but some were appointed as civil and military officers. There were few Tubo people, mainly controlling the key points. As for the vast rural areas, they were left to these aristocratic families to manage. Zhoujiazhuang was a Han family with powerful people outside Lanzhou City. When the Tubo people came, he worked for Tubo, and when the Uighurs came, he worked for the Uighurs, and he was very good at everything. He also protected the manor for a hundred years in troubled times. The owner of the Zhou family also had great prestige among the villagers.

In recent years, the Uighur power has gradually weakened, and the news of the defeat in the Wei River has long spread in Lanzhou. The second son of Zhoujiazhuang was an official in Lanzhou City. Zhou Yaowu naturally also received the news. He judged from the three of them that they must be officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Although they did not know their purpose, they still intended to accept it.

Zhoujiazhuang is at the foot of the mountain and soon arrived at Zhuangzi. At first glance, there is not much difference between Zhoujiazhuang and ordinary Hanjia villages in Longxi. However, after entering Neizhuang, the forks are crossed and the houses are arranged like an army formation.

After Liu Chengtong and two Black Eagle Army soldiers arrived at the village, Zhou Yaowu asked someone to prepare for food. At the same time, he asked someone to invite the old owner. After a while, several village chiefs brought several large plates of mutton. Liu Chengtong had a hard time leaving, and had not eaten enough for several days. He lost the gentleness of a scholar, and took a large piece of mutton and swallowed it voraciously. Liu Chengtong did this, not to mention the two Black Eagle Army soldiers, not to mention, several large plates of mutton soon came to the bottom.

The old owner is a kind-hearted and elderly man. He wore a fur suit that the Uighurs often wore and a hexagonal hat. He gained a little weight. He came out of the inner hall and, as soon as he entered the hall door, he called "Ha, ha". He said, "No wonder he dreamed of a magpies last night. It turned out that a distinguished guest came in today."

Liu Chengtong's mouth was covered in oil and said embarrassedly: "Look at how embarrassed I eat, it's a shame."

The old owner smiled and said, "The big piece of meat and a big bowl of wine are the real men. The three of them are so happy that I am happy to see them."

The old owner changed his mind and asked suddenly: "The two heroes are wearing armor, strong and powerful, and must be people in the army. The words and deeds of the king must be extraordinary. I wish I could be a presumptuous person. Isn't you an official of the Great Zhou?"

Liu Cheng informed him that the matter could not be concealed and said tactfully: "I am a minor official under the command of the governor of the Xiongsheng Army of the Great Zhou Dynasty. I am preparing to return to Fengzhou.

"For a hundred years, I finally saw the officials of my hometown in Zhoujiazhuang. I will bow to you." After saying that, the old owner turned over and knelt down. Liu Chengtong refused, sat in front of the hall and received the gift from the old owner.

The old man stood up and said, "The ancestors of the Zhou family were from Jinzhou. After the Tang army was defeated by Lanzhou, the Zhou family also lived here for hundreds of years." The old owner's expression changed very quickly. Tears seemed to hang in his eyes. "I have been trapped in Hu for more than a hundred years, and I am thinking about my hometown."

Liu Chengtong was very surprised and said, "The ancestors were Tang generals."

"Men are respectful and rampant, and the emperor is very proud of their own color. I think when my ancestors were generals of the Tang Dynasty, they could reach the eleven states of Gansu. We are really ashamed of our ancestors."

Liu Chengtong met many Han people along the way, and heard the old owner's words touched and sighed: "The glory of the Han and Tang Dynasties has long dispersed with the wind."

The three of them rested in Zhoujiazhuang for a long time. Liu Chengtong had a very speculative conversation with the old owner, but Liu Chengtong was eager to return to Fengzhou and refused to let the old owner stay, brought enough water and food. He rode the old owner to deliver the land and quickly entered the Zhou territory under the leadership of a Zhuang Ding who was familiar with the route.

In the small study of Fengzhou Yamen, Hou Dayong quietly listened to Liu Chengtong's report, and he had raised his eyebrows several times.

Hou Dayong did not comment on the accidents of both sides, nor did he blame him. Instead, he asked the old owner in detail about the matter: "The owner of Zhou said that there are many manors like him in Lanzhou, Ganzhou, Liangzhou and other places, and the Uighurs basically don't care about them?"

Liu Chengtong: "Although the Uighurs occupied cities and some important places, the number of people was too small, and the villages were mainly Han people. This time I set out from Qinzhou, arrived in Lanzhou, and then to Liangzhou. There were quite a few Han people along the way, and most of them were concerned about their homeland."

"The old owner sent me a long distance away. When they broke up, the old owner told me that if the Great Zhou Dynasty soldiers arrived, a manor like them would obey the Great Zhou Dynasty at any time. The old owner also said: I hope to return to my hometown, like a long drought and waiting for the nectar, I have been waiting for a hundred years."

After Liu Chengtong finished speaking, Hou Dayong tapped the table with his hand and didn't say anything for a long time. Liu Chengtong was heartbroken, not knowing how the governor would give him a speech.

Hou Dayong suddenly knocked on the table twice, as if he had made up his mind. He looked up at Liu Chengtong, and saw that Liu Chengtong was a little uneasy, stood up and patted his shoulder, and said, "It's done well. Conflict with the Uighurs, the responsibility is not on you. Don't keep it in your heart, go back and have a good rest."

After Liu Chengtong left, Hou Dayong called over the personal guards and said, "Please observe the judge, the commander of the cavalry of the Black Eagle Army, the commander of the deputy commander, the commander of the Black Eagle Army infantry, and the commander of the Deputy Commander to the Hou Mansion Zhuyuan."

"Prepare the horse and go back to the bamboo garden."

Shortly after Hou Dayong arrived in Zhuyuan, Guo Jiong, Qian Xiangnan, He Wulang, Jiang Hui, Hu Li and other generals hurried to Zhuyuan. Guo Jiong was the first to enter Zhuyuan. When he came in, Hou Dayong turned his back to him and was focusing on the map on the east wall.

Fengzhou Hou Mansion, carefully crafted by the former owner, became the most romantic and widest courtyard in Fengzhou City. The high gray walls completely separate the Hou Mansion from other buildings in Fengzhou City, showing the owner's high status in Fengzhou. In the gray walls, there are many old trees planted, as well as small bridges, flowing water, pavilions and seven or eight independent small courtyards. Hou Dayong's family is not many. After all settled down, there are still four or five independent small courtyards left.

After Hou Dayong established the military camp, he began to plan to establish a staff organization.

Hou Dayong chose a small courtyard in the Hou Mansion of Fengzhou. After more than two months of renovation, he created a hall similar to a war room. On the east side of the hall is a large map of the land and is more accurately marked on it, the general locations of the Great Zhou, Shu, Tang, Khitan, Tubo, and Uighurs, border lines, mountains, rivers and some important targets, and a sand table is placed on the south side, which marks the terrain of Qinzhou and its surrounding areas in three-dimensional way.

After the renovation of the small yard, Hou Dayong gave the small yard an elegant name: Bamboo Garden.

The candidates for the chief of staff need to have a considerable level of education and experience in leading troops at the grassroots level. The most suitable for these two places, Guo Jiong, the generals of the Black Eagle Army, was the first to show good war wisdom when he attacked the Limi Cultivate Cizhou General Office. He judged the movements of the Cizhou Holy Envoy through some clues and played a key role in solving the Cizhou Holy Envoy. Since then, Guo Jiong participated in all major battles of the Black Eagle Army. Guo Jiong, who withstood the test of war, was no longer a young man in Cangzhou, but became the commander-in-chief supported by the main cavalry of the Black Eagle Army.

However, with the unsuccessful experience of implementing the three-three system and the Dragon and Tiger Formation, Hou Dayong did not clearly announce the establishment of a staff organization to the generals, but instead selected some people with war experience and education from each army to come to Zhuyuan, asking them to provide various military data at any time, and arranged them to make some simple plans from time to time, and added the work of the staff organization to them bit by bit.

Hou Dayong pointed at Longxi with a wooden stick and said, "Guo Lang is here, come, look at the map first."

Longxi is the city closest to Qinzhou, and is now controlled by the Uighur army. If the Uighurs send troops from Longxi, they will arrive in Qinzhou in just half a day. In terms of strategy, it will pose a great threat to the Zhou army in Qinzhou. Hou Dayong, Qian Xiangnan, and Guo Jiong talked about Longxi several times together.

A light flashed in Guo Jiong's eyes and he said, "Do you want to do it?"

Hou Dayong pointed at Longxi and said, "This position has considerable strategic significance and must be held in our hands. Now the time to do it is ripe."
Chapter completed!