At the end of April in the fourth year of Yuan Zhen's reign in the Tang Dynasty, a group of more than a thousand people meandered outside the Chunming Gate, the main gate on the west side of Chang'an.
Hou Junji raised his head and looked at the tall Chang'an city wall, feeling that it was no different from when he left. It was just that he had not returned for several years, so it was different after all.
Chang'an changed its owner, and the world was unified under the Tang Dynasty. The sun, moon and star flags were erected on the walls of Chang'an again. However, the Sui Dynasty had gradually moved away, and the sun, moon and stars flags had also changed their appearance.
Hou Junji himself changed even more. When he returned to Chang'an, he felt a mixture of emotions.
He thought of his dissolute life in Chang'an, and at the same time he also remembered the person who changed his destiny. He felt unforgettable at that time, but now, with the passage of time, the beautiful face like a flower in his memory has long been blurred.
Back then, he joined the army out of frustration, but when he looked back, he felt like he was a human being again. The thoughts he had in his early years were like those of a young man. Although he couldn't let go, he didn't have many thoughts anymore.
Talking about returning home in rich clothes, humiliating the Dugu family, etc. are all like a joke.
What else is there for the Dugu clan to be ashamed of? Several heads of the family have died, and they are just a bunch of fools who cannot understand the general situation and cannot see heroes. Only Hou Junji is too lazy to be like them.
Of course, he has always been conceited and would not admit the fact that the more he gained knowledge, the more he felt guilty.
After looking at the city gate for a while, Hou Junji curled his lips secretly and comforted himself, who was timid about being close to home, that there was nothing to be afraid of. The people here were probably the same group of people who couldn't eat him.
He was barely able to return to his hometown in glory. At the end of last year, he was promoted to the Duke of Shanggu County and took over the post of General of the Guards of the Left Prison. His promotion was relatively rapid.
Mainly because he helped General Pang Yu, the guard of Zuojian Gate, to defeat Tuyuhun the year before last. In addition, he followed Cheng Zhijie to Dunhuang to pick up the fugitives from the Western Turks.
When fighting the Tubo people last year, he followed Pang Yu in another attack and captured the Tubo leader Qilebu and others.
Later, he was highly recommended by Fan Wenjin, the general manager of Liangzhou, and Pang Yu, the general of the left prison guard, and was rewarded heavily.
In fact, it is a good time. The last wave of rewards for the founding of the Tang Dynasty was just last year. Many people benefited, and Hou Junji was one of them.
After this point, everyone will probably have to work harder to get decent rewards.
This time he came back to Beijing not to report on his duties, but to escort the Tibetan envoys to Beijing. As luck would have it, the Western Turks sent some more people.
It is also easy to understand that the envoy team sent by the Western Turks before was a bit perfunctory. After receiving the news that the Tang Dynasty had pacified the princes, they obviously increased their efforts.
The Tibetan envoy had nothing to say, but the Western Turks were of different weight and had to be treated with courtesy. Otherwise, the Tibetan envoy would not need him, the newly promoted Zuojianmen general, to personally escort them.
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"I finally saw Chang'an. Such a majestic city is exactly like the one in the legend. How many people live in the city? It must be very laborious to build such a big city, right?"
A young man nearby exclaimed in his broken Chinese, as if he had never seen the world.
At the end of April, summer has entered, and the weather is getting warmer, but the young man is still wearing a thick sheepskin hat, with two wolf tails swinging back and forth on his sweaty face.
He was wrapped in a leather robe and wore flip-up leather boots on his feet, a standard Turkic dress.
In appearance, he also has high eyebrows and deep eyes, and a pair of blue eyes that rotate around, giving him a very clever appearance. This kind of appearance will definitely be unmistakable in the Central Plains, and he must be a member of the Turkic royal family.
His name is Ashina Zeli, the favorite son of the Western Turkic leader Yehu Khan. He is probably afraid that he would be killed by the Western Turkic rebel generals if he sent others over. This man is still close to the two cousins who defected to Tang Dynasty.
good.
When they arrived in Zhangye, they got along happily with Ashina Tong'er. It can be seen that the relationship between the Turks is very confusing. Many times they are both brothers and enemies. It can be said that the bones are broken and the tendons are connected.
Along the way, Hou Junji had become familiar with the Western Turkic prince. After hearing this, he laughed and said, "Isn't this what the capital of a country is like? Your royal account should be good, right?"
Ashina Zerli waved his hands in a very earnest manner and said, "It's no match. My father has just moved the king's tent from Sanmi Mountain to Suiye River, and the people living there are still in felt tents. It will take two years to build the city."
.”
Hou Junji rolled his eyes and said with a smile: "Zuiyechuan, it's really far away. I don't know when I can go there and have a look."
Ashina Zerli was not yet familiar with the evil minds of the Central Plains people, so he said cheerfully: "One day General Hou is really going to arrive there, I will treat you to the best wine and call the best women to dance for the general.
"
Hou Junji looked at him and couldn't help laughing, thinking to himself, if I really get there in the future, why would you treat me to a drink? If I can't get it myself, what fun will there be?
Someone next to Leng Buding said in a rough voice: "Special Service, let's enter the city quickly. Have you forgotten what the Khan told you?"
Hou Junji smiled and said nothing. The person who spoke was a middle-aged man with a big beard that seemed to cover only his eyes.
His eyebrows are slightly flat, and he always exudes a strong aura.
These are not Turks, but the Tiele people who have the closest connection with the Turks. For more than a hundred years, they have been brothers and subjects of the Turks. In many cases, they are also the most feared enemies of the Turks.
The Tiele people helped the Turks defeat the Rouran people and intermarried with the Turks. Until now, the Tiele tribes have dispersed due to intentional or unintentional actions of the Turks.
Their distribution is extremely wide, from their ancestral land on the banks of the Tula River to Central Asia and Eastern Europe, the Tiele tribes are all present.
Ding Ling, Gaoche, Xue Yantuo, Huihe, etc. can all be classified as Tiele people.
And this middle-aged man is one of the nine surnames of Tiele, the leader of the Qibi tribe, Qibi Ge, the son of Ge Lun Yi Wu Shi Mohe Khan. Their tribe is stationed on the bank of Rehai and is ruled by
Yehu Khan granted him the title of Elifa, who was in charge of one side.
This time, I personally escorted Ashina Eli to Chang'an. In addition to ensuring Ashina Eli's safety, it also had another meaning.
Tongyehu Khan was showing the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty that he had conquered the Tiele tribes and could drive them like an arm and a finger.
It's just that I don't know if the emperors and ministers of the Tang Dynasty could understand this vague meaning. After all, the Western Regions were relatively unfamiliar to them.
Even the Western Turks themselves may not understand the mess of little khans and various ethnic groups, let alone the people of the Tang Dynasty.
It must be said that the Qibi tribe and Tuyuhun were feuding. They once lived in Hexi, but were driven out of Hexi by the Tuyuhun people and lived in the Rehai area, which was later known as Issyk-Kul Lake.
This chapter has been completed!