Chapter 167: Borrowing troops to combat bandits

Royal secret spies have existed since ancient times, but they should not be promoted. In the Tang Dynasty, although there was a complete supervision system, it was to examine the achievements of officials. As the superiors, they were more concerned about the security of the throne. Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, there have been court coups, brothers and feet fighting for thrones, and women interfering in politics have emerged one after another, almost every generation of monarchs. Therefore, the rulers of the Tang Dynasty paid special attention to exploration. The one recorded was the Office of the Inspection Affairs Office established by Emperor Suzong of Tang, which was under the jurisdiction of the eunuch Li Fuguo.

In fact, since Wu Zetian set up the Four Houses, the trend of informing emerged in the Tang Dynasty. When Li Longji arrived, he was also a country that was captured by the palace, and paid more attention to monitoring the abnormal movements of the royal family and generals in charge. He built the Ten King House and the Hundred Sun Courtyard. Many historical materials say that this was a manifestation of Li Longji's importance of family affection. In fact, it was not just a concentrated residence for easy monitoring. Correspondingly, the princes in the middle Tang Dynasty all had their own difficulties, and they were drunk and dreaming of death.

For border generals, since the 25th year of Tianbao, the soldiers guarding the border were changed from government soldiers to recruit soldiers. In order to maintain stability, the term of the border generals was generally longer. Li Longji strengthened their defense against them, and spies were essential, especially in the wars in the Western Regions, where there were many small countries and spies were not good. Eunuchs had to be sent to supervise the army to prevent the general from gaining troops and independent.

Of course, Li Long's basic people would not interfere in these trivial espionage matters. His spy agency was under the control of Gao Lishi and did not monitor all officials. It was generally distributed in capital and important prefectures and counties. Shazhou was the governor's state, so it was also placed under the jurisdiction of the Shanzhou branch.

Let’s talk about Li Qingfei running to chase the pigeon flock. He just thought of something that his letter was so heavy that it was impossible to send it away with pigeons. So he was not sure whether Liu Shenjun came to contact him. However, raising pigeons was a very common thing in the Tang Dynasty. Shazhou was alone in a corner, and using flying pigeons to send messages was the most suitable. However, it was reasonable for Li Qing to suspect Liu Shenjun to send messages.

When the pigeon flock appeared in the air, Liu Shenjun ran home. He wanted to feed his beloved pigeons, comb his feathers, and take care of the pigeon cage.

Li Qing rushed over with sweat, and happened to see pigeons folded up their long and beautiful wings and flew into the yard, finding a place. Li Qing was not anxious. He first looked at Liu Shenjun's house. The house was short and old, but it occupied a large area. The yard was very wide. It was mixed with fences and yellow mud and split into a circle of short courtyard walls. Two pieces of dilapidated wooden boards acted as the courtyard door, but it was useless. Although Liu Shenjun's house looked very dilapidated and no different from the surrounding houses, Li Qing's eyes had a perspective function, as if he saw his cellar full of money and grain.

Li Qing's heartbeat calmed down and walked towards the gate. He heard the sound of pigeons 'gu! Gu' from the yard, and the loving call of food from Liu Shenjun: "Yunqiwei, you have eaten it, it's time to go to the Zhuguo to eat it, and there is also the doctor of Guanglu, please wait."

In the yard, Liu Shenjun was holding a pigeon and was stroking its feathers with all his eyes, as if this was his lover's smooth skin. If his wife saw this situation, it would probably be necessary to take a shower.

"I didn't expect that Liu Chanjun still has the hobby of raising flying slaves."

At some point, Li Qingyouyou appeared behind him with his hands behind his back, leaned his head and smiled and said, "It's pretty fat!"

I don’t know if it was because of Li Qing’s appearance or the three words he said, but Liu Shenjun shook his hand and pulled out two pigeon hairs. The pigeon was in pain and flew away.

"I know my subordinates are wrong, so I will go back to the military camp now." Liu Shenjun bowed and bowed repeatedly, turning around to escape.

"Haha! This group of pigeons are good, and they are strong in muscles and bones, just to replenish my inner body."

When he was about to escape from the yard, Li Qing casually added that this sentence was more effective than the imperial edict. Liu Shenjun took a few steps back and returned to Li Qing, bowed his waist to 359 degrees, begging: "Governor, it's not that my subordinates don't want to respect you. These pigeons are really the lifeblood of their subordinates, so you can spare them!"

"You can't talk about your life. I think your job is almost the same. You can travel thousands of miles or even send a letter to Chang'an. Of course, Liu Shenjun is reluctant to leave."

Speaking of this, Li Qing looked at him with a smile, but Liu Shenjun's face changed drastically. He took a step back and said vigilantly: "I don't understand what the governor said. It's true that I can fly a thousand miles, but when I say that I send a letter, how can I start?"

His face changed quickly and his tone was so solemn that Li Qing further believed in his judgment. He continued to tentatively: "Since it is something that Liu Shenjun loves, a gentleman does not take away the favors of others. I don't want it, so that Liu Shenjun cannot explain it to the higher authorities."

Liu Shenjun became more and more shocked when he saw Li Qing's statements becoming more and more explicit. He was indeed an undercover agent stationed in Shazhou by Li Longji's secret service, but he was not the one who delivered the letter to Li Qing. He didn't know how to send a letter to Li Qing in three days. Li Qing found him, just like officers and soldiers lying on Liangshan Road to capture Wu Yong, the leader of the rebels, but after he was caught, he realized that he had made a mistake. The person who caught it was Song Jiang.

Liu Shenjun was hiding deeply, but Li Qing only came for a long time and doubted himself, which really made him feel incredible. Now the plan is to pretend to be confused to the end. He didn't dare to say more. The topic was a bit different and said, "Look at the Governor, it seems that he has something to look for his subordinates, but has a conclusion at noon?"

It would be okay to wait for Li Qing for another three days, but this undercover agent is not just about sending a message for him. From the fact that he has been staying in Shazhou, it can be inferred that his duty is to monitor the governor of Shazhou. If he can hold him in his hands, it would be like blinding Li Longji's eyes. He has now determined that Liu Shenjun is an undercover agent.

Li Qing walked two steps behind his hands and sneered coldly: "Not bad! I'm here to ask you if I have something to do."

He raised his eyes and pointed his eyes at him, "At noon, what Liu Shenjun said, the two thousand,800 men of my Doulu Army were taken away at the beginning of the year. It has been nearly half a year since the beginning of the year. The court still distributed grain and rice according to the standard of 4,000 people. Then I want to ask Liu Shenjun where the extra grain and rice in the past six months have gone? I think Liu Shenjun would not reply that I was sent to Lord Huangfu!"

Sweat had already rolled down Liu Shenjun's forehead. Everyone in Qi Cao had a share of this matter. He had the most share. He originally wanted to win over his relationship while having dinner tonight, but now he mentioned it. What should I do?

Li Qing knew that this person was afraid of intimidation, and saw that he had already frozen, he couldn't help but smile coldly and poured a basin of ice water on him. "I used to be the acting magistrate of Yibin County, and I also have a group of brothers under him. I was worried that there would be no position to settle. If I guess correctly, everyone will have a share of the seven grains and rice in the past six months, haha! Isn't it as my wish?"

He laughed to the sky and turned away with his hands behind his back. Liu Shenjun's face turned pale and red, and his heart seemed to be trampling on empty space. His identity was special. If he committed a crime, the superiors would not only not help him, but he would probably die in prison first. Although he knew that Li Qing was just threatening him now, reselling military rations was a death sentence and no one could save him. If he died, what should his wife and children do? What should he do if his parents and parents do? The more he thought about it, he became more and more afraid. Then he thought that if he cooperated with him, both sides would be beneficial. He must have no choice but to betray him. There was no need to die for the special subsidy of fifty taels every year. Thinking of this, he felt aggrieved and said to Li Qing anxiously: "Governor, please stay!"

Li Qing turned around and smiled slightly, "Does Liu Shenjun want to talk to me about these flying slaves?"

'Unintentionally planted willows and willows to form shade', when Li Qing learned that Liu Shenjun was indeed an undercover agent, but not the person who sent the message to him, he felt like he was making a fortune unexpectedly, as if a thorn hidden on his back was pulled out. He relaxed all over and patted Liu Shenjun on the shoulder and smiled, "Don't you want to write a report to the above first? Just say that after I knew about Dou Lujun, I was extremely angry and cursed Huangfu Weiming for the disaster of the country, and was deeply worried about the safety of the Tang Dynasty."

Liu Shenjun agreed with a bitter face. Li Qing thought about it but smiled and said, "I won't make things difficult for you anymore. You won't believe it if you write it like this. Just say mercy! I was deeply shocked and said to myself, "What should I do if Tubo comes to attack Shazhou?"

Liu Shenjun nodded and agreed. Just as he was about to leave, Li Qing remembered something again and called him and said, "Tell Liu Cao that I will invite the brothers in the army to dinner tonight and have dinner with you tomorrow night. At that time, I will have a good talk with you about the grain and rice for the past six months."

Time flies very quickly, and two days have passed in a flash. The person who came to get his trust has not been able to show up for a long time. Li Qing is not in a hurry. He believes that the person will appear automatically.

In Shazhou, Li Qing was the governor and governor, and both military and political management. Although Shazhou was poor, he was not worried. After all, the wealth of a place cannot be achieved by just one's gain. It requires a long accumulation process, just like the development of Suzhou began to accumulate since the Song Dynasty. Of course, it does not take so long, but it is always necessary for three or five years.

What Li Qing had to do was to position Shazhou in the future, and then develop it according to this rule. Shazhou had a very good geographical location and was very suitable for being a transit station for Tanghu trade. Merchants crossed the long desert, and the camel bells echoed in the wind. A big city lying across the Gobi Desert, shining with the brilliance of gold, a place of hope and dreams, this is Dunhuang.

This is Li Qing's positioning for Shazhou to develop transit trade, but now the one who threatens his plan is the group of arrogant horse bandits who must get rid of them.

It was already June. In later generations, this was the midsummer of July. The scorching sun in Dunhuang was even better than Chang'an. The weather was so hot that it was crazy. In the afternoon, Li Qing returned from the Yangguan Post Office. The ground was like a fire. Some gray gas that looked like clouds but not clouds, and fog but not fog floated low in the air, making people feel suffocated.

The group finally arrived at the front of the state yamen, and saw dozens of war horses tied there. Dozens of tall and burly Tang soldiers sat on the ground under the shade of the tree without saying a word. Everyone had big arms and round waists and solemn eyes.

Li Qing was wondering, but heard a generous laugh from the yamen, "Thank you, Lord Wang, for arranging food and accommodation for my brothers, I am very grateful."

"It's Li Siye!"

Li Qing was surprised. Gao Xianzhi was willing to let him go. He didn't care about sweating all over. He rushed into the yamen in two steps in three steps. There was no sunlight. The state yamen was relatively cool. In Wang Changling's official office, two men in military uniforms sat. One was very tall, with long hands and long legs, and a chaotic face. His eyes were solemn, and a sharp light shot out from his eyes. This was Li Siye, a Modao general who had just been appointed as the cavalry commander and the general of the Yulin Army. After returning from Nanzhao, he returned to Anxi. Ten days ago, he received a transfer order from the Ministry of War and appointed him as the deputy general of the Doulu Army. Today he is here to take office.

The other man had a long face and a long beard with a straight waist, but his eyes seemed a little worried. He was Gao Zhandao, who had been placed beside Zhang Qiu Jianqiong. He had just come from Anxi because he received a task that he was extremely reluctant but had to do.

The footsteps of 'dong!dong!' made Li Siye and Gao Zhandao stand up at the same time. The former was excited, while the latter was nervous. Who else could dare to run so voluntarily in the state yamen?

"You are finally here!"

Li Qing was a little excited. The days of staying in Nanzhao flowed through his mind like flowing water, vividly in his mind. Although he had not been separated from them for a long time, he felt that many years had passed.

He said to Li Siye again: "I thought Gao Xianzhi would refuse to let you go, and I was worried for a long time."

Li Siye smiled bitterly, shook his head, pointed to Gao Zhandao and said, "He refused to let go at first, and the Ministry of War's transfer order was useless. In the end, thanks to Zhandao's love, he let go."

Li Qing looked at Gao Zhandao in surprise, felt something in his heart, and punched him gently and said, "You kid, you hide everything from me. You won't be here to be an undercover again this time!"

In a word, he said that the heart disease of Gao Zhandao was so heartbroken that he showed helplessness and sadness in his eyes, and he was speechless. Li Qing nodded slowly, "I understand!"

Suddenly he smiled again, patted Gao Zhandao on the shoulder and said, "Do you know? When he told me about this, I was thinking, how good it would be if Zhandao would be. Now it is really you, but this is the best result."

"Yangming, what's going on? You must tell me this time!" Wang Changling, who was standing beside him, said anxiously.

Li Qing shrugged indifferently and said, "It's nothing! The current emperor asked me to write a report every three days!"

Seeing Wang Changling's stunned look, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "A small matter is a small matter, let's not talk about it, go! Go to my official office and I'll invite you to drink the cold deep well water."

He grabbed one with one hand and walked out, but Gao Zhandao pointed at Wang Changling and smiled and said, "I have something to do with County Chief Wang, you can go first!"

Li Qing knew that he wanted to explain the undercover affairs to Wang Changling, so he didn't force him to take Li Siye to his room. One of the two mobile secretary went to the county government office, and the other just arrived today and had some heatstroke. He was lying in the dormitory to rest. The room was quiet, and only Si Bi sat there dozed off. When he saw the master coming in, he quickly rubbed his eyes and stood up.

"You go and dig two cups of well water and use my two largest bamboo cups."

Si Bi agreed and hurried to fetch water. Li Qing pulled a chair and asked Li Siye to sit down. Then he asked with a smile: "Did you bring those dozens of men at the door?"

Li Siye nodded and said, "Those are the fifty elite Modao selected from the Anxi Army. I originally selected 300, but the general did not allow it."

"Fifty is very good. They can be coaches. At least my storm team has to be trained as Mo Daoshi. The cost is not a problem. I can take out the money."

"Yangming"

Li Siye was silent for a moment and suddenly asked, "I heard that Dou Lujun had some problems. Can you tell me?"

It must be what Wang Changling told him, but Li Qing did not intend to hide it from him, so he told him everything he knew, and finally said in a deep voice: "I am ready to report to the emperor truthfully that the soldiers of the Doulu army must be filled. Whether it is the court or recruiting myself, this matter must not be concealed. Otherwise, when we fight against Tubo, we will have to be wiped out."

Although Li Siye was a calm person, the seriousness of what Li Qing said still changed his face several times. Although Gao Damao was conceited, he would never dare to do such a thing. To put it seriously, this would be suspected of rebellion. He pondered for a moment and said, "Last time, Yangming inferred that Tubo might invade the border this year, so I guess the emperor would not move Huangfu Weiming for the time being, nor would he transfer troops from the Central Plains. New recruits still need training, and it is too late. The most likely to be a replenishment from Anxi. However, the general was very proud of his troops, and he would most likely refuse, or give some old, weak and disabled soldiers. It would be better for me to go back and tell him the strength. Maybe he can agree, and I will leave tomorrow without delay."

Li Qing shook his head and said, "There is no hurry to do this. I will wait until the emperor's reply comes. I'm anxious to wait for you to come. There is a big thing to do. There is a group of horse bandits in the Hexi Corridor. I heard that there are as many as 3,000 people. I am most worried that if the war between the Tang and Tibet begins, my Doulu army will be transferred to the front line and they take the opportunity to attack Shazhou, what should our family members do? What should the people of Shazhou do? So no matter what, you must destroy them first!"

Li Siye smiled, "If this is the case, I will go back even more. As you said, our Doulu army has only 1,200 people, and it is still a bit difficult to deal with the 3,000 horse bandits, so I want to go back and borrow soldiers. Besides, this group of horse bandits hindered the trade, and the general hated him for a long time, but it was difficult to cross the border to conquer. If Yangming intends to fight it, I think the general will be willing to cooperate and should borrow soldiers."

Li Qing said nothing. He frowned and walked around the house with his hands behind his back. Suddenly, "I have an idea that may offend you tall and handsome, but I want to ask you first to see if my idea is feasible?"

"You just say it!"

"I think again, if you only say that the Doulu army's strength is weak when you go to borrow troops, you may not be able to wipe out the entire group of horse bandits. I ask General Gao to borrow 3,000 elite troops. Then the imperial court's order to dispatch troops will arrive, can I just go to this army?"

"Absolutely not!"

Before Li Qing finished speaking, Li Siye stood up and said bluntly: "Our general hates people to deceive him the most. If Yangming does this, he will definitely not forgive you."

Li Qing looked out the window with his hands behind his back, and after a long time he slowly said, "What if the emperor ordered him to do this? Will he refuse?"

"This" Li Siye was speechless for a moment.

Li Qing smiled slightly and waved his hand to let him sit down, "I know Siye is for my own good. In this way, you should borrow troops as I want. Never say that Doulu army was taken away by Huangfu Weiming. This matter is of great importance. You must remember. Just say that Doulu army has weak strength. After the emperor's imperial edict is issued, I will go to Kucha in person and ask General Gao himself for this army. If he refuses to give it to him, it would be fine. Do you think this is good?"

Li Siye sighed, there was no way to do this.
Chapter completed!