Zuo Yiwei General Hou Junji and Zuowu Houwei General Xiao Siye came to welcome Wuyuan. Hou Junji was transferred from Xihai Racecourse, and Xiao Siye came from Lingzhou.
They have different backgrounds from Ashina Danai and Pei Xingyan. They are all in their thirties and are rising stars in the army. In a few years, they will be able to open a mansion and build a family.
The county seat of Yanchuan County is in Wuyuan, located inside the Great Wall of Han Dynasty.
It is completely different from Wuyuan County in the north. Many local people call it Nan Wuyuan, which is a serious Central Plains dynasty county. Unlike Bei Wuyuan in the north, it is located in what people later called the Hetao area, and is also known as Jiangnan on the Fortress.
It is irrigated by the Yellow River waterway, the land is quite fertile and can be farmed, and there are large tracts of pasture. It can be said that it is called Jiangnan.
Exiting the Great Wall from Wuyuan is the place beyond the Great Wall in the traditional sense.
To the north is the vast Gobi Desert, which is inaccessible all year round and filled with yellow sand.
When leaving Wuyuan City, Li Po patted Ma Jiulin, the governor of Yanchuan County, on the shoulder and said: "This is not a good place. There is neither farming nor much grazing space. The people live in poverty.
But this place is covered by the Great Wall, and it is the gateway to the north of Beijing and Zhaozhao. Please stay here and endure the loneliness. People traveling from Lingzhou to Shuofang must pass through here. You can build more post stations and a few more Zhechong mansions.
It can bring some benefits to the people under the rule."
Ma Jiulin's eyes reddened with gratitude. He had been around the emperor these days and it was easy for him to have random thoughts. But now after listening to the emperor's words, his doubts were gone.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. I have the responsibility of guarding the land here, and naturally I have to work for the benefit of the people. It seems that life is much better than before. The border market in the north has been open for two years.
Caravans leaving the Great Wall had to pass through Wuyuan, so that many people could do business with the traveling merchants. Starvation deaths like those in previous years rarely happened.
It's just that the supply of military supplies over Shuofang is a bit difficult. From here to Shuofang, the consumption is astonishing. The Ministry of Revenue has been blaming it for many years, which makes the officials quite worried..."
Li Po couldn't help but frowned after hearing this, thinking that it seemed that Chi Dao still needed to be repaired.
"It's really difficult to come all the way. I don't blame you for this. I will discuss it with the Ministry of Household Affairs after I return to Beijing. You don't have to think too much. Just do your part. It will be natural when the Ministry of Officials takes the test.
There will be a bias.”
…………
When the emperor goes on tour, it is often unpredictable for the local officials along the way.
Ma Jiulin and other Yanchuan County officials received the emperor's sympathy. With the emperor's words, everyone in Yanchuan County could breathe a sigh of relief.
Speaking of which, the Great Wall stretches for thousands of miles. Most of it was built during the Qin and Han Dynasties, and later people only repaired it.
Most of the counties and counties along the Great Wall are on the border, and the living conditions are very difficult. Moreover, every few years, they will be invaded by barbarians, and life is really not happy.
It's just that the border lines today are very different from those of the Qin and Han Dynasties. With the ups and downs of the Central Plains dynasties, the territories have become larger and smaller, and some parts of the Northern Great Wall have become the internal jurisdiction of the Central Plains dynasties.
So in general, since the Qin and Han Dynasties, the territory of the Central Plains Dynasty has been slowly expanding outward.
For example, Wuyuan, from the Sui Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, had become the inherent sphere of influence of the Central Plains dynasty, and the role of the Great Wall was not that great here.
Ma Jiulin is right. Nowadays, there are more and more caravans traveling from north to south. The livelihood of the people of Yanchuan County is indeed much better than before. Moreover, without the impact of the war, it is very feasible to develop business in accordance with the trend.
…………
Because the time for the alliance was getting closer and closer, and there was still a long way to go, after leaving the Great Wall, the speed of the team suddenly increased.
It only took a little more than a day to arrive at Zhiyan Green City, Shuofang County.
This was the last big city after leaving the fortress. It was built by the Huns. More than 20,000 Tang troops stationed in Shuofang were stationed here. It was formerly under the command of Xu Shiji.
Later, Zuo Wu Houwei Sima joined the army and Cao Fang commanded the army. In early May of this year, Youyiwei General Yuwen Huo led his army to come here, and the military power was transferred to Yuwen Huo.
Immediately, Yu Wenhuo ordered Cao Fang to lead three thousand troops north to Yulin and stationed in Beiwuyuan, with the intention of echoing Xue Wanjun, the general manager of Lingzhou, to completely control Henan, which was the surrounding area where Hetao was later located.
At this time, Pei Xingyan, the general of the Zuo Imperial Guard, also led two thousand troops and rushed to Yanlu City.
The emperor's northern patrol team arrived at Yanlu City, and the formation of the northbound team was almost completed. More than 10,000 people, holding various flags, once again brought drinking water and food, left Yanlu City and headed north to Yulin.
Going north along the Great Wall, there is endless yellow sand to the west. The environment is so barren and harsh that it is difficult to describe it in words.
During the period when Xu Shiji commanded troops and was stationed in Shuofang, he sent out troops several times to annihilate many fierce bandits, clearing the way for the Tang Dynasty and the Turks to set up border markets in Yulin.
At the same time, it also ended the local chaos caused by the war in the late Sui Dynasty.
There are not many people living along the way. As long as no one lives there, some previously established villages will soon disappear into the yellow sand.
When the team entered the boundary of Yulin, the environment finally got better. First there were sporadic greens, and then going north, patches of pasture appeared in sight.
Without the need for explanations from the people next to him, Li Po knew that this was the location of the Yulin Racecourse in the former Sui Dynasty.
"When Emperor Yang visited Yulin in the north, he was followed by three to four hundred thousand people, including tens of thousands of donkeys and horses. It is said that when he traveled north to Yulin, tens of thousands of people died along the way..."
The team arrived at Liangu and rested for a night. Liu Zhenghui, the assistant minister of Zhongshu, accompanied Li Po to talk.
The route Li Po took today is exactly the same as when Yang Guang visited the north in the third year of Daye, but the momentum cannot be compared with that of Yang Guang.
Li Po drank some tea soup prepared by his attendants and gnawed on a few roasted mutton bone sticks. His life seemed to go back to the time when he was hanging out in Mayi.
It's just that he was still young at that time and could endure any kind of suffering. Now, he is exhausted and always wants to reach the meeting place as soon as possible and have a good rest for two days.
"I have heard this matter mentioned many times. Three to four hundred thousand people? This road is not easy to travel. There are so many people... Maybe Yang Guang wants to show off his martial arts and intimidate the Turks?"
He was very tired both physically and mentally, and even said less harsh words. If he were in Chang'an, according to his habit, he would definitely ridicule Yang Guang.
Although Liu Zhenghui is a descendant of the Huns, he is very upright and has strong bones. When he was captured in Jinyang, he spent a long time in prison because he did not want to live without betraying his master. He was much stronger than others.
If Li Shentong's knees were not too weak, he would probably have to stay in jail for a while.