Zhang Gui's health is much better, but he still feels tired easily, so he now leaves most things to his son Zhang Shi, and only takes care of some important matters himself.
An official came in, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, Huang An and others have brought all the military documents, and there is also a letter from Luoyang."
The letter was written by Zhao Hanzhang himself. Not only did she receive a letter from Zhang Gui, but also a letter from Zhao Xin came back with him. He described in detail the situation in Xiliang and what he had seen along the way from Luoyang and Chang'an to Xiliang.
It can be said that in comparison, the situation in Xiliang is much better. Zhongzhou, especially the section from Luoyang to outside Yumen Pass, is full of refugees displaced by famine and war.
Even though Zhao Hanzhang repeatedly issued announcements asking people to return to Luo'an to settle down, there were still many refugees who would rather go into exile than come back.
In the past two years, life in Luoyang was too sad.
As Xin Zhao traveled westward, he only saw numerous bones. He watched with his own eyes as refugees fell down as they walked, making no more noise. Then the fellow refugees would drag the corpses into the forest, and in the end only a pair of bones remained.
Zhao Hanzhang had never seen such a scene, but just listening to Zhao Xin's description made him shudder. This fear was not for the refugees who cannibalized human flesh, but for the difficulties of this world.
This is what Xin Zhao saw with his eyes, and how many such things, or even worse things, happened in places they didn't see?
Outside the Pass, Zhang Guigang calmed down the civil strife. Last year, he defeated Zhang Zhen and killed Cao Qu and others. As soon as the civil strife subsided, he began to appease the people.
Like Zhao Hanzhang, he first gathered the people separated by the war, then asked officials to preach stories of loyalty and righteousness to bring the people back to their hearts, and finally pardoned those who rebelled against the party and were not sentenced to death. To this day, the work of appeasing the people is still there.
conduct.
Zhao Xin praises Zhang Gui in every word. Zhang Gui is currently the second person besides Zhao Hanzhang that Zhao Xin has convinced when it comes to bringing peace to the people.
He said: "It's a pity that the two envoys could not meet me, otherwise they would have become friends."
He believed that Zhang Gui and Zhao Hanzhang took roughly the same actions and each other had outstanding achievements, so they could learn from each other.
Zhao Hanzhang can't see Zhang Gui, but it doesn't mean that she can't become friends with him.
After sending Bei Gongchun and others away, she began to think carefully about her reply to Zhang Gui.
After learning about the situation in Xiliang, Zhao Hanzhang wanted to cooperate with Zhang Gui even more.
Her abilities are limited now, but she still hopes to save more people.
Zhang Gui opened the letter and read it slowly.
After a while, he sat up slightly, his eyes shining with tears and getting brighter and brighter.
He stood up, walked around the room for a while, and then took out the letter and read it again.
Although Zhang Gui had always supported the rule of the imperial court, he was not very confident in his heart.
He was so scared, afraid that one day he would wake up and find that the emperor had changed again, with a foreign surname.
At that time, the world will definitely be in chaos. At that moment, will Xiliang rebel or not?
He has always been lonely, but at this moment, he felt that he had found a fellow traveler.
Regardless of the late night, Zhang Gui immediately summoned his cronies and told them: "I decided to build a post station all the way from Dunhuang County to Chang'an and station troops to ensure the safety of the caravan coming from Zhongzhou."
Zhang Lang was shocked during the treatment and asked quickly: "Why did the envoy suddenly spend so much money?"
Zhang Guite said: "Zhao Hanzhang from Yuzhou is a good minister. I decided to open up the trade route from Zhongzhou to Xiliang with her to exchange what we need."
"Didn't the envoy have already promised envoy Zhao before? Now there is a trade road from Chang'an to Xiliang, which is enough for use. It will cost a lot to station troops on such a long trade road."
Zhang Gui sighed and said, "The Central Plains are in ruins. Many people have left Zhongzhou and want to come to Xiliang. I heard people say that there is a famine in Chang'an and Luoyang. I can't watch the people die of hunger and cold."
He said: "So I decided to divide a part of Wuwei into Wuxing County, and then divide Xiping County into Jinxing County to gather the refugees."
Zhang Lang and others looked at each other in confusion, "This... two counties will be set up to take in refugees. How many refugees will my lord take in?"
Zhang Gui said with a serious face: "Try your best."
"But food..."
"Jun Gong Zhao said that she would help me. As long as I am willing, she will send someone to send a batch of food. In addition, there will be weapons to strengthen our army and prevent Xianbei from invading."
Zhang Lang looked suspicious, "How can Zhao Hanzhang be so good? She is willing to give up food for free to support our people?"
If this person stays in Xiliang, he is from Xiliang.
Zhang Gui sighed: "She is just like me. She wants the world to be peaceful and the people to live in peace. How can she care about those conflicts of interests?"
The cronies were silent and couldn't help but feel sad, "The person who can make General Beigong stay in Luoyang willingly is indeed not a treacherous person."
Everyone acquiesced in Zhang Gui's decision.
Zhang Gui felt a little heartbroken when he thought of Bei Gongchun. He failed to bring the people back. He actually felt guilty for the Xiliang soldiers who went out.
So Huang An brought people back to pick up the military papers, and he agreed without thinking.
"Send someone to invite envoy Zhao tomorrow. I want to see him in person."
"yes."
Zhao Hanzhang felt that with Zhang Gui's personality, he would definitely agree to her proposal and accept a large number of refugees from Zhongzhou.
So she started raking in her own money.
The more she calculated, the more distressed she became.
Fu Tinghan was more familiar with her assets than she was, both public and private. Although he didn't care about the accounting, he would occasionally help her calculate it to keep an eye on it so that it wouldn't be wasted.
In particular, Gao Jie brought back gold and silver jewelry for the first time.
Seeing her wrinkled face, looking distressed and having a headache, he asked, "Do you regret sending Zhang Gui food?"
"It's not that I regret it, it's just painful," Zhao Hanzhang said, "Heartbroken."
Fu Tinghan smiled and said: "You don't have enough to eat or clothes to keep warm now, so why do you think of giving him food?"
"There is no way. Although Xiliang controls the Hexi Corridor, it occupies a very large area, and their life is not easy," Zhao Hanzhang said: "Without foreign aid, Zhang Gui will not be able to gather many refugees even if he wants to."
"And Yumen Pass is guarded by King Nanyang. Although the emperor and courtiers always exaggerate, they are actually very wary of him. Yumen Pass will never be guarded."
"Zhang Gui himself also knew that in order not to arouse the suspicion of the Jin Emperor and the courtiers, he never did anything out of line. Otherwise, with his military power and might, all the Xiliang troops led by Beigong Chun would have arrived in Chang'an, and he would have led his troops directly
Wouldn't it be good to rush through Yumen Pass and take people away?"
Zhao Hanzhang said: "There are not many people in this world who can stop Bei Gongchun and him."
"So it's not that we can't, but we just don't dare," she said: "Zhongzhou is miserable now, but in fact, as long as we have money, we can buy food from Shu, Liangjiang and Jiangnan, but Xiliang is just a pass away from Yumen Pass.
If you don’t go in, you can’t get out.”
"With so many refugees, neither I nor Grandpa Fu can control them, and we cannot leave them alone. Letting them go to Xiliang is their only way to survive."