"What do you think, Brother Qingyuan, of the return of the Guiyi Army to the DPRK?" On the way back to the government office, Chai Rong and Wu Tingzuo were riding in the same car. Thinking of the conversation just now, Chai Rong asked Wu Tingzuo.
Wu Tingzuo slowly stroked his beard, which was not thick, with a slight smile on his lips, and commented: "The sincerity in offering the land is sufficient. It seems that the chaos in the Western Regions has indeed made the Cao family feel the crisis, otherwise they would not have been in such a hurry.
Come from the east. However, how to deal with it depends on the wishes of His Majesty and the court!"
Cao Yuangong's statement can be said to be heartfelt and his feelings can be said to be sincere, but people like Chai Rong and Wu Tingzuo will not be moved by it. What they think about are the reasons behind it and the impact of this matter on the big man.
interests, etc.
As for Cao Yuangong's repeated statement that the Guiyi army's heart is toward the imperial court and that the people of Gua and Sha yearn for heaven's grace, these words are enough to deal with the situation, but they are really not necessary.
They are all people who have come out of the old era, experienced the changes in the world, and have a basic understanding and judgment of many things.
Cao Yuangong's words can be half believed. The military and the people's support for the imperial court should be true. In addition to the high degree of cultural recognition, it is also because they have persisted for so many years and really need the strong support of the empire.
As for the choice of affiliation, it simply depends on the general trend and the situation.
Of course, this does not negate the Guiyi Army and the Cao family. It is extremely rare to be able to discern the situation and make the right choice. In this world, there will always be many people who would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix.
In the whole world, the Guiyi Army may not be worth mentioning, but in Hexi, it finally occupies a stable place. It is a truly powerful force, and there are many tribal forces attached to it.
Being willing to give up your ancestral property, cities, land, and population also requires great courage. Yes, once the Guiyi Army donates its land, it will be like Zhangquan and Wuyue. The essence must be controlled by the imperial court. If the Guiyi Army donates land, it will have an essence and will be controlled by the imperial court.
The rebels had no such preparations, and they still tried to seize Gua and claim their clan territory. It would be unnecessary to go to the court and ask for their return, and might even anger Emperor Liu and the Han court.
On the other hand, objectively speaking, in the early tenth century, when the Guiyi Army was declining and almost destroyed, the Cao family was able to shoulder the heavy burden and lead the Hexi survivors to persevere tenaciously in the harsh environment surrounded by bandits.
, in the remote northwest, retaining a piece of Han territory is already rare, and it is a great achievement.
As Cao Yuangong said, in the past fifty years, it has been easier said than done in the past fifty years of playing tricks on both sides, exchanging base words, and surviving in the cracks. If we go back to Zhang Yichao's expulsion of Tibet and the restoration of Hexi, the achievements of the Guiyi Army will be even greater. After all,
It was a splendid and glorious history created by the Han people in the late Tang Dynasty, which still makes people of insight yearn for and regret it.
At the same time, although the imperial court has not yet thought of regaining Hexi in one fell swoop, it is foreseeable that without the persistence of the Guiyi Army in Guasha, the imperial court's return to Hexi will definitely not go smoothly, and the resistance and difficulties it will encounter will also be
Far beyond imagination.
It is precisely for these reasons that both Wu Tingzuo and Chai Rong showed sufficient courtesy and respect to the Guiyi Army and Cao Yuangong.
This has always been Emperor Liu's attitude. Of course, there is also the Guiyi Army's own efforts in this. With Emperor Liu's temperament, if the Cao family is ignorant of current affairs, stubborn, and still regards the land as private land, then when the Han army goes west
When the time comes, past achievements will have no effect...
"In the opinion of Brother Qingyuan, should we just head west?" Chai Rong looked at Wu Tingzuo and asked with a smile.
After thinking carefully, Wu Tingzuo said: "If you accept the surrender, then you should deal with the Ganzhou Uighurs together. Otherwise, even if you accept it, the court will not be able to effectively control it. Furthermore, the court should not let the Ganzhou Uighurs stay for a long time.
It's like a stick in our throats to stand on our own as a Han country!"
"It seems that Brother Qingyuan agrees to send troops?" Chai Rong said.
"Most of the officers and soldiers in Hexi have the ambition to expand westward and are enterprising. The westward advance is in line with the military's will and public opinion, and is also in line with your majesty's general strategy! This time the rebel army has taken the initiative to join us, which is a good opportunity. If we can advance from east to west, the land of Gansu can be quickly secured
, Hexi can be restored!" During the conversation, Wu Tingzuo waved his hands in the air subconsciously twice, with an excited expression, and then quickly restrained himself, and said: "It's just that the country currently focuses on raising the people, and does not want to start the war lightly.
Before the official arrival, His Majesty also stated that Hexi should give priority to stabilizing the current situation..."
"Under normal circumstances, you should follow the country's general policy!" Chai Rongze said with pride on his face: "However, the situation in Hexi has changed now, chaos has occurred, and the Ganzhou Uighurs have strange intentions. Since the Guiyi Army has taken the initiative to attack, the imperial court
There is no reason to reject someone from afar. Besides, I have served His Majesty for many years and have always advocated adapting to the times and am well versed in the art of contingency. Now that the opportunity has come, how can I let it go?
Furthermore, in the northwest now, with the strength of the Han Dynasty, it is enough to raise partial troops, and there is no need to mobilize the whole army! It can be said that when the Liao army marched westward and invaded the Western Regions, it also provided convenience for us to pacify Hexi!"
After hearing what he said, Wu Tingzuo said: "It is true! The Liao army waded into the quicksand and went on an expedition to the Western Regions. Now it seems that it has indeed had a far-reaching impact. I don't know what the situation is now. I wonder how long the Xizhou Uighurs can persist?"
Mentioning this, Chai Rong said: "We should be able to get some really useful information from the Uighur envoy!"
"Do you want to meet Duke Ying?" Wu Tingzuo asked.
Nodding slightly, Chai Rong chuckled and said: "I heard that it is not easy for this person to come from the East. Visitors from far away should still be treated with courtesy!"
After hearing what he said, Wu Tingzuo also smiled: "I'm afraid the news this person brought is only a few months ago!"
"It's somewhat useful!" Chai Rong said.
After pondering for a while, Chai Rong said again: "I am going to submit a memorial to Your Majesty regarding the westward march!"
Before he finished speaking, Wu Tingzuo immediately responded: "I am willing to share the office with the British Duke!"
"Haha!" Chai Rong smiled heartily and said, "Being friends with Brother Qingyuan is like drinking fine wine!"
"To each other!" Wu Tingzuo cupped his hands.
After returning to the official office, after writing the memorial and quickly sending it to Tokyo, Chai Rong ordered people to call Pule, the Uighur envoy from Xizhou. Before arriving, Cao Yuangong also specially explained Chai Rong's identity and status to Pule.
Let him serve you carefully.
After learning about it, Pule was overjoyed and almost thought that there was hope for asking for help. Because of the arrow wound, Pule could neither stand nor sit in front of Chai Rong. Seeing his condition, Chai Rong simply ordered someone to prepare.
He bought a blanket and let him lie on his side, while he sat cross-legged and listened to his introduction about the situation in the Western Regions.
Pule, on the other hand, had no intention of hiding anything. From his perspective, he introduced the situation of the Liao Army's Western Expedition.
In fact, this was not the first time that the Liao army crossed the quicksand and attacked the Uighurs of Gaochang in their western expedition. The Liao army had done so as early as forty years ago. At that time, the Khitan people were in a period of great expansion, and the entire northern part of the Great Wall was
They all become its vassals.
At that time, they captured Beiting and forced the Gaochang Uighurs to declare themselves vassals and pay tribute to the Khitan. In fact, if the Khitan's center of gravity was not in the northeast and the expansionism of the nomads, the Western Region would have been annexed by them.
Even so, for so many years, the Gaochang Uighurs have been loyal to the Khitan, paying tribute frequently in order to seek peace.
However, the peace they seek is not guaranteed after all. When the Khitan troops point to the west again, the Gaochang Uighurs have nothing to do.
The current Western Region is basically composed of two powerful forces: the Gaochang Uighurs in the east, the Black Khan in the west, and the Khotan Kingdom sandwiched in the south. The Gaochang Uighurs are not weak in strength, with a population of more than one million and an army of ten
Thousands of people are not a problem.
In fact, regarding the Liao Army's Western Expedition, Gaochang had received the news in advance, and Emperor Liu had done something bad. However, many personnel developments were contrary to common sense.
When they learned that the Khitans might march westward, the first reaction of the emperors and ministers of Gaochang was disbelief. In their view, they had always had good relations with the Liao, and the gifts and tributes had never stopped, and there had been no war between the two countries for decades.
, how could he go across the grassland to fight them, doing such a thankless job?
After all, they, the Uighurs, are also the overlords of the Western Regions and have become a powerful country...