When the Western Expedition army returned to Dunhuang, it was already early winter. As the troops marched from west to east, they suddenly found that the surrounding scenery was very different from a few months ago.
The Dang River formed by the snow water in the Qilian Mountains flows through Dunhuang from south to north. The Dang River water is diverted out of an open channel at regular intervals to irrigate the newly reclaimed land. The land moistened by the river water can be used to plant crops in the coming year.
The topography of Dunhuang is high in the north and south, low in the middle, and is surrounded by mountains on three sides, forming a natural basin. The water of the Dang River nourishes the oases. The thick shade of green trees blocks the black wind and yellow sand from the Gobi Desert. The harvest of grain and cotton is guaranteed during drought and flood, and the melons and fruits are fragrant all year round.
, it can truly be described as a pearl in the Gobi Desert of the Western Regions.
To the west of Dunhuang is the long and narrow Hexi Corridor, to the north is the vast Gobi Mountains, to the west is the Lop Nur Desert, and to the south is the majestic Qilian Mountains. It is open and undefended on all sides but does not need to be defended. The huge strategic depth is its most important
Good city wall.
Therefore, the city wall of Dunhuang was not built to be abnormally strong like that of Liangzhou. It just added some forts on the original basis. The expansion focus was on lamaseries and mosques, striving to build Dunhuang into a famous cultural and religious city.
This attracts merchants and travelers from east to west.
But unfortunately, the Great Zhou court suddenly closed the country and terminated all trade with Xiliang. The construction of Dunhuang was forced to halt. Xiliang's industry was weak and many things had to be imported. After the Great Zhou closed the country, ironware, silk
, porcelain, scriptures, tea, and gunpowder could not be imported, which caused great trouble to the young Xiliang. However, the Zhou Dynasty, which had a vast territory and rich resources, did not have such troubles. Everyone would live the same life without them.
Over the years, wars broke out between the Central Plains regime and the nomadic peoples in the north and west. Most of them were due to commercial reasons. The Han people discriminated against the nomads and refused to trade fairly, or simply closed the market and stopped trade. The nomads were not fuel-efficient in the first place.
For trade, just call over and get it yourself.
Is Xiliang also going to follow this old path?
The completed Generalissimo's Mansion is cold and windy outside, but warm as spring inside. This is a building complex that combines Chinese and Western styles, including "Ayiwang" flat-roofed houses from the Western Regions and Central Plains-style palaces, as well as Islamic-style dome buildings and large terraces.
, fountains, gardens, and ponds are combined into a beautiful picture. It does not occupy a large area, but it is ingenious and exquisite. When Yuan Feng saw it for the first time, he couldn't help but admire that Cao Yanhui is really an expert in infrastructure construction.
At this time, Cao Yanhui was reporting on the recent situation in the Marshal's Mansion. Since Yuanfeng's expedition, everything has been going on in an orderly manner. Dunhuang, Jiayuguan, Suzhou, Ganzhou, and Liangzhou are all undergoing large-scale construction projects, and various materials and commodities are flowing from the Central Plains.
In addition to Yuchi's team, there are also a large number of business travelers who have organized goods to come to Xiliang to do business. The money here is so profitable, no matter what is shipped, they can be sold at a good price, and they are given real gold.
Silver, you can also take some spices, furs, and horses from the Western Regions with you when you go back, and you can make another fortune.
Cao Yanhui organized a small mission, carrying special products from the Western Regions to pay tribute to the capital of the Zhou Dynasty. The gifts included wool carpets from Uzbekistan, Tibetan antelope wool scarves, luminous cups made of black jade from the Qilian Mountains, and ancient artifacts from the Mogao Grottoes.
Buddhist scriptures, etc. The mission has been gone for several months and there is no news yet.
A few months ago, the Gansu government and army made a sudden move, sealing the border and banning all trade. Only entry was allowed but no exit was allowed. For a time, a large number of caravans were accumulated on the border. At first, the merchants thought that the government and the army were trying to gain some benefits, so they pooled their money and paid bribes.
, I didn’t know that the officers and soldiers still refused to let them go after taking the money. After asking again, it was found that this was the death order of the new governor Liu Songpo. No one person or horse was allowed to enter Xiliang. Mr. Liu was no better than Governor Wen, and he couldn’t rub sand in his eyes, so the officers and soldiers
I don’t dare to do anything even if I take money.
"Could it be said that the Eastern Zhou Dynasty is preparing to go to war with me?" Yuan Feng frowned. Here he used a fresh term, Eastern Zhou Dynasty, which corresponds to the title of Xiliang. This simple word showed that he had no intention of surrendering to the Central Plains.
Cao Yanhui couldn't help but secretly nod at the Zhou Dynasty's mentality, thinking that His Highness the Crown Prince was truly the flesh and blood of the late Emperor, with an innate domineering spirit in his bones. The previous sending of envoys to surrender was just a feint to buy time.
"Whether the locking of the pass was the initiative of the governor of Gansu or the decree of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty is still unclear. Yu Chiguang is also inquiring about the matter. The veteran sent someone to the Central Plains to inform the mission to inquire about the matter. If it is said that this is
The possibility of starting a war is not high. Once the civil strife in the Eastern Zhou Dynasty continued, and the Meng Yuan Dynasty in Mobei often went south, they were already overwhelmed and how could they still have the energy to start a war on the Western Front."
After Yuan Feng heard this, he took two steps with his hands behind his back and said: "What the boss said is absolutely true. The Eastern Zhou Dynasty did not dare to start a war lightly, and it is not convenient for us in Great Liang to start a war at this time. Firstly, it is winter, and secondly, there are Han people in the army."
There are too many, so why not do this? The urgently needed supplies are purchased from Sichuan through the territory of the Qiang people. Our army is gathering in Liangzhou to put some military pressure on the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. In addition, I want to take this opportunity to go to Lanzhou and meet old friends.
"
"Old friend...could it be?" Cao Yanhui looked puzzled.
"When Liu Songpo was the magistrate of Luyang County, I worked as the county government's horse racing team leader. When I committed a crime and ran away, he was also the one who let me go. It seems that there is some connection between me, so I wanted to ask him about the lock-up.
There is one more thing I must do."
Cao Yanhui understood that Yuan Feng was looking for Wen Yan to avenge the bloody massacre of Shibali Fort. A man was born in this world, and he should be happy to take revenge. Now Yuan Feng is already the overlord of one party, with hundreds of thousands of soldiers at his disposal, and money is indispensable.
Counting, there are no internal or external troubles for the time being, so it would be perfect to take this opportunity to go out for a walk, to avenge a grudge and repay a favor.
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After the discussion, Cao Yanhui arranged for Yuan Feng to travel eastward. Yuan Feng sat back on his throne and cast his eyes on the bookcase.
There is a pile of letters on the desk, from Hermione and Li Mingxue respectively. Hermione is far away in Xiningzhou, and Li Mingxue is far away in Ningxia. Thousands of miles apart, only swan geese can communicate with each other. Hermione's letter is painted in a mess, with some villains and some
The house and the sun, as well as some silly words, make people smile after reading it. Li Mingxue’s letter is quite different from his own. The young and small regular script is quite satisfactory. The letter mentions everything short of the parents. Both of their letters have a strong sense of humor.
The intense longing made Yuan Feng sigh with emotion, how virtuous and capable he was to make someone so infatuated with him.
He wrote back and told them that he was going to Lanzhou soon, and if he had enough time, he would go to his house to visit...
…
Five days later, the eastbound team is ready. Zhao Ding'an must go back to add a handful of soil to Meng Xiaodong's grave. Zhao Ziqian also wants to return to Hekou Town to see his uncle. Yulia wants to go to Chang'an to learn pipa. In addition, there are
The accompanying team of guards, doctors, cooks, grooms, etc., numbered no less than a hundred people. As for what identity they would use to go to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, they had already thought of a suitable way, just follow the caravan and pretend to be business travelers.
The caravan has also been chosen, and it is Yuan Feng's old acquaintance - Deng Ziming.