During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Shuozhou was not only an important town in northern Xinjiang, but also the hub of northern trade and transportation.
Starting from Yunzhong, passing through Yunzhong, tracing up the Jin River, reaching Qimin Khan's tent, and then heading east to Zhuojun. This imperial road running from east to west is three thousand miles long and a hundred paces wide. The most important transportation artery in the north during the Sui and Tang Dynasties.
From Yunzhou, pass through the south of Xuanhongchi, pass Shenhexing, arrive at Dingxiang City, pass southwest of Shanyu Duhu Mansion to the ancient city of Dongshoujiang, and reach Shengzhou.
From Mayi City, go northwest through Shanyu Duhufu, southwest to Dongshoujiang City, then northwest through Zhongshoujiang City, Tiande Army City, West Shouxiang City, to Peiquan. This road is the southern foot of Yinshan Mountain in the Tang Dynasty The main east-west road, this road goes from Peiquan to the north to the Uighur Yazhang City. In the Tang Dynasty, this section of the road was called the "Towering Khan Road".
…
Since the fall of the Eastern Turks, the trade between the Tang Dynasty and the northern peoples has not been interrupted, and its scale has grown year after year. Although Mayi City is not large, it is a hub connecting the north and the south, with a prosperous population and developed trade.
Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and Xue Yantuo's army is pressing down on the border, blocking the Baidaochuan River and threatening the roads in Shuozhou, Yunzhou, and Shengzhou. Many Han and Hu merchants are stranded in Mayi City, and the inns, hostels, and even residential buildings in the city are full of people, making it difficult to The large city of Mayi is lively and prosperous, no less than the big town in Guanzhong.
Merchants traveling from north to south were transporting valuable goods, and they all had money in their pockets. During the Chinese New Year, they had to live in a foreign country. No one wanted to wrong themselves, and most of the merchants estimated that Xue Yantuo would not have the courage to follow the Tang Dynasty. The war has begun. The current urgent situation will be relieved when the emperor's envoys arrive in good spirits. Therefore, there is eating and drinking, and it is very lively.
Han and Hu people lived together in peace, and even the merchants of Xue Yantuo did not have to worry about the value of their goods being confiscated by the Tang army. The Tang Dynasty was very protective of commercial activities.
…
Yu Wenfa rubbed the gauze wrapped around his forehead. The wound still hurt slightly. He took a sip of tea and threw the teacup on the coffee table irritably.
This morning, the army reported that several groups of Xue Yantuo's scouts tried to approach Mayi City last night. Fortunately, they were discovered by the soldiers on patrol at night, and they were chased and driven away.
But tomorrow is New Year's Eve, and the south gate of Mayi City is open during the day. Who knows how many Xue Yantuo's scouts sneaked into the city?
Xue Yantuo's sudden and vigorous action was somewhat unreasonable.
Could it be that this magnanimous person took the wrong medicine and was no longer satisfied with marching troops to Dingxiang City to pressure the Tang Dynasty to agree to a marriage, but really wanted to take action against Dingxiang City?
Yu Wenfa felt a little uneasy.
According to the family's instructions, Xue Yantuo never dared to attack Dingxiang City, let alone start a war with the Tang Dynasty, so he only needed to tightly imprison the Youwu Guards and Youtun Guards, forcing them to be trapped in the city. Then the frontier army put on a tough stance to deal with Xue Yantuo. When Xue Yantuo's division had no success and had to return to Mobei, this feat of "repelling the enemy" was successfully obtained.
However, now, he could not help but think that if Xue Yantuo really went crazy and captured Dingxiang City, the Eastern Turks supported by His Majesty would be destroyed again, while the two armies sent by the imperial court were dragged tightly by him. Yicheng, Yanmen Pass...
Just thinking about the consequences, Yu Wenfa's scalp became numb and his heart skipped a beat.
That's not impossible!
The reason why barbarians are barbarians is because those beast-like guys have well-developed limbs and simple minds. Sometimes they do whatever they want without considering the consequences!
Reluctantly suppressing the feeling of panic, Yu Wenfa once again recruited his lieutenants and sent several teams of scouts to Dingxiang to closely monitor the movements of Dingxiang City and Xue Yantuo's camp. If there was any change, he would report it immediately. He also sent people
Go to Yanmen Pass and check whether the soldiers of Youtun Guard are safe.
Listening to the noisy sounds on the street outside the government office, Yu Wenfa frowned, feeling even more irritated.
A whole team of scouts sent out to assassinate Fang Jun didn't come back for a whole night...
This made him even more anxious.
Could it be that something unexpected happened?
Yu Wenfa simply didn’t dare to think about it anymore.
"General, Marshal Xue has sent someone here to ask you to come over and have a meeting. He said he has something important to discuss."
The soldier entered the house and said respectfully.
"What's wrong with this idiot?"
Yu Wenfa was suspicious in his heart and said: "Go and tell that fool that my general's affairs are complicated and there is no way to escape. If you have any advice, just come to the government office on your own."
This is very inappropriate behavior.
After all, Xue Wanche was his commander, and his title was dozens of ranks higher than his. If he excused himself when summoned by his commander, according to the military law of the Tang Dynasty, he would be whipped thirty times.
But Yu Wenfa himself had a ulterior motive and felt guilty. He was afraid that Xue Wanche would get angry and put him under house arrest and then take over the defense of Mayi City. What would he do?
He didn't dare to go.
The soldier seemed stunned for a moment, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions and turned around and walked out.
Yu Wenfa was wondering why Xue Wanche had summoned him. After a while, he heard the noise of people outside the house and followed the chaotic footsteps, approaching quickly.
Yu Wenfa shouted angrily: "How outrageous! In this important place of government offices, are there any rules left?"
Before he finished speaking, he heard a "bang" sound, the door was kicked open, and a gust of cold wind instantly poured into the room, making Yu Wenfa tremble with coldness.
At the open door, Xue Wanche strode in under the escort of his troops, his bearded face full of anger, he glared at Yu Wenfa and cursed: "Mother! You bastard, how dare you face Shangguan?"
You refused to be summoned, do you still have military law in your eyes?"
Yu Wenfa forced a smile on his face, stood up and said: "Oh my, what did the commander say? You are the commander, a county prince, and a prince-in-law. I don't dare to refuse your summons even if I lend two courages to the general...
Well, you summoned the general, what's the matter?"
He was only afraid that Xue Wanche would forcibly place him under house arrest. Now that this was his territory, and there were all his soldiers outside, how could he still be afraid of Xue Wanche?
Seeing his disdainful expression, Xue Wanche couldn't contain his anger. He rushed forward and slapped Yu Wenfa hard on the face.
"Crack!"
Yu Wenfa was caught off guard. He tilted his head and fell to the ground. His eyes were blurred and he was a little confused...
How could his own soldiers watch him be so humiliated?
Immediately, they all came forward with loud noises, but someone among Xue Wanche's subordinates jumped out and struck Yu Wenfa hard on the waist. He immediately kicked Yu Wenfa to the ground. The Shuozhou defenders were furious when their chief general was beaten.
They all drew their weapons and stepped forward, but saw another person jumping out from behind Xue Wanche, holding an unsheathed sword in his hand and placing it on Yu Wenfa's neck...
There was a sudden silence in the lobby.
Yu Wenfa fell to the ground, with a horizontal knife across his neck and blood pouring from his forehead. He looked as miserable as he could, but all his subordinates were afraid of him and did not dare to act rashly. They could only yell and curse outside.
"Bah!" Yu Wenfa spit out the blood that flowed into his mouth, glanced at the man who kicked him just now, then looked up at the man holding him hostage with a horizontal knife, and said helplessly: "Cheng Chubi, Qu Tuquan
"Although we didn't have a deep friendship in the past, it can still be regarded as old friends, right? Even if we don't miss our past feelings, is it a bit too much to hurt someone like this?"
Cheng Chubi was dull, his expression did not change when he heard the words, and his hand holding the knife was always steady. No one could guarantee whether he would wipe Yu Wenfa's neck with the knife at the next moment.
Qu Tuquan said with a smile: "So, you guys who come from aristocratic families, all of you deserve to die. You have never had the idea of serving the king and serving the country with loyalty in your heart. You don't care at all whether the Tang Dynasty has thousands of kingdoms coming to court.
Congratulations come from all over the world, not to mention whether His Majesty has achieved great success or not. In your eyes and hearts, you only have the family! All you can think about is how to make profits for the family. As long as the family can grab enough benefits, even if it makes you turn to the barbarians.
You are begging for mercy, even if you are asked to send the people of Xiangshuo Prefecture into the tiger's mouth and the wolf's den, you still won't blink an eye! Bah! You have no king, no father, a wolf-hearted person, how can you call me a brother?"
Yu Wenfa's expression changed, and he gritted his teeth and said, "Stop talking nonsense, do you really dare to kill me?"
A man stepped out from behind Qu Tuquan, looked at the stubborn Yu Wenfa with a half-smile, and said disdainfully: "You seem to be such a rebellious minister and traitor, why should we take risks to punish you? What you did is vividly remembered.
I can't get away with it, I'll wait to go back to the Weiwei Mansion and apologize to His Majesty, and wait for the punishment of the national law!"
Yu Wenfa said angrily: "Who are you who dare to speak so shamelessly?"
The man laughed, gritted his teeth and said, "I am Fang Jun!"