Xinhai (23) in the leap second month of the first year of Yuanyou.
Guangnan West Road, Yizhou, outside Yizhou City.
A group of light cavalry came at a gallop.
The leading knight had a thick beard, wore a fan yangli, and had two heavy maces hanging from his waist.
This was the favorite weapon of high-ranking military officials in the Song Dynasty.
Once the mace goes down, it can be said that all living beings are equal.
The horses they rode were typical Dali horses.
The Dali horse has short legs and a short body, and its running speed is not as fast as that of the Northern horse.
But it has strong endurance, can bear heavy loads, has a docile personality and can tolerate coarse grains.
As a result, it was widely praised throughout the Guangnan region and became the main transportation force in the southern part of the Song Dynasty.
Therefore, Guangnan West Road would buy horses from Dali every year. The imperial court specially set up a horse buying farm in Yongzhou, and set up a special post to promote the left and right Jiang Dong Ding and handle the official horse buying business.
Dali horses are available for purchase if they are over four feet and one inch tall.
The price ranges from 13 guan per piece to the highest 48 guan per piece, divided into eight different levels.
Currently, the highest-level Dali horses are used as war horses.
Other purchased horses were distributed throughout the country or used as transportation horses for the Song army.
When these cavalrymen approached Yizhou City, Yizhou officials came to greet them from a distance.
The cavalrymen dismounted one after another.
The leading military minister asked the officials who came to greet him: "Where is Mr. Zhang?"
The official lowered his head and said, "My husband is meeting guests in the government office and has sent us to welcome the magistrate!"
The military minister nodded and said impatiently: "Please tell me, your Majesty, that our last general, Zhizhou Zhizhou Su Ziyuan, has come to see you on the orders of the commander-in-chief. I beg the commander-in-chief to take the time to meet you!"
The official nodded and said: "My husband has already given orders, and ordered Su Zhizhou to be brought to the government office to meet him as soon as he arrives."
"Good!" The warrior took a deep breath, then raised his head and looked at the top of Yizhou City.
It’s been ten years!
It has been ten years since my father, brother, wife and daughter died for our country in Yongzhou.
All the time, day and night, he was not thinking about his father and brother, his lovely children, and his virtuous wife.
Su Zizhan's poem said: Ten years of life and death are boundless!
Isn't he like this?
National hatred and family hatred are superimposed together.
Let him not think about revenge day and night.
However, since Xining's southern expedition, the imperial court was unwilling to send troops southward.
The northern barbarians, the western bandits, and even the Tibetans were all more important than Jiaozhi in the south.
He could only stay on Guangnan West Road day after day, year after year, making preparations for emergencies.
Now, he has finally waited!
When he learned that the imperial court had issued an edict to take power out of Guangxi.
He knew that the opportunity he had been waiting for for ten years had finally come.
And when he saw the imperial edict, he confirmed this.
Because the purpose of Zhang Dun's march south is very clear in the new emperor's decree: the disaster in Jiaozhi started in the Five Dynasties; the disaster in Xining only lasted ten years... I inherited the teachings of the late emperor and followed the etiquette of the saints...
It can be said that he is filled with murderous intent and his sword is pointed at Jiaozhi.
This made him excited, so after receiving the order, he began to accumulate food and grass and prepare soldiers and horses.
When he heard that Zhang Dun had arrived in Yizhou, he sent someone to tell him to come to Yizhou to meet him.
He set out immediately and traveled through the starry night.
…
Zhang Dun left the yamen and returned to the inner house of the houya. The two concubines given by the palace quickly brought him tea.
"Thank you for your hard work, officers!"
Zhang Dun took the tea, took a sip, then closed his eyes and rested for a while.
Since arriving in Yizhou, he has never had a day to spare.
Every day he is either entertaining guests or dealing with official business inside and outside Yizhou.
Who told him that in addition to being the envoy of Guangxi's economic strategy and pacification system, he was also the envoy to encourage farmers within the administration and also held the title of envoy for observation and disposal within the administration.
In a sense, his current status is no different from that of the Jiedushi of the Tang Dynasty!
It's all about military affairs, and the civil affairs are all in one hand!
Not only are we responsible for fighting the war, we are also responsible for people's livelihood.
No, chieftains from inside and outside Yizhou came to his door every day, begging him for a name.
This gave Zhang Dun a headache.
It's not that it's a headache to deal with and arrange these guys. The pamphlet the emperor gave him authorized him to make temporary decisions and act expediently.
The land north of Jiaozhi can be left to his own devices.
Anyway - it's not our own territory.
Moreover, even if you take advantage of it, it is very difficult to develop it yourself.
If you immigrate from the north, the mountains are high and the roads are long, and the mortality rate will be very high.
It's better to leave it to the chieftains and tie it up first and talk about it later.
There is only one headache for Zhang Dun - the toasts are too enthusiastic.
Almost everyone wants to "be loyal to the country" and every family is willing to send troops.
Moreover, many people, like the Mo family, are willing to use the strength of the whole family to follow Master Wang to "conquer the fierce and stubborn, plow the courtyard and clear out the holes".
But where does the food come from?
There are so many chieftains, your family and mine, together, we can almost make up 20,000 chieftain soldiers.
Counting the local soldiers and horses in Guangxi, as well as the soldiers and horses of Yulong's first general, the total strength of the front line is probably 40,000 to 50,000.
With so many people eating horse chews, do Yongzhou, Qinzhou and Lianzhou have so much food?
Is the official warehouse on Guangnan West Road affordable?
Zhang Dun was very doubtful about this.
As for giving food to the enemy?
Jiaozhi doesn't look like a wealthy and wealthy family.
Thinking of this, Zhang Dun opened his eyes, took out the strategy book given to him by the official again, and read it carefully.
The more he looked at this strategy, the more he understood it, and the more he looked at it, the more he felt that the officials' foresight was very human!
Maybe, many of these methods are based on the late emperor's experience of reflecting on the gains and losses of the southern expedition after that year.
For example, try to control the war north of the Furiang River.
Another example is the method of migrating the children of local officials from Guangxi to become local officials in the north of Jiaozhi.
They may all be the crystallization of the wisdom of the late emperor’s reflection after the war.
Otherwise, how could the officials know so many things?
How can you think in such detail?
Plan the temple and arrange it properly from the beginning.
All matters other than temple affairs are authorized to him.
that is……
Zhang Dun looked at the booklet and saw the peace conditions required by the officials when they begged for peace in Cochin.
One of them looked ridiculous to Zhang Dun.
"Jiaozhi paid 500,000 shi of rice as a tribute to the Song Dynasty..."
Five hundred thousand shi of rice, does Jiaozhi have that much rice?
You can't afford it even if you kill them, right?
However, when Zhang Dun looked at these conditions, his heart skipped a beat.
Since the Zhen Temple in the Song Dynasty, they have been giving New Year coins to the Northern pirates. After the Ren Temple celebrated the peace, they even gave it to the Western pirates during the Chinese New Year.
If we can really force the Jiaozhi people to agree to these conditions...
Thinking of this, Zhang Dun's eyes burned with gleaming light.
At this time, an official's announcement came from outside the door: "Ms. Su Huangcheng in Yongzhou has arrived at the government office!"
Zhang Dun stood up immediately and said happily: "Please come soon!"
At the same time, he said to the two concubines beside him: "Go and cook the Pucheng tea I brought!"
Compared with the officials in Yizhou, there is the Mo family.
There is no doubt that Zhang Dun trusts Su Ziyuan more.
Not just because he and Su Ziyuan are both from Fujian.
It's also because Su Ziyuan's cousin Su Song is now a minister close to the official family.
At the same time, Su Song also has a good relationship with him.
…
Su Ziyuan was taken into the Yizhou government office and then to the inner chamber.
As soon as he entered the door, he heard a hearty smile, and then a tall figure about the same age as him came out and said enthusiastically in Mandarin with a Fujian accent: "Brother Su Xian, I have been waiting here for a long time.
That’s it!”
Then a warm big hand took his hand.
The man in front of me is wearing the uniform of a scholar-bureaucrat. His beard is neither too long nor too thick. His skin is fair and his appearance is strong.
When he was young, he was definitely a more handsome person than Pan An.
"The general pays homage to the commander-in-chief!" Su Ziyuan naturally guessed the identity of the other party. In addition to the new law general of the Song Dynasty, who was appointed by the emperor to take charge of Guangxi and have full authority to deal with the invasion of Jiaozhi last year, it could be Zhang Zihou, the ruling Zhang Dun.
who?
So as soon as they met, they bowed and bowed.
"You don't need to be polite, good brother!" Zhang Dun happily helped Su Ziyuan up: "Brother Zirong and I are ministers in the same palace, so we are old friends... and Ziyuan is the son of a martyr to the country after Duke Zhongwu..."
"I don't dare." Su Zirong lowered his head and said.
Zhang Dun, however, pulled Su Ziyuan and walked towards his official residence.
He wanted to have a good talk with Su Ziyuan today to learn more about the current affairs in Guangxi and Jiaozhi.
This was also the entrustment given to him by the officials.
Regarding Guangxi affairs, if you are not sure about domestic affairs, ask Miao Shizhong; if you are not sure about foreign affairs, ask Su Ziyuan.
The reason is that Miao Shizhong was an old official and was familiar with the people of Guangxi, and Su Ziyuan had not avenged his father and brother, so he must have a deep understanding of Jiaozhi.
…
Nong Zhihui took the Dong and Ding people and stood on the hilltop, watching the Song army marching on the mountain road.
There are only dozens of these Song troops.
But they were escorting hundreds of young men.
They are all strong and powerful people.
It was an official from Bianjing City who personally issued an edict to send these young men from Youjiang Wue, Wuyang and other places.
Nong Zhihui, look at those people.
With a smile on his face, he turned to his nephews behind him and said, "Immediately, the officials have sent me a great favor, allowing my descendants of the Nong family to return to Guangyuan and miss their homeland!"
Suddenly, everyone cheered.
Since Nong Zhigao's defeat, the Nong family was expelled from their hometown.
The people in my hometown were oppressed by the Yang family and the Liu family, and were also enslaved by the Jiaozhi thieves.
Every year, people flee to look for them, telling stories of the greed, cruelty and oppression of the Cochin people, as well as the cruelty of the Yang family, Liu family and other wealthy families.
Now, the Song Dynasty finally changed its attitude towards them.
It's time for them to return to their hometown to rescue the people of their hometown who have been oppressed, enslaved, and exploited.
Therefore, it is not only the Nong family of the Nong Zhihui in Guihua Prefecture who are making preparations.
Nong Sheng Duc's Shun'an Prefecture is also making preparations.
Of course, as a price, the Nong family must hand over the secrets of the gold deposits in the Youjiang area that they have mastered for generations.
At the same time, the Nong family must be an official family of the Song Dynasty and plant a crop called "sugar cane" in the current Guihua Prefecture, Shun'an Prefecture, and the future Guangyuan Prefecture and Silang Prefecture.
Officials would buy them with copper coins, ironware, tea, and rice.
Moreover, the price is very high.
For one thousand kilograms of sugar cane, I am willing to give you money.
For the Nong family, this is simply the gospel of the Bodhisattva.
It also strengthened the idea of Nong Zhihui and Nong Shengde to be loyal to the Song Dynasty.
After all, the Song Dynasty was really willing to give benefits to the Song Dynasty.
What about the Cochin people?
He will do nothing but oppress and exploit the Nong family.
Moreover, the Nong family and the Jiaozhi court also had the Yang family in Guangyuan Prefecture and the Liu family in Silang Prefecture. They had a blood feud.
Thinking of this, Nong Zhihui took the Dong and Ding people down the hill to greet the immigrants from the Song Dynasty who came from afar.
Dong Zhong has prepared sumptuous delicacies for these guests.
…
Wang Daqiang followed the crowd and arrived at a strange mountain village in a daze.
The people in the village are all wearing strange clothes.
The buildings in the village are all wooden houses.
But, the food here is pretty good.
Wang Daqiang is currently eating a pickled fish wrapped in glutinous rice.
Except for some sourness, everything else is good.
After having enough wine and food, take a short rest.
An old man led others to Wang Daqiang and others.
"You heroes of the Song Dynasty, you have worked hard all the way!" The old man's official language was good, at least Wang Daqiang could understand it.
"I am the Dong lord of this land of no yang and no evil, and I am also the governor of Guihua Prefecture appointed by the official family!"
Or an official?
Wang Daqiang raised his head and looked at the old man.
I just listened to him saying: "Everyone, please rest in this village for two days to recuperate your health. I will then distribute the number plates to you. At that time, you can go to those uninhabited wastelands and circle by yourself."
Taken!"
"We, the children of Dongxi, keep our word! The places enclosed by the heroes, as long as they are uninhabited barren mountains, belong to the heroes!"
"I will order someone to make a book and order it and send it to Yongzhou City! As long as the heroes follow the decree and occupy it for five years, everything on the barren mountain will be the property of the heroes."
Wang Daqiang became excited as he listened.
it is true!
You can really enclose the ground with your feet!
So, he immediately decided that he must make a pair of shoes in these two days.
So that you can circle as many places as possible.
Just listen to the old man say: "Of course, the heroes can also choose not to enclose the land first, live in the cave first, wait until the king master conquers Guangyuan and other prefectures, and then go to the local enclosure."
"To be honest with you heroes, if the heroes come here for gold, there is much more gold in the mountain gorges in Guangyuan and other places than here in Guihua Prefecture!"
"In Guihua Prefecture, only the Tiger Leaping Grand Canyon still has some gold."
"But the mountain gorges in Guangyuan Prefecture are full of gold."
As he said this, the old man clapped his hands.
Two men came forward carrying a wooden box covered with red cloth.
The old man opened the red cloth and opened the box.
Inside were several fist-sized pieces of nugget gold, each weighing at least several kilograms.
Wang Daqiang's eyes turned red.
"These golds were picked up by my tribe in Guangyuan Prefecture in the past." The old man introduced, and sighed: "Unfortunately, many of them have been sold, and only these few pieces are left! I remember that in the past, my tribe
There was a large gold nugget weighing twenty pounds!"
That is his brother Nong Zhigao's treasure.
When Nong Zhigao died at Kunlun Pass, he was also lost. I wonder if it was broken into pieces by the Song Army and divided, or whether it was stolen by a Song Army general himself?
Wang Daqiang was already short of breath.
A twenty-pound gold nugget? How much is it worth?
Therefore, he had made up his mind to wait until Wang Shi defeated Guangyuan Prefecture before going to Guangyuan Prefecture to enclosure.
He has already walked thousands of miles and doesn't care about waiting a few more days or walking hundreds of miles more.
Everyone else also had the same idea as Wang Daqiang.
It’s here now, don’t be afraid to wait a little longer.
At this time, the Forbidden Army general who was responsible for escorting Wang Daqiang and others came here, walked up to the old man, said a word to the old man, and the old man left with his clansmen with a smile.
The general grinned and looked at these scoundrels and scoundrels in front of him.
He laughed evilly and said: "The official family is so generous that they have promised you great grace, so that you can mine for gold and pay back the money in this golden land in the south."
"But Guangyuan Prefecture and other places are now in the hands of Jiaozhi thieves."
"Only after Master Wang has recovered can you go to the local enclosure."
"But how can the place that Master Wang conquered be given to you for free?"
"So, if you want to go to Guangyuan Prefecture and other places to enclose land when the time comes, you have to make some achievements so that you can have priority."
"Those with merit will be given priority, as it is only natural!"
"In addition, in Guangyuan Prefecture and other places, tigers and leopards appear, and there are also mountain barbarians!"
"You don't want to be eaten by tigers and leopards, or captured by barbarians, right?"
"So, those who want to go to Guangyuan and other places must start practicing with me from today on!"
He clapped his hands as he spoke.
The soldiers of the Forbidden Army carried out crossbows and spears.
"Those who are willing to go to Guangyuan Prefecture can register now."
"Sign a deed voluntarily going to Guangyuan, and then sign a deed voluntarily borrow twenty guan to purchase crossbow weapons."
As the general spoke, he looked greedily at the hundreds of strong men present.
In his eyes, each of these people is a walking military merit.
Because the imperial court had already given him a decree.
If these people are escorted and successfully arrive in Guihua Prefecture, and the survival rate remains above 90%, they will be transferred to the first level.
He is now on loan from Class 3 of the Ninth Grade, and he will join Class 3 when he transfers to the first rank.
Such a reward is basically equivalent to a successful escort of Tsuna.
Escorting Tsuna is a well-known job in the military.
Because as long as you successfully complete the task and escort the horses to the destination, you will be promoted to an official level.
But his job was much easier than Oshitsuma's.
After all, humans are smarter than horses. As long as they are not treated harshly or abused, and they are given timely medication when they are sick, they can generally survive.
And he overfulfilled the task. Not one of the 450 people he escorted died, and all arrived in Guihua Prefecture safely.
Therefore, he can get an additional two years of grinding time.
But, this is just the beginning.
The imperial court also gave him and his subordinates tasks.
The task given to his subordinates is to train three young men every time - to have them master the basic archers and basic formations. Those who pass the assessment of the Strategic and Comfort Envoy will be deemed to be beheaded at the first level.
The task given to him was a stepped reward.
Half of the 450 people he escorted successfully completed the training, passed the assessment, and were transferred to the next official level.
This means that you can move from the third class to the right class.
This is the rank of a ninth-grade military official!
After that, for every fifty more people who pass the exam, one year of grinding time will be reduced.
If all four hundred and fifty people are willing to go to Guangyuan Prefecture and all are qualified in training, then the two years of grinding and survey that were previously reduced will be added.
After his trip this time, he could go straight to Zuoban Palace and still have enough.
It takes a few months to complete the triple jump.
Basically, it is equivalent to achieving great success in killing generals and capturing flags on the battlefield!
If we were to grind it out, we wouldn’t have ten years, and we wouldn’t even think about it!
What's more important is that if these people perform meritorious service on the battlefield in the future, he can also share the profits. Basically, if he beheads or captures ten people, he will be considered as one person.
Naturally, this general is very concerned about this matter!
No general in the Song Dynasty could refuse such a good thing - this is a promotion and wealth!
Note: The Nong family in Guihua Prefecture and Shun'an Prefecture eat rice and fish as their staple food.
Note 2: Escorting Gang Ma in the Song Dynasty has always been the most popular job in the army. People with no relevant background cannot get it at all!
Because, as long as you successfully complete Tsuna's mission, you will be transferred to the first rank.
This is because the mortality rate for escorting Tsuna was very high in the past, so the policy was changed. Targets were set for the escorting officers and soldiers, and those who completed the tasks would be promoted. Therefore, the enthusiasm of the officers was immediately mobilized, and Tsunama's mortality rate was
