Starting from Liangzhou, he passed through Ganzhou, Suzhou, and Guazhou. When Zhou Jun finally arrived in Shazhou, it was late autumn in the eleventh year of Tianbao.
There are snowflakes falling in the sky, and frost is spreading on the wasteland.
As we walked along, we could see no human habitation on the land, but occasionally we could see a few collapsed and abandoned farmhouses.
In order to rush on the road, but also for safety, Zhou Jun took his soldiers and guards and did not stay in the state capital, but traveled day and night directly to Dunhuang.
On the way, Zhou Jun kept thinking about a question.
This time, Longyou was in turmoil. Why did the situation in Shazhou intensify and eventually deteriorate to the current level?
You must know that in the history books, in the fifth year of Tang Xuanzong's reign (AD 851), the famous Tang Dynasty general Zhang Yichao led the people of Shazhou and established the Guiyi Army, overthrowing the sixty-year rule of Tubo and bringing Shazhou back to its original state.
The territory of the Tang Dynasty.
But now, Shazhou actually acted as the front line against the Tang Dynasty under the instigation of the Tubo and Sogdians.
The same place, the same group of people, two completely different situations, Zhou Jun just thought it was quite ironic.
But thinking about it carefully, he felt something was wrong.
The battle report sent by Shazhou to Chang'an also said that Wang Xian operated the Daqi trade route, created clever names, and imposed excessive taxes, which caused chaos among the border people and alienated Shazhou, which was the main reason for the chaos in Shazhou.
But is this really the case?
Entering the boundary of Shazhou, Zhou Jun saw the outline of Dunhuang City from a distance.
As he walked closer, Zhou Jun couldn't help but be shocked by the sight in front of him.
A section of the urn wall in Dunhuang City had been burned black due to the fire, and most of the masonry had collapsed into ruins.
The gaps in the city wall were filled with sandstone and wooden beams to temporarily repair them.
Walking closer to the city gate, Zhou Jun looked up and saw, through the gray sky, hundreds of dark things hanging on a row of flagpoles on the city wall.
After taking a closer look, Zhou Jun discovered that those were all dried human heads.
In the cold wind and falling snow, the shriveled head was swinging gently like a kite. Coupled with the gray and low sky, the entire Dunhuang City was as eerie and terrifying as the realm of Shura.
The guard guarding the gate checked the gate and learned that the visitor was Zhou Jun. He looked in disbelief at first, then rolled away and moved the horse away from the city gate, bowed and ushered the visitor into the city.
The long streets of Dunhuang City, the shops and houses near the city gate, clearly show the traces of the war, which must have been the result of the Tibetan cavalry entering the city.
But the people in the city were in a hurry. When they met each other, even if they were acquaintances, they would just nod and hold hands, and never talk to each other.
Zhou Jun saw this and became suspicious.
A group of people arrived at the mansion in Dunhuang City. After the announcement, the sound of chaotic footsteps sounded in the mansion.
Immediately afterwards, someone shouted: "The Prince Consort is here!"
Not long after, all the officials in the mansion quickly came to the gate. The leader was wearing a crimson official uniform and had the highest rank. He must be Wei Huan, the current governor of Dunhuang County.
Wei Huan was born in the Jingzhao Wei family, a prominent family in Guanzhong County. When Wang Xian took office, he was the deputy envoy, and later he was promoted to the governor of Dunhuang due to his meritorious service.
Wei Huan came to Zhou Jun, bowed and saluted, and said with a happy face: "The prince consort is here, we are saved, Shazhou is saved!"
Hearing this, Zhou Jun frowned, looked past Wei Huan, and saw Liu Zai among the officials, whom he had not seen for a long time.
Liu Zai nodded to Zhou Jun, but did not come forward to acknowledge him, thinking he had a deeper meaning.
Seeing this, Zhou Jun suppressed the doubts in his heart for the time being, raised his hands to Wei Huan and said, "Wei Governor, it's not convenient to talk here. Let's talk after we go in."
Wei Huan: "Oh, yes, the prince-in-law makes sense. Let's go in and discuss it in detail."
Entering the meeting hall of the mansion, Zhou Jun sat in the upper seat, Wei Huan accompanied him in the lower seat, and many officials from Dunhuang County were waiting in the hall.
Zhou Jun looked around at the crowd and asked, "How is the situation in Shazhou?"
Wei Huan shook his head and said: "It's a bit tricky. The Tubo army keeps marching from Longle Mountain Pass, and the number of enemy troops is nearly ten thousand. The lost Ziting Town has now become the enemy's Chinese army camp, and fortifications have been built around it.
There are villages and beacon fires, and looking at this situation, the Tibetans are not planning to leave."
Zhou Junqi said: "The Tubo people have also invaded Shazhou in the past few decades, but most of them were looting. Why did they stay here this time?"
Wei Huan: "Since the Daqi trade road was opened, Shazhou has become increasingly prosperous, and Tubo has paid more and more attention to it. The Tubo army controlled the trade road, grabbed wealth wantonly, and tasted the sweetness, so it changed its position from robbery to occupation. In addition, the border residents were in rebellion.
By colluding with Tubo, this gives the enemy an opportunity to take advantage of."
Zhou Jun was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked another question: "When I was in Chang'an, I read the newspaper submitted to the imperial memorial hall. There were wealthy families in Shazhou, including Liu, An, Zhi, Li, and Zhang. They had always been close to the Tang Dynasty.
Why don’t we see them coming out to help the state capital during this war?”
Wei Huan was stunned for a moment, then turned his eyes to the side, raised his shoulders unconsciously, and replied with a smile: "Wang Xie runs Daqi Trading Road and has set many miscellaneous taxes. He must have hated the Shazhou family. In addition,
These natives of Shazhou have always been in harmony with the imperial court, so they naturally act erratically."
Zhou Jun, who was familiar with cross-examination, saw Wei Huan's little movements when he spoke and knew that the latter was either lying or concealing something.
Wang Fei has been taken to Chang'an because of corruption. The state government can take this opportunity to take the initiative to repair the relationship with the Shazhou surname, and then ask for his help to fight against the Tubo.
As for accusing Shazhou locals of not respecting the Tang Dynasty, this is even more nonsense.
If the Shazhou clan really wanted to betray the imperial court, there would be no rebel army in history, let alone Zhang Yichao's move to overthrow the Tubo rule and return Shazhou to the Tang Dynasty.
It can be seen from this that the feud between the state capital and the Shazhou clan and the corruption of the king may be just one of the reasons. The real situation may be more hidden.
Thinking of this, Zhou Jun asked Wei Huan again: "Who is that person with the owl's head on top of the city?"
Wei Huan: "They are all the enemy's agents and spies hiding in Dunhuang City. They discuss the government affairs arbitrarily and gather people to make noise, just to cause a riot in the city."
Zhou Jun frowned, was silent for a while, and then said, "I understand."
Wei Huan secretly glanced at Zhou Jun and asked again: "Prince-in-law, the Dajing granary was burned down, and Doulu's army ran out of food and grass. The state government tried its best to raise some for emergency use, but in the long run, there is no solution.
."
Zhou Jun: "Who is in charge of Shazhou's military affairs now?"
Wei Huan: "The military envoy of Doulu Army in Shazhou is Chang Huiwu. The Moli Army in Guazhou rushed to help, and the military envoy is named Guo Ziyi."
When Zhou Jun heard this, he was stunned for a moment and quickly asked: "You just said, who is the envoy of the Moli Army?"
Wei Huan: "Returning to the Prince Consort, the Moli Army envoy was named Guo Ziyi, who was originally the Hengsi Army envoy from Shuofang. Because of the case of Wang Xian, the Moli Army envoy was involved in it and was taken to Chang'an. When the Tubo invaded, the Moli Army envoy
When the post was vacant, Li Wei, the governor of Shuofang, recommended Guo Ziyi to be transferred to the Moli Army."
Zhou Jun: "Where is Guo Ziyi now?"
Wei Huan: "Moli's army is currently stationed in Sanwei Mountain... I heard that Guo Jun led his troops to inspect Xinxiang County a few days ago, but I'm afraid he hasn't returned yet."
Zhou Jun let out a breath, and from the corner of his eye, he happened to see Liu Zai at the entrance of the hall, nodding slightly to him.
Zhou Jun: "Wei Governor, I came all the way from Liangzhou. I traveled day and night without even a moment's rest. I will first find a place to stay and let me rest for half a day before discussing the war."