To the north of Liangzhou, several sparse Populus euphratica trees stand on the Gobi.
The yellow sand rolled low, and several cavalrymen rested on the Gobi desert, breaking the biscuits in their arms into two halves and swallowing them alive.
Not long after, a horseman came from afar. The faces of these horsemen were full of vigilance. After seeing the person clearly, they immediately relaxed.
When the other party arrived at the Poplar euphratica tree, he dismounted, placed a sheepskin on the tree, and then rode away again.
After a while, these cavalrymen took back the sheepskin. After seeing it, everyone asked each other.
One person spoke in Chinese with a Tubo accent and said: "That's right, it's a map from Liangzhou to Lanzhou. I used to map it from Muxiao
I walked through it when I was gathering, along the road of Zhuanglang Valley, and after passing here is the Yellow River."
"On the other side of the Yellow River is Lanzhou."
"Lanzhou, great! Now this is the place of the Song Dynasty and the place of the Han people."
"I'm afraid that if we have been in Liangzhou for hundreds of years, the Song people may not regard our descendants who returned to the Yi army as Han people."
"People from the Song Dynasty can even accept people from Xihe Road, let alone us."
"We are the first from Liangzhou to lead our troops back east. The people of Song Dynasty will definitely treat us favorably."
"But when we leave, there are 20,000 people. What if Ren Duoyading sends people to pursue us? I'm afraid less than 2,000 can reach Lanzhou."
"That's better than the frequent gatherings of the Dangxiang people. These Dangxiang people are simply more ruthless than the Tubo and Uighurs back then!"
"Ali Gu has a foothold in Guazhou and Shazhou. It seems that the Ren family is forcing us to fight with Ali Gu, insisting on exhausting us first."
A man wearing armor squatted on the ground and inserted his hands into the sand. He remained silent and said: "We also have a token from our ancestors, the Jiedushi of the Guiyi Army, and we will present this to Bianjing City."
"The emperor of the Song Dynasty today is a man of great ambition, and he will know the weight of this thing."
"Let's go! Let's go back."
After saying this, the cavalrymen left the place. After traveling into the night, they arrived at a place sheltered from the wind to rest.
They were wrapped in leather blankets and watched the strong wind blowing at night. The yellow sand was flying all over the sky, making their faces covered with dust.
"Liangzhou is so desolate, everything is made of dirt."
"I heard that Lanzhou is much better, like the Jiangnan scenery mentioned in the book."
"None of us have seen what Jiangnan is like."
The big man glanced at the wind and sand outside and said, "Go to bed early! We have to go on a journey tomorrow."
"Don't meet Nidobe's minions tomorrow."
After saying that, everyone fell asleep. At midnight, the wind stopped, and then the howling of wolves echoed in the desolate Liangzhou Gobi.
Before dawn the next day, five people and eight horses set out on the road carrying the sheepskin map. The extra horses were tied together with ropes for transfer. Halfway through, they were less than ten miles away from the tribe's territory.
There is a Populus euphratica forest here, where countless jackdaws rest.
Suddenly, an arrow flew over and hit the big man on the shoulder and back. The man screamed in pain, and countless jackdaws immediately circled into the sky.
More than a dozen armored riders with braided hair appeared on the mountain ridge.
"It's from Nidobe! Let's go!"
The big man roared and broke the arrow. After staring at the armored cavalry on the hillside, he immediately led several cavalry on the left and right and galloped away.
The cavalrymen of Renduo tribe rode down the mountain to catch up with them. Both sides took out their big bows and fired at each other on horseback.
Several people headed by the big Han were selected warriors from the tribe who were skilled in bows and horses. When they encountered the brave cavalry of the Renduo tribe, they fought hard.
Soon two cavalrymen were shot off their horses, and three of Rendo's armored cavalry were shot down.
After galloping for a while, the big man and the remaining two cavalrymen immediately jumped onto the other three empty horses. Especially, although the big man was injured by an arrow, he was still very agile.
The big man immediately cut off the rope after sitting firmly.
The three horses carried the three men and galloped away. However, the Renduobujia cavalry had insufficient power and was a step too late, so the three men fled back to the tribe.
The big man returned to the tribe's tent with the sheepskin map. When he took it out, half of it was stained with dark red blood.
An old man looked at the map carefully and said: "It is indeed a map to Lanzhou."
"Clan leader, Ren Duoyading probably knows our plan to return to the Song Dynasty!"
The big man said: "Chief, we must leave immediately! Otherwise Ren Duoyading will not let us go."
The old man did not speak. He said to everyone in the big tent: "Have you all thought it through?"
Everyone nodded together.
This time we embarked on the journey back east. Although everyone knew that it was a narrow escape, no one regretted it.
Because Dangxiang repeatedly asked them, the descendants of the Guiyi Army, to be the vanguard to attack Aligu or Song Dynasty. If they did not obey, their hostages in Dangxiang would be executed.
But following the party's orders, only twenty-three out of ten of them returned from each battle.
In addition, there are various kinds of exploitation. Every year, you have to pay a certain amount of leather, which is regarded as a tax on the party.
Now Ali Gu has attacked Shazhou and Guazhou. This man unified the Yellow-headed Uighurs and Grass-headed Tatars within one year, and is regarded as another hero no less than Li Yuanhao.
And this became the last straw for the big guys.
In order to avoid being used as cannon fodder to fight Aligu, they decided not to be coerced by the party members. And they learned through businessmen that the Song Dynasty reclaimed wasteland and planted cotton fields on Xihe Road on a large scale, and the Han people here were all
Live a very prosperous life and live and work in peace and contentment.
After hearing the descriptions of the merchants, they were extremely eager to return to the Song Dynasty.
The mountains and rivers near Lanzhou are beautiful and rich in products, making it an ideal place for them to settle.
After getting everyone's confirmed answer.
The old man nodded and said: "You go, I can't leave. My nephews and nephews are all in Ren Duoyading's hands. If you want to return east, go ahead!"
"Clan leader!"
The clan leader showed a bitter smile and said: "For so many years, we have not dared to speak Chinese or wear Hanfu. Even the Chinese customs have changed. In the past, some of us who returned to the rebel army also returned to the East, but they were all killed after being caught.
Already."
"But we want the emperor of the Song Dynasty to know that although we who returned to the rebel army wear hu robes, we still miss our homeland and will always be Han people and subjects."
"Although the world is no longer under the control of the Tang Dynasty, we Han people still have the emperor in the east. Our descendants who have returned to the rebel army are looking forward to the emperor of the Han family day and night to regain this territory!"
"So let's go!"
"Compared to previous clan leaders, I am lucky. Each of us must remember that we are descendants of the Han family. From now on, you will be the clan leader of our tribe, leading everyone back! Back to our homeland!"
This is what the patriarch said to the big man.
The big man's nose felt sour when he heard this, and he nodded and said: "It's the clan leader!"
The patriarch looked at everyone with joy and said: "From today on, you can wear the clothes of the Han family. We have worked hard here for generations, enduring humiliation and bearing heavy burdens to serve the Tibetans, Uighurs, and Dangxiang soldiers. This is to let you not forget who you are."
."
at night.
All the tents on the grassland were put away, and all the extra things except what was carried with them were burned.
Tens of thousands of descendants of the rebels watched their homes that had been run for many years being burned by raging fires. They all knew that they would never be able to come back whether they were alive or dead.
The women and children couldn't help but shed tears when they saw this scene. They all knew that they left this homeland today in order to return to a larger homeland.
The water and grass there are abundant, the products are rich, and the most important thing is that there are no longer slaves and party members who persecute them.
Although many people may die along the way, they are not afraid.
The patriarch and the big man looked at this scene. The patriarch said to the big man: "I am old and can no longer trek. I will accompany you on this last stretch of the road."
"Besides, Ren Duoyading knows that if I leave too, he will definitely torture my people."
"You lead your tribe back to the Han Dynasty and walk all the way east! Go to the place where the sun rises!"
"Yes, patriarch. Let's go!" The big man looked at the fire.
The clan leader nodded and watched as the big man mounted his horse and then led tens of thousands of clan members on the way back east. Hundreds of mules, horses and carts stretched out.
The patriarch watched all this until the morning light appeared in the east.
In the morning light, he seemed to see his ancestors, his people, staggering toward the east following their descendants.
The patriarch sat down happily, as if he was one of them.
…
In Liangzhou City.
Ren Duoyading was gnawing on a fat leg of lamb, listening to several close tribesmen reporting to him in Tubo dialect.
Ren Duoyading said angrily: "We can't let them go back!"
On the side, Renduo Baozhong said: "Dad, since the influence of the Eastern Dynasty penetrated into the Qingtang Dynasty, our Renduoquan City has been under the attack of the Song army."
"Ali Gu's establishment in Guazhou, Shazhou has also involved too many of our troops."
"We have finally negotiated peace with the Song Dynasty. If these people return to the Song Dynasty and cause trouble, how will the Song people retaliate?"
Ren Duoyading put down the leg of lamb and drank a large bowl of wine. The wine flowed down his gray beard. He took a long breath and said: "If we don't chase these people, if the king finds out, he won't be able to let us father and son go."
"Dad, the price the Song people gave us is good. After the Battle of Lanzhou, all the tribes in Liangzhou City are in panic."
Ren Duoyading glanced at Ren Duo Baozhong and said, "Your younger brothers are still in the sixth class of Yuwei."
Renduo Baozhong stopped talking, and Renduoyading gnawed on the fat leg of lamb again and said, "Don't think too much. If we don't kill these people, more tribes from Liangzhou City will return to the Song Dynasty in the future."
After hearing this, Renduo Baozhong stood up reluctantly and was about to walk out of the tent when Renduoyading stopped him and said, "Remember to send the dozen beautiful slave girls you bought this time to Li Qing's house in Xingqing Mansion immediately."
"Don't spend the night in our hands! It won't be valuable if you spend the night in our hands."
Renduo Baozhong said that he was a little aggrieved because his father, as a prince, wanted to lick Han ministers like Li Qing.
Nowadays, the leader of the country, Li Bingchang, is carrying out reforms among the top leaders of the party, switching to Han customs and incorporating Fan customs. This has resulted in a situation where the Han people are not Han, and the Han people are not Han. Both the Han people and the Han people in the DPRK have complaints.
As a member of the Renduo tribe of the Qing, Tang and Tibetan tribes, Renduo Baozhong was a realist. He didn't have much thought about Dangxiang and the Song Dynasty, and he would rely on whichever side was stronger.
Unlike his father Ren Duoyading, he had a deep hatred and contempt for the Han people.
Now, Wang Hou, Tong Guan, and Wen Xixin of Song Ren, who were from the same clan as him, all wrote letters to solicit him, and the prices were raised higher and higher each time. Although Renduo Baozhong did not firmly intend to rebel against the party, he did have the courage to wait for the price.
Gu’s thoughts.
Now Renduo Baozhong ordered his cavalry to go out of Liangzhou City to pursue the defecting descendants of the Guiyi Army.
