The old man is really too old. Although his body is stronger than the average old man, he doesn't like to move around anymore. He spends all day wandering around in the study, flower hall and bedroom where the ground is warm, and he doesn't come out easily to meet people.
If Yang Lin hadn't come to the northwest, he would never have seen him leave his house.
Even so, he still has to make the decision on major matters concerning the Western Army.
Although the Western Army is a century-old general group, it has been punished by civil servants and officials for hundreds of years. The Western Army took refuge in Yang Lin, but the whole army was not at ease. The civil servants in the DPRK and China often fought and were demoted to Qiongzhou Island.
.
After Yang Shaozai was deposed, he could still make a comeback, but once he fell, his own family of generals would inevitably be purged, or at least they would be able to release their military power with a cup of wine.
With this consensus, the generals of the Western Army once again came to the residence of Mr. Laozhong.
Everyone did not wait long, and Lao Zhong sent someone to lead him in until Lao Zhong's study. As soon as they entered the study, the generals saw Lao Zhong leaning on an hut with a tired look on his face.
Yao Gu stepped forward and clasped his fists and said: "Old gentleman, are your body and bones still healthy?"
"Xi Yan, you who don't care about the New Year or the holidays, you come to my house as a dying person with nothing, aren't you here to express your condolences in advance?"
It could be heard that the tone of his words was unkind, and everyone laughed bitterly. Yao Gu even said quickly: "My old husband is joking. Although most of us are the same generation, we were all promoted by you. There is no one in the Western Army who has not
I have received your old favor. Now everyone is unsure. If they don’t come to you for advice, who else can they turn to and who can they count on? "
This sentence is indeed what Yao Gu said in his heart, and it is also what many people present felt. Among the generals of the Western Army, who is not someone who has grown up and been promoted step by step? The generals of the Western Army say that their qualifications are almost the same.
, they are all generals from generation to generation, and each has its own power within the Western Army. Who can subdue whom? There is only one Zhongshi Dao, who can be regarded as the current leader of the Western Army.
Zhong Shidao smiled indifferently and sighed: "I was also very heroic back then. I could ride a bad horse and shoot a hard bow, just like you are today. I really didn't know what fear was at that time. I went on a rampage and made some minor achievements, but also made countless stupid things.
Things. Now that I am old, I can no longer bear the burden of accompanying Yang Shaozai back and forth in the carriage. If you want to plan anything, just tell me, an old guy, I will not refuse what I have to do. There are still two
Brother.
What you shouldn’t do, if you listen to me, I will also give you a warning, just don’t let the hard work of your ancestors be ruined in the hands of unscrupulous descendants like us.”
Zhong Shidao was the only person who could knit the Western Army into a whole, and the generals were a little frightened when they heard his desolate tone.
After all, Mr. Lao Zhong is old, and Xiao Zhong has a cold and arrogant temperament, so he cannot convince the public at all.
What everyone respects is not the cultivator, but the cultivator. If he is really gone and the Xijun Mountain is scattered, how can we protect ourselves in the Great Song Dynasty, which is extremely unfriendly to the family of military generals?
Yao Gu stepped forward, leaned into his ear, and whispered: "We all think that Yang Shaozai can protect our Western Army for a while, but not for a lifetime. The purpose of the Western Army is to fight and guard the border for the Song Dynasty.
Now that the Xia thieves are gone, isn't there any new opponent?
Yang Shaozai was afraid that Youyan would start a war. That was because all the soldiers and horses in Hebei were just idiots, and no one could fight. After discussion, we all agreed that although the Khitan was big, it was already a powerful force on the outside and might not be as powerful as the Xia thieves.
We have been able to fight against the party members for hundreds of years on our own homeland, stepping on the bones of our ancestors. Now that we have Qinlong as our back, we have a backing and a buffer, are we still afraid of starting a war with the Khitan people? Since ancient times, the birds have used their best bows, and the cunning ones have hidden them.
The rabbit is dead and the running dog is cooked. Only fighting is the foundation of our Western Army."
Zhong Shidao's eyelids slowly lowered, covering his cloudy eyes, and his old face remained calm.
"Without the Western bandits, there are still Northern barbarians"——
At the foot of Black Mountain, the newly built Wulianghai is an oasis in the desert and the busiest market on the grassland.
Standing on the city wall, two Mongolian men were followed by a group of followers. Huerza pointed to the lively market below and said: "My Anda, look at these merchants coming and going. This is the source of the strength of our Kelei tribe.
.”
Behind him is a not very tall, very sturdy Mongolian with a white cloth on his head, Balidan, the leader of the Mongolian Qiyan tribe.
The Qiyan tribe and the Kele tribe have been friends for generations. The sons of each other's leaders often become brothers at a very young age and are known as Anda.
In history, when Temujin, the grandson of Balidan, started his campaign, the powerful Kelie tribe protected him and gradually conquered all the tribes in Mongolia.
The opening of the market here completely broke the balance of power on the grassland. The already tyrannical Klei tribe was now unbeatable.
Kingdoms large and small on the grassland can often be established majestically in just a few years, and often fall apart in just a few years.
The reason is the lack of necessary materials and foundation. Nowadays, the continuous opening of mutual markets in the vast land bordering the Song Dynasty is changing this.
Balidan said with envy in his words: "Your Kelie tribe is next to Xixia. If the Song Dynasty destroyed Xixia, you will have the conditions to do business with the wealthy southerners."
Huerza looked up to the sky and smiled: "I can't guarantee that for other tribes, your Qiyan tribe can pass by every road in Kled with confidence. The warriors here will protect your safety just like they protect their own tribe."
Balidan smiled and wanted to give some specific numbers, but found that many people were surrounding him at one end of the market.
The huge noise quickly attracted everyone's attention. Suddenly Erza stretched out his hand to cover the sun and said, "What's going on?"
The guard next to him saw it clearly and said: "I think it's the people from the Northwest who are recruiting Si. Could it be that the Khitan dogs are causing trouble?"
The Northwest Recruitment Department was an integrated military and political institution established by the Khitan to rule Mongolia, with its jurisdiction covering the entire grassland.
Suddenly Erzha's face turned cold. The Klei tribe was almost going to rebel in a few years, and they were not very afraid of the Northwest Recruitment Division.
Men on the grasslands are like this. They will die at any time. They are fearless because they can lose their lives at any time due to hunger, vendetta, wind, snow, and severe cold.
Carrying the riding whip, we came to the city wall. The place was surrounded by iron barrels. A group of soldiers drew their swords to disperse the crowd. When they entered, they saw a dispute between a group of Han people buying horses and Khitan people.
The Khitan people were interested in a horse, and unfortunately the newly arrived Han people were also interested in it. The Khitan people came first but could not afford as high a price as the Han people.
Of course the horse seller wanted to make more money, so he regretted selling to the Han people instead of negotiating a price with the Khitans.
This was a simple dispute, but it involved three ethnic groups. Due to the language barrier, they could only communicate briefly. The two sides got so angry that they lost control. All kinds of swear words were uttered in a bad tone.
After Hu'erzha came in, he separated the three parties in the quarrel, and through some negotiations, they understood the cause of the matter.
Although he is the younger brother of the leader of the Kelie tribe, has been at war with the Khitan all the year round, and has a good relationship with Yang Lin and the generals of the Western Army, he does not favor the Han people.
"Now that you have sold the horse, you shouldn't regret it because someone offered a higher price. After your wife comes home, will she leave because someone is stronger than you?" Huerzha said with a straight face.
The horse seller reprimanded him.
The Han cavalry team, which did not buy any horses, numbering more than a dozen people in total, left angrily.
Balidan smiled and said: "Anda, this is a beautiful thing. No wonder your market is so prosperous."
The Han people buying horses left the market, suddenly stopped midway and gathered together.
After a while they scattered and disappeared into the desert.
This place is a neglected area. If it weren't for the horse market, it would be inaccessible all year round.
The setting sun melts gold, and the solitary smoke rises straight up.
On the deserted road in Wulianghai, thirteen officials sent by the Khitan Northwest Recruitment Department to monitor the market were killed and hung from a dead tree on the roadside.
By the time the people from the northwest recruitment department came out to search, seven days had passed.
The vultures were pecking at the rotting bones and flesh, which looked particularly strange. The horses were galloping and the birds and beasts were scattered in all directions.
Suddenly Erza covered her nose and looked at the stinking corpse, feeling uneasy in her heart.
The surrounding guards stepped forward and said, "These people were hanged after they were shot to death."
"No matter who the murderer is, the Khitan people will not let us go easily, or at least they will endlessly extort and demand bribes."
Suddenly Erza snorted coldly: "This must have been done by people from the Song Dynasty."
"Do you want to send someone to ask?"
Huerzha waved his hand: "It's not necessary. The Song people will not admit it, and the Khitan dogs will not listen to our explanation. The Liao dogs of the Northwest Recruitment Department are as greedy as hungry wolves trapped in a cold winter."
"Bah. The Nannan and Khitan people are not good people!"——
Zhong Shidao discussed this vicious plan with several important generals of the Western Army in Yan'an Prefecture. Since defeating Yan failed, let the war begin in the northwest.
The Klie tribe cannot resist the Khitans on their own, so they will definitely ask for reinforcements from the Song Dynasty. By then, the Western Army will become a barrier to the northwest, and who will dare to say that the Western Army will be abolished.
The Khitan people had long been dissatisfied with the tea and horse trading market. This market allowed the powerful enemy Song Dynasty to obtain countless war horses in vain, while the Khitan horse source was reduced.
The Klei tribe received food and other supplies, so that they did not have to struggle on the line of life and death, and their power gradually increased.
The tribes on the grassland rose very quickly and crazily. At that time, the Khitan were just slaves who made iron for others.
The Northwest Recruitment Department sent people to collect the criminals and humiliated the Kelie tribe. Before the next day, the leader of the Kelie tribe, Yu Gunan, ordered to kill the Khitan officials and rebel against the Liao Dynasty.
The Southwest Recruitment Division's 500,000 troops and the Northwest Recruitment Division's 300,000 troops gradually gathered closer to Fengzhou, Xijing Road, which was later known as Hohhot.
The Northwest War was about to break out, and the Western Army, which had been well prepared, gathered in the Volcano Army.