The area near Atami is not all the pastures Liu Mian imagined. On the contrary, at least in the eastern half of the lake area, there is a lot of farmland.
"They are not Turks." Seeing that Liu Mian couldn't help but look around, Bassegan explained: "In the past, when the Silk Road was still open, Rehai was the only way to pass from east to west, and many people left behind as they walked.
, living in this beautiful landscape. No one thinks they are Turks, they are Turks, our relatives."
Cao A'liao briefly translated it.
Liu Mian smiled and nodded, and continued to look at those villages.
There are wells and canals in the village. I don’t know where I learned the technology. Central Plains? Persia?
But in places without wells and canals, a lot of farmland has been opened up. It seems that there is not too little rain here, and there should be a lot of rivers.
"The eastern half of the lake area is relatively prosperous." This was not the first time Cao A'le came here. He explained to Liu Mian in a low voice: "There are more than a hundred rivers in the entire lake area, and a lot of farmland has been opened along the rivers, usually for millet.
Special people are planting. Don't listen to what he says about Turks. They are just rough and don't understand anything they don't have."
"The western half of the lake area has less rain. It mainly relies on wells and canals, as well as the melting ice and snow at the turn of spring and summer, which irrigates many wheat fields and orchards."
"This lake is very big, and the water is salty, so people can't drink it. But the lake water near the shore is not that salty, and cattle and sheep often come to drink. There are many fish in the lake, but few people catch them. I suspect that all those fish are
Once it becomes a sperm, it can capsize a boat with a flick of its tail."
"There are a lot of pastures nearby. Turks go between villages to graze, and some even go to the mountains to graze and hunt."
"If you want to go to Suiye City from Qiuci, Shule, Khotan and other places, it is most convenient to take Rehai. Before the Uighurs moved westward, many merchants passed through here. But the Uighurs changed everything. They suppressed millet.
Special merchants robbed merchant travellers, tried to monopolize the East-West trade, and ended up ruining this line."
"Ogurchak is a fool. He once controlled such a fertile territory, but he couldn't defeat the Persians. If the Rehai Turks follow him, they will be defeated sooner or later."
"These Turks were vassals of the Great Uighur Kingdom at first, but after King Pugu defeated the Anxi Uighurs, these Turks took advantage of the situation and took refuge with King Pugu again. It has been twenty years now."
"Gaochang's control over them is not very strong. Without the help of our Manichaeans, these Turks would have fled long ago."
"Don't listen to people's nonsense that they have 200,000 tents. They don't have it. Even if you count the Turks from the east of Suiye to Rehai, and even the Ili River area, the total of 100,000 tents may not be there. Two hundred thousand tents,
Haha, there must be a million people. With this kind of capital, even Pang Teqin and Pu Gujun would have to surrender to them."
Cao A'liao talked a lot, which may have been mixed with a lot of subjective things, but generally it sounded very reliable. Liu Mian nodded and smiled, expressing his gratitude.
Baseqian walked in front and didn't care what they said. When he saw a courtyard that he entered three times, the visitors were all shocked.
This style is too "Tang".
"I heard that it was the other courtyard where Han Sizhong watched fish two hundred years ago. I don't know how many hands it passed through, but now it has fallen into the hands of Bussaigan." Cao A'liao said.
Liu Mian stood outside the door for a long time, looking at the gatehouse carefully.
After a long time, he shook his head and smiled bitterly. Broiye City was lost to others, so what does a house mean?
When the Tang army came to the Western Regions, it was true that they could defeat their enemies, but the Tang army could not stay there for long and would have to go home sooner or later. If only more than 20,000 troops could continue to stay in the Western Regions, these places would not be able to be saved.
****
After entering the hall, Basseigan had some candied fruits served to entertain the guests. Then he sat across from him and asked, "Are you coming from the North Courtyard?"
"Yes." Cao A'liao answered, acting as a translator.
"Have you met the Geluolu people?" Baseqian asked.
"He was beaten away." Cao A'liao briefly explained the reason.
In fact, what the Xia army chased away were just some profit-seeking Geluolu horse bandits. The Geluolu people were not a whole, but a loose association composed of three major clans, the so-called three-surnamed Geluolu.
Each part has a high degree of freedom. It is possible that one part will be friends with you, another part will be indifferent to you, and another part may secretly rob your cattle and sheep. This is normal on the grassland.
Especially when Ogulchak lost consecutive battles and his prestige plummeted, the Geluolu people were probably not very obedient.
This is the political ethics of the grasslands, and you have to adapt to this.
After listening to Cao A'le's words, Baseqian suddenly stood up irritably.
Cao A'liao looked at him in surprise, while Liu Mian sat quietly.
"In the past, the Gaochang Uighurs were victorious and came to Rehai with a hundred thousand cavalry to force us to surrender." Basseqian's voice was a little angry, and he said: "We swallowed this breath and presented our horses.
, cloth, cattle and sheep, King Pugu left satisfied."
"Then Basil came and asked us to surrender. We asked Gaochang for help and waited for several months, but nothing happened. If the Persians had not launched an attack in the west and Basil was too busy to take care of himself, we would have suffered another humiliation."
"If we can't even protect our own subjects, then why do we surrender to him? Are we cheap?"
"You - ah, as your name suggests, besides making money, what else do you have? Is Manichaeism the state religion in the Xia Kingdom? If it is not even the state religion, how can you influence the emperor of the Xia Kingdom? How can you help us in our crisis?
Time to help?”
Cao Ah Liao has been translating.
After listening for a long time, Liu Mian suddenly said: "The Rehai Turks are the remnants of the Tuqishi Khanate, right?"
"Why do you ask these questions?" Basseigan asked.
"Tuqi Shi repeatedly attached himself to the Tang Dynasty and became a vassal for generations. It can be seen that the kings of all dynasties had far-sightedness." Liu Mian said.
"What on earth do you want to say?" Basseigan asked.
"Does the chief know that Daxia has unified the Central Plains, defeated all the tribes in the northern grasslands, and shocked the neighbors?" Liu Mian asked.
"Heard something."
"Then did you know that half a year ago, the Emperor of Great Xia held a meeting of the people in the Uighur yamen, and all the chiefs were honored with the title of 'Innately Wise and Supreme Khan'?"
After Cao A'liao finished translating, Basseqian was silent for a long time, and then asked with some disbelief: "How can a Han become the Great Khan of the grassland? Did he move the capital to Heichengzi?"
"Li Shimin was given the honorary title 'Khan of Heaven' by all ministries, and no one on the grassland could disobey his will," Liu Mian said.
The corners of Ba Saiqian's mouth twitched when he heard the three words Li Shimin.
This is the man who ruined the great cause of the Turks!
After the fall of the Turkic Khanate, the small khanates that were established one after another found it difficult to restore their past glory. Just like after the fall of the Uighurs, both Pugujun and Pangteqin could only dominate a corner and could never return to their former glory.
Same as in its heyday.
"I'm afraid the chief still doesn't know that the army of the King of Great Xia has already marched to Yanqi and Qiuci. A hundred thousand troops can march to Rehai at any time, just like King Pugu did in those days." Liu Mian added.
"Qiuci, Yanqi has also been taken?" Beseqian felt a little unbelievable.
"Whether it is true or not, the chief will know after he sends someone to inquire about it. What is true cannot be false, and what is false cannot be true." Liu Mian said: "In fact, it is not long before Wang Shi attacks Kucha. There should be many Kucha people heading west.
If you run away, you might end up at Atami."
Ba Saigan was really anxious this time, even a little scared.
They don't want to fight with anyone, they just want to preserve themselves in this troubled world and sit back and watch the success or failure. Today's Yili River Valley, Suiye and even the vast area further south are a chaotic world where you come and go.
The Rehai Turks will seek refuge with whoever is stronger. This is an iron rule.
The Gaochang Uighurs were all destroyed by the Xia people, and the nearby Yanqi and Qiuci were also captured. Will they stop here? If they don't stop, who will they attack next?
It is a matter of life and death for the tribe, and no one can take these matters lightly.
Basseigan called two people over, leaned into their ears, and whispered instructions.
The two nodded frequently and then left.
"You guys stay here for now, and I'll come back in a few days." Baseqian said this and left in a hurry, ignoring his guests.
****
After Basseqian left, Cao A'liao was a little anxious.
He keenly felt that in such a major matter, his so-called Manichean status could not help much, which made him a little frustrated.
However, Liu Mian continued to comfort them, saying that without his introduction, it would be difficult for them to contact the Rehai Turks.
Cao Ah was relieved after hearing this.
The Turks did not neglect their distinguished guests, there was no shortage of food and water every day, and they even had maids and musicians found from nowhere to serve them.
Sun Shuxian sent someone out every day to report to Wang Chongwen that he was safe, but for a while there was not much else going on.
When Liu Mian was free, he couldn't help but think about the future.
Along the way, the thing that left the deepest impression on him was the Yili River Valley. It was a real land of abundant water and grass, much better than Gaochang and Beiting.
Atami is actually not that bad.
If enough wells and canals are dug to irrigate farmland, a lot of people can be fed. Fishing can also be done in the lakes, and livestock can be grazed on the mountains and under the mountains. The most important thing is that Atami can communicate with Qiuci, Shule and even Yanqi.
Khotan is an important intermediate node on the ancient Silk Road.
With the Yili River Valley and Atami in hand, it would be much easier to plot to the west.
With a big country on your back, you can march westward and clean up the scattered tribes and princes here. If you are lucky, you can have a solid foundation - luck is actually quite important.
Of course, the most important thing is the support of the saints. Without this, even if these Tibetan people are conquered for a while, they will rebel again in the future. This is inevitable.
Three days later, when Cao A was gone and Liu Mian was playing chess to kill time, Ba Saiqian arrived in a hurry.
Coming with him was the leader of the Sunong clan.
"I asked the Kucha people who escaped, and it's true." Baseqian looked very complicated.
Liu Mian put down the chess piece and asked: "Has Chief Baseigan made a decision?"
"I will go with you to Gaochang and meet the Supreme Khan," said Basseqian.
In troubled times, one must choose a powerful force to join, otherwise it will be difficult to gain a foothold. It is not surprising that the Rehai Turks have this idea.
Cao Ah was overjoyed when he heard this.
Liu Mian thought of another thing: when dealing with Ogurchak in the future, Rehai Turks might also come in handy.
This is a force sandwiched between Persia, Uighurs and Daxia. It is in a good position.
If you meet a saint, as long as you are not too stupid, the ending should be good.
It’s just that I have to get “sick” first.
("Liu Mian" was changed to "Liu Mian". This was influenced by @shunfushuyou. He said that "Mian" is the same as "Mian", which successfully misled me.)