On the second day of May in the second year of Wende, we were in the north of Kongtong Mountain, beside the salt pond.
Shao Shude was happily leading people hunting.
Don't get me wrong, although hunting is one of Marshal Shao's hobbies, in the northwest region, it is actually a political activity. If it is a large-scale hunting, it also has the function of training troops.
"This place has all five types of land. No wonder there are so many prey." Shao Shude took the pheasant handed over by his own soldiers and said with a smile.
The so-called five types of terrain are mountains and forests, slopes and valleys, sand nests, plains, and rivers.
Mountains and forests are sheltered by wild beasts. Among the nine beasts, leopards, tigers, deer, and deer live in them. All kinds of wild beasts are sheltered by mountains.
Slope valleys are where wild beasts hide. Among the nine beasts, stubborn sheep, goats, jackals, etc. are also hiding places.
In the sand nest, small animals and insects hide, as well as scorpions, frogs, rats and sand foxes.
There are many wild horses, wild donkeys and deer in the plains.
In the river, there are many pheasants and many hares.
"It's gratifying that the commander's archery skills are still accurate." Chen Cheng rode his horse to catch up and said with a smile: "The mountains and rivers inside and outside the river and the Han are all mixed together. He is brave and loves to hunt. Under the commander's rule, all industries will prosper. In the future, it will be easy to conquer the world.
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"Can't Vice Ambassador Chen just let me relax for a few moments?" Shao Shude glanced at Chen Cheng and laughed angrily: "I can't even say a few words, but just talk about state affairs, so as to spoil people's fun."
Zhao Guangfeng was sent to Shannan West Road and went with Lu Huaizhong to see what the situation was like in Xingyuan Mansion.
During the Tianbao period, the shogunate's military officers were required to do such chores. For example, when Xie Wan was appointed as the general manager of the Shuofang Army, he sent military officers to various places to approve the number of sergeants. To be honest, this work was quite offensive.
Zhao Guangfeng traveled south, first to Qinzhou to see the situation of Tianxiong Army; then to Xingzhou, Fengzhou and Liangzhou to see the repair situation of the walls where Wuwei Army and Dingyuan Army were stationed; finally, he would go to Banan
Go to the various states and contact Zhao Jian in Longjian Town to collect some information about Shu.
Look, Zhao Guangfeng is a member of the Shuofang shogunate. He lives in the three towns of Longyou, Shannan West Road and Longjian. He is as casual as visiting his own vegetable garden.
The word "so terrifying" is not enough to describe Marshal Shao's power in the west.
As soon as Zhao Guangfeng left, Chen Cheng felt much better.
Among the important civil servants in the town, everyone else has their own duties. For example, Feng Wei is a judge and Huang Tao is a judge. They have to go to the government office every day. Only he, Chen Cheng, Zhao Guangfeng, Lu Siye and others have their own duties.
People can always be with the commander-in-chief, and they can see the commander-in-chief more often than those generals.
Chen Cheng has now realized that if he wants his family to be rich and prosperous for a long time, he must always stay by the commander's side.
Like Li Yanling, who went to Xingning to serve as a military envoy, he seemed to be majestic and proud of his ancestors, but in fact he was far away from the core circle of power.
Wealth and wealth are not guaranteed by relying solely on one's own talents. There are so many talented people in the world, and talents come out from generation to generation. If one day a person with outstanding resourcefulness comes and is appreciated by the commander-in-chief, how can they, the old people, still hang out?
You have to rely on your friendship with the commander-in-chief! Without friendship, no matter how talented you are, you may not be able to maintain long-term wealth.
"Commander, the leaders of Ganzhou tribes were frightened by the continuous victory of our army. Earlier, Liangzhou surrendered at the end of the war, and all the Tubos in the six valleys had taken off their armor. The three prefectures in Hexi have been designated as two prefectures.
"Although the Long family in Suzhou has many soldiers and horses, they have been weak for a long time, so it is easy to recruit them." Chen Cheng smiled and said: "The elite soldiers from the two states have been led eastward by the general. Who can stop them?"
"Flattery." Shao Shude laughed and scolded, and ordered his soldiers to pack up the hunted beasts and roast them.
There are many wild beasts in the Qilian Mountains. I went hunting today and the harvest was not small. After trimming them and eating them, they have a unique flavor.
"Commander, Zhang Huaishen, and Long are here." Lu Ming, the tenth general of the personal army, came to report.
"How did it come?" Shao Shude asked.
Lu Ming was startled for a moment, but he soon understood and said: "Each of them brought a few followers and came here with ease."
This attitude is not bad. Shao Shude nodded slightly and said: "Invite them to come over."
Whether the attitude is respectful or not can be seen at this time.
Long was just a governor, that's all. But Zhang Huaishen was the military governor, so he didn't have to lower himself in this way. But he still did so, but he had already placed himself in a lower position.
If we understand current affairs in this way, we can certainly cooperate further.
Zhang Huaishen and Long Jiu entered Shuofang's camp under the leadership of Lu Ming.
The camp was very large, surrounded by many tribal chiefs from Liangzhou and Ganzhou. They came in and out, talking and laughing loudly, counting the harvest of today's hunting.
There are also many tribes in Suzhou and Shazhou, some are obedient, some are aloof, and some are unruly and even ambitious.
Although these Tibetan tribes from Ganzhou came to participate in the hunt, Zhang Huaishen and Long Jiu did not think that they were necessarily submissive.
They have also studied the Fan tribe in Shuofang Town. Pingxia Dangxiang was surrounded by officers and soldiers on all sides, so he had to be submissive. Yinshan Fan tribe also had troops stationed next to it, and the strongest Qibi tribe had a relationship with Li Keyong.
A big enemy had no choice but to be submissive. Hexi Dangxiang was weak and was initially intimidated by Shao Shude's move to establish his power by massacring four tribes, so he had to be submissive.
Hengshan Dangxiang was formed purely out of friendship, family ties, and a lot of benefits. It was also the place where Shao Shude put the most effort.
How can we control the Ganzhou Tibetan tribe, which is so far away? One way is to garrison troops, but the number of sergeants is small, the deterrent effect is not strong, and the effect is limited. If we send a large army, the cost will be too high, which is not good for conquering the world.
Therefore, Shao Shude should put them to use.
The two were quickly brought to Shao Shude.
"I've met Prince Lingwu. I've met the Observer."
Shao Shude observed the two of them.
Zhang Huaishen is already quite old. His beard and hair are all white, and his forehead has deep wrinkles. His eyes are still somewhat bright, but they are not as sharp as when he was young.
He was heroic in his youth, impassioned in his youth, cunning and calculating in his middle age, and struggled to survive in his old age. The life of a hero who returned to justice could not compete with time or the general trend.
Who hasn’t had a young life? Who hasn’t had a highlight moment? But in the end, they all grow old and lose all their ambitions.
"You two have guarded the country's border for many years, and your merits are outstanding and admirable." Shao Shude ordered his soldiers to bring the cases, set out wine and food, and said warmly: "I invite you two here today because of the Hexi matter."
"The land west of Hexi includes the seven prefectures of Liang, Gan, Su, Gua, Sha, Xi, and Yi, with an area of thousands of miles and more than a million people. A certain person gained the trust of the imperial court and was appointed as the observation and disposal envoy of the three prefectures of Hexi. Now Liang Prefecture has been conquered.
At the end of the period, hundreds of thousands of people from the Tibetans in Liugu, the Uighurs in Ganzhou, and nine counties returned to the king's kingdom. After that, they should immigrate to Shibian, herd and farm, and do more management." Shao Shude said again.
Zhang Huaishen remained calm, but Long Jiu was frightened.
Suzhou is one of the prefectures of Hexi Town. Doesn't the "nine counties" mentioned by Prince Lingwu include Jiuquan and Fulu counties in Suzhou? What does this mean? We want to seize the Long family.
right?
"However, Ganzhou has a long way to the west, many tribes, and complicated people's sentiments. It must be guarded by people who are experienced in border affairs and have high morals." Shao Shude changed the subject and said: "Zhang Pushe has guarded Shazhou for many years and has a powerful reputation in all directions.
A certain person reported to the imperial court and asked the rebel army to be envoys to give him the title of Jingjie to take charge of the four prefectures of Sha, Gua, Yi and Xi. The Uighurs in Ganzhou have been destroyed, and Zhang Pu shot away a major problem. From now on, he can train troops to rule.
People, save food and grass, devote your efforts to the westward, and make new contributions to the imperial court."
Zhang Huaishen silently chewed on Shao Shude's words.
The conditions offered were indeed much better than what he had imagined. It could be said that not only did he show no signs of meddling within the Guiyi Army, but on the contrary, they helped stabilize the situation, which surprised Zhang Huaishen.
There is no doubt that the title of the Jiedushi of the Guiyi Army is indeed much stronger than that of the Jiedushi of Shazhou. If the imperial court formally issued an edict to confer him, it would be able to suppress some of the arrogance of the ambitious people in the town.
Of course, these are all small things. Forming a good alliance with Shuofang's army is the most important thing to stabilize his power.
Thinking of this, he immediately stood up, bowed and saluted: "I will keep in mind the virtues of the king of Lingwu County. There has always been a connection between the Ganzhou Uighurs and the Gaochang Uighurs. Under the attack of the two, the three of Sha, Gua and Su
The territory of Zhouzhou is quite heavy. The king of Lingwu County will send a large army to defeat Ganzhou and cut off one of its arms. Then I can attack the Tuyuhun Murong clan in Shazhou in the west, and then attack Yi and the two western states to restore our old land."
When the Guiyi Army was at its strongest, they once occupied Yizhou. They later lost it and never forgot to take it back. However, the Gaochang Uighurs were powerful and the Ganzhou Uighurs were gradually rising to the east to contain them. The situation was extremely critical.
Nowadays, the Tuyuhun Murong clan is in a state of separatism, and the Gaochang Uighurs continue to enter and raid, and even rushed within dozens of miles near Dunhuang. It was necessary to send out heavy troops to conquer, and Shuofang's army helped them remove the threat from the east, which was very good.
Very good!
Of course, Zhang Huaishen also knew very well that Shuofang's army stationed in Ganzhou could be a help or a threat. The decision was all made in a single thought.
He decisively chose to make good friends. Given the situation, he had to do it.
Long sat aside, full of anxiety.
How will Prince Lingwu deal with Suzhou? Direct annexation should be unlikely, but what if...
"Zhang Pushe is so sensible, so I feel relieved. In a few days, I will review the men who returned to the rebel army and get to know the Dunhuang generals." Shao Shude said matter-of-factly, not seeing anything wrong with this at all.
Zhang Huaishen also said matter-of-factly: "The king of Lingwu County is very brave and the Shuofang Army is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It would be good for the men of Shazhou to see it, so as not to sit in a well and watch the sky."
"That's very good." Shao Shude nodded with satisfaction.
Long twisted his body uneasily and looked at Shao Shude eagerly.
Shao Shude seemed to have just discovered this person, and suddenly said: "I almost forgot about Long Jishi, I should be punished."
After that, he picked up the kumiss and drank it all in one gulp.
"Suzhou..." Shao Shude put down his wine bowl and pondered for a while.
Long Jiu's heart was lifted.
"Long Jishi has been managing Suzhou for many years, and he has done meritorious service." Shao Shude said: "I heard that Long is good at looking after horses, raising horses, and training horses. We lack such talents in our army..."
"Please give me your orders, Lord Lingwu, and you will obey them," Long Jiu said quickly.
"I have three major racecourses in Yinchuan, Yongqing, and Xishi. This year, I plan to build a racecourse in Liangzhou and Ganzhou. The Long family will send thousands of people to help and move here together with their families." Shao Shude played with his hands.
He took the wine bowl and said with a smile: "The Leopard Cavalry are all elite soldiers of our army. They have been borrowing auxiliary troops from foreign armies for several years, which is quite inappropriate. I want to recruit two thousand children of the Long family into the Leopard Cavalry capital to serve as auxiliary troops, along with other
With their families, they moved to Lingzhou together. The cavalry army also lacked auxiliary troops, so Governor Long could select 3,000 brave men from various tribes in Suzhou, together with their families..."
Six thousand households! Long felt dizzy and almost fell to the ground.
This killing was so brutal! Looking at Shao Shude with a smile on his face, Long felt that this person was cruel and ruthless, and his desires were hard to satisfy.
Aren't you afraid that the tribes in Suzhou will fight to the death with you? How is it different from Lord Nawumu by using your power to bully others?
The various tribes in Suzhou have more than 100,000 people in total. Under the "Da Fa", it is not a problem to send out 30,000 to 40,000 troops. Is Shao Shude really so confident that he can win?
"By the way, Zhang Pushe." Shao Shude seemed to have secured his position and stopped caring about him. Instead, he turned his head and looked at Zhang Huaishen and said, "I heard that Zhang Pushe has a daughter who is eleven years old.
My son Siwu is also six years old this year. How about you shamelessly ask your concubine to be my wife?"
Shao Shude has already found out that Zhang Huaishen does have a young daughter, who is only eleven years old and has not yet been engaged to anyone.
Historically, after Zhang Huaishen, his wife and several sons were attacked and killed by Zhang Huaiding, the girl was adopted by Suo Xun and later married into the Suo family.
Marriage is the best way to build mutual trust and build relationships, bar none.
The Guiyi Army was in its own rear area, and they could either use force to defeat them or win over them. Shao Shude weighed the pros and cons and decided to win over them.
When Long heard this, his heart sank, it's over! If these two become in-laws, what will happen to Suzhou in the middle?