Shule is today's Kashgar, a rich and beautiful oasis. It is also the only way to cross the Congling Mountains. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times. It is also the second largest town among the four towns in Anxi.
The current situation in Shule Town is exactly the same as that in Qiuci Town. The forces of Tubo and Tang armies are intertwined here. The grassland and pastures are occupied by Tubo. The surrounding farmland and Shule City still belong to the Shule Kingdom. A thousand Tang troops are stationed in Shule City.
The garrison envoy Lu Yang heard about the arrival of the imperial envoy and led his soldiers out of the city to greet him. Guo Song read out the emperor's edict and granted Lu Yang the title of Pingyuan County Duke, the title of General Yunhui, 10,000 taels of silver, a farm, and the rest of the soldiers were promoted to three
level, granting him a title, a large amount of money, silk and land.
Of course, the money and land given by the emperor were all in the mainland and could only be given to their relatives in the Central Plains. However, the soldiers were so moved that they knelt down and shouted three times, "Long live!"
They may not receive substantial rewards themselves, but the titles and honors given to them by the imperial court are enough to satisfy them. They have not been forgotten by the imperial court.
The guard envoy Lu Yang is about fifty years old and has served in the army in Anxi for thirty years. His temples are gray and his long beard has silver threads under his chin.
He accompanied Guo Song into Shule City and introduced to Guo Song, "In fact, like Qiuci, we also make a living by farming. Food shortage has always troubled us, but the local people get along well with us, and the soldiers marry the locals.
There are quite a few. Although intermarriage left offspring for the soldiers, the biggest problem is that there are no successors to the cause of the Tang Dynasty. Young people have lived in a maternal environment since childhood. The local language is more fluent than Chinese, and they have a strong sense of identification with the Tang Dynasty.
Low, they would rather join the militia of Shule State than join the Tang army."
"Why would you rather join the Shule National Militia?"
Lu Yang smiled bitterly, "The treatment is different! If you join the Shule National Militia, you will not only have a full meal, but also wine and meat, while the Tang army can only eat half full, and you can't even think about wine and meat. Except for those of us who are loyal to the Tang Dynasty.
There are really very few young people among the dedicated veterans. There are some Han couples over there in Kucha, and their children are recognized by their family and country and are willing to join the Tang army, but there is almost no Han woman here in Shule, except for my wife."
At this time, a group of children rushed past, and Lu Yang suddenly shouted: "A Jian!"
A seven or eight-year-old child stopped and walked forward with his head lowered, "Daddy!"
Lu Yang's face darkened and he asked: "Why don't you go to school and hang out with a bunch of crazy kids?"
The child timidly said: "Mr. is feeling unwell today and has a day off."
"You have to go home to practice calligraphy and martial arts during the holidays. You are not allowed to play around, do you understand?"
"I know, kid!"
"This is Uncle Guo, why don't you greet me soon?"
Lu Jian bowed and saluted, "My nephew, please see Uncle Guo!"
"General Lu, is this your son?" Guo Song asked with a smile.
"It's my youngest son, his name is Lu Jian. I have three sons. The eldest and second are both in the Tang Army. This youngest son is only eight years old. I want him to study."
Guo Song smiled and nodded, and took out a dagger from his arms. He had seized it from Murong Bianlin, the general of Tuyuhun. It was small, well-made, very sharp, and the leather sheath was inlaid with precious stones.
Guo Song handed him the dagger, "This dagger is for you!"
Lu Jian took the dagger and pulled it out gently. She felt the coldness was overwhelming. Lu Yang was startled. The dagger was very precious. He quickly said: "You can't give such a precious thing to a child!"
Guo Song smiled and said: "It's just a dagger. I seized it from the enemy general and gave it to our future warriors of the Tang Dynasty. Why not?"
Lu Jian loved daggers so much that he looked at his father eagerly. Lu Yang had no choice but to nod, "Why don't you hurry up and thank Uncle Guo!"
"Thank you Uncle Guo!"
"Go! Study hard and inherit your father's career in the future."
"I will definitely work hard!"
Lu Jian bowed to Guo Song, turned around and went home.
Guo Song looked at his back and said with a smile: "Knowing books and understanding etiquette, you will definitely become a pillar of Anxi when you grow up!"
"Thank you, Chang Shi, for the compliment!"
Lu Yang waved his hand and said with a smile: "Please go and have a rest in the military camp!"
"please!"
The two men turned their horses and headed towards the military camp.
Guo Song stayed in Shule for three days, and then set off for Khotan Town. Along the way, Guo Song looked at the snow-capped Kunlun Mountains in the distance, and was filled with emotion. This was the origin of the dragon veins of China. When would the Tang Dynasty be able to
It is reincorporated into the territory.
Ten days later, Guo Song and his party arrived at Yutian Town. Yutian Town is relatively close to the Qiemo River. The five Qiemo cities that were destroyed before were actually under the jurisdiction of Yutian Town. Currently, the Tang army in Yutian Town does not have many troops, only six.
More than a hundred people were led by the guard envoy Zheng Wengao.
Zheng Wengao was Zheng Ju's father. He was a veteran general in his sixties who had been stationed in Anxi for nearly forty years. When he heard that the imperial envoy had arrived, Zheng Wengao also led all his soldiers out of the city to greet him.
Guo Song immediately read out the imperial edict, conferring the title of Duke of Huaiyang on Zheng Wengao, the title of General Yunhui, promoted the non-commissioned officers to three levels, conferred knighthoods to all, and rewarded countless farms and land. The soldiers were all extremely excited.
At this time, Zheng Ju brought Zheng Wengao to see Guo Song. Zheng Wengao bowed and saluted, "Thank you, Chang Shi, for saving the dog's life in Puchanghai. Zheng Wengao is very grateful."
Guo Song smiled lightly and said: "Old general, there is no need to be polite. Any Tang army will come to the rescue in that situation."
Zheng Wengao didn't know what to say, so Zheng Ju said from the side: "Father, Chang Shi has been working hard on his journey, so please go to the city and rest!"
"Yes! Yes! I am confused. Please, Chang Shi, follow me into the city to rest."
Guo Song followed Zheng Wengao into the city of Khotan. The city occupied a medium-sized area, and the buildings in the city were densely packed. Almost all of them were gray and white, and not a single big tree could be seen.
The road was not too wide. When they passed by a house, Guo Song suddenly reined in his horse. He jumped off the horse and walked forward quickly, lying on the stone of the courtyard wall to take a closer look. I'll go! The one who built the courtyard wall.
The stones turned out to be Hotan jade, and there were aniseed jade, sapphire, and white jade. He even saw a piece of yellow-skinned white jade weighing twenty kilograms. When broken a little, the jade exposed was as fine and white as fat.
Guo Song almost fainted. In later generations, this big jade would not be possible without hundreds of millions of dollars, but here it was used to build the courtyard wall.
Zheng Wengao stepped forward and said with a smile: "This kind of jade is not valuable, and the output is large. Many local people pick it up from the river."
Guo Song suddenly remembered that Yutian Town was close to the Yulong River, now called Yutian River, and thirty miles to the north was Hotan County in later generations.
Guo Song shook his head and said: "These jade stones are not valuable here, but they are very popular when shipped to Chang'an."
"Guo Changshi also likes jade?"
Guo Song smiled and said: "I like the white jade I picked up in the Khotan River. It is my favorite in my life."
Zheng Wengao laughed and said, "No problem, each of our households has quite a few. I asked everyone to gather together and Guo Changshi took them all."
"That's so embarrassing!"
"It's just a few stones. If you're sorry, I'll make arrangements right away."
Zheng Wengao was so arrogant, but Guo Song got a huge harvest, which he never expected. Every household sent hundreds of kilograms of jade, most of which were fist-sized.
Of course, Guo Song couldn't take them all away. He selected fine products from them. He selected hundreds of pieces of flawless mutton-fat jade alone. He let the other soldiers choose, and each picked a dozen pieces to give to their relatives and friends.
But for the Khotan soldiers, the thousand war horses brought by Guo Song made them cheer. In their eyes, this was the most valuable treasure.
After leaving Yutian, Guo Song and his party headed east along the Qiemo River, detouring from Puchanghai back to Qiuci. On the way back, he visited Yanji Town, Qiuci, Shule, Yutian and Yanji Town in Anxi.
He inspected and appeased everyone one by one, and then completed his Anxi mission.
It was almost April when we returned to Kucha. The soldiers who had stayed in Kucha to recuperate were all fully recovered, and it was time to set off for Beiting.
That morning, Guo Xin led dozens of civil and military officials to send Guo Song and his soldiers dozens of miles away.
Guo Xin said with some sadness: "I'm leaving here, I wonder if we will have a chance to see each other again?"
Guo Song said slowly: "As long as I can return to Chang'an safely, I believe I will definitely come back. This is a promise I, Guo Song, make to the soldiers of Anxi!"
Guo Xin nodded, "You Jun Yinuo, I hope we can meet again soon!"
"Everyone, take care!" Guo Song saluted everyone one by one.
"I wish Chang Shi a safe journey!"
"I wish all soldiers a safe journey!"
Guo Song turned his horse and led nearly 300 troops to leave Kucha City and headed north.
Guo Xin looked at their retreating figures and couldn't help but sigh softly. After going to the tiger and wolf den in Beiting, he didn't know how many of them could return to Chang'an alive.