During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, the imperial court stationed a large number of troops in Lingzhou. Especially since the middle Tang Dynasty, Shuofang Jiedu Mansion was established here with 30,000 troops.
However, an Anshi Rebellion almost wiped out Shuofang's army. Currently, there are only more than 8,000 Shuofang troops, responsible for guarding Lingzhou, Fengzhou, Youzhou, Yanzhou and Xiazhou. The distribution of troops is too scattered to resist the grassland peoples.
The harassment and looting seemed a bit inadequate.
On the official road outside Lingzhou City, a field protection team returned in triumph, dragging a huge wild boar on a flatbed truck, weighing four to five hundred kilograms.
In front of the team, Guo Song was listening to his new friend Liang Wu explain the situation in Lingzhou to him.
"Every other year in April or May, Xue Yantuo's cavalry will come from the northern grasslands to plunder people and food. Lingwu County was attacked five years ago and many people died. Now castles have been built in the city. That is our
This is the last line of defense, and our Liang family also has an inner castle."
Guo Song already knew that Liang Wu was the nephew of Liang Yundao, a wealthy family in Lingwu County. His ancestor Liang Shidu was also a powerful figure in the late Sui Dynasty, and once separatized Lingzhou and proclaimed himself emperor.
However, this Liang Wu was very forthright and did not have any of the dandyism of a rich man. Especially when he stabbed the wild boar with his decisive sword, he completely ignored life and death, which made Guo Song feel a sense of sympathy for each other.
Guo Song frowned and said, "Didn't the Xue Yantuo tribe be destroyed by the Tang Dynasty during the Zhenguan period? Why did it appear again?"
"I'm not sure about this...Uncle Rong, do you know?"
The middle-aged man named Uncle Rong chuckled and said: "Daozhang Guo doesn't know something. Each tribe in Tiele is composed of countless small tribes. Generally, the main tribe is destroyed, and other tribes are divided up by Huihe, Sijie, Pugu and the like.
, Xue Yantuo tribe even disappeared.
I heard that several branches of Xue Yantuo fled to the west of Jinshan. Later, with the support of the Geluolu people, they took advantage of the Anshi Rebellion to fight back to the south of Jinshan, annexed dozens of small Tiele tribes, and rose again. Now Jinshan
The south became Xue Yantuo's territory again, and even the Uighurs could only hold their noses and admit it."
Of course Guo Song knew that the Geluolu people, a branch of the Western Turks, betrayed the Tang army in the Battle of Tanros, resulting in the Tang army being defeated by the Arab coalition. After the war, the Geluolu people gained huge benefits and occupied the area from Suiye to the west of Congling.
of vast territory.
It supported the re-emergence of the Xueyantuo tribe, and apparently wanted to extend its hand into the Mobei Plateau, where the Uighurs and Tubos competed for Tochara. The backyard was unstable, and the Geluolu people saw a loophole.
"Brother Guo, how long do you plan to stay when you come back this time?" Liang Wu asked with a smile.
"It shouldn't be too long. I have to go to Chang'an. This time I come to Lingzhou mainly to return to secular life and settle down, and then I'll find a friend's parents."
"Do you want my help?"
It would be great to have help from a local snake, so Guo Song told Han Xiaowu's situation to see if Liang Wu could help him find Han Xiaowu's parents.
Liang Wu promised that Han was also a common surname in Liangwu County, so he should be able to find out.
Not long after, the group entered Lingzhou City.
Lingzhou City, also known as Lingwu County, is the third largest city in Longyou. The city wall is forty miles in circumference. It is tall and strong, easy to defend and difficult to attack. All the villages outside the city have moved into the city, making the city a large population, with a total of twenty
More than ten thousand.
It was afternoon, and the street was very lively and bustling with people. Many people gathered around to see the Wild Boar King on the cart and couldn't help but marvel.
The Liang family is in the north of the city, and the Guo family where Guo Song is going is in the south of the city. It's time for them to break up.
Liang Wu took out a half-foot-long wild boar tusk and handed it to Guo Song, "This is yours. The wild boar is too big, so I won't give it to you."
The most valuable thing about wild boar is wild boar tusks and wild boar skin. Guo Song just heard from Uncle Rong that Liang Wu's uncle had always wanted to use wild boar tusks as knife handles.
Guo Song shook his head, "Give this to your uncle. I don't need it. Brother Liang can just treat me to a drink next time."
"Okay! I will definitely come to treat my brother to a drink in two days."
Liang Wu didn't show any pretense, he bowed his hand to Guo Songgong and left with a group of his subordinates.
Guo Song found out the way and led the green donkey towards the south of the city.
The biggest feature of Lingzhou City is that there are nine large inner castles. They were built after the city was breached five years ago. If the city is captured by Hu Qi again, these nine inner castles will be the last line of defense.
Guo Song heard from Liang Wu that the largest castles in the middle were Shuofang Jiedushi Palace and Lingzhou Prefectural Government. The other eight castles belonged to the eight wealthy families in Lingzhou. The Liang family built the North Castle, and the Guo family was among them.
one.
Guo Song raised his head and looked at the sky, but didn't see Mengzi. He looked around again and suddenly found him. He was standing on the eaves of the city tower, with his neck curled up and looking at himself sleepily. This was his typical eating behavior.
A full stomach is a sign of wanting to doze off.
Guo Song waved his hand to it, gave a loud cry, flapped its wings and flew towards a towering tree. There was a large bird's nest on the tree. After a moment, two gray magpies fled in panic.
The fierce bird folded its wings and landed in the nest. The eggs in the nest became its snack, and it continued to occupy the nests of other birds all the way north.
After walking two miles along a street, a magnificent castle appeared in front of it. On top of the castle was a large flag with a yellow background and black edges, and the word "Guo" was written on it. The Guo family finally arrived.
Guo Song was a little hesitant in his steps. His predecessor had stayed in the Yin Yin Yin in Kongtong Town for three years. He was bullied and was very weak. As long as the Guo family took a little care of him, his life would not be so miserable.
It would be fine if the Guo family is a poor family, but it is a wealthy family in Lingzhou, which only shows that the Guo family does not care about his predecessor at all. It seems that his status in the Guo family is very humble.
But now that he's here, he wants to see how the Guo family treats him?
Guo Song walked directly to the Guo family castle.
Like other castles, a large number of dilapidated houses were built around the Guo family's castle, housing at least one or two thousand households. They were basically tenant farmers who farmed the land for the Guo family, or lower-class people who relied on the Guo family's major industries for their livelihoods.
, but it is not a slave, it is just a relationship of economic dependence.
This kind of attachment is very common in the Tang Dynasty and is the same everywhere. It is just that it has a deeper relationship in Lingzhou. Once Hu Qi breaks the city, these attached people can take refuge in the Guo family castle.
It can be regarded as a community of destiny, but the Guo family is by no means a good person, and these lower-class people will also suffer various kinds of exploitation from the Guo family.
The door is very grand, and there are several servants with swords standing at the door.
Guo Song stepped forward and clasped his fists and said, "Please tell me that Guo Song, who was sent to Kongtong Mountain to become a monk thirteen years ago, is back."
Several servants were at a loss as they had never heard of the name Guo Song.
A servant said: "Ask the butler! Maybe he knows."
A servant rushed in to report to the housekeeper.
After a while, a thin butler came out. He looked at Guo Song and saw that the Taoist priest in front of him was dressed in rough clothes. He felt very contemptuous and asked in a high-pitched voice: "Where did you come from, a wild Taoist priest who dared to claim to be a descendant of the Guo family?"
?”
Seeing the contempt on his face, Guo Song actually opened his mouth to accuse himself of being a fake disciple, which made him really dissatisfied. He said coldly: "Go and report to the head of the Guo family. As long as the head of the house says that there is no such person as Guo Song, then I will turn around."
Just leave and never come back again.”
The housekeeper scratched his head and said impatiently: "Then just wait!"
He turned around and went into the house.
Guo Song was also a little surprised. Maybe he had made a mistake. There was another small family, the Guo family, in Lingzhou.
Guo Song really didn't know anything about his predecessor's life experience.
His parents' home is not actually here, but in Mingsha County. The Guo family in Mingsha County has more than a dozen families and is a one-room offshoot of the Guo family in Lingzhou. However, it is not wrong for Guo Song to come to the Guo family in Lingzhou.
Things have to start from thirteen years ago.
Thirteen years ago, Guo Wulang, the eldest son of Guo's family in Lingzhou, suffered from a serious illness. Doctors were helpless because he had been frail and sick since he was a child, had no wife, and had no children.
His father, Mrs. Guo, was worried that Wu Lang would have no heirs and cut off his incest, so he brought a young son named Guo from Mingsha County whose parents had both died. This was the predecessor of Guo Song. He was only five years old at that time.
But things were not that simple. Guo Wulang's eldest brother insisted that the adoption must be carried out according to the old customs of Lingzhou.
According to the old customs in Lingzhou, an adopted child cannot be adopted as an heir immediately. He must become a monk for a year and then return to secular life and go through reincarnation in Buddhism to erase the traces of his original parents. Only in this way can he be adopted as an heir cleanly.
Guo Taigong, who believed deeply in Taoism, sent his child to Kongtong Mountain to become a monk and pray for Guo Wulang to eliminate misfortune.
If Guo Wulang could survive, perhaps Guo Song's life in Kongtong Mountain would be easier.
But Sanqing did not bless Guo Wulang. Two months later, Guo Wulang died of illness. Before his death, Guo Dalang, who had already planned it, asked his youngest son to kowtow to Guo Wulang three times and call him daddy.
From then on, Guo Wulang had descendants, and Guo Dalang naturally took the hundreds of acres of land owned by his fifth brother into his own pocket. No! Put it into his youngest son's pocket. The wealth would not flow to other people's fields, so Guo Taigong had no choice but to agree.
Everyone arranged the funeral arrangements for Guo Wulang, and his stepson was responsible for visiting the grave every year to pay homage. The issue of incense was successfully resolved, and the Guo family naturally selectively forgot about the child who had been sent to Kongtong Mountain to become a monk.
Grandpa Guo passed away five years ago due to the shock of the war. Now Guo Dalang is in charge of the Guo family's house, but Guo Dalang is not the head of the Guo family. The head of the Guo family is the elder of the second room, who is Guo Dalang's second uncle.
The head of the family didn't know who Guo Song was, but Guo Dalang knew better than anyone else that the child sent to Kongtong Mountain thirteen years ago actually survived and came back.
Guo Dalang thought for a long time and then asked the thin second housekeeper: "What did the head of the house say?"
"The head of the family asked the old housekeeper, and the old housekeeper said that this was the case, so the head of the house asked you to take good care of him."
Guo Dalang was very angry and paced back and forth in the room with his hands behind his hands. This incident would ruin his reputation. He had to drive this Guo Song away, but how to drive him away?
The second housekeeper rolled his eyes and suggested: "Master, let him live outside without food and clothing, and he will leave naturally. If the owner of the house asks in the future, I can say that he has not finished his cultivation and has returned to Kongtong Mountain."
."
"Wonderful! It's indeed a clever plan. You can arrange this matter. I haven't been feeling well for the past two days, so I haven't seen him."