Chapter 701: Whereabouts of Hu Ma

From the Great Wall at the northernmost part of Hedong Road to the Yinshan Mountains, they are all under the jurisdiction of the Shanyu Protectorate of the Tang Dynasty. At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the court built three surrendered cities south of Yinshan and sent troops to garrison against the Turks. However, with the demise of the Eastern Turks, more and more Turks attached to the Tang Dynasty in the south, and the Tang Dynasty made a major decision to place these Turks attached to the vast grassland north of the Great Wall and south of Yinshan.

After the mid-Tang Dynasty, with the destruction of the military system, the court could not afford huge military expenditures, and the actual control of the Tang army gradually retreated south, and the Shanyu Protectorate became the nominal control of the Tang court. The three surrendered cities were no longer stationed, and the Tang army's defense retreated back to the Yellow River and the Great Wall.

The Turks who were attached to the Tang Dynasty nominally respected the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty as the Heavenly Khan, but in fact they were independent and were not controlled by the Tang Dynasty. On the contrary, they respected An Lushan and Shi Siming as gods, so that they later became the main force of the Anshi Rebellion.

However, due to the premature division between Shi Siming and An Lushan, the supporters of these two factions of Hebei warlords were clearly distinguished. An Lushan was supported by the Khitan, while Shi Siming's supporters were mainly Turkic people. They called Shi Siming the two saints, sent food and troops to support Shi Siming as the dominant leader in Hebei.

But there is no free lunch in the world. The Turks support Shi Siming, which is also to seek the wealth and population of Hebei. When the Tang Dynasty is strong, they will put on sheepskins and pretend to be gentle sheep. But when the Tang Dynasty is weak, they will lift the sheepskins and reveal their hideous wolf teeth.

．

．

．

．

．

In early April, Li Qing'an personally led 150,000 Tang cavalry to the endless grassland. Li Qing'an has experienced many battles and has had many confrontations against the Uighurs. If he just wanted to attack the Uighurs, it was very simple. Send an elite cavalry to the hinterland of the grassland and there would always be some gains. But if he wanted to completely destroy the Uighurs, he had to use positional battles and take steps to battalion.

But if that is the case, the Tang army's logistics supply line would be too long and easily attacked by Uighur cavalry. Therefore, Li Qing'an decided to adopt the Tubo method to establish a supply point. Wherever the army went, the supply point would be built?

The first supply point chosen by Li Qing'an was called Heicheng, located south of Qingshan, which is today Hohhot. It was originally a grassland town and a supply station and outpost for the Tang army to patrol the Yinshan area. However, with the influx of Turkic people in the inner city, the small town lost its military function and became a gathering place for merchants.

A large number of goods such as tea, salt, pig iron, silk, cloth, grain, etc. from the Tang Dynasty were distributed here. Although the Tang Dynasty had imposed a strict trade embargo on the Uighurs a few years ago, smuggling in Hebei was still rampant, and the court's ban could not control Hebei. In addition to strategic materials such as pig iron and grain, which Hebei itself was also short of, tea, salt, silk, cloth and other daily necessities still flowed into the grassland through smuggling or trade.

The business in Heicheng is still active. Heicheng is not big. The city wall is only three miles in length and the city wall is about one meter high. The construction of the grassland is mainly used to prevent wolves. Therefore, the city wall is generally not high. There are more than 300 households in the city, including about 40 or 50 fixed shops. This place can also be called the commercial center on the grassland, and the city inns, wine shops, gambling halls, and brothels are available. Every day, it is filled with herders from all over the grassland. They sell sheepskin medicinal materials, buy some tea, salt and other daily necessities. They have spare money, so they naturally have to visit the wine shops and brothels. The large number of customers make the business of each store here very prosperous.

But early this morning, the entire Black City was shrouded in fear. Most of the shops were not open. Every household was worried. News of the herdsmen who had already spread the news that the Tang army was heading north. Last evening, the main force of the Tang army had reached fifty miles away.

In the middle of the main street of Heicheng City, there is a tavern called Yanranju, which is also the largest of the five taverns in the city. It was run by a Han Chinese, and his dozen of his friends are all from Shuozhou.

This Han man's surname is Tao, and he is from Shuozhou, Hedong. He has lived in Heicheng for 30 years. He is kind and often helps the poor. In addition, he is proficient in medical skills. He is willing to help ordinary herdsmen with any illnesses. Over the past few decades, hundreds of miles of herdsmen around him have not known him or disrespect him. They all call him Dad Tao. His restaurant is also the best business, and he is full of herdsmen from all over the world every day.

There are even shepherds from thousands of miles away.

Early in the morning, the Yanranji Tavern was filled with guests, with hundreds of people, and even a dozen people were crowded with four people. There were men, women, young and old. These guests were all merchants and residents of the city. They did not come to drink, but came here to take shelter. This was a subconscious idea. When the Tang army arrived, only the Han people were safer.

Not only Yanranju, but another inn run by the Han people and several Han shops were also filled with Turks who were taking refuge.

The whole town was very quiet, and the wine shop was a little lively, full of whispering sounds. At this time, a sudden burst of horse hooves came from the street outside, and the sound was like thunder. This was a sound that only a few hundred horses could be found. The inn was silent in an instant. The woman hugged the child tightly in her arms, and everyone's face showed a look of fear. This was the Tang army entering the city.

The shopkeeper, Dad Tao, looked a little complicated and seemed to be worried. He quickly walked to the door and looked out through the crack of the door. He saw a group of dozens of Tang soldiers walking towards his inn. He was so scared that he took two steps back.

The knock on the door sounded, and someone outside was shouting, "Open the door!"

Everyone's faces were frightened and frightened. The shopkeeper Dad Tao stepped forward and opened the door bolt. The door was pushed open with a bang. Dozens of Tang soldiers strode into the diner.

"So they all came here to hide!"

The leader was a Tang army captain. He swept around the people in the room and said coldly: "What are you afraid of? Are you afraid that the Tang army will eat you? Humph! You hundreds of people are not enough for the Tang army to fill the gaps."

He suddenly raised his voice and said loudly: "According to the general's oral order, Heicheng has been requisitioned by the Tang army, and everyone has moved out of the city to temporarily live!"

After he announced the order, he saw that everyone did not respond, and he couldn't help but glared, "Don't you understand what I said?"

Dad Tao hurriedly stepped forward and bowed, "June, they are all Turkic people and they don't understand Chinese."

The captain then understood and said to Dad Tao: "Then tell them!"

Dad Tao carefully confirmed: "Mr. Jun said, don't kill them, just move out?"

"That's right! The General doesn't want to kill them, but we want Black City to let them move out of the city immediately. They can take their own things, but they must be moved within half an hour. Calculate from now on. Those who exceed the time will be treated as spies!"

Dad Tao hurriedly explained the meaning of the lieutenant to everyone in Turkic language. The winery suddenly became a mess, and everyone rushed out of the winery and rushed to their shops and homes. It was only half an hour, and everyone wanted to move more things.

Dozens of Tang soldiers quickly went to the side and asked them to go out. In just a moment, hundreds of people in the tavern ran away, without a single one left.

At this time, the captain turned around and asked Dad Tao: "You are Tao Yi?"

Dad Tao nodded. He had not used the name Tao Yi for nearly 30 years. He took out a bronze medal from his arms and handed it to the captain. The captain looked carefully and said to him: "Come with me!"

The two walked out of the restaurant, turned over and headed out of the city.

．

．

．

．

．

．

．

．

On the grassland outside the Heicheng, 150,000 Tang troops were camping. This would be a continuous camp of ten miles. Due to the inconvenience of the northern expedition, some of the Tang troops that were not very useful were no longer carried, such as siege weapons and camp bars. The Tang army used the method of a sentry tower to build more than twenty sentry towers next to the camp.

The camp was busy. Some soldiers set up camp, some fed horses, and some rebelled in a pot. The sound was boiling and very lively. Old Dad Tao had already got off the horse and followed the captain to the central army's tent.

Tao's official hometown is from Shuozhou, Hedong, but in fact he is a shattered Ye Han. When he was three years old, his father was sent by the Han and Tang Association, and his family moved to Taiyuan, Hedong, and became a member of the Tang Association of Han and Tang Association. With the rise of border trade, his father was sent to Shuozhou to open a trading company, and since then the whole family moved their household registration to Shuozhou.

At the age of 20, he changed his name and came to Heicheng, where he got married and had children, and took root. Thirty years passed in a flash. Although he had been away from the Tang Dynasty, he was still a member of the Han and Tang Association. He reported the situation regularly to the Taiyuan Han and Tang Association every year and wanted to hand over 70% of the profits he had obtained to the Han and Tang Association.

Until a few years ago, the Hedong Han and Tang Association was changed to the Hedong Intelligence Hall. He also changed his identity and received a new license plate. He became one of the members of the Tang Intelligence Hall, responsible for collecting information from the Turks in the Yinshan area.

The two approached Li Qing'an's central army tent and were stopped by his personal guards. The captain stepped forward and said, "This is a member of the intelligence hall in Heicheng. The general is going to summon him."

Several personal soldiers stepped forward and searched Tao Yi closely, and then let him in.

In the tent of the Central Army, Li Qing'an Zheng, Deputy General Li Sheng, General Lei Wanchun, He Lou Yurun, Ma Lin, and more than a dozen major generals discussed military information in front of the sand table.

After coming out of the Great Wall, they marched hundreds of miles on the grassland, but they did not encounter any Turkic tribes or Shi Siming's remaining troops. They seemed to have disappeared out of thin air.

It was not until yesterday that their patrol arrested dozens of Turkic herders who came to Heicheng to sell things. They learned from them that their tribe had fled to Yinshan, but they were just a small tribe and did not follow Shi Siming's army. They didn't know where Shi Siming's army fled.

Li Qing'an picked up the wooden pole and pointed at Yinshan and said, "There are three possibilities now. One is that Shi Siming has passed Yinshan and fled to the hinterland of the northern desert to join the Uighur army. The other is that they are hiding somewhere in Yinshan and sitting and watching us fight with the Uighur army. The other is that they flee east or west, or even detour behind us, waiting for an opportunity to return to Hebei."

Speaking of this, Li Qingan glanced at the expressions of the people. Seeing their serious faces, he knew what they were most worried about, and then smiled: "Among these possibilities, I am most concerned about whether Shi Siming will escape to Beiting. This is actually the thing I worry about the most."

Li Qing'an's eyes turned to Lei Wanchun again and asked him: "General Lei, you once ran from Beiting to Juyanhai, and from Juyanhai to Shuozhou. I'll ask you, how much time will take between this?"

Lei Wanchun stood up and said, "Reporting to the General, it will take a month to get from here to Beiting. The journey is thousands of miles apart. The seasons allow it now. It is not impossible in terms of distance and climate. However, Shi Siming's biggest problem is food supply. He has more than 100,000 troops. It is almost impossible to lead more than 100,000 troops to Beiting. Moreover, more than 100,000 Turkic Hu soldiers will be led by their families, unless he can persuade all the Turkic tribes to follow him to move westward. Therefore, Bei Zhi believes that it is unlikely that he will escape to Beiting."

Li Qingan waved his hand and asked him to sit down. He said to everyone: "Although the possibility is not great, there is still this possibility. So I have ordered Duan Xiushi to send 5,000 cavalry to patrol and intercept the grassland to the west. Once you find it, you must report it to me immediately. I would like to rest assured. In fact, I personally think that the possibility of killing back to Hebei is not high. The reason is also a food problem. He is seeking death after killing back to Hebei. Therefore, there is only two possibilities: cross Yinshan, go to surrender to the Uighurs, or hide somewhere in Yinshan. There is another important clue. Please don't forget that Shi Siming's more than 100,000 troops are composed of Turks from sixteen tribes. It is not Shi Siming's decision alone. His major decisions must be approved by the leaders of the sixteen tribes."

Li Sheng next to him smiled, "The general means that Shi Siming's army crosses Yinshan and goes to surrender to the Uighurs, is it actually not very likely, right?"

Li Qingan smiled and nodded, "That's right. Maybe Shi Siming wants to go, but the Turks in his army may not want to go."

At this time, a report came from outside the tent, "General, Tao Yi from Heicheng has been brought here!"

"Let him in!"

Li Qingan smiled at everyone and said, "No matter how we guess, we are all laymen, and we will also listen to the opinions of the Intelligence Hall!"

After a moment, a curtain was raised, several personal soldiers led Tao Yi in. Although Tao Yi was a member of the Intelligence Hall, he had lived in the grassland for thirty years and was no different from ordinary civilians. He stepped forward and knelt down on his knees and kowtowed to Li Qing'an, "Tao Yi bowed to His Highness Zhao!"

Seeing that his beard and hair were all white and he was over 60 years old, Li Qing'an hurriedly stepped forward and helped him up, "No need to be polite, please get up!"

Helping him up, Li Qing'an smiled at everyone and introduced: "This Tao Gong is also a man from the Thunder Ye. He has lived in Heicheng for thirty years and is a member of the Han and Tang dynasties in the past."

It is no secret that the Han and Tang Dynasties were in the Anxi Army. When everyone heard that he was also a shattered Ye people, they felt a little closer and bowed to him with a smile. Tao Yi seemed very nervous and restrained in the tent of the generals gathered. Li Qingan did not make any more embarrassed, so he smiled and said, "We are discussing the whereabouts of Shi Siming's army. Can Gong Tao provide us with some clues?"

After saying that, he handed the wooden pole to Tao Yi. Tao Yi walked to the sand table. It was the first time he saw this kind of living map. He was stunned for a long time before slowly reacting, "Ah! It turns out that this is Yinshan, oh! This is Qingshan, then this must be Black City."

He found a black city made of wood and observed it carefully. Li Qingan did not urge him. He knew that it would take time to adapt to this sand table. However, since Tao Yi did not deny it at all, it means that he had some clues and Li Qingan also had some hope in his heart.

Tao Yi was gradually familiar with the sand table and gradually calmed down. He said to everyone: "There are many Turks around me in my restaurant. About three days ago, a group of Turks who came to Heicheng to buy tea and salt came to my shop to drink. I heard them complain that the army was too expensive and their lambs were taken away by the army. I asked him where the army was. He said it came from the south, and it was probably Shi Siming's army."

Tao Yi's clue surprised the officers in the tent. Li Sheng hurriedly asked him: "Then where did these Turks come from?"

Tao Yi smiled and said, "It was the first time I met these people. I also chatted with them for a while. They were Turks from the Tongluo tribe. After the merger of the Tongluo tribe and the Abus tribe, most of them were taken to the West by Abus, but a small part was distributed north of Youzhou. They said that many tribes fled east together, with hundreds of thousands of people, including Pugu, Tongluo and Sijie. As a result, there was a conflict within them in the Ninety-Nine Springs. Tongluo and Sijie were unwilling to go north. Finally, the army and the Pugu tribe headed towards Yinshan."

Li Qingan and Li Sheng looked at each other. There were at least two messages in Tao Yi's words. One was that Shi Siming's Turkic army split, and the other was that it was not long apart. This may be because the time spent gathering the Turks was too much.

Li Qing'an looked at the sand table carefully again. Tao Yi pointed to a green road to the east with a wooden pole, "This is ninety-nine springs, which are actually composed of many small lakes, only two hundred miles away from us."

Li Qing'an nodded, and with Luo and Sijie could be handed over to Li Guangbi's army. Their purpose was to catch up with Shi Siming's army.

At this moment, Tao Yi suddenly remembered something and said anxiously: "There is another clue, which may be useful."

Li Qingan hurriedly said: "You said!"

"It was also the day before yesterday that I heard from a shop owner that someone was buying a lot of tea and salt and bought all the inventory in their shops. It seemed that this was the case in many shops...."

"Where are they now?"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Qingan interrupted him. He was almost certain that this must be someone sent by Shi Siming, and only the army could have such a large amount of consumption.

"They all moved out of the city and should be near the South Gate."

"Take me to see!"

．

．
To be continued...