The annual border trade quota allocated to the Qilifa tribe by the Sui Dynasty was more than three times that of the Xueyantuo tribe. If the quota from the Qilifa tribe was transferred to the Xueyantuo tribe, the salt and iron cloth that the Xueyantuo tribe lacked would basically be able to meet its needs.
.
Liu Ziqiu waved his hand and said: "It's not that serious. Liu plans to set up a border market to allow the people of the border fortress to trade freely with the tribes. At that time, the tribesmen led by Xue will also be able to bring their cattle and sheep to the border market to exchange for salt and iron.
Cloth, as long as you abide by the rules and pay taxes according to regulations, it will be fine."
Xue Shixiong did not expect that Liu Ziqiu would give him another big gift. This was something that the grassland tribe had been striving for for many years but had not obtained. In his opinion, the forty girls and young women must have played a role. However, Xue Shixiong did not feel for a moment in his heart.
Forgot, there is a powerful enemy to the west of him. Thinking of this, Xue Shixiong hurriedly raised his hands and said: "Please rest assured, Mr. Liu, the Cao Min people will definitely abide by the rules and pay taxes according to regulations. The Cao Min still has a gift to give to you."
"Oh, what gift?" Liu Ziqiu was also very curious and reached out to touch his chin. He didn't have a beard and couldn't stroke his beard like Mr. Gu did.
Xue Shixiong laughed and said: "Master Liu doesn't know something. There is a shining pearl on this grassland. Her beauty is unparalleled in the world. This pearl is collecting dust in the royal court at the foot of Sanmi Mountain, waiting for Master Liu to come and rescue it!"
"
Liu Ziqiu nodded thoughtfully and said: "Liu understands, please come back, Mr. Xue!"
Xue Shixiong did not dare to say anything more and bowed to the side. Then he saw Liu Ziqiu riding past and said: "Boss Xue, thank you very much for your kindness Liu. Those girls, please ask them to go back."
Seeing Liu Ziqiu's migrating army gradually walking away, Xue Shixiong just came back to his senses. Liu Ziqiu sent him two big gifts for no reason, but refused to accept these young women he selected from the tribe. Could it be that Liu Ziqiu looked down on him?
Liu Ziqiu had other agendas for these women, and Xue Shixiong was puzzled.
…
After passing through the territory of Xue Yantuo's tribe, the migrating army turned south. Because there were many women and children in the team, as well as many cattle and sheep, Liu Ziqiu waited for the sun to rise high before giving the order to set off, and began to set up camp before the sun set.
After ten days of stopping and going like this, this huge team finally arrived at the border of the Western Turks. In order to prevent disturbing the people of Dunhuang, Liu Ziqiu had already sent a team of cavalry to report a message to Wu Gong.
After learning that Liu Ziqiu had attacked the Qilifa tribe in the Eastern Turks and returned with a great victory, Wu Gong hurriedly led all the officials in the county to the border of the Western Turks to greet him. After Liu Ziqiu reorganized the army, Wu Gong's power was greatly weakened.
Now, he is only responsible for local affairs and does not lead the army. However, Wu Gong's salary has not been reduced at all. On the contrary, Liu Ziqiu has greatly decentralized the power to manage local affairs. Now, Wu Gong is responsible for the appointment and removal of officials from the county magistrate level in Dunhuang County.
It was decided that this power would allow Wu Gong's orders to be better implemented in the counties under his jurisdiction. Correspondingly, Wu Gong's status among the officials in the county would also be improved. Therefore, Wu Gong was sincere to Liu Ziqiu.
I am so grateful and admired that I can no longer feel any dissatisfaction.
From the border of the Western Turks to Dunhuang, you need to pass through a large area of desert and grassland, which is neither under the jurisdiction of the Western Turks nor the Sui Dynasty. There are also many tribes living on this land, and these tribes are caught between the two major forces to survive.
Life was quite difficult. After learning about this situation, Liu Ziqiu nodded and said, "Master Wu, Mr. Liu has something to do and wants to trouble you."
Wu Gong quickly raised his hands and said, "Please give me your orders, my lord."
Liu Ziqiu raised his whip and pointed around, saying: "Liu plans to establish a new county in this unclaimed land, let's call it Yiwu County. Mr. Wu has lived in Dunhuang for a long time, and he must have often dealt with these tribes. How to convince them?
Please Sir Wu, please use your brain more."
Having said this, Liu Ziqiu pointed to his feet again and said: "This area near the lake and river can build a city. As the county seat of Yiwu County, it will be called Yiwu City. There will be a border city outside the city to allow Han
, people from all ethnic groups in the West Sea, Turks, and Tiele trade here."
Wu Gong was stunned and said repeatedly: "My lord, the Xueyantuo people from the north often come south from here to harass our territory. If we build a city here, I'm afraid it won't last long."
Liu Ziqiu laughed and said: "Xue Yantuo has been beaten so hard by me that he shouldn't dare to come again. Don't worry, as long as the border city is built, there won't be so many attacks on the border in the future."
Wu Gong hesitated for a moment and then said: "I wonder if my lord has a suitable candidate to serve as the prefect of Yiwu? If I want to take care of both Dunhuang and Yiwu counties, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it. There are still many affairs in Dunhuang County, so I'm afraid I won't be able to do it."
I don’t dare to stay away for a long time, please show my lord a warning.”
No one can serve as the governor of two counties at the same time. Of course Wu Gong knew that if a border market was set up here in Yiwu County, there would definitely be a lot of money in the future. But the huge increase in income also brought great risks, and Yiwu County was even more
Being close to the border, it is more likely to be harassed by nomadic tribes. On the contrary, Dunhuang County may lose the opportunity to interact with the northern nomadic tribes, but with the buffer of Yiwu County, it will be much safer. As Wu Gong grew older, he was appointed as the governor of Dunhuang.
He also made a lot of money in the year. He took refuge with Liu Ziqiu in time, and his family wealth was not wiped out. He would have enough in a few lifetimes, so he didn't want to take risks.
Liu Ziqiu could see that Wu Gong didn't want to take on this important task, but after thinking about it carefully, he didn't have any suitable candidates, so he said: "Master Wu, Yiwu and Dunhuang are close neighbors. Yiwu is newly established, and many things are still inseparable from Dunhuang."
With the help of Lord Wu, the person who serves as the prefect must be able to cooperate with Master Wu. In Liu’s opinion, the new governor of Yiwu should be recommended by Master Wu, and then just let Liu know.”
In these troubled times, it was difficult for Liu Ziqiu to formulate a complete system and rules for selecting officials, but he understood the truth that political power comes from the barrel of a gun. As long as the army is firmly in his hands, he is not afraid of what these local officials can do.
Big waves.
Wu Gong didn't expect that he could gain such trust from Liu Ziqiu. He couldn't help but burst into tears of gratitude. He bowed deeply and said, "My lord, I recommend Kang Qi, the chief historian of Dunhuang."
Kang Qi is Wu Gong's deputy, but he usually doesn't get along well with Wu Gong. However, Kang Qi climbed up the ranks from a junior official step by step, and he handles various affairs in the county with ease. He is indeed a rare talent for governing the place.
.Wu Gong had always suppressed Kang Qi, but now that Liu Ziqiu had full trust in him, he did not dare to abandon public service for personal reasons. He promoted talents without avoiding "vengeance".
Liu Ziqiu did not hesitate, nodded and said: "Okay, since it was recommended by Master Wu, it must be correct, then Kang Qi will be the prefect of Yiwu. Yiwu is newly established. As a brother county, Master Wu needs more help.
yes."
Wu Gong kept making promises.
After walking for another two days, the army passed through Yiwu County and entered Dunhuang. The road became smooth for a while. At this time, a group of small schools with red flags on their backs came galloping over and said loudly: "Your Majesty, there is an urgent military situation in Wuwei County."
, the Turkic army invaded the border! Please make a decision, my lord!"
After Liu Ziqiu ransacked Qi Lifa's camp, he knew that one day he would be retaliated by the East Turks. He couldn't help but sneered: "It came so fast!"
When the Zilifa camp was captured, due to the sudden incident, the tactic of separate attacks and combined attacks was adopted. In addition, Mu Duoli issued an order to surrender. No one escaped in the entire camp, and the news was blocked very well. But later
However, Liu Ziqiu made the decision to let Feng Xin go. According to Liu Ziqiu's estimation, it would be difficult for a person to survive alone on this ice and snowy grassland. But he underestimated the ability of a person to survive alone, this lame young man.
After trekking hard on the grasslands in early winter for seven or eight days, he gnawed the snow on the ground when he was thirsty, and even ate grass roots when he was hungry. He actually managed to reach the Turkic Yazhang alive.
Kakuriyan asked from the side: "How many enemies are there?"
The junior colonel raised his hands and said: "Reporting to the general, the enemy has about 20,000 cavalry and has advanced to the foot of the Great Wall. General Lu ordered the villain to come and ask for help!"
After Liu Ziqiu reorganized a group of soldiers who had been surrendered during the Sui Dynasty, he re-adjusted his deployment. The Great Wall in the north was handed over to Lu Tong for guarding, and Lu Tong was promoted to captain of ten thousand soldiers. However, when he heard that the Turkic troops only had 20,000 soldiers, Liu Ziqiu
I knew that the intruders should be Qi Lifa and his men.
The Great Wall is strong. As long as Lu Tong stands firm and waits for help, the Turkic cavalry can't do anything for a while. The only Gaoyue County outside the Great Wall has been turned into an empty city by Qi Lifa, and there is nothing to lose. Therefore, Liu Ziqiu has nothing to lose.
There is nothing to worry about. He waved his hand and said: "Instruct Lu Tong to hold on for ten days. If the Great Wall is not broken within ten days, he will be remembered as his first contribution. If he cannot hold it after ten days, forgive him!"
However, Wen Hao felt itchy and unbearable, so he immediately raised his hand and said: "Lord, I would like to be the vanguard to frustrate the Turks!"
Liu Ziqiu laughed and said: "What's the hurry? You can fight the battle. Let's go to Dunhuang City for a drink first. Don't let Master Wu down."
…
The army that appeared outside the Great Wall was Qi Lifa and his 18,000 troops. When Qimin Khan Ashina Ranqian was near his deathbed, his sons gathered at Yazhang. Qimin could
The sons of Khan are all leaders of various tribes, and they are logically qualified to inherit his throne. However, this matter ultimately depends on strength, so some who are not strong enough only bring some personal guards, and when Lifa
He and Du Shiji came with their armies respectively, with their eyes fixed on Khan's position.
At this time, Feng Xin brought the news that Qilifa's camp had been captured by the Sui army. Qilifa was shocked. Without the women, children, cattle and sheep in the camp, the entire tribe had lost its foundation. Qilifa
No longer bothering to compete with Du Shiji for the throne, he immediately gathered his troops and captured Feng Xin.