Chen Qing had almost no hesitation. On the third day after deciding to take Liangzhou, he set off with 10,000 cavalry.
Chen Qing divided his troops into two groups and ordered Niu Gao to lead 5,000 cavalry and 3,000 camels to take the Lanzhou line, cross the Yellow River, and then head to Liangzhou.
Chen Qing personally led 5,000 cavalry and 3,000 camels to Xi'an Prefecture, and then went to Liangzhou via the Big Dou Valley.
At the same time, Chen Qing also wrote a letter and sent someone to send the Yellow-headed Uighur. In fact, Chen Qing did not have to worry about the lack of news about the Yellow-headed Uighur. They still had a small number of tribesmen in Ganzhou and would definitely get the news.
The army marched westward. It was already midsummer. The weather was very hot and physical exertion was severe. The army had to march day and night. Ten days later, the army arrived at Huangzhou.
Chen Qing ordered the army to rest in Huangzhou for two days before setting off again.
In the big tent, Chen Qing was fanning his cattail leaf fan while sitting at the table looking at the map. At this time, a soldier outside the door said: "To the commander-in-chief, Xu Zhizhou's father wants to see you!"
Chen Qing immediately realized that he must be Xu Hongtu, the grandson of Dong Zang, the second generation of the Qing Tang Dynasty. He is half Han and half Tubo. He is a legendary figure by Qinghai Lake.
"Please come quickly!"
Chen Qing personally welcomed him out of the big tent. Not long after, Xu Hongtu, who was dark-skinned and strong, walked quickly and bowed and saluted, "Young people, please pay attention to the envoy!"
He is already sixty years old, so he does not need to kneel down to worship Chen Qingxing.
"Mr. Xu, we meet again."
"Yes! I also want to go to Chengji County to meet the envoy and see my grandson by the way."
Xu Hongtu's grandson originally wanted to go to Chengdu to study, but later changed his mind and went to Chengji County to study. He was regarded as a hostage placed by the Xu family in Chengji County.
Xu Hongtu pointed to a big man behind him again, "This is my nephew Xu Yuan. The envoy is going to Dadou Valley. I think we need a guide. He is very familiar with Dadou Valley."
Chen Qing was overjoyed. He came just in time. He was just thinking about the guide, so Xu Hongtu sent his nephew here.
Chen Qing asked his soldiers to take Xu Yuan down to rest, and then invited Xu Hongtu into the tent. The two were seated separately, and ordered the soldiers to serve herbal tea.
Chen Qing laughed and said: "I thought Huangzhou would be cooler, but I didn't expect it to be just as hot!"
Xu Hongtu smiled slightly, "Of course it's hot in summer, but the hot time will be shorter. But after passing Xining Prefecture and approaching Dadou Valley, you will feel the temperature drop suddenly after a while. If you are unlucky, enter
There will even be blizzards in Dadou Bugu."
"A blizzard in midsummer?" Chen Qing found it a bit incredible.
"Back then, Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty encountered a blizzard when he was going to pull out the valley in the middle of summer. Many people froze to death, including the eldest princess of the Sui Dynasty, Yang Lihua, who also died of cold illness."
Chen Qing nodded, "I understand, we must be prepared for the cold!"
"I'm just here to remind the envoys not to forget to bring thick sheepskin coats."
"Thank you! Thank you!"
Xu Hongtu added: "Dadou Valley is an extremely important strategic passage. It is currently controlled by the Xixia Army, but now that the Xixia Army has withdrawn, I suggest that the military envoys occupy it to prevent the Yellow-headed Uighurs from returning to the Hexi Corridor.
possibility."
Chen Qing asked tentatively: "Are the old man familiar with the Yellow-headed Uighur?"
Xu Hongtu nodded, "Their current chief is called Cao Changchun. I have a very good relationship with his father. His father died of illness last year, and I even went to pay my respects."
"What is their relationship with Tubo in the West Sea?" Chen Qing asked again.
Xu Hongtu chuckled and said: "Geroba colluded with Xixia and accepted soldiers from the Xixia people. The yellow-headed Uighurs were the former Ganzhou Uighurs. They were feuding with Xixia. A hundred years ago, the Ganzhou Uighurs were destroyed by Xixia and were killed without knowing it.
How many people were killed, and the remaining forces fled to the other end of the Qilian Mountains and rested for a hundred years before slowly recovering. Can their relationship with Tubo in the West Sea be good?
To be honest, the remnants of the Tubo tribe in the West Sea have been destroyed by the Jishi tribe and the Yellow-headed Uighurs. The population belongs to the Jishi tribe, the land belongs to the Yellow-headed Uighurs, and the property is divided equally between the two families. This happened half a month ago."
Chen Qing pondered for a moment and said: "To be honest with Mr. Xu, this time I don't want to completely capture Liangzhou and Ganzhou. I just want to occupy a Liangzhou city and leave other places to the Yellow-headed Uighurs. What do you think of this kind of cooperation?
Is this acceptable?"
"Of course they want it, but I think there is no need to be polite to the manager. If you seize land from the Xixia people, you don't need to give it to them for free. You can exchange it with them."
"Exchange for what?"
"This can be exchanged for war horses or sheepskins by any of the strategic envoys. However, I suggest exchanging land for land and Dunhuang by the strategic envoy."
"Isn't Dunhuang in the hands of the Xixia people?"
"The troops in Ganzhou and Liangzhou have been transferred away. How many Xixia troops can be left in Shazhou? The Yellow-headed Uighurs can definitely take it back. There are many Han people in Dunhuang, all descendants of the Guiyi Army, and they have always yearned for the great empire.
In the Song Dynasty, when the economic envoys got Liangzhou and Shazhou, they captured both ends of the Hexi Corridor. I don’t believe that the economic envoys had no idea about the Hexi Corridor?"
Xu Hongtu's suggestion completely touched Chen Qing's heart. He pondered for a moment and said, "I want to have a talk with Cao Changchun. I wonder if Senior Xu can help me connect the dots?"
Xu Hongtu nodded, "If the Economic Envoy can cooperate with the Yellow-headed Uighur, they will definitely become a great help to the Song Army against Xixia in the future. This is actually a good thing. I am willing to serve for the Economic Envoy!"
Chen Qing was overjoyed. With Xu Hongtu helping him, one of the problems he was most worried about was solved.
...........
Dadouba Valley is an extremely important strategic passage in the Hexi Corridor. It can go directly from Hehuang through the Qilian Mountains to Ganzhou without having to detour thousands of miles.
There were originally a thousand Xixia troops stationed in Dadouba Valley, and a military city was specially built at a strategic location. However, this military city is now empty. There is water in the military city, and the food can sustain a thousand people for three months.
Chen Qing left 500 troops to guard the military city, and the army continued to march deep into the Dadou valley.
Just as Xu Hongtu suggested, brothers must settle accounts clearly. Even if they want to form an alliance with the Yellow-headed Uighurs, they cannot give away the land easily. You can give it away, but there must be conditions and a price. Being too generous will only make others despise you.
You will also doubt your sincerity.
Therefore, he must guard the entrance to Dadou Bago, and he will release the Uighur army only after an agreement is reached.
The Dadou Bago Valley is not very long, only sixty or seventy miles, but the sea waves are high. Even though it is midsummer, the temperature will drop sharply at night and become very cold. Moreover, the climate in the canyon is changeable, and sometimes it looks like the sun is shining brightly.
, but in an instant the dark clouds would close and there would be violent storms. It was also for this reason that Emperor Sui Yang's western tour was hit by a snowstorm here, causing heavy casualties.
Dadouba Valley has both narrow valley roads and dangerous areas, but it also has a diverse wide area of dozens of miles, making it an ideal place for hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Xu Yuan, who led Chen Qing's army, pointed out the surroundings along the way. He was originally taciturn, but after entering Dadou Bagou, he seemed to have returned home. He was a completely different person, chatting and laughing.
"The terrain in Dadoubagu is very complex, with many side roads and many hiding places. If he is wanted by the government and hides in Dadoubagu, the government will really not be able to find him."
Liu Qiong next to him whispered: "Of course I can't find it. It got into the belly of a tiger and wolf. Where can I find it?"
Everyone laughed, and Xu Yuan explained with some embarrassment: "I was just making an analogy. In fact, it is impossible for the perpetrators to hide in Dadou Bugu and isolate themselves from the world. It is better to go far away."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a nomadic boy covered in blood running out of the woods, waving and shouting.