Zhangye is a big city with a long history and its city walls have been repaired. It is currently the largest city in the entire Hexi Corridor. The county has a circumference of nearly 30 miles and a population of about 70,000 to 80,000. However, there are not many Han people in the city, and the majority of Han people are mainly in Liangzhou.
It is also because Liangzhou focuses more on farming. There are about five to six hundred Han households in Ganzhou, and they are mainly concentrated in Zhangye City. They are mainly engaged in handicrafts and are basically engaged in winemaking and papermaking.
Chen Qing rode his horse slowly in this exotic city. The city was very quiet and was not affected by the Song army's entry into the city. The shops were opened and closed normally. There were also many Xixia shops, and Chen Qing did not intend to dispose of them.
It was decided to leave these to the Yellow-headed Uighur, but he was very interested in the official warehouse.
The warehouse is located behind the county government office and consists of five buildings. A high wall has been built around it. The warehouse has been controlled by the Song army, and Liu Cui is busy taking inventory with more than a hundred soldiers.
"Are there any important strategic materials?" Chen Qing stepped forward and asked with a smile.
"Report to the capital, there is copper!"
Chen Qing's eyes lit up, "How many are there?"
"I don't know, there are a lot of them. They are all in the whole warehouse. I estimate there are millions of kilograms of them. They are all blister copper. There should be copper mines nearby."
Several million kilograms sounds like a lot, but in fact it is not much. Mining money is only about one million yuan...
"what else?"
"There is also frozen mutton. There are several large ice cellars here, which are full of mutton and mutton wine. The rest are fodder, grain, and arsenals."
At this moment, a soldier hurried over and reported: "Refined iron was found in the copper warehouse, and there seems to be a lot of it!"
Chen Qing's heart moved and he quickly said: "Let's take a look!"
Everyone quickly arrived at a warehouse, which was filled with pieces of black and red copper ingots, each weighing hundreds of kilograms.
At this time, the soldiers took out large boxes from the corners inside. They had just discovered that the lid of one of the boxes had been pried open.
Chen Qing stepped forward and saw pieces of black fine iron neatly placed in the box. They were solid and dense, and covered with a light pattern. Chen Qing recognized them at a glance. They were the same as those of his Fang Tian.
The halberd is made of the same material, which is wootz steel.
It is normal for wootz steel to appear here. After all, Zhangye is the hometown of the Sogdians. A large number of Sogdians live and do business here. They brought this high-quality refined iron from the Western Regions.
"How many?" Chen Qing asked.
A Dutou said: "We have roughly counted, there are a total of 120 boxes, each large box is about 1,000 jins, and there should be about 120,000 jins."
Chen Qing nodded, "The copper ingots and refined iron have been put into storage and sealed. Don't transport them away for the time being. Wait for my notification!"
Everyone bowed and said: "Obey the order!"
Three days later, Liu Qiong sent someone to convey the news that the Yellow-headed Uighur chief led an army of 5,000 people and requested to cross the border to engage in valley fighting. Chen Qing immediately agreed to cross the border.
Two days later, Liu Qiong led more than a hundred cavalry and came back first.
"Reporting to the capital, I escorted the Uighur tribe to the west in a humble position. On the west bank of the West Sea, I encountered a large army of yellow-headed Uighurs, about 30,000 people, and old Mr. Xu Hongtu was also there."
"Then what?" Chen Qing continued to ask.
"Then I held preliminary negotiations with them, and their chief agreed to bring only 5,000 troops to the Hexi Corridor, which is the same strength as ours. We will negotiate amicably after arriving in Ganzhou."
"Where are they now?"
"We are stationed near the exit of Dadou Bagou. We haven't come here, and low-ranking troops are also stationed there."
Chen Qing immediately ordered Liu Cui to lead a thousand soldiers to defend the city, and he personally led 3,000 cavalry to the mouth of Dadou Bagokou.
Ten miles away from the camp, the horn sounded, and a cavalry of several hundred people was seen galloping towards this side. The leader was a strong man of about thirty years old, wearing a wide hat and a gray cloth robe.
He looks very ordinary in his clothes, but his temperament is extraordinary and his eyes are particularly sharp.
Next to him was Xu Hongtu, who personally went to the Yellow-headed Uighur to communicate with Chen Qing.
The man smiled heartily and spoke fluent Chinese, "I am Cao Changchun. I have learned a lot about the classics and have gained a reputation!"
Chen Qing also laughed and said: "To each other! Each other!"
The two laughed and came forward for a hug. Cao Changchun held Chen Qing's wrist, pointed at his men behind him and said with a smile: "The Song army is well-equipped, which is enviable. Although my army is not well equipped, the soldiers are all heroes and good at fighting."
It’s the prairie eagle.”
Chen Qing saw that hundreds of people were extremely majestic and looked like bears. He said sincerely: "Eagles live on cliffs and can spread their wings for thousands of miles. You live in a difficult place on the plateau. Although the conditions are harsh, you can still fly."
Sharpen your will and body and become a true prairie warrior."
Cao Changchun was overjoyed and said with a smile: "Since we intend to join forces to deal with Xixia, will the envoy be willing to sworn brothers with me?"
Cao Changchun's suggestion was a bit beyond Chen Qing's expectations, but Chen Qing knew that as the leader of the Yellow-headed Uighurs, the other party would never be hot-headed and would think carefully. Only by becoming sworn brothers can we eliminate each other's defenses and live in harmony.
It must also be Xu Hongtu’s suggestion.
Chen Qing quickly glanced at Xu Hongtu. Xu Hongtu smiled and nodded to him. Chen Qing laughed and said: "I, Chen Qing, have no brothers, no father, no mother. To have a brother like Chief Cao is one of my best."
Yukiya!"
The two got off their horses, put in three sticks of incense, and with heaven and earth as witnesses, they became brothers with different surnames. Cao Changchun was five years older than Chen Qing and was his elder brother.
Cao Changchun took out his golden dagger and gave it to Chen Qing, and Chen Qing took off his eagle bow as a gift in return.
Cao Changchun said happily in his heart: "Tonight our two armies will drink and eat meat together. We will not stop until we are drunk!"
That night, Cao Changchun ordered the slaughter of three thousand fat sheep and took out thousands of bags of milk wine. The two armies sat around dozens of bonfires, eating meat and drinking happily.
A group of young and pretty women danced in front of the bonfire. Chen Qing looked at the stars in the sky and asked with a smile: "Why is the eldest brother named Cao? I don't understand."
Cao Changchun smiled slightly and said, "Brother Xian, do you think Cao has a Han surname?"
"I always thought it was a Han surname. It wasn't until I met Cao Baozong, the son of Cao Jie, the former prime minister of Xixia, that I realized that there were people with the surname Cao in Xixia."
"The surname Cao in Xixia actually comes from the same lineage as my surname, both originating from the Cao family in Shazhou."
Chen Qing was startled, "Is it possible that my brother is not only Uighur, but also of Han descent?"
"There must be some. We originally originated from the Shazhou Uighurs and fought with the Guiyi Army against the Tubo. Han people and Uighurs all lived together. From the end of the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, after nearly two hundred years of blood fusion, no one dares to say that they are pure
Uighurs, pure Han people.”
"How come my brother has Han ancestry?" Chen Qing asked again with great interest.
Cao Changchun was also very interested. He looked at the starry sky and said slowly: "In the fourth year of Qianhua Period in the Later Liang Dynasty, after Cao Yijin replaced Zhang as the leader of the Guiyi Army, in order to gain the support of the Ganzhou Uighurs, he betrothed his daughter to the Ganzhou Uighurs. Khan Ba Yesu later gave birth to a son, and the Khan gave the son his mother's surname. This is my ancestor, and my descendants have always been named Cao. There are five major Uighur tribes in Ganzhou, and the tribe surnamed Cao is one of them. "
At this time, more than a dozen Uyghur generals lined up to propose a toast to Chen Qing, each holding a two or three kilogram clay bowl. Chen Qing was a bit overwhelmed. If he didn't drink, he wouldn't give him face. If he drank, he would be drunk to death.
Cao Changchun chuckled, "I'll teach you a trick. If you show your skills, they won't be able to match you, so you have to drink the wine yourself."
"Okay! Let me give it a try!"
Chen Qing ordered his people to fetch several bundles of standard short spears and smiled at everyone: "These spears are all exactly the same. I will give you a question. If someone breaks it, I will drink double the wine. If it cannot be broken, I will drink the wine myself." ,how?"