Chapter 278 The military envoy is the great sweat of our Sogdians
Just when Yang He was contacting the monks of Dayun Temple, Pei Yuan had already stood in front of several descendants of the former Tianping Army commanders and the head of the Guzang Li clan.
At that time, Yunzhou's Tianping army was divided into two groups to defend Liangzhou in the west. Qu Zhongcheng, who was sent by the imperial court to lead the army, had already returned to the Central Plains.
The remaining sergeants are led by the left and right commanders. After seventy or eighty years, these sergeants are now the third or even fourth generation.
Their main surnames are Sun, Liu, Ma, Cui and Wang. The person in charge of these descendants of the Tianping Army is Liu Shaoyan, the Hexi Jiedu Administrative Office and Duzhi Ambassador.
The patriarch of the Li family in Guzang is an old man named Li Jianhou, who is an official in the Jiedushi district of Hexi.
However, the Guzang Li family is relatively unknown now, because although they have a relatively big name, they don't have many people, only about a thousand people.
"Ambassador Liu, Official Li, and I really don't understand. Why are you two still hesitating? Do you really have to resort to a knife to regret it?"
It was Li Liuhou who led us to kill Sun Jieshuai in the name of corruption, but what about now?
Sun Jieshuai's large and fertile land has basically fallen into the hands of Li Liuhou. We have been accused of murdering Shangguan, and all we got was a little bit of land.
Although Pei is from China, he cannot be considered an outsider, because it was his grandfather who sent all of his ancestors to this important border defense area.
If it were not for this important connection, I would not care about you and just sit back and watch you all being killed by the Sixth Sect of Shou Mo, and your descendants would also fall into the trap of Hu Chen, alas!"
Pei Yuan said and let out a long sigh. It turned out that his grandfather was Pei Shi, the governor of the Tianping Army who sent 2,500 Yunzhou troops to Liangzhou.
This is also the reason why he can go to Shazhou to seek help as a representative of the descendants of the Tianping Army in Liangzhou.
Liu Shaoyan hesitated for a moment. In fact, he was no stranger to the Guiyi Army.
Twelve years ago, he personally went to Dunhuang to request assistance from the Guiyi Army. However, at that time, Cao Yijin had just stabilized the situation, and with the Uighurs in Ganzhou blocking the way, he was unable to rescue Liangzhou.
In fact, the influence of the Guiyi Army on Liangzhou was deeper than Zhang Zhao thought.
Twelve years ago in 925, after the Central Plains Dynasty was unable to take care of Liangzhou, the Han people who stayed here still regarded the Guiyi Army as Shangguan and their hope.
It was only after Liu Shaoyan returned without success that the Han people in Liangzhou realized that the Guiyi army had been trapped in Guasha and could no longer be counted on.
"Pei Dutou, is the situation really so dangerous? Li Liuhou still has three hundred tooth soldiers in his hands. Those thieves will starve to death sooner or later without us selling them food. Do they really dare to cause trouble?"
The person who spoke was a young and strong man with a broad mind. His name was Cui Huxin. He was known to everyone in Hexi Jiedu Yamen and he was very prestigious among the younger generation of the Tianping Army.
"Cui Sanlang really thinks that three hundred tooth soldiers can stop tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of Mo Mo people? It is precisely because the Mo Mo people will starve to death without our food, so they will definitely rise up and make trouble. They have knives in their hands. Why?
Worried about no food?
In the past three years after Li Liu, he has exploited various tribes and indulged himself in extravagance. Not to mention the people of Sumo, even we and the Sogdians in the west of the city have had extremely difficult times. The situation in Liangzhou is like a mountain fire in autumn.
The explosion is just around the corner."
"Brother Pei, in your opinion, who is this Erlangjun? In the past, we Liangzhou people led the rebels into Liangzhou several times, but in the end they couldn't stand up to the Sixth Band. Every time they retreated, the situation became worse.
A bit sinister.
Now you also know that although we Tang children still control the Jiedu Yamen, and we also own hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land outside the city, the Sixth Formation of Momo has become a powerful force.
They have a large number of people, and they have long been coveting it. If we attract Zhang Erlang but cannot deal with them, and they backlash in the future, we may be in danger of overthrowing!"
Pei Yuan looked at Liu Shaoyan and gave a bitter smile, "Liu Weng, it's not that the Guiyi Army couldn't suppress the Shou Mo people, nor that they couldn't control Liangzhou, it was actually the imperial court that refused to give way.
Why did our ancestors come here from Yunzhou, which is thousands of miles away? Wasn't it arranged by the imperial court?
The thousands of soldiers and horses of the Guiyi Army are all descendants of the soldiers and generals who were trapped in Anxi and Hexi in the past. They have destroyed countless countries in Anxi, Hezhong and Tianzhu. They have few opponents. They are actually the most elite soldiers and horses that I have ever seen in my life. I am afraid that they are...
Slightly inferior to the imperial guards of the Luoyang court.
Shazhou Zhang Erlang is a direct descendant of Zhang Taibao. He has a long-term vision, is brave and resourceful, and has a persevering temperament.
The most important thing is that this person has a sense of benevolence and righteousness. Sometimes he seems a bit pedantic, lacking the heroic spirit of a young hero, and is not refreshing enough. But following him is the most peaceful thing.
In fact, the people of Liangzhou, like the descendants of the Anxi Army and the Hexi Army, are descendants of the soldiers and civilians of the Tang Dynasty who fell to Hu Chen.
People from the west of the imperial court often fail to understand this suffering. This is why since Zhang Taibao regained Liangzhou seventy years ago, no one has comforted the various tribes and returned them to the Tang Dynasty, resulting in the current dangerous situation.
But Zhang Erlang must feel the same way, if there is anyone else who can transform the hundreds of thousands of people from the Sixth Division of Fumo and even the Hehuang Valley into Hu Guihan, it must be this person!"
Pei Yuan's eyes shone as he spoke, and every description in this description was his actual inner feeling.
In particular, he felt deeply about being slightly pedantic. At first, he urged Cao Yuande to trap and kill Zhang Erlang, and then informed Zhang Zhao of the news through the Tiansheng Princess of Khotan.
He fully thought that if Zhang Zhao knew that Cao Yuande had intended to trap him, he would definitely bring a large army to attack Dunhuang. At that time, he would contact Princess Tiansheng and others to coordinate internally and externally, and sell Dunhuang City to seek a career path.
As a result, he never expected that Zhang Erlang would risk his life in order to stop bleeding. As a result, he had to change his strategy at the last moment to talk about Liangzhou, and he was almost killed by Zhang Erlang with a pottery jar.
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But now that I think about it, it is indeed a bit pedantic, but it is reassuring!
With such a lord, you don't have to worry about your life being in danger if you do something evil. As long as you work hard, you will always have some wealth and honor to enjoy.
Liu Shaoyan looked at Pei Yuan in shock. Liu Shaoyan still had some understanding of this high-ranking disciple who came from the Central Plains.
Although he has great talents, he always has the arrogance of a child of aristocratic family. It can be said that he is full of superiority. He has never seen Pei Yuan admire someone so highly.
"Liu Weng, if Erlang Zhang is really as Pei Sheren said, no! As long as he has 70% of the ability of his great-grandfather Taibao Gong, we can place bets!
My aunt, the Li family, has lived in Liangzhou for hundreds of years. She can't just lose her son to an unfilial descendant like me, right?
At the end of the period, the various tribes were multiplying and multiplying, and they had long been eyeing the hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile land in our hands. We originally expected Li to stay behind, but who knew, alas!
He didn't even want to protect me, his uncle, and just wanted to make enough money, so he ran away to the east capital to be happy."
Li Jianhou had a look of disappointment. Li Wenqian was his nephew after leaving Liangzhou. Originally, he had hoped that this nephew could unite some people and continue to suppress the Six Tribes of the Mo Mo, at least leaving a way out for his aunt Li.
As a result, Li Wenqian had long since given up on Guzang Li's family. He only wanted to gain connections with the imperial court and leave this big city in Hexi that was about to turn into a barbarian.
Liu Shaoyan looked left and right, and the elders of each family nodded lightly at him.
"In that case, Pei Sheren should go with Mr. Li to see Li Liu! If we let him continue like this, there will be no way for us all to survive."
Li Wenqian was also waiting for Pei Yuan to return at this time. This Hexi Jieduli Empress and Liangzhou governor who was conferred by the Later Tang Dynasty had already lost hope in Liangzhou.
A few years ago, he and everyone in Liangzhou took the opportunity to kill Sun Chao when Li Liuhou was seriously ill. After seizing power in Liangzhou, he also wanted to cheer up, but it didn't take long for Li Liuhou to give up treatment.
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The reason is very simple. There are only 20,000 to 30,000 Han people in Liangzhou, but there are more than 200,000 in the Amo Liuban around Liangzhou City.
If you include the areas north of Lanzhou and the Hehuang Valley, there are at least six to seven million people. Such a terrifying population gap directly makes Li Wenqian despair.
After that, his plan changed. He was no longer trying to rule the Hexi city together with the Han people in Liangzhou, nor was he trying to continue the Guzang Li family that had been inherited for more than a thousand years.
Instead, he should quickly make a lot of money, and then buy an official position from the imperial court of Dongdu. He could go anywhere and become a rich man without being hacked to death by barbarians here.
"Is Yuying back? If Liu Weng is fine, please wait a moment. I have a piece of jade that I'm not sure about. Let Yuying help me take a look first!"
Li Wenqian is very tall, at least six feet tall, which is about 1.85 meters. Although his potbelly is obvious, his years of martial arts practice has left a deep sense of bravery in him.
Completely different from the name Wenqian, Li Wenqian was actually a typical Tang Dynasty martial artist.
He is arrogant and rough with a bit of cunning, which is not at all consistent with the image of Wen Qian, a frail scholar who sounds polite.
In fact, this is normal. The situation in Liangzhou is complicated, with various tribes living together and intertwined, and conflicts are prominent. It is normal for them to gesticulate with each other all the year round.
Li Wenqian grew up in this environment, so naturally he could not be a scholar or general.
Before he became the queen of Hexi Jieduli, he was also a strong man with his fists and a strong warrior with his arms. However, when he was knocked down by reality, he quickly degenerated into a fat black man who only cared about making money.
The appraisal of jade is just an excuse. Li Wenqian just wants to send Liu Shaoyan away so that he can know the outcome of Pei Yuan's return to the rebel army?
Pei Yuan glanced at the few strong men around Li Wenqian. These were the tooth soldiers recruited by Li Wenqian.
Most of them are Li Wenqian's subordinates when he was in the army, and a few are brave men recruited from Lan, He and other states. These people are Li Wenqian's last line of defense.
"What do the Cao family say? Are they willing to send someone here?" Li Wenqian asked Pei Yuan impatiently after Liu Shao's banquet was over.
The money has almost been made, but at this time it is not like in later generations, just deposit it in the bank card.
It would not be easy to exchange all the wealth at this time into gold, silver, and satin.
It is impossible to run smoothly from Liangzhou to the Central Plains without a large number of sergeants escorting them.
But Li Wenqian managed to recruit these 300 people with great effort, and he was reluctant to continue recruiting. These people also cost money.
So, Li Wenqian thought of a 'good idea', which was to go to the Guiyi Army Cao family for help.
It is self-evident what Liangzhou means to the Guiyi Army, so Li Wenqian promised the title of Commander of the Hexi Ya Barracks and expressed that he could agree to the Guiyi Army sending 500 troops to Liangzhou.
Of these five hundred people, three hundred should be allocated to escort him eastward, at least to the territory of Xiongwu Jiedu Envoy Qinzhou, so that he could prostitute hundreds of Cao family's soldiers and horses for nothing.
Originally, it was the closest to go to Lingzhou, where Lingwu Jiedushi lived, and then to Dongcheng. However, Lingwu Jiedushi had always wanted to annex Liangzhou. Li Wenqian did not dare to go to Lingzhou. If he did, he would lose both people and money, so
He chose to go to the Eastern Capital from the territory of Qinzhou Xiongwu Jiedu Envoy.
Seeing Li Wenqian's anxious expression, Pei Yuan smiled coldly in his heart. The reason why Li Wenqian sent him was actually because of Pei Yuan's identity.
Gu So
Although the wealthy family has ended long ago, people like Wenxi and Pei still maintain a certain network of relationships.
Li Wenqian went to Dongdu and wanted to keep his wealth and become a rich man, or even find an official position, but he had to rely on the Wenxi Pei family to help him make connections.
Of course, he could only look for people like Wenxi Pei. If he looked for those warriors, he would be eaten alive.
Compared to the fifth-generation martial artist, a family that has long since lost its prestige is still much gentler, no! It should be said that he is a normal person, and he is gentler than the fifth-generation martial artist.
"After returning to Liu, Cao Linggong was seriously ill and could no longer govern. Fortunately, the deputy envoy of Jiedu, Cao Shijun, understood the righteousness and agreed to send 500 tooth soldiers to Liangzhou. They will arrive in the near future."
Pei Yuan put away the sneer in his heart and pretended to be respectful in reply.
"Hmph! Needless to say, they understand the righteousness, their Guiyi Army has always coveted Liangzhou, and Cao Yuande will certainly not let go of this opportunity.
I heard that some merchants from the west said that the Guiyi army fought again with the Ganzhou Uighurs and seemed to have captured Suzhou. Do they really want to capture Liangzhou again?"
After hearing that Gui Yijun agreed to send someone to escort him, and feeling a little more at ease, Li Wenqian actually started to feel uncomfortable.
This is Liangzhou! The essence of the Five Liangs, it was here that his ancestor, the Xingsheng Emperor Li Hao, reigned supreme.
"Your Majesty, Cao Yuande is no longer in charge of the Cao family, Cao Yuanzhong is in charge.
The Guiyi Army did defeat the Uighurs in Ganzhou and captured Suzhou, but it may not be easy to defeat the Uighurs.
At that time, Liu Hou was already living happily in the Eastern Capital, so let them fight for this place!"
Pei Yuan keenly sensed that something was not right, and immediately corrected Li Wenqian's statement that he thought the leader of the Guiyi Army was Cao Yuande.
The muscles on Li Wenqian's fat, dark face twitched, and he suddenly became a little happy, and his eyes looked at Pei Yuan even more intimately.
"That's it. Thank you Yuying for reminding me. When I return to Dongdu in the future, I won't have to ask you to work hard for someone.
Recently, someone got a new white jade suanni carved from Khotan jade. The rough man didn't understand this, so he just gave it to Yuying."
"Thank you for staying and giving me this gift! I will do my best!"
Pei Yuan cupped his hands and thanked him, feeling a little emotional in his heart. It's not easy! Li Liuhou's mouth turned out to be generous. It seemed that he was really in a hurry.
"I wonder when the tooth soldiers of the Guiyi Army will arrive?" Li Wenqian couldn't sit still after giving away a white jade Suan Ni with heartache.
These days, he felt more and more that something was wrong. Not only was something wrong with the people at the end of the war, there was something wrong with the descendants of the Yunzhou Army, and even the relatives of the Li family.
"The servants rushed back early. The Guiyi army's tooth soldiers are led by the Yaqian military envoy surnamed Yan. They will definitely arrive within three days!"
"That's good! Why don't Yuying stay in the Yamen temporarily for these days? I've prepared some beauties and wine as a reward. When the envoys of Yan's soldiers and horses arrive, we will immediately prepare to leave for the east!"
This was to prevent Pei Yuan from being attracted by others or forming connections when he went out! But it was too late. Pei Yuan had already prepared. He secretly met with Liu Shaoyan and Li Jianhou before meeting Li Wenqian.
Moreover, Zhang Junzhi has many capable ministers, so as long as he enters Liangzhou City, there is no need for him to connect them.
At that moment, Pei Yuan's face showed a charming expression, "Thank you very much for staying behind!"
....
It was much easier for Pei Yuan to contact the Han people in Liangzhou, Huixing monk Yang He to win over the monks of Dayun Temple, and Zhang Liecheng to deal with the Sogdians in the west of the city.
The Sogdians were a very strange ethnic group in the Tang Dynasty.
These Sogdians, who were called the Nine Surnames of Zhaowu by the Tang court, were engaged in business in the early days, and later gradually expanded to the political and military circles.
The current Chengde Jiedu envoy An Chongrong and Jingnan Jiedu envoy Kangfu are typical Sogdians.
In addition to those in the military, political and business circles, the Sogdians even went to the Central Plains to farm.
Among the various tribes in the north of Dai, a large number of Sogdians replaced various ethnic groups and cultivated the land, completely becoming farmers.
The population of these Sogdians with the nine surnames of Zhaowu in the Tang Dynasty and the Central Plains even far exceeded the population in their homeland.
After the nine surnames of Zhaowu were transformed into Persians and Turks, the Central Plains became their hometown.
The Sogdians in Liangzhou are headed by the Cao family, but the Cao family has been more Tubo-ized. They have changed their surname to Cao Wan. The other An, Kang, Shi and other families have also been Tubo-ized to varying degrees.
However, since these Sogdian families always rely on the Silk Road for their livelihood and have many contacts with businessmen in their hometowns, they are not like the Han and Mo people in Liangzhou who do not know who Zhang Zhao is. On the contrary, they have no idea who Zhang Zhao is.
Juerhan, who was able to blackmail Saman Persia, was like thunder.
Moreover, they are businessmen. The needs of businessmen are very obvious, and they are much easier to deal with than other people.
Their biggest goal is to pursue profits. Everything can be measured in money, simple and crude.
In their eyes, Zhang Liecheng was nothing more than a distant compatriot who fell in love with Juerhan.
They had heard of Ju'er Khan's reputation, and if Ju'er Khan came to rule Liangzhou, they would not have much objection.
But if we want them to take the initiative to respond internally and welcome Ju'er Khan into the city, then we have to see if there are any benefits.
So, after Zhang Liecheng took out a large bag of white crystal particles, the secret room of the Sogdian Chamber of Commerce suddenly became quiet.
Ever since Zhang Zhao opened the door to Tianzhu and created a small loop on the Silk Road, some businessmen have brought back some Tianzhu icing sugar.
But compared to the frosting in Zhongyuan, it doesn’t seem to be much different.
The color is dark brown, looks rough, the sweetness is just that, and it is not conducive to transportation.
It's just that the price is lower, but compared to various spices, Tianzhu icing is not particularly popular.
However, the frosting that Zhang Liecheng brought out seemed very different. Cao Wantongxi gently picked up a handful and tasted it carefully, and his eyes lit up as soon as it entered his mouth.
He just pinched a small amount according to the previous sweetness of the frosting and put it into his mouth, because the sweetness of the frosting at this time was relatively low. If it was less, there would not be much sweetness at all.
But the pinch he made was truly sweet to the heart, and the sweetness was more than double that of the previous frosting.
Moreover, the current icing is brown in color and has fine powder. It cannot be called icing at all. People at that time called it brown sugar. The appearance is at least five times worse than the icing in Zhang Liecheng's hands.
"Could this be made by Zhang Jun using cow's milk? It's good, but the price is too expensive. People with high status should save money. Even if it's as sweet as honey, it's hard to make much profit." An old businessman surnamed An said.
The worries in my heart.
At this time, there was also a method of purifying white sugar, but it was more bizarre and used milk to purify it.
It is said that the protein rich in milk can indeed have this effect, but the price is simply unbearable.
You must know that there are no dairy cows nowadays, and it is extremely difficult to obtain and preserve milk. The price of white sugar purified with this thing is sky-high, and it is incomparable to the yellow mud decolorization and carbon dioxide decolorization methods used by Zhang Zhao.
Zhang Liecheng smiled faintly, "If this thing is made of milk, why would I have to do it in front of all the elders?
Please look at this color and sweetness, which cannot be made by decolorizing milk.
To decolorize and purify icing sugar, a foster father from a certain family has his own magic method. It only takes two kilograms of brown sugar to extract one and a half kilograms of icing sugar. It saves time, effort and is easy to operate.
As for the secret method used, of course it will not be made public, but the military envoy can grant the franchise right. Whoever can get it will naturally understand what to do.
If you don’t want to do it, that’s okay, there are plenty of people who are willing to take it.”
This is the only business supported by technology! Which products are the most profitable, monopolized products are the most profitable.
And the raw materials are easy to find. Two kilograms of Tianzhu sugar can produce one and a half kilograms of this kind of white frosting. Although it is not a huge profit, the only business that has been running smoothly is a hen that lays golden eggs.
"Although this method is good, it is only a franchise right..."
Cao Wantong pondered for a moment. This old boy has quite a big appetite. In fact, he is not too small. It is normal for a businessman to ask for high prices.
"Oh, by the way! There is something I forgot to mention. Have you forgotten the other identity of a certain adoptive father?
The military envoy intends to set up a trade patrol envoy in Dunhuang City. Those who oppose the military envoy should not go west.
Of course, some people will also go around Dunhuang, but unfortunately, there are also Muni and Shule cities. No matter you go south or north, you can't go around."
Seeing that some people were hesitating, Zhang Liecheng seemed to have suddenly remembered, and kindly reminded the Liangzhou Sogdians in the secret room that those who refused to drink the toast would not be allowed to drink as a penalty.
As he spoke, Zhang Liecheng took out a letter and handed it into Cao Wantong's hand, "This letter is an autographed letter from Cao Yaya's clan, Duke Linggong.
Administrative officer should know that the Cao Wan family's ability to gain a firm foothold in Liangzhou is inseparable from the support of King Ling Gong, right?"
You should have told me earlier! If you could hold my lifeline, you would have done so! I would have wanted to bargain with you even if it saved me.
Cao Wantong's face, which was pretending to be thinking, disappeared in an instant. He laughed with a gleaming face, and even held Zhang Liecheng's hand.
"As expected, he is a talented person from my Cao family! I heard that the Great Khan has a favorite concubine who is also from my Cao family. This Khan is the Khan of our Sogdians!
Commander Zhang, please report back to His Majesty the Great Khan. The four surnames of Liangzhou are Sogdians. We will obey the orders of the Great Khan and we will do whatever the Great Khan asks us to do!"