Chapter 297 Careful sailing for ten thousand years
When Fan Zhi came from Luoyang, the eastern capital, he took eight officials with him.
Among them, the official surnamed Zhao had been in poor health after passing through Qinzhou, and finally died outside Lanzhou City.
Another official named Zhang lost his footing and fell from the snow-capped mountains while crossing the Hongchi Mountains, killing both his man and his horse.
The remaining official surnamed Sun, who died in Liangzhou and was from the same hometown as him, also contracted the disease due to acclimatization, and it took a long time to recover.
As a scholar, when Fan Zhi studied various classics, he also studied medical books.
On weekdays, when he had headaches and fever, he would often prescribe prescriptions for himself, so he knew very well that the official surnamed Sun did die from a long-term illness.
Zhang Zhao indeed had the intention to kill two people from the imperial court, and finally framed the blame on Lanzhou Fumo. If he grasped this handle, it would be easier to deal with those dishonest people.
However, Zhang Zhao still underestimated the horror of long-distance travel in this era, and also overestimated the medical level of this era, so there was no need for him to do anything.
An easy journey in the future will be able to take away some people who are not so strong.
There were cheers of joy outside the door of the post house. Fan Zhi gently opened the door and looked outside. It turned out that Zhang Zhao had sent some samples of the fifty kilograms of Hexi white sugar promised by Zhang Zhao.
And the person yelling in front of him was none other than the book boy who had grown up with him since childhood.
Although their trip was to convey the order, it still did not delay them. They used more than a dozen mules and horses to transport some goods from the Central Plains to Hexi for sale.
Of course, it was impossible for Fan Zhi to do these things himself. It was all done by his bookboys and several subordinate officials. He just waited to share the profits.
The book boy walked up to Fan Zhi quickly and said he was a book boy. In fact, they were not much different in age, they were about twenty years old.
"Dalangjun, all the goods we brought from Dongdu were taken away by a group of Sogdian merchants at high prices. We can make at least two hundred guan in profit from this trip.
For Fan Zhi, two hundred guan was already quite a lot. Although he was a Jinshi, in the Five Dynasties, a civil official and Jinshi was not a great status, and it was not his turn to make much money.
Although Fan Zhi's father also went to Zhengzhou to defend the magistrates, the Fan family did not grow up through martial arts. It was good to be able to protect themselves in these troubled times, and they did not make much money.
So when he heard that he had earned two hundred dollars, he was quite happy.
At this moment, a clerk working in the Privy Council also walked up to Fan Zhi. He opened a small white bag with great interest, and then carefully picked up a piece of icing sugar.
Fan Zhi was attracted by the little official's cautious movements. He curled his lips and said, "Isn't it just frosting? Is it like he is holding gold, jewels, and jade?"
But soon, Fan Zhi was stunned by the icing in front of him. Perhaps it could be said that this could no longer be called icing.
Almost each one is about the size of a mountain pea (a small pea), and is white and crystal clear, as transparent as hailstones.
The Privy Council clerk picked up one of the grains with chopsticks and placed it in the tea bowl in front of Fan Zhi.
"Inspector Fan, please look at this. This is the Hexi sugar sent by Zhang Sikong. This thing is called rock sugar by the Hexi people. I just tasted one. It is as sweet as honey and has a snow-white texture. I don't know how the Hexi people made it.
Sugar? It’s truly the best!
Is this thing that looks like hailstones sugar? Fan Zhida was also surprised. He quickly reached out and picked up a spoon to fish out the rock sugar from the waterless tea bowl, then put it into his mouth and took a bite.
Instantly, a refreshing sweetness exploded in his mouth, and Fan Zhi couldn't help but grind it carefully with his teeth, making a clicking sound, as if he was chewing ice cubes.
It looks like ice and bites like ice. No wonder it is called rock candy.
After a while, his mouth became sweet. The sweetness was very rich and long-lasting, sweeter than a handful of ordinary icing sugar. Fan Zhi narrowed his eyes in enjoyment.
"Its shape is like ice, its color is snow-white, and its sweetness is like honey. The name of rock candy is well-deserved! It seems that this Hexi rock candy will soon become popular all over the world."
The book boy and the Privy Council clerk beside him also grinned. If such rock candy is shipped back to the eastern capital of Luoyang and sold for three guan or more per kilogram, it is not expensive, right?
In this way, on average, each person can earn at least 150 coins.
With a large sum of money in their accounts, Shutong and several other minor officials had a good impression of Zhang Zhao, whom they had met outside Xuanwu Gate, and the Privy Council officials were generous in their praise.
"Inspector Fan, since we left the Eastern Capital, we have seen everywhere from Chang'an to Fengxiang and Qinzhou, not to mention Lanzhou and Weizhou, but Liangzhou is the paradise of paradise!"
The book boy was also very happy, and he had been following Fan Zhi for so many years and had been studying to see the world, so he was somewhat knowledgeable.
He praised with exclamation: "Dalangjun, my servant Zhang Sikong is generous and generous, and he can also treat the virtuous and corporal. He is a real master! The people of Hexi have a good life!"
Fan Zhi couldn't help but smile and nod. This Guiyijun Zhang Sikong really gave people such a feeling, and Fan Zhi's feeling was stronger than that of Shutong.
If we want to compare a figure in this dynasty, this Sikong is so similar to the Zhuang Temple before entering Luoyang, the eastern capital.
He values people over money, values trust and keeping promises, is decisive in doing things, and is very good at seizing opportunities.
Suddenly! Angel Fan, who has been known as a child prodigy since childhood, suddenly stood up from his chair, and his face instantly turned white.
The book boy and the Privy Council clerk all looked at him in surprise, and when they were about to come up to ask, Fan Zhi suddenly waved his hands at them.
"I have nothing to do, you go on your own, keep the receipt in your hand, and take it with you when we come back from Shazhou!"
Before he finished speaking, Fan Zhi opened the door directly and started pacing in the yard of the post house.
The reason why Fan Zhi lost his composure was because he suddenly thought of a particularly terrifying possibility.
Judging from Jia Yanchang’s suggestions and the deeds he learned about Zhang Sikong of Liangzhou.
If these three accompanying officials had not died of illness on the way for various reasons, would Zhang Sikong, who looked kind and righteous on the outside but was actually quite ruthless on the inside, cause any accidents to them?
Anyway, judging from Zhang Sikong's attitude towards Lanzhou this time, he must have been thinking about Lanzhou for a long time.
Then Fan Zhi thought that on the way from Liangzhou to Shazhou Dunhuang, he would pass through the Ganzhou Uighurs. He tried to recall the information he had collected from all parties before setting off.
The Ganzhou Uighurs and the Guiyi Army were mortal enemies. The two sides had a bloody feud. One of the important reasons why the Ganzhou Uighurs were able to suppress the Guiyi Army was that the Central Plains court favored one over the other.
Because it was different from the Guiyi Army, which had established itself as emperor and had once invaded Liangzhou, making the Central Plains Dynasty quite wary.
The Ganzhou Uighur behaved like I am obedient and I just want to be a slave guarding the house, which can be described as extremely submissive.
The frequency and humility of their tribute to the Central Plains Dynasty can be regarded as the highest among the forces in Hexi.
In his memorial, he called the emperor of the Central Plains Dynasty his uncle and regarded himself as his nephew. Compared with them, the Guiyi Army had a lot of bad records.
From this point of view, compared with the Lanzhou Laomo, the Ganzhou Uighurs were the most serious problem for the Guiyi Army.
Then does Zhang Sikong have the intention of using his own head to attack the Ganzhou Uighurs? Just like he is now using the incident of Lanzhou Aimo to attack the mission to get angry.
It is better to believe that it exists than to believe that it does not exist!
Fan Zhi looked up at the sky. Large flakes of snow were falling. He dusted the snowflakes off his shoulders and sighed secretly.
Why not spend the Lantern Festival in Liangzhou City and then go to Dunhuang? You can also take this opportunity to observe Zhang Sikong up close. If he is indeed an outstanding person, you might as well recruit him as a foreign aid.
For Fan Zhi, who was born into a family of officials and passed the Jinshi examination, it was naturally impossible for him to become a household inspector for the rest of his life, but he also had aspirations.
Although military men were in power at this time, senior civil servants such as those who were directly bachelors of the Privy Council and Tong Zhongshu's subordinate Ping Zhangshi still had a high status and lived much better than ordinary people.
Fan Zhi also saw this very clearly. For people like him, there was only one way to enter the center, which was to write to the emperor or the emperor's ministers, show talents or win favor.
To secure a position in the center, the support of force is indispensable, but it is too risky to make friends with the commanders of the vassal towns in Henan and Hebei. Only Zhang Sikong, a commander of the vassal towns in Henan and Hebei, is the most suitable.
....
There was a soft whooshing sound, although it was only a light sound, but to the ears of the five or six thieves who were climbing over the earth wall, it was like the scream of a murderous ghost.
The thief's head was wrapped with a crooked and slanted head. He didn't even hum. His neck was suddenly thrown back, and a long arrow was suddenly inserted into his left temple.
The tip of the arrow penetrated into the bone, and red and white stuff was pouring out from the wound. He was so dead that he could no longer die.
Following the sudden death of the leader, the thieves on the wall howled in terror and jumped outside like dumplings.
But there was only a bang, and five or six more arrows were fired from various directions. Several guys who jumped a step too slow lost their lives in an instant.
However, the thieves who were lucky enough to jump out did not catch up. With a creak, the door of the posthouse suddenly opened, and more than a dozen soldiers wearing armor, holding long spears, and bows and arrows rushed out.
The thieves at the base of the wall were barely breathing, when Zhang Feng and Bai Yujian arrived, and seven or eight more of them were immediately killed.
Luo Yu'er was riding on a group of good horses. He held a long pole between his legs and used the power of his horse to push forward. A fleeing thief was directly picked up by him on the pole.
Then he threw the thief's body directly into the Yishui on the left like a bag.
"Whose athlete? Why are you insulting us? You don't have to send these foxes and rats from the city to climb over the wall and dig holes. Are you looking down on a certain athlete from Hexi?"
As he spoke, a soldier behind Luo Yu'er thrust a large flag with the words "Guiyi Army" written on it on the ground.
The surrounding soldiers shouted loudly. Two Peng platoons were in front, four long spears were behind, and more than a dozen bows and arrows were standing tall. Luo Yu'er, with both men and horses in armor, made a charging posture.
With only twenty people, they formed a small military formation with infantry and cavalry coordination, both near and far!
"They are good athletes! They really have some ability. A certain family is the inspector of the school, the deputy general under the governor of Fenzhou, and asked your family to send three hundred guans to ensure that nothing happens to you!"
After Luo Yu'er and others set up their formation, some soldiers wearing armor and walking steadily appeared on the other side of Yishui. It seemed that these people were the backstage of the thieves.
"This lieutenant general is so unreasonable. If he suits the temperament of a certain family, let alone 300 guan, a certain family would be willing to spend 500 guan to make friends with some good men. If he extorts like this, is he supposed to join the rebel army?"
As she spoke, Luo Yu'er waved her hand, and a soldier beside him shouted angrily. He pulled out a throwing spear from behind, took a few steps, and threw it to the opposite side like thunder.
After the Yishui here was introduced into the city, it was not very wide, but it was at least more than a hundred paces away.
But the soldier's spear easily crossed the Yishui River and pierced directly towards the deputy general who was speaking opposite.
The deputy general was also a veteran. As soon as he heard the sound, he knew that the flying spear was accurate and fast, so he quickly used a rolling gourd to avoid it.
Looking back, I saw that the spear shaft was more than two feet into the ground. If it was stuck, it would be useless to wear any armor!
"What a trick! You have a lot of strength!" The lieutenant who had been covered in dirt did not get angry or frightened. Instead, he laughed nervously.
"Wuna Jian'er, a certain An Taibao has made great contributions to the establishment of the new emperor. If you are willing to donate, I can get as much gold and silver as I want, my dear!"
An Taibao is the general of this deputy general. He has just been named the chief inspector of the school by Shi Jingtang, and has the letter of An's review as the governor of Fenzhou.
Luo Yuer laughed loudly, "If the deputy general is willing to go to Hexi with me, my Zhang Sikong will also have a lot of gold and silver, my dear!"
The two sides exchanged words across Yishui. This was already the tenth day that Pei Yuan and Luo Yu'er had stayed in Luoyang.
In ten days, Luo Yu'er and others killed no less than thirty thieves who tried to enter the post house.
Just like the deputy general of the tooth soldiers under An Shenqi's command opposite, he also sent away several groups.
It's just like killing thieves, but it's like this for the handsome tooth soldiers in each section, showing off their strength while dealing with them.
"Please also inform An Taibao. We are the tooth soldiers under the command of Zhang Sikong in Hexi. An Taibao is the confidant of the new emperor. Everyone in the world knows the power of the tiger, and we will definitely be close to him in the future!"
After arguing for a long time, Luo Yu'er did not fall behind, and finally bowed her hand, making a statement that she had already discussed with Pei Yuan.
"It's easy! Then go back and report to the Taibao. If Zhang Sikong is serious about it, we will naturally get close!"
The lieutenant thought for a moment and realized that the twenty people on the opposite side all had armor and seemed to be proficient in bows and horses. It was hard to get them at the moment, so why not just sell them to save face? Anyway, there were plenty of places in Luoyang City that could be plundered.
"Thank you so much, Lieutenant General! I'll have to trouble the Lieutenant General to give you an introduction then."
Luo Yu'er had given the other party enough face. He was a junior lieutenant, roughly equivalent to the general of the Guiyi Army. How could he have the face to introduce Zhang Zhao to An Shenxin.
A smile finally appeared on the deputy general's face, and the two sides exchanged a few more words. At this time, the thieves who were lucky enough to survive also crossed Yishui and came to the deputy general's side.
A cruel look flashed across the lieutenant's face, and then he waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him fired out their swords and guns, killing all the thieves who had managed to escape.
"My sons, it's getting late today, so go to the homes of these thieves and sleep with their wives!"
With that said, these tooth soldiers belonging to An Shenxin took out the animal tails hanging from the back of their armors, wiped the blood on their swords, and walked away with a sinister smile.
Since they don't want to attack the people in the post house across the way, they can't be empty-handed. These thieves have helped them rob for several days. Naturally, they have a lot of valuables hidden in the house. They will go and take them out now.