Cao Yanlu held the hand of Chief Shi Yan Xu and repeatedly warned him, "I must report the situation in Shazhou to your Majesty and show your Majesty my loyalty to the Guiyi Army. I want your Majesty to know that the Cao family of the Guiyi Army will always be loyal to
Your Majesty, when you go to the Central Plains, you must not be stingy with money. Wherever you need to manage, you must take care of it."
When it comes to the emotional part, tears can't help but burst out of my eyes. As the saying goes, people can't help themselves when they are in the world.
As a powerful figure in a small force, this is especially true in many cases. Although Cao Yanlu felt aggrieved to let his brother stand alone, at least his life was not in danger.
But now that he has become the governor of the Guiyi Army and the leader of the Guiyi Army, Cao Yanlu does not feel the pleasure of having great power. Instead, he feels as if he is facing an abyss.
The Khotan general's methods of supporting him were too overbearing, and even those with vested interests could not accept it.
After sitting on the seat, Cao Yanlu expected to face a wave of difficulties, after all, his brother's death was so strange.
As a result, no one cared about his brother's sudden death. Everyone was using his brother's death to protect their own interests. Cao Yanlu realized that these powerful people in Shazhou did not care who was sitting in the seat, as long as it met their interests
Profit, even if it's a dog, doesn't matter.
In recent years, due to the deterrence of the Central Plains, the Guiyi Army has lived a peaceful life ahead of schedule. Without external threats, internal strife has become more serious.
The two prefectures of Guasha occupied by the Guiyi Army were also located along the route of the Silk Road, and were co-opted and infiltrated by the Gaochang Uighurs, Ganzhou Uighurs and even Khotan.
Before Cao Yuanzhong died, he could still be frightened.
Once he died of illness, neither Cao Yanlu nor Cao Yanjing, who died suddenly, had the prestige and ability to control the situation.
After Cao Yanlu came to power, he understood why the Khotanese were so bold.
Facing the arrogant and powerful generals in the Guiyi Army, facing the tyrants of Shazhou and Guazhou, if the people sitting in the seats did not rely on them at all, they would eat up all their bones. Cao Yanjing relied on the strength of the Murong family and the
The support of the Uighurs controlled the situation. If Cao Yanlu wanted to avoid being swallowed up, he could only rely on the external force of Khotan.
Neither the left nor the right can be independent, and they are all puppets no matter how they choose, and they have no control over it. Not to mention that there is a Yu court eyeing him. This gloomy prospect made Cao Yanlu unable to control his tear glands, and tears fell like rain.
Yan Xu looked at his boss who was in tears and had a runny nose. He didn't know how miserable he was. He just thought he was pretending to express his innocence and sneered secretly.
The yellow mud falling on my crotch is either shit or shit.
Just because no one is investigating Cao Yanjing's death doesn't mean they don't know who is behind the scenes, it's just that no one is exposing it.
After all, Shazhou relied on Khotan and its economic resources depended largely on Khotan. Cao Yanjing belonged to the Guazhou faction and was close to the Uighurs in Ganzhou, so he did not receive the support of Shazhou's powerful people.
Yan Xu also liked Cao Yanlu even more than the interest groups behind him, and said with some caution: "Commander Jie, don't worry, I will definitely explain all the reasons to your Majesty when I go to Bianjing."
What he said also came from the bottom of his heart.
The powerful people in Shazhou are no longer the heroes of Zhang Yichao's time. They only have their own interests in mind and only want to maintain the current situation. They do not want the Dayu court to reach out to Shazhou and seize the power they deserve now.
.
Even if you know clearly that you can't do it, you still have to wait until the last moment to get enough benefits before submitting.
After all, in the end, the court found out that it was Cao Yanlu who resisted the court, and it was the Cao family who was unforgiving of evil. What did it have to do with them? They were forced.
Cao Yanlu returned to the backyard a little numbly. Shengtian Princess Li and Ge Zhuoxi immediately came up to him and asked about the situation.
Cao Yanlu forced a smile and said, "Fortunately, the majesty of the father-in-law is still there, which temporarily suppressed them."
Li Shi and Ge Zhuoxi both showed understanding smiles. It would be great if Cao Yanlu realized this.
They just want Cao Yanlu to rely on them, and only in this way can he obey their words.
Cao Yanlu said helplessly: "It's easy to say here in Shazhou, but the problem is the Murong clan in Guazhou, they will not surrender easily. I have sent a letter to Murong Rujie the day before yesterday, but if nothing happens,
No news."
Ge Zhuoxi frowned and said, "It is indeed a problem."
As long as the Murong family's crisis is not resolved, the Guiyi army dare not support them with peace of mind.
Cao Yanlu said with a bit of fear on his face: "Murong Rujie is as domineering as his father Murong Guiying, so he will not suffer such a loss."
Ge Zhuoxi was silent for a moment, his gaze lingered on Cao Yanlu with some scrutiny, and he said: "There is no guarantee that we will arrive. Now there is pressure from the Dayu court above. The Uighurs in Ganzhou do not dare to help openly. As long as the goals of Shazhou are consistent,
It is also difficult for the Murong family to persuade other wealthy families in Guazhou to join forces with them. The strength of the Murong family alone is nothing to be afraid of. Let me mediate this matter."
Khotan has business dealings with most of the wealthy families in Shazhou. At this time, they can only make a wave of blood in exchange for the stability of Cao Yanlu's position.
Ge Zhuoxi had some doubts that Cao Yanlu was using them to secure his position as the Commander-in-Chief of the Returned Army, but at this point, he had no other choice.
The Kara Khanate's offensive has slowed down recently, but it has been dispatched frequently, and it is obvious that it will make a big move. If Khotan does not receive strong support, it is very likely that the army will besiege the city, and then Khotan will be in danger.
The situation of the rebel army must be stabilized before the Kara Khanate takes action.
Ge Zhuoxi thought about this and couldn't care less, so he said goodbye and left.
Things in the world are like this, and nothing is perfect. Especially in the political field, if you want to gain something, you must give up something else. It is reasonable to give up and get something.
Cao Yanlu and his wife, Mrs. Li, chatted with each other for a long time before leaving the yard.
As soon as he walked out of the courtyard, Cao Yanlu's attentive and kind face turned gloomy.
Even a puppet has the thought of turning over.
"Son!"
Cao Yanlu could not walk more than a hundred steps when a mysterious man came up to him.
Cao Yanlu looked around cautiously when he saw the visitor. Seeing that there was no one around, he hurriedly whispered: "How are things going?" He still looked at the visitor, not at the visitor, but to observe the situation.
The person who came was one of his current cronies named Qiu Daoheng. His father had cultivated many political legacies for him, but they were all scattered and integrated by Cao Yanjing. There were only a handful of people he could trust, and this Qiu Daoheng was his current
There are very few people you can trust.
Qiu Daoheng also deliberately lowered his voice and said, "Everything has been settled. We have arranged for the eldest lady and young master to leave the city."
"Okay, okay!" Cao Yanlu said three times in a row, nodding his head, waving his arms excitedly, sending troops to support Khotan? It would not do him any good at all.
But as long as he provokes an internal fight between the Cao family in Shazhou and the Murong family in Guazhou, he will have enough reasons not to send troops, and he can take advantage of the situation to take back his power bit by bit.
As for returning to Dayu, Cao Yanlu never thought that the century-old foundation of the Cao family of the rebel army could be destroyed in his own hands.
What's more, even if he had the intention, the wealthy people in Shazhou would not agree.
In the dark night, Mingsha Mountain.
These more than ten people escorted a special carriage slowly traveling in the desert.
The leader, a man in his thirties, named Miao Zongzheng, was the leader of this group and was responsible for escorting Cao Yanjing's wife Murong and her ten-year-old son Cao Zongshou back to Guazhou.
Historically, Cao Zongshou was the seventh military commander of the Guiyi Army. He personally led the Murong family to force Cao Yanlu to death and became the military commander of the Guiyi Army. Of course, this is a story for later.
"In the Miao capital, the Crescent Moon Spring is just ahead." A person next to me warned.
There is a large desert between Shazhou and Guazhou. There are thousands of roads in the desert, but there are only a few fixed water supply points.
Mingsha Mountain Crescent Spring was a scenic spot in later generations, but in ancient times it was the source of life.
No matter how you take a detour, you will end up at a water source to get water.
Miao Zong nodded and said: "You take a few brothers to explore the situation. There is no need to enter the inn, just get some water from the edge of the spring."
Watching the black shadow speeding away, Miao Zong glanced at the carriage behind him, thinking about what reward he would get for completing the mission this time.
After a long time, Miao Zong became a little impatient. Suddenly, his horse began to neigh restlessly for no reason.
Move left and right.
Miao Zong pulled the reins hard, caressed the neck, and calmed down the horse. Just when he was feeling strange, he noticed from the corner of his eye that several dark figures had taken advantage of the darkness to get close. His hair stood on end, and he was about to shout loudly.
, but in my ears I heard the sound of arrows piercing the air.
Before Miao Zong could react, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and fell off his horse.
Miao Zong's mind went blank, with only one thought: It's over, his life will be decided here.
Hearing the screams and wailings coming from the surroundings, Miao Zong realized that he was still alive. When he opened his mouth, he was hit by a slender crossbow arrow, and a feeling of panic filled his heart.
Is this a serial crossbow?
Dayu Wu Desi!
Crossbows are regulated weapons and private ownership is prohibited.
They Guiyi Army also have crossbows, but that kind of crossbow is used on the battlefield. It is bulky and inflexible, but it is extremely powerful. If you really want to hit it with one hit, don't say that you don't have armor now. Even if you wear armor, you will be killed on the spot.
There is also a dexterous hand crossbow, which is used for short-distance combat. It is far less powerful than the military crossbow, but it is more flexible and lighter.
This type of hand crossbow has a delicate structure, is extremely expensive to make, and is impractical. Only Dayu Wudesi equipped it in large quantities, and it has miraculous effects in special circumstances.
Miao Zong wanted to get up, but the crossbow wound on his chest made it difficult for him to breathe hard. As soon as he got up, two more thin crossbow arrows shot him down.
Before Miao Zong could react, the nimble black shadow was already close, and a short black blade opened his throat.
Murong held her child tightly in the carriage, covering his mouth with one hand. Her face was pale and her body was trembling slightly. She did not dare to look at the situation outside, but she heard a series of swishing sounds, mixed with exclamations.
There were screams, and then silence returned.
What followed was a smell of blood that stung the nose.
Everything was silent.
Suddenly the carriage moved.
Murong was silent for a long time and said: "Where are you going, the strong man? As long as the strong man can send my son back to Guazhou, I am willing to be a hostage and exchange for a thousand pieces of gold for the strong man."
The person outside the car ignored the tempting words, but simply said two words "Liangzhou!" concisely and concisely.