The most complete building in Liaoyang City is a temple.
According to the captured Khitan people, after the Tang army withdrew in the past, the monks in the temple continued to live here for more than ten years. It was not until they could no longer hold on that they packed up and left. A city without human habitation would naturally maintain its
There are no temples or other production facilities.
As for why the Tang army withdrew, the prisoners could not tell clearly, because they were not the first comers. They only knew a rough idea, that is, the bloody strife and power struggle within Youzhou caused the generals outside the town to abandon the capital of the Andong Protectorate.
City.
Liu Wei agreed with this. After all, Youzhou has always had the tradition of generals from other towns bringing troops into the city to "go to mourn" for the former Jiedushi. Whoever brings many people to the funeral and can fight will be the one who stays in Youzhou.
Just wait for the court to straighten things out.
Liaoyang was probably abandoned at that time - unfortunately, Chang'an also lacks detailed records.
After the Tang army withdrew, the Bohai people waited for several years before coming to occupy it. After all, the prestige of Youzhou Town was still there. The Bohai Kingdom, which originated from the white mountains and black waters, only had an army of 70,000 or 80,000 people. It was not sure of victory against the Youzhou warriors until
After repeatedly confirming that they were really gone, and even taking the people away with them, they finally sent someone to pick them up.
Then came the war between the Khitans and the Bohai Sea. The Bohai Sea was gradually lost, and western Liaoning was lost. If the Xia army did not go north, Liaodong would also be lost. A few years later, Abaoji broke through Nanjing and fished on the Yalu River.
"... Taoists use virtue to make people uneasy, and they use heaven and earth to make peace... The general is as old as a tortoise and a crane, and his salary and position are rising day by day, and he has been a minister of the country for a long time... He serves as the north gate of the town and serves as a screen for the country... The Great Enlightenment of the West,
Said saint..."
Liu Wei knelt down and gently wiped the dust and raindrops on a stone tablet to identify them carefully.
This should be part of a certain Buddhist stone scripture composed by local military generals in Liaoyang. Once upon a time, this place was as prosperous as this city.
"The Anton Protectorate retreated again and again, retreating to Liaoyang, and finally gave up?" Liu Wei sighed softly, feeling a little melancholy.
When he was a general in the feudal town, he spent all day fighting for power and profit, thinking about how to get to the top. He was not only wary of suppression by his superiors, but also worried about the noise and chaos of his subordinates. In this situation, he couldn't think about that much at all.
If you don't have any ideals or ambitions, that would be too extravagant.
After the fall of Ziqing Town, some of his worries suddenly disappeared. Now he didn't have to worry about the sergeants making trouble, and there was no suspicious Jiedushi from above to deal with him. Instead, he could do something different.
Do you think he doesn't want to do something like recovering lost territory? It's just that he didn't have the chance before. Now that he can do it, Liu Wei is inexplicably happy.
Will the history books of future generations record my achievements in conquering Liaoyang after fighting hundreds of miles all the way north, frightening the Khitans?
"Clean up the ruins and repair the gaps in the city wall." Liu Wei ordered.
Liaoyang City is actually not big, and it is considered below average among state cities. However, a small city also has small advantages, which can save the number of troops defending the city.
He didn't even have 4,000 soldiers at hand. The city was so big that it was really difficult to defend. Moreover, the city was so dilapidated and had many gaps, which made it even more difficult.
"After nightfall, secretly send people out to contact Anshi and build the Second City of An." After reading the Buddhist scriptures, Liu Wei wandered aimlessly in the city and gave casual instructions.
"Military envoy, the Khitan has not retreated yet. It is not easy to leave the city at this time, even at night. It is better to wait for a few more days, after the Khitan thieves can no longer hold on and leave, and then try to contact the rear." One of the staff suggested.
"No, we still need to get in touch as soon as possible." Liu Wei insisted: "After leaving Anshi and heading north, we lost contact with the rear. Over time, it may cause uneasiness."
"As ordered." The staff reluctantly agreed.
Liu Wei continued to walk around the city.
There are obviously many folk-style houses in the city. After pushing open the half-collapsed wooden door, the wild grass in the courtyard grew half as tall as a man. The hare flashed past and got into the hole. The birds soared into the sky and disappeared into the sky.
In the mist-like drizzle.
There are a lot of white porcelain pieces left in the dense grass.
Mushrooms even grew on the rotten door panels.
Behind the red plaque, a mouse poked its head, apparently not afraid of people at all.
Household items were strewn all over the floor, and it seemed that during the retreat, many of the things that had not been taken away were thrown away.
"The Khitan people have occupied it for so long, and they only care about grazing outside and don't clean up." When he said this, Liu Wei paused, because there are still some houses in the city that are obviously occupied by people - maybe the Khitan people.
It could only be them, but the building was already empty at this time.
"Oh, I've occupied your place to stay. But Liaoyang is the place where Anton Mansion belongs, the old place of the former Tang Dynasty and the new land of Daxia." Liu Wei said with a smile: "Besides, it's a pity to leave such a good place to you.
Since I don’t know how to manage it, let me take it back on behalf of the imperial court.”
In the afternoon, Liu Wei had lunch and then carefully climbed half of the city wall on the moss-covered stone steps.
At the top of the city wall, the once solid and dense rammed earth was occupied by weed seeds that floated from nowhere. The weeds survived tenaciously, doing everything possible to absorb the moisture of rainwater and grow vigorously.
On the outer edge of the city wall, there are mountains, rivers, and endless grasslands that may have once been farmland.
The Liao land is quite strange. Some grasses grow almost as tall as a person, and some are almost as tall as half a person. They are so dense that they dance in the wind. You can imagine how much nutrients these grasses absorb from the soil before they finally grow.
It became like this.
It’s truly a shepherd’s paradise!
The grassland in the Yinshan Mountains looks like grassland from a distance, but looks like sandy land up close. The pastures also look malnourished and there are few types, which is incomparable to those in Liaoning.
Sure enough, it confirms the old saying that if the Central Plains were turned into pastures, then no grassland would be comparable to them, and the natural endowments would be far behind.
The reason why a grassland is a grassland is because nothing else can grow on it. But the land in the Central Plains is suitable for both grazing and farming, and the same is almost the case in Liaoning.
The sound of horse hooves and the sound of drums and horns sounded in the distance one after another.
Liu Wei calmed down and observed carefully. He saw that the Khitan tribes began to retreat one by one, slowly blending into the mountains, rivers and woods, away from the battlefield. After suffering a big loss, their performance this time was much stronger.
The strong retreat of the Khitan people sounded like a good thing. But Liu Wei knew that this was probably a scam. The main force of the Khitan might not have really left, but they might also have found a place to graze and hide.
Based on this understanding, Liu Wei also realized deeply: Liaoyang will be the front line of the battle between the Xia army and the Khitan for a long time in the future. It is very unwise to settle nearby. I don't think about farming and grazing.
It would be great if we could save the lives of the whole family and prevent them from being snatched away as slaves - this is not a place where immigrants can be sent to reclaim the land for the time being.
Khitan will not give up easily.
******
The Xia army's tentacles extend to Liaoyang, so some cities in the rear can be used to recruit refugees and immigrate to cultivate wasteland, such as Jian'an County - this will be the sixth county under the jurisdiction of Andong Prefecture.
Jingxiang felt relieved as he looked at the natives working hard in the fields, planting short-growing legume crops.
Gao Youqing was honest. He didn't know which corner he had captured more than a dozen people. He couldn't even speak Chinese, and he didn't know whether they were Goguryeo, Mohe or Khitan people. They were ragged, skinny, and looked numb.
They just wanted to do whatever they were told, without any intention of resisting.
Jingxiang knew at a glance that they were the common people whose eyes had been wiped out by the cruel world and were no longer far away from the walking dead. Once upon a time, there were many such people in Henan where Qin Zongquan was raging. In the end, it was King Liang who gave them life.
The hope made their eyes glow with life again.
There are also poor people in Anton.
"Mr. Liu." Gao Youqing led the horse to the village. The legs of his trousers were covered with mud, and a human head hung under the saddle. He was full of energy and energy.
"Where did General Gao come from?" Jingxiang asked, putting down the melon seeds he was picking.
"We just defeated a wave of Khitan thieves." Gao Youqing tied the war horse under a tree and said with a smile: "I don't know where they came from. There were three hundred people riding them. It was slippery in the rain and it was difficult to walk, so I caught up with them.
After that, they were killed and dispersed. You asked, is Liu Wei dead? He took thousands of people northward, and there was no news at all."
Jingxiang thought for a moment and said, "General Liu should still be there."
"Why do you say that?" Gao Youqing asked curiously.
"If General Liu's army dies, it will not be a small group of thieves but tens of thousands of horses that will come," Jingxiang said.
"It makes sense." Gao Youqing found a place to sit down and said, "Then do you think he can reach Liaoyang smoothly?"
"The elite Khitan soldiers were taken away by Abaoji. Although we don't know who led the troops in the southern expedition, it's hard for a clever woman to make a living without rice. Those local peasants alone should not be able to defeat General Liu's troops." Jingxiang said.
"Hearing what you say, I want to lead my army northward and strive for military success." Gao Youqing rolled his eyes, as if he was really thinking about this matter.
Jingxiang shook his head and said: "The king will support more than ten thousand people to escort the heavy supplies of food and grass to Anshi, but he ordered the general to guard Jian'an and leave the way out. The general must not ignore it. You and the king will..."
"Everyone is prosperous, but everyone suffers." Gao Youqing said with a smile: "Okay, I won't think about it anymore. Are the Wei people in the village still peaceful?"
"I'm not convinced, but it's good to be like this. Some of them are the family members of the Yamen soldiers, and the hatred is not so easy to get rid of." Jingxiang said: "But Andong Mansion is devastated and desolate. They have no place to escape, and now they are all
I’m growing beans at home.”
Gao Youqing laughed. The world is huge, and the most important thing is to have enough food. The court can give you rations, or it can cut off your rations. How can you live without food?
They arrived too late and had no time to grow food this year. They could only clear some open space and sow bean seeds. Beans grew quickly, so they were planted in July and could barely be harvested before the snow. Although the yield must be impressive, it is still more or less.
If you have a share of the harvest, and this harvest belongs entirely to yourself, the court does not ask, how can you not be active?
Most of the immigrants in Andong Prefecture came here like this. They reclaimed the wasteland bit by bit and planted corn and wheat after clearing it. They also cleared some open space in front of and behind the house and planted melons, beans, vegetables and the like, which was also a harvest.
As long as you live a stable life like this for a few years, you'll basically be able to survive.
There is no contradiction between man and land here, a lot of wasteland has not been developed, and the grass grows very tall. As long as you are willing to work and have the strength, you can definitely save an inheritance that can be passed on to future generations.
I heard that next year the imperial court will select agricultural students from Guannai, Guanbei, Longyou and Zhili to serve as officials in Andong Prefecture and guide agricultural production. This will be even better.
"I think you are quite knowledgeable, sir. Jian'an County is newly established and there are many official vacancies. Do you want to get an official position? I'll go find someone to talk about it and I'm sure it will happen." Gao Youqing suddenly asked.
Jingxiang was startled and said calmly: "I am as idle as a wild crane and have no interest in official career."
"That's alright. Everyone has his or her own ambitions. Just pretend I didn't say anything about it." Gao Youqing asked someone to bring in a desk, lay out pens, ink, paper and inkstones, and said, "Sir, you can start now. What words should you learn today?"
Jingxiang took over the pen, pondered for a while, and wrote: "In the king's house, he will be guarding overseas, and he will establish a vassal chief to calm the wilderness. I have long heard that Da Qinmao, the legitimate son of the king of Bohai County, has inherited the Xu industry.
Your talent... is destined to make you the king of Bohai County. You are going to the imperial court! You will always be the vassal screen, always loyal and trustworthy, serve this dynasty, and set an example for others. It is not a beautiful thing."
"This is the document in the former Tang Dynasty that conferred the title of Lord of the Bohai Kingdom." Jingxiang said: "It is appropriate to meet the circumstances. General Gao, please listen to my explanation in detail."
Gao Youqing was sitting upright, holding a brush in the hand that always held the handle of a knife. He looked ridiculous.
Not far away, a large baggage team rolled over the post road with splashes of mud and water, heading north with difficulty.
Gao Youqing knew those people, they were state soldiers from Yanzhou.
There are more and more troops gathered in Anton Mansion.
