Abaoji was talking to Han Zhigu when he received the news that Hende Jinhan Khan vomited blood.
"What kind of person is Shao Shude?" Abaoji, wearing thick fur, looked at the endless snowfield outside the door.
The heavy snow pressed against the yellow mud, and the house made of branches almost crushed it.
"Woo——" The cold wind slipped in through the cracks in the wall with malicious intent.
The slaves sat numbly on the sacks stuffed with reeds, shivering all over, not knowing how to fight the coming severe winter.
It was still daytime. If it were a cold night, how many slaves would fall silently into the cold mud?
For the Bohai people who were captured in the autumn, this winter is destined to be difficult.
"I'm not young, I have a lot of gray hair, and I don't seem to have much ambition anymore." Han Zhigu said: "There are rumors in Jinyang that there is an elixir in Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi, and if you eat it, you will live a long life. Shao Shude looks very excited.
The company sent a large army south to attack Jiangxi."
Abaoji's eyes narrowed and he frowned in thought.
He was still young and didn't care about elixirs. But he wasn't sure whether he could still be so open-minded when he reached such an age.
Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty was also very open-minded and transparent when he was young, but can he be open-minded when he gets old?
Khan Dejin, who has been sick in bed for a long time, sent people from Xilou Yu to various places in search of immortal masters a few days ago, and also sent people everywhere to seek magic medicine. Is it acceptable?
The more wealthy someone is, the less likely they are to leave peacefully.
Therefore, he believed Han Zhigu's words to some extent - but not completely.
"Did he really send people to Jiangxi?" Abaoji asked.
"The number of troops deployed in Jiangxi is no less than 50,000. We haven't chosen a commander yet, but he may personally march. That means the main force of the Forbidden Army has gone south," Han Zhigu said.
Abaoji nodded slowly. He would go to the businessman to verify this matter and he would know if it was true.
"How is Hedong?" Abaoji asked again.
"Shuozhou, Shizhou, Lanzhou, Taiyuan, and Luzhou are all rebelling. Although they have been pacified, the situation is not stable. It is difficult to say whether there will be rebellion." Han Zhigu replied.
When Abaoji heard this, he felt happy in his heart.
This kind of thing cannot be deceived. Han Zhigu did not go there alone. If you ask other people, you will know whether what he said is true or false.
From this point of view, Shao Thief is also in trouble. Maybe he won't be able to trouble the Khitan for a while?
Abaoji secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just give him another year. No need to be more, just one year!
Khan Dejin could not live for more than a few days. After his death, a new khan would be elected immediately, and a firewood ceremony would be held to offer sacrifices to heaven.
After going through this process, he will be the new Khan of the Eight Khitans.
Being a khan naturally brings many benefits. He can legitimately command nobles in various ministries, mobilize more powerful forces than before, and do greater things than before.
Moreover, the last few Khitan khans have been de facto lifelong. As long as they are elected, they can serve until death. He is still young, and with these conveniences, he will eventually be able to deal with those disobedient chiefs and truly unify him.
Eight.
He's had enough of this bullshit tribal alliance!
"Have you seen Yu Lu's aunt?" Abaoji asked: "She should be with Shao Shude, is there any news?"
"Yili Jin..." Han Zhigu looked troubled and hesitated.
"Tell me." Abaoji said with a cold expression.
"Ao Gu is still in the Xia Palace. I heard that she gave birth to a daughter." Han Zhigu glanced at Abaoji's face and replied.
Abaoji nodded calmly and said, "I understand, you go down and rest first."
Han Zhigu quietly resigned.
Ao Gu's rebellion doesn't sound as serious as that of a big shot like Gu Zhi, because she is a woman.
But when you really look into it, it's actually very troublesome.
Sala could only tell lies with his eyes open. He deified Abaoji by finding the dragon's gold pendant in the snake's den, and won the support of a large number of nobles for him. Can't Yu Lu see her aunt? She has already retired.
Salara has only become more famous.
From another perspective, Yu Lu Jiangu is Abaoji's biological sister. Even someone so close to her can betray her, who can't? This also invisibly weakens Abaoji's prestige.
Han Zhigu understood these things so well that he could clearly capture the anger, regret, regret and fear in Abaoji's heart.
It turns out that big people are also afraid and frightened!
******
Abaoji hurriedly left Zimeng County the next day and rushed to Xilou.
Han Zhigu went to the county government office and spent a day there.
To be honest, Han Zhigu used to be very responsible and worked very hard. But since he went to Jinyang for a while, he has lost interest in all the work in front of him.
Zimeng County only has such a basic foundation. If you just play tricks, it will only be the size of a county.
When he was about to leave, he was stopped by someone.
"Yili Jin." He bowed respectfully.
This Yili Jin is not the other Yili Jin. Standing in front of him is the nobleman of the Uighur Shulu Department, Yili Jin Shulu Porun.
"How do you feel about going on a mission to the Kingdom of Xia?" Porun waved his hand, and his entourage brought a wooden box over.
Porun opened it with his own hands, and it turned out to be a box of pearls.
"I've given it to you." Porun said.
"Thank you Yi Li Jin." Han Zhigu said happily: "Actually, I don't have any special feelings, but I feel that the Xia Kingdom has many soldiers and horses, which is very majestic."
"How many?" Porun asked.
He is the military leader of the Shulu Department. The Shushan Army controlled by his sister Shulu Ping is also directly led by him. However, he has never fought against the Xia Army before. He only heard from the Khitan people that they have good fighting power and dare to fight.
If you dare to fight, it will be difficult to deal with.
"Yi Li Jin, there have always been many soldiers in the Central Plains." Han Zhigu glanced at Po Run and smiled secretly in his heart. He had already thought of a countermeasure, so he said: "In the first year of Emperor Dezong's founding in the Tang Dynasty (780), the total number of troops was
More than 768,000 people'; in the fourth year of Yuanhe of Emperor Xianzong of the Tang Dynasty (809), 'Zhongshu records a total of 885,000 soldiers from all walks of life'; in the first year of Changqing of Emperor Muzong of the Tang Dynasty (821), 'Changqing household registration
There were 3.35 million, and the number of troops was about 997,000. Now there are probably more than one million."
There are 3.35 million households and 990,000 soldiers are exaggerated. There must be a large number of hidden households.
After the Anshi Rebellion, under normal circumstances, four or five households had one soldier, and the ratio of soldiers to civilians was about 25:1.
This ratio is difficult to achieve in other dynasties. Even if it is achieved, it will only be low-quality soldiers and horses that can only be given rations.
But during the feudal separatist period, with this ratio of soldiers to civilians, the income of soldiers was still very high. They spent about 20-24 yuan a year. The equipment was pretty good, and the armor coverage rate was not much worse than that in the heyday of the Tang Dynasty. The combat effectiveness was strong, and both
He is a professional martial artist.
The secret lies in where you collect taxes and how much you collect.
After the introduction of the Two Taxes Law, the Tang Dynasty no longer collected taxes based on head count, but based on the number of fields and property under the name. Dezong even measured the housing regulations of the entire Chang'an, assessed taxes, and levied taxes on dignitaries.
The house is big and beautiful, and the tax paid is a lot.
It is precisely because of this that during Zhu Si's rebellion, most of the officials and generals in Chang'an stood aside and watched, while the middle-ranking officials armed themselves to protect him and fought to the death.
"So many?" Porun was shocked when he heard this.
Han Zhigu secretly laughed in his heart. He actually didn't know, he was just making up a random number. If anyone is more serious, let's take the military quota in the former Tang Dynasty.
"Even if there are not a million, there are still 800,000." Han Zhigu said.
Porun's face looked a little ugly. There were many soldiers and he was capable of fighting, so how could he still be an enemy?
Han Zhigu was also quietly observing Porun's expression. Seeing that he had some disbelief, suspicion and even fear, he knew better.
Yue Liduo entrusted the Shushan Army to this younger brother, which seemed like an unworthy entrustment. His will was a little weak, but he was actually not a qualified commander.
But thinking about it from another angle, it seems very reasonable.
Yue Liduo's desire to control is very strong. If Porun hadn't been soft-tempered, most of Shan's army would not have been led by him.
This woman, apart from not being born as a man, is really better than a man in everything.
"Is there any news about Xiao Dilu?" Porun asked after a long silence.
Han Zhigu was very happy.
Xiao Dilu is Porun's brother. When he asked this, he clearly had timidity in his heart. Maybe he hadn't realized it clearly yet, but at the critical moment, he might just lack the courage and will to persevere.
"When I was in Jinyang, I heard a piece of news. I don't know whether it is true or not." Han Zhigu cleared his throat and said, "Brother Yelu Hua is already a close minister of Emperor Xia. After hearing this, he had to reward the beauties in the palace. He is very trusted.
appoint."
"What?" Porun was a little surprised and asked, "Can a guy like Brother Hua be an official? Is he worthy of rewarding the beauties in the palace?"
Han Zhigu also sighed: "Who says it's not the case? Brother Hua is despicable, narrow-minded, and incompetent, yet he can be treated so favorably. If it were a capable person, what would Emperor Xia reward him? It's really unimaginable.
"
After Porun cursed for a while, he came to his senses and asked: "Where is Xiao Dilu?"
Han Zhigu didn't know the news about Xiao Dilu at all, but he was very anxious and only referred it to "rumors" and said: "It is rumored that Xiao Dilu was sent to Kansai to serve as an official in a certain state. The salary is generous.
He didn't have much to do at ordinary times, just hunting and drinking. Emperor Xia was very concerned about him and rewarded him many times."
"Rumors" cannot be guaranteed to be true, and everyone can understand them.
When Porun heard this, he breathed a long sigh of relief and said, "Then I'll feel relieved."
There was a slight smile on his face, and he didn't know whether he was really happy for Xiao Dilu's situation or for something else.
Han Zhigu sighed secretly after looking at it.
Several failures have eroded the morale of the prairie men. Especially the Western Expedition a few years ago, which ended in an anticlimactic manner, caused heavy losses and left people with lingering fears.
Actually speaking, the Khitan did not get any advantages in the hands of the Tang people. Except for the Wu Zhou period, when they fought relatively well, they were really miserable at other times.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, he was enslaved and sent troops to fight against Goguryeo.
During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, there were occasional victories, but the overall situation was a disastrous defeat, and the Dahe Alliance was directly disintegrated.
By the time of the Yaonan Clan Alliance, the Tang Dynasty had been torn apart, but it still couldn't get any benefits, and it couldn't even influence Youzhou Town.
Now that the Northland is unified again, what a fart!
When the Khitan faced the Central Plains people, all they could remember was failure. They were already timid even before the battle. There was nothing they could do!
Porun asked a few more questions about Jinyang and what he had seen in Peiping, and then left.
Han Zhigu looked at the pearl in his hand and laughed dumbly.
Khan Dejin's time is running out, and the Khitan is about to undergo great changes. The timing chosen by Emperor Xia is really ruthless.
During the Kaiyuan period, Ke suddenly passed away in Luoyang, and the eight tribes of the Dahe clan were disintegrated.
During the Jianji period, what would be the fate of Abao Ji? What would happen to the eight tribes of the Haronan clan?
For a moment, Han Zhigu felt that he was witnessing history - the history of blood and tears of the eight Khitan tribes for three hundred years of enslavement, struggle, prosperity, failure, dormancy, struggle, prosperity, and finally failure.
He was successively oppressed and enslaved by the Tang people, the Turks, the Uighurs and even the Xi people. What a miserable word!