After Mi Zhida left Shule, he took more than ten followers and ran north, passing through Qiuci and Yanqi, and returned to Gaochang.
He didn't know what would happen in Shule, but he had some general guesses.
He had no ill intentions toward Ogurchak, and was even a little grateful. Because it was his tolerant attitude that prevented Manichaeism from disappearing from the territory of the Great Uighur Kingdom. In fact, it was unlikely that Manichaeism existed in the desert.
In the Northern Uighur era, it once had the status of the state religion, and the status of the Gaochang Uighurs was similar. The Great Uighur Kingdom and the Gaochang Uighurs came from the same source, so it is really not the case.
But he had a deep dislike for Satuk.
Because this person is not tolerant at all.
Mizhida has always believed that the higher up the people are, the less they care about these things, and it is difficult for them to be as pious as the bottom people. But Saturk is different, it is best to die.
While Mujami Zhida was busy in southern Xinjiang, Cao A'er (Rew, meaning wealthy person), the capital of Xia, had already been traveling westward for many days, accompanied by Xia Jun.
He set out from Tingzhou on September 15th and headed west along the famous Baishui River Road in the Tang Dynasty, passing through Shabo City, Fengluo City, Yele City, and Juliu City to Luntai.
County (today's Fukang area), a total of 420 miles, was covered in three days.
These cities are all lined up at the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain.
The city walls were in dilapidated condition, and some even collapsed completely. It was obvious that neither the Tibetans nor the Uighurs had much interest in building the city.
There are some farmlands around the city, which are mainly irrigated by the melted water from mountain ice and snow, and at least half of them are abandoned. Today, only a few private houses can be seen, which are also dilapidated, and dirty farmhands are helping the officials take care of their livestock.
Most of the livestock were brought from the grasslands during the Sage's Western Expedition last year, and more than half of them have been consumed. There are also tributes from local tribes, and there are a lot of them. Some of the cattle and sheep are cut and fed by the auxiliary soldiers, and some are given to farmers to strive for more.
Reproduce some and use them as military supplies next year.
It can be clearly seen from these actions that the Xia people's military operations in the Western Regions are far from over, and there will definitely be battles to be fought next year.
On September 18th, Cao Aliao was waiting for several civil servants.
The leader introduced himself as "Liu Mian" and served as a military judge in King Zhao's army - this was a position of real power.
Several other people, some of whom were former Gaochang Uighur officials and some of whom were officials of Honglu Temple in Daxia, followed him to the west.
"Judge Liu, is the road ahead clear?" Cao A'liao asked.
"There is no need to worry, Monk Cao. The rebellion has been put down and there are no more thieves. Let's get on our way now. Business is important." Liu Mian seemed to be quite young, but he was full of energy and was about to leave immediately.
"That's fine." Cao A'liao nodded and said.
Liu Mian called him "Sengzheng", which was a position for managing monks and nuns in the Central Plains. Gaochang Uighurs did not have it yet. It sounded nondescript, but he didn't mind.
The rebellion he just mentioned happened in Qingzhen, also called Qinghaihaicheng.
Some tribes were dissatisfied with the rule of Daxia and rebelled. They captured Qingzhen, which had only a hundred soldiers left. Zhu Jin and King Zhao led their troops to quell the rebellion, but they don't know what the outcome will be. According to Liu Mian, it seems that they have been pacified.
Just fine.
"Judge Liu has been following King Zhao?" On the way west, when he occasionally took a break, Cao A would chat with Liu Mian.
He thought this man was very interesting, with a face full of vicissitudes of life, as if he had seen through the world. His speech was very skillful, and his knowledge was extraordinary. He often hit the nail on the head.
Sometimes Cao A'liao was amazed, could any civil servant in Zhongyuan be of this level? At least he had never seen such an outstanding person in Gaochang. Maybe Liu Mian had done great things before, but he just offended something.
Man, was demoted?
"It's been a few years," Liu Mian said.
"Where is Judge Liu from?"
"You can be considered a Hexi native. My family is in Dunhuang."
"Are you sure about this trip to the west?"
"Everything depends on people. There are some things that no one dares to guarantee before seeing them."
"Does Judge Liu believe in Manichaeism?"
"..."
****
On September 21st, the people passed through Zhangbao City and Wuzai City, crossed the Baiyang River, and arrived at Qing Haiyang City.
The 380-mile journey also took three days along the slightly inhabited farming area at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains.
Both inside and outside Qingzhen were filled with murderous warriors. At a rough count, there seemed to be three to five thousand people.
Several large pits were dug outside the city wall, and the Tibetan soldiers were throwing stiff corpses into the pits.
Cao Ahliao shuddered subconsciously.
Judging from the appearance of those corpses, they were basically grassland herdsmen, men, women, old and young - they killed them all without distinguishing between good and bad?
Someone there went to inquire, and when he came back he said: "There were thieves who were bewitched by the Geluolu people to rebel, and then they marched eastward, and incited some people to follow suit, and among them there were even two Yili Jin appointed by the saints.
The thieves had been defeated by Wang Shi and fled in three directions. Zhu Jin, Wang Jianji, and King Zhao separately pursued them."
"You are really a traitor and you will never change your character!"
"The saint gave them the opportunity to be human beings, but in the end they had to be dogs to the Geluolu people. Who can blame them?"
"It's better to kill them all, so that people with different ideas will not lurk and cause trouble again after the saint leaves."
"Actually, during Pang Teqin's time, there were many Geluolu people in Beiting. If they had not been defeated, they would not have left. These tribes are already related to the Geluolu people, right? No wonder they rebelled."
"It doesn't matter who he is related to, just kill him and that's it."
Cao A'liao felt a little cold after listening to the words of the accompanying officials. I heard that many of them were from Kansai Confucian classics, which was not a good thing.
Liu Mian remained silent, but carefully observed the geography of the nearby mountains and rivers, and even compared it with the map in his hand.
The natural conditions near Haijun Town of the Qing Dynasty are actually quite good. There are water ponds, wetlands, springs, and a lot of cultivated farmland. It was a military town in the Pre-Tang Dynasty, and its specifications were much higher than the series of Shouchu cities to the east.
"In such a land with abundant water and grass, we should recruit troops to guard it and recruit people to cultivate it." Liu Mian looked at the barren farmland and the dilapidated city walls and sighed for a long time.
Qingzhen is located in Dalian Lake, north of Shihezi.
In the Tang Dynasty, large-scale reclamation was carried out, but Beiting was gradually abandoned after the Tibetan occupation.
In the late Qing Dynasty, people were once again recruited to settle the land. During the Agubai Rebellion, massacres were carried out in fourteen years, and the population was withered.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, it was settled again and its popularity was restored again.
In three periods, they all chose to settle here and persevered, which shows its heritage.
"Judge Liu, the sage's strategy seems to be in the south now." Cao A'liao said, "Now that Yanqi Mansion has been established, how much more can Tingzhou get?"
Liu Mian frowned and said nothing.
I had previously exchanged letters with King Zhao about Tingzhou. King Zhao said that there was still a shortage of governor of Tingzhou. If he was interested, he could recommend him for this position and find ways to recruit people to settle the land.
Liu Mian didn't answer.
If there is no large-scale immigration, how can we see results in the short term if there is no large-scale immigration? As Cao A'liao said, the saint's eyes are focused on the south, so what can be done.
"Let's go!" Liu Mian put away the map, got on his horse and said.
Qingzhen sent five hundred cavalry to escort them. The leader was a martial arts student named Sun Shuxian, who was from Shangzhou. After hearing Liu Mian's words, he immediately called his men on the way.
The five hundred people got on their horses uniformly, without any noise, and they were very capable.
Liu Mian nodded to Sun Shuxian, clamped his horse's belly, and galloped westward.
****
Fine snowflakes were floating in the sky, the north wind was howling, and the air was freezing.
The group of people moved forward arduously, crossing the Yeye River, crossing the Yehe River to guard the enemy, crossing the Heishui River (the upper reaches of the Kuitun River), crossing the Blackwater to guard the enemy, the east forest to guard the enemy, and the west forest to guard the enemy. On the night of the 27th, they crossed Shiqi
River (now Jinghe).
On the second day, we were tired and exhausted. We were waiting for a two-day rest to let our horses recover. Unexpectedly, we encountered Master Wang who was returning from chasing the enemy.
"Your Highness." Seeing King Zhao's banner from a distance, Liu Mian immediately dismounted from his horse and saluted.
"Sir, there is no need to be polite." Shao Siwu walked a few steps quickly, helped Liu Mian up, and said, "Sir, he is over sixty years old, but he still has to work hard on the road. I feel really guilty."
In fact, he did not want Liu Mian to take this trip at all, but he insisted and gave many reasons that he could not refute, so in the end he could only hold his nose and agree.
When I saw Liu Mian now, I felt a little regretful and wanted to keep him.
"If you want to achieve great things, how can you covet comfort?" Liu Mian meant something, but he quickly smiled and said: "I'm quite strong in bones and muscles, not any worse than the younger generations."
"See your highness." Cao Ah said, and Sun Shuxian stepped forward to salute.
Shao Siwu returned the greeting and said, "Thank you for your hard work, everyone. It's really hard to be on a mission for three thousand miles in the cold weather."
"It's all a matter for the king, not hard work," Cao A'liao said.
"During the pre-Tang Dynasty, warriors fought against the Turks in the cold winter and during the twelfth lunar month, so a little snowstorm was nothing," Sun Shuxian said.
Shao Siwu looked at the thick fur clothes on their bodies, nodded, and said: "The wind and snow are just one aspect, there are many unknown dangers."
Everyone looked at Cao A in unison.
"It doesn't matter." Cao A'liao said: "The clan leaders such as Sunong and Buseqian have known me for many years. Just the year before last, they sent envoys to Beiting and Gaochang to donate property, so they should not fall out."
Sunong and Baseqian are typical Turkic clan names, just like Beyegu, Qibi, Hun, and Pugu. I don’t know how many people have this surname. But if you think they are the authentic descendants of the tribe, then
It's just that I'm overthinking it. Many of them have fake surnames, just like the Turks living around Rehai (Issyk-Kul Lake).
"I'm not worried about the Turks, but the road is still far away. If you encounter horse bandits, it will be very dangerous. Let's do this. I will allocate one thousand riders and three thousand horses to escort you there together."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Seeing that Liu Mian didn't say anything, Cao Ah was overjoyed and agreed first.
Sun Shuxian was a little dissatisfied, but didn't say anything.
Shao Siwu invited everyone to come to the camp to have some hot meals and feed the horses some refined food. Everyone was a little tired, so they agreed.
"Your Highness, how about this westward march?" Liu Mian asked after he got the chance.
"When I met the Geluolu people, they ran very fast and only beheaded more than a thousand people." Shao Siwu said.
"How powerful are the Ge Luo Lu people?"
"Grassland herdsmen, that's all they have." Shao Siwu smiled and said, "Maybe they have fought more battles and are more experienced and more powerful than ordinary herdsmen, but they are still not as good as professional warriors.
"
"The Geluolu people are agile and tough, good at riding and shooting. When they encounter tough situations, they generally won't attack them forcefully." Liu Mian said, "Your Highness will have many opportunities to deal with them in the future, and it would be good to have more contact with them."
Shao Siwu nodded.
"Where did His Highness chase him?" Liu Mian asked again.
"Gongyue City." Shao Siwu said: "The former Tang military town has been reduced to a pasture for the Geluolu people. However, I heard that they don't come here very often. They usually only appear there in June and July. It should be used as a summer pasture.
"
Gongyue City was located near Yining County in later generations. It was once an important node on the Silk Road. It was basically the westernmost point actually controlled by the Beiting Protectorate of the former Tang Dynasty. It had a small number of troops stationed there.
After Beiting fell to Tibet, it was first occupied by Tubo and then fell into the hands of Geluolu. After the Anxi Uighurs were defeated by the Gaochang Uighurs, the Geluolu people were afraid and were forced to move westward, but it seemed that they did not give up completely.
"What a pity." Liu Mian also sighed and said, "I came from the east and walked more than a thousand miles. Most of the military towns established in the former Tang Dynasty were abandoned, sparsely populated, and reduced to places infested by foxes and rats. If these military towns were
, the cultivated land can be utilized, and there is a lot to be done in Beiting. Privately, I feel that the saint was a bit over-cautious in setting up the Yanqi Mansion, and Beiting should be dealt with first."
"There will be a chance." Shao Siwu consoled him, "If it really doesn't work out, I'll write a letter. After the saint reads it, he may have some thoughts."
"Your Highness, the matter has come to this, so don't be embarrassed." Liu Mian said solemnly: "Some things can only be handled easily when the saint is still around."
"I understand." Shao Siwu nodded slightly and said, "When you go south to Atami, please help me pay more attention."
"Okay." Liu Mian agreed directly without any nonsense.
This was actually one of the main purposes of his journey westward.
From the place where they camped at this time, they walked southwest along the Qiantang post road that was already covered with weeds and crossed Cheling (today's Boroholo Mountain) to reach Gongyue City.
When we arrive at this place, it is actually the Ili River Valley.
From Gongyue City to the west, you can reach Suiye City by walking more than a thousand miles.
Going south, you can lead to Atami.
That was the territory of the Gaochang Uighurs who vassed the Turks, and it was also the end point of their trip.