At the eastern foot of Helan Mountain, many gardens of different shapes are lined up. After a little inquiry, you will know that these are the mansions built by the generals of the Dingnan Army.
As for the residence of Prince Lingwu, there is no trace of it. There are rumors that Prince Lingwu wants to buy expensive materials and choose a beautiful mountainside to build a large palace. But some people say,
Prince Lingwu cherishes feathers and does not want to be criticized behind his back for enjoying them. In short, there are different opinions and no consensus.
"Your Majesty, if the generals of the Dingnan Army bought properties at the foot of Helan Mountain, does it mean that they have no ambition and intend to separate themselves?" Xie Yanzhang sat under a tree and asked in a low voice.
The journey along the way is really a bit incredible. There are grasslands, sandy fields, forests, and mountains. The scenery in this land of Lingxia has changed a lot.
I heard that there is a desert to the west of Helan Mountain. If it were not blocked by this mountain that stretches for hundreds of miles from north to south and the vast forests nearby, the sand would invade the farmland, and Lingzhou would not be able to develop, right?
No wonder! Xie Yanzhang finally figured it out. Rows of wood were placed straight down from the upper reaches. It was said that they were cut in the snowy mountains and transported to Huaiyuan County to build houses and make household items.
Xie Yanzhang didn't know where the snow-capped mountains were, and he didn't bother to care, but it was a fact that the Lingwu County Prince was unwilling to cut down the lush forests near Helan Mountain. This commander was different from ordinary warriors!
"Setting down at the foot of Helan Mountain doesn't mean anything." Xie Tong shook his head and asked, "Does General Xie know about the Six Cities Water Transport Envoy Yamen?"
"I don't know." Xie Yanzhang shook his head.
"Look at that ship." Xie Tong pointed far away.
On the river in the distance, a sailboat slowly moved north along the river. The ship must be fully loaded, and the draft was very deep. I don’t know what it was carrying. It might be food, ordnance, or even masonry.
possible.
"Going down the river from Lingzhou, you can reach the vicinity of Zhenwu Army City in fifteen days. If you mobilize troops east of the river, it will be several times faster than marching by land. Even if you mobilize troops in the middle of the river, you will need to take a boat from Lingzhou and it will take two thousand miles of water.
, it is also slightly faster than sending troops from Xiazhou and taking the land route. I am a southerner, and I know that water transportation is convenient and fast, and the cost is only 11 times that of the land route. The big river has been a great help to the army. The people depend on it.
We rely on him in battles, and we rely on him in business." Xie Tong said.
There is also a wooden raft behind the side of the sailboat. A tent is erected on it, which can transport thousands of kilograms of goods. Some even have fences built to transport cattle and sheep donated by the Tibetan tribe.
This kind of raft is usually assembled on the bank of the upstream river. There are two layers of wood on the upper and lower sides. The width can be adjusted according to the water situation. Crossbars are nailed on top to reinforce it, and then thick ropes are used to tie it firmly. When loading the goods and going down the river, the raft
The long rudder and pole are used by hand to control the direction and speed. After arriving at the destination, the goods are transported away and the raft is dismantled on the spot.
The land of Lingxia really relies on this river.
After the ship docked, people on the dock became busy and began to unload the cargo.
The area near the pier is very prosperous and there are many businesses, indicating the strong vitality of Huaiyuan, the new capital.
"It's actually a weapon!" Xie Yanzhang's sharp eyes saw it right away.
There are all kinds of equipment such as walking swords, horizontal knives, long-handled axes, armors, etc. There are also several wooden boxes with the big word "Wei" written on them with a brush, which should be the name of the weapons workshop.
"Lingxia, there should be more than one craftsmanship academy. When I was in Lingzhou before, there was a craftsmanship academy with hundreds of craftsmen, right?" Xie Tong said, silently remembering it in his heart.
"There are probably five or six hundred people. The Huaiyuan County workshop I saw in the morning seems to have more than a thousand people. I heard that there are people sending cattle, sheep, fruits and vegetables to the Xincheng workshop for the craftsmen to enjoy. This Huaiyuan County should be
There are two courtyards." Xie Yanzhang said: "Do you still remember the Hu woman who came to buy silk yesterday?"
"Sogdian woman?"
"Exactly." Xie Yanzhang said: "They must be Hu craftsmen, I don't know where they came from."
Xie Tong was startled and said with a smile: "General Xie has a good look. The Dingnan Army attacked Hewei and captured countless Tibetan craftsmen. And these craftsmen were kidnapped by the Tibetans from the Western Regions and even Kangju State decades ago.
"
"The Dingnan Army likes to kidnap people everywhere." Xie Yanzhang was a little angry. He was irritated when he saw these large-scale weapons manufacturing institutes, and he didn't know why.
The two of them watched for a while, then closed the stall and left with a group of followers. The Bianzhou merchants who came with them were a little reluctant and wanted to continue selling goods near the dock, but seeing Er Xie's bad face, they all stopped.
The thing left.
After walking, we soon arrived in the countryside of Huaiyuan Old Town. In a newly established village, more than 20 people were building houses.
"Are you from Henan?" Xie Yanzhang heard the familiar accent and stepped forward to ask.
"They are from Ruzhou." After hearing that they were merchants from Bianzhou, these people were very happy and asked, "What goods can you bring from home?"
"There is Henan White Porcelain." Xie Tong said with a smile: "How did you come to this land of Lingxia? It's two thousand miles away."
"It's not that the war in Henan is endless." The people sighed: "Qin Zongquan's people are robbing everyone, and everyone is afraid. Zhu Quanzhong is not a good guy. He goes around recruiting Latins, and the taxes are so heavy that people can't breathe."
Xie Yanzhang's face froze. Xie Tong remained calm and continued to ask: "How is this place? Are you still used to it?"
"The advantage is stability. The land is also good. If you get some river sand, you can harvest four or five bushels of wheat per acre. The harvest is higher than that in Henan."
"You don't raise cattle?"
"It's too expensive, and the government doesn't get enough cattle. When my Yao Lang comes back after receiving the reward from the army, he might be able to buy a few."
"My son is joining the army? Don't you want to go back to Henan?"
"Henan is a bunch of people who kill talented people, and the generals are all cheap. I heard from the newcomers that Zhu Quanzhong is fighting Qin Zongquan. Well, dog bites dog, it's best for both of them to finish the fight."
Xie Tong's face couldn't hold back any longer. After a quick chat, he and Xie Yanzhang left.
The two looked at each other. Finally, Xie Tong sighed and said, "Have you seen it all these days?"
Xie Yanzhang nodded.
"Shao Shude's foundation is more stable than Li Keyong's. There are also rules for management. He has a high prestige in the countryside and in the countryside. It doesn't matter how many times he loses. He is difficult to deal with." Xie Tong sighed: "Go back.
Then tell the truth and make it clear to the Prince of Wuxing County."
"That's right."
******
In the newly built mansion in Huaiyuan New City, Shao Shude had just seen off Chen Cheng.
The situation in Henan is getting clearer day by day, which makes him a little worried.
After paying heavy casualties, Zhu Quanzhong's army captured the southern city of Caizhou. By now, two of the three cities in Caizhou had been destroyed, and the power of the Qin clan was declining.
Li Hanzhi was ordered by Li Keyong to lead troops to invade Heyang south, but was repulsed by Ding Hui who was stationed there.
Something to be expected.
How could Li Hanzhi capture Heyang with only a few soldiers? Li Keyong either didn't attack or sent his main force south. In the end, he sent Li Hanzhi, a motley vassal, south. Was it useful?
Shao Shude sighed, and with the help of the maid, he soaked in the pool.
This pool was built by his order. It is very large and can accommodate dozens of people bathing at the same time.
The weather is getting colder in September. Taking a hot bath at this time is indeed the highest enjoyment in the world.
Zhao Shu gently took off her clothes, stepped into the pool, and scrubbed Shao Shude.
The other three girls looked at me and I looked at you, and they all took off their clothes and entered the pool.
The Zhuge family, the daughter of Zhuge Zhongbao, was originally engaged to the son of Zhang Xia, the governor of Bizhou, but now she was brought back to Lingzhou by Shao Shude as the family members of a guilty general. Well, Marshal Shao had the final say whether the guilty general should be punished or not?
Tuoba Sijing used to be a guilty general, but now he has started a business in Suizhou. Who dares to say that his daughter Tuoba Pu is a member of the guilty general's family?
The other two girls were presented by Kang Fujin. They were Sogdians and were born in the Kang family and Cao family in Dunhuang respectively. They were young and graceful, with beautiful appearance, black hair and blue eyes, and an exotic style.
The four of them acted as maids in this new mansion, serving the main family.
Feeling the girl's soft and delicate hands, Shao Shude felt that the pores all over his body were loosened. At this time, his thinking became clearer, he must seize the time!
In two days, he planned to send Li Hang to Liangzhou to inquire about the situation there. If possible, he would send an army to guard the area.
On the whole, the people of Aimo were quite respectful to the Tang Dynasty.
In the second year of Xiantong, after three years of fighting, Zhang Yichao led more than 10,000 Tibetan and Han soldiers to occupy Liangzhou. In the third year of Xiantong, Liangzhou sent envoys to Chang'an to pay tribute. In the first year of Qianfu, Gao Pian
He served as the Jiedu envoy of Xichuan, Lu Yuyue, the leader of Liangzhou Fumo, and Shang Yanxin, the envoy of Youyi in Heweidu, led their troops to Xichuan and fought with Nanzhao, forcing Nanzhao to give up attacking Shu and attack Annan instead.
At the end of the period, Liangzhou was probably hesitant. He wanted to stand on his own, but the prestige of the Tang Dynasty still remained. He was worried that once he lost the title of canonization by the Tang court, he would be attacked by other surrounding tribes or vassal towns that paid tribute to the court.
Therefore, the strength of Liangzhou Town is obviously very weak, and the only area it can control is around Liangzhou City. However, at the end of the day, he did not dare to completely annex the town, and continued to allow this extremely weak vassal town to exist.
But as time goes by, Ao Mo should gradually become unable to bear it and want to annex Liangzhou, right?
There can be no further delay, troops must be sent immediately to "assist in defense" of Liangzhou! Shao Shude subconsciously exerted force, and a cry of pain came from his ears. Looking again, there were several red marks on the girl Zhuge's snow-white skin, and tears were about to flow.
.
Shao Shude waved his hand, and Zhuge swam aside as if he had been granted amnesty.
He took Hu Ji Cao into his arms and played with her carefully while thinking about Gui Yijun again.
Central Asia and West Asia were a bit chaotic, but it was still possible to do business. At this time, the Silk Road mainly took the northern route, that is, passing through the grasslands, and then entering Guanzhong and the Central Plains. One of the branch lines even went as far as the Bohai Sea.
The Yinshan Tibetan tribe is one of the beneficiaries of the Prairie Silk Road, but this benefit cannot fall into their own hands. If possible, the line in the Western Region must be expanded, so the role of the Guiyi Army will be great.
This is also a small vassal town, with a small number of troops and weak strength. Normally, there are only a few thousand soldiers. When there is a war, if there is a war with the tribes that are closely related to them, there will be more than 10,000 soldiers.
But there is no need to use force against them. The distance is too far and the cost is too high. Just make friends with them and slowly win them over and cannibalize them.
Next year, that will be all. This is where efforts can be made in the short term. If successful, these tribes, which are mainly descendants of Tianbao survivors, can slowly be recruited, and there will be an additional source of troops, and the commercial interests of the Hexi Corridor can also be
It will appear slowly, and the requirements are not high. A profit of 100,000 yuan a year is enough, so take your time first.
However, we cannot invest too many troops in these areas, and we have to deal with the changes in the situation in the Central Plains.
Yang Xingmi in Huainan was beaten like a dog by Sun Ru. He fled to the west with the remaining defeated soldiers and bullied the Zhao brothers in Xuanzhou and Chizhou.
Shao Shude had some doubts, why was Yang Xingmi so useless? Can he still occupy Huainan and fight against Zhu Quanzhong like in history? At least there is no sign of this at the moment, unless Sun Ru is dead.
Zhu Quanzhong also leads the Huainan Jiedu Envoy. If he defeats Qin Zongquan, he may not attack Sun Ru and Yang Xingmi. We need to find out Zhu Quanzhong's background and see what his strategy is. Well, I will find Xiao Mao tomorrow and see if there is any
There is no way.
Mr. Xiao, since you have taken refuge here, don’t think about hedging your bets. Well, Mr. Xiao seems to have a little beauty too! Thinking of this, Shao Shude felt hot in his heart.
Hu Ji Cao glanced at him with a blushing face. Shao Shude was startled, how could this girl know what she was thinking? Then she laughed and understood what the problem was.
He stood up, gently placed Cao in the pool, and then hugged Zhuge who was hiding far away. It was time to rest.