Hearing Lu Dongzan's words, several of his sons were shocked. Zanpo's eyes widened and she asked in surprise: "Is there going to be another rebellion in the Tang Dynasty?"
Bo Lunzan was also unbelievable: "It seems that since Emperor Taizong began his eastern expedition, the Tang Dynasty has not been at peace for a few days!"
Lun Qinling sighed with emotion: "Internal strife seems to be the nature of the Han people. They are often tolerant towards foreigners, but they are cruel and tyrannical towards others. As long as power, position and wealth are involved between fathers, sons and brothers, they will be ruthless and kill them all."
, should be taken as a warning.”
The Han people did have the power to crush the Hu people in terms of wisdom, but the reason why even though the Han dynasty was so strong that it overwhelmed the surrounding Hu people for a while, it would eventually turn into decline when it was at its peak, giving the Hu people an opportunity to take advantage of it.
Opportunities arise precisely because internal strife breaks out from time to time.
No matter how powerful a country is, it cannot withstand such internal strife that breaks out from time to time. Every time there is internal strife, its strength will weaken a bit, and eventually it will decline and perish.
He also understood why his father suddenly mentioned the allusion "A single person is easy to break, but a group is difficult to destroy". This was a warning to him not to learn from the Han people and not to covet the position of the head of the family and cause internal strife within the family...
Lu Dongzan was quite pleased to see that his sons were all aware of the dangers of internal strife, especially the talented second son who also expressed his obedience in a subtle way: "The Emperor of the Tang Dynasty and Fang Jun were too strong and wanted to dominate the country."
It is difficult to gain benefits from them. If this is the case, then we might as well change our partners. If others want something from us, we will naturally be willing to give up more benefits. This is a good opportunity for the Gar family to grow."
The world praises him as "the smartest man in Tubo", but in fact he himself believes that even in the Tang Dynasty, few people are smarter than him. He has read almost all the history books of the Han people and understands that if a country or a family wants to become strong, it must be removed.
Even if your own efforts are unexpected, it also depends on whether the timing is right.
Times make heroes. If there is no suitable opportunity to rise, even if he is as strong as the overlord Xiang Yu, he will only end up in ruins.
*****
The city of Liangzhou is covered with clouds, the cold wind is blowing, and the snow is blowing endlessly. The vast Baiting Sea has long been frozen, and even the rolling Macheng River is covered with snow. In summer, the water and grass are abundant and the river is plentiful.
Liangzhou is desolate and lonely, and everything as far as the eye can see is silvery white.
The bright moon shines on the snow, and the new wind is strong and sad.
The rivers in Liangzhou converge and the mountains are shaped like a "crouching dragon". During the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu built a temple here and slaughtered two cities. The sea has changed, time flies, and King Xiutu who once roamed the west of the river has long been buried in the Gobi.
Under the yellow sand, only these two cities are left standing in the west of Hexi.
There is no sunset over the long river, and no solitary smoke in the desert. On a cold night, Xiutu City flickers in and out of sight in the wind and snow, making it difficult to discern its true appearance.
In the house in the city, Cheng Yaojin took a sip of strong wine from a wine glass and watched Niu Jinda nailing a wooden board to the dilapidated window with a hammer, finally blocking the cold wind that came in. He couldn't help but curse.
He said: "I also came here when I accompanied Duke Wei to chase the Turks. At that time, the city was well-organized and well-resourced. It was an important garrison town in Hexi. How could it be that An Yuanshou managed to destroy it in just a few years?"
so?"
After being ordered to go out to control Hexi, it was naturally impossible for the tens of thousands of troops to be stationed in Liangzhou City. They could only be stationed in Xiutucheng. And he came here with the intention of guarding An Yuanshou, and An Yuanshou himself could not have been unaware of it.
, although he led his Youxiao Guard to retreat to Panhe, Liangzhou is after all the home base of the An family for many years, how could Cheng Yaojin dare to stay in the city?
I'm afraid that if I go to bed fine at night, my head will be gone when I wake up in the morning...
However, when An Yuanshou withdrew, Xiutucheng was severely damaged. Cheng Yaojin led Zuowuwei to station. Before they could repair it, heavy snowfall hit them. The garrison conditions were very difficult. Fortunately, Liangzhou has Hexi transportation.
At the main road, supplies from Chang'an are abundant.
Niu Jinda repaired the leaky window, threw away the hammer, sat opposite Cheng Yaojin, picked up the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. The warm wine passed through his throat and entered his abdomen, like a line of fire running through his body. The cold air was completely dissipated, and he exhaled and praised:
“Good wine!”
Cheng Yaojin snorted: "That bastard Fang Er is not a son of a man, but he is still capable of doing some crooked things. This distilled wine is really to my taste. It is sweet and alcoholic but not overbearing. It is a good thing."
According to the military discipline of the Tang Dynasty, drinking is not allowed in the army, but few people can abide by this rule. Especially the troops stationed in Hexi, Mobei and the Anxi army will even distribute a certain amount of strong liquor to each person every day to ward off the cold.
The soldier opened the door and brought a roasted camel leg in. The room was immediately filled with aroma. Niu Jinda dismissed the soldier, took out a sharp dagger from his arms, cut off the camel meat with his own hands and put it on the table.
On a plate.
There is a small pile of snow-white crystal salt on the plate. The camel meat, which is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, is dipped in a little salt and chewed in the mouth. The oil mixes with the saliva in the mouth, and the meat is chewy and delicious. After taking a sip of strong wine, it is simply a divine enjoyment, even if it is
Chang'an's delicacies are far inferior.
Niu Jinda ate large chunks of meat and drank a lot of wine. Even in the cold weather, he was so drunk that he felt sweat on his forehead.
Cheng Yaojin was not satisfied with the food. He ate two pieces of meat and drank two sips of wine. When he saw Niu Jinda looking like a starving man, he immediately cursed: "Eat, eat, eat, you know how to eat. Look at you, you useless coward."
Look!"
"Hey!"
Niu Jinda ignored him at all, and cut off most of a camel leg by himself. Then he wiped his hands with a handkerchief, took a sip of wine, and said with a smile: "You look like a rough man, but in fact you have the same mind as a needle nose."
, once you come, settle down, what's the use even if you are worried to death? Settle down steadily, train the troops well, wait for the order to come, and strike with thunder, and you will be successful, and you can naturally return to Chang'an
Already."
Seeing Niu Jinda's mouth full of oil after eating, Cheng Yaojin was also greedy. He picked up a piece of meat from the plate and ate it. While chewing, he said: "So you are a fool. If you hadn't followed me, you would have been killed."
What a scam! Then An Yuanshou is not a fool, how could he not know the purpose of our coming all the way? Do you really believe that we are just defending the Great Wall in the north?"
Niu Jinda disagreed: "So what if I know? The imperial court was a conspiracy. Several armies came in force and drove him to the land of Panhe to surround him. Even if he fights to the death, he will only be destroyed to the end, and he will be able to overturn the world."
"So you are indeed an idiot!"
Cheng Yaojin cursed, took a sip of wine, and said: "Lu Dongzan had a falling out with Songtsan Gampo, and now they occupy the Qinghai Lake area, the hometown of Tuyuhun, at the southern foot of the Qilian Mountains. He only needs to send a cavalry to go out for a big fight."
By pulling out the valley, you can reach the border of Liangzhou in one day. I ask you, if An Yuanshou asks Lu Dongzan for help and Lu Dongzan sends troops, causing the situation in Hexi to deteriorate, how will you deal with it?"
Niu Jinda was surprised: "Isn't that true? Lu Dongzan is now severely suppressed by Tubo. If we, the Tang Dynasty, had not supported him, he would have been dealt with by Songtsen Gampo. How could he fight back?"
"If I teach you to be a good boy, nothing will be impossible in this world! There is nothing you can't think of and nothing you can't do. That's why I am the Duke of the country and a general, but you are just my follower!"
Niu Jinda was displeased. Although he felt that Cheng Yaojin's fear of Lu Dongzan was somewhat reasonable, his words didn't make sense: "We have been lords for half our lives, and I didn't save your life once or twice in the chaos."
, the reason why I have always been under your command is because of our lifelong friendship, how can you insult me with such filthy words as 'follower'?"
Cheng Yaojin sneered: "In other words, I am accommodating to you. If you were replaced by a commander, believe it or not, I would have chopped off your dog's head a long time ago?"
Niu Jinda retorted: "You have the nerve to say this? If you hadn't been so smart this time, why would I have gone to Liangzhou to have a meal and drink in the snow and suffer? You have caused me trouble. Instead of even saying a word of apology, you are so justified. You
Do you have any conscience?"
"Fart!" Cheng Yaojin was furious and cursed with his halberd finger: "I did a bad job this time, but didn't you agree with me? Why, if I make the right choice, you will be promoted to a higher position and enjoy the wealth and wealth.
If you make a wrong choice and you taunt me, are you still a human being?"
Naturally, Niu Jinda refused to admit it: "You're the one farting! I've tried to persuade you several times to stop it, but you insist on going your own way and don't listen at all!"
"When did you persuade me? I don't remember."
"Mother!"
Niu Jinda glared angrily: "You old dog is so shameless!"
Cheng Yaojin raised his eyebrows and said arrogantly: "That's shameless. What are you going to do?"
The two had been together for half their lives and knew each other's temperament very well. Niu Jinda knew this old dog's shameless face and could not beat him again and again. Even scolding had no effect, so he simply took out two wine jars from under the table: "One for each person, whoever falls first will fall."
It’s a dog!”
"You ignorant old man, how has it ever been that you didn't ask for mercy first? Come on, come on, if I can't drink you to death today, I will take your surname!"
"You're just using your words!"
The two of them each held a wine jar and drank heavily. The wine flowed down their cheeks and wet their beards, and then slipped from their collars into their chests, but they didn't realize it.
…
The next day dawned, but the wind and snow were still there.
A loud knock on the door woke up the hungover Cheng Yaojin. He got up and rubbed his dizzy head. He looked back at Niu Jinda who was sleeping soundly with a blanket under his arms. He stood up and came to the table and shouted:
"Come in!"
The door was pushed open and the soldiers entered. Just as he was about to speak, Cheng Yaojin waved his hand and said: "First get me a pot of warm water, my head is going to explode."
"Here."
The soldier did not dare to say anything and quickly withdrew. After a while, he brought a pot of warm water, took a large bowl, poured water in it, and handed it to Cheng Yaojin.
Cheng Yaojin took a big bowl and drank it all in one gulp. Then he felt a little better. He wiped his face and asked: "I was woken up by knocking on the door so early in the morning. You'd better have something urgent, otherwise
Just let me patrol Baitinghai!"
The soldiers trembled with fear. If they went to Baitinghai in such a cold weather, how could they be frozen like human sticks?
He said hurriedly: "A person from Chang'an said that a letter has been delivered, and it must be delivered to the commander-in-chief with his own hands. I am afraid of missing something important, so I dared to wake the commander-in-chief."
"This kind of person is not a good person at first glance. He is mysterious and can't be shown openly. What good things will happen?... Let people come in."
"Here."
The soldiers withdrew, and a moment later, a middle-aged man wearing a sheepskin coat strode in, stepped forward to greet him, and then handed over a letter with both hands: "The master of the house has ordered me to deliver the letter, and I must accept it personally, Commander-in-Chief."
Pass."
Cheng Yaojin did not accept the letter. He looked the man up and down and asked, "Who is your master?"
The man said: "The commander-in-chief has read the letter and naturally knows it."