Chapter 707: An accidental collision at Shule City
When Jiang Fan heard Zhao Xin's question, he felt quite strange.
Zhao Xin said before that he had never been to Xinjiang, but as soon as he came out in the morning, he seemed to have identified the high hill at his feet. Led by two Kazakh guides who knew Chinese, the group first went straight to
The middle of the Gegen River, and then along the east bank, passed a magnificent snowfield hill called "Jianbulak" by the local Kazakhs, and then passed through a pass and arrived here.
Thinking of this, Jiang Fan asked: "Your Highness, may I ask where this place is?"
"Shule City." Zhao Xin's voice sounded dry and dull in the empty ruins.
Jiang Fan was stunned, and his brain immediately started working at high speed. Suddenly, a biography of a character in the "Book of the Later Han" appeared, and he couldn't help but blurt out: "The Geng Bozong who is not ashamed of the Han Dynasty?"
Zhao Xin praised: "Ziping has a good memory! This is the place where Geng Gong resisted the Huns a thousand years ago." After saying this, he raised his finger and pointed to the well more than ten meters away, and continued: "Don't believe it? That well is Wang Wei Shiriti
It’s been 1,700 years since we arrived at the ‘Feiquan’!”
Jiang Fan never expected that Shule City, which was famous in history books, would be the ruins in front of him. He walked to the well in disbelief and was about to get closer to look down. The guards behind him hurriedly stepped forward to grab him and persuade him.
Said: "Chief of Staff, be careful! The mouth of the well is slippery."
At this time, a Kazakh guide who was leading the way stepped forward and said in a Chinese with a Liangzhou accent: "Sir, I used to herd sheep and come here to get water. The water in this well is so sweet!"
"How deep is it down there?"
The guide stretched out his arms and gestured: "It's so deep! Sir, look at the rope on the windlass, it's long!"
Jiang Fan looked at the loops of hemp rope on the windlass and estimated that it must be at least seven or eight feet long.
"Book of the Later Han Dynasty. Biography of Geng Yan" says that when the Xiongnu besieged Shule City, they cut off the water source in the deep stream below the city and forced the defenders to surrender. Geng Gong then dug a well in the city, which was fifteen feet deep but could not get water. The soldiers
The thirsty man couldn't bear it, so he had no choice but to squeeze horse manure juice to quench his thirst. So he rearranged his clothes and prayed devoutly to the dry well. Before long, spring water emerged from the well, and the defenders in the city shouted "Long live".
Gong then asked his men to sprinkle water on the city wall to demonstrate. The Xiongnu were shocked and thought that the Han army was protected by gods, so they had to retreat. But what the Xiongnu generals didn't know was that there were only 26 Han soldiers left in the city at that time, and they could be taken by one more charge.
Came down.
It seems that King Zhao is right. There are Han tiles, wells, and steep terrain here. It should be the ancient city of Shule.
However, what shocked Jiang Fan even more was how did Zhao Xin know about this place? He couldn't help but think of all the unexplainable "mysterious" things about the other party. Is it really like what was vaguely rumored within the Bei Navy?
, King Zhao learned magic from the gods?
What a dilemma! The last thing Jiang Fan wants to mention or think about now is this matter. It is really contrary to common sense!
As a great scholar of Confucianism who respected Neo-Confucianism of the Song and Ming Dynasties, he never believed that there were any magical things in the world.
The Confucian view is that if a person truly understands the way of life, he will also understand the way of life and death. It is not important to be a god or not, but the most important thing is to help the world and bring peace to the country. This is exactly what Confucius said: "People don't know what to do."
, how to know the ghosts” and the principle of “if you don’t know life, how can you know death”.
It is said that the Neo-Confucianists since the Song and Ming Dynasties never believed that there are gods in the world who can ascend from their homes, be enlightened, cast off, and change at will. Although they recognize the methods and principles of preserving one's shape, refining qi, and prolonging life, they have no idea about extraordinary sight and hearing, telepathy, or even precognition.
The soul's emergence from the shell is also affirmed, but it is always believed that it is "qi" at work.
For example, Zhu Xi believed that Qi will dissipate over time. The so-called immortals are just outstanding figures in a generation who are good at maintaining health and gathering Qi. For example, An Qisheng was mentioned in the Han Dynasty, but no one mentioned it in the Tang Dynasty, and was replaced by Zhongli.
Han and Lu Dongbin were no longer mentioned in the Northern Song Dynasty. Therefore, these people just maintained good health and lived longer than ordinary people. Over time, everything disappeared.
Wang Shouren's experience of the art of immortals, which is most talked about by later generations, is that it has no practical effect. Before he studied bamboo, he had learned the so-called "art of immortality" from Taoists, but he believed that this kind of thing should not be discussed easily. Someone once
Wang Yangming even wrote three letters to ask him about immortals, but Wang Yangming didn't answer. In the end, when he was pressed for questioning, he had no choice but to say that it was possible to live for 1,500 years like Guangchengzi, but it was more likely to be due to innate talent.
Manpower is required. As for the magic spells rumored among the people, Wang Yangming definitely said that they are all magic tricks and illusions, and they are deceptive.
Is Zhao Xin's ability an illusion? Jiang Fan thinks it's obviously not the case, but it took two days for a living person to reach the Tianshan Mountains and Gobi from the sea thousands of miles away. This is completely unexplainable! I can't think about it anymore, the more I think about it,
More headaches!
On the other side, Fan Tong curiously asked Zhao Xin: "Who is Geng Gong?"
Zhao Xin smiled and said: "Xiao Fan, have you never heard of the story of the thirteen generals of the Eastern Han Dynasty who guarded Shule?"
Fan Tong shook his head blankly and said: "I know Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, Li Guang. By the way! And Ban Dingyuan."
Zhao Xin then briefly told Fan Tong about Geng Gong's deeds. He actually read it from the "Book of the Later Han", and it was Wang Zhong who asked him to read it. Wang Zhong said that all scholars must master the first four histories, so Zhao Xin
Wang, please take a look if you are fine.
Fan Tong was amazed when he heard this. He really didn't expect that in the Eastern Han Dynasty, besides Ban Chao, there would be such a "great Klass" figure. Jiang Fan on the side listened silently to Zhao Xin's story, and then chanted in a mellow tone.
He recited the song "The Journey of a Veteran" by Wang Wei. There was a hint of desolation in his tone, but more of it was sad but heroic, which made Zhao and Fan excited.
"When I was fifteen or twenty years old, I captured the Huma cavalry on foot. I killed the white-fronted tiger in Zhongshan, and I was willing to count the yellow beards under my command! I traveled three thousand miles with one body, and one sword once served as a million divisions. The Han soldiers were as fast as thunderbolts.
, The captives are afraid of the thorns. Wei Qing's undefeated is due to God's luck, Li Guang's inefficiency is due to many strange fates... The vast ancient trees are connected to the alleys, and the few cold mountains are facing the empty canopy. The oath of the oath is to spread out the flying springs, not like the empty sky of Yingchuan River.
Make wine..."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The time went back more than half an hour ago. Behind a rock one kilometer southwest of Zhao Xin and the others, three people wore their sheepskin jackets backwards and exposed themselves.
The guy in gray-white wool quietly retracted his head.
"Why are there pirates here? Alimbao, are you a spy of the pirates?!"
Although the sun was shining brightly at noon, due to the shadow here, the temperature was almost ten degrees below zero. Seeing the two vanguard soldiers glaring at him with ferocious expressions and reaching their right hands into their arms, Alimbao's back suddenly felt like
A layer of cold sweat broke out.
"Two brothers, listen to me, this...no one comes to this place usually, so my master just made an appointment to meet here. I really don't know how the pirates from the North Sea came here! I, Alinbao, am proud of my ancestors.
I swear to God in my name that if I tell any lies, God will strike with five thunderbolts!"
Hearing what he said so seriously, the two forward soldiers looked at each other and didn't know what to say. One of them muffled: "Go back and explain to Mr. Ba if you have anything to do! Withdraw!"
When the three indistinguishable white figures retreated to the west and disappeared into the dense forest, at the edge of a pine forest one mile away from their hiding place, two Uyghurs who were also wearing sheepskin jackets were also quietly retreating. When they
After leaving the forest, we followed the valley to the southeast for several miles, climbed over a hill, and came to another large pine forest. Soon we heard the noise of horses neighing and people talking. Most of them said
All of them are in Uyghur language.
The two people walked quickly through more than a dozen tents, ignoring the greetings of those they knew well, and went straight to a large felt tent with a rather gorgeous appearance. They faced a man inside wearing black armor and red robes with a round face.
The middle-aged man with a straight nose and deep eyes knelt down on one knee, and one of them started talking nonsense.
While listening, the middle-aged man stroked the two raised mustaches on his mouth with his fingers. However, his face quickly changed color, he raised his hand to interrupt the subordinate who was reporting, and said to the man sitting on the main seat.
A middle-aged man wearing a coarse blue robe and a hood said in Mongolian: "Sir, a group of Beihai soldiers are coming from Shichengzi!"
"What!" The Taoist priest, who was called Mr. He, changed his face suddenly and stood up from the horse. The reason why he originally chose to meet Alinbao in Shichengzi was because the terrain there was steep and it was located at the foot of Tianshan Mountain.
No one came.
Needless to say, this guy dressed in Taoist priest attire is naturally the master of Alinbao, the first-class bodyguard of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, the former leader of Barkol and Shengqian. As for the man in armor, he is the subordinate of King Hamihui, who has been stationed here.
Xia Silin, the commander of the Yiwu area. The Uyghurs in front of him and outside the tent were all cavalry members belonging to the Yiwei Camp of Hui Wang Mansion. There were more than 80 in total.
The reason why Hui Wang’s people got mixed up with He Sheng’e like a lost dog is because the Beihai Navy shot two Burkes in Hami and broke up with the Hami dignitaries represented by Hui Wang’s Mansion. The problem is with the dignitaries.
Although they are angry in their hearts, they also know that turning against them directly is like throwing an egg against a stone.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, He Shengquan, who learned about the situation in Hami from the people in Shangxiang, appeared.
He established a line with Dadaji Emote through the great imam in the Yiwu area. The two sides quickly reached an agreement on finding an opportunity to assassinate senior officers of the North Navy. However, the cunning Ermot also had conditions, which was to absolutely kill him.
The identity of the Yiwei camp cavalry cannot be exposed. To the outside world, they can only be said to be righteous citizens.
Don't look at the impassioned and awe-inspiring words written in blood by He Sheng'an to Shang An. In fact, he also wanted to use his contribution to assassinating a high-ranking official of the Northern Navy in exchange for the favor of the court not to kill him. He was the first-class bodyguard personally appointed by Qianlong, and his ancestors also
General Shengjing would never surrender under any circumstances. When he was defending the city, he really wanted to die in battle, but he was rescued by Alinbao and others.
He Sheng'e continued to ask: "How many pirates came from the North Sea?"
Xia Silin then asked the two kneeling sentinels a few questions, then nodded, and then said: "About thirty to ride, no more than forty."
He Sheng'e said in surprise: "There are only so many people! Did they get it right?"
Xia Silin said arrogantly: "My lord, these two people from the Biaoxia faction have very good eyesight and will never make mistakes. Another thing is that they said that during the sentinel inspection, in addition to the Beihai soldiers, they also discovered several
The strange guy is heading west, do you think it could be..."
He Sheng'e was stunned, frowned and thought for a while, then said with certainty: "It's most likely Alinbao who brought someone here! Today is the twenty-fourth of the twelfth lunar month, and I agreed with him to meet on the twenty-sixth of the twelfth lunar month.
, I didn’t expect him to arrive so soon!”
Xia Silin said: "Sir, since there are not many Beihai soldiers coming, how about destroying this group of rebels? This place is more than sixty miles away from Jingyuan City, with barren mountains and ridges, difficult roads, and a rare opportunity.
"
He Sheng'e pondered for a moment, knowing that what the other party said was reasonable. You must know that Qing and Beihai Town have been fighting for so many years, and they have never been able to eliminate and behead more than thirty people at one time. Let alone thirty, ten can be beheaded at one time.
It's all a great achievement.
Although the Beihai navy's fast guns are powerful, they have more than 80 cavalry and more than 20 shotguns. As long as they choose a position to ambush the opponent on their way back in advance and catch them off guard, they still have a good chance of winning.
Thinking of this, He Sheng'e took out a map drawn on sheepskin from his arms. Xia Silin also called several of his subordinates and began to make intensive arrangements.
At the same time, in a leeward mountain depression five miles southwest of Shichengzi, the assistant leader Bachina had a ferocious look on his face, raised his foot and kicked Alinbao to the ground, and the Yan Fei Dao in his hand "cracked"
He pulled it out, pointed at the other party and said angrily: "More than twenty people followed you from Gongning City to sleep in the open air, hundreds of miles away, how easy is it? We agreed to meet up with Sheng'e here. You said you weren't
The spy of the North Sea Pirates, tell me! Where is he now?!"
Aringbao struggled to stand up, and there were several forward soldiers standing around him, holding the handle of the knife with malicious intentions. As long as Bachina said a word, he could be killed immediately.
He also took the risk and said without fear: "Mr. Ba, I swear to God that I will never surrender to the thieves, otherwise I will die without a burial place! The time I made an appointment with the master is to meet on the 26th of the twelfth lunar month.
There are only two days left, and his old man must not have arrived yet, so we just have to wait patiently. I don’t understand why those northern pirates came to Shichengzi. I saw it with these two brothers before, and they didn’t
It seems like they came here to camp, maybe everyone has left by now."
Hearing what the other party said, Bacina also hesitated. He was not stupid. If Alimbao had surrendered to the enemy, his group of more than 20 people would have been rounded up by others halfway.
At this time, one of the two leaders came closer and said: "Sir, there are only more than thirty pirates in the North Sea. Do you want to fight them?"
"What fight?" Bachina waved his hand and said: "The right thing to do is to meet with Sir He. We are not familiar with the terrain in this area. If we start in a hurry, the outcome will be unpredictable. Before setting off, we must keep the Lord in mind.
Forgot? If we want to do it, we have to hit it with one hit and then escape thousands of miles away. Then send two people over to have a look. If there is any situation, one person will stay and keep an eye on it, and the other person will report back immediately!"