Today is really a rare good weather. The snowy fields on the rolling hills are dazzlingly white, the sky is blue and empty, and the snowy peaks and icebergs of Kallik and every vein of the mountains below the snow line are clearly visible. The wind is blowing on the hills.
, but it is not cold, and the withered grass and branches on the snow are gently swaying, making a small whisper.
Zhao Xin was in high spirits today. For this rare outing, he specially prepared barbecue racks, charcoal and a few slaughtered and marinated sheep last night. More than thirty people were at the ruins of Shule City.
Two bonfires were lit in the room, and we sat together, grilling meat, drinking wine, and chatting while eating.
Two Kazakh guides also joined the party. They were so frightened at first that they could not even say anything, so they brought dry food with them. When they saw the wine, one of them, Suleiman, had his eyes shining. He said that he did not follow the commandments.
Affected, I couldn't wait to drink happily. After a few glasses of wine, the conversation started.
Suleiman said that the Tianshan Mountains and the river valleys all have unparalleled scenery. Unexpectedly, how many adults know about Jiangbulake. In fact, it is the best place to visit in summer and autumn. It is very cool, the river is big, and the noise is endless.
The forest grasslands and endless wheat fields are like carpets, and the mountains and fields are full of mountain flowers of various colors, fragrant and fragrant. In the past, the county magistrate of Qitai and the minister of affairs of Jingyuan City would lead a large group of subordinates in the name of inspecting the farmland in the summer.
, go there for a few days.
Zhao Xin asked, what are the beautiful places in Hami?
Suleiman said, Baghdash! The scenery there is better. King Hui will go there every summer, bringing all his family members and servants, as well as bands and dancers, hundreds of people. How about a BMW?
It's so lively that you can stay there for a month or two and enjoy the utmost luxury and enjoyment.
The two guides are both from the Lower Riba, and they are inevitably a bit vulgar if they let go of their eating habits. Especially Suleiman, who lives like a vagabond, running from one oasis to another, doing all kinds of chores. He doesn’t even wait for the mutton to be roasted.
When it was cooked, he urged that it was ready to eat. Then he grabbed the bloody meat with his dirty hands and stuffed it into his mouth, devouring it.
However, Zhao Xin, Fan Tong and the accompanying soldiers of the Northern Navy did not take this seriously. The refugees who came to Beihai Town were similar to Suleiman when they first got off the ship, and were even sloppier than him.
When he found out that Zhao Xin and the others really didn't dislike him, and even talked and laughed with him, and helped him pour wine and eat meat, Suleiman was very moved. After living for more than thirty years, he had traveled from the northwest to southern Xinjiang, and this was still the first time he had lived there.
Seeing such an "official" once, it seems that the world is really going to change.
Jiang Fan was born in the fertile land of the south of the Yangtze River. He has read extensively since he was a child. Over the years, he has gained a lot of experience in Beihai Town. Especially during his journey from Heilongjiang to Qitai, he has gained an understanding of the frontier and wild places that he used to think of.
Deeper insights. After drinking a few glasses of wine and eating a few pieces of meat slowly, he said with great interest:
"The feudal lord believes that the best way to fight off the barbarians in the Western Regions is to use barbarians to rule them. However, they must be shocked with force, frightened with prestige, transformed with customs, and softened with wealth. It is better to not be able to defeat the barbarians and achieve success.
.”
Both Zhao Xin and Fan Tong knew that this man wanted to be the "No. 2 Ban Dingyuan". However, if he continued to use the methods of the feudal dynasty, he would only feed the beast to his own devices.
Both of them were older than Jiang Fan, and they lost all their politeness after chatting too much. Fan Tong took a leg of lamb and gnawed on it and said: "Brother Ziping, I think what you want to say is 'rule according to the customs.
'And 'give both kindness and power', right?"
Jiang Fan had a good capacity for drinking. He drank the wine in one gulp, nodded slightly and said: "The Tongdian says that in the past, the Han family was weak and the Xiongnu were strong, so their children were married to Shanyu with thick ornaments. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, China
The Tang Dynasty was strong and Beidi was weak. A thousand soldiers of the Tang Dynasty could defeat tens of thousands of them, so they did whatever they wanted and did not dare to be arrogant. In my opinion, the Manchu and Qing Dynasties were the same. All the countries in Central Asia were just afraid of their military power and relied on their use to obey
There are so many people. If we don't govern according to the customs, the manpower and material investment in Huijiang by Beihai will probably be astronomical."
Zhao Xin took a sip of wine, shook his head and said: "Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with doing this in the short term, but in the long run, the hidden dangers are huge."
Jiang Fan's heart tightened and he hurriedly asked: "Why did your Highness say this?"
Zhao Xin said decisively: "The prerequisite for governing according to customs is to have a full understanding and understanding of local customs. This is very important. People of all ethnic groups must be treated equally, just like we have treated Hezhe in Beihai Town over the years.
Oroqen and Feyaka people are the same. We cannot look down on them just because they don’t read Confucius and Mencius.
In addition, when dealing with the relations with the various forces in Central Asia, although we need to give both kindness and power, it is basically a 'gift' rather than a 'favor'. The initiative must be in my hands so that I can adapt to changes. Just like the son of Yamato Droporonidu
Samsak, before Qianlong heard Zhaohui say that he was like a beggar in Haokand, he thought that the Hezhuo family was doomed, so he sent a few killers there, but they didn't succeed in the end. In fact, whether it was Qianlong
It's the same Zhaohui back then. They don't understand the ascetic lifestyle of the Sufis, and they don't bother to understand. In the end, we still have to wipe his ass.
I am sure that Samsak has been preaching in various parts of Central Asia over the years. Although he may indeed be financially strapped, he will never become a beggar, otherwise he would not have the energy to stretch his hands from Samarkand to Xinjiang. More
What's more, the Hezhuo family is related to some powerful Sufis in Central Asia, so sending a killer is simply child's play!"
Fan Tong threw away the sheep bones in his hand, took the towel handed by the guard and wiped his hands, while saying: "This is to the point! Just talking about face is useless. If you know yourself and the enemy, you must consider the other party's customs and traditions.
Problem, otherwise we will be treated as fools like the Manchus."
Jiang Fan nodded slightly and fell into deep thought while looking at the bonfire dancing in front of him. He understood what Zhao Xin meant. To put it bluntly, one cannot understand and handle Xinjiang affairs and foreign relations with the condescending mentality of Han culture, otherwise "it depends on the customs"
"Government" is an empty talk, and the "power" of giving both kindness and power is even more out of the question.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Zhao Xin simply used his hands to gnaw out the mutton ribs and drew them on the ground. Then he pointed at several places on them and said to the two of them: "This time Hao
Khan's invasion of southern Xinjiang saves us the trouble of making excuses. My idea is that after the troops capture Ili and Wush, don't be anxious, rest for a while and build up enough strength, and then the northern and southern fronts will go hand in hand, and the southern front will cross Kashgar
Ridge, control the Wakhan Corridor and Badak Mountain; the northern line crosses the Edemok Ridge along the Kara River, captures Namgan, Andiyan, Margalang, and Kokand City, and takes the Fergana Valley into its hands
.In short, we must not leave any soil for the remnants of Hezhuo from the Baishan Sect to survive. Samsak and his two sons must not be let go. They must be seen alive and dead, otherwise there will never be peace in the Western Region."
Fan Tong held the wine glass, looked down for a long time, and exclaimed: "I'm so dissatisfied! You actually drew half of the map of the Western Region! It's amazing, touch one!"
Jiang Fan had long heard of Zhao Xin's ability, which was that before every battle - or even when planning a plan - he could read the map so well that he could tell the exact location of every mountain, river, village and town with his eyes closed.
When I saw him today, he truly lived up to his reputation, and I was filled with admiration.
It was already past three o'clock in the afternoon when the group of people came down from the high hill where Shule City was located. If they didn't go back, they would not be able to go back before dark.
The big black horse Zhao Xin was riding seemed to feel the owner's mood and seemed particularly excited. It stepped on the steps, its strong body jolted happily, and sometimes raised its head to the sky and neighed, as if laughing. The snow crunched under the horse's hooves, and a group of sparrows were startled.
He got up and flew away from a pine tree with a chirping sound. Above the birds, a goshawk was circling in the sky, with white clouds motionless in the sky.
Looking at the beautiful scenery around him, Zhao Xin's heart moved, and a song that was familiar to him in another time and space came to his mind unconsciously. Unexpectedly, before he could open his mouth, Fan Tong started howling at the top of his voice.
"Climbing the Thousand-Layer Ridge~~ Climbing thousands of slopes, who has seen the crystal-like icebergs, the snow-water rivers like wild horses, the icebergs bury treasures, the snow-water irrigates the fields, and the flat Gobi Desert, let go
The throat is good for singing..."
Damn it! You actually stole my show!
Even so, Zhao Xin couldn't help but hum along.
Since Jiang Fan came to the Western Front Headquarters, he heard from his staff that Fan Tong would not only tell stories to the soldiers, but also teach them many songs. But when he saw Zhao Xin singing along, he was even more surprised.
, King Zhao, who beat the Manchus to a pulp, actually sang, who would believe it if he told it!
The soldiers of the Northern Navy who served as guards were all intoxicated by the singing, and the two Kazakh guides showed strange expressions. They did not expect that two high-ranking Han officials could sing Huijiang-style songs, and their voices were really good. They had traveled all over the country.
Suleiman, who traveled north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, listened for a while and said to his companions in surprise: "Why do I smell a Tajik smell?"
Zhao Xin drank some wine and howled a few words, which made his mind more and more agitated. He couldn't help shaking the reins with one hand and shouted in his mouth. The big black horse of Ujumuqin under him jumped out like an arrow from the string.
, which even shocked him.
Jiang Fan and others took a look and quickly followed up. However, Zhao Xin's horse speed was too fast, and the distance between them was stretched further and further. Jiang Fan and the platoon leader of the guard platoon were anxious and chased while shouting, "Fan"
Seeing this, Tong burst into laughter from behind.
The snowy field is vast, with countless spots of light like fish scales flashing on the ground, and the galloping horses stir up streaks of snow dust. Cold birds fly away, and winter trees spin. Zhao Xin becomes more relaxed as he runs, and his body is no longer stiff, following the rhythm of the horse's running.
Up and down. He hadn't relaxed like this for a long time. The hand holding the reins touched the thick horse's mane and felt the strong tension of the muscles on the horse's neck.
After the horse ran through a section of snowy road, he planned to cross the ravine in front and go straight to the standing hill two miles away. The horse could not continue to run at high speed, and he felt that the distance was almost there.
When he came to the snow-covered hills, the frozen Zhonggegen River appeared in Zhao Xin's field of vision. He stopped the horse and reined it in with both hands. The big black horse gave up its galloping posture and slowed down.
Shaking his head, his thick nostrils kept breathing, and large clouds of white mist formed around his mouth and nose. He patted the horse's neck approvingly, looked back, and saw Jiang Fan, the guard platoon leader and others were already there.
More than a hundred meters away, Fan Tong and a dozen guards were about to walk out of the ravine.
However, no one expected that the several musket bullets intended to plot against them would be fired when they were at their most relaxed.
Almost at the same time that the bullet fired at Zhao Xin came out of the muzzle, the big black horse reacted instantly, leaping into the air without any sign, and a scorching cold light passed through the horse's tail. The iron bullet finally hit the small horse.
A rock on the hill exploded, making a dull sound.
At the same time, at the exit of the ditch more than 500 meters behind Zhao Xin, when five or six matchlock guns roared in unison, the two soldiers blocking Fan Tong swayed and walked away.
It fell immediately.
Fan Tong, who was unresponsive because he drank too much, didn't understand what happened at this time. He only felt a heat on his left thigh, as if someone had hit him with a hammer, and then he was hit by a soldier.
With a strong push of his hand, his upper body fell on the saddle.
The guard platoon leader closest to Zhao Xin never expected that someone would set up an ambush here. However, he was just stunned for a moment, and then subconsciously grabbed behind him. His tentacles were the cold barrel and handguard, which served as the body of the gun.
He moved his right hand back, held the front handguard with his left hand, opened the safety, and pulled the trigger again, and the bullet roared out instantly.
The direction his gun was pointing was a smoky jungle composed of winter trees, only eighty or ninety meters away from him. There seemed to be countless human figures and horse shadows looming in it. The earth-shattering gunfire roared and shocked the surrounding area.
Birds flew up with a "chirp" and danced in panic in the sky.
Immediately afterwards, in a grass nest covered with thick snow more than thirty steps away from him, a dozen people suddenly emerged from under the snow. They raised their bows and started shooting. When the arrows were filled with black feathers,
When it shot out, the snow-stained bowstring vibrated into a cloud of white smoke.
When two plum needle arrows with cold light were shot at Zhao Xin, the big black horse leaped into the air again and suddenly felt that its back was much lighter. However, when it landed and turned around to look back, there was nothing there.
Where is his master? The big dark horse's eyes are a little confused...
Seeing Zhao Xin suddenly disappearing from the horse, Jiang Fan was shocked. He drove his horse forward without hesitation, and went straight to the position where Zhao Xin was just now. Several soldiers also hurriedly followed. However, when they arrived at the position, they took a quick look.
, except for a layer of snow up to the ankles, there was not even a human figure.
"Where are the people?!" Jiang Fan roared, almost frightened out of his mind.
As the guard platoon fired back and fired arrows, Fan Tong already knew what had happened. His face was pale, and he lay stiffly on the horse, his back already soaked with cold sweat.
In the years since he entered the Northern Navy, he has either stayed at the rear headquarters or bullied others in an armored vehicle with an iron shell like a turtle. He has never felt in danger, that life and death could be so close to him!
As a dull horn sounded in the wilderness, dozens of mounted assailants with their faces covered came out of the forest. Under their everted sheepskin jackets were exposed their chainmail armor with a faint light. Each of them was holding a bow or arrow or something.
It was a spear and a broadsword, and it fiercely rushed towards the position where Jiang Fan and Fan Tong were.