In the past few years, the imperial court had fought several major battles with the Turks. Although the losses in money, food, grass, troops and horses were huge, at least they won more than they lost, and they also regained the old Yiwu road that had been occupied by the Turks for several years.
Gao Changguo, who was accustomed to being a mere wallflower, also changed his direction, writing to the court, paying tribute every year, and paying homage every year.
When the Yiwu Road was occupied by the Turks, the caravan envoys mostly took the Dunhuang Road to the Western Regions. The road there was sandy and windy, and the road was winding and difficult to navigate. It was often buried by wind and sand. It was often a business trip in ancient times, and only a few people could return.
Now the imperial court has reopened the Yumen Pass, with eight hundred troops and horses garrisoning the pass. Ten post stations have been set up along the way. After the truce, the people have been able to cultivate their health and recuperate, and there are more and more business travelers coming and going. Most of the caravans have changed their route from Dunhuang Road to Yumen. This rumor The trade route that had lasted for hundreds of years was once again prosperous and revitalized.
Entering from Yumen Pass, you will reach Suzhou a few days further. Compared with Dunhuang Road, this road has less sand and sand, and there are ten post troops stationed there. It is much safer, and you rarely encounter Turks and horse thieves.
Although Dunhuang Road was gradually abandoned by merchants and envoys, Dunhuang City remained prosperous at all. The Yumen Army General Office and the Shazhou Prefecture Office were both located in the city. The distribution of military pay and the replacement of housing plans every three months were all carried out in the city. .
The sudden and frequent mobilizations of troops and horses made the people of Hexi who had relaxed become nervous. The atmosphere in Dunhuang City became more solemn day by day, and the security was much tighter than usual.
The folk customs in Dunhuang are rough and simple, and Han people and Hu people live side by side. Apart from their different looks and surnames, there is no difference between Han people and Hu people. Intermarriage is also common, and the common people regard the children of Hu and Han intermarriages. He is extremely tolerant and caring.
The sky was just dawning, the door of the general's mansion with white walls and gray tiles was wide open, and a group of more than thirty soldiers rode out.
The leader rides a strong and tall Dawan horse, wears iron armor, is around forty years old, has a smooth beard on his chin, and has a pair of bright phoenix eyes, which is very energetic.
It was Xue Guangxiao, the general of the Yumen Army.
He reined in his horse and stood up, turned around and whispered to the people around him: "Captain Mu, I am going to Yumen Pass in the past few days. I will leave all the affairs of the General's Mansion to you. If there is any urgent military affairs, please come quickly."
The man standing under the horse is wearing leather armor. He looks to be in his early thirties. He is very good-looking. His eyes are very similar to those of Xue Guang Xiaosheng. They are both bright phoenix eyes. However, the corners of his lips are raised and he is always smiling. His appearance was quite different from Xue Guangxiao's serious face.
This person was Muchun, the captain under General Xue. He saluted: "General, don't worry, I will definitely live up to my trust."
Xue Guangxiao whipped his horse and galloped towards the city gate, followed quickly by more than thirty soldiers behind him.
At this time, the city gate had just opened, and a large cart with a straight roof decorated with soft gold and mud slowly drove in through the city gate. Behind the cart were several men riding tall horses, some of whom were Hu and Han, with quivers hanging on their legs. Behind them are the elderly guides and the bustling caravan.
There were camels, oxen, horses, and donkeys in the caravan, as well as a dozen clean oil trucks, which looked gray.
When Xue Guangxiao rode past the cart, the curtain opened suddenly, revealing a round, bald head. He saluted Xue Guangxiao with a smile on his face: "General Xue, you are busy with military affairs this early in the morning. It is really hard. Thanks for your hard work."
Xue Guangxiao glanced at that head, expressionless, and left the city without saying a word.
The man was still smiling, lowered the car curtain, and ordered the convoy to continue moving forward. As he walked, he scattered countless copper coins outside the car and rolled them into the loess.
"Spread the money, spread the money."
"It's Master Wan's grace. I'm throwing money away."
Passers-by immediately started making noises, chasing the convoy, crowding the roadside and looting.
The owner of this chubby, bald head is none other than Wan Heng, the richest businessman in Dunhuang City.
He was over fifty years old and was a descendant of the Wan family in the capital. He was originally just an unknown distant relative and nephew. Later, Master Wan saw that he was extremely intelligent and had the ability to do business, so he sent him to Dunhuang City to manage the business. Wanjia’s Hexi business.
He was not good at writing or martial arts, but he was born with a good talent for business. After decades of business, he monopolized half of the business in Hexi and became one of the richest businessmen in Hexi.
He is a pure Han businessman, but he has gathered many people with the nine surnames of Zhaowu who are good at doing business, plus the big man-eater with a high nose and bald hair, and the Persians with deep eyes and curly hair. He is like a fish in water when walking among the countries in the Western Regions.
"Where has Mr. Wan gone?"
"Looking at his dusty appearance, he looks like he just came back from doing business in the Western Regions."
"No, Mr. Wan is already so rich that he can't rival the country. How can he do business himself?"
"Perhaps the goods this time are extremely important."
While passers-by were talking about it, the clean oil truck from the caravan drove over, filling their noses with a strong fragrance.
The car curtain swayed, revealing a small gap, just in time to see a pair of blue eyes that seemed to be absent in the car.
"It's Hu Ji. Hey, it's strange that Mr. Wan made this trip himself. It turns out he bought a good Hu Ji."
"Look at you like that. No matter how good Hu Ji is, you will never be able to endure it."
The passers-by talked and laughed, grabbed enough copper coins, weighed the coins, and invited each other to find a wine shop to have a drink.
The big car with a straight roof decorated with soft gold and mud continued to move forward on the street, and bumped into Mu Chun who was about to return to the general's mansion.
Wan Heng hurriedly got out of the car, holding his big belly in his hands, his eyes narrowed in laughter, saluted to Mu Chun, and laughed loudly: "Captain Mu, Commander Mu, why, why are you so different from me? Deputy Lieutenant Wang mentioned Commander-in-Chief to someone many times, and he admired me very much."
Muchun said calmly without expression: "You're welcome, Mr. Wan. I have something to do and I'm going in."
While he was talking, Deputy Lieutenant Wang Cong rode over, dismounted, saluted to Mu Chun, and handed over a letter with the wax seal on the seal intact: "Captain."
Muchun took it, nodded, and walked into the general's mansion without saying a word.
Wan Heng was a little embarrassed. He had always been supported and respected by everyone in Dunhuang City. How often had he received such a cold reception? His face was a bit offended.
He thought for a while, then smiled at Wang Cong and said: "Vice Lieutenant Wang, I haven't seen you for several months, and I miss you very much. I brought some frozen wine from Gaochang State. Lieutenant, can we have a drink together when you have time?"
Wang Cong thanked him and said in a low voice: "Master Wan, please come back quickly. Now that the city is not stable, I will not go."
Wan Heng was stunned for a moment, then he quickly grabbed Wang Cong and changed his name to someone familiar: "Brother Wang Xian, brother Wang Xian, if something happened in this city after I left for a few months, please tell me carefully."
Nowadays, the news in the city is getting tighter. Wang Congwan didn't dare to say anything or move, and hurriedly waved his hands: "It's nothing, it's nothing. Mr. Wan, go back first, go back."
But Wan Heng grabbed Wang Cong's hand and laughed: "Brother Wang Xian doesn't care about my frozen wine, or he doesn't care about my orchids."
Wang Cong's eyes lit up when he heard the word "Hu Ji". He didn't like wine or money, he was just a womanizer.
As the old saying goes, sex means a knife to the head. He also knew that this problem was not good, but when he thought that he was dying in a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, and he couldn't even loosen up quickly, wouldn't it be unfair?
He became interested and lowered his voice: "Master Wan has got another good deal."
The flesh on Wan Heng's smiling face trembled slightly: "Isn't that right? There is also a royal family from a small country in the Western Regions. That body of skin and flesh is so wonderful that it is reserved exclusively for Brother Wang Xian."
Wang Cong's mind was filled with the appearance of the fair-skinned and blue-eyed Orchid, and he could not remember that there was no wind. He raised his head and looked at the sun, and said: "Okay, that night, when the night is over, I will go and bother Mr. Wan."
Wan Heng patted Wang Cong's hand and said with a smile: "That's right, what's mine belongs to brother Xian, brother Xian, there is no need to be polite."
Wang Cong smiled, cupped his hands again, and turned around to enter the house.
Wan Heng got into the car, looked at Wang Cong's back until he was out of sight, then gave an order with a smile, and the car moved forward slowly.
Wang Cong hurried into the lobby and saw Muchun with a gloomy face and an open letter in his hand.
His heart sank and he asked hurriedly: "Captain, what happened?"
Muchun handed the letter to Wang Cong and said in a low voice: "Look, we are working hard at the front, but someone is causing trouble behind."
The letter read: The King of Han left the capital privately, and the saint was furious. The post stations on the Longyou Road, the garrison at the passes, and the provincial governors' offices in all states were trying their best to search for the King of Han. Don't slack off. If there is no trace of the King of Han within half a month, you will be fined for half a year.
This letterhead is not the original words of the sage, but the words of Xie Huiming, the King of Qin who is now supervising the country's governance. The sage's original words must be more unpleasant than these words. After all, it was his heart and soul that left home, and his heart and soul was lost. , anger is just a precursor to venting.
Wang Cong read each word and shook his head with a wry smile on his face: "This, what's going on? The King of Han has run away, what is the saint doing to take advantage of us?"
Muchun took off his helmet, smashed the desk hard, and cursed indiscriminately: "Damn, this job is really frustrating. Is the saint blind? Why did he just kill the King of Han Dynasty?" He's a treasure, if I see the King of Han, I'm sure his third leg will be crippled, and he will never hope to become a prince again."
Wang Cong's expression suddenly changed, and he reached out to cover Muchun's mouth: "My dear mother, you don't want your life. You dare to speak out if you make trouble."
Muchun pursed his lips. It was very windy and sandy here, and it was very dry in autumn. His mouth had long been dry and cracked with blood. If he got angry or grinned, blood would ooze out. It hurt. I can bear it, but it’s too uncomfortable.
Wang Cong took the opportunity to mention: "Captain, look, in a few days, the unlucky people from the Internal Security Department will come, and now the King of Han will also come to tie up the chaos. It seems that we will no longer be able to relax." Why don't you, Captain, let's go out and have fun together in the evening."
Muchun thought about it, and realized that his life was really frustrating. Going out to have a drink and have fun was not a big deal.
It is said that Wanfu's carved beams and painted buildings are splendid, with fine wine and jade dew, and countless beauties and concubines.
He nodded: "Okay, then, go and have a look."
