Jiang Fan felt quite strange when he heard Zhao Xin's question.
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 could speak Chinese, the group first went straight to the Zhonggegen River, then along the east bank, passed a magnificent snowfield hill called "Jianbulak" by the local Kazakhs, and then crossed A pass, and we came here.
Thinking of this, Jiang Fan asked: "Your Highness, may I ask where this place is?"
"Sule City." Zhao Xin's voice sounded dry and dull in the empty ruins.
Jiang Fan was stunned for a moment, 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 We arrived at the 'Feiquan'. One thousand seven hundred years ago!"
Jiang Fan never expected that the famous Shule City 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 guard 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 came 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 pulley, it's long!"
Jiang Fan looked at the circles of hemp rope on the windlass and estimated that it must be at least seven or eight feet long.
"Book of the Later Han. 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 any water. The soldiers were so thirsty that they couldn't bear it, so they had no choice but to squeeze horse dung juice to quench their thirst. So he rearranged his clothes and prayed devoutly to the dry well. Soon, spring water emerged from the well, and the defenders in the city shouted "Long live". Geng Gong then asked his men to sprinkle water on the city wall to demonstrate. The Huns 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 troops left in the city at that time, and they could take it down with one more charge.
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 the inexplicable "miraculous" things about the other party again. Is it really like the vague legend within the Beihai Navy that King Zhao learned magic from the gods?
Tangled ah! Nowadays, this is what Jiang Fan doesn't want to mention or think about. It's really contrary to common sense!
As a great scholar of Confucianism who respected the Neo-Confucianism of Song and Ming dynasties, he never believed that there were any magical things in the world.
The Confucian view is that a person who truly understands the way of life also understands the way of life and death. It doesn't matter whether you are a god or not, the most important thing is to save the world and bring peace to the country. This is exactly what Confucius said: “If you don’t know people, how can you know ghosts?” and “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, ascend to heaven through enlightenment, and change at will. Although they recognize the methods and principles of preserving one's shape, refining qi, and prolonging life, and they also affirm things like extraordinary sight and hearing, sensory perception, and even souls coming out of their shells, they always believe that it is "qi" at work.
Zhu Xi, for example, 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 energy. For example, An Qisheng was mentioned in the Han Dynasty, but no one mentioned it in the Tang Dynasty. Zhong Lihan and Lu Dongbin were replaced by Zhong Lihan and Lu Dongbin, and no one mentioned it in the Northern Song Dynasty. Therefore, these people just maintain good health and live longer than ordinary people. Over time, everything falls apart.
Wang Shouren's experience of the magic of gods, 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 "immortal art" from a Taoist priest, but he believed that such matters should not be discussed lightly. Someone once wrote three letters to him asking about immortal matters, but Wang Yangming did not answer. In the end, the person who was pressed for questioning had no choice but to say that it was possible to live for 1,500 years like Guangchengzi, but it was more of a matter of innate talent and could not be forced. As for the magic spells rumored among the people, Wang Yangming definitely said that they were all magic tricks and illusions, and they were deceptive.
Is Zhao Xin's ability an illusion? Jiang Fan thought it was obviously not the case, but it took two days for a living person to reach the Tianshan Gobi from the seaside thousands of miles away. This is completely unexplainable! I can't think about it anymore, the more I think about it, the more I get a headache!
On the other side, Fan Tong asked Zhao Xin curiously: "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 only know Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and 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 the first four histories must be mastered in order to be a scholar, so King Zhao, you should take a look at it if you have nothing to do.
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 an "unbelievable" figure. Jiang Fan on the side listened silently to Zhao Xin's narration, and then began to recite Wang Wei's "Old General's Journey" in ups and downs. There was a hint of desolation in his tone, but more of it was sad but heroic, making Zhao and Fan excited.
"When the boy was fifteen or twenty, he captured Hu Maqi on foot. He killed the white-fronted tiger in Zhongshan and was willing to count the yellow beards under his command! He traveled three thousand miles with his body, and his 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 luck is due to nature. Li Guang's incompetence is due to countless strange and vast ancient trees in the alleys, and the lonely cold mountains face the empty shelter. The oath is ordered to Shule to come out of the flying spring, not like the wine of the empty envoy of Yingchuan."
Back to more than half an hour ago, behind a rock one kilometer southwest of Zhao Xin and the others, three guys who wore sheepskin jackets backwards, revealing gray-white wool, quietly retracted their heads.
"Why are there pirates here? Alimbao, are you a spy of the pirates?!"
Although the sun was shining brightly at noon, the temperature here was almost ten degrees below zero due to the shade. Seeing the two forward soldiers glaring at him with ferocious expressions and reaching their right hands into their arms, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Alin Baohou's spine.
"Two brothers, listen to me. No one usually comes to this place. 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, swear to God in the name of my ancestors. , if there is even half a lie, there will be thunder from heaven!"
Hearing his serious words, the two forward soldiers looked at each other and didn't know what to say. One of them muttered: "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 came out of the forest, followed the valley to the southeast for several miles, climbed over a hill, and came to another large pine forest. They soon heard the noise of horses neighing and people talking, most of them All the people spoke were Uyghur.
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. Inside, they faced a man 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 his subordinates who were reporting, and said in Mongolian to a middle-aged man wearing a coarse blue robe and a hood who was sitting on the main seat: "He Sir, a group of Beihai soldiers are coming from Shichengzi!"
"What!" The Taoist priest, who was called Mr. He, changed his face and stood up from his horse. The reason why he chose to meet Alinbao in Shichengzi was because the terrain there was steep and it was located at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains, so no one came there in winter.
Needless to say, this guy dressed in Taoist priest attire is naturally Alinbao's master, the first-class guard of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the former leader of the Barkol team. As for the person wearing armor, it is Xia Silin, the counselor who has been stationed in the Yiwu area under King Hami Hui. The Uyghurs in front of them and outside the tent were all cavalrymen belonging to the Yiwei Camp of Huiwang Mansion, and there were more than eighty of them in total.
The reason why Hui Wang's people got mixed up with He Sheng'e like a bereaved 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 that although the powerful are resentful 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 got in touch with Da Tai Jiemout through the great imam in the Yiwu area. The two sides quickly reached an agreement on seeking an opportunity to assassinate senior officers of the North Navy. However, the cunning Ermott also has a condition, that is, the identity of the Yiwei Battalion cavalry must not be exposed, and they can only be said to be volunteers to the outside world.
Despite the impassioned and awe-inspiring words written in blood by He Sheng'an to Shang An, in fact, he also wanted to exchange his credit for assassinating a high-ranking official of the Northern Navy in exchange for the court's favor of not killing him. He was Qianlong's personal first-class bodyguard, and his ancestor had General Shengjing, so he 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 excellent 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 is?"
He Sheng'e was stunned, frowned and thought for a while, and then said with certainty: "It's most likely Alin Bao 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 the Qing Dynasty and Beihai Town have fought against each other for so many years, and there has never been a victory in which more than thirty people were eliminated and beheaded at one time. Let alone thirty, being able to behead ten at once is a great achievement.
Although the Beihai navy's quick 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, surrounded by several vanguard soldiers, all holding the handle of the knife with malicious intent. 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 when I and these two brothers were scouting before, and they didn’t It seems like they came here to camp, maybe everyone has left now.”
Hearing what the other party said, Bachina also hesitated. He wasn't stupid either. If Alinbao had surrendered to the enemy, his group of more than twenty people would have been rounded up by others on the way.
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 give them a beating?"
"What fight?" Bachina waved his hand and said: "The right thing to do is to meet with Lord 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, Lord Tong said that Forgot? If we want to do it, we have to hit it with one hit and then escape thousands of miles away. Send two more people over to take 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! "
"嗻!"
