Today is a rare day of good weather. The snowfields on the rolling hills are dazzlingly white, the sky is blue and empty, and every vein of the snowy peaks and icebergs of Kallik and the mountains below the snowline is clearly visible. There is wind blowing on the hills, but it is not biting and cold. The dead 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 had specially prepared barbecue racks, charcoal and a few slaughtered and marinated sheep last night. More than thirty people built two bonfires among the ruins of Shule City, sat around, grilled meat, drank wine, and chatted while eating.
Two Kazakh guides also joined the dinner. They were so frightened at first that they could not even say anything and brought their own dry food. When he saw the wine, one of the guys named Suleiman's eyes lit up. He said that he was not affected by the commandments and couldn't wait to drink to his heart's content. After a few glasses of wine, the conversation started.
Suleiman said that the Tianshan Mountains and all the river valleys have unparalleled scenery. Unexpectedly, how many adults know Jiang Bulak. In fact, it's the best time to visit there in the summer and autumn. It's very cool, the river is big, and the noise is endless. The forest meadows and endless wheat fields are like carpets, and the mountains and fields are full of colorful mountain flowers, which are fragrant. In the past, the county magistrate of Qitai and the minister of affairs of Jingyuan City would take a large group of their subordinates to visit the farmland for a few days in the summer.
Zhao Xin asked, what are the beautiful places in Hami?
Suleiman said, O Baghdash! The scenery there is better. King Hui will go there every time when summer comes. He brings all his family members and servants, as well as bands and dancers. Hundreds of people are there. , extremely luxurious and enjoyable.
The two guides are both from the lower reaches of the country. If they let go of their food and appearance, it would inevitably be a bit vulgar. Suleiman, in particular, lived like a vagabond, running from one oasis to another, doing any chores. Before the mutton was roasted, 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 emotional. 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 Jiangnan. He has read extensively since he was a child. Over the years, he has gained a lot of experience in Beihai Town. Especially when he walked from Heilongjiang to Qitai, he gained a better understanding of the frontier and wild land in his eyes. Deeper insights. After drinking a few glasses of wine and eating a few pieces of meat, 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 would be better if it is not enough to defeat the barbarians and achieve success. .”
Both Zhao Xin and Fan Tong knew that this man wanted to be "Ban Dingyuan's No. 2". 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 their politeness after chatting too much. Fan Tong took a leg of mutton and gnawed it while saying: "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 and nodded slightly: "The Tongdian says that in the past, the Han family was weak and the Xiongnu were strong, so their children were married to Chanyu with thick ornaments. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, China It 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 same was true for the Manchu and Qing Dynasties. The countries in Central Asia were simply afraid of their military power and relied on their use to obey them. There are so many of them. If we don’t govern according to the customs, the manpower and material investment in Huijiang in 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. 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 the 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 and others in Beihai Town over the years. A native of Oroqen and Feyaka
In this way, you can't look down on people just because they don't read Confucius and Mencius.
In addition, when it comes to dealing with the various forces in Central Asia, although we need to give both kindness and power, it is basically "giving" rather than "benefiting". The initiative must be in our hands and we can adapt to changes. Just like Samusak, the son of Dahe Zhuoporonidu. Before, Qianlong heard Zhaohui say that he was like a beggar in Kokand, so he thought that the Hezhuo family was finished, so he sent a few killers there, but in the end It didn't work either. In fact, neither Qianlong nor Zhaohui understood the ascetic lifestyle of the Sufis, nor did they bother to understand it. 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 Huijiang. What's more, the Hezhuo family is also related to some powerful Sufi sects in Central Asia. Sending assassins 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 have to 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 dancing bonfire in front of him. He understood what Zhao Xin meant. To put it bluntly, we cannot understand and handle Xinjiang affairs and foreign relations with the superior mentality of Han culture. Otherwise, "governing according to the customs" is an empty talk, and the "power" of giving both kindness and power is even more impossible to talk about. rise.
Zhao Xin simply drew on the ground the mutton ribs that had eaten all the meat with his hands, and then pointed to the above places and said to the two of them: "This time the Kokand invasion of southern Xinjiang saves us from making excuses. My idea is , after the troops capture Ili and Wush, don’t be anxious. Rest for a period of time to build up enough strength. Then the north and south lines will advance together. The south line will cross the Kashgar Ridge and control the Wakhan Corridor and Badak Mountain; the north line will follow the Kara The river crossed the Edemok Ridge, captured the cities of Namugan, Andiyan, Margalang, and Kokand, and took the Fergana Valley into its pocket. In short, it did not leave any soil for the survival of the Hezhuo remnants of the Baishan Sect. Sa Musak 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 really 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 came down from the high hill where Shule City was located. If we don't go back, we won't be able to go back before dark.
The big black horse Zhao Xin was riding seemed to feel the mood of its owner, and seemed particularly excited. It stepped on the steps, its toned body bounced happily, and sometimes raised its head to the sky and neighed, as if laughing. The snow crunched under the horses' hooves, and a group of sparrows started up and flew away from a pine tree with their chirping. Above the flock of birds, a goshawk hovered in the sky, and white clouds remained motionless in the sky.
Looking at the beautiful scenery around him, Zhao Xin's heart moved, and a familiar song from another time and space came to his mind unconsciously. Unexpectedly, before he could open his mouth, Fan Tong howled at the top of his lungs.
"Crossing the Thousand-Layer Ridge~~ Climbing thousands of slopes, who has ever seen crystal-like icebergs, snow-water rivers like wild horses, treasures buried in the icebergs, fields irrigated by snow-water, and the flat Gobi Desert? Let go. My throat is good for singing..."
I wipe it! You actually stole my show!
Having said that, Zhao Xin couldn't help but hum along.
Since Jiang Fan came to the Western Front Headquarters, he has heard from his staff that Fan Tong not only tells stories to the soldiers, but also teaches them many songs. But when he saw Zhao Xin singing along, he was even more surprised. King Zhao, who had made the Qing Dynasty so furious, 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. Suleiman, who had traveled all over the Tianshan Mountains, listened for a while and said to his companions in surprise: "How can I
Did you hear 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 Uzhumuqin under him jumped out like an arrow from the string. , even he was shocked.
Jiang Fan and others saw it and quickly followed. However, Zhao Xin's horse speed was too fast, and the distance between them was stretched farther and farther. Jiang Fan and the platoon leader of the guard platoon were anxious and chased while shouting. Fan Tong laughed after seeing this.
The snowy field is vast, with countless fish scale-like light spots flickering on the ground, and galloping horses kicking up streaks of snow dust. Cold birds flew away and winter trees whirled. Zhao Xin became more relaxed as he ran, and his body was no longer stiff, rising and falling with the rhythm of the horse's running. It had been a long time since he had relaxed like this. 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 running his horse through a section of snowy road, he planned to cross the ravine in front and head straight for the hillock two miles away. The horse cannot continue to run at high speed, and he feels that this distance is almost enough.
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, forming large clouds of white mist around his mouth and nose. He patted the horse's neck approvingly, looked back, and saw Jiang Fan and the guard platoon leader and others already more than a hundred meters away, while Fan Tong and a dozen guards were about to walk out of the ravine.
However, no one expected that the fire balls that plotted against them were shot out 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 by the horse's tail. The iron bullet finally exploded on a rock on the hill, making a dull sound.
At the same time, at the exit of the ditch more than 500 meters behind Zhao Xin, the moment after 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, still didn't understand what happened. He only felt a heat on his left thigh, as if someone had hit it hard with a hammer. Then he was pressed hard by a soldier's hand, and 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. When the gun body swung across the front and back of him, he moved his right hand back and held the front handguard with his left hand. , the safety is turned on, and the trigger is pulled again, and the bullet roars 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 figures of people and horses looming in it. The earth-shattering roar of gunshots startled all the birds in the field and made them fly up and dance in panic in the sky.
Then, 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 with black feathers shot out, the bowstring stained with snow shook up 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 a lot lighter on its back. However, when it landed and turned around to look back, there was nothing where it had just been.
Where is his master? The big dark horse's eyes were a little dazed...
Seeing Zhao Xin suddenly disappearing from the horse, Jiang Fan was shocked. He drove his horse forward regardless, and went straight to the position where Zhao Xin was just now. Several soldiers hurriedly followed. However, when I arrived at the location, I took a quick look and found that except for a layer of snow up to my 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 arrows were fired, 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 It was a spear and a broadsword, and it fiercely rushed towards the location of Jiang Fan and Fan Tong.
"Kill! Kill them all!"
