Before Chen Chong took office, the imperial edict to mobilize the Xiongnu to go on an expedition had already passed through many passes, flown over layers of mountains, arrived in Jinyang, Taiyuan, and was delivered to the hands of Zhang Yi, the governor of Bingzhou.
To be honest, Chen Chong scolded Zhang Yi in front of Zhong Yao, saying that he had accomplished nothing during his tenure and only enriched the Bai Bo army. He had really wronged Zhang Yi. Just because what Zhang Yi inherited was really a mess. No one in the past did a better job than Zhang Yi. People in the future couldn't even find anyone to take over. Zhang Yi could just say who would succeed.
Looking back at the time when Bingzhou was established, there were nine counties in total, covering the Hetao Mountains and Shaanxi Province, covering an area of approximately thousands of miles, making it the leader of the country's frontier defense. However, in the past 150 years, there have been many Hu Yi annexes in Mobei, the Xiongnu in the front, the Wuhuan in the back, and the Xianbei invasion. When it fell to Zhang Yi, nine counties were merged into the state, and Zhang Yi could only control Xihe, Shangdang, There are only about 350,000 people in the three counties of Taiyuan.
The Xiongnu moved to Bingzhou for a hundred years, and at first there were only more than 50,000 people. Although successive governors of Bingzhou set up vassal states and forced chanyus to be replaced, the Xiongnu people continued to have children every year. Now they are spread across the five counties of Bingzhou, with about 500,000 people. , an increase of up to ten times! Nowadays, in the merged states, the Hu are strong and the Han are weak, so random things naturally happen: secret transactions with the Baibo army, and Baibo army's informants, plus the Baibo army is located in the gap between the two states, it is difficult for Zhang Yi to do anything, so Of course, the adults above the court had their own concerns, so they didn't make a fuss about Zhang Yi.
After a few years, Zhang Yi had a clear idea in his mind, so he simply ignored these troubles and moved the county to Jinyang, Taiyuan. There is Taihang in the east and Wangwu in the west. He hides in Taiyuan, regardless of age, just waiting for the court's order, either the next unlucky guy will come to take over, or he will be dismissed and go home.
But it is obvious that Yuan Shao and others are still optimistic about him. The envoy who came with the imperial edict also included Xin Pingxin Zhongzhi, a famous scholar from Yingchuan. He specifically told Zhang Yi: "Your Excellency, I will encourage you for the time being. With this success, Liangzhou's troubles will be temporarily relieved." . We will be able to communicate with the central government, and the Ming Dynasty will be on the rise, just around the corner! I hope you will be careful about your trip to Meiji. Although Taiyuan is safe, the wind and sand in the north will hurt people too much!"
This remark hit home Zhang Yi's heart. After saying goodbye to Xin Ping, he made arrangements for personnel in the past few days. The original state administration of Jinyang was in the hinterland of Taiyuan. Taiyuan was the anointed land of Bingzhou, with a population of about 200,000, nearly half of Bingzhou. Therefore, most of the Bingzhou gentry lived here, including the Yangqu Guo family in the north and the King of Jinyang in the middle. There is the Wen family in Qixian County to the south, which can be said to be a gathering of talents and sages. Therefore, Zhang Yi set up the state government in Jinyang City.
But to recruit the Huns, it would be inappropriate to stay in Jinyang any longer. Raising an army is not something that can be accomplished in a day. As the chief officer of this recruitment, Zhang Yi must go to the Chan Yu Ting to negotiate with the Xiongnu Chan Yu and other kings. The century-old Shan Yuting of the Southern Xiongnu is not elsewhere, but in Meiji County, Xihe.
Without further ado, when Chen Chong arrived in Anyi, Governor Zhang had already led a large group of troops to cross the Luliang Mountains from Zishi and move the prefecture to Lishi County, the capital of Xihe County. It happened that Xing Ji, the former governor of Xihe, heard the news that someone had taken over. When he saw the governor, he immediately resigned and reported his duties. All the power in Xihe fell into Zhang Yi's hands.
After settling in for two days, Zhang Yi first ordered Qin Yilu to go to Yangchangcang to transport rice grains to Lishi, and then ordered Wu Meng and Zhang Yang to recruit two hundred elite soldiers, and then went straight to Meiji without delay. Although Meiji and Lishi are in the same county, they are thousands of miles apart. They have to gallop for two days and nights before they can see the shadow of Meiji.
This cannot help but talk about the topography of Xihe County. The Yellow River comes from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, runs north along the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains, meets the Yinshan Mountains at high latitudes, and then turns eastward and rushes out of the fertile Hetao Plain. And because of the obstacles of the Luliang and other mountains, it turned back south, and between the Loess Plateau and the Inner Mongolia Plateau, the rolling river water drew a huge "ji" shape. And Xihe County was split into two parts by the last vertical axis of this "ji".
Lishi is located to the southeast of Xihe River, and Meiji is located to the northwest of Xihe River. But there is only one official road from Lishi to Meiji: go west from Lishi to Linxian County, go north along the river, and go to the old place of Xuanwu County. This place has been abandoned due to the sparse population. The Yellow River draws five meanders here like freehand brushwork. The river is slow and the water and grass are luxuriant. It is a good land for the Huns to graze. Cross the river from here, and then walk west along the Nan River, and you will be able to see Meiji.
Mei Ji, as a Shan Yu Wang Ting, Zhang Yi looked out of the car window from a distance, but it was difficult to conform to the ordinary people's impression of Hu people. In addition to a large number of shepherds singing on the grassland on the outskirts of the city, there are still many barbarians farming in the fields. It was the season when millets were ripe at this time. Zhang Yi looked around and saw that apart from the ordinary Huns, there were those with deep eyes and high noses, as well as those with dull skin. The same thing was that the joy of the harvest appeared on everyone's faces. This kind of The joyful mood made Zhang Yi feel a little uncomfortable. He had not seen such a scene for a long time in the past few years in Taiyuan.
Although it is bustling with people, Meiji is not a big city. Before the Xiongnu invaded the south, Xihe was not considered a border county, so the court did not bother to repair it. It was just a small town with a rammed earth wall of more than ten feet and a radius of several dozen feet. When the Xiongnu moved the royal court here, the Chanyu couldn't help but feel that it was shabby, so he simply regarded the entire Meiji City as his royal palace, allowing the kings to enter the city to discuss affairs, while the rest of his subordinates were stationed outside the city to make a living.
Nowadays, the population of Meiji is prosperous. Although the small town has not changed, the noisy people coming and going outside the city make this dilapidated small town seem full of vitality. Zhang Yi ordered the convoy to hoist banners to show his identity as an envoy to the Han Dynasty. During this time, the herdsmen and farmers hurriedly gave way, almost causing trouble. By the time Zhang Yi arrived at the city gate, Shan Yu's envoy had been waiting for a long time.
"King Zuo Xian, I haven't seen you for a long time, you are getting more and more majestic." Zhang Yi took the lead to get out of the car and smiled at the other party.
The other party looked quite frightened, saluted repeatedly, and then replied in fluent Chinese: "How can a foreigner from Fuluohua think so highly of Mr. Zhang? Mr. Zhang has worked hard all the way, and my father has set up a banquet for him. Zhang Gong received the wind and washed away the dust."
This person is King Zuoxian Yu Fuluo, the eldest son of the current Qiangqu Chanyu and the next first heir of the Xiongnu Chanyu. Wearing a felt hat, a rough beard, and a long red robe, he looked tall and powerful, just like an authentic Huns man. However, when he saw Zhang Yi, his expression was frightened and fawning, and he saluted. It can be seen that there are two pieces of tulle sandwiched under the clothes.
Having just seen the scene outside the city, Zhang Yi was a little more doubtful about the outcome of the trip, but now seeing Yu Fuluo acting like this, Zhang Yi regained his confidence. He stroked his beard and asked with a smile: "Last time I said goodbye to Shanyu, Spring and Autumn suddenly passed twice. I missed him very much. I remember that Shanyu has turned sixty this year. I wonder how Shanyu is doing now?"
Talking about the father he is most proud of, Yu Fuluo replied with a smile: "Shan Yu is still in good health and can eat a sheep every day, but he is already sixty and can no longer compete with horses and shoot long distances as when he was young. But he has always been in good spirits, and he was very happy to hear that the adults came."
After that, Yu Fuluo led the way for Zhang Yi and others. Zhang Yi stationed two hundred soldiers on the spot, and only took Zhang Yang and a few of the most heroic guards with him into the city.
As soon as you enter the city, the feeling of crowding disappears. Although the city walls are quite old, the streets and houses in the city have been renovated. However, from Zhang Yi's point of view, most of them are a bit nondescript. Many halls and courtyards still have large tents, and there are strange things from time to time. The tall horses wearing reins passed by, and the fishy smell of cattle and sheep was everywhere.
Shanyu's residence and meeting place are both in the center of the city. Zhang Yi entered the courtyard and saw a young girl in Hu costume holding a long bow, aiming at the willow branches in the distance. Zhang Yi only heard the bowstring vibrate, and then saw a willow branch floating down in the distance, and actually hit the willow with an arrow. The girl cheered and drew back her bow, only to find Zhang Yi standing nearby. She blushed and bowed slightly, then walked into the house. Only then did Zhang Yi realize that she was a rare beauty with bright eyes, white teeth and a lovely appearance.
Upon seeing this, Yu Fuluo hurriedly introduced: "Sir, this is my sister, Shanyu's second, the star supporting the plow, Pu Zhenmeilu. You should have seen her last time you came here, but she was not there yet." He was young, and now he is fifteen years old. He really changes his appearance every year."
Hearing what Fu Luo said, Zhang Yi couldn't help but recall the last time he came to Meiji. However, it was so long ago that he couldn't remember clearly. He could only shake his head to calm down, and then smiled and said: "Nothing, I'm here." The main purpose of my visit this time is to convey His Majesty’s edict to the Chanyu, and I didn’t bring many gifts with me. When I visit again another day, I’ll say hello to the girl.”
After saying that, Zhang Yi straightened his clothes a little and asked Zhang Yang to hand over the banner to him, then walked into the hall with a scepter in hand and a serious look on his face.
