In December of the third year of Hongwu in the Song Dynasty, Hexi, the ancient city of Dunhuang.
This ancient city, founded in the Han Dynasty, has never been so crowded. Outside the small city wall, there are tens of thousands of tents surrounding each other. They are all heavy felt tents that can withstand the cold northwest wind and preserve the last bit of warmth for the people living in them.
Within the small city wall, there were bustling pedestrians everywhere, most of them wearing thick, dirty-looking leather robes, looking a little downcast. The men among these "skin robes" all had shaved heads and carried long swords and scimitars at their waists. Most of the women who followed them were simple and strong, carrying swords like the men.
Judging from their costumes, you can tell that they are party members from the felt tents outside the city. They are all coming to the city to sell new year goods.
Although these people have now left their hometowns and have a bleak future, the New Year will always pass. As for whether the next New Year is still alive? Where will it be? It's not something people at their level can decide.
In addition to these party members, there are many men and women dressed as Han people in Dunhuang City... They all wear right-hand Han clothing, and the men among them all have small buns on their heads.
Some of the well-dressed men, who looked like they belonged to wealthy families, even wore Dongpo scarves. But even though he was wearing a Dongpo scarf, he was holding a three-foot green sharp edge in his hand - this was not just for show, but a real sharp weapon that could be drawn out to stab someone at any time!
During the Chinese New Year, people all over the street are shopping with swords and swords... The festive atmosphere of this Spring Festival is really a bit scary!
When the Dangxiang men in leather robes saw these Dunhuang men in Hanfu with right gussets and their hair in a bun, they couldn't help showing a sinister look, and unconsciously pressed their palms on the hilt and hilt of the sword. .
This kind of dress, especially the hairstyle, has violated Weiming Yuanhao's baldness order! In the old Great White Kingdom, anyone who violated the baldness order would be beheaded!
But now that the Dabai Gao Kingdom is gone, there is only one Hexi Jiedushi Secretary... and he is also the Hexi Jiedushi of the Song Dynasty. Naturally, he should have a right-cut hairdo!
Therefore, the Han man with right-cut hair who walked across from these party members immediately revealed his true colors, also tightened his sword and showed a vicious look!
The two waves of people often glared at each other fiercely, with no one daring to make the first move. It wasn't until a group of armored and spear-wielding Makui happened to pass through the street that they muttered a few words bitterly and dispersed.
The so-called Ma Kui is actually a female soldier. Not only all men in Xixia are soldiers, but some women also have to serve in the army as female soldiers. These female soldiers are called Makui, also known as village women, and they usually only serve as auxiliary soldiers or city defenders. However, there are exceptions, such as when the Xixia heroine comes to court, the queen mother in power will often form a group of Ma Kui soldiers to follow her.
And these Ma Kui who are constantly patrolling the streets of Dunhuang are the Ma Kui soldiers of Princess Cao, the mother of Pingxi King Li Renxiao.
They were now ordered by Concubine Cao to maintain order on the streets of Dunhuang. Anyone who made trouble would be arrested regardless of their identity or who made the first move. Then they took them to various city gates in Dunhuang, pulled off their clothes, hung them up and whipped them with whips - the Ma Kui female soldiers started beating them!
Although this kind of punishment does not hurt much, it is embarrassing! Therefore, no one wanted to let this group of powerful Ma Kui women be arrested and beaten... The order in Dunhuang City was temporarily maintained.
But this group of Ma Kui female soldiers can only last for a while, but not for a lifetime.
Because as 50,000 party soldiers and thousands of gold soldiers led by Li Renli and Wanyan Xiebao arrived in Dunhuang, the voices of the "restorationists" who had been suppressed by Brother Richard suddenly started to sound. Most of the Dangxiang people stationed in Gua and Shazhou did not want to follow the Song Dynasty... They all wanted to rebuild the Dabai Gao Kingdom, and then fight back with the support of Dajin to recover Xingling Yinxia !
In contrast, the Han, Uighur, Tubo, and Qiang people in Hexi Prefecture were almost all pro-Song people.
They have been second-, third-, and fourth-class people for more than a hundred years, and now they have finally managed to get ahead. Why should they follow the party members to rebel again?
Besides, can the rebellion succeed now? Definitely not! It's basically giving someone away. If the Dangxiang people want to die, no one will stop them, but why should the Han, Uighur, Tubo, and Qiang people follow?
The most difficult person to be caught between the pro-Song and anti-Song factions was of course Cao Mian and Cao Taifei, the father and daughter.
The two fathers and daughters had no ambitions to begin with. When the news of Qian Shun's death in anger came, they were all ready to take Li Renxiao to Luoyang to enjoy their happiness... But no one expected that Brother Richard would even Hexi Jiedushi was not officially appointed, but Li Renli and the Jurchens had already been killed together.
And Li Renli didn't want to be the leader, so he had to support Li Renxiao in the rebellion... and he also wanted Concubine Cao to be the Queen Mother Cao, and Cao Mian to be the Prime Minister Cao!
This is really a rhythm that drives people to death!
Where would Cao Mian and Cao Taifei be willing to follow?
But if they don't obey, can the hundreds of thousands of Dangxiang tribesmen and thousands of Dajin Heavenly Soldiers outside Dunhuang City let them go?
Maybe this New Year will be the last New Year for the father and daughter... So the two of them worked together and simply exposed Li Renxiao and Wanyan Xiebao's conspiracy to Li Xiaozhong through Xue Yuanli!
Their intention was not to ask Zhao Kai to approve their rebellion, but to ask Zhao Kai to send troops to Hexi. Cao Mian and Concubine Cao actually knew that the party members surrounding Dunhuang City only looked scary with their teeth and claws, but in fact they were cowards... If they hadn't been cowarded, they would have fought when Zhao Kai attacked Lingzhou, what? Will it end up where it is now?
Therefore, as soon as Zhao Kai sends troops, those people will definitely be scared.
There is only one reason why they are not afraid now, that is, Dunhuang is 2,000 miles away from Lingzhou... They think Zhao Kai will probably not go that far to kill them!
Just a few days before the end of the new year, Cao Mian and Cao Taifei finally arrived at Zhao Kai's secret envoy, the eminent monk Dalba who failed to defeat Wu Meiniang in a "fight".
Master Dalba is now the chief monk of the Song Dynasty, and is responsible for the "internal relations" between the Tibetan, Qiang and Dangxiang tribes, so he is permanently stationed in several large temples in Lingzhou and Xingzhou.
After receiving Zhao Kai's order, the great monk did not delay, and immediately took three disciples (he did not dare to take more for fear of revealing his identity), mounted a white horse, and traveled day and night to Dunhuang, finally arriving before the New Year's Day. Dunhuang City, where Buddhism flourished.
...
"What? Master, the government wants us to forge and rebel?"
"Why is this kind of thing still fake?"
Deep inside the Cao Family Courtyard, which is as strong as a fortress in Dunhuang City. The Cao family and their daughter took the "Specialized Forged Counter-Edict" brought by Master Darba and read it over and over again. After reading it, they almost cried.
What kind of forgery and counterfeiting... isn't this just making fun of the lives of the two of them, father and daughter?
Is it possible to avoid beheading for counterfeiting?
The Cao family's father and daughter are just cowards, not stupid!
Rebellion is not surrender, how can there be any false surrender?
Rebellion, whether true or false, is life-threatening!
Moreover...according to incomplete statistics, the mortality rate in "fake rebellion" incidents is even higher than that of real rebellion! Long-term and stable maintenance at 100%!
Real rebellion is not that dangerous!
Because there is a certain probability that a real rebellion will succeed, but a fake rebellion has no chance of succeeding, and all that is left is beheading! Most of the rebels who were executed by the whole family in history were "fake rebels"! Real rebels such as Zhao Kuangyin and Li Yuanhao are very difficult to catch.
Master Dalba clasped his hands together with a solemn face. He smiled and said to the two father and daughter: "The poor monk does not understand the matter of rebellion... However, when the poor monk looks at the faces of the two, they are not short-lived and unlucky. .So don’t worry, just act in accordance with the imperial edict.”
Cao Mianxin said: You monk seems to have said the same thing to Empress Dowager Xiaoliang, Qian Shun and Brother Cha, right? Aren't they all cold now?
The old monk smiled again and said: "If you two don't rebel, the party members outside Dunhuang City will rebel... Will Dunhuang City be able to defend it by then?"
"Of course we can't defend it..." Cao Mian gritted his teeth and said, "The people in the Guiyi Army haven't fought in sixty or seventy years, and Dunhuang has no defenses, so it can't be defended at all!"
Concubine Cao shed tears, "Although many of my Ma Kui female soldiers have fought in the war, they are all party members. If I become Empress Dowager Cao, they will naturally listen to me, otherwise..."
The old monk spread his hands and said with a smile: "That's enough... If you don't rebel, you will die soon. If you rebel, there may be a glimmer of hope. Look, I think you might as well rebel!"
Don't worry about whether it's true or false. The Queen Mother should be the Queen Mother, and the Prime Minister should be the Prime Minister. Maybe this is what Buddha meant... With the blessing of Buddha, you may really be able to achieve great things. "
"What great cause?" Concubine Cao asked, wiping away tears.
"Of course it is the great cause of promoting Buddhism!" the old monk said with a smile, "The Western Region was originally a Buddhist country thousands of miles away, but unfortunately it was invaded by heretics. Buddhism is declining day by day, and it is about to lose its foothold. If Dabai Gaoguo can send troops to protect the Dharma, the light of Buddha may be It can illuminate the Western Region again!"
It turns out that this old monk also has ambitions! He wanted to spread Buddhism in the Western Regions and promote Buddhism, so that he would have the opportunity to become a Buddha after he sat down.
Cao Mian sighed: "It's easier said than done..."
Concubine Cao was more pious than her father. After listening to the old monk's instigation, she clasped her hands together and sighed: "Amitabha, this is what we have to do...Dad, why don't you choose Li Renli and Wanyan Xiebao to come to the city to discuss rebellion?" Let’s do it!”
Cao Mian still sighed: "That's all we have to do... It's just that the Dangxiang people want to rebel, but the Han, Uygur, Tubo, and Qiang people are unwilling to follow! With hundreds of thousands of Dangxiang alone, if we can fight Pass the Black Khan Uighur?"
Dalba said: "Donor Cao, don't worry. With the blessing of Buddha, you will be able to turn disaster into good luck!"
Cao Mian just sighed, but still asked his eldest son Cao Li to go out of the city to invite Li Renli and Wanyan Xiebao to their camp.
