Dunhuang City, a famous tourist city in the northwest in later generations, was actually very small and inconspicuous. The entire population of Dunhuang was only a few hundred thousand, and its scale was not as large as that of a county in the southeast.
But in the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, when the Silk Road was still playing its final glory, Dunhuang City could still be regarded as a pearl in the Hexi Corridor.
In today's Dunhuang City, there are more than 60,000 people in Dingkou alone with household registration. Adding in the passing merchants and the people of various ethnic groups who come to sell vegetables, cattle and sheep, the entire Dunhuang has about 80,000 people, all of whom belong to the three rebels. One-third of the population depends on this city for their livelihood.
As the most important stronghold of the Guiyi Army, the city defense of Dunhuang City is also very strong and complete in the Hexi Corridor.
The entire Dunhuang City has a circumference of more than fifteen miles, and the inner and outer parts are divided into three parts. From the outside to the inside, they are Sheep and Horse City, Luo City and Inner City.
The city is more than six feet high, and there are two artificial ditches more than three meters wide, Mengshui Canal and Wudu Canal, as moats.
In the past, the Uighur troops in Ganzhou came to the city and surrounded and fought for more than two months, but they could not get in.
As the name suggests, Sheep and Horse City is an outer city where cattle and sheep are raised and it is also a trading market for bulk commodities.
Some of these cattle and sheep belong to nearby residents and wealthy families, and some belong to passing merchants. At this time, the cold wind has begun, and large groups of cattle, sheep, horses, and camels are huddled together to keep out the cold. The herdsmen responsible for taking care of them are hoarding fodder for the winter.
Luocheng is the urban area where Dunhuang residents live. The east of the city is a residential area, and the west of the city is full of post houses, small and medium-sized markets, and a large number of temples. There is also a large vacant area in the north of the city where the Jiedu Yamen Army is stationed and drilled. Camp.
As for the inner city, which is the smallest but most heavily protected, it is the core of the Guiyi Army.
The Jiedu Yamen of the Guiyi Army, the Jiedu Envoy Office, the Shazhou Governor's Office, the arsenal for storing weapons and armor and supervising military affairs, the Confucius Institute responsible for household registration, tax rolls and personnel, the official school, the prison city and other most of the Jiedushi Yamen are all here.
In the Jiedu Yamen, there were the sixth-generation Jiedu envoy of the Guiyi Army, the observation and disposal envoy of Guasha and other prefectures, the inspector Sikong, and the Taibao Cao Yijin, as well as Cao Yijin's eldest son Cao Yuande, second son Cao Yuanshen, and third son Cao Yuanzhong. Sitting in the study.
The air in the study was a bit solemn, and even the maids and servants waiting at the door were afraid to leave.
"Sanniang has come back, right?" Cao Yijin, the governor of the Guiyi Army, was a fat old man.
Of course, not only was he not fat when he was young, but he was a very brave warrior on the battlefield. The Tang Dynasty paid equal attention to both civil and military affairs. Although Cao Yijin held a civilian position most of the time, his charge in battle was not inferior to those generals who practiced martial arts all year round.
Hearing his father's question, the eldest Cao Yuande and the second eldest Cao Yuanshen remained silent. The third eldest Cao Yuanzhong stepped forward and stood like a pupil who made a mistake. He is Sanniangzi's father.
"In response to my lord, Yan Nai arrived earlier this morning and is waiting outside the courtyard gate!"
"Call in! It's not easy. You were kidnapped when you returned to your parents' home. You, the father, you uncles, including my grandfather, are all responsible!" Cao Yuande slowly closed his eyes. He opened his mouth, waved his hand and said.
Mrs. Cao Sanniang slowly walked into this inconspicuous little room in Jiedu Yamen. This was the second time he had walked in here in so many years.
The last time she came in was thirteen years ago as an important 'tool' for the marriage between the Cao family and the Murong family.
The rest of the time, this room that symbolizes the highest power of the Cao family is occupied by Cao Yijin's three wives. Suo, Song and the Uighur princess Li are not allowed to enter.
"My granddaughter Yannai has met my grandfather, and my father has met my eldest uncle and second uncle!"
Although she felt that she was strong, and because the three men in the room were not so eager to save her, Cao Sanniang was a little resentful and found that her tone actually sounded crying.
"Are you suffering? Come to grandpa!" Cao Yijin patted the brocade stool next to his seat and said.
"Grandpa!" Mrs. Cao Sanniang walked over aggrievedly like a little girl, and her tears fell down before she even sat down on the brocade stool.
"It's not hard to Yan Nai. Fortunately, I met Mr. Zhang Erlang. After all, he is also the slave's cousin, and he still protects his granddaughter."
"How do you know that he didn't find someone to kidnap you? This Erlang dares to arrest Shi Shi, but you, a woman, will do your best to protect you?"
Cao Yuanzhong became angry when he heard this, and began to reprimand Cao Sanniang directly in front of Cao Yijin.
"Okay! Okay!" Cao Yijin waved his hand. He knew that Cao Yuanzhong was not reprimanding Cao Sanniang, but to express his attitude.
After all, Zhang Zhao kidnapped Cao Shishi and immediately released Cao Sanniang. It seemed like there was some kind of deal.
"No one blames you for what happened to Shizuro, so why are you so anxious?"
"Tell me grandpa, what kind of person is Erlang Zhang? I was the one who took him out of this house back then. I heard that he was obsessed with eating fast and chanting Buddha in Shouchang. Why did he seem to have changed so quickly? ? He also engaged in kidnapping!"
Lady Cao Sanniang glanced at her grandfather Cao Yijin, thought about it and decided to tell the truth.
"My granddaughter thinks Zhang Erlang is anything but simple, he can even be said to be a hero!"
"Oh? He looks like a hero?" Cao Yijin didn't expect that his granddaughter would speak so highly of Zhang Erlang. He raised his hand to stop his three sons from interrupting and signaled Cao Sanniang to continue.
"Grandpa! What my granddaughter said makes sense. Zhang Erlang is kind to people, even the lowly herder slaves. At the same time, he can talk about poetry and Tang Dynasty literature with his granddaughter, and he can also talk to the most vulgar Wu Fuli. Let's go together, lead the charge in battle, and be impartial in declaring merit and reward after war.
Aren't these people who can win the hearts of scholars and be respected by military men, who take the lead in military affairs and are impartial and impartial, don't they have the appearance of a hero?
The granddaughter often thinks that if the emperor in white had used Zhang Erlang's methods, maybe the Jinshan Kingdom would not have fallen! "
"Presumptuous! Presumptuous! You are a woman, how do you know what heroic posture is? You are not talking about Zhang Erlang, I think you are talking about Emperor Taizong Wen!
Being able to win the hearts of scholars and be respected by military men, and being impartial and unbiased, his ancestor, the Taibao Gong of the Zhang family, did not have this ability. I think you are...! "
When Cao Yuanzhong said this, he suddenly got stuck. He originally wanted to say, "I think you are confused by him!" 'But suddenly I thought that Mrs. Cao Sanniang was my daughter, and it seemed a bit uncomfortable to say so.
Mrs. Cao Sanni felt depressed for a while. She suddenly became a little impatient with her father Cao Yuanzhong's always upright and steady style of not offending others and not making any advances.
When has this happened? Once King Ling Gong passes away, the rebel army will immediately face a huge crisis. This kind of crisis can be overcome by just keeping everything in order without being blamed?
"In the past, the first title Emperor Taizongwen received was that of Duke of Dunhuang. How did you know that Dunhuang City would not produce another figure like Emperor Taizongwen? Even if it couldn't, wouldn't it be better to produce a figure like Taibao? ?"
"Reverse! Reverse! I think you are out of your mind. What benefit will it bring to our Cao family to have another Taibao Gong?" Although Cao Yuanzhong was scolding, he only felt guilty for fear of the anger of his father Cao Yijin. .
"Sanniang, do you think so highly of Zhang Erlang? Our family's power comes from the Zhang family. If Zhang Erlang is really a hero, what will our Cao family do?"
Cao Yijin actually had a smile on his face, as if he found this matter very interesting.
"Grandpa! My granddaughter is brave. Zhang Erlang wants her to bring you something. Can she tell me?"
Lady Cao Sanniang said, ignoring her father Cao Yuanzhong's murderous look, she knelt on the ground and said to Cao Yijin.
The smile on Cao Yijin's face became even more playful, "Speak boldly and tell me every word for grandpa. I really want to hear what this bold Zhang Erlang has to say about this old man?"
"Zhang Erlang said that he had never resented your abandonment of Jinshan Kingdom, nor did he think that the Cao family was seizing power on Zhang's behalf. He said that this was what the people wanted.
He also hoped that Grandpa, you would take care of your health, saying that you are the Dinghai Shenzhen of the Guiyi Army. If you are here for one day, the more than 100,000 Hexi Tang'er will still have a home.
He will not be detrimental to the Cao family, but he will use his own way to find another way for us lonely loyalists in the northwest! "
