Hexi and Guanzhong have now become two very interesting geographical concepts.
The people of Guanzhong were eager to bring Hexi over, and they collectively called it Guanlong or Guanxi.
The people in Hexi seem not to be very willing. They always clearly distinguish Hexi from Guanzhong, and are quite resistant to the concept of Guanlong.
The people of Fengzhou and Weizhou, which are located at the junction of Hexi and Guanzhong, are even more interesting. They all call themselves Hexi people, not Guanzhong people.
There was only one reason that led to all of this, and that was that Saint Zhang successfully took over the Central Plains.
In Zhang Shengren's successful military campaign to seize control of the Central Plains, the Hexi people undoubtedly occupied the biggest piece of the cake.
Until now, Hexi people still account for more than 70% of Zhang Shengren's confidants, the Six Guards of the Pro-Army and the Seven Outer Towns of the Forbidden Army.
Not to mention the absolute confidants like Habayashi Wei on the left and right, who have determined that they will only choose from Hexi Erlang in the future.
Therefore, this has resulted in an inevitable phenomenon. Anyone who is close to Hexi is trying every means to turn himself into a Hexi native.
If we can’t get close to Hexi, then we should find ways to bring the geographical concepts of our hometown and Hexi closer to the top.
Although Zhang Xiaobao had already decided in his heart that he would follow them to Shuzhong as Master Li Yinsheng, he was even prepared to let his surname be Han for a while to pretend to be the Li Han brothers.
Of course, when the matter reaches this point, it is not his decision alone.
Zhang Xiaobao needs to tell his father and elder brother what he thinks in order to get their approval, especially his elder brother's approval.
Wang Jin of the Jinyi Guards also needs to report this matter to Zhang Liecheng, the commander of the Jinyi Guards and Marquis of Shicheng. Finally, Zhang Liecheng will hand over the plan to Zhang Zhao.
Moreover, as an envoy of the Kingdom of Shu, it was impossible for Li Xiaofeng to arrive in Tokyo so quickly. After arriving at Kaifeng Mansion in Tokyo, it was impossible for him to complete his mission and return quickly, so Zhang Xiaobao could still enjoy his vacation.
When passing Qinzhou (Tianshui), Zhang Xiaobao also met Yin Yaozi, the ambassador of Guanzhong Road and the general manager of Guanxi, who was on his way to Chang'an.
After Zhang Zhao took over the Central Plains, Yin Yaozi was finally willing to reconcile with the Yin clan, gave up the somewhat ridiculous name of Yaozi, and officially changed his name to Yin Zhengqi according to the seniority of the Yin clan.
Yin Yaozi also got out of the car and had a few words with Zhang Xiaobao, and comforted Zhang Xiaobao with a bit of regret.
They are very familiar with each other, because Zhang Xiaobao started his military journey as a personal guard for Yin Yaozi.
In fact, the circle among Hexi people is really small, because among the Hexi states, the only ones that have really benefited greatly are Gua, Sha, Liang, and Lan.
Shanzhou, Hezhou, Weizhou and Ganzhou were either severely degraded or were once hostile areas.
Although many people from these states have entered Zhang Zhou's core layer, they are still not comparable to Gua, Sha, Liang, and Lan.
Therefore, even when faced with high-ranking ministers of the country, many children from Hexi still have various methods.
This situation is what Zhang Zhao will try to avoid, but for the children of Hexi, it is a real, tangible benefit.
Going up the Weihe River and passing through Fuqiang County, we have arrived at what Hexi people think of as Hexi.
Zhang Xiaobao and dozens of soldiers who returned home were going to rent a few horses to travel. Their horses were left in Fuqiang County. There would be people from the mule and horse business behind them to carefully take care of them and transport them to the designated place.
Long-distance travel is actually a big burden for war horses. Therefore, in order to ensure the health of war horses, they cannot be allowed to travel with people at medium to high intensity for a long time.
And they didn't bring much with them along the way. Renting a few horses was enough.
This is because in Hexi, military notes, a type of banknote separated from banknotes, are very popular.
The reason for circulation is that there are more restrictions on military tickets. Each military ticket starting from five guan coins corresponds to a very strict number.
Each number corresponds to a soldier. Only this soldier holding this military ticket can exchange it for money and goods in each state.
If it is lost, there is a strict loss reporting process, and due to the slow communication in this era, the redemption of military tickets is also limited in time.
When to exchange and when to report a loss, the time is generally unified by one channel.
However, although there are many restrictions, the benefits are still obvious.
At least in the Song Dynasty, the need to see money on the battlefield and put it in your pocket before drawing a knife will definitely not happen. At the same time, it can also reduce the enemy's desire to fight.
For example, in the Song Dynasty, because the army had the custom of carrying large amounts of property with them to be rewarded in battle, the enemy would often receive an outrageous sum of money after defeating the Song army.
Therefore, no matter whether it is Liao, Jin or Xixia, as long as they are not facing an absolute disadvantage, the morale of the Song army is often terrible.
And after having military tickets, if any army fights against the Zhou army, even if they win, they will only seize a pile of military tickets like waste paper, and their desire to fight will naturally be reduced.
Of course, the most important role of military tickets is to allow soldiers to take their wealth home as much as possible without worrying about losses on the road or transportation problems.
At the same time, it can stimulate economic activity so that they can spend the large amount of wealth they have gained instead of burying it in the ground.
As for the military coupons, if they want to keep them, they can keep them. Anyway, it will not reduce the circulation of metal currency on the market.
The owner of the horse and mule shop was a chubby old man. The old man squinted his eyes and looked at the young soldiers in front of him who had already died in mountains of blood. There was a look of satisfaction on his face.
But then, he said a little lonely: "The saint's kindness! He promoted us herders and serfs to become rich and noble people. But once the saint leaves, it will be difficult to return to Hexi."
The soldiers around them all nodded. Not only was the saint leaving, but most of them were also leaving to become Tokyoites.
Hexi didn't have a large population to begin with, but now that they left, it became even more deserted.
"Can't Weng Zhang follow him? The prosperity of Tokyo is much worse than staying in Fuqiang County?"
Zhang Xiaobao raised his head and asked Zhang Weng, the owner of the mule and horse shop, because he felt that you were all being pretentious. In the past, when you didn't even have enough to eat, you didn't see you being so nostalgic. You just went wherever you could to survive.
Zhang Weng's fat head shook like a rattle, "Why didn't you go? You did.
A certain doctor cannot dance with a gun, but he can read a few words. He is now working as a doctor in the household department.
Erlang and Sanlang both followed General Bai and went to Zuojinwu Guard. Now they are all armored like you.
It's just that this old man doesn't have much luck. The city of Tokyo and the capital of God are too noisy. There are so many people that the noise makes his head hurt and he can't understand what he is saying.
It's better to go back to Fuqiang, see the mountains and rivers, run a mule and horse business, and plant hundreds of acres of land. This is a good life. "
General Bai is Bai Congxin, the commander of Zuojinwuwei who holds the rank of General Zuojinwuwei.
Those who could follow Bai Congxin must have been veterans. The soldiers quickly reported their identities to Zhang Weng one by one, and there was actually a comrade who had served with Erlang Zhang.
When Zhang Weng heard this, he became even more enthusiastic and said that he wanted to leave everyone to eat before leaving. A short soldier laughed and teased Zhang Weng.
"We have twenty or thirty men here. Each of us can eat a sheep for one meal. Can Weng Zhang afford it?"
Zhang Weng smiled proudly and somewhat proudly, "Can't you afford the arrangements? You're looking down on people! Our agricultural tax in Hexi is only twenty-one, and each family has at least three hundred acres of equal land, not to mention the mule and horse business. , the old man can also afford to feed and drink for you."
Later in the evening, Zhang Weng really caused a big scene. Not to mention the sheep, he also specially bought a long-haired cow to kill.
The stewed beef brisket, roast beef, braised beef trotters, beef offal soup, and the best black millet wine made all the soldiers cheer for it, and Zhang Xiaobao also had a chubby belly.
He now also understands why Zhang Weng said he can't get used to Tokyo. Although Tokyo is prosperous and life is convenient, in terms of quality of life, it cannot compare with Hexi.
In Kaifeng Prefecture in Tokyo, saints could not eat beef for free, but could only eat some beef after sacrifice.
Although the lives of ordinary people in Tokyo are much better than those in the Jin Dynasty, eating a meal of mutton is also a big ritual.
But in Hexi, eating a sheep is commonplace, and eating a cow is not a big deal. This can be seen from Zhang Weng's eldest grandson.
Zhang Weng took two big lumps of beef and forced his grandson to eat it so that he could grow fat, but his eldest grandson looked bitter, as if he had taken poison.
After three rounds of wine and five flavors of food, Zhang Weng even asked his daughters-in-law to come out and greet everyone.
It turned out that Zhang Weng had four sons and three daughters. Except for the youngest son and the third daughter, the others followed the saint to Tokyo.
Zhang Weng gave his youngest son who stayed at home to marry his fourth wife's mother-in-law within two years. His only mission was to increase the number of family members.
Drunk Zhang Weng came over and took Zhang Xiaobao's hand to introduce them one by one.
Among his four daughters-in-law, one was Hu Ji bought by a merchant, one was a Tubo aunt who came down from the mountains, and the other two were adopted by his son in the Central Plains when he entered Tokyo.
Zhang Weng shook his big head again and said with some regret: "I originally wanted to buy another house for this kid, but it's a pity that there is no shortage of food in Guanzhong, and there is no disaster. No one is willing to sell my sister and daughter. .
It's not like the year before last when we were on the Yellow River, where there was so much food that there was nothing to eat. With two liters of corn, you could buy a daughter-in-law. "
After saying that, seeing several of his daughters-in-law, especially the two in Zhongyuan who were a bit coy, Zhang Weng raised his wine bowl and spoke directly to them.
"What is there to be ashamed of? See clearly, these people are your brothers. Without them fighting in the field, without them following the saint through mountains of swords and seas of fire, how would we have all we can eat today?"
The daughters-in-law stopped being shy after talking, and they raised their wine bowls along with Zhang Weng.
"I respectfully welcome my brother on his triumphant return. Please drink from this bowl of victory wine."
As soon as these words came out, some guys who were still staring at the daughter-in-law wantonly immediately withdrew their eyes.
Along with Zhang Xiaobao, everyone also picked up their wine bowls, feeling the pride that the sage often said a soldier should have in their hearts.
Zhang Weng looked at the wild warrior who just now turned into a gentleman who abides by the law. He was immediately very satisfied. He walked to the door and opened it in person.
Zhang Xiaobao looked up and saw that there were many villagers standing outside. They came over noisily carrying meat and wine jars.
Zhang Xiaobao looked at Zhang Weng in astonishment, and the strong old man in the lead gave a sly smile.
"We old bones won't dare to have a meal with you without drinking you all to your heart's content first."
Suddenly, with the participation of nearby neighbors, the atmosphere became more lively, and Zhang Xiaobao completely relaxed his introduction. In this land in Hexi, he suddenly felt like his hometown.
Everyone congratulated the saint, the victory, and even the harvest this year. They sang and danced and caroused until midnight.
Zhang Xiaobao also drank too much, and he returned to the room arranged by Zhang Weng in a daze.
The room is not big, but it is well decorated. The bedding on the bed is all new, and there is a nice scent of soap and soap.
Zhang Xiaobao took off all his clothes in three strokes, and his strong body looked flawless under the faint moonlight.
He was so young and strong that a dark figure at the foot of the bed moved and sighed longingly.
Even though he was drunk, Zhang Xiaobao was still startled. He was about to jump up, but stumbled because he could no longer move his right leg.
But Zhang Xiaobao didn't panic at all. With a slight shake of his hand, a short dagger that was always tied to his leg appeared in his hand.
But after all, there was a slight flaw in his legs that made him unable to move. Zhang Xiaobao slowed down half a step and was immediately entangled by the opponent. Zhang Xiaobao was about to hug the opponent and stab him with a dagger.
But as soon as he stretched out his hand, he was immediately stunned, because what he got was an extremely soft body.
The owner of the body was a head shorter than him, but this just allowed that desirable softness to squeeze into Zhang Xiaobao's strong abdominal muscles.
The contrast between softness and stiffness immediately made Zhang Xiaobao shiver.
This veteran warrior on the battlefield couldn't help but tremble all over, and the dagger in his hand fell to the ground with a clang.
On such a cool night, under the influence of alcohol, few people could push away such a hot, soft and fragrant body, and Zhang Xiaobao was the same.
He was captured immediately, and his strong body was pushed onto the big bed filled with the scent of soap locust by a being that was weaker than him.
Suddenly, Zhang Xiaobao used all his strength to roll and bring the owner of the body to the foot of the bed where the moonlight could shine, and then let out a long sigh of relief.
She has a round face, not particularly beautiful, but very attractive, and her whole body is full of mature aura.
But it was not one of Zhang Weng's four daughters-in-law, but a young widow who frequently asked him for toasts at banquets.
The little widow was even more satisfied when she saw Zhang Xiaobao like this. She narrowed her eyes, stroked Zhang Xiaobao's chest and said.
"Zhang Weng is right. Among these people, only Langjun has the roar of a tiger but is respectful and polite. Even if he has a leg problem, he will definitely be a big shot in the future."
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In the early morning, I don’t know how many birds were chirping, but Zhang Xiaobao was still unwilling to move. Last night was so crazy that he didn’t even feel that his legs were lame. The depression that had accumulated for a long time seemed to be cleared away in one go. .
With a creak, the door opened, and the woman walked in carrying a large tray. It was a very thin soup cake rolled out of a bowl, with a thick layer of thinly sliced beef spread on it.
Next to the soup cake bowl was a large plate of pickled vinegar-pickled leeks, and in addition there were two chickens fried in mutton fat.
It’s really rich! Zhang Xiaobao's appetite was immediately whetted.
Like a storm, Zhang Xiaobao finished the soup cake in three strokes, five by two, and didn't even have any soup left.
Then he gently held the woman in his arms, feeling unusually peaceful in his heart. The two of them had just met last night, but they seemed to have known each other for a long time.
"Don't you ask me why I'm like this?" the woman asked softly.
Zhang Xiaobao shook his head slowly and then firmly, "If you want to say it, you will definitely say it, but I can't ask because I have to do a big thing and I can't make any promises to you."
Originally, Zhang Xiaobao felt a little guilty. He was like this, with a strong sense of responsibility, but the woman didn't feel there was anything inappropriate at all and just sighed softly.
"When the husband of the slave family left, he said he wanted to kill the enemy and perform meritorious service, but what was waiting for him later was a black pottery jar."
After a pause, the woman continued: "But the saint was kind to us. He gave us a pension of 30,000 yuan, 300 acres of land, and a cow. He also ordered Dr. Nong to coordinate labor assistance. The slave family came with their children. Also doing well.
However, the sage's territory is getting bigger and bigger. Several of the slave's brother-in-law and natal brothers followed the sage to the Central Plains. This year they even came back with letters saying that they were not planning to return to Hexi, so the slave's land became more and more. "
Zhang Xiaobao looked at the woman strangely, pondered for a moment and said in a low voice: "In order to prevent this kind of thing from happening in the past, the saint took precautions long ago and left so many agricultural doctors. Aren't there enough people to farm the land?"
Hexi is not short of people. Although there are not many Han people, a large number of Han people have been produced by turning the rice back.
In addition, there are many Tubo, Qiang, and Dangxiang people living around, so the population is still quite large.
But there is a shortage of people who know how to farm. People of all ethnic groups in Hexi, including the Han people, are good at fighting, herding and riding horses, but there are too few people who know how to farm.
That's why Zhang Zhaocai promoted agricultural science examinations in Hexi and promoted thousands of agricultural doctors in order to improve the agricultural production technology in Hexi.
The woman covered her mouth and chuckled a few times, "My young man, it's definitely not the lack of people to farm the land! It's the lack of people to be the masters of this land!
The slave husband's family and the brothers from the natal family left so much land that could be inherited. Even if it was managed, someone would have to take care of it.
Not to mention that in a military home like ours, land is divided according to people. One more child means more land.
If you, this enemy, can leave a seed for the slave, you will have 200 acres of land in ten months. "
Zhang Xiaobao was stunned. He thought this was a soul-to-heart encounter, and the woman must have fallen in love with him at the banquet because he was handsome, so she waited in the room.
Unexpectedly, he turned out to be just someone else's tool. They just wanted a seed, and he was just the right person.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xiaobao suddenly became angry and pushed the woman down on the bed.
"What you said is so harmless. If you want to have sex, Fuqiang County still lacks men?"
The woman wrapped her legs around Zhang Xiaobao like a spider, and smiled.
"How can you want a man from Fuqiang County? Why do you want to come here? Sleep on my body, and then come and beat my children if you have nothing to do?"
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injured! Really hurt! Zhang Xiaobao, who suffered from back pain, returned to Liangzhou dejectedly.
He received a lot of welcome along the way. Every time he went to a state or county, he would be invited to dinner by someone whose family was pro-military or forbidden. The situation in Hexi was far better than he imagined.
Every family has their own land, each family gets a reward, and the land tax is low. The government does not dare to go to the countryside to bully people, because military families with armor and swords are not easy to bully. In addition, with the smooth trade routes, the economy Also quite active.
Today's Hexi is prosperous among the prefectures and counties. Beyond the prefecture and county towns, they are connected by roads. There are large tracts of fertile farmland and large tracts of pasture, which makes people feel comfortable just looking at them.
Even the old man on the ferry by the river and the fruit vendor at the city gate can have a meal of meat every other day. The wealth is unbelievable.
The further you go to Liangzhou, the better the situation becomes. After crossing the Weizhou boundary and crossing Didao into Lanzhou, the sky becomes even wider.
There are young men like Li Yinsheng in almost every village, and they are even better.
Because they have horses, they almost always grew up on horses. By the age of eleven or twelve, they could ride a horse like the wind and shoot a bow from left to right.
Zhang Xiaobao and others completed their homecoming journey surrounded by these future Hexi Knights.
By the time Zhang Xiaobao walked from Didao to Lanzhou, at least three to four thousand young men from all over the country had gathered behind him.
As the day of the Xiangshe Ceremony was approaching, a large number of young men ranging from eighty-nine to fifteen or sixteen years old gathered outside Lanzhou City. Jia Yanchang, deputy ambassador of Hexi Province and Lanzhou Governor, simply announced that the Xiangshe Ceremony would be held in advance.
The young men sang, danced and compared their riding and shooting skills. They surrounded Zhang Xiaobao and others, constantly asking about the saint's situation and who else in the world was the enemy of the Great Zhou Kingdom.
That surge of pride made Zhang Xiaobao intoxicated.
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