The next day, the third day of May, on Zhao Yang's order, Guo Kui first borrowed the map of Jingyuan Road and the military defense map from Zhang Kang, pointed at the map and introduced the situation in the territory one by one to Zhao Yang. E, Zhong Zhe and even Wang Zhongzheng and others were listening quietly.
According to Guo Kui, the entire Jingyuan Road is divided into nine areas of the "Six Prefectures and Three Armies": the "Six Prefectures" are Weizhou, Yuanzhou, Jingzhou, Yizhou, Huizhou and Xi'an Prefecture; the "Three Armies" are Zhenrong Army, Deshun Army, Huaide Army. Among them, "army" and "state" are basically at the same level. "Army" only means that the area is a strategic location and has a greater chance of war. Therefore, it is common sense to have more troops stationed, including but not limited to guards, horsemen, and infantry. Command the imperial army of the envoys and even the Tibetan army.
But this is not absolute.
Take the Forbidden Army - the Fanluo Legion under the jurisdiction of the Guards' pro-army Ma Si as an example. The entire legion has more than 80 battalions, including the 17th battalion stationed in Qinzhou, the 14th battalion in Weizhou, the 12th battalion in Yuanzhou, and the 12th Zhenrong Army. The battalions include the 7th Battalion of Deshun Army, the 5th Battalion of Huanzhou Army, the 4th Battalion of Yan'an Prefecture, the 4th Battalion of Qingzhou Prefecture, the 2nd Battalion of Fengxiang Prefecture, the 2nd Battalion of Jingzhou Army, the 2nd Battalion of Baoan Army, and the 1st Battalion of Longzhou Army.
It can be seen that the troops stationed in Qinzhou, Weizhou, and Yuanzhou are no less than those stationed in Zhenrong Army and Deshun Army. The reason is that the road between Zhenrong Army and Weizhou belongs to the Tangu in the depression of the high plateau. , the road is open and flat, easy to attack but difficult to defend. Once Xixia breaks through the Zhenrong Army, it can not only go south to threaten Qinzhou and Fengxiang Prefecture, but also directly threaten Jingzhao Prefecture along the "Weizhou-Jingzhou-Pizhou" route, so There are also many troops stationed in Qinzhou and Weizhou.
Zhao Yang listened carefully to Guo Kui's introduction, and it suddenly dawned on him: It turns out that Weizhou was Pingliang City, Gansu Province in later generations, and the Zhenrong Army was Guyuan, Ningxia.
After the general introduction was completed, Zhao Yang asked Guo Kui as a guide to lead them to conduct an on-site survey of Jingyuan Road. Zhong Shen and Zhong E led 500 forbidden troops from the first battalion of Tianwu's Fifth Army as guards, while Zhong Shen stayed behind in the army. In charge of the construction of the camp.
Weizhou, which will be Pingliang City in the future, is located in a narrow valley between plateaus. There are high plateaus and hills to the north and south. To the southeast, you can reach Jingzhou, which will be Jingchuan County in the future, and to the west, you can enter Guyuan. From Tangu in the south, one can go north to Guyuan, or as it is currently called, Zhenrongjun.
As for the Imperial Army, the Xiang Army, and the Fan soldiers under Weizhou, most of the former two were stationed inside and outside Weizhou City, while the Fan people were mainly stationed on the high plateaus on the north and south sides of Weizhou. After all, the terrain of the plateaus is complex, and the two highlands There are countless small valleys in the plateau, and these must be guarded to prevent them from being infiltrated by Xixia.
On their way to Tangu on the west side of Weizhou, Zhao Yang and his party encountered a small business brigade, with a total of seven or eight vehicles and 20 or 30 people. They saw the Tianwu Army escorting them with the name "Song" , "Zhao" and "Tianwu Fifth Army" flags, hurriedly made way for the forbidden army, and at the same time stood on the side of the road watching with curiosity.
Even though they were several feet away, Zhao Yang, who was sitting next to the driver of the carriage, could still hear those people talking quietly, guessing which forbidden army the Tianwu Fifth Army belonged to.
Guo Kui, who was riding next to the carriage, laughed and said: "It is rare for the Fourth Army, especially the imperial guards in front of the palace, to enter Shaanxi. I saw the official document sent by someone from the imperial court a few days ago, and the lower officials were also quite surprised. "
Zhao Yang smiled slightly and then asked Guo Kui: "Who is this caravan?"
Guo Kui turned around and looked at the caravan for a few times and explained: "It is probably the caravan that just returned from the market."
"Song Xia Mutual Market? Is there one nearby?"
"Yes, and there are more than one place." Guo Kui nodded and explained: "As far as I know, in the fifth year of the Xianping Dynasty of Zhenzong, Li Ji of the Western Xia moved to Chishachuan and Laituokou where the Fan tribes gathered in Yuling and Xia prefectures, respectively. The market was regularly traded with the Song Dynasty. In the fourth year of Jingde, the Song Dynasty officially set up a market in the Baoan Army, which is now the Baoyan Road Security Army. However, it was closed after the Song and Xia feuded. ... Qingli Four years after the peace talks between the Song and Xia Dynasties, the imperial court reopened the food market in Shunning Village of the Baoan Army, and added the food market in Gaoping Village of the Zhenrong Army. In recent years, it has successively opened the food market in Jiuliangjin, Wubao, Yinxing, Jintang, Baibao, and Xia. Well, Zhejiang and other places have set up secondary sales centers... That caravan group should have just returned from Gaopingzhai of Zhenrong Army."
Seeing Guo Kui's treasures, not only Zhao Yang was amazed, but Fan Chunren and Wen Tong who were sitting in the carriage also praised him repeatedly. This made Guo Kui, who was actually the oldest, a little embarrassed and said with a bit of shyness: "I don't have time to do anything." When things happened, I was happy to look through official records, and over time I wrote them down, which is not surprising."
"Brother Zhongtong is too modest."
Zhao Yang smiled and called Guo Kui's cousin, and then asked curiously: "I don't know the mutual trade between the two countries. What is the specific transaction?"
Guo Kui immediately replied: "Xixia exports more livestock, medicinal materials and green salt, and our Song Dynasty exports more. It mainly exports cloth, silk silk, incense, porcelain, lacquerware, tea, etc."
"Tea leaves..." Zhao Yang scratched his chin and said, "I remember that the Song Dynasty gave Xixia 250,000 'year-old gifts', including 30,000 kilograms of tea."
"There are also 72,000 taels of silver and 153,000 pieces of silk." Guo Kui added with a sigh.
"Can I make money by relying on these businesses in Shaanxi?"
Guo Kui shook his head and said, "I don't know about this. I have to ask Zhang Zhizhou. He also serves as my manager of Jingyuan Road."
Guo Kui's position is the Jingyuan Road Supervisor, a military post of the eighth rank, and Guochang falls under the category of "management", so naturally he doesn't know.
By the way, there are roughly two types of governors in the Song Dynasty, one is the road governor, and the other is the governor of the state capital. The former is responsible for the garrison, border defense, and training affairs of the imperial army on the road; while the latter is responsible for the garrison, training, weapons, and missions of the state capital.
The fact that Guo Kui was appointed as the Chief Superintendent of Jingyuan Road instead of the Chief Superintendent of Weizhou shows that he was the Chief Superintendent of Lufen Road.
As for Zhang Kang's concurrent appointment as the Jingyuan Road Commander, the full name is "Jingyuan Road Soldiers and Horses Commander". As the name suggests, it means that all the troops and horses on the Jingyuan Road are under his deployment and control. If something goes wrong, he will be convicted.
This is also the "feature" of Shaanxi's Four Roads: Basically, they are all governors and governors of the capital, transfer envoys, and economic envoys. One person holds four positions to prevent each other from shirking responsibility when problems arise, while other state roads mostly have decentralized powers.
From Weizhou to Tangu on the west side, there is a full seventy or eighty-mile plateau mountain road. The mountain road is not rugged, but the five hundred guards who are not adapted to the plateau environment are exhausted and panting. The seventy-eighty-mile journey actually goes for a whole day.
Fortunately, they finally arrived at Tangu on the west side before nightfall, and Zhao Yang ordered to prepare to spend the night by the Jingshui River.
The Tangu between the plateaus has always been windy, especially at night. Fortunately, Zhao Yang and his party had prepared fuel when they arrived, so they didn't have to rush to cut down trees and light bonfires, but they could last one night.
The next day, the fourth day of May, Guo Kui took Zhao Yang, Fan Chunren, Wen Tong, Zhong Xian and others to the high plateau on the west side of Tangu. He pointed to the west and said to Zhao Yang: "Deputy envoy, here is Further west is the Deshun Army, where there are seven commanders of the Ma Sifanluo Corps, a total of 2,800 cavalry, and one commander of the Busi Baojie Corps, with a total of 500 cavalry. There are also local Han and Fan troops. There are about two thousand rural soldiers..."
Zhao Yang stood on the high plateau and looked at the distance with ravines everywhere. He frowned and asked, "With so many ravines, can horse racing be done on this plateau?"
Guo Kui nodded and said: "As long as you are familiar with the terrain and avoid those ravines."
Zhao Yang nodded thoughtfully: "So, the Deshun Army is trying to counter Weizhou?"
"More than that." Guo Kui shook his head and added: "The Deshun Army is located at a high place and can defend Xi'an Prefecture to the north, Huizhou to the northwest, Qinfeng Road to the west and southwest, and Weizhou to the east..."
During this period, Fan Chunren took out a pen and paper and roughly recorded everything Guo Kui said about the environment here, while Wen Tong used charcoal to sketch the nearby terrain on the paper. With just a few strokes, he easily sketched out the outline of the local terrain, which made Zhong E beside him. Breathtaking.
Not long after, when Wen Tong handed Zhao Yang several sketches of local terrain, Zhao Yang also praised him: "As expected of brother Wen Tong, he is an expert in both calligraphy and painting."
"If Wen Tong were here, he would definitely be dissatisfied." Wen Tong laughed.
Wentong is Shen Tong. Among the people Zhao Yang met, when it comes to calligraphy and painting, Shen Tong is indistinguishable from Wen Tong, and even Fan Chunren and Qian Gongfu can't compare.
Now Shen Tao serves as the chief of the Technical Department in Bianjing. All drawings in the department are drawn by Shen Tao himself. Wen Tong was brought to Shaanxi by Zhao Yang and served as a staff consultant, responsible for drawing and recording the terrain of Shaanxi. He was also the second order of the order. Everyone is good at painting.
Later, when Fan Chunren and Wen Tong had finished recording, Zhao Yang and his entourage went down to Gaoyuan again. Under the protection of five hundred forbidden troops, they went upstream along the Jing River and continued north to Zhenrong Army.
The main fortress of Zhenrong Army is located at the northern entrance of this long and narrow Tan Valley, which is undoubtedly a strategically important place.
But before that, Zhao Yang and his party had to pass through the valley entrance camp, which was guarded by the local guard Mabusi Forbidden Army. This camp was built just at the entrance of the valley, connecting the high plateaus on both sides, and sealing the entire valley entrance except for the Jingshui River in the middle. die,
Moreover, there are obstacles such as fences, horses, and antlers outside the camp, and there are sentry towers and watchtowers on the high plateaus on both sides. The defense can be said to be quite tight.
No wonder, after all, it has been attacked by Xixia several times, so Zhang Kang naturally has to spend more time here.
When approaching the camp, Guo Kui took the lead in riding forward.
Most of the Imperial Guards stationed there recognized this Jingyuan Road Commander, and the team leaders hurriedly stepped forward and saluted: "Guo Commander came to inspect our Zhenrong Army today?"
Guo Kui said seriously: "Today, I am accompanying Xiao Zhao Langjun, the deputy envoy specially sent by the imperial court to recruit and pacify the troops, to inspect the Zhenrong Army. You should immediately send someone to report to Feng Zhijun."
Managing, recruiting, and appeasing the deputy envoys?
The deputy envoy named Mingtou, who had three positions in one, was startled and quickly sent someone to report.
When Zhao Yang and his entourage broke through the camp and arrived at Gaopingzhai, the main stronghold of the Zhenrong Army, Feng Wenjun, the chief officer of the Zhenrong Army, hurriedly came to greet him. When he saw Guo Kui, he asked urgently: "That deputy envoy Zhao Where?"
Guo Kui raised his finger and pointed at Zhao Yang and introduced: "This is Zhao Yang, the deputy envoy for recruitment and appeasement sent by the imperial court. He is a doctor from the Ministry of Industry, admonished by Shizhong and Yousi, and is also the commander of the Tianwu Fifth Army. , Deputy Envoy Zhao."
Feng Wenjun was dumbfounded when he heard the series of official posts. When he came to his senses, he quickly saluted: "Feng Wenjun, who knows the Zhenrong Army, has met Deputy Envoy Zhao."
Seeing that the other party was at least forty years old, Zhao Yang comforted him and said: "We are all our own people, so Feng Zhijun doesn't have to be polite. ... Can Feng Zhijun give me a general introduction to the Suppressing Army, such as the situation of the garrison."
"Yes." Feng Wenjun accepted the order with his hand and said seriously: "The troops stationed in our Zhenrong Army include the twelve battalions of the Forbidden Guards Ma Sifanluo Legion, with one battalion of 400 horsemen and a total of 4,800 horsemen; and there are also bodyguards Under the jurisdiction of the Infantry Division are two battalions of the Baojie Regiment, one battalion of the Qingbian Crossbowmen Regiment, and one battalion of the Dinggong Regiment, a total of four battalions of 2,000 infantry."
"So much?" Zhao Yang frowned and asked, "Where are the number of Xiang soldiers, rural soldiers, and Fan soldiers?"
Feng Wenjun hurriedly replied: "There are more than 2,000 Xiang soldiers and more than 20,000 registered rural soldiers. However, they are scattered throughout the military state on weekdays and can be recruited during war. As for the Fan soldiers, there are also registered soldiers." Although the 20,000 people are under the command of the military state, most of them are scattered among their tribes. Only a small number of them have long-term posts, about 2,000 people, who are driven by the military state."
Zhao Yang nodded thoughtfully and suddenly asked Guo Kui: "Does the Fan army count as Han or Fan?"
Guo Kui naturally understood what Zhao Yang was worried about, and said in a low voice: "Most of the Tibetan legions are Tubo and other Tibetan relatives who have attached themselves to the Song Dynasty. These people are willing to accept the household registration of the people, so the imperial court can safely recruit them as guards. The pro-army, Jin is the forbidden army, which is probably credible if there are no accidents. On the contrary, those who are unwilling to accept the household registration and the people, only maintain a fettered relationship with our Song Dynasty, these Tibetan soldiers need to be on guard. ... This type of Tibetan soldiers, Shaanxi There are probably 100,000 people in the four groups. Counting the men, women, old and children in the tribe, I guess there may be at least 200,000 to 300,000 people."
"Only in Shaanxi?"
"Yes."
"What about outside the country?"
Guo Kui smiled bitterly and said: "Then I don't know what the official is, I'm afraid it won't be more than doubled."
Feng Wenjun was listening to the conversation between Zhao Yang and Guo Kui from the side. He didn't know whether he should listen or not. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy. He asked tentatively: "I'm sorry to be presumptuous, but Deputy Ambassador Zhao mentioned the Tibetan Legion..."
Zhao Yang did not hide anything, and said in a relaxed tone: "It's nothing, it's just that the imperial court wants to organize the Tibetan people in Shaanxi into a policy to integrate the people. I was worried that the Tibetan people would be dissatisfied, so I asked about the composition of the Tibetan army..."
Feng Wenjun was startled, looked around and whispered: "Isn't it appropriate to mention such a big event outside?"
"It's okay." Zhao Yang glanced at the officials next to Feng Wenjun who also looked shocked, and said nonchalantly: "Xixia is busy dealing with the Liao Kingdom's crusade and is too busy to take care of itself. It should not have time to support the people on the border between Song and Xia. , so we will take advantage of this period of time to completely eliminate the hidden dangers of the Tibetan people... Specifically, the chief envoy Gao Ruona and Mr. Gao will assign tasks, and I will only be in charge of military affairs... Feng Zhijun must also take precautions."
Feng Wenjun cupped his hands and said, "Don't worry, sir. I will immediately send people to keep an eye on those Tibetan tribes."
Zhao Yang nodded, but did not forget to warn: "Only keep an eye on him, and don't add any extraneous information. First, wait for Mr. Gao to send someone to appease and win over. If he obeys, everyone will be happy; if he doesn't, let's talk about military affairs."
"Follow your orders!" Feng Wenjun secretly exclaimed, surprised by Zhao Yang's methodical approach.
Later, under the leadership of Feng Wenjun and others, Zhao Yang and his party also visited the foraging field on the west side of Gaoping Village. As expected, it was crowded and extremely lively.
During this period, an official rushed to Feng Wenjun's side and whispered a few words in his ear.
Feng Wenjun nodded and whispered to Zhao Yang: "The envoy came here with five hundred forbidden troops. It seemed to have alerted the supervisory officials stationed here in Xixia. Just now someone came to report that those guys were asking the envoy everywhere. , and the subordinates of the five hundred forbidden troops accompanying the envoy, do you want to..."
"Don't worry about it."
Zhao Yang shook his head and said: "It is only a matter of time before Xixia learns about it. I have never expected to be able to completely hide the fact that Xixia will implement household registration and equalize the people. Anyway, with the control of Liao State, Xixia has too much to take care of itself."
The next day, Zhao Yang, led by Feng Wenjun, inspected the garrison camps of the Zhenrong Army, and then continued north to Huaide Army to inspect the garrison situation, then went to Xi'an Prefecture, Huizhou, and finally circled back to Deshun The army returned to Weizhou after an inspection along the way.
After this round of inspection, Fan Chunren and Wen Tong also needed to record the local topography, so it took half a month.
On the other side, Gao Ruona was not idle either. In the past half month, he met successively with Du Qi, the envoy of Huanqing Road and Zhiqingzhou, Cao Yingshu, the envoy of Qinfeng Road and Cao Yingshu, who knew Fengxiang Prefecture, and Cao Yingshu, the envoy of Yanzhou and Yanzhou. Li Zhaoliang also met with Shaanxi officials such as Cheng Kan of Hezhong Prefecture, Liang Shi of Zhiqinzhou, Wang Zhenglun of Jingzhou, and Liu Ji of Pizhou, to discuss the matter of household registration for the people.
In the last few days of mid-May, rumors about the Song Dynasty's intention to ban the Jisi in the Fourth Road of Shaanxi Province quickly spread throughout the various Tibetan tribes in Jingyuan Road, with the acquiescence and even encouragement of the Jingyuan Road officials.
