"A Duan, don't shoot, this is not Kuizhou!"
Fang Chongyong saw A Duan nocking his bow and preparing to shoot an arrow at a running bandit. He quickly held him down and growled.
Countless examples can prove that sailing with caution will last forever. So there is a saying: The older you get, the less courage you get.
People who are more responsive to changes in their environment tend to live longer.
I have to say that Dugujun, who has experience in serving in border towns, is right. Fang Chongyong was surprised to find that those people didn't even bother to pay attention to them and walked directly through the road. They didn't even bother to send someone to their small camp to observe.
In the late spring season, there is still a chill in the night wind, and Fang Chongyong also has a chill in his heart. According to Dugujun, this area is under the absolute control of the Tang army and is not within the area where Tibet is preparing to attack.
Why do you say this? Because Tubo wanted to adopt a "circumventing and outflanking" strategy against the Tang Dynasty. First, gnaw down the Hexi Corridor step by step, cutting off the connection between Anxi Protectorate and Beiting Protectorate and Longyou.
Then, start from the two directions of Jiannan and Longyou, and the goal is Guanzhong.
Tubo mainly besieged the Tang forces in the Western Regions and was not in a hurry to capture them.
No matter how they operate, they don't have to start here first. Not only is it far away from the supply line, but there are very few troops stationed on the front line and there are fewer targets for harassment.
If everything is true as Dugujun said, then the answer is already obvious.
In this place where the Tang Army had absolute control and there were not even many Hu tribes around, there was no place for Hu bandits to survive.
Barbarian bandits are not created out of thin air. Although they may be large or small in size, these people are generally people from the surrounding barbarian tribes. They have superb riding skills, are good at fighting on horseback, and come and go like the wind.
They obtained goods through plunder and then sold the stolen goods through tribal channels.
Why Sogdian barbarian merchants thrived in the Western Regions was because they not only sold goods through normal channels, but also took over stolen business, and barbarian bandits also needed them.
After thinking about these things, the answer is already clear: what just passed by was a Tang army without military uniforms! The purpose of the action is also unclear.
However, it was obvious from their different styles of clothes illuminated by torches that this attack was definitely "private work."
These people kept the team neat and uniform, even when they were attacking, they did not appear messy. They simply had the words "Datang Frontier Army" carved on their foreheads.
Where are these well-trained bandits? If there were, who would dare to walk the Silk Road? The Chishui Army should stop guarding against Tibet and go to suppress the bandits first.
"Brother Dugu, this is the Tang Army."
Fang Chongyong said solemnly.
"Don't be nosy."
Dugujun raised his hand to stop Fang Chongyong from continuing. It was obvious that he knew something inside. At least, he has definitely seen similar incidents.
"Put out the fire!"
Dugujun ordered the guard leader.
Soon, the surrounding area fell into darkness.
The group of people waited in fear. There seemed to be sounds of fighting in the distance, and screams echoed in the valley, which seemed not far away from where they were.
About half an hour, or maybe an hour, anyway, everyone was waiting in agony, and no one bothered to think about how much time had passed.
The group of people began to return in an orderly manner, and the smell of blood began to permeate their bodies. Fang Chongyong frowned slightly, did not speak, and just watched the group of "horse bandits" leave coldly.
From the light of the torches, it could be seen that each person's horse was carrying more cloth that shone with gold than when they arrived. There is no need to think about it. Apart from silk, there is no other kind of cloth worth grabbing on the Silk Road.
"A prosperous age is only for the country. For an individual, a prosperous age does not mean that there is no misfortune.
Man cannot compete with God! "
Dugujun sighed with emotion.
These words floated in the wind, and I don't know if they were heard by those "horse gangsters". Anyway, no one in the team paid attention to them.
The robbers Tang Jun pretended to be were also robbers. Robbers have their professional nature and are not murderers, nor do they take pleasure in killing people.
Their purpose is very clear, which is to rob and then sell the stolen goods.
In the eyes of those bandits, Fang Chongyong and his party were insignificant bugs, not even worth sending someone to check.
If you check it, you will have to kill these people, which will leave more loopholes. In the end, you will have to take risks to clear these loopholes that are easy for people to trace. In the process of clearing out old clues, new clues may be left behind, thus turning a small matter into a major event that will kill people and capsize the ship.
Instead of sending people to check, people like Fang Chongyong would not be able to see any clues from a distance, so avoiding extraneous problems is the safest way.
Fang Chongyong noticed that this group of "barbarian bandits" were well-trained and did things neatly. This was definitely not the first time they had done this. Maybe, these gangsters disguised as Tang Jun are already "habitual offenders".
Thinking that the style of the Tang Dynasty border troops in Hexi was so "rippling", it really made Wang Zhongsi sweat.
"We'll wait until dawn, don't light a fire!"
Dugujun ordered in a low voice.
At this time, the bright moon hung high in the night sky, as bright as new. It was a pity that none of Fang Chongyong and the others were in the mood to appreciate this beautiful white moonlight.
The mountains in the Longyou area of Hexi lack shelter. The mountains are covered with low shrubs, and strong winds sound like ghosts howling. Fang Chongyong and his group of more than a dozen people stayed up all night in the simple camp, just like mice avoiding natural enemies, and the cold wind blew all night long.
When the sun rose the next day, they truly felt that they had walked outside the gate of hell.
Finally, there are no branches outside the festival! It’s great to be alive, and I don’t know which of my ancestral graves caused the smoke to come out.
The romance of the Hexi Corridor, "The solitary smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun is setting in the long river" is not unworthy of appreciation, but there is a necessary prerequisite, that is, the dog's head around your neck is still there.
Looking at the rising sun slowly rising from the horizon, Dugujun stood up and said solemnly: "Let's get on our way now without further delay. It's not yet guaranteed that these bandits will not turn back."
"No!"
Fang Chongyong raised his hand and flatly refused.
"You guys wait for me here. Aduan will go east with me to have a look. I want to know where the merchants were massacred."
Fang Chongyong's attitude was very firm, which made Dugujun a little confused.
Your father will become a Jiedushi, and your father-in-law will soon become a Jiedushi. Do you need to be so desperate?
Even the nine-lived monster cat can't resist that damn curiosity!
"Uh... Dear brother, the victims do deserve sympathy, but this doesn't seem to have much to do with us."
Dugujun said with a somewhat unnatural look on his face.
He had already guessed what Fang Chongyong wanted to do. But it is a good thing for young people to be passionate, but it is not appropriate to be reckless.
Speaking for the dead and upholding justice for the dead are the most stupid and ignorant things in the world!
Anyone who upholds justice for the dead is still seeking the interests of the living! This principle has been screwed up!
Were those Tang troops last night barbarians?
Yes, but that's just one of their identities.
They also have another identity, that is, they are border town soldiers who protect their homes and country!
When fighting Tibet, they were on the front line! If you think you can do it, you can go first after the Tibetans attack!
There are so many robberies of Hu merchants every year that Liangzhou Prefecture does not even record them. They are basically headless public cases.
Isn't it interesting for you to take the lead in something that Liangzhou Prefecture and Hexi Jiedu Envoy don't care about?
That’s not how young heroes are meant to be, right?
"We pretended not to see them when they were robbing Sogdian merchants.
When they snatched the falcon traders, we pretended not to see them.
We still pretended not to see them when they were robbing the Turkic merchants.
There is no airtight wall in the world. When the Tibetans start fighting with us one day, you will find that no one is on our side.
The reason why rules can become rules is that justice is the most important word! "
Fang Chongyong looked at Dugujun seriously and said.
Seeing that the other party was still in a daze, he continued to emphasize:
“Guards who protect trade routes should not become robbers who block roads and kill people.
We are the initiators of the Silk Road. This road originated from the Silk Road and benefited all countries in the Western Region. So when the Tibetans came, almost all the countries in the Western Regions were willing to cooperate with us in resisting the Tibetans. The sage's decrees can be echoed by hundreds of people in the Western Regions.
Because Tubo could not give them the silk they needed, they could only side with the Tang Dynasty.
But if the Tang Dynasty border troops participated in looting, wouldn't they be no different from the Tubo people? Will Datang's governance in the Western Regions be able to maintain it by then?
Will the people of various countries in the Western Region still take the saint's call seriously? "
After hearing these words, Dugujun couldn't help but stand in awe!
He was sincerely convinced and the other party Zhongyong crossed his hands and saluted and said: "As expected of the son of the world-famous Fang Jieshuai, these words are truly inspiring. My dear brother's words made me enlightened. I will go with you now. If we get to Liang Zhoucheng can also be a witness.”
"Well, let's go together then."
Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said, he was completely different from the young man who was too scared to move last night.
His reasons for insisting on investigating the matter were certainly not that high-sounding.
For the Qiu Ba people in the border town, if everything is linked to money, then there is not much way to go before they conspire to rebel. Maybe they only need an opportunity to become the domineering Ya Bing Ya of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms. Will.
Do you expect the Tang border troops who dared to rob passing merchants to fight against the Tibetans?
Fang Chongyong didn't believe it.
He is in Hexi. If you don't pay attention to this matter, you will be burying a huge hidden danger around you!
After Dugujun left five guards to guard valuables such as carriages and horses, he led the others to follow the dried blood on the ground and follow the river.
The water in the Hexi Corridor is almost all "weak water", that is, the kind of river that can only provide water sources for human production and life, but cannot be used as a shipping channel. Soon, they found dozens of corpses in a meandering place with "weak water".
These people are not merchants, but monks who are unmistakable. All of them were bald, and even the "three clothes" on their bodies were not left behind. They were all stripped away, and they looked naked.
It looked extremely scary in the sunlight.
"It's those monks from Tianzhu."
Fang Chongyong sighed and said that they had met this group of people before on the road and chatted for a while.
It's just that this group of people talked a lot about Buddhism, and their Chinese was not good, so they couldn't communicate well. Although they met occasionally later, the two sides had no intersection.
Fang Chongyong and the others only knew that in order to promote Buddhism, these people customized a large number of silk cassocks in Chang'an. Not only were they made of silk, but they were also mixed with gold threads. The golden cassocks looked very eye-catching along the way.
At that time, Fang Chongyong felt that they were acting too arrogantly and something would happen sooner or later. He tried to persuade them, but the monks didn't take them seriously.
Probably, they think this is also a kind of spiritual practice.
Unexpectedly, only one night later, this group of people would be slaughtered by the bandits disguised as Tang Jun.
"Let's go, there's nothing to see here. What happened in Hexi is not an exception. If you can keep yourself safe, just ask God to worship Buddha and thank God. I really can't take care of too many other things."
Dugujun said with emotion.
This group of Tianzhu monks is in a relatively miserable situation, but there is nothing they can do about it. This is how the world is. If the dust of the times presses on a person, it may be a disaster. If you really want to blame it, then blame it on bad luck.
Dugujun had seen worse things before when he was at the Anxi Protectorate. But so what, who remembers those unlucky guys now? They have long since become the dust of time, just like the sand in the Hexi Corridor.
However, Dugujun saw that Fang Chongyong seemed to be looking for something on the ground.
"What's this?"
Fang Chongyong suddenly picked up a fish-shaped flat object from the ground and asked Dugujun.
This thing shines with golden light, dazzling people's eyes in the sun.
"Fish Talisman!"
Dugujun was shocked and snatched the thing from Fang Chongyong's hand.
Those who don’t know are definitely indifferent, but those who know this stuff, who can stay calm?
You must know that this fish charm is no small matter! This is irrefutable evidence that the Tang army participated in robbery and killing!
This fish charm has a hole in the head and is in the shape of a fish. It seems to be only five or six centimeters in size. The material should be made of copper.
It has a slightly raised fish shape on the front and a pattern of fish scales. The back is flat with the word "同" engraved on it.
Obviously, this is only half of it, there is another half. Fang Chongyong estimates that the word "合" should be written on the other half.
Contract contract, this modern term should come from this.
Below the raised word "Tong" is also written: Baiting Hainan Baiting Zuojun. The characters were carved crookedly and ugly, and it was obviously carved by Qiu Ba in the army.
It's true. Yesterday's attack was carried out by the Baiting Army deployed in Liangzhou. These people probably thought that the targets of this trip were monks who were not afraid of anything, so they were a little too confident.
The Baiting Army was stationed at Baitinghai, north of Chishui Town, where the Chishui Army was stationed, in order to provide early warning of the Turks moving south. Now that the Turks have declined and Tibet has risen, the importance of the Baiting Army has also begun to decline.
Fang Chongyong seemed to understand why the other party wanted to attack this group of Tianzhu monks.
Baitinghai is actually a shallow lake and swamp. It is easy for them to sell these stolen cassocks to the Turks through certain channels. They will not appear in the Hexi Corridor at all, and naturally they cannot be traced.
At that time, the soldiers involved in this matter will share the money and everyone can live happily.
The newly arrived Wang Zhongsi was the Chishui military envoy, not the Baiting military envoy, and could not control them.
Cui Xiyi, the military governor, was a weak military governor just like Niu Xianke. He usually turned a blind eye to such things.
Of course, if Baiting's army attacked officials from the Tang Dynasty who came to Hexi, Cui Xiyi would definitely find out and kill as many as they could. This was also the main reason why the gang didn't come to trouble Fang Chongyong and the others last night.
The hemp pole beats the wolf, both sides are afraid! Last night, it was not only Fang Chongyong and the others who were shivering, but actually the soldiers involved in the matter in the Baiting Army were also worried about causing trouble.
"Let's go, Bai Ting's army will definitely not dare to move during the day, but they will definitely come tonight after discovering that the fish charm is lost.
We will rush to Liangzhou City now, and we will definitely arrive before they leave.
When he arrived in Liangzhou, he gave the fish talisman to the Hexi Jiedu envoy. These fish charms are all regulated, or it doesn't matter if there are the same ones. Just ask everyone with the identity of this fish charm to stand up and show the fish charm in their hand. Those who don't have it are the masterminds of this matter. "
Dugujun said urgently.
"Let's go to Liangzhou City now!"
Fang Chongyong said in a deep voice, and he also understood that his group was not completely out of danger yet. The "Hu Bandit" of Baiting Army who was "careless" last night can definitely guess who has the lost fish charm.
They definitely won't be able to find him during the day. After they go out at night, everyone along the way will definitely be killed! Kill and then search!
The group of people quickly prepared the carriage, adjusted the horses and started on the road, even using their energy to suck milk!
But, will everything be settled smoothly when we arrive in Liangzhou City?
Fang Chongyong had a question mark in his heart.
Chapter 2 is here, there are three more chapters to come
(End of chapter)
