Wang Zhongsi was much more familiar with the furnishings here than Fang Chongyong. With ease, he took the other party to the "activity room" where the soldiers usually held drinks and gambled. They saw that the place was as clean and tidy as new, as if they were staying here for the first time.
"Guo Ziyi manages the army well, combining strength and softness. He is a fellow countryman of mine, and my parents have been familiar with him since then. You can trust him, and then walk around more in Hexi, see more and ask more questions.
Traveling thousands of miles is like reading thousands of books.
When something happens, you can listen to what Guo Ziyi has to say. He won't stay here for long. After you become familiar with Hexi's affairs, I will recommend him to be Shuofang's military envoy. Even if it fails, he can be promoted a few levels.
Nowadays, officers in the Tang Dynasty have to follow their own paths to get promoted, unlike in the early years when they were all based on military merit. Guo Ziyi is a capable person. I recommend him as a contribution to the country.
Although he used his power, it was not for personal gain and he had a clear conscience. "
Wang Zhongsi said to Fang Zhongyong with some emotion.
"Father-in-law doesn't have to say this to his son-in-law."
Fang Chongyong was made to laugh and cry by the serious Wang Zhongsi. He was not here to examine his father-in-law!
"You are now joining the army from the capital of Liangzhou. I am telling you this as the envoy of the Chishui Army, but I have finished talking now.
Please also tell me about the things you encounter along the way. "
Wang Zhongsi waited with interest for Fang Chongyong's speech. The more he looked at his future son-in-law, the more satisfied he became, and he wished he could marry his daughter tomorrow.
Fang Chongyong's "disappearance" caused such a stir that even Hexi Jiedu Mansion offered a reward of 10,000 yuan! After learning about this, Wang Zhongsi told Guo Ziyi privately, asking him to just wait quietly in Liangzhou City for Fang Chongyong to come, instead of looking around like a headless fly.
"Is such that……"
Fang Chongyong introduced in detail how he met Dugujun and Gao Shi, how he sneaked into Dugujun's team and established a good relationship with them and became brothers, and how he met the Hu bandits after passing Wulan Pass, and then found out that these people were People from Bai Tingjun pretended to be.
Finally, he also talked about sending Guo Ziyi to lead troops to the north of Baitinghai.
As for the matter of establishing a "military order" with Cui Xiyi, he ignored it. The Tubo people were ready to make a move, so there was no need to plant a nail between the Hexi Jiedushi envoy and the Chishui military envoy.
Fang Chongyong still has a sense of the overall situation.
If he couldn't fight himself, he wouldn't hinder those who could fight. Otherwise, internal strife would lead to Tubo conquering Liangzhou City, and wouldn't everyone die?
"This time I came to Hexi to serve as the Chishui Army envoy, and I found that the customs in the army were greatly corrupted. I can rectify the Chishui Army internally, but I am beyond my reach in other armies. From what you have seen and heard, it is actually better to use strict orders and give small rewards. scourge.”
Wang Zhongsi shook his head and sighed. What happened to Fang Chongyong was not surprising.
In fact, as far as he knew, there were cases where border troops killed all the travelers along the way after robbing them. It was simply killing people along the way. As long as you kill people, no one will see them doing evil.
The border troops of the Tang Dynasty were ruthless in killing the Tubo people, and they were not merciless in killing the common people.
So what Bai Tingjun did this time was actually "not too much."
Wang Zhongsi introduced to Fang Chongyong the "hidden rules" of border troops pretending to be bandits.
The first is to leave no one alive. As long as the party is robbed, they will definitely die for both humans and animals. Everyone acquiesces to the unspoken rules, but if the lid is lifted, it will become untenable and no one can justify it. Therefore, those who have seen the "robbers" must die.
Secondly, officials of the Tang Dynasty on the Silk Road must not be killed. Tang people will not kill them if they can. It depends on the situation. If there is no threat, they will be let go. If there is a slightest threat, they will be dealt with mercilessly.
Finally, all military envoys knew about these things, and some even tacitly approved of them.
Even Wang Zhongsi, who "airborne" here not long ago, knew a lot of similar things, and he couldn't control them.
He has been in the military for decades, so how could he not know about such a thing? Not doing evil yourself, and being jealous of evil and taking action when you see others doing evil. Those are two completely different moral standards!
In the Hexi Corridor, no matter right or wrong, in the end, whether military envoys or military envoys, these Qiuba people were needed to fight the Tubo people. If the court does not provide generous rewards, similar things will always happen, and supporting laws will always be just a piece of paper.
These matters are beyond the control of Wang Zhongsi, the envoy of the Chishui Army. They are Li Longji's business!
"If you take command in the future and confront the Tibetan army, you will understand why the Hexi frontier army did such despicable things. Liangzhou is doing well, but Shazhou (Dunhuang) is in chaos, pretending to be barbarians. It's not just the Tang Dynasty's border troops. People from all walks of life take turns to fight, it's like a chaotic dance of demons.
The Hu merchants over there have a large caravan with hundreds of camels and an entourage of one or two thousand. The small group of ruthless bandits are really no match for them. "
Wang Zhongsi said with some emotion.
His tolerance towards the border troops pretending to be bandits greatly exceeded Fang Chongyong's expectations.
Seeing Fang Chongyong's disappointed expression, Wang Zhongsi smiled and said: "But you handled it well, why don't you follow me out of Liangzhou City now and go to the Chishui Army Station. In Chiwu Town, there are The red spring rising from it is very spectacular.”
Wang Zhongsi suggested.
Fang Chongyong readily agreed to this.
In fact, Wang Zhongsi did this to protect Fang Chongyong. Liangzhou City was too big, and there were hundreds of thousands of people living there, and it was far less safe than Chiwu Town, where the Chishui Army was stationed.
"That's fine, let's set off now. By the way, do you know how far away Baitinghai is from Liangzhou City?"
Wang Zhongsi thought of this incident and asked in a funny tone.
"Isn't it just a few dozen miles bigger?"
Fang Chongyong looked confused and didn't think there was anything wrong.
"How many tens of miles? No, no, no, to be precise, it's nearly three hundred miles!"
Wang Zhongsi said with a smile.
"The Baiting army traveled hundreds of miles to rob dozens of monks?"
Fang Chongyong felt bad. Why were these Qiu Ba people so careless in their work?
"No, this is where they are smart. In addition to the people who do it, the shops along the road may have spies who can know where the monks are at any time.
And here in Liangzhou, you must not use distance to judge the time it takes for the army to march. In some places, it is difficult to win or lose in a life-and-death fight between people of different sizes, and you cannot move a few feet in a year; in some places, you can attack thousands of miles but you can defeat them with one blow, and there is a battlefield within a thousand miles. What routines can be followed?
Although Baitinghai is not close to Liangzhou, it has fertile water and grass along the way. Humans can't walk on two legs, but horses can run as fast as flying, as if they were walking on flat ground. It doesn't take a lot of time to go back and forth.
A horse farm of the Chishui Army is just south of Baitinghai. More than half of the 13,000 horses in the army came from there. "
Hearing this, Fang Chongyong breathed a sigh of relief. He thought he had almost tricked Lao Guo. It turns out that the "far" in Lao Guo's heart is completely different from the "far" in his heart.
Both sides misunderstood each other's intentions, but in the end they magically fit together!
"Let's set off now."
Fang Chongyong yawned, followed Wang Zhongsi, and then got into a carriage and left Liangzhou City.
Chiwu Town is really a few dozen miles away from Liangzhou City and will be there in a short while. Unfortunately, Fang Chongyong was too tired and fell asleep in the carriage, so he was unable to watch the famous "Red Spring" in the first place.
…
Bai Dinh Hai is not a sea, but it is indeed a beautiful place.
This shallow lake is created by glacial snow water rushing down from the Snowy Mountains (name of the place) and flowing to the end of the low-altitude plain area. The surrounding water and grass are luxuriant, there are flocks of cattle and sheep, and water birds inhabit. It is called Baitinghai because the water here is pure white.
The Tang army set up the Baiting Army here. In addition to warning the Turks of sudden southward movement, it also had the purpose of guarding the horse farms belonging to the Tang army around Baitinghai and supervising the collection of taxes from herdsmen grazing.
That's right, ordinary people have to pay taxes just for cutting down a tree on the outskirts of Chang'an. Why should the fertile grassland be used for herdsmen to graze without harvesting it?
The money was collected reasonably, because the Tang army protected the safety of their cattle and sheep.
In the early morning of this day, the sky had just turned white, and several small boats were sailing towards the north shore of Baiting Sea. This kind of boat is a special means of transportation on the Bai Dinh sea. It has a wide bottom and a very shallow draft.
Because the Baiting Army was stationed partly on the south bank and the other part in the center of the lake, a small garrison was built.
Also known as "Baiting Fort".
This Baiting Fort was not built by the Tang people, but during the Western Han Dynasty. After reconstruction in the Tang Dynasty, it became what it is now. It is the headquarters of the Baiting Army.
After these ships docked, a few strong men in linen clothes got off one of the ships and looked around. Then they saw not far away, several middle-aged men dressed as Turkic businessmen who had been waiting for a long time, walking straight over.
"Where's the stuff?"
One of the leading Turks asked in proficient and authentic Liangzhou Chinese.
"Where's the money on the boat?" the leading young man who got off the boat asked eagerly.
"In the carriage, a mile from here."
Hearing this, the young man seemed to be relieved.
"You guys inspect the goods first. The cassocks and gold-threaded Buddhist robes from Chang'an! If they are sold to Tianzhu, I can't even imagine the price. The goods are absolutely fine!"
"Of course I have to take a look."
The leading Turkic merchant nodded to a certain Turkic entourage beside him. The man seemed to be inspecting the goods after boarding the ship, and then came back and whispered in the ear of the leading Turkic merchant for a long time.
"The cassock smells of blood. If it is sold to a temple in Tianzhu, it may be disliked. We have to spend a lot of money to deal with these problems. Let me give you 10 pieces for each piece. This price is very sincere. "
The Turkic businessman smiled slyly and said confidently.
A ten-piece gold-threaded Buddhist robe, haha, it’s better to grab it directly.
The Turkic businessman knows that he is asking for a high price, and he is waiting for the other party to counter-offer. Isn't this how business is done?
"Can."
The young man who spoke before nodded slightly and did not bargain, which was somewhat unexpected.
The Turkic businessman was a little surprised, but he still gave some instructions to the people around him.
After a while, a carriage arrived, and several Turks brought down a box of coins. When they opened the box, they found gold and silver coins that were popular in Persian food. There were all kinds of coins, like a hodgepodge.
"There must be a lot of money, including the loss in money exchange. The extra money is the money for your drinks."
After speaking, the Turkic businessman nodded slightly to the young man, appreciating his knowledge and interest.
"Go and carry the goods to the carriage. If it doesn't fit, put it on the horse."
The Turkic merchant ordered his subordinates.
Soon his men began to move things on board the ship. At this moment, the young man took advantage of the Turkic businessman's inattention, pulled out the short knife from his waist and stabbed it directly into the opponent's abdomen!
"you……"
The Turkic businessmen couldn't believe that Bai Tingjun was their "old friend" who had cooperated with them for many years. He had always been known for his good reputation and never missed an appointment. They didn't expect that Bai Tingjun could be so cruel when he turned against him!
"Kill you. These are all mine. What price do I need to pay you back?"
The young man smiled slyly, drew out his short knife, and then kicked the Turkic merchant to the ground.
His entourage was also a person who was skilled in fighting. By deliberate arithmetic or not, the Turks on the boat, on the carriage, and on the shore were all killed before they could even react.
There were no casualties on his side.
"Envoy Xin Jun, your move is really powerful! These Turks never expected that it was the military envoy who took action this time!"
One of his men came over and said flatteringly.
The young man who just spoke to the Turkic businessman turned out to be Xin Yunjing, the military envoy of the Baiting Army!
Xin Yunjing was born in the Xin family of Longyou, and many of his children were powerful generals in Hexi. The Baiting Army is called an army, but in fact its military strength is not even as good as that of a larger guard. It is a typical "short-shirted gang wearing long shirts."
"You lost all the fish charms and caused a lot of trouble for me to wipe your ass! I can't guarantee whether you can save your life this time. Let's go back to Baitingbao with the stolen goods, Cui Commander Jie should send someone to investigate."
Xin Yunjing was angry and kicked the person who had just flattered him.
The Baiting soldiers in civilian clothes loaded the box of coins and the blood-stained cassocks onto the ship. He also loaded the corpses of many Turks onto another ship, packed them all up, and left!
On the mound not far away, A Duan looked at Guo Ziyi dissatisfied and said: "You... have different intentions!"
Waving his hand gently, Guo Ziyi was too lazy to talk nonsense to a servant servant who couldn't speak Chinese fluently. He would naturally explain it to Fang Chongyong after he returned.
When the two sides were fighting just now, he could indeed order his team of cavalry to charge down. But what to do after rushing down?
Directly break up with Bai Tingjun?
Guo Ziyi didn't know how to deal with this unexpected change in Fang Chongyong, and he didn't dare to make his own decisions, because this was a question with no standard answer.
The Baiting Army killed the Turks, which naturally proves that this "money path" will be cut off from now on, at least for a few years. Otherwise, who will dare to do business with the Baiting Army if their reputation is ruined?
Once the Turk in charge of receiving the goods dies, Bai Tingjun's rhetoric will be richer. Simply put, there are no taboos. Anyway, people die without evidence. Although they can't remove the suspicion of robbery and murder, they can muddy the water!
They can even say that they are pulling the strings all the time, and those Turks are all Turk spies! The one who ruined their good deeds was the Chishui Army!
This situation of "the father-in-law says the public is right, and the mother-in-law says the mother-in-law is right" would be very detrimental to Wang Zhongsi, because after all, he had just airborne the Chishui Army envoy not long ago. The Chishui Army may not all listen to him, but the Baiting Army will probably completely unite. Without the ability to take action, the Chishui Army, which has a strong military force, would suffer a loss if it started a verbal war with others.
Guo Ziyi believes that since things have changed unexpectedly, it is an appropriate way to take a step back and observe the situation before formulating new countermeasures.
Of course that's what he thought, but it's hard to say what Wang Zhongsi and Fang Chongyong thought.
"Things are screwed up!"
Guo Ziyi sighed softly and muttered to himself, silently remembering Xin Yunjing, the commander of the Baiting Army, in his heart.
This is a ruthless character. If you are cruel to outsiders, you will be even more cruel to yourself.
"Go back to Chiwu Town!"
Guo Ziyi ordered in a deep voice.
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(End of chapter)
