Wang Yansheng's ridicule was nothing to Pu Le, who had gone through a lot of hardships all the way and had become extremely strong-willed. Facing the scrutinizing gaze of the Han Dynasty general Wang Yansheng, he responded with a low profile: "Because the small country of Xizhou is difficult to defeat the tyrannical Khitans, my Khan sent his ministers to ask for help from the Central Plains Celestial Empire!"
Probably because he was satisfied with the humble gesture of the Uighur envoy, Wang Yansheng did not really mean to embarrass him. He glanced at Cao Yuangong and Pule for several times, as if he was curious about how the Uighur envoy got involved with the Uighur envoy.
"What's your loss?" Wang Yansheng asked Cao Yuangong.
"The thieves are strong, and more than half of the followers were killed or injured. If the general had not rescued him in time, we would all be dead! Hundreds of strong horses selected as tribute to the emperor, and more than a dozen carts of valuables were robbed!" Cao Yuangong said simply! said.
"What a bold robber! He even dared to touch the envoys, and he even dared to steal the tributes given to the Emperor of Han Dynasty!" Hearing this, Wang Yansheng said murderously: "I haven't encountered anything like this in many years!"
Noticing the tragic situation of the mission, Wang Yansheng's eyes became colder than the weather, and said: "I'm afraid these bandits are not that simple!"
After all, Wang Yansheng is a veteran who has been stationed at the border for more than ten years. He also understands the situation in the northwest region. He does not need to think too much about many things, and he has sharp enough judgment.
After listening to what he said, Cao Yuangong also expressed his previous thoughts: "General, as I see below, the bandits are not afraid of death, well-trained, and their combat command is also very organized. They are definitely not ordinary bandits. !”
"Humph!" Wang Yansheng grunted, raised his eyes and looked thoughtfully in the direction where the horse bandits were fleeing.
"General, there are many casualties in the mission. It has been a hard battle. We are exhausted, and we are short of medicine. We still hope for help!" Cao Yuangong took the initiative to request.
After taking a look at the old man, Wang Yansheng waved his hand and said simply: "You pack up, I will order someone to take you to Guzang. When you get to Guzang, someone will arrange it for you!"
Hearing this, Cao Yuangong's face suddenly showed joy, he bowed his hands and said, "Thank you, general!"
From the beginning to the end, Wang Yansheng sat on horseback and talked with a high profile. Neither Cao Yuangong nor Pule, the Uighur envoy, seemed dissatisfied with this.
After achieving effective communication, the team relaxed completely, quickly cleared away the casualties, and packed up the remaining tributes. With these seemingly powerful men riding on the side, a group of people who had experienced the test of life and death for the first time also They all felt inexplicably at ease.
Wang Yansheng, instead of asking his soldiers to help, just reined in his horse and at the same time sent out a hundred cavalry to pursue the bandits in the direction they fled. This was not to entrust Da Da, but on the way here, he sent another battalion general to lead 300 riders from the north along the old Great Wall of Liangzhou to intercept the rampant horse bandits.
About half an hour later, there was another movement from the northwest, and the sound of hoofs treading on the ice and snow was very obvious. However, the high-flying Han flag made the team relax again after their tense nerves.
The Han cavalry who returned were still fully equipped and had not lost many people, but they had obviously experienced a battle and were full of murderous intent. Their robes were stained with blood. What makes people feel horrified is probably the human head attached to the horse that keeps shaking as it advances. This is the head of the captive being returned.
There were also a dozen large carts and hundreds of horses, which were probably recaptured. The camp general came back and explained: "The thieves were cunning and ran away without fighting. They only beheaded sixty-three heads and took back one hundred and twenty-four horses and all the carriages!"
"Did you find anything unusual?" Wang Yansheng was a little dissatisfied with the results, but asked patiently.
The camp general replied affirmatively: "These are definitely not the bandits that were active in Hexi before. They seem to be a new force, mainly Uighurs!"
Hearing this, Wang Yansheng immediately laughed: "It seems that Hexi is becoming more and more unstable!"
With that said, Wang Yansheng pointed to the northeast and said: "Zhang Shuo, over there is the old site of Panhe County. You take two hundred people and set up a stronghold here. Later, you will send people to replenish your troops. After the spring of next year, I'll clear the area!"
After hearing the order, the camp general named Zhang Shuo was stunned for a moment, looked at Wang Yansheng, and showed a slight hesitation: "General, I'm afraid the Uighurs will have objections!"
"This was originally the hometown of Liangzhou, the land of the Han Dynasty. What opinions do the Uighurs dare to have?" Wang Yansheng said immediately: "Nowadays, rogue bandits are rampant. They even dare to snatch tributes presented to the emperor. They really treat this place as a lawless place. ? How dare the Uighurs blame us for maintaining public order and eliminating thieves if they do nothing?"
Wang Yansheng's words were particularly strong. Of course, he still restrained himself from saying what was deepest in his heart.
"Just obey the order! I will tell the British Duke!" Wang Yansheng continued: "Isn't the Chief Envoy preparing to reset Panhe County? I am making preparations for them in advance!"
"Yes!" Camp General Zhang Shuo did not hesitate and obeyed the order.
The situation in Liangzhou has always been complicated, especially the complicated tribal composition. Relying on the descendants of Hexi Jiedu and a large number of Sinicized Tubo and Tuyuhun people, the alliance with the outside world established itself in Liangzhou in the chaotic late Tang Dynasty and continued. So many years.
Up to now, Wen Mo's era has been completely ended, but the original power structure has not been completely broken. The Liugu Tubo, dominated by the Zhebu family, has also given respect and granted official positions to Guzang and Changsong. within the territory.
For many years, the imperial court has mainly focused on pacifying the interior of Liangzhou. However, in the past two years, the imperial court has gradually increased its attention to the northwest. With the arrival of Chai Rong, Wang Yansheng and others from the west, its control capabilities have also been significantly improved.
In the first year of Kaibao, Wu Tingzuo, the chief envoy, took office. With the cooperation of many parties, military and political pressure was put on the tribes inside and outside Liangzhou. Judging from the current trend, this pressure is being exerted on the Ganzhou Uighurs, and Wang Yansheng's actions are a sign.
In fact, the worries of the Ganzhou Uighurs are not unfounded. It is indeed impossible for the Han Dynasty to let them occupy strategic locations such as the Hexi Corridor forever.
Guzang City is a famous historical city. Around this city, countless Han and Yi forces spent thousands of years writing splendid epics. Now, after nearly a hundred years, it is once again the turn of the Central Plains Dynasty to play the leading role.
The city has a large population, with more than 4,000 households, but Han people only account for about a quarter. This is already the result of the imperial court's efforts. When the imperial court took over, there were less than 500 Han households in the city.
If we just blindly emphasize ethnicity, bloodline, etc., then this city cannot be called "Seoul". However, above the earthen city wall full of desert style, what is fluttering in the wind is the eye-catching Han flag.
In winter, Guzang City is not deserted. In addition to the local people of all ethnic groups, there are also a large number of caravans and travelers living there. A large amount of spirits from the pass also add to the lively atmosphere in the city.
When Wang Yansheng and his party returned to Guzang, a drunken provocation had just ended. Officials were dispatched to deal with it because it resulted in a fight.
Such security incidents are not Wang Yansheng's responsibility. He may not eat human ears again for a long time. He rushed directly to the government office. In the government hall, Chai Rongzheng was playing chess with Wu Tingzuo, the chief envoy.
"Ying Gong and Wu Shijun are at ease!" After entering, Wang Yansheng was not polite and directly picked up a glass of wine that the servant had newly poured and drank it down in one gulp.
Seeing this, Chai Rong, who was known for his heavy weight, couldn't help but smile and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Ping Xihou! How is the situation? Did the envoy rescue him?"
"The envoy is quite capable. He managed to withstand several times more bandits and waited until he was rescued! The person who came from the rebel army was of high status. He was Cao Yuangong, the governor of Guazhou, and there was also an envoy from the Xizhou Uighurs. !" Wang Yansheng made a brief introduction and looked at Wu Tingzuo: "The envoy team has suffered many casualties, and the Yamen still needs to arrange rescue!"
Although Wu Tingzuo was a military general, he was well-read and had an aura of literary and English in him. He cupped his hands towards Chai Rong and chuckled: "Young Master, this game of chess ends here. I'll go and calm down the frightened one first." Messenger!"
"Brother Qingyuan, please!" Chai Rong responded.
When it comes to playing chess, Chai Rong is no match for Wu Tingzuo, and he is about to lose...Wu Tingzuo walked away quickly, and Wang Yansheng took up his position, observed the chess game for a moment that he could not understand, and said directly: "Uighurs It’s not stable anymore!”
"Is this group of Makou related to the Uighurs?" Chai Rong asked with an eyebrow.
Wang Yansheng said: "Although the horse bandits in Hexi are endlessly suppressed, in the past few years, there has never been a bandit of this scale, so sudden, with great fighting power, and dared to attack a team of envoys with sufficient force. Although the general has little knowledge, if you say this is an ordinary bandit, I don’t believe it!"
After hearing this, Chai Rong thought for a moment and said, "Do you think that's a Uighur pretending to be?"
Wang Yansheng drank again and said nonchalantly: "Why bother worrying about authenticity? The general will think this is an opportunity!"
Noticing the way Chai Rong looked at him, Wang Yansheng reported his arrangements in Panhe. Chai Rong did not react too much to this. He thought for a while and said: "Back then, we made an appointment with the Uighurs to jointly maintain the tranquility of Hexi. Now the bandits are recurring. Since the Uighurs are not doing their best, let the Han army come!"
Hearing what he said, Wang Yansheng immediately beamed. The British Duke's toughness quickly came to his liking and said: "In my opinion, it's so difficult to destroy the Uighurs. If you give me 20,000 horsemen, they will definitely defeat the Dandan in one fell swoop. Retake Gansu!"
Chai Rongze said: "The imperial court also has its own considerations and needs to obey the overall situation!"
"In order to obey the overall situation, the general will stay in the northwest for more than ten years!" Wang Yansheng sighed with emotion.
Chai Rong comforted him: "Don't be anxious, Marquis Pingxi. The land of Gansu will return to the Han Dynasty sooner or later. You will have the opportunity to make contributions!"
"It's just that the relationship between the Uighurs and the Han will gradually deteriorate..."
In fact, since the founding of the Han Dynasty, the Ganzhou Uighurs have maintained friendly relations with the imperial court. When Emperor Liu was still the prince, he sent envoys to Tokyo. However, there is a premise for this, that is, if the Han Dynasty is poor and weak and is harmless to the northwest, then it does not matter if the alliance is with the same people, even if they claim vassalage and pay tribute.
However, now that the Han Dynasty is too powerful and has shown obvious ambitions for its northwest homeland, it would be abnormal for the Uighurs to remain as they were in the past. When you realize the crisis, it is understandable that you will take some iterations and take some measures. Even if you are stupid, even if you do not overestimate your capabilities, it is not surprising.
"The Guiyi Army may have ulterior motives in sending envoys to the court this time!" Chai Rong said again.
Wang Yansheng: "According to what Cao Yuangong said, he came for a big event, but this guy is still hiding it and doesn't want to reveal it..."
