"What do you think, Brother Qingyuan, of the return of the Guiyi Army to the DPRK?" On the way back to the government office, Chai Rong and Wu Tingzuo were riding in the same car. Thinking of the conversation just now, Chai Rong asked Wu Tingzuo.
Wu Tingzuo slowly stroked his beard, which was not thick, with a slight smile on his lips, and commented: "The sincerity in offering the land is sufficient. It seems that the chaos in the Western Regions has indeed made the Cao family feel the crisis, otherwise they would not have been in such a hurry. Come from the east. However, how to deal with it depends on the wishes of His Majesty and the court!"
Cao Yuangong's statement can be described as heartfelt and his feelings can be described as sincere, but people like Chai Rong and Wu Tingzuo will not be moved by it. What they were thinking about were the reasons behind it, as well as the impact of this matter on the big man, the interests and so on.
As for Cao Yuangong's repeated remarks that the Guiyi army's heart is toward the imperial court and the people of Gua and Sha yearn for heaven's grace, these words are enough to deal with the situation, but they are really not necessary.
They are all people who have come from the old era, experienced the changes in the world, and have a basic understanding and judgment of many things.
Cao Yuangong's words can be half believed. The military and the people's support for the imperial court should be true. In addition to high cultural recognition, it is also because they have persisted for so many years and really need strong support from the empire.
As for the choice of affiliation, it is simply a matter of general trend and forced by the situation.
Of course, this does not negate the Guiyi Army and the Cao family. It is extremely rare to be able to discern the situation and make the right choice. In this world, there will always be many people who would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix. In the whole world, the Guiyi Army may not be worth mentioning, but in Hexi, after all, it has firmly occupied a place and belongs to a truly powerful force. There are also many tribal forces attached to it.
Being willing to give up your ancestral heritage, cities, land, and population also requires great courage. That's right, once the Guiyi Army donates land, it will be like Zhangquan and Wuyue. The essence will be controlled by the imperial court. If the Guiyi army did not have such preparations and still tried to seize Gua as their clan territory, then entering the court to ask for return would be unnecessary, and might even anger Emperor Liu and the Han court.
On the other hand, objectively speaking, in the early tenth century, when the Guiyi Army was declining and almost destroyed, the Cao family was able to shoulder the heavy burden and lead the Hexi survivors to persevere tenaciously in the harsh environment surrounded by bandits. , in the remote northwest, it is rare to retain a piece of Han territory, which is a great achievement.
As Cao Yuangong said, in the past fifty years, it is not easy to survive in the cracks of having people on both sides and talking about each other. If we go back to Zhang Yichao's expulsion of Tibet and the restoration of Hexi, the achievements of the Guiyi Army are even greater. After all, it was a splendid and glorious history created by the Han people in the late Tang Dynasty, and it still makes people of insight yearn for it. and regret.
At the same time, although the imperial court has not yet thought of regaining Hexi in one fell swoop, it is foreseeable that without the persistence of the Guiyi Army in Guasha, the imperial court's return to Hexi will definitely not be smooth, and the resistance and difficulties it will encounter will also be Far beyond imagination.
It is precisely for these reasons that both Wu Tingzuo and Chai Rong showed sufficient courtesy and respect to Gui Yijun and Cao Yuangong.
This has always been Emperor Liu's attitude. Of course, this also includes Gui Yijun's own efforts. Based on Emperor Liu's temperament, if the Cao family is ignorant of current affairs, stubborn, and still regards the country as private land, then when the Han army marches westward, past achievements will not play any role...
"In the opinion of Brother Qingyuan, should we just head west?" Chai Rong looked at Wu Tingzuo and asked with a smile.
After thinking about it seriously, Wu Tingzuo said: "If you accept the surrender, then you should deal with it together with the Ganzhou Uighurs. Otherwise, even if you accept it, the court will not be able to effectively control it. Furthermore, the court should not let the Ganzhou Uighurs stay for a long time. It's like a stick in our throats to stand on our own as a Han country!"
"It seems that Brother Qingyuan agrees to send troops?" Chai Rong said.
"Many officers and soldiers in Hexi have the ambition to expand westward and are enterprising. The westward advance is in line with the military's will and public opinion, and is also in line with your majesty's general plan! This time the rebel army has taken the initiative to come to join us. It is a good opportunity. If we can advance from east to west, the land of Gansu can be quickly secured , Hexi can be restored!" During the conversation, Wu Tingzuo waved his hand in the air subconsciously twice, his expression jumped, and then quickly restrained, and said: "It's just that the country currently focuses on raising the people, and does not want to start the war lightly. Before the official arrival, His Majesty also stated that Hexi should give priority to stabilizing the current situation..."
"Under normal circumstances, you should follow the country's general policy!" Chai Rongze said with pride on his face: "However, the situation in Hexi has changed now, chaos has arisen, and the Ganzhou Uighurs have strange intentions. Since the Guiyi Army has taken the initiative to come, the imperial court There is no reason to reject someone from afar. Besides, I have served His Majesty for many years and have always advocated adapting to the times and am well versed in the art of contingency. Now that the opportunity has come, how can I let it go.
Furthermore, in the northwest now, with the strength of the Han Dynasty, it is enough to raise partial troops, and there is no need to mobilize troops! Speaking of which, while the Liao army marched westward and invaded the Western Regions, it also provided convenience for us to pacify Hexi! "
After hearing what he said, Wu Tingzuo said: "It is true! The Liao army waded into the quicksand and went on an expedition to the Western Regions. Now it seems that it has indeed had a far-reaching impact. I don't know what the situation is now. I wonder how long the Xizhou Uighurs can hold on?"
Mentioning this, Chai Rong said: "We should be able to get some really useful information from that Uighur envoy!"
"Do you want to meet Duke Ying?" Wu Tingzuo asked.
Nodding slightly, Chai Rong chuckled and said: "I heard that it is not easy for this person to come from the east. Visitors from far away should still be treated with courtesy!"
After hearing what he said, Wu Tingzuo also smiled: "I'm afraid what this person brought is only news from a few months ago!"
"It's somewhat useful!" Chai Rong said.
After pondering for a while, Chai Rong added: "I am going to submit a memorial to Your Majesty regarding the westward march!"
Before he finished speaking, Wu Tingzuo immediately responded: "I am willing to share the office with the British Duke!"
"Haha!" Chai Rong smiled heartily and said, "Being friends with Brother Qingyuan is like drinking fine wine!"
"Each other!" Wu Tingzuo cupped his hands.
After returning to the official office, after writing the memorial and sending it to Tokyo quickly, Chai Rong ordered people to call Pule, the Uighur envoy from Xizhou. Before arriving, Cao Yuangong specially explained Chai Rong's identity and status to Pule, and asked him to serve him carefully.
After learning about it, Pule was overjoyed and almost thought that there was hope for asking for help. Because of the arrow wound, Pule could not stand or sit in front of Chai Rong. Seeing his condition, Chai Rong simply ordered someone to prepare a blanket and let him lie on his side, while he sat cross-legged and listened to his introduction. The situation in the Western Regions.
Pule, on the other hand, had no intention of hiding anything. From his perspective, he introduced the situation of the Liao Army's Western Expedition.
In fact, this was not the first time that the Liao army crossed the quicksand and attacked the Gaochang Uighurs in their western expedition. The Liao army had done so as early as forty years ago. At that time, the Khitans were in a period of great expansion, and the entire northern part of the Great Wall became their vassal.
At that time, they captured Beiting and forced the Gaochang Uighurs to surrender to the Khitan and pay tribute. In fact, if the center of Khitan rule was not in the northeast and the expansion of the nomads, the Western Regions would have been annexed by them long ago.
Even so, for so many years, the Gaochang Uighurs have been loyal to the Khitan, paying tribute frequently to seek peace.
However, the peace they seek is not guaranteed after all. When the Khitan troops point to the west again, the Gaochang Uighurs have nothing to do.
The current Western Region is basically two powerful countries standing side by side, with the Gaochang Uighurs in the east, the Black Khan in the west, and the Khotan Kingdom sandwiched between them in the south. Speaking of the Gaochang Uighurs, their strength cannot be considered weak. With a population of more than one million and an army of 100,000 people, it is not a problem.
In fact, regarding the Liao Army's Western Expedition, Gaochang had received news in advance, and Emperor Liu had done something bad. However, many personnel developments were contrary to common sense.
When they learned that the Khitans might march to the west, the first reaction of the emperor and ministers of Gaochang was disbelief. In their view, they had always been on good terms with the Liao, and the gifts and tributes had never stopped, and there had been no war between the two countries for decades. , how could he cross the grassland to fight them and do such a thankless job?
After all, they, the Uighurs, are also the overlords of the Western Regions, and they have become a powerful country...
