"Send the order and change the route. I want to face the saint immediately!" Princess Pu'an said.
Taiji Palace, Ganlu Palace.
"Jiu Mei, why do you have time to enter the palace today?" Li Zhi pointed to the porcelain bowl in front of Princess Pu'an: "This is the camel breast that was offered, but are you still used to drinking it?"
"Thank you for your generous gift, Your Majesty!" Princess Pu'an took a symbolic sip. She did not intend to beat around the bush and said directly: "I just said goodbye to the Seventeenth Sister. She said something, and I think it should be told to Your Majesty. !”
"Oh? What did she say?" Li Zhi's eyes flashed and he asked.
"She said that although General Xue is brave, the Tubo people are not easy. Moreover, the journey to send troops this time is long, the mountains are high and the weather is cold -" At this point, Princess Pu'an paused for a moment: "Although she did not continue, she probably Her meaning was also very clear, and she also said that it would be great if the Duke of England and the Duke of Liang were handsome!"
"The British Duke and the Duke of Liang are the commanders?" Li Zhi laughed: "Seventeen Sisters are right. If possible, why don't I want to use these two people? Although Xue Rengui is brave, his qualifications are still If it's a little worse, it may not be enough to mobilize the generals!"
Hearing that Li Zhi was not angry because of Princess Xiping's ominous words, but admitted that there was something wrong with Xue Rengui being the commander-in-chief, Princess Pu'an cheered up: "Then why don't you wait? Although the British princess has already He is no longer here, but Duke Liang is still alive and well! He is just sick, and we will wait until he recovers before leading the troops to fight!"
"Nine sisters!" Li Zhi laughed when he heard this: "Dong Liang is over sixty this year at least. He was injured by gold many times when he was young. How can it be so easy to recover from diseases at this age? Moreover, the Tubo people are in Anxi, There are also very frequent activities in Jiannan. They will not wait for me until Duke Liang's illness is cured. By the way, when it comes to Jiannan, Wang Wenzuo has just received a memorial. The content in it is very interesting. Jiu Mei, you Take a look too!”
"Wang Wenzuo? Is he the one who first broke through Pyongyang City?" Princess Pu'an asked.
"Yes, that's him!" Li Zhi picked up a memorial from several cases and handed it over: "After reading it, I was very impressed. He was able to conquer Baekje, Goguryeo, and Japan. It was no accident that he was invincible. , I plan to make a copy of this memorial and send it to Xue Rengui, so that he can take a look!"
A closer look at Princess Pu'an's memorial about the doubts revealed that Wang Wenzuo first mentioned that his subordinates had captured a Tibetan Deputy Baihu alive, followed by the interrogation record of the prisoner. From the prisoner's name, age, origin, and family size How much, the fields and livestock, the annual output, the tools used, the taxes borne, all details were written in five to six hundred words. Princess Pu'an was secretly wondering why Wang Wenzuo would write these things in a memorial to the emperor. Above? What's even more strange is that the emperor not only didn't think it was trivial, but praised it greatly.
"Ninth sister, do you think Wang Wenzuo doesn't understand the importance? He even wrote some of these in the memorandum to me? You continue to read, and you will see his beauty later!" Li Zhi said with a smile.
"Yes, yes!" Princess Pu'an just continued reading. After Wang Wenzuo listed these details, he began to infer the living standards of Tibetan grassroots officers based on these, the number of troops that might be mobilized, their duration, and their praise. Whether Pu (King) can receive taxes from salt tea is detailed and well-founded. The final conclusion is that the Tang army in the direction of Jiannan should contact the Qiang and accumulate wealth through trade represented by salt tea, and gradually Winning over the Tibetan nobles who were about to be divided, weakening their opponents economically, deepening the contradiction between their Zanpu and the nobles, and attacking their opponents. Finally, he asked for the privilege of carrying out the salt and tea trade, and said that the existing troops were sufficient and there was no need to increase the number of troops to resist or even defeat the Tibetan army on the southern front.
"How is it?" Li Zhi saw that Princess Pu'an had finished reading the memorial and said with a smile: "Do you think Wang Wenzuo doesn't look like Han Xin, but more like Zhang Liang?"
"Yes, yes!" Princess Pu'an forced a smile: "Congratulations to Your Majesty for having such a good general!"
"This is also the blessing of our ancestors!" Li Zhi said with a smile: "Shu's army is weak. I originally planned to give him 20,000 people from the pass. Since he said there is no need to increase the army, it would be better. We can send these 20,000 people to him." If you give it to Longyou, Xue Rengui will be more confident. As for him wanting to engage in the salt and tea trade, it doesn't matter. Give him the job of deputy envoy to Jiannan Yingtian and judge the salt and tea matters."
Seeing Li Zhi's excited look, Princess Pu'an knew that Wang Wenzuo's memorial had given the emperor more confidence in the future war. She had no room to continue speaking, so she chatted a few more words, He refused Li Zhi's offer to stay, got up and left.
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Songzhou.
The ground was full of pine needles and leaves blown down by the wind, like a brown-green carpet, but soaked by the rain. Fallen leaves crunched underfoot. Bare red birches, towering spruce pine and patches of fir stand nearby. Another towering tower is located on a hill. It is empty inside, and the walls are covered with a thick layer of green moss, almost reaching the top of the tower. "Who built these stone objects?" Wang Wenzuo asked, "Are they you Qiang people?"
"I don't know!" Tuyan Mangjiebo shook his head: "But I heard from the elders of the clan that these stone buildings existed a long time ago, at least when our ancestors came here!"
"What about the original owner?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
"Dead, or left!" the Qiang girl replied: "It's not surprising at all. It's just like this. Our tribe will change places every few generations, or go to better places, or be defeated by the enemy. , had to migrate!”
Wang Wenzuo nodded. The land in front of him was full of wilderness. Hundreds of years ago, this might have been a prosperous village, where people plowed fields, raised livestock, and grew vegetables. But now, the fields and houses have been reoccupied by the wilderness. They could have paid taxes to themselves and supported their soldiers, but now they no longer exist.
"Are there many stone buildings like this?" Wang Wenzuo asked.
"There are quite a few, but many of them have collapsed!" Tuyan Mangjiebo shook his head.
Wang Wenzuo nodded and approached the stone building. He saw that the entrance of the stone building was more than three meters high from the ground. Through the door opening, he could vaguely see that the walls of the stone building were made of stones. There were holes on the four walls, which should have been made of stone. To place the dividing wooden boards, the bottom floor of the stone building was about twenty square meters, and it became narrower as it went up. It should only be more than ten square meters at the top. A strange smell assaulted his nostrils, and Wang Wenzuo couldn't help but shake his head.
"Does the governor want to separate the garrison troops at the stone tower?" Ijirenbod asked: "This is a good idea. It was the same way we dealt with the Ezo people back then!"
Wang Wenzuo shook his head: "The recruits from Jiangnan have just arrived, and they need to adapt to the local climate and environment for a while. The recruits from Mohe, Baekje, Japan have just arrived in Chengdu, and it will take some time to come to Songzhou. Now is not the time!"
"Then what are you going to-?"
"If you want to divide your troops for defense, you must first defeat the Tubo people!" Wang Wenzuo said: "Otherwise, if I divide my troops first, wouldn't I give the thieves a chance to defeat each other?"
"That's true!" Yiji Lianbode also reacted: "But when will that wait?"
"It depends on the Tubo people!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Don't worry, winter is coming soon, the Tubo people are more anxious than us!"
After exploring the stone building, the group began to walk northwest. The trees became sparse. They walked along the gently undulating plain. The grass grew to waist height and wild wheat plants swayed gently in the wind. It was warm and bright most of the day, making the recent heavy snowfall forgotten. However, just before sunset, dark clouds came from the west and quickly swallowed up the orange sun. The Qiang girl estimated that a big storm was coming.
"There is a village nearby," Tuyanmangyepo told Actun, "two or three miles away from here. We can spend the night there."
By the time we arrived at our destination, it was already dark and the wind began to get stronger and stronger, followed by hailstones as big as a pinky finger. The village is located next to the swamp. Most of the village has been abandoned, with only six or seven households left. On the edge of the swamp, there is also an octagonal stone building, which is much higher than the one seen before.
Acton ordered the camp to be set up. He sent his men to search the village, especially the stone building. After confirming that there were only villagers, he ordered the villagers to be gathered into a room and posted sentries to guard them. Wang Wenzuo lived in the largest and best room. The firewood in the stove was a bit wet and might have produced more smoke than fire, but on this hail night, this little warmth was extremely valuable.
"I miss the temple in Chang'an very much now. I was detained there when Fujiwara and I were no better!" Ijirenbode said with a smile: "Although that house is a bit old, at least it is warmer than here!"
"Then you can become a monk and go back now and live there for the rest of your life!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
"Forget it then!" Ijirenbod smiled and said: "I'm afraid I will have to be with Yuya for the rest of my life. Even if I want to become a monk, it will be before my death!"
Wang Wenzuo smiled. Compared to Fujiwara, Ijirenbod's character was much more cheerful, and he would often tell jokes to himself, but he didn't take it to heart. He picked up a piece of dry wood and Stirring the fire twice, he said: "Winter is coming soon. If I predict correctly, the Tubo people should make a big move. As long as they can be repelled, at least until the spring of next year, there is no need to worry. We have Four or five months to train the soldiers and contact the Qiang and Hu tribes!"
"Captain, what big move are you talking about?"
"Besiege Songzhou, then contact the local Qiang and Hu tribes, go south along the Songmao Road, break the Dujiangyan, and approach Chengdu City!"
"So big?" Yiji Lianbod was surprised: "But the relationship between the Tubo and the Qiang and Hu tribes is not good? They themselves often plunder the Qiang and Hu tribes!"
"Yes, the Tubo people do often plunder the Qiang and Hu tribes, but this is not inconsistent with their ability to drive the Qiang and Hu tribes south to plunder Chengdu!" Wang Wenzuo looked at the fire, the firelight dancing in his eyes, his eyes were blurred and his voice was low: "You should have seen it when you passed through Chengdu. There are two completely different worlds here. The Qiang and Hu people really don't want to fight us, because there is no benefit in winning. But if the Tubo people have captured Songzhou, they can open up If we find the road to the Chengdu Plain, that's another matter. We can put aside the past grudges for the time being. It's more important to go to Chengdu together to make a fortune first, do you understand?"
"I understand! Do you think the Tibetans can capture Songzhou?" Yiji Lianbode also became serious.
"I don't know! But the longer it takes, the better it is for me!" Wang Wenzuo said: "Reinforcements are increasing and new scorpions are being produced. If the Tubo people give me another month, I will definitely be able to surprise them!"
Igillenbod opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but the sudden thunder interrupted his voice. Wang Wenzuo stood up and looked out, and saw a dazzling blue-white light hitting the top of the stone building beside the swamp. He could feel its blazing rage, the thunder falling and shaking the night.
"The power of heaven and earth is so intimidating!" Wang Wenzuo murmured.
"Captain, there is someone approaching outside the village. It looks like they are probably Tibetans!" Actun came in from the door with a panic on his face.
"The order goes down, everyone is wearing armor and getting ready to mount their horses!" Wang Wenzuo stood up and tied the saber on his belt. Igilian Bode also quickly picked up the bow and arrow, and whispered: "If the situation goes bad later, let Acton escort the governor to leave first!"
"We're not sure yet, so why panic!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile.
Wang Wenzuo put on the lock curtain, put on a leather coat, and put on an iron helmet. As he walked out the door, a strong wind mixed with rain blew in his face. He subconsciously turned his head and shouted: "Where's the horse!"
The guards had already brought Wang Wenzuo's horse. He did not get on the horse. He just stroked his mane twice, soothed his mount, and whispered: "It's up to you tonight, good boy!"
The war horse seemed to sense its master's determination. It lowered its head, got close to Wang Wenzuo's side, and snorted. Wang Wenzuo got on his horse, drew his sword, and whispered: "When you hear the horn sound later, rush out!"
Another bolt of lightning fell. With the strong light of the lightning, Wang Wenzuo could see that the road into the village was completely dark, with hundreds of people at least. With a whistle, the guards fired their crossbows, and there were curses, shouts, and howls of pain everywhere. He shouted, but was immediately drowned out by thunder, and then, lightning turned the night into day, and he saw the crowd coming like waves.
Darkness comes with the rumble of thunder. The guards fired the second and third arrows, and then the horn sounded, and the cavalry rode out. Wang Wenzuo's horse galloped out with its eyes reddened by the familiar smell of blood. Wang Wenzuo drew his sword and raised it above his head. Igilian Bod was standing beside him, shooting forward with his bow.
In the darkness, he chopped down the first, knocked away the second, and slashed at the third. In the frenzy, he heard the muffled sound of bones being crushed, but he could not tell whether it was his own horse. Someone in the darkness tried to stab himself with a spear, but Igillenbod hit an arrow in the face and fell. The two of them rushed out of the queue. Wang Wenzuo felt the pressure around him loosen and breathed a sigh of relief unconsciously.
(End of chapter)
