Han Shizu

Chapter 1088 The ambition to develop

"What do Brother Qingyuan think about the return of the Guiyi Army to the court?" On the way back to the official office, Chai Rong and Wu Tingzuo were in the same car, thinking about the conversation just now, Chai Rong asked Wu Tingzuo.

Wu Tingzuo stroked his not-so-thick beard slowly, with a small smile on his lips, and commented: "The sincerity of the land offering is sufficient. It seems that the chaos in the Western Regions has really made the Cao family feel the crisis, otherwise it would not be so hasty. Come from the east. However, how to deal with it depends on what His Majesty and the court want!"

Cao Yuangong's statement can be described as heartfelt and sincere, but people like Chai Rong and Wu Tingzuo will not be moved by it.All they think about is the reasons behind it, the impact of this matter on the big man, the relationship of interests, and so on.

As for Cao Yuangong's repeated statement that Guiyi's army is devoted to the court, and the people of Gua and Sha yearn for heaven's grace, these words are enough to deal with the situation, and there is really no need for it.

They are all people who have come out of the old times. They have experienced the vicissitudes of the world and the changes in the situation. They have basic understanding and judgment on many things.

You can half believe Cao Yuangong's words. The military and people's aspirations to the imperial court should be true. In addition to the high degree of cultural recognition, it is also because of their hard work for so many years that they really need the strong support of the empire.

As for the choice of attachment, it is simply the general trend and the situation.

Of course, this is not to 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 a chicken head than a phoenix tail. In the whole world, the Guiyi Army may not be worth mentioning, but in Hexi, after all, they firmly occupy a place and belong to the real powerful force. There are also many tribal forces attached to it.

It takes courage to be willing to give up the ancestral property, the city, the land, and the population.That's right, once the Guiyi army donates land, it will be like Zhangquan and Wuyue. To be honest, everything must be controlled by the imperial court.If the Guiyi army did not have such preparations, and still tried to secure their melons as their clan land, then it would be superfluous to enter the court and ask for their return, and it might even anger Emperor Liu and the Han court.

On the other hand, objectively speaking, at the beginning of the tenth century, when the Guiyi army was declining and almost collapsed, the Cao family was able to shoulder the heavy responsibility and lead the survivors in Hexi to persevere in the harsh environment surrounded by captives. , in the remote Northwest, it is a rare thing to keep a piece of Han land, and it is a great achievement.

Just like what Cao Yuangong said, for nearly 50 years, he has been able to come from both sides, and he has mixed humble words and survived in the cracks. It is not easy.If we go back to Zhang Yichao's expulsion of Tubo and the recovery of Hexi, the contribution of Guiyi Army will be even greater. After all, it was a splendid and glorious history created by the Han people in the late Tang Dynasty, and it is still yearning for people of insight. and regret.

At the same time, although the imperial court has no idea of ​​recovering Hexi in one fell swoop, it is foreseeable that if the Guiyi Army did not stick to Guasha, the imperial court's return to Hexi would definitely not be smooth, and the resistance and difficulties it would encounter would also be overwhelming. Far beyond imagination.

It is precisely because of these reasons that both Wu Tingzuo and Chai Rong have shown enough courtesy and respect to Guiyi Army and Cao Yuangong.

This has always been the attitude of Emperor Liu. Of course, there are also Guiyi Army's own efforts.According to 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 goes west, the past achievements will not be of much use
"In Brother Qingyuan's opinion, should we go west here?" Chai Rong looked at Wu Tingzuo and asked with a smile.

After thinking about it seriously, Wu Tingzuo said: "If you accept the attachment, then it should be resolved together with the Ganzhou Uighurs. Otherwise, even if you accept it, it will be difficult for the imperial court to effectively control it. Moreover, the imperial court should not let the Ganzhou Uighurs last for a long time. According to my self-reliance in Han soil, it's like a stick in my throat!"

"It seems that brother Qingyuan agrees to send troops?" Chai Rong said.

"Most of the officers and men in Hexi have the ambition to expand westward and have an aggressive heart. The westward advance is in line with the will of the army and the people, and also in line with His Majesty's general plan! This time, the Guiyi Army has taken the initiative to attach itself, which can be called a good opportunity. If the east and west can advance in the opposite direction, the land of Gansu can be settled quickly. , Hexi can be completely restored!" During the conversation, Wu Tingzuo waved it twice in the air subconsciously, his expression jumped, and then he quickly restrained, and said: "It's just that the country is currently focusing on raising the people, and I don't want to start a war lightly. Before the official came, His Majesty also confessed that Hexi should stabilize the current situation first."

"Under normal circumstances, you should follow the country's general plan!" Chai Rong said with pride, "However, the situation in Hexi has changed and chaos has occurred, and the Uyghurs in Ganzhou have strange things in their hearts. Since the Guiyi Army came to join them on their own initiative, the imperial court There is no reason to reject people from far away. Besides, I have served His Majesty for many years, and I have always advocated adapting measures to the times, and I am well versed in the way of contingencies. Now that the opportunity has come, how can I let it go.

Furthermore, in the northwest now, with the strength of a big man, it is enough to raise partial teachers, and there is no need to work hard!Speaking of which, when the Liao army marched west and invaded the Western Regions, it also provided convenience for me to pacify Hexi! "

Hearing his words, Wu Tingzuo said: "It's true! The Liao army's expedition to the quicksand and expedition to the Western Regions now seems to have a far-reaching impact. I don't know what the situation is now, and I don't know how long the Xizhou Uighurs can last?"

Speaking of this, Chai Rong said: "From the mouth of the Uighur envoy, we should be able to get some really useful news!"

"Yinggong intends to meet?" Wu Tingzuo asked.

Nodding his head slightly, Chai Rong smiled lightly and said, "I heard that this person is not easy to come from east to west. For visitors from far away, we should treat them with courtesy!"

Hearing what he said, Wu Tingzuo also smiled: "I'm afraid what this person brought was just news from a few months ago!"

"It's somewhat useful!" Chai Rong said.

After pondering for a while, Chai Rong said again: "I am going to submit a memorial to His Majesty regarding the westward march!"

Before he finished speaking, Wu Tingzuo responded immediately: "Your Majesty is willing to sign with Duke Ying!"

"Haha!" Chai Rong smiled heartily and said, "Getting to know Brother Qingyuan is like drinking fine wine!"

"Each!" Wu Tingzuo cupped his hands.

After returning to the official office, after writing the memorial and sending it to Tokyo quickly, Chai Rong ordered someone to call Pu Le, the Uighur envoy from Xizhou.Before coming, Cao Yuangong also deliberately explained Chai Rong's identity and status to Pu Le, and asked him to wait on him carefully.

After learning about it, Pu Le was pleasantly surprised and almost thought that there was hope for the request for help.Because of the arrow wound, Pu Le could neither stand nor sit in front of Chai Rong. Seeing his situation, Chai Rong ordered someone to prepare a blanket for him to lie on his side, while he sat cross-legged and listened to his introduction. Situation in the Western Regions.

And Pu Le didn't mean to hide anything. From his perspective, he introduced the situation of the Liao army's westward expedition.

In fact, this is not the first time the Liao army has marched westward, crossing quicksand and attacking the Uyghurs in Gaochang. The Liao army did it as early as 40 years ago.The Khitan people at that time belonged to the period of great expansion, and the entire Saibei became their vassals.

At that time, Beiting was breached, forcing Gaochang to return to the Uighurs and pay tribute to Khitan.In fact, if it weren't for the Khitan's ruling center in the northeast and the expansion of the nomadic people, the Western Regions would have been annexed by it long ago.

Even so, for so many years, the Gaochang Uyghurs have been honest with the Khitan, and the frequency of paying tribute has been constant, so as to seek peace.

However, the peace they seek is not safe after all. When the Khitan soldiers pointed west again, the Gaochang Uighurs had nothing to do.

In the current Western Regions, there are basically two powers standing side by side, the Gaochang Uighurs in the east, the Heihan in the west, and the Khotan Kingdom in the south.As far as Gaochang Uyghurs are concerned, their strength cannot be considered weak, with a population of more than one million and an army armed with 100,000 people, it is not a problem.

In fact, regarding the western expedition of the Liao army, Gaochang had received the news in advance, and Emperor Liu played it badly, but many personnel developments were contrary to common sense.

When they learned that the Khitan people might march westward, the first reaction of the Gaochang rulers and ministers was disbelief. In their view, they had a good relationship with Liao Su, and the gifts and tributes were never interrupted. There has been no war between the two countries for decades. , how could it be possible to beat them across the grassland, doing such a thankless thing?
After all, they Uighurs are also the overlords of the Western Regions, a powerful country
(End of this chapter)