Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1548 Guilt
A caravan of camels arrived at Ningrong Station and stopped.

"Your Highness, Gaochang City is not small." Zhao Zaiqing walked over and handed over the water bag.

Shao Siwu took it, raised his head and drank a few mouthfuls, and said, "Have fun!"

There is a large field nearby, and farmers are busy planting winter wheat.

The climate of Gaochang is actually a bit weird.

Winter is very short, at most three months, and it is not too cold, which can be seen from Gaochang's winter capital here.

In summer, Gaochang will be extremely hot, and the sun is so hot that it makes people dizzy, so the emperor and ministers of Gaochang went to Xiadu Tingzhou to escape the summer heat.

Winter wheat can be grown here, and three crops in two years is completely feasible in consideration of soil fertility—in fact, that’s what the locals have always done.

There was already a circle of people outside the station, all of whom came to watch the excitement.

As expected of a dynasty in the Central Plains, the family background is rich.It was the first time they had seen such a large-scale camel caravan: more than [-] camels, carrying all kinds of military supplies.

At the same time, there was a lot of discussion, what kind of madness did Vija Khan get to fight against the Heavenly Soldiers of the Central Plains?
What happened to the previous king?He has robbed the horse of the emperor of a great country many times, and now he is done, attracting people to come to his door and ask his teacher for his crime.It doesn't matter if you die, it's not kind to cause the people to suffer.

The post station quickly prepared a large amount of hay, camel thorns and other fodder, and even prepared some grains and bran to restore the camel's strength.Of course, drinking water is also indispensable.

After a while, another official named Huohannu rushed over and directed the civil servants to keep counting the supplies and go through the delivery procedures.

The masters waited silently at the side, and as soon as the formalities were completed, they immediately pulled the supplies away with donkey carts, sorted them into categories, and put them into storage one by one for the army to use.

Shao Siwu watched quietly.

Water is drawn from underground wells.

The well is very deep, interconnected through underground culverts and reservoirs, which can be used not only for drinking, but also for irrigating farmland. People at that time called it "well canal".

It is also this kind of irrigation system, coupled with the unique climate, that makes Gaochang the existence of "the land is rich in rocky moraine, the climate is warm, the soil is fertile, and the grain and wheat ripen again in one year" in "Northern History".

"Although it's not as good as the Central Plains, it's a rare familiar place in the Western Regions." Shao Siwu suddenly felt emotional.

We all know that the most difficult part of the Western Expedition is the supply of supplies. With a food-producing place like Xizhou as a forward base, it can radiate the front of Daxia's soldiers to the Kucha and Beiting areas, greatly increasing the deterrent effect on the natives.

If his father was willing to give him this piece of land, he would laugh out loud even in his dreams.

Of course he knew that this was impossible, because Gaochang was already in the Zhengzhou of the state, and even had a governor: the secretary Lang Cui Xun was appointed as the governor of Xizhou, and Cui Miao, the right assistant, took over his position, and he was often accompanied by the saint. .

"You wait here and watch, I'll go to the city to face the saint." Shao Siwu said a few words, and then surrounded by several guards, he prepared to enter the city.

"Your Highness, just go, it's nothing serious." Zhao Zaiqing was already sitting on the ground, and said with a smile.

The postmen brought food for him and the guards, most of which were common foods in the army such as pancakes and fermented soybeans.There are also a lot of melons and dates, which were snatched up as soon as they were delivered.

This kind of local specialty is an extra meal, not everyone has it, first come, first served, why not grab it?
Shao Siwu smiled and nodded, and soon entered the city.

******
Shao Shude was also eating.

All the chefs in the palace had been driven away long ago, replaced by palace servants who came with them.

When the mutton dumplings were brought to the table, Shao Shude called his women to the table to eat with him.

Empress Gao of Bohai, Empress Meng of Changhe, Khitan Kedunshulu, Empress Lian of Gaochang, and Empress Xie of Gaochang, the latter looked miserable, and although she hadn't accepted to serve, she had already put on a baleen bra—— The saint himself put it on.

Looking at the five distinguished ladies, including the Meng family and the Shulu family, Shao Shude happily ate three large plates.

"I don't know if I can use the mink fur I brought before going out." Gao said from the side when he was full after eating a plate.

"When it's coldest, you can wear it in the morning and evening. At noon, I have to take it off for you." Shao Shude said.

Gao blushed and spat.

Yueli Duo glanced at her quietly.Women are so fickle.

The queen of Bohai, who was on the verge of death and life, felt like the sky was falling after being touched by the saint, can now spend the night with the saint—the saint does not necessarily need a woman to serve him at night, but he must sleep with a woman in his arms. This is considered public It's a secret.

Gao Shi, this woman who became very weak and sensitive after receiving her husband's divorce letter, now spends the night with the saint every night.

The palace people brought melons and fruits.

Gao picked up a horse's milk grape, and after peeling the skin, glanced around from the corner of his eye, seeing that no one was paying attention, he quietly handed the grape to Shao Shude's mouth.

Shao Shude deliberately smashed the bar and made a loud noise, attracting everyone to look over.

Gao's face was like a piece of red cloth, and he wanted to escape, but was held in Shao Shude's arms, unable to move.

"Your Majesty, King Zhao is here." Han Quanhui lowered his head and said softly at the door.

Shao Shude nodded, and after eating the melons and fruits in a leisurely manner, he asked the woman to stay away, and then called Da Lang in.

"Grandfather." Shao Siwu bowed and saluted.

"Sit over here and let Grandpa take a look." Shao Shude looked at his son's face carefully and said.

The eldest has been in the west for a long time, and even the younger one lives in Dunhuang.

Since the year before last, he has led the Silver Spear Army, Shaguazhou soldiers, and other foreign soldiers to continuously plunder Yizhou. Although he failed to capture the city, many tribes surrendered to the imperial court, at least no longer loyal to the Gaochang Uighurs.

This credit is actually not small.Zang Dubao also mentioned that he believed that King Zhao cleaned up the ministries in advance, which greatly reduced the threat to the grain road, and at the same time lowered the morale of Gaochang, and he doubted whether he could win.

During this process, the boss experienced the wind and the sun, eating and sleeping in the open, and he became darker and more energetic.

Shao Shude grabbed his hand, opened his palm to look at it, and said with a smile: "The cocoon is very thick, and the kung fu has not fallen."

"Being in the army, I dare not teach my sons to despise you." Shao Siwu replied.

Shao Shude looked at his son carefully again.

Da Lang looked very calm, obviously thinking so in his heart.

He has been underestimated before, and he is a normal person who can realize his shame and be brave.

Some nobles and sons of noble people are despised by others. Not only are they shameless and courageous, they use their strength to change others' views, but they also want to deal with those who despise them to vent their anger.

"What are your thoughts on the current situation in the Western Regions?" Shao Shude asked.

Shao Siwu hesitated for a moment, and said, "I want to go to the west."

"Why do you think this way?"

"What the west of Gaochang looks like is all hearsay. If you don't see it with your own eyes, you will have no idea."

"What do you want to see?"

Shao Siwu made up his mind and decided not to hide anything, so he said: "From household registration, fields, to customs, education, etc., everything."

"Be specific."

"For example, this Gaochang." Shao Siwu said: "During the Gaochang period of the Qu family, 900 hectares of land were cultivated. In Uighur Gaochang, more than 1400 hectares of land were cultivated. There are now more than [-] households in Xizhou, and one household is only a dozen acres. How many officials and soldiers can they support if they are familiar at one year old?"

"Let's talk about the common people. What's the atmosphere like? Are they good at fighting? Are they bathed in kings? Believe in Buddha or Mani?"

"Even for transportation and commerce, you have to take a walk and have a look, so you can know what's going on."

"What do you think of Xizhou?" Shao Shude asked.

"Very good, and there is even the possibility of going further. However, I think there may be better places in the west. It may not be as good as Gaochang at the moment, but it will develop better in the future."

Shao Shude nodded.

He remembered that Turpan accounted for a small proportion of the population of Xinjiang in later generations.But would this be the case, he was sure that Gaochang's household registration must be among the best in the entire Western Regions.

Moreover, the potential of Gaochang has yet to be further released.

He vaguely remembered that during the Daoguang period of the later Qing Dynasty, Lin Zexu went to Turpan to preside over the cultivation of fields and expanded dozens of Karez channels.

After Zuo Zongtang came over, he dug Karez wells to further expand the area of ​​irrigable cultivated land.I just don’t know how much land there was at that time, but it must have been much more than it is now—in the 13th year of Guangxu, Turpan had cultivated 31.3 mu of cultivated land and 3.87 mu of uncultivated wasteland, with a total of 35.17 mu, equivalent to about 40.45 mu in Tang Dynasty, or [-] mu. Yu Qing.

But then again, what Dalang said was right.Gaochang's lead is only temporary, and there is a lot to do in the west.

"Grandpa entrusts you with the remaining 5000 soldiers from the five armies of Luoyan, Pinglu, Hengye, Guangjie, and Golden Spear, as well as 500 barbarians from Wangjuzi and more than [-] infantry from the Fengguo Army. You, a total of more than [-] steps." Shao Shude said: "Go to Beiting, Zhu Jin is here to play, and there is a tribal rebellion, you go to help him seek peace."

After the Luoyan Five Army captured Gaochang, there were still about 8000 people left.A few days ago, about 3000 people were willing to stay as town soldiers, and now only 5000 people can be called.

The Luoyan Army, as a force that had been reorganized three times, after pacifying Huainan, added more than [-] Wuyue warriors, and the total strength reached [-], which is the peak in history.

During the conquest of Yunnan, 3000 people were mobilized, and they returned a while ago, and the rest were broken up and sent to the various ministries of the Forbidden Army.The 2000 people who went out this time will obviously not go back. There are still [-] people left in this army, and they are resting in Hebei.

The Pinglu army had about 4000 people at its peak, and there were 3000 left before the conquest of Yunnan.Of the [-] people who left for the expedition, there were still a little over [-] left when they returned, and they were also dispersed and added to the various ministries of the Forbidden Army.

The Western Expedition dispatched another 2000 people, and basically they would not be allowed to return to the army, leaving only [-] in the army.

"I obey." Shao Siwu replied calmly.

"Do you know how to do it?" Shao Shude asked.

"The first priority is to grasp the morale of the army." Shao Siwu replied.

Shao Shude nodded in satisfaction, and said, "It's good that you understand. Go ahead, what happens in the future depends entirely on yourself."

"By the way, you only have one wife and three concubines now?" Shao Shude asked again.

"Yes."

Dalang's main wife is the daughter of Zhang Huaihai, who has a son and a daughter.Among the three concubines, two belonged to rich families in Dunhuang, such as the Suo family and the Yin family, and the other was a daughter of the Liu family in Changping, Hebei.

"After you become a teacher in the Beiting class, Grandpa decides to let Xie and Lian choose two well-educated and reasonable daughters from the direct line to be your concubine." Shao Shude said: "They are all local snakes, and they have a lot of connections in the Western Regions. It's good for you."

When Shao Siwu heard the words, his eyes were slightly red, and he choked up and said, "Thank you, Grandpa."

Shao Shude came over, gently stroked his son's shoulder, and sighed, "If I, as a father, don't take care of you, who will take care of you?"

Although he can't control the thing underneath and often vents his perverted desires on his wife, the children he gives birth to are all his species, so of course he has to worry about their future lives.

Even the vassal princes entrusted to the seven holy states of the grassland, each of them has almost [-] households to support, is it bad?Moreover, it is very close to the prosperous and prosperous Hebei, and it takes only a few days to arrive in Beijing, so it is really not harsh.

It is impossible for them to be supported by [-] households in Beijing.Moreover, they are placed under residential surveillance and have no freedom. The second generation will be reduced to the title of a prince.

But when Dalang went to the Western Regions, it was really a bit harsh, and the prospects were worse than those in Yunnan.

Many native officials in the south can pass on for hundreds of years, and the stability is very good.But here in the Western Regions, the chaos is extremely chaotic, and the security environment is extremely poor. If people like Li Tangbin and Lu Huaizhong are appointed there to become the dukes and princes of the country, they will ignore you. Honorable.

Therefore, Shao Shude felt a little guilty towards Da Lang, and he didn't mind helping him a little bit—when he was alive, he could help a little bit.

(End of this chapter)