Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 1586 Second Shot

At the beginning of July, the first batch of cattle, sheep and offal had already arrived in Beiting.

On the fifth day of the lunar new year, Zhu Jin led his troops to the north to meet them. When he saw the overwhelming cattle, sheep and cavalry, he was very shocked.

What shocked him was not this spectacular scene, in fact, he had seen it as early as last year.He was amazed at how thin these animals were, and if he let them run a thousand miles, they would die if the wind blows.

Hurry up too fast!

"General Zhu!" Ba Yegu saw Zhu Jin from a distance, rode forward alone, and greeted him loudly.

He has never lacked respect for the fierce general brother.Even if he's old, he still shouldn't be underestimated. In a real fight, he might finish you off in two or three hits.

"These cattle and sheep..." Zhu Jin pointed at Ma Li and said.

"The Great Khan spent a lot of money in the Western Regions. I expected that the poor people's homes would not be able to dig two or two meters, so they hurried over quickly and brought the first batch of cattle and sheep over." Ba Yegu said.

Zhu Jin glanced at him suspiciously.

It sounds nice, I'm afraid I heard some news, so I'm in a hurry to come here?The lucky ones like Xie Yuanzhu, Lianyou, and Ah Chuo suddenly ascended to high positions, and most of the news has already spread back to the grassland.This guy also seems to be self-motivated, and it is not impossible to rush to the saint to flatter him.

"How many people did you bring?" Zhu Jin asked.

Ba Yegu was taken aback.Don't ask how many cattle and sheep were brought over, but how many people were brought?Do saints want to be drafted?But why conscription?Ate a defeat?
Ba Yegu's eyes flickered, and he tentatively said: "We only brought 3000 people. The large army is still behind, and it will take about half a month to reach Beiting."

"Send someone to pass an order to tell them to hurry up and arrive before July [-]th." Zhu Jin waved his horse and said.

"This... alright." Ba Yegu called the two nephews of the family and told them to go back immediately to deliver the order.

"Remember, cattle and sheep can arrive later, but people should arrive as soon as possible." Zhu Jin added.

The two messengers nodded and left quickly.

Zhu Jin took Ba Yegu and his party to Qingzhen, and arrived at the Shuibo Wetland near the town on the morning of the sixth day.

A total of 15 cattle and sheep, some of which were kept near Qingzhen for centralized feeding, some were evacuated eastward to the Baiyang River Basin, and some were driven westward to graze on both sides of the Yeye River.

Ba Yegu and other tribal chiefs were arranged to live in the station.

Next to the post station is a huge forage storehouse, where bundles of hill-like hay are neatly stacked—no exaggeration, the amount of forage is as tall as a mountain.

But such a majestic forage mountain will melt like ice and snow under the scorching sun in the next few days.

Troops arrived here one after another.

Wearing furs, they spoke Uighur dialect and many languages ​​that people could not understand. With a large number of horses and equipment, they drove cattle, sheep, and camels. After resting near the forage warehouse, they continued westward. I heard that I went to the Huangcaopo area further west to graze, waiting for the next order.

The forage mountain was depleted very quickly, and it had reached the point where it had to be replenished.

In the early morning of the eighth day of July, hundreds of warriors rode horses and led a larger number of farmers, leaving Qingzhen Juncheng and heading north.

Ba Yegu looked surprised, and asked the postman, "Who are these people?"

The postman took a look with his head up.

I saw densely packed carriages winding north, and the carriages were full of farmers holding sickles.On both sides of the convoy are heavily armed knights, with swords and bows, escorting them all the way.

"Who else can it be?" The post general smiled and said, "Qingzhen government soldiers. Take their trilogy and go north to mow the grass."

Ba Yegu vaguely heard last year that the sage had placed soldiers in Qingzhen, but he did not expect that it had already been implemented.

He subconsciously looked around.

The location of Qingzhen is really good. The ditches dug in the Tang Dynasty have been dredged and can be used to irrigate the farmland.And those fields are full of wheat. Although the growth is not very good, it is a good start.

"The harvest will be ready next month, right?" Ba Yegu said with emotion, "Unknowingly, the Saint's deployment in Beiting is becoming more and more perfect."

"Isn't that so!" said the Post General, "Many people thought it was too risky to place two thousand soldiers in Qing Town last year. Once the bandits broke in, the results of the settlement would be ruined. However, King Zhao, Duke Fu, and Zhu The general sits here, but the thieves didn’t come, so they couldn’t stand their loneliness and went to beat the thieves every day. Let’s not talk about how many battles they got, but this town has really stabilized, and everyone praises it.”

"This time the sage summoned us, what is the reason?" Ba Yegu asked again.

"You don't know?" The post general was a little surprised: "It's not a secret in Qing Town. Have you seen the Western soldiers in the past two days?"

I am also a "fan soldier" - Ba Yegu complained secretly, nodded, and said: "I see. A group of hundreds to two thousand riders, with many horses, cattle and sheep, all the way west to graze. This is to grab the pasture, right? The Ge Luolu people are disobedient?"

"It's good that the Ge Luolu people are disobedient, and they just robbed them." The post general said, "It's not to grab the grassland. There are rumors in the army that they are going to the west to snatch the Persians. This time, the Ge Luolu people are helpers, and they will be dispatched together. .”

"How many people?" Ba Yegu asked with a shock in his heart.

The Qibei and Qinan Fan tribes set off for the second year.Last year they gathered about 50 people, didn't fight too many battles, and then went back.This year is almost the same number, bringing more than [-] cattle, sheep, horses and camels across the grassland to Beiting.

They only have [-] riders, and they can't imagine how many more people will be dispatched.

"There are not many people in Beiting, but the imperial court is strict. I generally know how many soldiers and horses each Yili Jin has. I heard from the chief hero who passed by that this time, no matter what happens, I will have to mobilize [-] to [-] horses this time," said the post general. : "Counting the army of the imperial court system, hey, there is a lot of movement."

"Aren't you afraid that the Khazar Uighurs and Miagas will sneak in and plunder the North Court?" Ba Yegu asked.

The Khazar Uyghurs live in the Altai Mountains.The Uighurs did not leave when they moved westward, and later a considerable part of them were ruled by Pu Gujun.Last year, when the sage went to the grasslands and raided Beiting, the Khazar Uyghurs were hit hard, the old, weak, women and children of the tribe were raped, and Ba Yegu and the others were also assigned some slaves, so they understand it very well.

On this trip westward, they had encountered the Khazar Uyghurs.Although there are not many, and people avoid them far away, it is a threat after all.According to the slaves, this part of the Khazarian Uyghurs is likely to be controlled by the Shaggas, which is even more dangerous.

"The princes of the court should consider it." The post general was not very sure.

While the two were talking, another cavalry army of 800 men was rapidly passing by at the foot of the mountain in the south.

Ba Yegu looked silently, but saw that the outfits of this group of people looked good, and many knights were wearing leather armor.

"That's a soldier from the Albus family." The postman said: "The saint won the battle, and rewarded a lot of equipment to the meritorious soldiers. Albus got a lot, so his men look decent."

"War is really a profitable thing." Ba Yegu sighed.

What the sage pursues is a larger territory, more people submit to him, listen to his orders, and his layout is not destroyed by anyone - just like the two thousand soldiers in Qingzhen, with six thousand households Qu, like farming and grazing quietly and peacefully.

And those who follow the conscripts are pursuing goods, cattle, sheep, and slaves-weapons and equipment are also one of the pursuit goals.

The saint is generous, as long as you obey his orders, fight bravely under his command, and achieve his goal, he can give up a lot of gold and silver treasures and reward his subordinates instead.

Albus Department is a typical example.

Thinking of this, Ba Yegu's heart was about to stir.

Follow the saint and grab his mother!
******
On the outskirts of Luntai County, Tingzhou, Wang Yanzhang just returned from hunting.

When passing by a village, I saw an endless golden field, and stopped unconsciously.

He had been to this village last year. At that time, there were only a dozen or so families, and most of them were kidnapped by the Tibetan soldiers on the Qibei Grassland. Their whereabouts are unknown.

There are about 70 to [-] people left, old and young, who can't do anything.I still remember a certain child I met at that time, who was so hungry that he cried loudly. He gave two vinegar cakes, and the child grabbed his clothes and wanted to go out to fight with him.

What nonsense!A smile overflowed from the corner of Wang Yanzhang's mouth.

The military situation was urgent, so he didn't intend to stay in the village. Instead, he slowed down and walked along the dirt road in front of the village, watching as he walked.

"Many people from Bianzhou lived in this village." Chatted with the Liaodong soldiers behind him.

"Why are Bianzhou people willing to come here?"

"When you want to come, you have to come if you don't."

"It's not just this village. A few days ago in Tingzhou, along the foot of the mountain, a row of farmland was irrigated with snow water flowing down from the mountain. From the voice of the farmers, it seems that they are also from Henan."

"The sage is gradually restoring the fields in the north and south of the Tianshan Mountains. After this year's autumn harvest, the supply of grain and grass should be no problem, right?"

"It's far away. Before we go home, the food produced here is not enough to eat."

Hearing the word "go home", Wang Yanzhang's heart moved.

Last year, I took two thousand soldiers from the Liaodong government with me, and before I knew it, a year and a half had passed.In half a year, it's time to go home.

It's been two years since I left, but my family is safe.

There are only two thousand government soldiers, not twenty thousand or two hundred thousand, and the imperial court can afford it.

After two years, they got a lot of rewards, such as cloth from Gaochang, cattle and sheep from Beiting, etc. The imperial court issued military tickets, and when they went home and passed through Beijing, they could just use the tickets to get the corresponding things, which was enough to make up for two years. Those who are not at home have a deficit, and even have a surplus.

Even those who fought bravely were rewarded with one or two pieces of gold and silverware.This is a rare item in Liaodong, which makes people envious. At the same time, they secretly encourage themselves that if there is a war in the future, they must not fall behind.

"One hundred thousand iron cavalry swept the Western Regions, hey!" Wang Yanzhang clamped his horse's belly and walked away.

Under Fu Cun's audit account, there are all kinds of miscellaneous soldiers and horses, and there are always tens of thousands of people.After deducting the necessary left-behind personnel, and counting the Fan soldiers, even if there are not [-] people, it will definitely not be less than [-].

8 people, riding horses, driving cattle and sheep, marched into the grassland to the west, who can stop where they pass?

Since the Uighurs moved westward, the Western Regions have not seen such a huge nomadic army for 70 years. When Pang Teqin called himself Ye Hu in Yanqi, even counting the Gaochang Uighurs who belonged to him in name, there were only 20 people , and then swept across the entire Western Regions and the further west of Balasagun, Pullhana and other places, and the founding of the country was called the system.

Wang Yanzhang has already received the news that Fu Cunshen has just obtained a new title: Beilu Youyi Fighting Envoy.

The sage ordered him to enter the place where Tuqi Shi was killed, and wait for the opportunity to attack the thieves.

What kind of "thief" is being discussed specifically, Wang Yanzhang is not very clear.He only knew that the sage had many things to do in the Western Regions, such as immigration and settlement, but this required a lot of food consumption.

If the begging is poor, the deal will be very bad, and the goal will not be achieved.

Then, it is very clear what the sage wants to ask for.

If they don't go straight to the important Persian towns of Talas and Baishui City, they can be judged as a failure and can't get back their capital.

When you think about it, it's pretty exciting.

Wang Yanzhang subconsciously touched the iron gun in his saddlebag.As he grows older, this is likely to be his last battle, and he cannot leave any regrets.

(End of this chapter)