Han Hai Tang Ergui

Chapter 395 Letter from Pei Yuan

Outside Xiazhou City, fifty bundles of firewood were stacked neatly on the open space.

Even if it was covered with a thin layer of white snow, for the people of Xiazhou City, it still couldn't hide the alluring light.

It's New Year's Eve at this time, and it should be a time for thousands of lights and family reunions.

Outside the west city of Xiazhou and in the east city, it was very lively. The Guiyi army who had besieged Xiazhou for more than three months was celebrating New Year's Day with feasting and drinking.

As for the Li family in the Pingxia Department in the west city of Xiazhou, not to mention the bright lights, most people couldn't even eat a bite of hot food.

A handful of raw millet that chews like sand is a meal for many people.

If you can have a multigrain pancake or a bowl of multigrain rice, even if it is cold, it will freeze and turn rancid, it is still a delicacy that many people dream of.

The hilarity of the Guiyi Army continued until late at night, and they even used trebuchets to throw some mustaches into the west city.

Whenever a bag of rice cakes fell, the soldiers and civilians of the Pingxia tribe in Xicheng would fight each other like mad dogs, and sometimes they would pay the price of several deaths and injuries for a palm-sized cake.

On the second watch, the moonlight tonight is still bright. In the west city of Xiazhou, more than a dozen furtive figures descended from the west city. Their target was the firewood deliberately piled there by the Guiyi army.

Everyone knew that the Guiyi army outside the city did this on purpose, but the temptation of cooked food was too great.

Everyone felt lucky that it was the second watch, what if the soldiers of the Guiyi Army couldn't bear it and fell asleep.

Tuoba Chongmin is the leader of this group of people. He was originally the son of the patriarch of a small tribe in the Tuoba clan. He is not usually considered a rich man, but he went to Baiyanchi to cook some salt with his elder brother, and his life was very happy.

But since Guiyi army came to fight, everything changed. His elder brother died in battle, dozens of Ding Zhuang in the clan died in battle, Baiyanchi was gone, and Xiazhou city was surrounded by people.

He hadn't eaten a bite of cooked food for half a month, and he wanted to eat a bite of warm food even in his dreams.

More than a dozen people, wrapped in white cotton cloth, crawled forward on the snow-white ground. Under the pale moonlight, if you don't distinguish carefully, you really can't see clearly.

Tuoba Chongmin also thought so. He felt that he had a great possibility to get the firewood that was originally worth less than two cents, but is now extremely precious.

It's a pity that all of this is just their self-comfort. According to the military law of the Guiyi Army, they are on duty at night, especially those who guard firewood, if they dare to be negligent.

The first criminal will be deprived of his position, his military salary will be cancelled, his previous rewards will be taken away, and he will be notified to the village where he is located.

According to the customs left over from Tubo, a fox tail will be hung on the lintel of the house.

This is a package of demotion, salary reduction and communal death, so many people would rather bear the punishment of beheading on the spot after committing another crime, rather than hang a fox's tail on the lintel of their home.

This is tantamount to telling everyone that you are not a man, and there is no man in your family. If you hang up on this, brothers don't want to marry a mother-in-law again, and sisters don't want to marry a good family again.

Therefore, Tuoba Chongmin and a dozen people had just climbed to the side of the firewood, and when he was excited to move these precious firewood back, the vibration of the bowstring sounded.

Several people were nailed to the ground before they had time to get up. A few who were terrified got up and ran, but were shot dead without any accident.

The normally ferocious black wool sheep wanted to resist, but his head was chopped off after a single encounter.

The soldiers of Guiyi Army wore thick cotton coats, held sharp horizontal knives, and unarmed black wool sheep, how could they be their opponents.

"If you fall into your mother, you can't surrender quickly. You won't be able to go home until the next day, and you have to guard us eggless in the ice and snow."

Tuoba Chongde watched a Guiyi Army soldier with a horizontal knife getting closer and closer, and couldn't help crying.

You ask him if he hates Guiyi Army?That must be hate, he wished he could kill Zhang Zhao.

But this hatred was no match for his desire to return to a normal life.

He wanted to be like before, with his wife and children on the bed, that was enough. If he had to choose between revenge and life, it must be life.

This is actually the choice of most ordinary people. Those who are truly determined and determined to take revenge are actually a minority. Because of the small number, every time one appears, it will be recorded and sung.

To the surprise of Tuoba Chongmin, there was no cold horizontal knife piercing his body, nor was his head smashed by a bone. Instead, a steamed pancake that was still steaming was handed to his mouth. .

With a sound of 'Aww', Tuoba Chongmin let out a low growl like a beast protecting food, almost instinctively, Tuoba Chongmin grabbed the steamed cake and began to bite.

But after taking a few bites, his movements slowed down. Only those who have lived without firewood for several months know how precious cooked food is.

Tuoba Chongmin's gulping gulps turned into sips of savoring.

Wang Tongtong smiled, and the person who can eat a steamed cake and shed tears is their best candidate.

The Guiyi Army soldiers around were very patient. After they killed all the party members who yelled and resisted desperately, they even had time to watch Tuoba Chongmin eat the last bit of steamed cake.

"Yeah, what do you guys want from you?"

Wang Tong squatted down, picked up the jade pendant on Tuoba Chongmin's waist with great interest and asked.

This not-so-good jade pendant proved that Tuoba Chongmin was once a petty official.

"I can't dedicate the city by myself!" Tuoba Chongmin naturally knew what the officer in front of him wanted him to do, but he didn't care, as long as he dedicates it, he won't lose anything.

"You don't need to know anything else. There is a warrior who wants to go back to the city with you. Do you dare to take him in? After that, I will keep your family safe and go to Liangzhou to live a good life."

Tuoba Chongmin nodded numbly, and then another steamed cake was handed over, his eyes finally recovered a little bit of anger.

After eating half of it, he wrapped the remaining half in sackcloth and prepared to take it back for his son Brother Zhou to eat.

Brother Zhou was still young and couldn't eat raw food, so he was dying of hunger.

And beside Tuoba Chongmin, a Dangxiang soldier of the Guiyi Army was changing into the clothes of a Xiazhou man who had just been beheaded.

It has been almost a month since the method of using firewood to lure the people of Xiazhou City out.

A month ago, the officers of the Dingnan Army still took care of it, but now they can't do it anymore.

At the beginning, some officers organized soldiers to come down to rob, but after hundreds of people died, no one came to rob so directly.

Similarly, using this method to send people into the city, the Guiyi Army has already sent nearly [-] people in, and there are hundreds of people like Tuoba Chongmin who were sent back.

And the warrior who went in today is a general who regrets Shandu, and he is going to lead the people in the city.

. . . .

Zhang Zhao was reading the battle report written to him by Murong Xinchang. Seeing the excitement, King Zhang took a sip of the salty butter tea.

Murong Xinchang and his 4000 people blocked the 300 Pishi army by the Hun River, and at the cost of less than [-] people, they almost ate half of the Pishi army.

Moreover, among the 300 people lost, more than half were members of the Zhe family. The 2000 people of the Guiyi Army were far stronger than the Zhe family, and their armor was better, so the casualties were much lower.

To be honest, Zhang Zhao did not expect Murong Nobunaga and the others to achieve such a record, which also proved that the Khitan people were not as strong as Zhang Zhao imagined.

It seems that the core difference between him and Yelu Deguang is that Yelu Deguang has [-] leather troops, plus another [-] to [-] elites.

And the elite Zhang Zhaoneng can compare with is only less than [-] and less than [-].

So Zhang Zhao felt that as long as he entered the Central Plains, three or two years would be enough to compete with the Khitans.

Moreover, Zhang Zhao also had a vague feeling that Yelu Deguang might not be as good as the posthumous wise Empress Dowager Chengtian Xiao Chuo in terms of military affairs.

This Yelu Deguang is trying to patch up the foundation created by his father Yelu Abaoji, setting up various systems for the Khitan society, learning the advanced system and culture of the Han people, and laying a material foundation for the Khitan country. Not very good at playing.

Of course, it is also possible that the Khitan had just annexed the sixteen prefectures of Yanyun during the Yelu Deguang period, and had not fully exerted its full national power, while the Khitan during the Xiaochuo period was already at its strongest.

But no matter what, this is an opportunity for Zhang Zhao.

He thinks his talents are twice as talented as that of Yanzhaomen's founder, Breaking Bad master, the leader of the ax gang, and the God of the Sorghum River Chariot Zhao Erge.

Of course, drag racing Zhang Zhao is definitely not as good as it is, but as far as military skills are concerned, Brother Zhao should not be able to see King Zhang's taillights.

In the form of a weakened version of Emperor Taizong of Tang, he should still have a great probability of winning if he fights an incomplete Liao Kingdom.

While thinking, Guo Tiance came in with a letter in his hand, which was written by Pei Yuan who was far away in Lingzhou to Zhang Zhao.

Now Lingwu Jiedu envoy Zhang Xichong is seriously ill, and Pei Yuan is basically in charge of all matters of Lingwu Jiedu envoy.

But even though the government affairs were so heavy, Pei Yuan still took the time to write this long letter to Zhang Zhao.

Just like the confrontation with Zhang Zhao in Dunhuang that day, Pei Yuan reminded Zhang Zhao in the report that he must have a clear understanding of his own strength.

He thought that Zhang Zhao's annexation of the four prefectures of Yinxiayousui of the Dingnan Army was already the limit.

With Zhang Zhao's core army of [-] to [-] generals, the civil servants rely entirely on the old Guiyi army to support the scene.

Although there are 28 states and 3 million people, they can't do what they want.

Zhang Zhao's territory in the 28 states, just by sending people to guard it, can drain the talents around Zhang Zhao.

Therefore, the most urgent task is not to occupy the territory, but to open up the way of speaking, to select talents regardless of their background, and to vigorously promote talents and scholars.

In particular, we must pay attention to the introduction of talents from the Central Plains. For this reason, Pei Yuan suggested that a simplified version of the imperial examination could be opened.

Second, Pei Yuan believed that Zhang Zhao should not compete with the Khitan for Yunzhou, because this would draw the attention of the Khitan people to the west.

At that time, Shi Jingtang fought in the Central Plains and cut off the commercial route leading to Hexi, and the Khitans began to compete repeatedly with the Guiyi Army for Lingzhou, Fuzhou, and Xiazhou.

They don't need to break through Liangzhou at all, they just need to repeatedly pull and prevent the production in Longyou, Hexi from being restored and developed.

Once this happens, Hexi Longyou will fight every year, coupled with the decline in the quality of life, and folk resentment.

Regardless of whether it is the Khitan or the imperial court, as long as they divide and buy, Zhang Zhao can at least be exhausted, and even shrink the front line to protect himself. This is how the first generation of the Guiyi Army was exhausted.

In the end, Pei Yuan suggested that Zhang Zhao must join forces with Khotan as soon as possible to deal with the Gaochang Uighurs.

Firstly, the Gaochang Uyghurs were the great enemies of the two generations of the Guiyi Army and the descendants of Anxi Tang'er. Killing the Gaochang Uyghurs would greatly unite the hearts of the people.

Second, killing the Gaochang Uighurs would allow the Khitans to lose a foothold in the west.

With the Gaochang Uyghurs present, the Khitan only needed to mobilize [-] iron cavalry and [-] to [-] rangers to help. In addition, the Gaochang Uyghurs provided guides and military supplies, and Zhang Zhao could not completely solve the security problem in the west.

Now Khitan has not yet realized the value of the Gaochang Uyghurs for attacking Zhang Zhao, so they must send out soldiers as soon as possible to solve it, and it will be difficult to deal with it when the Khitan people react.

After reading these, Zhang Zhao let out a long sigh, not to mention that many of these ideas coincided with his own, but the strategy against the exhausted soldiers in Longyou, Hexi, was terrible.

If a smart person were to give Zhang Zhaolai this combination of punches, he would not be able to withstand it.

After sighing, Zhang Zhao sincerely sighed to Guo Tiance beside him.

"If Pei Yuying wasn't my right-hand man, someone would have asked Dunzhu to lead someone there by now and sink him into the Yellow River."

(End of this chapter)