Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

Chapter 536: Swapping Prisoners
Songzhou, Governor's Mansion.

"What? He Ba also won?" Wang Wenzuo asked in surprise, "Didn't I order him to withdraw his troops? He didn't do so?"

"No, He Ba didn't disobey your order, Saburo, he did withdraw his troops!" Cui Hongdu's face was full of smiles that couldn't be concealed: "But the world is unpredictable!" On the way, I went in and out by mistake, and I narrated the incident of bumping into a Tubo man drinking a horse halfway, and finally said: "According to the letter, our army beheaded more than 39 ranks, captured more than [-] people, and captured [-] horses. There are more than a hundred, and the first battle is useless! And our side only lost [-] people! This battle can be won much more beautifully than Black Tooth Chang!"

"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo sighed, "Although Hei Chi Changzhi won, he also killed and injured hundreds of people. It is true that He Ba did not win as beautifully as He Ba. In the final analysis, commanding Ruoding is still not as good as Hong Fu Qi Tian!" At this point, he couldn't help laughing.

"Sanlang, what do you plan to do with these Tibetan captives? Are they incorporated into the army or—?" Cui Hongdu asked.

"It hasn't been decided yet!" Wang Wenzuo said: "But I have considered talking to the Tubo side, and if possible, put them back, and see if I can exchange some captured Qianghu slaves!"

"Put it back and bring back Qianghu slaves?" Cui Hongdu was taken aback, thinking he had heard it wrong: "Why did you do this? Judging from Heizhi Changzhi's letter, these Tibetans are not easy to deal with. Putting them back is letting the tiger go back to the mountain." , What’s the use of getting those Qianghu slaves back?”

"Politics, politics, Hongdu, you are now the Commander-in-Chief of the Governor's Mansion, you must understand politics!" Wang Wenzuo looked like he hated iron for being weak.

"Politics? What does this have to do with politics?" Cui Hongdu asked puzzledly. There was also the word "politics" in ancient China. "Official · Suiren" has "handling its political ban".In ancient China, "politics" and "governance" were used separately in more cases. "Government" mainly refers to the power, system, order and laws of the country; "government" mainly refers to the management and education of the people, which is quite different from the meaning of the word "politics" today.

It is not difficult to see that the word "politics" in ancient China focused more on the subjectivity of the state, while ignoring the activities and relationships of social members as objects, while our word "politics" today recognizes that state power is the core of politics. Under the premise, it also includes the relevant activities and relationships of members of the entire society, which is why Cui Hongdu did not understand Wang Wenzuo's approach.

"It's been a while since you came to Songzhou, what do you know about Tubo?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

Cui Hongdu's current official position is the commander-in-chief of the Governor's Mansion in Songzhou, Tang Dynasty. People are tenacious and resistant to battle, the front team is exhausted, the rear team is forward, the people are brave, and those who have not fought in many battles are regarded as Jiamen. Those who flee in battle. Hang the tail of a fox on their head. Show their cowardice like a fox. In fact, they are my strong enemies! "

"What else?" Wang Wenzuo asked.

"Anything else?" Cui Hongdu was stunned: "What else?"

"Hongdu!" Wang Wenzuo sighed, "Have you read all the interrogation records of that Tenzin?"

"I read it, but it seems that most of it talks about things that have nothing to do with the war!"

"It has nothing to do with the war?" Wang Wenzuo sighed: "Then let me ask you, if these captives are released back, how do you think the Tubo side will deal with them? Is it a reward or a punishment?"

"The defeated army surrenders, of course it will be punished! And it will be severely punished!"

"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo nodded, "Tubo people use tribes as soldiers. Even if I keep these captives and join them in the army, it won't be of much use. After all, their parents, wives and children are still in Tubo. If there is a chance, I will still find a way to escape and reunite with my family. But if they are sent back, the Tibetan officials will definitely punish them and their families more severely, so that other soldiers can learn from them and fight to the death in the next battle. You Say it right?"

"That's right, Saburo, are you trying to make those Tubo captives suffer? But what good does it do us?" Cui Hongdu asked puzzled.

"Tibetan people are also human beings. It is human nature to like life and hate death. The reason why Tubo soldiers are brave and persevering on the battlefield is because of their brutal military law. But after I asked Tenzeng, I found that the Tubo military law Rewards are light and punishments are heavy. Soldiers go to battle not only without food and wages, but also with boots and clothes on their feet. When they win battles, they get spoils of war and land slaves. pitiful.

Moreover, when soldiers go to war, their families cannot be exempted from taxes, taxes and labor. The old and weak women and children must prepare rations and clothes for their husbands and fathers while grazing on the land and paying tribute. Becoming the target of ridicule and attack, do you think this military law is fair? "

"Of course it's not fair, but the military law in the world is almost unfair!" Cui Hongdu smiled wryly, "And it seems that the military law is effective. The Tubo people are famous for their habit of fighting!"

"The effect of the Qin law is also very good, but when Gaozu made the three chapters of the law, the elders in Guanzhong were afraid that Gaozu would not be the king of Guanzhong!" Wang Wenzuo sneered: "The Tubo people are like this because they have never seen other laws and have no choice. They have seen a better law, and they will not continue to endure it!"

"Sanlang, are you planning to use these Tubo soldiers to deal with Tubo?"

"That's right!" Wang Wenzuo said with a smile: "Let them open their eyes on Datang's side, and then let them go back to Tibet. After comparing the two sides, many things will naturally become clear!"

"Open your eyes, how do you open your eyes?" Cui Hongdu asked, "Let them go to Chengdu to see?"

"Then no need, letting them see the wealth and splendor of Jinguan City will only arouse their desire to loot!" Wang Wenzuo said, "I plan to let them build roads!"

"Build the road?"

"Yes, to be precise, it is the Songmao Road from Songzhou to Dujiangyan. First of all, the repair of this road is indeed very beneficial to us. Not only is the mobilization of troops much faster, but it is also conducive to the future tea-horse trade. Around Songzhou Large stretches of meadow, as long as there is no war, are very suitable for grazing cattle and sheep, and the horns and furs of cattle and sheep are in short supply in Chengdu, so there is great potential for business.”

"Building roads is heavy physical work, and it's still winter. Those Tibetan captives will only resent us?"

"They are prisoners of war, and hard labor is what they should do!" Wang Wenzuo sneered: "It's just that in my Tang Dynasty, even if they did hard labor, they didn't get nothing, such as better daily food, clothes and shoes. hat, a rest day every ten days, take a bath on the rest day, do not have to go to work, eat better, and give a little pocket money a month, so that when they go back, they can use this money to buy things back, such as A pack of tea leaves, two bolts of silk cloth, that would be all right!"

"That's a good idea!" Cui Hongdu said with a smile, "But where's the money?"

"It's not easy. Who will take the biggest advantage after the road is repaired? One is us, and the other is the merchants. The trade on this road is very profitable! We will send someone to Chengdu to release the news that Songmao Road will be built. , ask them to raise a sum of money, those who are willing to pay will be engraved on the stone tablet, those who pay more will be written on the front, and those who pay less will be written on the back, and after the engraving, it will be erected at the entrance of Songmao Road. Those merchants know, Definitely willing to contribute money!"

"That's right!" Cui Hongdu's eyes lit up when he heard this: "Those merchants have the best reputations. As long as they can be listed on the stele, they will be famous forever. After they know it, they will definitely pay for it!"

"So don't say that there is no money. There is a lot of money in the world. It's just that you can't come up with a good reason for others to take out the money. This luxuriant way is beneficial to the country and the people. It's just that the project is huge and ordinary people don't have the ability. As long as we repair the road, build a banknote gate to collect tolls, two cents per person, five cents per head of livestock, and two cents per hundred miles for goods, isn’t this road a ready-made cash cow? Use the collected tax money to exchange for repairs Lu’s loan, isn’t it all right? If the name is good, give it a name, and if it’s profitable, give it a profit, what can’t be done?”

Cui Hongdu was already convinced when he heard this, and said with a smile, "Then who do you plan to let go to Chengdu?"

"It would be great if Cao Sengnu and his uncles and nephews were here, what a pity!" Wang Wenzuo sighed.

"That's right!" Cui Hongdu smiled: "Actually, let me see, there is still someone who is a good choice, why don't you let my younger brother give it a try!"

"My brother?" Wang Wenzuo was stunned.

"That's right, it's Wang Ence. Anyway, it's better to use your own family for this kind of thing. He hasn't fought a war, and he can't do much in front of the government all day. Why don't you give him a serious job? It’s time to practice and practice!”

Wang Wenzuo didn't speak. Cui Hongdu's suggestion made him feel sick as if he had eaten a fly. He didn't feel anything about this nominal brother, and there was no other place to throw it in front of the Yamen. No such person, being suddenly mentioned by Cui Hongdu this time made him feel extremely upset, but he also knew that Cui Hongdu did this out of good intentions. would be considered unkind and immoral.No matter how much I don't like Wang Ence, as long as I still have the surname Wang, I can't kick this "brother in name" away.

"Ence, right? How can such a big event be left to him alone!" Wang Wenzuo snorted coldly: "Well, let Yiji Lianbode host it, and Ence will follow suit!"

"What Sanlang said is true!" Cui Hongdu was stunned for a moment, then nodded again and again: "It's still Sanlang who is thoughtful!"

"Thought? I didn't think about it, I just said it!" Wang Wenzuo thought to himself: "Where is Cui Hongdu thinking?" But he didn't bother to say: "Let's arrange it like this! Send a messenger to Tubo There is no rush to make contact, wait half a month before dispatching, lest the suspicious generals on the Tubo side think that we deliberately pretended to exchange prisoners, and stabbed them behind the scenes, causing any trouble!"

"Yes, yes!" Cui Hongdu replied twice, but he knew what Wang Wenzuo meant. As long as it is confirmed that winter is coming, it will be difficult for the Tang army and the Tubo people to conduct large-scale military operations on this plateau and exchange prisoners. It is easier to win the trust of the other party.

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Dan Zeng swung the broom vigorously, sweeping the horse manure on the ground into the basket. Even though the mouth and nose were wrapped with a thick cloth, there was still a strong foul smell in the stable, making people sick.But Dan Zeng seemed to have no feeling at all, just immersed himself in his work, and when the basket was full, he poured the horse manure inside into the mule cart outside and exchanged it for a bamboo chip.He has already figured out what this bamboo chip is for. The people of Tang treat their prisoners fairly well. If you don't do anything, you will only have two meals of porridge every morning and evening, and you can hardly starve to death.

But if you go out to work, such as cleaning stables, repairing city walls, and moving goods, as long as you complete a certain amount of work, you can get this bamboo chips, and then you can use these bamboo chips to exchange for corn rice, beard cakes, pickled rice, etc. at night. meat, wine.Someone even bought a sheepskin mattress, which made all the Tibetan prisoners red-eyed. The winter in Songzhou is not a joke. It is not easy to survive the winter here with only haystacks and the few clothes on your body.After that, no one cursed the Tang people anymore. The reason is very simple. Instead of having time to curse, it is better to save energy for work. They are no longer proud Tubo warriors, but a group of poor people who managed to survive.

"Dan Zeng, is Dan Zeng here!"

Tenzeng put down his broom, and he could already understand some simple Tang Chinese, especially his own name.He saw a Tang army soldier standing at the door, hurried out, bowed and said, "I'm Dan Zeng, what's the matter?"

"Stop sweeping the stables! The higher-ups have something to do with you, come with me!"

"Yes, yes!" Dan Zeng hurriedly washed his hands stained with horse manure in the bucket beside him, and followed the soldier. He crossed the street and came to a secluded small courtyard, entered the door, and looked When Acton stood in front of a general with a short beard, he was whispering something.He didn't dare to look too much, so he knelt down.

"Is this person Tenzeng? The Tubo prisoner whom the governor interrogated?" Cui Hongdu asked.

"That's right, it's him!" Acton said, "The chief inspector asked for a long time, and the questions were very detailed! He has learned Tang dialect well now, and he should be regarded as the best among those Tibetan captives!"

"En!" Cui Hongdu looked up and down at Tenzeng, who was kneeling on the ground, and nodded. He said to Acton: "Tell him the meaning of the superior!"

"Obey!" Acton responded, and said to Tenzin: "Denzeng, get up, there is one thing for you to do now, if you do it well, not only will you be rewarded, but you will be released, family reunion!"

"Let me go back? Reunite with my family?" Dan Zeng raised his head in surprise. He could hardly believe his ears. In his opinion, the people of Tang had treated him very leniently, allowing him to sweep horse manure without wearing a wooden shackle. Of course, there is also a reason why I can't escape at all.

　I think I wrote well, but my grades are not improving!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)