Neon Clothes and Iron Clothes

"Father did think so at the beginning!" Yanliang smiled: "But things have changed! Today is different from the past. If you do the math, my father has more than forty sons alone. One of us occupied the Japanese country. If one of them occupies Chang'an, Sutuo and Yuanbao will occupy much less. How much will be left for them to come out later? I’m begging for food under you and me!”

"That's true!" Hu Liang nodded. Just as Yan Liang said, although Wang Wenzuo did not make any distinction between direct descendants and concubines in raising his sons, the order of elders and younger children meant that they were almost treated equally when practicing civil and martial arts on the island, but the maternal lineage The strength of the family and the time of birth will definitely have a corresponding impact on the child's future development. People like Yanliang, who were born with golden keys in their mouths, were able to win the loyalty of thousands of Japanese warriors right after they were born, and ascended to the throne of the Japanese king; Also, when Wang Wenzuo was in urgent need of a son to guard his side, he was able to jump up the ranks three times, marry the emperor's sister, and before he was twenty, he could enter the core of power in the Tang Dynasty and lead the army to fight against Tibet. Although Xu Tuo and Yuan Bao are not weak in ability, the most important positions at the top have been filled by their brothers. They can only serve as the governor of Cangzhou and the commander of the navigation fleet. The younger ones, unless they are Cui Yunying. He was born to his wife, otherwise the cake he would get would be even smaller, unable to be compared with the likes of Hu Liang and Yan Liang. This can only be said to be the result of luck.

"Yanliang, according to you, what should I do now?"

"Of course we have to conquer Tubo first!" Yan Liang said with a smile: "Since it has been decided to send out troops in the spring of next year, the number of troops sent out will not be too many, ranging from forty to fifty thousand to twenty to thirty thousand. Such a small number of troops If we want to win, it’s amazing, we both should use our brains more in this regard!”

"That's right! I didn't expect this!" Hu Liang said with a smile. As Yan Liang said, even for a big country like the Tang Dynasty, mobilizing hundreds of thousands of troops to expedition to Tibet in the spring would do terrible harm to the people in the northwest, so Wang Wenzuo The purpose of this announcement to recruit the eldest son of Haidong Wu in Hebei Province was to dispatch 20,000 to 30,000 elite soldiers to catch Qinling by surprise.

"I heard about it when I came here. Qin Ling led his troops to sneak across the Qilian Mountains, capture the land west of Hexi, and contacted the Turkic rebels in an attempt to attack me from three sides!" Yan Liang stretched out his finger, dipped some tea in it and started making some mistakes. A situation map was drawn on it: "In my opinion, when news is spread from Longyou, saying that I will send troops to suppress the rebellion first, and then restore Hexi. When Qinling prepares for me to attack Hexi, I will go out of Longyou and pass through the Huang River Valley. , Go straight to Qinghai, go straight to the nest!"

"Leaving Longyou and passing through the Huang River Valley? This is a dangerous move!" Hu Liang sighed: "Today is different from the past. Since the defeat of Dafeichuan, our side has suffered more defeats and fewer wins. The Tuyuhun soldiers in Qinghai have All the troops have surrendered to the Tubo people. If our troops leave Longyou, there will be twenty or thirty stone fortresses of the Tubo soldiers in the Huanghe River Valley alone. Even beyond the Huanghe River Valley, there will be stone fortresses in the Riyue Mountains. It is extremely dangerous. Only after passing here can you enter the meadows around Qinghai Lake and see the herds of the Tibetan tribes. "

"If it was not dangerous, how could Qin Ling be killed?" Yan Liang said with a smile: "Whether it is a rock village in the Huang River Valley or a stone castle in the Riyue Mountains, they can only defend themselves against attacks on the ground. How can they stop it? Thunder and fire falling from the sky? With the hot air balloon and telescope our father gave us, the Tibetan herds by the Qinghai Lake will definitely not be able to escape our grasp! "

Hearing Yanliang mention hot air balloons and telescopes, Huliang's eyes lit up: "That's true, but we don't know yet whether it will be successful or not. From my perspective, we have a few months to go, so we have to prepare well. !”

"Leave this to me!" Yan Liang patted his chest: "There should be many abandoned cities around Chang'an, right? Just pick any place and seal it off on all sides, and let my people practice there. Anyway, it's all They are from the Japanese country. Not many people can speak Tang dialect, so there is no need to worry about them spilling the beans!"

"This is a good idea!" Hu Liang nodded: "Then I'll bother you!"

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Ganzhou City, Governor's Mansion.

"Provincial Governor, the time has come!" Cao Gang's voice was trembling a little. He lowered his head and looked at the ground, as if he was dodging something.

"It's been a month?" Zhang Quanwen stood up. Compared to a month ago, he was much older. His whole body looked very shriveled, as if all the water had been drained and he might be blown away by a gust of wind at any time. .

"Well! That's it for today!" Cao Gang licked his lips: "The Tibetans are just outside the city, should we--" At this point, his voice was choked up.

"If the reinforcements haven't arrived yet, then open the city!" Zhang Quanwen sighed.

"Really Kaicheng?"

"What's wrong?" Zhang Quanwen showed a smile: "I am the governor, not you. Even if the court investigates me in the future, the blame will be on me and not on you! Open the city! We have almost eaten the food. If we continue to defend it, even if the Tubo people are If the people don’t attack, the city will be eaten by people!”

"I obey my command!" Cao Gang bowed and bowed. He turned around and took two steps before suddenly stopping: "Prince Zhang, please promise me something first!"

"What's the matter?" Zhang Quanwen asked.

"The situation in Ganzhou has been seen by all the soldiers and civilians in the city. We are running out of food to open up the city. Please don't commit suicide!"

"Hahaha!" Zhang Quanwen laughed: "Don't worry, Cao Zhe, I won't just die and leave all the trouble to the living. I still want to save my life to face the censure of the court. Woolen cloth!"

Hearing this, Cao Gang couldn't help feeling sad. He knelt down to Zhang Quanwen and kowtowed three more times: "If the court wants to punish you, the people in Ganzhou will definitely give the court an explanation!"

Looking at Cao Gang's leaving figure, Zhang Quanwen returned to his seat and sat down, his whole body limp. He did have the idea of ​​​​committing suicide. As a scholar-official with good Confucian education, it would be a huge shame to abandon the city he held and surrender to the barbarians. Death was the only way to wash away the shame. Thinking of this, he subconsciously reached for his waist. , hold the handle of the knife.

We are running out of food to open the city, but please don't commit suicide!
Cao Gang's words just now flashed in front of his eyes, and Zhang Quanwen gave a wry smile. It would be easy for him to die, and he would not be able to explain many things clearly. Besides, if he was going to be ruined, why not take the blame for his colleagues, so that his family could have more money? A few people were taking care of him. Thinking of this, he let out a long sigh and let go of the handle of the knife.

Zhang Quanwen sat there, and he didn't know how much time had passed. He heard the noise of soldiers and horses coming from outside, and knew that the Tibetans had entered the city. Zhang Quanwen didn't want the Tubo people to see his embarrassment, so he stood up and tidied himself up. After a few words, he sat down again, straightened his back, and stared at the courtyard door with a majestic expression. However, despite the noisy sound of soldiers and horses outside, the courtyard door was never opened. It was as if the Tubo people had not noticed the courtyard at all. Finally, the courtyard door was opened, and a group of people entered the courtyard. The leader waved his hand and motioned for his subordinates to clean the courtyard first. When the courtyard was cleaned, the officer stood in front of the hall, holding a horizontal knife in both hands, looking like a Door god. Zhang Quanwen was thinking about whether to ask, when the courtyard door reopened, and a young general came in. His eyes were full of energy, and with a smile on his lips, he said, "Is this the governor of Ganzhou Zhang in the hall?"

"Not bad!" Zhang Quanwen stood up: "Your Excellency is——"

"I am Gong Ren, and General Qinling is my father!" Gong Ren bowed his hand to Zhang Quanwen.

"It turns out to be Major General Gong Ren!" Zhang Quanyi glanced at the other party strangely. According to the known intelligence, the other party was the commander of the Tibetan people outside the city. What would he do if he saw a defeated general at this juncture?
"The governor Zhang did not hesitate to name his family for the sake of the soldiers and people of the city. Gongren admired his actions!" Gongren said with a smile: "Suddenly you decided to open the city without fighting. I will naturally keep my promise and not harm the people in the city!"

"Thank you so much, General!" Zhang Quanyi breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn't know the other party's intention, it was at least a good thing.

"It doesn't matter!" Gongren said with a smile: "From now on, Ganzhou will be my Tubo territory, and the people in the city will also be my subjects of Tubo Dazanpu. I will naturally govern them according to Tubo laws. How can I kill them indiscriminately? By the way. , Governor Zhang, what are your plans next?”

"Plan?" Zhang Quanyi was stunned when he heard this, and said with a wry smile: "Now that I am defeated and unable to control myself, how can I have any plans?"

"Don't worry, Governor Zhang!" Gongren said with a smile: "I have already reported your matter to my father, and my father has agreed. If you want to stay, then please stay with me and help me govern the people of Hexi; if If you want to leave, that’s fine, I’ll have someone take you back to Datang in two days!”

"Send me back to the Tang Dynasty!" Zhang Quanyi was surprised: "I am a prisoner!"

"Hahaha!" Gongren laughed: "I have just said that you are willing to humiliate yourself for the lives of the people in the city. My father and I admire you very much. Whether you want to leave or stay, we all respect you. "

Seeing that Gongren didn't look like he was faking it, Zhang Quanwen's thoughts became more vivid. In his original expectation, he would either die as a martyr or be taken as a prisoner by the Tubo people, but he did not expect that the Tubo general would be so easy to talk to. He thought for a moment and made up his mind: "In this case, I still want to go back!"

"Okay!" Gongren was very cheerful and said to the officer who was guarding the door: "Akuansang, you choose a hundred people. As long as this old gentleman from the Tang Dynasty recovers his health enough to travel long distances, you will This old gentleman from the Tang Dynasty will be escorted back and handed over to the Tang people’s guard. Don’t delay on the way!”

"Subordinates obey orders!"

Zhang Quanwen couldn't help but be overjoyed to hear that Gongren let him go in such a relaxed and happy manner, and he thanked Gongren profusely. Gong Ren said with a smile: "Mr. Zhang, although we Tubo people are not as literary and elegant as the Tang Dynasty, we still know how to respect and cherish the common people and are not afraid of strong enemies. Please be careful on the road. We may meet again in the future!"

In the next few days, Zhang Quanwen suppressed his impatience and waited for the Tibetan officer named Akuansang to confirm that he was healthy enough to go on the road. He was a straightforward, rough and cruel guy, but he was a simple warrior at heart. Zhang Quanwen quickly understood the other person - this kind of person would obey all kinds of orders from his superiors. On the battlefield, they will kill, rob and even rape, but once the war is over, they will honestly put down their weapons, return to their hometown, pick up a hoe, marry a woman from a neighboring village, and give birth to a bunch of chirping children.

"It's not good enough!" Akuansang said in Tang Dynasty with a strong accent: "It takes eight or nine days to walk from here to your Tang people's place! The road is bumpy and the weather is cold. You can't stand it like this. Too much Eat something, drink more buttermilk, and we’ll go on the road again when you feel better!”

Twelve days later, on a cold morning, Akuansang's small team left the east gate of Ganzhou City. Farewell to Zhang Quanwen were Cao Gang and others, with complicated expressions on their faces, including shame and envy. Cao Gang took a step forward and grabbed Zhang Quanwen's hand: "Mr. Zhang, it rained a few days ago and the road is slippery. You must take care of yourself. And -" He paused slightly, his throat a little choked: " When you enter the Yumen Pass, please bow to the east for me. I am afraid that I will never be able to enter the Yumen Pass again in my lifetime!"

"Don't say that!" Zhang Quanwen looked a little sad and whispered: "If there is a chance, there must be a chance!" He didn't want to continue talking about this sad topic, coughed twice, got on his horse and went outside. , leaving behind only the former colleagues waving goodbye.

In order to avoid trouble on the road, Gongren gave Zhang Quanwen a head-to-toe sheepskin jacket, deerskin boots, and a bearskin hat - of course, in the Tubo style. Regarding this, Zhang Quanwen had nothing to complain about. The group of people walked east along the official road for twelve or three years, then left the road and turned to follow farm trails and hunting trails.

"Why not take the official route?" Zhang Quanwen asked, "That would be much faster!"

"I don't want to get into trouble," Akuansan said. "God knows what ambushes might be out there on the road."

"But you don't need to be afraid, right? There are a hundred people under your command."

"Yes, but everything is available these days. The general asked me to ensure that you are returned to the Tang Dynasty safely and safely. I must obey the order and make sure nothing goes wrong!"

Facing the opponent's rock-like solidity, Zhang Quanwen had no choice but to look at both sides of the road in boredom, looking for familiar scenes from the past: Yes, I walked this road, not a few miles away, looking at a deserted building by the river. Mill, Zhang Quanwen reacted. When he came to Ganzhou to take office, he once rested here and asked the mill owner for directions. Now that the grass has grown so tall, he seemed to hear the miller shouting: "That way is the way to the Ganzhou government office, Lang Jun!" "Now where is the miller?"
Even now, thinking about the past still pained him. Zhang Quanwen recalled the miller's rosy face, the mellow village wine, and the warm biscuits, but all of them no longer existed. (End of chapter)