Dawn of the Empire

Chapter 134 Send Yu Yuqi Pavilion (1)

Chengying Seventh Battalion started from Kangju City, walked along the Mina River to Bukhara City, passed around the city, crossed the desert along the Wuhu River, crossed the Leizhu Sea, marched for more than ten days, and came to a misty wave The vast waters, this is the West Sea, but it is actually a large lake, and it is also the western border of Xia Kingdom.Residents who migrated from Guanlong to Shu, reclaimed fields along the shore of the Great Lakes, and grazed cattle and sheep. Zhao Xingde also saw for the first time the frontier warehouse city often mentioned by Wang Tongdeng and Jian Cheng.

Chengying camp passed through this city, which is called Wutoucang.Backed by a saltwater swamp, the city wall is not very tall, with a circumference of about two miles.The houses in the city are very narrow and dense, almost all small rooms more than ten feet square, divided into upper and lower floors, the lower floor is for storage, and the upper floor can accommodate five or six people temporarily.The streets in the city are intricate, and many of the roofs facing the streets are built with disc walls. If the enemy breaks into the city, the residents can rely on the streets to resist one by one.

There is only a small group of sergeants stationed in Cangcheng, and most of the errands for guarding are carried out by the regiment training camps in the vicinity.The savings of the nearby people are kept in Cangcheng, and the doors of each house are locked tightly. When the regiment training camp rotates, and it is also the time of the market, the nearby people drive over in horse-drawn carriages to check the storage.The new group training also needs to monitor each household's warehouse door seals one by one before they are accepted.Within a month after that, except for the owners of the warehouses holding the household cards, other people, even the army, were not allowed to enter the city.

Zhao Xingde saw that the Wutoucang City was built in a non-circular and non-square shape, with many obtuse angles extending outwards, and the shape was strange, so he couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled.

Sima Junfang smiled and said: "It's the same in Cangcheng everywhere. When it was first built, there were few shady households, and a square meter was enough. Later, when the population gradually prospered and the number of households increased, the number of households and warehouses in Cangcheng was not enough. The newly settled shady households built warehouses next to the old city, adding dozens of households this year and next year. Many door openings were demolished from the walls of the original warehouse city, and the rest became the walls of the new warehouses, and new walls were built outside. Over time, Cangcheng everywhere has such an angular appearance."

"So that's how it is," Zhao Xingde said with a smile, "I thought it was done on purpose to make it easier for the defensive team to shoot arrows and crossbows." The Chengying Battalion under the flag of the Three Armies passed by, and the Cangcheng regiment did not pay attention to it, as if they were more cautious than Bianliang's Miyagi defense.

"Let me tell you," Jin Changtai said with a smile, "the more remote the place, the more well-off the family. These rich locals are afraid that you will ask him for food and money. Even if it is the conscript of the army, if Without laws, government orders and military orders in hand, prefectural and county tribunes will not be able to enter Cangcheng." He paused, and then said, "The terrain here is low-lying. Since the household registration warehouse was not enough, the cellars were dug down, and I heard that some dug two or three floors.” This area is an important transit point of the East-West trade road. After the population flourished, the number of handicraft workshops gradually increased, and craftsmen moved to the surrounding areas. The nomadic tribes buy goods such as sheep's wool woven felt blankets and woolen clothes, and sell them to passing merchants.Indeed, it can be called rich.

"No wonder the city wall is built so low," Zhao Xingde nodded. "It's to be demolished and rebuilt continuously. But it's cheap." Having an intuitive understanding of the enrichment of the Xia Kingdom, even if the enemy's army came to attack, the people relied on their warehouses. The city can also resist for a long time.

Cangcheng is not easy to open the city, Chengying Seventh Battalion can only rest in the nearby post.Many soldiers from Guanzhong saw this small fortress-like city for the first time, and after discussing it for a long time, they began to plan how to capture the city.

About to enter the territory of the barbarians, Jin Changtai, the commander of the march, specially asked the soldiers to buy more ingredients such as ginger slices, dried onions and garlic, rice wine, black vinegar, and salty soy sauce from the Middle Earth. Maybe hard to swallow.Seeing the unbelieving eyes of some sergeants, Jin Changtai said with a smirk: "When regrets are too late, don't blame me for being unpredictable." Zhao Xingde saw that there were many exquisite silver boxes wrapped in precision forging in his luggage , Jin Changtai said: "When we arrive in the Lumei Kingdom, this famous tea in Sichuan is a good gift for dignitaries and dignitaries. It is also easy to carry, so it is naturally indispensable." Following the seventh battalion of Chengying, he had great hopes. It is to take the opportunity to travel around, increase knowledge, and have the opportunity to make friends with officials and dignitaries, which will be of great help to my own business in the future.

Zhao Xingde complimented him that he would be able to revitalize his family business, but Jin Changtai sighed: "It's nothing to seek wealth and wealth." He paused, with a mysterious look, and said: "If you can pass through the big food The boundary of human beings is the sea of ​​hot sand. Most of the territory is the tribal kingdom of the Kunlun slaves. The place is rich in gold, luminous pearls and other rare treasures, but it is extremely short of salt. As long as you go deep into the hot and humid jungle, a lump of salt will It is enough to exchange for a piece of gold. The rich merchants in the sea of ​​hot sand store salt like gold." He shook his head and sighed, "It's a pity that this trade route passes through the hinterland of the big cannibals and has been covered by them all the time. Hold on, it's too dangerous for us Xia people, otherwise, I will definitely try it." The blaze of the bonfire reflected his longing for a mysterious foreign land covered with gold on his face.

"Jin Sima, are you still daydreaming?" Sima Junfang and Huang Zongdao opened the curtain and walked in. Huang Zongdao was holding a pot of Jiuhan nicknamed "Hero's Blood", which was the best in Western Xinjiang. A spirit made from wine that has been boiled repeatedly. "Hey, the local rich man has become generous today," Jin Changtai said with a smile, thinking that Huang Zongdao was going to invite the two of them to drink, but Huang Zongdao stuffed the wine bottle into his backpack full of various herbs, and said with a smile: "We will leave the customs tomorrow morning, so we must bring some water from our hometown." He paused, and then said: "The general of the Anxi Army Division specially rushed to Wutou to send our camp out tomorrow morning, and General Duan is hosting a banquet. Treat Old General Xu, and let the marching Sima and the centurion go."

Xu Wenhu, the general of the Anxi Army Division, is the pillar of the defense of the western border. He has been guarding the western border for 30 years. He has been promoted from a sergeant to a general.He painstakingly managed the defense of Anxi, and his troops guarded the isolated city of Jueyu, and fought against Hu Qi who were several times his own.It has a high prestige in Xia **.The sergeants followed him into battle with peace of mind, each knowing that his sacrifice would not be in vain.Cangcheng in frontier prefecture was besieged by barbarians. Hearing that Xu Wenhu led the army to attack the enemy, his morale was often boosted.

In Zhao Xingde's eyes, Xu Wenhu is more like a craftsman who has worked hard all his life. The deep wrinkles have made the scars from his youth no longer obvious. Although he tried his best to straighten his back, his figure and bags under the eyes appear bloated.He didn't speak loudly, and when he spoke, all the officers could only quiet down, so that everyone in the big tent could understand the old general's words, but his voice was still a little vague.In Zhao Xingde's ears, at least it was not as clear and forceful as the military order he issued.

Kim Chang-tae said that Seo Moon-ho is likely to retire within five years.Once he retires, it is a certainty that he will be promoted to Zhu Guofu, and the number of people who elected him is likely to exceed hundreds of thousands. "The lieutenants of the Huguo Mansion are all in their prime, and most of the national policies they formulate are vigorous and steady. However, most of the Zhu Kingdoms in the Zhu Guo Mansion are highly respected people, and the laws and regulations tend to be ruthless. The style is very different." Jin Changtai said while holding his wine glass.

The centurions of the Seventh Battalion of Chengying took turns to step forward, and when it was Zhao Xingde's turn, he held up his wine glass and said respectfully: "My humble officer Zhao De, I respect General Xu." When Xu Wenhu was speaking, the tent was so quiet that a needle could be heard.

Every time an officer toasted, Xu Wenhu would drink to the full, which is also a common practice in the army, otherwise he should be retired.His eyes moved slightly, as if he didn't hear clearly, he asked, "You are Zhao De?" He looked at him with great interest.

"It's the last general." Zhao Xingde said bluntly, feeling that Xu Wenhu seemed to be staring at him for a while, before he slowly said: "This Chengying camp was originally created by Taizu's recruiting of the Kwantung soldiers. I am only a hero, and heroes are not Ask about your background. When you arrive in the Lumei Kingdom, please be careful." After speaking, he drank the wine in the glass and turned it over to look at Zhao De.

Zhao De quickly drank up his wine and stepped back, returning to his seat.Zhao Xingde was still pondering, Xu Wenhu's expression seemed to be quite kind to him, but these few sentences didn't fit well, but it was quite puzzling.

At this time, when Wang Tong stepped forward to pay respects, Xu Wenhu was also quite kind to him, and said in a low voice, "You must be Wang Tieqiang. Before leaving Dunhuang, Prime Minister Liu mentioned you to me. Anxi is thousands of miles away. I would not trade a strong general with ten opponents for a hundred mediocre people. As long as you are capable enough, you will have as much military merit as you want." Laughing, he drank the wine in his glass.

As the end of the year was approaching, there was occasional sound of ping-ping-pong-pong-pong-pong-ping-pong explosions outside the posthouse.