Cao Thief

Chapter 423 Hexi Raiders First Bullet

According to the records of "Hanshu-Geography", Lian County and Beiyi Mountain are in the northwest.

The Beiyi Mountain here is also the Helan Mountains.In the Western Han Dynasty, Lian County was once one of the nineteen counties of Beidi County.At the end of the Western Han Dynasty, Wang Mang changed the name of Lian County to Xiheting. In the Eastern Han Dynasty, he restored the name and became one of the six cities in Beidi County.At the same time, it was also the central city of the Han Dynasty, which managed the farmland and planted the valley, and immigrated to Shibian.

Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, Lian County has been a frontier fortress at the eastern foot of Helan Mountain, and has an extremely important military status.

Once upon a time, there were millions of villagers in Hexi, which was prosperous and prosperous.

However, the Qiang people rebelled and completely destroyed the prosperity of the Hexi area.The continuous wars and border violations forced the Han court to move the border counties and counties including Beidi County inward, and Lian County was immediately abandoned.

As early as when he was an envoy to the northern part of the Great Wall, Cao Peng once passed through Lian County.

At that time, only the ruined city walls were seen, with lush weeds, and it was completely a ruined place, with no human habitation for dozens of miles around.

Lian County has long been a pasture for the Qiang Di, Xiongnu and Xianbei people.

The sun rises in early autumn, and the temperature is neither high nor low, which makes people feel comfortable.

Cao Peng and his party came in chariots and horses, wearing morning dew, and they could see the outline of Lianxian County from a distance.

Just looking at it surprised Cao Peng!

Over the dilapidated city wall, a red dragon flag of the Han Dynasty fluttered in the wind. Under the morning light, the gold and silver on the red dragon flag shone brightly.

A barracks that can accommodate about [-] soldiers and horses is entrenched on top of the ruins.

The barracks is heavily guarded, and the military appearance is neat and tidy, revealing a suffocating coercion faintly...

"Hande, are you one of us?"

"It looks like it should."

"Go and have a look."

Cao Peng tapped the horse's belly lightly with his heel, and the big Huang Xiyu from under his crotch let out a loud hiss, which echoed in the world like the roar of a dragon and a lion.

After this period of recuperation, the liger seems to have regained the majesty of the divine beast.

One meal can eat the fodder of three or four horses, galloping like the wind, and the explosive power is extremely strong.Today's rhubarb no longer has the bony appearance and strong body of the past, giving people a strong sense of explosive force.The faint muscles on the limbs showed its powerful strength.

In Wang Shuang's words: The current ligers have not fully recovered.

Its body is still getting stronger, and only when it fully recovers can its true strength be seen...

Perhaps, traveling thousands of miles a day and walking eight hundred nights seems a bit exaggerated.

But from Lian County to Shizuishan Pass, the round trip only takes one day.

Cao Peng was skeptical about this, but he also knew that the pearl of the liger and tiger beast had been dusted for many years, and it really needed a process of recovery.Just imagine, its original owner didn't know BMW and treated it like a draft horse, so the body naturally suffered a lot of injuries.This recovery cannot be done in a short time... Fortunately, Cao Peng has this time.

Wang Shuang led the men to the barracks to investigate. Not long after, they heard the sound of horns coming from the barracks.

It was a horn unique to the Han army, and Cao Peng could tell it right away.

Just as he was wondering who was leading the army, he heard the sound of rumbling iron hoofs coming from the direction of the barracks, as if thousands of troops were galloping towards him, causing Cao Peng's expression to change slightly.The ground seemed to be trembling slightly, and the war horses also showed signs of restlessness and uneasiness.Cai Yan, who was sitting in the carriage, also stepped out of the carriage and looked into the distance.

A group of iron cavalry, about three or four hundred, came rushing from a distance.

A general, about eight feet three inches tall.He was dressed in black iron armor, with an iron Chinese horse under his crotch, rushing to the front.

"Ah Fu, you are finally back!"

"Big Bear?"

Cao Peng could not help but be extremely surprised when he saw who was coming.

Deng Fan, it was actually Deng Fan...

After the Battle of the White Horse, Deng Fan followed Xu Huang to fight in Hebei, participated in Cangting and other battles successively, and made great achievements. He was appointed as a lieutenant in the army and received a salary of two thousand stones. He has stabilized his position in the army .Before Cao Peng went to the Xiongnu, Deng Fan was still fighting in Hedong.So, the moment Deng Fan appeared, Cao Peng was a little dazed.

"Fifth brother, why are you here?"

The two horses were circling, Cao Peng reined in and asked suspiciously.

Deng Fan laughed and said: "I heard that my lord is going to reopen Hexi's defenses. You are General Beizhong, and you are in charge of Hexi. I asked General Gongming to transfer me here. Now that Hutou is in Longxi, you have to stay in Hexi. How can I not come?"

Cao Peng took a deep breath and smiled.

At the critical moment, it really is my brother who is the best!
"My lord is deploying defenses in Hexi this time, for your convenience, so most of the people transferred here are old brothers.

Pan Wengui pays homage to Captain Suiji and is responsible for assisting you.However, since he still needs to make handovers in Xuzhou, he will come here some time later; Zishan has also been ordered to come, and now he may have left from Xudu.I came directly from Hedong, so I arrived first and planned to repair Lian County first.Years ago, the lord moved [-] households to Hexi. "

Cao Cao really acted vigorously and resolutely!
In just two months, things were arranged properly.

Cao Peng couldn't help but asked, "Zishan didn't just arrive in Xudu, why did he come here?"

"I heard that Sikong originally wanted to order Zishan to be Sikong Cicao, but after hearing that you wanted to supervise the town of Hexi, Zishan begged Sikong to come over. Sikong felt that Zishan was also your old subordinate. There was no rejection."

Cao Peng couldn't help frowning.

It was beyond his expectation that Bu Zhi was coming.

In his opinion, it is more conducive for him to display his talents if Bu Zhi stays in Sikong Mansion.

Bu Zhi is not a general in charge of the army, and Hexi is bitterly cold, isn't he suffering here?However, Bu Zhi finally came.

This made Cao Peng feel quite warm in his heart.

"Ah Fu, let's talk in the camp."

Deng Fan said, pulling his horse out of the way.

Cao Peng was also polite, and signaled for the chariots and horses to move forward, and under the escort of three hundred cavalry, they slowly drove into the Lian County Barracks.

First ordered people to arrange the three of Cai Yan, mother and son properly, and then Cao Peng formally handed over the tiger charms to Deng Fan in the camp and took over the army and horses.Deng Fan brought about 4000 people this time, including [-] cavalry troops, and the rest were a mixture of walking vehicles.

Four thousand soldiers and horses sound like a lot.

But for Hexi as a whole, this amount is not too much.

Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands of soldiers were stationed in Hexi, and it was only then that Chen Tang made great achievements in sweeping across Mobei.At that time, Hexi had a large population, far from what it is today.After Cao Peng and the others took their seats, after a short greeting, they introduced the topic.

Pang Tong said: "Youxue wants to govern Lian County?"

Cao Peng nodded, "Lian County was ruled by the ancient Hexi. Now that Sikong wants to revitalize Hexi, naturally Lian County should be governed."

Pang Tong showed a thoughtful look, and shook his head slightly after a while.

"Governance, Naiyou learns from your foundation in Hexi, once it is set, it cannot be changed lightly.

Today is different from the past. In the past, the imperial court placed the Hexi government in Lian County because the entire Hexi was under the imperial court's rule.The six cities of Beidi can rely on each other, and the three auxiliary places can provide support at any time.In addition, there are hundreds of thousands of villagers in Hexi, and there are even more elite soldiers and generals, so there is no problem in governing Lian County.Now, Hexi is desolate, and there is no human habitation for hundreds of miles... Although Sikong decided to move [-] households to Hexi, but to you, Yu Youxue, these [-] households are a drop in the bucket.

Once, I mean once, the Xiongnu or Xianbei crossed Shizuishan, Lian County would bear the brunt of it, and there was no room for maneuver.Moreover, if you put the government in Lian County, it will inevitably cause a crisis for the Hu people, and even send troops to attack.Therefore, I think that Lian County cannot be abolished, but you cannot use Lian County as the foundation for your supervision of Hexi. "

Cao Peng was taken aback for a moment, and then fell into deep thought.

What Pang Tong said seemed to make sense. The city of Lian County was indeed too close to the Hu people.

Once a war breaks out, Lian County will inevitably bear the brunt; and once Lian County is in danger, Hexi will inevitably be in turmoil.

He looked up at Deng Fan, but saw Deng Fan shrugging his shoulders.

"Afomo wants to see me, and I don't know much about the situation here."

"You ran here without knowing it, you are courting death."

Cao Peng couldn't help laughing and cursing, but Deng Fan didn't care.

"Shiyuan, you continue."

Pang Tong thought for a while, then said in a deep voice, "The second reason why Youxuedu town Hexi cannot be governed in Lian County is the geographical location.

Back then, the imperial government governed Lian County for the purpose of conquering Mobei.

Now, when you govern Lian County, you want to erect a barrier in Hexi.One attack and one defense, although the ultimate goal is to go to Mobei, so far, Lian County is not the best choice.Huns, don't think about it for now.Since Tan Zhe is willing to go out of Hexi and take Mobei, it is possible for him to stalemate with the Huns in Mobei. We only need to give appropriate help so that he can gain a foothold in Mobei in a short period of time.Once Tanzhe left, there were still two evils in Hexi.First, the Qiang king Tang Ti, and the Qiang people from various tribes under him... Since Yongping, the Qiang people have caused disasters in Hexi, and they have a lot of grievances with the court.Youxue wants to supervise the town of Hexi, these Qiang people are the opponents you have to face.

And the second evil, Xiliang Ma Teng.

Although this person apparently surrendered to Sikong, but...

I dare say that Ma Shoucheng should be the most unhappy when you learn from you to supervise the town of Hexi.Moreover, I can also be sure that Ma Teng will not allow you to develop here safely.He has close contacts with the Qiang people, so be careful of his secret tricks. "

After Cao Peng listened, he nodded again and again.

I have to admit that Pang Tong is far more thoughtful than Cao Peng.

At most, Cao Peng gave a direction, but how to arrange, how to plan, and the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the form are far from comparable to Pang Tong.The name of the phoenix chick is indeed well-deserved.His words made Cao Peng realize how difficult the road ahead of him would be.Want to gain a foothold in Hexi?It is by no means an easy task.

"That Shiyuan thought, where should I rule?"

Pang Tong shook his head shyly, "Youxue, you really stumped me! To be honest, I don't know much about Hexi. I only came up with this idea when I saw that you wanted to govern Lian County. From Lian County to the west Thousands of miles are under the rule of Hexi, such a large place, it is impossible to think of a suitable place at once... There is no rush for this matter."

"However, this immigrant will arrive years ago."

"Well, how about I take someone out for a walk tomorrow, observe first, and then make a decision?"

After thinking about it, it seems that is the only way.

In fact, not only Pang Tong didn't know much about Hexi, but Cao Peng himself didn't have a complete concept of Hexi either.

To be precise, the area Cao Peng wants to govern belongs to the east of the Hexi Corridor.

From the west of Xiutuze, there is no restraint, which is Ma Teng's territory, and it is also the most active area of ​​Qianghu.Later generations, there is the Tengger Desert as a barrier.But now, from Lian County to Wuwei, there is an endless grassland.

After a brief discussion, Cao Peng decided to repair Lian County first.

Pang Tong will leave with Hande early the next morning to check the geographical environment.

Accompanied by Deng Fan, Cao Peng inspected the barracks while telling his parting feelings.Fast forward nearly four years, and the two brothers hardly had a chance to meet each other.

Cao Zhen, who still stays in the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, has a rising status.

Dianman and Xu Yi followed their fathers and gained a firm foothold in the army.

"When I came from Hedong, when I passed by Chang'an, I met Lao Liu."

"kindness?"

"He seems to be in poor health. I heard that he will go to work and return to Xudu soon to recuperate. General Wei Ji thinks highly of him, and is very reluctant to let him go. However, I think the sixth child is also holding on, so he sent someone to Xudu Notified the elder brother, it is estimated that the elder brother has sent someone to Chang'an."

Cao Zun is resigning?

This was beyond Cao Peng's expectation.

He had also passed by Chang'an before, but due to various reasons, he did not visit Cao Zun.

In fact, Cao Peng has always been a little strange: Cao Zun is very capable!Maybe not as good as those great people, but not inferior to some small people.But for some unknown reason, Cao Zun and Cao Peng in history have no impression at all.Based on Cao Peng's understanding of Cao Zun, Cao Zun is a very affectionate person... At the time when he had an accident, Cao Zun used the name of Zhong Yao, the lieutenant of Sili, to search for Fu Jun's whereabouts in Xijing area.If Wei Qi really wanted to keep him, then maybe Cao Zun would stay in Chang'an... If Deng Fan hadn't informed Cao Zhen, the result would be hard to say.

Back then, Xiaobayi, now there are only seven people left.

Cao Peng really didn't want anything to happen to Cao Zun.

So, after listening to what Deng Fan had said, he nodded slightly and said, "Big Bear, you did a good job."

When there are outsiders, Cao Peng calls Deng Fan the fifth brother.

But in private, especially when only Cao Peng, Deng Fanwang bought three people, they still prefer to call each other by their baby names, which is more affectionate.

"This time I'm coming to Hexi, I'm afraid there will be some fighting between dragons and tigers."

"That's just right, we brothers are together, who are we afraid of? Originally, I heard that brother Xingba also wanted to come, but the lord is about to use troops in Hebei, and brother Xingba will have a heavy responsibility, so he can't make it. Hehe, if Uncle Zhou and Feng Chao can also come over, the people we were in Haixi back then can be counted as enough..."

"Yes!"

Cao Peng raised his head and looked up at the dark night sky.

But see, the stars are shining in the night, very bright.

Does this count as a reincarnation?

Cao Peng couldn't help thinking wildly... Seven years ago, when he first arrived in Xudu, he went to Haixi with his brother-in-law Deng Ji and Deng Fan Wangmai, and made a fortune; seven years later, he has become famous. Together with old brothers and old friends, we will start a new business in Hexi!A strange idea suddenly flashed in my mind: Haixi, I can hand it over, because there is not much potential there; if one day in the future, Lao Cao asks me to hand over Hexi again, can I still hand over Haixi? How about the same indifference?
Suddenly, Cao Peng hit a chill...

If I were to hand over Hexi, it would be impossible!

But what should I do to firmly control Hexi in my hands?

He stopped, stood in front of the shaft gate, and looked up at the pitch-black field... The grassland in early autumn looked very lonely!
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++
"Mom, where are we going?"

In the spacious big tent, A Meiguai nestled in Cai Yan's arms and asked softly.

"We... go home."

"Mother, where is our home?"

A Meiguai's immature voice immediately aroused Cai Yan's thoughts.

When she first heard that she was going home, she was extremely excited, and she could even describe it as tears of joy.However, when Cai Yan calmed down, she fell into hesitation and confusion again.Yes, where is her home?
Basically, there is no need to think about the Hedong Wei family, and Cai Yan didn't even think about it.

As early as when Wei Zhongdao died of illness and she left Hedong, she and the Wei family had no connection at all...

And the father who loved her, loved her, and doted on her has returned to Jiuquan.There is only one younger sister left, but she has not been contacted for many years, and there is not even a slightest news.Cai Yan only remembered that her younger sister was married to a noble family in the Shangdang family, but they did not write letters to each other.It's not that she has a bad relationship with her sister, but that she will feel sad when she sees her sister's happy life.

In addition, she seems to have no relatives in the Central Plains.

Cao Cao may think of the teacher-student friendship back then, and the friendship of friends settled her down, but it was not a long-term solution after all.

Cai Yan, who lived in the Central Plains since childhood, knows the customs of the Central Plains very well.

She doesn't care, but...

Adiguai and Ameiguai have the blood of the Huns. The two children may be fine in the Huns, but if they return to the Central Plains, they will inevitably be discriminated against by their peers.The hostility of the Central Plains people towards the Hu people can be described as unforgettable.This point, Cai Yan can feel the clues from the few conversations between Cao Peng and her that are not particularly profound.

Of course, Cao Peng didn't have any malice towards Adiguai and Ameiguai, but he was extremely wary of the Huns in the north of the Great Wall.

If the two children arrive in Xudu, will they be wronged?
If they were wronged in the Central Plains, wouldn't it be harming them...

The more Cai Yan thought about it, the more bewildered he felt.

She suddenly had a strange idea: it might not be a good idea to flee from the Huns with the child after abandoning everything.

Outside the military tent, the sound of Diao Dou.

Before I knew it, the second watch had passed.

Cai Yan looked at the two sleeping children, covered them with quilts, and walked out of the big tent lightly.

The barracks is very quiet, but it is heavily guarded... From time to time, you can see patrolling soldiers walking between the military tents and in the camp.

"Master Cai, haven't you rested yet?"

Cai Yan had only walked a few steps when someone asked.

Turning her head to look, she saw a young man walking out of the shadow beside the military tent, saluting her respectfully.

Cai Yan recognized that this young man was Cao Peng's lieutenant general, and his name seemed to be Wang Shuang.

"General Wang, haven't you rested yet?"

"Oh, everyone, Cai, don't call me a general, what kind of general am I, but a servant next to my son.

The young master ordered me to protect everyone Cai's mother and son, so I was on duty in the small tent next door. "

Cai Yan smiled and nodded slightly.

"Master Cai, you should rest early.

The military camp is no different than other places, walking around will cause trouble.If you need anything, you can tell me... After the mission arrives in two days, Cai and everyone can return to Xudu with the mission. "

"Why, are you not leaving?"

"My son was ordered to supervise the town of Hexi, and I'm afraid he won't be returning home for the time being."

"king……"

"My name is Wang Shuang, everyone in Cai can call me Xiao Wang."

Cai Yan smiled and nodded lightly, "In this case, I will not be polite...Xiao Wang, your son does not look very big, and he comes from a very high family background. He is a general in Beizhong. Why do you want to stay here in Hexi? Where is the land suffering from the new wind?
I heard that General Bei Zhonglang seems to be a man with a story.

I can't sleep, but I don't know, Xiao Wang, can you tell me something about your young master's deeds? "

(End of this chapter)