Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 127: Holding Guan hostage to support justice
"Drive! Drive! Drive..."

Amid the sound of horse hooves, the fifth year of Dazhong has become the past, and the sixth year of Dazhong is upon us.

Dozens of light cavalry wearing breastplates were galloping westward on the official road at a fairly fast pace.

On horseback, Liu Jilong shook the reins and spurred his horse to gallop.

He rarely traveled in such a horse-consuming way, because most of the time he was on the road to war.

But today was different. After he had run for more than ten miles, he saw a tall flagpole at the end of the road ahead, with the Sanchen flag fluttering in the wind.

Under the flagpole, the post station built with rammed earth was very eye-catching. Everyone sped up their horses, and some people walked out of the post station and bowed towards them.

"Xu..."

After sprinting for hundreds of steps, Liu Jilian was the first to arrive in front of the post station. Without waiting for the horse to stop, he grabbed the saddle and dismounted. He ran more than ten steps on the ground and then stopped.

"Lanzhou Governor Liu Jilong has been ordered to go to Jiuquan and have people prepare meals for fifty-six people!"

"Yes! I'll get ready now!"

As soon as Liu Jilong opened his mouth, the man in charge bowed hurriedly, took Liu Jilong's horse, and trotted back to the post station to make arrangements.

"Wang Hui! Prepare fifty-six people!"

"Eh!"

The man gave an order to the inside of the rammed earth wall and then led the horse to the side to feed the horse.

Liu Jilong looked at the post station and saw that it was like a small city, twenty steps wide and more than ten steps deep, with rammed earth walls about ten feet high, and only a seven-foot-wide gate on the front.

Walking into the gate of the village, there is an open space filled with tables and chairs, as well as a main house about ten steps long and two side houses about seven or eight steps wide.

The main house and the side house have been decorated with new scrolls, which read: "The three yangs begin to spread, and the four seasons begin to open. Good fortune and happiness begin to be renewed, and longevity and wealth are extended."

Next to the side house is a well, and in the corner there is a toilet and an open-air bath.

Liu Jilong took a look, then walked out of the village gate and walked around the post station.

Several acres of land were reclaimed to the west of the post station, but no crops were planted there at the moment.

"Governor, what are you looking at?!"

Ma Cheng came trotting over, and Liu Jilong chuckled: "Nothing, just taking a look."

After he finished speaking, Ma Cheng also glanced around and confirmed that there was no one around before he said, "Governor, we are still 20 miles away from Jiuquan."

"We have sent many brothers to visit their families along the way. The remaining fifty or so brothers will also go to visit their families when they arrive in Jiuquan. By then, there will be only two of us. This..."

Ever since Liu Jilong and Ma Cheng had a direct conversation last time, Ma Cheng had privately reported the results of his investigation to Liu Jilong many times.

Because of this, Ma Cheng also knew that Liu Jilong would take them to set up their own business in the future, so he was worried that the matter would be exposed.

All the way from Shandan, he was carefully reminding Liu Jilong, but Liu Jilong was not worried.

"If the Jiedushi wants my life, just take it. There's no need to resort to trickery."

"Besides, even if we were to take action, it should be in Guazhou or Shazhou. Why choose Suzhou?"

"Don't forget, the two states of Gansu are basically all occupied by the descendants of the Zhang family. The Jiedushi will not make useless arrangements."

Liu Jilian never worried that Zhang Yichao would attack him because he was clear about his position in Hexi.

As a role model for children of common people, how would others view Zhang and Zhang Yichao if they died in obscure circumstances?
Zhang Yichao would never do such a thing. Even if he really wanted to deal with me, the worst method would be to imprison me in my home.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong patted Ma Cheng, motioning him to follow him and walk towards the post station.

Soon, when they arrived at the post station, the fifty-four brothers had already sat down and started drinking tea and chatting.

Liu Jilong had regulations in the army that soldiers were not allowed to chat or joke on the march, and generals and grassroots officers such as captains and cooks could only report military intelligence.

In addition, there are many harsh military orders, but these orders are all to ensure the safety of the march.

Because of this, after arriving at the post station and sitting down, the soldiers immediately started chatting.

All they talked about was returning home. People say that one becomes homesick when one is close to home, but for them, they just want to return home immediately and hug their loved ones.

After sitting down, Ma Cheng poured a bowl of water for Liu Jilong, and then went to other tables to joke.

Quarter of an hour later, sheets of Hu pancakes were brought out with a bowl of mutton bone soup. The soldiers cut the Hu pancakes, scooped the mutton bone soup from the bowl into a bowl with a spoon, and ate a mouthful of the Hu pancake and soup, enjoying it deliciously.

However, during this period, stewed mutton and corn rice were placed on Liu Jilong's table.

A full pot of stewed mutton should have been delicious, but Liu Jilong frowned when he saw it.

"Ma Cheng!"

"Eh!"

Hearing Liu Jilong calling him, Ma Cheng quickly stood up and walked over.

"Give the brothers some of this pot of mutton."

Liu Jilong pointed at the five or six pounds of chopped mutton for stewing and said this. Ma Cheng also smiled and picked up the wooden basin and began to distribute the meat to each table.

Each person had at least two or three pieces of meat in their bowl. Although they were not large, they were a reflection of the fairness of the Shandan Army.

This action made the postman guarding the post station at a loss.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong comforted him, "Don't worry, I can't finish all the meat, it's fine to share it, you guys can sit down and eat too."

After saying that, he signaled Ma Cheng to greet the two of them, and Ma Cheng finally left five or six pieces of mutton for him.

A bowl of mutton soup with rice made him about 50% full, and the soldiers also started burping after eating.

"Let's go!"

After eating and drinking, at Liu Jilong's call, the soldiers of the Shandan Army walked out of the post station, mounted their horses and rushed to Jiuquan.

Several postmen escorted them to the official road. As they watched them leave, one of them couldn't help but sigh:

"It is said that Governor Liu of Ganzhou treats his soldiers very well. Today I saw that it is really true."

"It's a pity that we can't meet such a good general, alas..."

A few people sighed, turned around and went back to the post station, continuing to repeat the tasks of cooking for people and feeding horses.

Twenty miles is neither long nor short. For Liu Jilong and his men, it is just a journey of one hour if they hurry.

Before the Shenshi (15:), they saw the Jiuquan City in the distance.

There were no common people on the official roads and fields outside the city. I guess they were all celebrating the New Year in the city.

Riding his horse to the other side of the moat, while his team was delivering the fish token to the defenders for verification, Liu Jilong looked up at the east gate of Jiuquan City with mixed feelings.

He had started his work here with Ma Cheng, Zhang Chang and ten other people. Now, nearly two years have passed, and those who survived have been rewarded, but some people can never come back.

"Provincial Governor, Fish Talisman..."

Dui Zheng rode back to the other side of the moat, holding up the fish symbol in both hands.

Liu Jilong took it and put it in his arms, shook the reins of his horse, crossed the stone bridge, and entered the city under the watchful eyes of the guards at the city gate.

"Is that Governor Liu?"

"Of course he is, but didn't they say he was nine feet tall, with a red face and a prominent nose? How come he looks so heroic and majestic?"

"Of course he's brave, otherwise he wouldn't have made such a name for himself!"

"Ugh……"

The defenders' discussions echoed in Liu Jilong's ears. Although the voices were not loud, he could hear them very clearly.

Ignoring these voices, Liu Jilong led more than fifty riders through the city gate corridor. After walking a few dozen steps, he turned the reins and ordered:
"Disband on the spot and go to the government office to look for General Ma every day until General Ma tells you the time to set out!"

"Yes!!!"

The soldiers responded extremely loudly, and many people who were celebrating the New Year in the distance looked over here.

In just a few breaths, fifty-four light cavalrymen left one after another and went home happily to celebrate the New Year.

Liu Jilong had no worries, and Ma Cheng's family took him to Shandan, so the two of them did not stay and went straight to the yamen.

In the past two years, Jiuquan has changed a lot.

The streets have been repaired and are flat, but not as clean and tidy as those in Shandan.

The houses on both sides of the street were demolished and rebuilt. Although they were still "rammed earth houses with thatched roofs", the people's bodies were fuller, the children's bellies were no longer morbidly protruding, and their limbs were no longer slender, but had returned to the appearance of normal children overall.

The linen clothes they wore were not new, but they were not particularly old either.

In general, they have returned to a normal standard of living, although not as good as Shandan, but much better than the people in Helong. At least Liu Jilong saw curiosity and hope for life in their eyes, instead of the numbness they had before.

"Life is getting better. I hope that people in Hexi can live like this in the future."

Liu Jilong sighed, but Ma Cheng was shocked and said: "Although it is much better than before, it still has many shortcomings compared to Shandan."

After Ma Cheng followed Liu Jilong on the Eastern Expedition, he basically stayed in Shandan and on the battlefield and never returned.

Because of this, he doesn't know what the level of governance is in other places.

Now, he had an even deeper respect for his own governor.

The mental outlook of the people of Jiuquan and Shandan is obviously different. As long as the people of Shandan are healthy, they will have some extra fat or tendon meat on their bodies, and they will always receive new summer and winter clothes during the spring planting and autumn harvest.

In addition, many relatives of martyrs in the city could read and write, and there were literacy classes in the military camps.

The Shandan soldiers who attended the literacy classes often passed on the knowledge they had learned to their brothers and children after returning home, thus spreading the knowledge.

Because of this, you can often hear children reciting their textbooks or multiplication tables while playing on the streets.

In Jiuquan City, although the appearance of the people has changed a lot compared to before, it is still not as lively as that in Shandan.

"Don't be too demanding. Nowadays, being able to have enough food to eat and clothes to wear is already pretty good."

Liu Jilian had very high requirements for the cities under his rule, but not for other places because he knew that it would be useless to have high requirements.

No matter how much we ask, the local situation will not change.

Only if he starts governing himself can he change the local area.

Now he has no control over places other than Shandan, so no matter what he says, it seems like he is complaining about the government affairs of Jiuquan.

While they were talking, the two of them arrived at the gate of the yamen.

Ma Cheng got off his horse first and took out the fish token to reveal his identity, then explained: "My governor Liu has been summoned. Please let him know and feed our horses."

"Governor, please come in!" Upon hearing this, the duty leader hurriedly led the two men into the yamen and sent someone to look after their military horses.

The two men walked into the yamen, crossed the courtyard and sat down in the main hall.

Soon, footsteps were heard coming from the corridor, and the person who appeared surprised the two.

"Liu the Governor, Ma the General, I haven't seen you for a long time. Do you still remember me?"

Gao Jinda's figure appeared in front of the two men, and they quickly stood up and bowed to him: "Good luck to you, Gao!"

"Haha, no need to be so formal."

Gao Jinda was very happy to see Liu Jilong. He stepped forward and helped the two of them up, and then helped them sit down, and said with a smile:

"I thought you and I were not meant to be together, but the governor summoned Governor Liu to come. This is really fate."

Hearing this, Liu Jilong smiled, then asked in confusion: "Where is the Jiedushi?"

"Jiedushi? Haha..." Gao Jinda said with a wry smile, "You came too early. It's only the third day of the New Year. I guess the Jiedushi has only been on the road for two days."

"Even if we hurry, it will probably take at least ten days to see the Jiedushi."

The New Year's Day is not a single day. Although Liu Jilong and his men are in a hurry, Zhang Yichao is not in a hurry, so he has not arrived yet.

After learning about the situation, Liu Jilong was not in a hurry. After all, he had already come here, and he couldn't rush back now and then, so he nodded with the mentality of making the best of it.

"I was originally planning to be transferred to Shandan as the county magistrate, but I didn't expect your victory report to come. I can only serve as a transport envoy and deal with the issue of armor and food mobilization first."

Gao Jinda sat next to Liu Jilong and did not go to the main seat to put on airs. His tone was mostly regretful.

Liu Jilong also just found out that Gao Jinda almost became his county magistrate, so he couldn't help but smile bitterly and said, "This is really..."

Before he could finish, Gao Jinda lowered his voice and said, "There has been a lot of criticism about you in the Dunhuang government recently. The governor decided to summon you here, probably to protect you from being criticized."

After that, a trace of worry appeared on his face: "Those insects all want to see you fight for the throne with Huai Shen after you recapture Liangzhou. Only in this way can they stir up troubled waters."

"I know your relationship with Huai Shen, but I'm still worried that your relationship will be sown by this group of people."

"No." Liu Jilong forced a smile, and then glanced at the main hall: "The governor summoned me, I'm afraid it's related to this matter?"

"Hmm..." Gao Jinda frowned, not intending to deceive Liu Jilong, and at the same time comforted him:
"But don't worry, the Jiedushi is magnanimous. No matter how much these people try to stir up trouble, they can't interfere with the Jiedushi."

"I know." Liu Jilong nodded, then took the initiative to change the subject and chatted with Gao Jinda about the transportation of armor and money and grain.

Just as Liu Jilian had expected, the group of insects in Guasha kept delaying and even creating new problems on the transportation of money, grain and armors between the three states of Guasha and Yizhou in order to compete for the official position in Liangzhou.

For example, Yizhou said that Western Province was often harassed by Uighurs, so armor must be left behind to equip the local soldiers in order to guard against the Uighurs in Western Province.

The two states of Gua and Sha had the same reason. They just wanted to use armor and money to force Zhang Yichao to compromise.

In response, Ma Cheng simply cursed: "These bastards, we are fighting hard on the front line, but they are delaying the battle for their own little things!"

He scolded Gao Jinda's inner thoughts, but Gao Jinda could not agree with him. He could only change the subject and said, "I'll have someone make some food. I'll keep you company these days and spend some time with you guys."

"Okay!" Liu Jilong did not refuse. After all, he was not full before, and now an hour had passed, he was indeed feeling a little greedy.

Seeing that he agreed, Gao Jinda got up and left.

Shortly after he left, someone came to arrange accommodation for the two of them.

The two were arranged to stay in the west hall on the left side of the inner hall, each with a room that was spacious and tidy.

In the era when city walls were made of rammed earth, the buildings of the Hexi government offices were already made of bricks and tiles. Therefore, no matter which government office in Hexi city you stayed in, it would not be possible to live in a bad place.

In the following days, Liu Jilong simply followed Gao Jinda to observe the changes in Jiuquan and occasionally talked about the preparations for retaking Liangzhou.

Standing on the city wall of Jiuquan, the two strolled along the horse path and overlooked the city inside and outside.

The farmland outside the city has not changed much since Liu Jilian left Jiuquan. Although there have been some changes inside the city, they are not particularly large.

Looking at all this, Gao Jinda couldn't help but sigh: "There are more than ten cities in Hexi, but I can't find a city like Shandan that you rule."

“I just received support from the states.”

Liu Jilong was not so arrogant as to think that he alone could make Shandan develop so fast. After all, it was Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen who provided Shandan with enough resources that allowed him to display his abilities.

"No..." Gao Jinda shook his head and said, "How many herds, horses and oxen did you capture for Shandan during your three expeditions to the east?"

"If you didn't have these, even if the other four states gave you hundreds of thousands of shi of grain, how could you have opened up so many wastelands in Shandan in such a short time?"

"I have read the documents sent by Ganzhou about Shandan. The documents describe the situation in Shandan in great detail."

"If I'm not mistaken, the situation in Shandan in the Ganzhou documents should be directly copied from the situation described in the documents you sent over."

"If we continue at this pace, Shandan will probably be the granary of the entire Hexi region in seven or eight years."

Gao Jinda sighed, but Liu Jilong did not directly admit it.

Seeing that he didn't say a word, Gao Jinda sighed and said, "I haven't read Huai Shen's letter, but Huai Rong wrote to me to discuss it..."

He raised his head and looked at Liu Jilong, and finally continued: "You want to go to Longyou to start your own business, right?"

"Susu..."

The cold wind was like a knife scraping bones, blowing painfully on people's cheeks. Liu Jilong did not answer yes or no, but Gao Jinda understood his thoughts and nodded in approval:

"If you really leave, it will be a good thing for the Jiedushi, Huaishen, and even Hexi."

Gao Jinda's remarks surprised Liu Jilong. He thought Gao Jinda would think that he was ungrateful.

"Why?" He asked, but Gao Jinda hesitated for a moment before saying:
"I talked a little with Wuzhen, and combined with the fights I saw in Dunhuang these days...Alas!"

He sighed and said, "Although I don't want to admit it, I'm afraid the court doesn't trust us."

"So I thought about it. If you go to Longyou and set up your own faction, will the court think that there is internal strife in Hexi and therefore feel more at ease with us?"

"If you become powerful in Longyou and threaten Guanzhong, will the imperial court be more confident in Hexi in order to restrain you, or even support Hexi to restrain you?"

Liu Jilian did not expect that Gao Jinda, who once admired Tang Ting, could actually say such words.

More importantly, Liu Jilian himself had never thought that his presence in Longxi would allow the Tang court to support Hexi.

However, historically, in order to restrain the Guiyi Army, the Tang court actually chose to support the Uighurs in Xizhou, Ganzhou and other places to make major decisions. If he really made a big deal out of it, the Tang court might really support the Guiyi Army, which had a "grudge" against him, to restrain him.

Thinking of this, the stone in his heart fell to the ground.

Looking at the thin smoke rising from the city, Liu Jilong spoke slowly.

"If that's really the case, then it can be considered as my repayment of the favor..."

(End of this chapter)