Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 149: Reporting the Victory to Chang'an
"The Five Springs City is just ahead!"

At the end of July, with the sound of horse-drawn carriages on the official road west of Wuquan City, a team of more than a thousand people slowly passed through Jincheng Pass and entered the basin where Wuquan City was located.

The team consisted of three hundred elite cavalry, more than a thousand horse-drawn carriages and more than a thousand civilian laborers.

The carriage was carrying thousands of stones of grain.

As for these civilians, most of them are single men between the ages of twelve or thirteen and forty or fifty, and they come from Guzhou.

Since the autumn harvest had not yet arrived, Shang Bibi only asked Shang Moyan to lend Liu Jilong 5,000 shi of grain, and the grain was escorted by these lone slaves from Guzhou.

Before setting off, the slaves thought they were being sold to other nobles.

It was not until Shang Moyan handed them over to the elite cavalry of the Guiyi Army at the ferry that they knew where they were going.

The people of Longxi had been trapped for too long, so their memory is not as vivid as that of the people of Hexi.

Many people in Hexi once lived under the rule of the Tang Dynasty and passed on the beauty of the Tang Dynasty from mouth to mouth.

However, the time since the fall of the various states in Longxi ranged from over eighty to over ninety years, and three or four generations have already passed.

They have long forgotten the so-called glory of the Tang Dynasty.

If the nobles had not often called them Han slaves, they might have even forgotten their Han identity.

Because of this, they did not have any expectations of the Guiyi Army and continued to work numbly, not caring about anything outside.

But this kind of numbness did not last long. After Hu Siguang asked them to take out the grain and cook, they gradually felt the difference between the present and the past.

They have lived in Guzhou for more than ten years or even decades, and the best they eat is corn rice mixed with bran.

Hukesi Guang's act of distributing grain and asking them to remove millet husks and cook rice made them realize the differences between the two sides.

From the ferry to Wuquan, they had been cooking rice for six whole days.

Such meals not only made them more energetic, but also made their hands and feet stronger.

In addition, along the way, Hukesi Guang kept describing to them the heroic deeds of "Liu the Governor", and their eyes were no longer numb and gradually became bright.

"Is someone coming?"

"General Hu Bie is going to pick them up, right?"

"How miserable! Just like us before..."

As the convoy approached Wuquan City, the people squatting in the fields on both sides of the official road began to sigh while weeding.

The discussions of the military families and the original people of Wuquan reached the ears of the civilians in the convoy, which shocked them greatly.

There was a time when they thought slavery was their life.

But now that they have come to Wuquan, they finally realize that they have escaped from the devil's cave and arrived in heaven (Buddhism).

In fact, there was no need for the people of Wuquan to discuss it. The civilians sent by Guzhou could also see the difference in the mental outlook of both sides.

They seemed to have endless energy and their eyes were bright, while our side, although they had only eaten for a few days, was still timid and listless.

"See, I didn't lie to you, did I?!"

Huke Siguang looked back proudly and showed the beauty of Wuquan to some of the civilians.

The laborers opened their mouths, not knowing what to say, but their eyes gradually became spirited.

They drove to the west gate of Wuquan, where Liu Jilong and his team had already been waiting.

Seeing them coming, Liu Jilong and others came out from under the awning and came to the stone bridge to greet them.

"Xu..."

"Stop!"

Hu Siguang stopped his horse, turned around and shouted, then quickly dismounted: "Governor, more than 1,860 men and 5,000 dan of grain are all here."

"But we ate some on the way, the food supply is not enough..."

Huke Siguang stepped forward, bowed, and explained everything.

In response to his words, the common people of Guzhou could not help but shrink their necks, fearing that the governor Liu would get angry and punish them, the slaves who "stole" food.

"Good good..."

Something happened that the people of Guzhou did not expect. Liu Jilian laughed heartily under their gaze, then walked forward and glanced at this group of "slaves" with satisfaction.

"Now that you are under my rule, don't call yourself a slave in the future."

"From now on, you are all citizens under my rule."

"I can't guarantee that you will eat well, but as long as I have a bite to eat, you will all have a bite to eat."

Liu Jilian's words shocked them, and before they could react, Liu Jilian turned around and greeted the generals.

"Chen Jingchong, Zhang Chang, Ma Cheng, Geng Ming, Li Ji!"

"Register them, give them cattle to tame, and tell them the standards for reclamation!"

"in addition……"

The civilians had no intention of listening to what was said afterwards, because Liu Jilong's first few words had already deeply shocked them.

"Registering..."

These four simple words are the treatment that only the aboriginals can enjoy, and they... are nothing more than slaves.

Being registered in the household register means that they are no longer slaves, but civilians who cannot be killed at will!
Just an identity made many civilians feel sad.

Years of grievances turned into tears that flowed out of my eyes, washing away the unbearable things that my eyes had once recorded.

Their eyes were no longer numb and gradually brightened, but Liu Jilong left quietly after announcing everything.

Next, they were gathered together by the generals and told the rules of Wuquan City.

At present, Wuquan City distributes according to work. The rich receive two catties of rice and three ounces of meat every day, while the poor receive one catty of rice and two ounces of meat every day.

What they had to do was to domesticate the cattle into draft oxen, and then reclaim the wasteland, dig underground canals, repair open canals, and so on.

Compared to what they did when they were slaves, these things are so easy.

The people of Guzhou felt it was unreal that they could eat rice and mutton while doing such easy work.

Some people bit themselves fiercely, while others slapped themselves in the face.

The pain told them that everything they were experiencing was not an illusion.

Then they burst into thunderous celebration.

The sound came from outside the city and could even be heard in the government offices inside the city.

When Liu Jilian returned to the yamen and heard the congratulations, a smile appeared on his face.

Shang Bibi only gave them more than a thousand people, but it was enough for Liu Jilian.

He didn't have any goods to exchange with the monks and maids now, but he was able to borrow 10,000 dan of grain and more than a thousand people with nothing. This was far beyond his expectations.

With the addition of these one thousand people, the number of soldiers and civilians in Wuquan City reached fourteen thousand.

Liu Jilong took the main seat and watched the other generals take their seats one after another.

After everyone sat down, he spoke: "Water conservancy, farming, people's livelihood, and training are our top priorities."

"There is a severe drought in Longxi right now, so the most important thing is water conservancy, followed by reclaiming wasteland, repairing houses, and training the army."

“Although military training is placed last, it does not mean that military drills are not important.”

"The rule of training every three days and exercising every five days cannot be changed. While farming, we must also ensure the combat effectiveness of the army."

“Also, things like literacy have to be put in place.”

"From noon to afternoon, the weather is hottest. It is easy to get heat stroke whether working or exercising. It is most suitable for literacy learning."

"We don't have that much straightforwardness nowadays. Even you guys who are the most literate in the army are basically half-baked."

"So from now on, I will teach the generals at the yamen and above to read and learn basic arithmetic!"

"Yes!!" Hearing that they were going to learn, everyone was very enthusiastic.

After all, as Han Chinese, they cannot write Chinese characters or speak Mandarin clearly, which undoubtedly hurts them as they are proud of their Han Chinese identity.

It is absolutely true that interest is the best teacher.

In the army, Liu Jilong met people who resisted learning arithmetic, but he never met anyone who resisted learning literacy and Mandarin.

Even the soldiers who were once slaves knew the shame of being a Han Chinese and not being able to write Chinese characters or speak Mandarin.

In fact, the Guiyi Army used both Chinese and Tibetan languages, and even the documents were written in Tibetan characters, supplemented by Chinese characters. This was not because Tibetan characters were valued more than Chinese characters, but because not many people in the army and government offices knew Chinese characters.

Zhang Yichao was attracted by Liu Jilian because, besides his bravery in battle, he could speak Mandarin and write Chinese characters.

Although the army mainly used Tibetan characters, speaking Mandarin and writing Chinese characters were still valued, while speaking and writing Tibetan characters were less important.

Because of this, when the entire army learned that Liu Jilian was planning to restart the military literacy campaign, they were very excited.

In the following days, Liu Jilian taught more than 40 brigade commanders and above to read and write in the yamen in the morning. At noon, the generals went to the military camp to teach the soldiers to read and write.

After the third hour, the soldiers continued to work, rest or train, while the generals returned to the yamen to learn Mandarin and arithmetic.

The days passed bit by bit, and during this time news came from the north.

On the fourth day of August, Zhang Huaishen led his army to assist Suo Xun in breaking through Wulan and Huining and recovering the entire Huizhou. Suo Xun served as the governor and defense envoy of Huizhou, and recruited 2,000 soldiers on the spot relying on the captured armor.

In addition, the silk letters of promotion of Zhang Huaishen, Liu Jilong and Li Yizhong were also sent to their respective residences.

Liu Jilong was promoted to Jiedushi and Defense Commissioner of He, Lin and Wei states, and Surveillance Commissioner of Lanzhou. The rest of the generals were promoted one to two levels each.

Chen Jingchong was appointed as the governor of Hezhou by Liu Jilian, Shang Duoluo as the governor of Linzhou, Zhang Chang, Ma Cheng, Geng Ming and Li Ji served as the Zhechou Duwei of Hezhou, Linzhou and Weizhou respectively, and Huke Siguang, Cuoben and Zheng Chu were promoted to Guoyi Duwei.

As he did not have enough scholars under his command, Liu Jilian had to let them take on multiple roles, but fortunately Wuquan City was small and no problems had arisen so far.

However, as they retake Hezhou, this problem will become increasingly acute.

It was for this reason that Liu Jilong did not rashly attack Hezhou. Even though his current strength was enough to attack Hezhou, he knew that it was easy to conquer but difficult to govern.

He first turned Wuquan into his granary, and during this period he implemented literacy campaign.

As long as the literacy problem is solved and they have the basic arithmetic of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, the more than 2,800 people under his command can completely manage the eleven prefectures of Longxi and Longnan.

Of course, it does not take that many people to govern the eleven states of Longnan, so he will divert these people afterwards.

Those with talent stayed to take up civilian positions, while those without talent continued to train in the military.

For this group of people who had no political talent, Liu Jilian would teach them some basic military methods such as marching and command.

Once they have learned these things, they will no longer be soldiers, but solid middle and lower-level officers in the army.

By then, as long as there is enough armor, Liu Jilian can immediately mobilize 20,000 or even more armored soldiers.

Just to achieve these, paper, pen, ink and printing are essential.

Because of this, while the military and civilians of Wuquan City continued to reclaim wasteland and build water conservancy projects, Liu Jilian had already shifted his focus to handicrafts.

While he was busy, the envoys sent by Zhang Yichao also went to Chang'an to report the victory via the official roads between Huizhou and Yuanzhou.

"Changshi Wang, look at these Arabs. How do you think they ended up in Chang'an?"

"Yes, the Western Region is in chaos. How did they get here? We didn't see them either."

"Look! What are those?"

On the streets of Chang'an, the Guiyi Army soldiers who were walking on horseback were shouting and shouting, as if they wished they could see the city of Chang'an in their eyes.

For them who had lived in mud houses and thatched huts since childhood, the most prosperous building they had ever seen in their lives was just the county government office with its mud walls and gray tiles.

The earthen walls were painted with a layer of white lime, and after the frame was built and tiles were laid, it was the most luxurious building they had ever seen in their lives.

But when they arrived in Chang'an, they were stunned by the tall city walls and even more stunned by the houses with lintels built on the walls.

The prosperous Chang'an City dazzled their eyes, and the wide Suzaku Avenue shocked them even more.

"Don't look at it, hurry up and get on with your journey!"

On horseback, Wang Jingzhi reminded these soldiers who had never seen a prosperous world.

After his last mission to Chang'an and returning to Dunhuang, Wang Jingzhi was promoted and has now become the Chief Secretary of Shazhou.

Because the last mission was too dangerous, Li En left Li Mingzhen in Dunhuang to study, so the task of going to Chang'an fell on Wang Jingzhi.

This was not the first time Wang Jingzhi came to Chang'an, so when the soldiers accompanying him looked around, he had already kept his temper and was thinking about whether this trip would be successful.

"You rascal! How dare you cheat your grandfather by putting less mutton!"

Suddenly, the noise attracted the attention of everyone on Suzaku Street, and even Wang Jingzhi and his companions stopped.

However, when Wang Jingzhi saw that the troublemakers were actually the Shen Ce Army and the vendors, he immediately frowned and urged: "Don't look, go find the attendant first!"

"Yes..." Although the soldiers agreed, they felt regretful that they could not watch the fun.

Wang Jingzhi urged them, not because the matter was urgent, but because he knew the temperament of the Shen Ce Army.

The actual Shen Ce Army and the Shen Ce Army mentioned by the elders in the clan are two completely different existences.

In the stories passed down orally in Hexi, the Shen Ce Army was the elite force guarding the supreme emperor. Under their maintenance, Chang'an remained peaceful with no one picking up things on the streets and no one locking their doors at night.

But in reality, the Shence Army was filled with many sons of officials and powerful people.

Not to mention that this group of people were just filling in the numbers in the Shen Ce Army, the methods they used to oppress and exploit the people were dazzling.

Not long after Wang Jingzhi came to Chang'an with Zhang Yitan for the last time, he learned about the temperament of the Shence Army and was in a daze for several days.

If the soldiers of the Guiyi Army saw this scene with their own eyes, they might cause some trouble, so Wang Jingzhi urged them to hurry up.

He brought the regretful soldiers to Pingkangfang near the East Market, and while looking for Zhang Yitan's door lintel, he explained to the dozen soldiers:

"This Chang'an is different from other places. Except for Zhang Changshi's residence, we can go through the Wutou Gate. It's best to stay away from other Wutou Gates. They are the door lintels of high-ranking officials in the capital. If you touch their door lintels, I will have to redeem you."

"Then how do we get to other markets?"

The soldiers asked Wang Jingzhi, and Wang Jingzhi patiently explained: "Go through the gate of Fangshi. All officials below the third rank in the capital have to go through the Fangmen Gate."

"Only a third-rank official can open the door?!" Upon hearing this, the soldiers couldn't help but be shocked.

You have to know that even Wang Jingzhi was only a chief secretary of the sixth rank.

"You'd better be careful in Chang'an City. If you throw a brick here, you might even hit a seventh-rank official."

"Okay, here we are..."

As soon as Wang Jingzhi finished speaking, everyone realized that they had arrived in front of a Wutou gate.

The lintel of the Wutou Gate is extremely high, and twelve long spears are inserted in front of the gate to demonstrate its status.

Wang Jingzhi walked up the steps and knocked on the door. Soon someone opened the door.

A teenager stuck his head out. He was very confused when he saw the soldiers of the Guiyi Army, but after seeing Wang Jingzhi's face clearly, he immediately said in surprise: "Wang Zhubo?!"

"Hehe, is the attendant here?"

Seeing the familiar face, Wang Jingzhi smiled brightly, and the young man immediately opened the two doors and said as he moved: "The attendant is drinking tea with Gao Duyu in the main hall. You came just in time."

"That's good." Hearing that Zhang Yitan was in the mansion, Wang Jingzhi breathed a sigh of relief, then turned sideways and said:

"Xiao Mengming, arrange for the brothers to rest and prepare some food. I will go and report the victory to the attendant."

"Reporting victory?!" Meng Ming was surprised when he heard this: "What great victory?!"

"Three great victories in Liangzhou, Huizhou and Lanzhou."

Wang Jingzhi did not hide it and told Meng Ming with a smile. Then he gestured to him to settle the soldiers and he walked into the mansion.

Soon, he walked through the courtyard and the corridor and came to the main hall of the mansion. About ten steps away, he saw Zhang Yitan and an official in a light crimson robe who were drinking tea.

"Attendant!"

Wang Jingzhi bowed and walked over from a distance, and Zhang Yitan, who was called by a familiar voice, also turned his head, curious about the source of the voice.

But when he saw Wang Jing, he stood up immediately.

"Fuzhi, why are you here?!"

Zhang Yitan was very surprised. After all, it had been less than a year since Wang Jingzhi and the others left last time.

In response to Zhang Yitan's question, Wang Jingzhi glanced at the official in the light crimson robe and bowed respectfully.

Zhang Yitan reacted and quickly explained: "This is Gao Pian, the commander of the Right Shen Ce Army. If you have anything to say, just tell me directly."

"Gao Duyu..." Wang Jingzhi bowed and Gao Pian also bowed in return: "You can just call me by my courtesy name Qianli."

"Yes..." Wang Jingzhi didn't expect that Gao Pian, who had a handsome appearance, would be so approachable. In addition, Zhang Yitan said there was no need to avoid him, so he immediately knew Gao Pian's identity.

Obviously, this was someone sent by the court to monitor their actions.

Thinking of this, Wang Jingzhi did not hide anything. He took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:

"A great victory in Helong, Liangzhou, Huizhou and Lanzhou were recovered!"

(End of this chapter)