Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 225 Shanzhou is settled
"Sorry..."

"hiss!!"

On the bank of the Huangshui River, military horses whinnied and riders neighed.

Countless people fell off their horses, and the foreign soldiers holding spears were instantly pierced because of their unstable formation.

The elite cavalry from Longyou skillfully divided, encircled and surrounded them.

In the chaos, Tuoba Huaiguang led less than 200 elite cavalrymen to charge towards Li Ji's banner. The horses of both sides linked their tails and the long weapons on their saddles were waving left and right.

"Capture this official alive and promote him three levels!"

Li Ji issued a promotion, which doubled the pressure on Tuoba Huaiguang.

It must be said that this fellow was indeed brave. With his spear flying on his horse, he knocked down several elite cavalrymen from Longyou and went straight to Li Ji.

"Han Gou, your father is right here!!"

"Tell your dog Jiaojieshuai to come and seek death!"

His eyes flashed with ferocity. When Li Ji heard him insulting Liu Jilong, his face darkened terribly:
"Kill him and pull out his tongue!"

Needless to say, the elite cavalry from Longyou around them also spontaneously joined the team to besiege Tuoba Huaiguang.

His more than 200 elite cavalry were either killed or fell off their horses, surrendered and were captured, while those armored soldiers either surrendered or died.

Six or seven elite cavalrymen surrounded and fought him, but he still managed to knock some of them off their horses or stab them in the arms.

Upon seeing this, Li Ji immediately took out his bow and arrow, and shot the arrow into the horse's forehead.

The horse was hit by an arrow and fell down, and Tuoba Huaiguang was thrown off the horse. Seeing this, the elite cavalry from Longyou on both sides thrust out their spears and threw out lassoes to restrain him.

He wanted to break free, but failed after several attempts.

Li Ji jumped off his horse, holding a short knife in his hand: "Your mother's head, if you keep cursing!"

He pretended to come forward to cut off Tuoba Huaiguang's tongue. Seeing this, Tuoba Huaiguang tried to break free, but a elite cavalryman threw a lock around his neck and pulled him back.

Seeing Li Ji approaching, Tuoba Huaiguang found strength from nowhere, broke free from them, and rushed towards Li Ji.

"court death!"

Li Ji kicked him, and before he could get up, he stabbed his throat with a dagger, blood splattered all over his face, and then he walked away.

Tuoba Huaiguang covered his bleeding neck, staggered a few steps and fell to the ground, twitching continuously, with feces and urine flowing out, emitting an unpleasant smell.

After twitching for a moment, his eyes lost their luster and his body became motionless.

"Pooh……"

Li Ji spat on his corpse, wiped the blood off his face with his hand, and then ordered:

"Send a message to the commander-in-chief, telling him that Tuoba Huaiguang is dead. We are heading to Shancheng now!"

"Yes!"

Several commanders agreed, and Li Ji also mounted his horse, leaving five hundred elite cavalrymen to supervise the captives, and led the rest of the men to Shancheng.

Two hours later, before Liu Jilian led his army to Huangshui, he learned of Tuoba Huaiguang's death.

When Tuoba Huaiguang's huge head was placed in front of him, his face remained calm. He looked up and asked the two captains:

"How many soldiers were captured?"

"Reporting to the commander, we captured more than 200 elite cavalry and more than 500 armored soldiers. The rest were either dead or seriously injured and were killed."

The two lieutenants bowed and reported, and Liu Jilong nodded after listening:
"Pickle Tuoba Huaiguang's head and send it to Chang'an to report the victory, saying that Shanzhou has been recovered."

"Take the road to Hezhou to report the victory. When you pass Longzhi, show Tuoba Huaiguang's head to Shang Moyan."

Although Tuoba Huaiguang was brave, Liu Jilian did not take him seriously.

Only someone like Shang Bibi, who is influential and can influence his plans, can catch his eye now.

Thinking of this, he led his army further towards Huangshui.

There were only ten miles left, and it only took an hour to arrive.

He left Chen Ying and two regiments of soldiers and three thousand laborers here to measure the land and settle down.

Among the 9,000 civilians who followed the army, more than 7,000 were young and strong hungry people from Shannan, Jiannan and other places.

According to the previous discussions between Liu Jilong and Gao Jinda, these more than 7,000 young and middle-aged hungry people will settle down in Shanzhou.

This is just the first batch of people to be resettled in Shanzhou. Several more batches of hungry people will be resettled in Shanzhou later.

In addition, Liu Jilong also planned to relocate some of the Shanzhou tribes to Weizhou and Lanzhou.

Otherwise, with the number of nearly 20,000 foreigners in Shanzhou, at least 20,000 Han people would have to be resettled to balance the local population.

Thousands of foreign people in Huangshui County were relocated to Shancheng, but they were intercepted by Li Ji on the way.

It was midnight when the news arrived. Liu Jilong said without hesitation: "Divide these thousands of foreigners into three groups and relocate them to Wuquan County in Lanzhou, Changle County in Linzhou, and Weiyuan County in Weizhou."

"Also, have Li Ji continue to march towards Shancheng and surround Shancheng for me!"

"Yes!" Zhang Chang bowed in response, and then sent light cavalry to inform Li Ji.

At the hour of Mao the next day, Liu Jilian led more than 4,000 infantrymen and 6,000 civilians to Shancheng.

On the way, they encountered captured foreign soldiers and more than 4,000 foreign people.

These people will move to the three counties under the jurisdiction of the three states according to Liu Jilian's instructions.

There were more than 5,000 aboriginal people, and after being divided into three parts, there were only more than 1,000 people, which did not affect the population situation of the three counties.

Liu Jilian took a quick glance and continued to march towards Shancheng with his army.

It has to be said that many foreign generals in Shancheng were very loyal to Tuoba Huaiguang.

After Li Ji surrounded Shancheng, the 600 foreign soldiers and tens of thousands of foreign people in the city supported Tuoba Huaiguang's eldest son Tuoba Longye as their leader and broke out to the Tuyuhun area.

Due to the dangerous terrain of Niuxinchuan and Shancheng, Li Ji could only wait for Liu Jilian to lead the infantry to arrive.

After Liu Jilian led his army to arrive, with the help of cloud chariots, the Longyou army quickly climbed to the top of Shancheng City, and there were only more than 5,000 elderly, weak, women and children left in Shancheng.

Some of them chose to resist and were killed, but most of them chose to surrender honestly.

Less than half an hour after the cloud chariot attacked the city, the east gate of Shancheng was opened. Liu Jilian shook the reins and led his army into Shancheng.

Throughout the entire war, except for being blocked for half a month at the Huangshui Gorge, the rest of the battle was basically won with a crushing momentum.

Liu Jilian led the generals into the main hall of Shancheng County Government and sat in the position formerly held by Tuoba Huaiguang.

Seeing this, all the generals bowed and Liu Jilong asked Li Ji, "Where is Tuoba Longye?"

"I heard from the old and weak in the city that he fled to Fuqi City last night with 600 armored soldiers and 5,000 family members."

Fuqi City is an old city of the Northern Dynasties. "Fuqi" is Xianbei language, which means "City of Kings" in Chinese.

This city is located on the west coast of Qinghai and was occupied by a tribe of Tuyuhun after the civil strife in Tubo.

Tuoba Longye was only fifteen years old, and it was a question whether he could survive after going to Fuqi City.

Liu Jilong didn't take this seriously and had no intention of pursuing him.

The Tuyuhun region is certainly important, but that is based on the existence of a unified regime like Tubo on the plateau.

Now the plateau is divided into pieces, and the Tuyuhun area is also divided into pieces. Sending troops to fight them can certainly harvest some herds, but these herds can be obtained through trade and diplomatic means. There is no need to mobilize troops to fight in areas with an altitude of more than 3,000 meters.

"Send people to the various Tuyuhun tribes to spread the news. If anyone can bring back Tuoba Longye's head, I will appoint him as the Western Sea Traveling Envoy, and he can trade with Longyou in Shancheng."

Liu Jilong spoke calmly, and with just one sentence, he determined Tuoba Longye's fate.

Even when Tubo was at its peak, it needed trade with the Tang Dynasty, not to mention the currently divided Tuyuhun region.

The qualification for mutual trade is enough for them to fight for, and Tuoba Longye’s head will also become a hot commodity.

Longyou does not need to do anything, it is enough to just govern Shanzhou well.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong looked at Director Zheng: "Director Zheng!"

"I'm here!" Zheng Chu had already prepared himself in his heart, but when this moment came, he still couldn't hide his excitement.

"I hereby appoint you as the governor of Shanzhou, and also as the military governor of Shanzhou."

"I obey your orders, and thank you for your grace, Marshal Jie!"

As Liu Jilian announced the candidate for the governor of Shanzhou, Zheng Chu immediately bowed and expressed his gratitude with words.

Liu Jilong nodded and said, "Shanzhou is our army's first line of defense against the Tuyuhun tribes. I will leave six regiments of soldiers and horses to you, and you need to recruit another three regiments of soldiers and horses."

"Before the New Year's Day next year, I hope you can hand over the population and cultivated land of Shanzhou to the Protectorate."

"Don't worry, Commander. I will definitely fulfill your mission!" Director Zheng immediately expressed his opinion, and Liu Jilong also said:

"The speed of recovering Shanzhou is faster than I thought. It seems that we don't have to wait until next year to deal with Lun Kongre."

"Li Ji..."

"I am here!" Li Ji bowed and saluted. Liu Jilong instructed, "Tomorrow you will gather three thousand elite cavalry and follow me south to Longzhi City."

"I will obey your orders!" Li Ji responded, and Liu Jilong looked at Zhang Chang again:

"The situation in Shanzhou is not stable yet. Zhang Chang, you will take the infantry here and wait until the autumn harvest before withdrawing the troops and returning to the various towns."

"Yes!" Zhang Chang agreed, while Chen Ying and Cao Mao bowed and said, "General, then we..."

"You will follow me south to Longzhi tomorrow." Liu Jilong responded without hesitation.

The two men bowed to each other upon seeing this, and thus many matters after the recovery of Shanzhou were finalized.

The nine garrisons in Longyou were increased to ten garrisons, with 18,000 soldiers, 2,400 officials, and about 250,000 civilians under their jurisdiction.

Except for the 1,400 laborers in Hezhou who needed to return to Hezhou, the remaining 4,600 laborers were settled in Shanzhou.

As a result, there were 7,600 young and strong Han people in Shanzhou, where the Han people had no roots.

Of the original 20,000 tribesmen in Shanzhou, nearly 6,000 followed Tuoba Longye to flee to Tuyuhun, more than 5,000 were forcibly relocated to three states and three counties by Liu Jilian, and the remaining number was less than 8,000, which balanced the local population.

After more people were migrated here, the Han people once again took the dominant position in Shanzhou.

When one game of chess is finished, another one begins.

At noon on July 18, Liu Jilian led Li Ji, Chen Ying, Cao Mao and more than 2,800 uninjured elite cavalry south.

Before they arrived in Longzhi, Shang Moyan of Longzhi City had already learned the news of Tuoba Huaiguang's defeat.

Before he could even sigh, he learned the news that Liu Jilong was heading south.

On the 22nd, Liu Jilian led his army to the city of Longzhi, set up camp outside the city, and summoned Shang Moyan.

"Screw rustle..."

The rustling sounds of armor pieces could be heard in the camp. Shang Moyan, accompanied by two guards, entered the camp of the Longyou Army again after twenty days.

"Protector General, it looks like they didn't lose many people."

"Tuoba Huaiguang is such a big shot. I thought he could last a long time, but it turned out to be less than half a month."

"I heard that Tuoba Huaiguang's son fled to Tuyuhun. I don't know why they didn't pursue him."

"Alright, be quiet, and be respectful when you see Marshal Ji later."

The elite cavalry of Longyou did not suffer many casualties, so Shang Moyan and his men thought that the Longyou army had captured Tuoba Huaiguang without suffering too many casualties, and this was indeed the case.

After defeating Tuoba Huaiguang, the Longyou army suffered no more than 300 casualties, most of whom were caused by the attack on the pass and the pursuit of Tuoba Huaiguang.

If there were no capstan-counterweight catapults and black powder, perhaps the number of casualties would have doubled or even more, but there are not so many ifs in reality.

For Shang Moyan and others, the reality was that Liu Jilian led his troops on the westward expedition and killed Tuoba Huaiguang in less than a month, and recaptured the two cities of Shanzhou.

Now that Tuoba Huaiguang is dead, Liu Jilian’s only target is Guzhou.

If Liu Jilian turned against them at this time, they would have no choice but to withdraw from Guzhou in disgrace.

"General Jie, Protector Shang and his men are here."

In front of the tent gate, two captains bowed towards the inside, while Shang Moyan and others waited anxiously.

"come in!"

Liu Jilong's voice came from inside, and the two captains let them go. Shang Moyan and the other two also walked into the tent.

There was only Liu Jilong in the tent. He sat in the main seat and seemed to be writing something.

Seeing Shang Moyan and the other two coming in, Liu Jilong also put down his brush and said, "Shanzhou has been recovered by me. Now only Kuzhou is left."

"But you don't have to worry. You can continue to harvest the autumn crops in Guzhou. But as for Kongre, I don't plan to keep him until next year."

"You should discuss it with your father. It would be best if you agree on a time to send troops before the autumn harvest."

"I will send Li Ji to lead 3,000 elite cavalry out of Hezhou and enter Mochanchuan. If we can defeat them in one battle, you will move to Mochanchuan before the spring plowing next year, and leave the cities of Guzhou and Hankou to me."

"In return, all the armor of Lun Kongre's soldiers will belong to you."

"In addition, I have more than a thousand sets of armor belonging to Tuoba Huaiguang, which I can also sell to you for a price."

"You don't have to worry about food and grass in the future. I will open up trade for you in Kuo, He, Die, Tao, Song and other states."

"As for whether you can take Duomai, or even go south to Weixi, that depends on your own ability."

Liu Jilong said this in advance, and Shang Moyan nodded in agreement: "Thank you, Marshal Jie, for your kindness. I will go to Guangwei later to talk to my father about this matter."

"Okay!" Liu Jilong responded, then raised his hand to signal that they could leave.

Shang Moyan did not stay long after seeing this. He stood up, bowed, and left the tent. Soon he walked out of the military camp and returned to Longzhi County.

The next day, the Longyou army moved their camp south, while Shang Moyan also led 400 elite cavalrymen westward to Guangwei.

Two days later, Shang Moyan arrived in Guangwei County.

Before Shang Bibi got over the news of Tuoba Huaiguang's death, she learned that Liu Jilian was preparing to deal with Lun Kongre in advance.

"He didn't ask us how many troops to send?"

"No."

In the Guangwei County Yamen, Shang Bibi, who was sitting in the main seat, looked even older, with gray hair and fat on her chin. Her breaths were heavy every time, and from time to time she would make a sound similar to snoring.

He questioned Liu Jilong's request, but Shang Moyan shook his head and said, "Father, I think eight hundred elite cavalrymen will be enough."

"Is it too much?" Shang Bibi was a little reluctant, but Shang Moyan said:

"Liu Jilong's army is powerful. Logically, we can send fewer troops. But don't forget that after we wipe out Lun Kongre, we still need to pacify the dozen or so small tribes in Mochanchuan."

"If we don't have enough troops, how can we intimidate them and make them obey our orders?"

"Let's not talk about other things for now. Just to talk about where we will live after we move from Kuzhou to Mochanchuan, we will need to mobilize the manpower of these dozen small tribes to solve it."

"The more soldiers we have, the more they will be afraid of us, and then they will work for us honestly."

Shang Moyan has grown up, and his answers made Shang Bibi nod frequently.

These days, Shang Bibi also feels that she is getting old and her thinking is not as good as before.

Now that Shang Moyan is able to stand on his own, it is time for him to let go.

Thinking of this, Shang Bibi said, "To make an even number, you take a thousand elite cavalrymen to Michuan and wait for entering Mochanchuan."

"I remember Li Ji. He is a man of deep thoughts. If you join forces with him to fight, you still have to be careful of him."

"Although Liu Jilong values promises, he doesn't take all of them seriously. At least considering that he has occupied Wuquan County for many years and has not returned it, you should be on guard against him in the future."

Shang Bibi panted heavily and said, Shang Moyan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Dad, I know what to do."

"I just want to keep our wealth without the Lu family, and advancing into Mochanchuan is only the first step. The next step is Duomai, then Weixi, and finally the entire Dukang Liugang!"

During the conversation, he revealed his ambition.

The Tibetans divided the area where they lived into three parts according to differences in terrain and natural conditions, namely: the three surroundings of Ali in the upper area, the four Rus of U-Tsang in the middle area, and the six ridges of Dokham in the lower area.

The three surroundings of Ali in the upper area are like a pond, with famous snow-capped mountains and mountain ranges towering above.

The central region of U-Tsang, Si-ru, is like an irrigation channel, with vast grasslands and rocks.

The six ridges in Duokang, Xiaqu, are like endless fields, dotted with forests and plants.

The area of the Six Ranges of Dokham extends from southwest Qinghai to northwest Nanzhao, covering the later Anduo and most of the Kham area.

If Shang Moyan can really become the master of Duokang Liugang, then the Meilu family will also be pushed to new heights by him.

His ambition made Shang Bibi look at him with complicated eyes.

"Shang Moyan, you have changed..."

"Dad, everyone changes!"

Shang Moyan did not hide his feelings. He crossed his chest and saluted, saying, "If I can get the support of Marshal Liu Jie, I will be confident that I can become the master of Duokang."

"Even if I am incapable, as long as he needs me, he must help me maintain my rule over Duokang."

There is nothing wrong with what Shang Moyan said. If he was really supported by Liu Jilian to become the master of Duokang, then for the sake of stability in the border, Liu Jilian would definitely choose him who is easy to control rather than others.

But in doing so, he became Liu Jilong's pawn and lost his dignity and autonomy.

Shang Mai opened her mouth, wanting to say something but stopping herself, but in the end she said: "You must take good care of Moye in the future. He is not as talented as you, so you must protect his wealth and status."

Shang Moye is Shang Moyan's younger brother. For a long time, he has not shown any talent, so Shang Bibi feels sorry for this second son.

In response, Shang Moyan also promised: "Don't worry, father, Moye's wealth will be passed on to his descendants."

"Hmm..." Shang Bibi agreed, then waved her hand, indicating that he could leave.

Upon seeing this, Shang Moyan left the main hall, prepared to gather his troops and head towards Michuan...

(End of this chapter)