Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 251: Turmoil in All Directions
"Screw rustle..."

In the cold winter north wind, Shuofang Town, located in Lingyan Prefecture, is extremely cold.

During this season, linen and silk from Longyou became essential items for both the poor and the rich to keep warm.

Even Tang Chi, the governor of Shuofang, was wearing silk that was sold in Longyou.

Tang Chi, who was admitted as a Jinshi in the 15th year of Yuanhe, is now just over 60 years old. His hair and beard are still black, and he is known as the man with beautiful beard.

Since he took office in Shuofang, he has quickly ended the horse-trade in Shuofang Town.

Without the horse-trade, Shuofang Town could only trade with Longyou using herds and cattle and horses.

In this regard, the conditions in Longyou were no worse than those in Shuofang, so Shuofang's financial expenditure decreased significantly.

In order to raise funds to buy warm clothes for the soldiers, Tang Chi almost emptied the treasury.

Now that everything had been finally resolved, Tang Chi had a rare moment of free time, so in between his duties in the main hall, he painted to express his emotions.

When he was painting the winter plum, he was extremely careful with every stroke.

Just at this critical moment, hurried footsteps were heard from outside the main hall. Fortunately, Tang Chi had extraordinary brushstrokes and he quickly paused and put down his brush, thus avoiding the painting from being ruined.

"Your Majesty!"

"What's the matter?"

Facing the general who came to report, Tang Chi was neither happy nor sad, and did not lose his temper over such a trivial matter.

The general didn't know that Tang Chi had just painted, so he just reported anxiously:

"There is an urgent report from Mingsha County that soldiers from Liangzhou have appeared and occupied the ferry. They are crossing the river now. There are several thousand of them, all wearing armor and riding horses."

"What did you say?!"

Tang Chi was no longer calm, but frowned and asked: "Since they said they were soldiers, didn't you see their flags?"

"I saw it, but..." Yajiang hesitated and said after a pause:

"There are flags of the Chishui Army, and there are also flags of the Tianping Army!"

"Why are the Tianping Army here?"

Tang Chi was stunned, but after a moment he realized: "Something must have happened in Liangzhou!"

"This matter needs to be reported to the court, and we need to send light cavalry to Liangzhou to investigate."

"In addition, all cities in Lingyan are ordered to close their gates and not have any contact with this army!"

"Yes!" After hearing this, the general retreated, and Tang Chi immediately wrote a memorial and sent someone to deliver it to Chang'an.

Although Shuofang Town is one of the ten towns in Tianbao period, its experience is regrettable.

For the Shuofang Army, they were once the backbone of the imperial court, and they also believed that they would always be the backbone of the imperial court. However, they did not get the corresponding status because the imperial court never regarded them as its backbone.

As early as the beginning of the Anshi Rebellion, the Shuofang Army was suspected by the imperial court.

On the one hand, the Tang court appointed eunuchs to supervise the army, and on the other hand, it frequently changed the commander-in-chief. Neither Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi nor Pugu Huai'en could escape the suspicion of the Tang court, and this suspicion did not ease after the rebellion ended.

Most generals, such as Pugu Huai'en and Li Huaiguang, fell under this suspicion.

Because of this, the Tang court has always been very dedicated to dismantling the Shuofang Army.

Most of the eight towns in the northwest of Beijing were the result of the dismantling of the Shuofang Army. Even after the Shuofang Army was dismantled, it was still suspected by the Tang court, and the number of troops was restricted for a long time, with only 5,000 standing troops able to be maintained.

Therefore, faced with the situation where thousands of armored soldiers suddenly appeared in the territory of Shuofang, all Tang Chi could do was stay indoors and try to find out the news.

His actions were also the result that Wang Shouwen, Wu Wei and others had predicted long ago.

"Cross the river!"

"Make the raft stronger and transport the horses and food over!"

"Be careful..."

As the noise rang out at the Mingsha Ferry on both sides of the Yellow River, Mingsha County on the east bank of the Yellow River had already closed its city gates, and the defenders on the city walls were on high alert.

The market town at the ferry was looted by soldiers; everything edible and usable was taken away, while the people had already fled to Mingsha County.

Sitting in a tavern in the market town, Wang Shouwen happily drank a bowl of mutton soup. While wiping his mouth, he talked to Wu Wei opposite him:
"There are ten towns in the northwest of Beijing, but Zhang Zhifang in Huizhou is an incompetent man, and Li Chengxun in Qinzhou is far away from us. The only ones who can threaten us are the eight towns mentioned above."

"Shuofang only has 5,000 soldiers and horses. We have caught them off guard and crossed the Yellow River first. They have no time and no need to fight us."

"Once our army crosses the Yellow River, we can head towards Xia Sui, then take Shuo Shui to cross the Yellow River and head towards the river!"

After Wang Shouwen finished speaking, Wu Wei calmly asked:
"What if the imperial court sends the three towns of Jingyuan, Bining and Fufang to stop us?"

The eight towns in the northwest of the old capital are Fengxiang, Jingyuan, Bining, Fufang, Shuofang, Xiasui, Tiande, and Zhenwu.

The strength of the eight towns is ranked from strong to weak.

Fengxiang Town governs Fengxiang Prefecture and guards the southern exit of the Qingshui River Valley and the eastern exit of the Weihe River Valley. It is the western gate of the Guanzhong area and was one of the targets of attack by Tubo in the past. Its military strength is generally around 30,000.

Jingyuan Town was stationed in Jing and Yuan states, guarding the Qingshui River Valley and the Jing River Valley passage, with a general force of around 20,000.

Bining Town governs Bin, Ning and Qing states. It is the second-line defense force and provides backup support for Fengxiang and Jingyuan. Its standing force is around 20,000.

Fufang Town governs Fu, Fang and Yan states, and is responsible for supporting the wars in Xiasui and Lingyan in the north. Due to its location close to the inner line, its military strength is around 6,000.

Shuofang Town governs Ling and Yan states, ensuring the safety of the Houtao Plain and the Huanjiang and Luoshui river valleys.

Although the Shuofang Army was located at the border, due to the suspicion of the imperial court, its strength was only around 5,000.

Xiasui Town governed Xia, Sui and Yin states, and was responsible for guarding against the Dangxiang and supporting the three sets of troops along the Yellow River. Its military strength was also around 5,000.

Tiande Town governs Fengzhou, and its military strength is generally around three thousand.

The Zhenwu Army controlled Shengzhou and Linzhou, and had a force of about 3,000.

It can be said that most of the eight towns in the northwest of Beijing were dismantled from the Shuofang Army.

Now with the addition of Huining Town and Qinzhou Town, the total military strength has reached 107,000.

In addition, there are more than 100,000 imperial guards including the Shen Ce Army and the Six Northern Armies in the capital area.

Of course, this is only the paper strength of the Tang Dynasty in the northwest. There is no way to know its actual strength.

After all, for most Jiedushi, even if it is just the strength on paper, an army of more than 200,000 is enough to intimidate everyone.

In addition, the afterglow of the Huichang Restoration was still vivid in people's minds. Although the military governors in various places had their own plans, there were still only a few who openly challenged the court.

However, for Wang Shouwen, Wu Wei and other veterans of the Tianping Army who had passed through the defense zones of various towns, the eight towns northwest of Beijing were not as powerful as they boasted.

At least judging from the fact that they captured Mingsha County and the Shuofang Army had not made any moves, the Shuofang Army's vigilance is no longer as high as it used to be.

Wang Shouwen's idea was to pass through Shuofang Town and Xiasui Town where there were fewer troops, bypass Jingji Road, cross the Yellow River, pass through Hezhong and Heyang, and then return to Yunzhou.

Wu Wei was worried that when they passed through Shuofang and Xiasui towns, the imperial court would not accept their request and would send other towns to encircle and suppress them.

Wang Shouwen was not worried about this: "You saw what the soldiers in these towns looked like."

"Now we have armor and horses, and we have three thousand cavalrymen alone. Are we still afraid of them?"

Three thousand brothers from Yunzhou came to Liangzhou. In six years they learned nothing but superb horsemanship.

In addition to the large number of military horses, riding horses and draft horses they looted from Liangzhou, it was not an exaggeration to form a cavalry of 3,000 people.

"But don't forget that we still have 2,000 brothers from Guannei Road in our army."

"Now that we are back to Guannei Road, if they want to leave, what should we do?"

Wu Wei looked at the soldiers crossing the river, and Wang Shouwen said after hearing this:

"If they want to go, let them go, but they have to leave their armor and horses behind. You can give them some extra travel expenses."

"As long as you have armor and horses, you won't have any trouble finding bandits to join you on your way home."

Wu Wei's eyes lit up. He didn't expect that he could get bandits to join his gang.

However, when he thought of the bandits' fighting power, he immediately frowned and said, "If the imperial court really wants to encircle and suppress us, these bandits may not be of any use."

"Humph!" Wang Shouwen snorted and chuckled: "It's enough to be used as a vanguard!"

He regarded the bandits as pawns, which made Wu Wei nod in agreement.

The two chatted for two hours and soon decided on a specific plan.

While they were making their plans, five thousand soldiers crossed the Yellow River in an orderly manner, and many of them had already arrived at their hometowns, ready to leave.

Wang Shouwen did not kill them, but let them leave their armor and horses as agreed, gave each of them 20 strings of cash and said goodbye to them.

Before saying goodbye, Wang Shouwen told them to come to Yunzhou to find him if they couldn't make it.

Although the soldiers from Guannei Road agreed repeatedly, they did not take it seriously in their hearts. Only the old brothers from Yunzhou regarded Wang Shouwen as their leader.

They began to head towards Xia Sui as planned, and this was already the sixth day since their mutiny and escape.

The news about Suo Xun reached Huizhou and was sent to Chang'an, and Qinzhou and Lanzhou, which were adjacent to Huizhou, also received the news.

Zhang Zhifang and Li Chengxun sent out Tangqi to impose martial law throughout the town.

After Lanzhou received the news, it immediately sent light cavalry to pass the news to Linzhou.

"It's really a mess!" On the fifth day of November, Liu Jilong looked at the handwritten letter from Lanzhou Governor Dou Bin and couldn't help but take a deep breath. He looked at Gao Jinda and others:

"Order Zhang Chang to lead his troops to Guangwu for training. I will be there soon."

"In addition, have Dou Bin send light cavalry to investigate the situation in Liangzhou. Once the barbarians invade, immediately report the news back to Guangwu!"

After Liu Jilong gave his order, everyone bowed and responded. Gao Jinda also asked:

"General Jie, although the Chishui Army has mutinied, do the barbarians really dare to march south and occupy Liangzhou?"

"What are they afraid of?" Liu Jilong asked Gao Jinda, who was speechless.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong explained to Gao Jinda, Li Shangyin and others:
"Although Envoy Zhang has relocated a large number of craftsmen, Suo Xun also has a considerable number of craftsmen under his command. Liangzhou produces grain and iron, which is very tempting to the Uygurs."

"If the Umo and the Uighurs learn of the Liangzhou mutiny, they will certainly march south."

"What we need to do now is to wait until Suo Xun escapes or dies, and then, in the name of the imperial court, we will send troops to retake Liangzhou and leave the imperial court speechless!"

As for Liangzhou, what Liu Jilian envied most were the hundreds of thousands of acres of cultivated land that could be directly cultivated.

Now he has introduced 60,000 people, but these 60,000 people need him to support them, and it will take at least three years for them to become self-sufficient.

But if he took over Liangzhou, these 60,000 people would be able to directly produce food to support him.

Rather than going through the hard work of reclaiming wasteland, what Liu Jilong wanted was to directly cultivate the land.

If Liu Jilian did not want to be caught by the imperial court, he would have sent troops right away to take over the land of Liangzhou.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Jilong glanced at everyone:

"Next, we must be extremely alert and find out the success or failure of the fight between Hu Lu and Suo Xun as quickly as possible, and finally make a profit!"

"Yes!" Gao Jinda and his men responded and stood up and left the main hall of the yamen.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong walked back and forth happily.

While he was crossing the river, Bai Tinghai's Emu Du tribe, who had been closely following the situation in Liangzhou, also found out the latest situation in Liangzhou.

Dozens of fast horses braved the white-haired wind and headed north, finally joining up with several other teams, and then pouring into Baiting Sea as a group.

They passed through tents that stretched for miles and finally stopped in front of a huge yurt.

The two leading commanders dismounted from their horses, hurried into the tent, and knelt down with their arms folded.

"Great Khan, the officers and soldiers of Liangzhou have been fighting among themselves and mutinied. Four to five thousand of them have fled. Now there are only two to three thousand people left in the city!"

When the elderly Dugazhi heard the news, his cloudy eyes moved and gradually light appeared.

"Good! The opportunity has finally come..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a general walked into the tent.

"Yeah, I heard that!"

Du Lun Xijia walked into the tent with excited eyes.

Upon hearing this, Dugazhi immediately stood up, took a deep breath and said:
"Pass on my military order. The entire tribe will move south. I want to capture Liangzhou before the spring and cultivate the fertile land there!"

"Yes!!"

The generals agreed one after another, and no one raised any objection.

All of a sudden, the tents that stretched for miles began to be dismantled, and everything was loaded onto the carts.

Men, women, old and young of the Umudu tribe all rode horses and drove carriages to the south. The scale of the crowd covered the sky and the sun, and even the white wind was blown away by the sound of horses' hooves.

As time went by, it was not only the Umudu tribe that received the news, but also the Ganzhou Uighurs far away in the Juyan Lake.

Just like the methods used by the Umu people, the Ganzhou Uighurs also increased their reconnaissance forces in Ganzhou and Liangzhou after Zhang Huaishen moved his base.

Facts have proved that after Zhang Huaishen retreated to Ganzhou, the strength of the five states west of Yanzhi Mountain was enhanced.

Even Guazhou and Suzhou, which had a population of less than 10,000 in the past, now have a population of nearly 20,000, with a balanced population between Han and Fan.

Although the population under the rule of the Hexi Guiyi Army was only 140,000, 6 of them were from Hankou, 4 were from Fanhu, and there were more than 17,000 Han soldiers stationed in five states.

Although the sphere of influence and population are smaller than before, they are more solid.

In addition, Zhang Huaishen had made several northern expeditions to the Umu and Uighur tribes. Therefore, although Chengle and others were much stronger than before, they did not dare to attack Ganzhou easily.

Now that the news of the Liangzhou mutiny had reached the Juyan Sea, Chengle, the Great Khan of the Ganzhou Uighurs, immediately became alert.

"Crack..."

The bonfire crackled in the tent, and the eighteen governors in the tent looked at the Khan in unison.

Although Cheng Le is old, he knows this is a good opportunity.

"That wild dog-like guy Dugazhi will definitely not let go of this opportunity."

"Zhang Huaishen runs the five states of Gansu like an iron barrel. Even if he takes over one of the states, Zhang Huaishen will lead his troops to counterattack."

"As for Liangzhou, since Zhang Huaishen has withdrawn, he definitely has no intention of coming back."

"Suo Xun is a fickle villain, and he won't get any external help."

"Dugazhi will definitely fight for Guzang and Changsong, which are closest to Baitinghai."

"In that case, we will go south and occupy Fanhe and Jialin."

"As long as we can seize the cultivated land in these two counties, the tribe can grow and multiply with peace of mind!"

Arable land resources are extremely important resources in any era.

The Ganzhou Uighurs migrated west for more than ten years, but due to the lack of agricultural tools and abundant means of reclaiming wasteland and accumulating fertilizers, although tens of thousands of acres of arable land were reclaimed around Baiting Lake, the output was very low.

The annual output of seven or eight thousand shi could only guarantee a stable supply of grain for the nobles and their families, while the rest of the soldiers and tribesmen could only eat dairy products.

A few years ago, the Tang court opened up grain and ironware, which made the Ganzhou Uighurs no longer worry about food problems.

Although smuggling could ensure grain intake, this unstable trade always made the Uighurs feel uneasy.

If they could obtain more than 200,000 acres of arable land from Fanhe and Jialin, as well as some craftsmen in the city, the Ganzhou Uighurs would be able to stabilize and continue to grow and multiply.

Because of this, in response to Cheng Le's remarks, all the commanders in the tent clasped their chests and saluted to show their agreement.

"it is good!"

Chengle nodded slowly and looked at Ponteler, one of the governors.

"Ponteler, you take your 8,000 troops and stay at the Juyan Sea, and the remaining 17 tribes will follow me south."

"Yes!" Ponteler did not object, even though he knew that Chengle was suppressing him.

Upon seeing this, everyone stood up and called on their troops to break camp and head south.

As one of the governors, the future Khan of Ganzhou Uighurs, Xianli, said with a hint of mockery as he passed by Pontell:

"Ponteler, I will leave you several thousand acres of cultivated land in Fanhe."

"Thank you very much." Pontell was not angry. He responded with a chuckle and watched Xia Li and everyone leave.

He walked out of the tent alone, and soon met two generals under his command.

"Captain, they all said that we stayed behind while the other tribes headed south. Is that true or false?!"

"Captain, why do we have to stay in such a cold place?!"

The two generals asked rashly, but Pontell was not in a hurry. Instead, he nodded and said, "Let's go back to the tent first."

Seeing this, the two generals protected him and returned to the tent, where eight thousand soldiers had already gathered.

"Sit down first!"

He asked everyone to take their seats, and then spoke after everyone was seated:

"This group of people asked us to stay behind, thinking that going south would be a bargain."

"Have they forgotten that there is Liu Jilong to the south of Liangzhou?"

As soon as Pontell finished speaking, a general said:

"But Hongchi Ridge and Wushao Ridge are covered by heavy snow. If Liangzhou wants to send troops, it needs to go through Huizhou."

"By the time Liu Jilong realized what was happening, they had already led their troops to capture Liangzhou."

"Yes, even if we can't occupy Liangzhou, we can still plunder the people of Liangzhou."

Another general echoed, and the rest of the thousand households also nodded.

For them, the population of Liangzhou is also a valuable resource, but this is also for them.

"You care about the population of Liangzhou, but Liu Jilong may not care."

Ponteler spoke slowly, and everyone looked at each other, not understanding what he meant.

Seeing this, Ponteler did not explain, but just said to everyone:
"Just wait, those tribes heading south this time will definitely suffer a lot."

"When they return with their troops wounded, we will be the strongest one!"

(End of this chapter)