Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 322: The Khitan Visitors

"Too many people died..."

In mid-May, Liu Jilian had not yet learned about Wang Shi's pacification of the Wuning Army, and his remarks were mainly directed at reports from the county and prefecture offices in Longyou.

Since the snow on the official road of Yanzhi Mountain and the Sanxie Road of Shanzhou melted in April, Jiu Juyan drove the draft horses that had been agreed upon to Liangzhou.

At the same time, Liu Jilong also asked Gao Jinda to migrate the population of Jiannan Road northward, trying to enter Ganzhou through Yanzhi Mountain.

Although Hexi in this era had a much larger green area and more humid air than later generations...

But for the refugees from Xichuan, Hexi was still too dry.

As they left Longyou and entered Liangzhou, many people suffered from nosebleeds due to the dry environment in Hexi.

In addition, there are also many symptoms such as sore throat and hoarseness, and countless immigrants have died on the road due to these symptoms.

Although this amount of casualties was insignificant compared to the tens of thousands of immigrants, it also taught Liu Jilong a lesson.

The environment of Xichuan at this time was relatively similar to that of Longyou. During the immigration process, at most the elderly and the weak would die of illness due to acclimatization.

However, in places like Xichuan and Hexi, where the climate and environment are very different, rash immigration will lead to a sharp increase in the mortality rate.

According to the climate environment, immigrants from south to north are more adaptable.

After all, going from hot and humid to dry is not that difficult to accept.

On the contrary, most of the diseases caused by the transition from dryness to moisture are difficult to treat with medicine, and the human body can only rely on its immune system to get through this stage.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong put the document down and said, "Let them adapt to life in Liangzhou for a while."

“Wait for them to adapt for a month or two, and then take them to Ganzhou.”

"In addition, the people who migrate from Xichuan to Hexi in the future will stay in Longnan, Longxi and Liangzhou for one month respectively, and then go to Hexi after they gradually adapt."

Faced with the symptoms caused by acclimatization, Liu Jilong could only think of using this step-by-step approach.

Gao Jinda bowed and responded, while Liu Jilong asked, "However many immigrants he owes must be paid in full."

"Longyou is so prosperous, thanks to the help of the Silk Road. Helping Envoy Zhang gain a foothold in Xizhou and even further recovering the three towns of Qiuci, Yanqi and Shule are all top priorities."

Gao Jinda nodded after hearing this and immediately sent someone to issue the order.

After the decree was issued, before Liu Jilong signaled Gao Jinda to go back to work, Chen Ying appeared outside the hall.

He walked over quickly, and after entering the hall, he bowed and said, "General, urgent news from Liangzhou."

"Hand it over." Liu Jilong nodded, and then saw Chen Ying step forward to hand over the good news.

Liu Jilong flipped through a few pages and then was slightly surprised.

"What's wrong, Marshal?" Gao Jinda cast a curious look. Seeing this, Liu Jilong handed over the urgent report and said:

"The Khitans sent envoys south to Liangzhou, but they were stopped in Xiutu City."

"The emissary's name is He Yi Nan Zhi, and he said he wanted to talk to me."

As Liu Jilong explained, he couldn't help but recall all the knowledge about the Khitans.

However, the Khitans did not have a high presence in history, and Liu Jilian only remembered two things about them.

The first thing was that the Kyrgyz destroyed the Uighur Khanate, cooperated with the Tang Dynasty to drive the Uighurs to the Western Regions, and established the Kyrgyz Khanate.

The second thing is that in order to guard against and check the Khitan Khanate, the Tang Dynasty chose the Tatars to support.

This Tatar was the Mongols, and at that time they were living a very Buddhist life.

According to the records of envoys sent by the Tang Dynasty, the Tatars only knew how to farm and raise pigs, not horses or cattle, and even their farming methods were very strange.

In the spring, they would set fire to the grassland, sow seeds and leave, then come back in the fall to check. If there was food, they would harvest it; if not, they would let the pigs graze.

Their footprints extended from Gonglu River to the south of the desert, which is why they were chosen and supported by the Tang court to deal with the Khitans.

However, the Khitans' rule over the grasslands was far more backward than that of the Turks and Uighurs, so they did not manage the Tatar tribes very strictly.

In the eyes of the Tang Dynasty, ethnic groups such as the Turks and Uighurs were considered barbarians who were not worthy of the rule of the king, but in the eyes of the Turks and Uighurs, the Kyrgyz were barbarians among barbarians.

Despite the demise of the Uighur Khanate, the Kyrgyz stayed in the northern and western parts of the desert very calmly. Apart from asking for cattle and sheep from the Tatars and other tribes on the grassland, no one knew what they were doing at other times.

Because of this, there are very few historical records of the Khitan Khanate, and Liu Jilian's impression of it is limited to these.

"Khitans?"

Gao Jinda frowned slightly when he heard this, and then asked, "What do they have to talk to us about?"

"It's okay. Let Yishan send someone to send them to Didao."

Liu Jilian waved his hand. He was very curious about this Khanate that had dominated the grassland but ended up perishing quietly.

"Yes!" Seeing that Liu Jilong was interested, Gao Jinda quickly sent someone to reply to Li Shangyin.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong said nothing more. He just gestured for him to go down to work, and then he stood up and returned to the inner courtyard.

At the same time, in the next half month, Yang Xin in the Chang'an Jinzouyuan was constantly transmitting intelligence on important matters of the court and the country back to Longyou.

After June, even Liu Jilian, who was in Longyou, knew about Wang Shi's suppression of the Wuning Army and the flood in Dongdu.

Starting from late April, heavy rains continued in the capital and Henan Province, and the canal overflowed.

Floods in Dongdu, Xuzhou, Ruzhou, Xuzhou, Sizhou and other places not only prevented Wang Shi from pursuing the remnants of the Silver Knife Army, but also made the already devastated Henan Road even worse.

What is more crucial is that Wang Shi petitioned the court to allow him to suppress the bandits in Longji Mountain and other places, but the Assistant Minister of War Lu Yan urged him several times, so Wang Shi had to leave Xuzhou and go to Chang'an to report on his work.

"Lu Yan knows nothing about military strategy but he can become the Minister of War. I think the imperial court is no better than this."

Inside the main hall of the Protectorate, Cao Mao showed disdain on his face, while Zhang Chang and others were even more shocked.

After reading several pieces of intelligence sent by the Jinzouyuan, Gao Jinda also agreed with Cao Mao's views and expressed his own speculation.

"If the bandit problem in Xuzhou and Sizhou is really as serious as Wang Shi said, then Lu Yan's transfer of him away from Xuzhou and Sizhou is undoubtedly a bad move."

"Now the Wuning Army has been demoted to the Xu-Si militia, and the state and camp troops are only four to five thousand strong. If bandits start a rebellion, I'm afraid it will be difficult to resist them."

"If the Xuzhou-Sichuan region is lost, the imperial court's grain transport will be cut off, which will probably shock the world..."

Gao Jinda's inference was correct, at least based on Liu Jilian's understanding of the Pang Xun Uprising in history, Gao Jinda's inference was correct.

However, the historical process of Wang Shi's suppression of the Wuning Army seemed to be different from what he knew from the intelligence.

Liu Jilian remembered that in history Wang Shi did not use any self-torture tactics, but directly led the Zhongwu Army, Yicheng Army and Wuning Army to suppress the rebellion.

However, in history, Wang Shi commanded the troops of three towns. After defeating Qiu Fu, he took office in Xuzhou and suppressed the Wuning Army.

But the current situation is that Wang Shi was transferred directly from Annan to Xuzhou by the court, and then suppressed the Wuning Army.

The two seem to be not much different, but the former has plenty of time, and Wang Shi is more familiar with the Zhongwu Army and the Yicheng Army. Moreover, the Zhongwu Army and the Yicheng Army have also been trained in suppressing the Qiu Fu Rebellion. It is not too dangerous for them to suppress the Wuning Army.

In comparison, the latter was directly transferred to Wang Shi. Wang Shi did not have time to familiarize himself with the Zhongwu and Huainan armies, so he resorted to the self-torture strategy.

It can only be said that Wang Shi is indeed a talented general who can make rational use of the resources at his disposal and formulate different tactics based on the situation.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong put down the information in his hand and asked, "Who is this Lu Yan?"

"He was born in the Lu family of Guanshi County, Weizhou, which is considered a large commoner family in Weizhou. His father was Lu Qun, the former secretary of the Central Secretariat."

"When he was in Huainan Road, he served as an assistant officer under Cui Xuan, and later served as a deputy minister of Tuntian. After following Cui Xuan to quell Qiu Fu's rebellion, he was promoted to the Minister of War."

Cao Mao explained to Liu Jilong's question. Liu Jilong nodded after listening, and Cao Mao continued:

"But when he was in Huainan Road, I heard that someone offered him a bribe, and he accepted it all..."

Liu Jilian couldn't help but shake his head when he heard this, thinking that the court was incompetent. There were so many talented people in the world, but most of the people in the court were incompetent.

Those small commoners who have been blocked from seeking official positions have no way to do so, and coupled with the constant exploitation by local government offices, they will probably soon rise up in rebellion.

I just don’t know whether Pang Xun died at the hands of Wang Shi. If he was not as lucky as he was in history, I’m afraid the fire of the peasant uprising in the late Tang Dynasty would have to be ignited by someone else.

If no one lights it, you'll have to figure it out yourself.

Wang Xianzhi, Huang Chao and others started their rebellion too late in history, probably about a dozen years before now.

Although a dozen years would allow Longyou to become more prosperous, I would be over 40 years old by then.

If something unexpected happened, that would not be the situation he wanted to see.

While he was thinking this, a captain appeared outside the hall. He walked into the courtyard and bowed towards the main hall:
"General, the envoys from the Khitans are here. May I ask if we can meet them now?" "Let them in!" Liu Jilian responded without hesitation.

The last time he learned that the Khitans were looking for him, he went back and looked through the history books, and only then did he get a general understanding of the situation of the Khitans.

The ethnic composition of the Khitan Empire was very complex. There were white people with red hair and green eyes, as well as Hu people with black hair and black eyes, or black hair and brown eyes.

The title of the Khitan Khan was "Are", and the royal family took Are as their surname.

The king's tent was located in Qingshan, with 300,000 to 400,000 followers. Its organizational structure imitated that of the Turks and the Tang Dynasty. There were seven prime ministers, three governors-general, ten envoys, and fifteen chief secretaries in the court.

In addition, there are also positions of general and Da Yu, but the number of vacancies is not fixed.

The one who came to visit him this time was He Yinanzhi, the envoy.

In terms of Heyi Nanzhi's official position, Longyou's diplomatic status was only slightly lower than that of the Tang Dynasty and slightly higher than that of Tatar and Khitan.

As Liu Jilong was thinking this, he saw the captain leave, and soon he led a group of people into the main courtyard.

There were more than ten people in the group. The leader dressed like the Han people, and his appearance and hair color were not much different from those of the Han people.

Compared to him, the group of people behind him looked like monsters and demons.

Various types of white people with red hair and green eyes, brown hair and blue eyes stood out in the team.

These people were not tall, only about five feet (155cm). Compared with the strong and sturdy soldiers from Longyou, they were very thin.

This is not surprising. After all, before the Qing Dynasty, the Han people were known for their masculinity. In the Yuan Dynasty, they were still called the "Land of Giants" by Europeans.

Even in the late Qing Dynasty, the height of northern Han people was still higher than that of many European countries, as can be seen from the height standards for recruiting soldiers in various countries.

Liu Jilian estimated that this group of white people should be the Nordic barbarians who migrated eastward in the past, but before they moved south to the Central Plains, they were defeated and assimilated by the nomadic peoples in the northern desert.

"The envoy of the Khitan State, He Yi Nan Zhi, greets General Liu Jie!"

When Liu Jilong was thinking about the origin of the white people in the Khitan Khanate, the fluent Heluo accent suddenly rang in his ears.

Liu Jilong looked over when he heard the voice and saw the middle-aged fat man dressed in Han Chinese clothes bowing to him.

"Give me a seat..."

After realizing what was happening, Liu Jilong nodded and didn't find it strange.

At his signal, He Yinanzhi was invited into the hall and sat down in the middle, face to face with Liu Jilong.

The dozen or so Khitans were sitting in the courtyard, each of them keeping quiet.

"You said you had something to discuss with me. I am very curious about what the Khitans could discuss with me."

Liu Jilong went straight to the point, while He Yinanzhi just laughed a few times as if to join in the conversation.

He has small eyes and is rather fat, and he is wearing precious Shu brocade, which makes him look very "figure-enhancing".

Liu Jilong looked at the robe made of Shu brocade on him and was afraid that he would tear it.

"General Liu Jie, I am traveling south this time to ask you to open a trade and buy and sell grain with us."

"In addition, we also want to purchase some scriptures and books from you so that we can join forces to fight against the Uighurs."

Upon learning of He Yinanzhi's intention, Liu Jilong became somewhat alert.

After all, those Japanese people in the east often smuggled books on skills from the Central Plains under the pretext of purchasing scriptures.

Although there were no great scholars in Longyou and there were no books on skills on the market, due to the development of the printing industry, Liu Jilian once sent Wang Tao, Yu Conghui and others to purchase books from all over the Tang Dynasty, and then brought them back to Longyou for printing.

Ancient books that are relatively rare in the Tang Dynasty are as common as ordinary books in Longyou.

Because of this, Liu Jilong was somewhat wary of this group of guys. After all, as long as the benefits were great, there would be no shortage of people who would take risks and forget their principles for the sake of profit.

"Food is easy to talk about, but what scriptures and books do you mean?"

Liu Jilong asked about He Yinanzhi in return, and He Yinanzhi recited many scriptures and classics upon hearing his words.

These scriptures did not involve any content related to skills. Liu Jilong nodded and said, "How many sets do you need?"

"How many sets?" He Yi was stunned. When they sought scriptures, they always sought approval from the court. After purchasing the scriptures, they hired copyists from the public to copy and print them.

He had never enjoyed such a one-stop service as Longyou's, so he felt a little restrained.

After thinking about it, he tentatively asked, "How about a hundred sets?"

"One hundred sets?" Liu Jilong frowned. After all, the scriptures He Yinanzhi mentioned were only more than sixty volumes, and one hundred sets were only a little over six thousand.

According to the book prices in the Tang Dynasty, this transaction was only worth four or five thousand strings of cash.

"Is it too much?"

He Yinanzhi was a little nervous, but Liu Jilong shook his head and said, "It's too little."

"I wonder what the price is?"

He Yi Nanzhi heaved a sigh of relief when he heard this, while Liu Jilong said, "The prices vary, but they are cheaper than those in Guanzhong. Each copy costs between four hundred and six hundred coins."

Liu Jilong lowered the price because he thought of something.

Compared with military conquest, cultural conquest is easier.

The Khitans had no culture of their own. If we could use scriptures to abolish their military prowess and then introduce religion to control them, this would undoubtedly be of great help to the Central Plains in the future.

Anyway, the printing technology in Longyou is movable type printing, which does not require special carving like woodblock printing. The labor and material prices are very cheap, and it is just a matter of how much profit you make.

But if they could support the uncultured Khitans to curb the future Tatars and Khitans, it would undoubtedly be a good deal.

At least compared with the Uighur, Tatar, Khitan and other tribes, the Kyrgyz were easier to control.

"so……"

He Yi Nanzhi seemed to want to say that it was very cheap, but he held back halfway and then said, "We are willing to trade with gold and herds. We need 300 sets of each scripture."

"Also, I wonder how much the grain in Longyou is worth?"

He Yinanzhi saw that books in Longyou were cheap, so he couldn't help but ask about food.

He was not blind. All the way from Liangzhou, he saw a chaotic situation that was different from that of the Tang Dynasty.

The people of Longyou have enough food and clothing, and many of them even have gained weight.

Such scenes are not seen even in the Tang Dynasty, not to mention that the people here are very polite, much better than those domineering generals and soldiers in the Tang Dynasty.

This was not the first time that Hei Nanzhi went on a diplomatic mission to the south. It was just that in his previous missions, he had a very bad impression of the vassal states in Hebei and Guannei Road.

He originally thought that Longyou, which had been destroyed by Tubo and then revived, would not be much better. But now it seems that he was prejudiced.

"Each stone is priced at 800 coins, but the transaction takes place in Wuquan County, Lanzhou."

Liu Jilong quoted a suitable price and set the transaction location in Wuquan County, Lanzhou.

If the transaction takes place here, Longyou can reduce a lot of labor and losses, and the profit will be greater than selling to Guanzhong.

"Eight hundred coins?"

He Yinanzhi's face was filled with smiles. He was not good at arithmetic, but he knew that this was cheaper than the grain prices in Guannei, Hedong and Hebei.

After thinking for a while, he asked tentatively: "We don't have enough gold. If we trade cattle, sheep and horses, what will the price be?"

When asked, Liu Jilong thought for a moment and said, "Horses are divided into three categories: superior military horses, medium-quality riding horses, and inferior draft horses."

"Military horses are priced at 15 guan, riding horses are priced at 10 guan, draft horses are priced at 5 guan, while oxen are priced the same as riding horses, and beef cattle are only priced at 7 guan."

"As for the sheep and camel, they are priced at seven hundred coins and three strings of cash respectively."

Liu Jilong gave a price, but then felt that this was too rough, so he said directly to Gao Jinda: "The prices of other goods will be determined according to the prices traded with Shang Moyan and others. Take the document to the official for review."

"Yes……"

Gao Jinda bowed in response and immediately sent someone to modify the transaction document and then brought it back.

During this period, Liu Jilong looked at He Yi Nan Zhi and said with interest:

"The envoy wants to help us deal with the Uighurs. I'm very interested. How should we deal with them?"

(End of this chapter)