Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 376: Strong Grass in the Wind
"Drive! Drive! Drive..."

In April, galloping horses crisscrossed the northern land, countless military discs were sent back and forth, and the allocation of food and fodder was especially frequent.

Even ordinary farmers in Guanzhong could vaguely sense that something was wrong.

In a small village in Guanzhong, a dozen farmers gathered under an old locust tree at the entrance of the village, following the army's horses galloping on the official road in the distance, their faces full of worry.

Although their clothes were worn out and full of patches, they could still cover their bodies and keep them warm. Although their faces were yellow, at least they could fill their stomachs and they were not like the people in the Hehuai area, who were starving to the point of being skin and bones and dying.

"I'm afraid these days will be uneasy again..."

A middle-aged farmer sighed, his voice was low and hoarse, as if carrying endless fatigue.

"Yes, the government troops have been traveling too frequently recently, with food and fodder convoys coming one after another. It looks like a war is about to begin."

"Fight? With whom?"

"Could it be Liu Jilong from the west?"

A younger farmer interrupted, with some uncertainty in his tone. After all, he had heard the name Liu Jilong from the government office.

"Liu Jilong?" Upon hearing this name, the farmers around began to discuss in low voices.

All they knew about Liu Jilong was what they heard from the clerks sent by the government to collect grain.

Those clerks described Liu Jilian as an evil ghost who was three meters tall, with a green face, fangs, and scarlet hair, as if he was not a human being at all, but a demon that crawled out of hell.

"I heard that Liu Jilong was a ruthless man who led his troops from Hexi to Longyou and ate all the foreigners he encountered along the way."

"I've also heard that someone in a teahouse in the city was telling a story, saying that Liu Jilong killed people without blinking an eye, and his soldiers were also evil ghosts who killed people without blinking an eye..."

Several farmers were whispering with a hint of fear in their voices, and the people around them were also faintly timid.

"Hmph!" At this moment, a sixty-year-old man squatting nearby suddenly sneered, interrupting everyone's discussion.

The old man's face was covered with wrinkles, his skin was dark and his hands were rough, obviously showing the signs of years of hard work.

There was a hint of disdain in his eyes, and he obviously disagreed with what everyone said.

"Aunt, what are you doing..."

Everyone looked at the old man, with a hint of respect in their tone.

In this village, the old man is the oldest and most knowledgeable person, and everyone respectfully calls him "Aweng".

The old man slowly stood up, dusted himself off, glanced at everyone, and said in a deep voice:

"Liu Jilong may not be a good person, but the imperial court is even more vicious."

"Our village is close to Longyou. If a fight really breaks out and we lose our civilians, the imperial court will definitely come here to arrest people."

"No one would want an old, weak person like me who is over 70 years old, but none of you young and strong people can escape!"

His words made everyone's heart tighten and their faces turned pale instantly.

The old man glanced at everyone and saw that he had achieved the desired effect. He continued, "If we want to survive, we have to wait until the summer harvest, then flee to the Qinling Mountains in the south with the whole village, and wait for the war to end before coming out."

"Escape to Qinling Mountains?"

The young men who were still scared suddenly woke up, and one of them couldn't help but retort: "Aunt, our ancestors have been farming on this land for generations, how can you just leave like that?"

"Yes, if we flee to the mountains, what will we eat and where will we live?"

"Is Aung too old and confused..."

Facing the suspicion of these younger generations, the old man snorted and said, "You young people are just reluctant to give up what is in front of you, but you don't think that those cultivated lands, even if they become wasteland, can be easily reclaimed."

"As long as the land is not left uncultivated for too long, or people are sent down to burn it every year, it will be like accumulating fertilizer for the land."

"If we go into the mountains, we can find some valley bottoms to cultivate new fields. Besides, we don't have to pay for food when we flee into the mountains. If we add in the grain we harvested in summer, it will be enough for us to eat."

"The world is getting more and more chaotic, and the government is collecting higher and higher taxes. If we can open up good farmland in the Qinling Mountains to be self-sufficient, the people in our village may be able to survive until the end of the war."

When he said this, he swept his eyes over the crowd and his tone became stern: "But if you insist on staying in the village, then it would be God's mercy if 30% of the men in our village can survive!"

When everyone heard this, their hearts trembled and they looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although the old man's words were harsh, they forced them to face the reality before them.

"Aunt, aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

"Exaggeration?" The old man seemed to have thought of something, and couldn't help but raise his voice and said, "When I was young, the court summoned my father and your fathers to go to Xichuan to quell a rebellion. Forty-two people in the village went, but only five came back, and all of them were missing limbs."

"If you don't believe it, you can stay and try to see if the court will show mercy to you."

His words left everyone with a lingering fear, and they all lowered their heads and remained silent.

After a while, one of the farmers raised his head and asked cautiously, "Aunt, what should we do?"

Seeing someone express his opinion, the old man said quickly, "First send people to the mountains to find some valleys, and then we will move the whole village there after the summer harvest."

"As long as we can survive, the land will be returned sooner or later, but if we lose the people, then everything will be gone."

When everyone heard this, although they were still reluctant, the old man's words forced them to face reality.

In the end, everyone decided to follow the old man's advice and send people to explore the way in the Qinling Mountains first, and then flee into the mountains with the entire village after the summer harvest to avoid the war.

Seeing that everyone agreed, the old man breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he is knowledgeable, he is too old and cannot handle tasks such as land reclamation, so he has to take the entire village to the mountains, which will allow him to live longer in the mountains.

Thinking of this, he looked at the Longshan Mountain in the distance, and couldn't help shaking his head and turning around: "Why do these people always have to fight? Why can't they just farm properly..."

Almost at the same time, in Longshan, more than a hundred miles away from the village, several soldiers who were drawing maps discovered dozens of people hiding in the mountains while crossing the mountains.

"Damn it, it turns out that you have to rely on robbing to get rich!"

The fire was burning the houses, and dozens of corpses were lying on the farmland that had been reclaimed with great difficulty, leaving their blood soaking the land.

Not far away, seven or eight Tang soldiers in armor were distributing the spoils, and everyone had an excited smile on their face.

Hundreds of bags of grain were piled next to them, and more than twenty strings of money were placed in front of them.

Everyone divided the money equally, and then sent someone down the mountain to notify the merchants accompanying the army to come and collect the grain.

A few hours later, more than a dozen merchants led dozens of mules and draft horses into the mountains, and then weighed the grain and calculated the money.

The houses not far away have become ruins, and the bodies have all disappeared, leaving only a dozen acres of cultivated land and bloodstains on them.

The merchants accompanying the army don't care about these things; they only care about how much money they can make on this trip.

Hundreds of dan of grain were sold for eighty strings of cash, and each soldier received ten strings of cash.

Even so, the merchants accompanying the army were able to make a profit, and eight soldiers volunteered to protect them out of Longshan.

Before the war broke out, the soldiers naturally did not dare to plunder those well-known villages.

But in the Long Mountains, which stretch over 300 miles from north to south, the so-called refugees are nothing more than lambs to be slaughtered.

As time went by, the soldiers in each town drew a rough map of Longshan, mainly because the map of Longshan had not been updated for many years.

After so many years, if a road collapsed in the mountain due to an earthquake or heavy rain, leading to an attack on Guanzhong, Wang Shi would definitely be held responsible.

Because of this, he needed to make full preparations, which included drawing maps of the mountains west of the Qinling Mountains and the Long Mountains.

"Kill, kill, kill—"

On the north bank of the Wei River, the shouts and cries of killing continued, and this had been half a month since the troops from various towns began to get used to each other.

May is coming and so is the summer harvest.

The news had already spread among the army that after the summer harvest, the army would march westward. For many soldiers, fighting was indeed not something to be happy about.

They would rather slaughter the unarmored civilians than the armored soldiers.

Even if they could plunder the city after winning the battle, no one would be willing to risk their life for the opportunity to plunder.

As the day's training came to an end, the soldiers from each town returned to the camp, and the laborers began to carry food to deliver to the soldiers who had just finished training.

As several large wooden barrels were opened, they contained lamb stewed with radish, stir-fried chicken with yellow vegetables, and a full barrel of cooked rice.

Ever since the Jingyuan mutiny, Guanzhong has transferred troops from other garrisons to prepare for the enemy. Regardless of their strength, the best meals have to be prepared, in an effort to ensure that these domineering warriors get the best satisfaction in terms of food.

The soldiers began to line up for food. If a civilian was given too little, the soldiers would usually just glare at him and would not dare to scold him too much.

Even the soldiers knew that they should not offend the person who cooked for them, but the prerequisite was that the cook was responsible enough.

After all, Guanzhong is densely populated, so it is not difficult to find a peasant who can cook in the surrounding villages.

A young man in a war jacket walked towards the military tent carrying two bowls of food, and next to the tent sat a strong young man.

This young man had high eyebrows, a broad forehead, dragon-like eyes and a fierce look. His exposed arms were muscular and his neck was thick.

Although he is not handsome, he is very masculine and has a strong physique.

At the moment he was sharpening his knife with a whetstone. When he saw someone bringing the food, he put the knife back into the sheath.

"Brother Xing, the army is saying there's going to be a war. Will we die on the battlefield?"

The sturdy young man asked him, and the man called Brother Xing took the food and snorted, "With my martial arts, I can guarantee you no problem."

"If you weren't stupid and slow, how could you have been captured and sent here to serve as a garrison soldier?"

The young man felt embarrassed and a trace of guilt flashed across his face: "Brother Xing, I have caused you trouble."

"I am your elder brother, so I will naturally protect you. What's so scary about joining the army and killing bandits?"

Brother Xing said this, then lowered his head and started eating. Soon he had finished all the food in the bowl.

Seeing this, the young man immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks and continued to serve him food.

Brother Xing ate two large bowls in a row before he felt full, so he put down his bowl and chopsticks.

Seeing this, the young man next to him immediately took the dishes and went to wash them, while Xing Ge also stretched and prepared to go back to the tent to rest.

But then he saw a commotion in front of him, and then he saw a group of generals wearing armor and robes passing towards him.

Several generals met him, and one of them asked, "I never thought that there would be such a man in the Zhongwu Army?"

The lieutenant in charge of the camp bowed and said, "Commander-in-chief, this man was captured from prison. He has a bad reputation in Xuzhou. People in and outside the city call him a thief. His name is Wang Jian."

"You bastard, why don't you come over to greet the military commander?" The officers looked at Wang Jian and asked. Wang Jian then stepped forward and saluted:

"Wang Jian, a soldier from the second brigade of the second city of the Zhongwu Army, greets General Wang..."

Wang Jian was not at all stage-frightened and even looked at Wang She. Wang She, the left military commander in charge of the garrison troops of the Zhongwu Army, nodded with satisfaction.

"Yes, he is a man."

He did not make much comment, just a brief remark, and then continued to patrol the camp with his men.

At the same time, the young man who had come back from washing the dishes said to Wang Jian, "Brother Xing, I heard that this military envoy Wang is the eldest son of Shaobao Wang."

"What does it have to do with me?" Wang Jian had no interest in people who could not bring him benefits.

After chatting with the young man for a few words, he returned to the military tent and fell into a deep sleep.

Half an hour later, as Wang She finished his inspection of the camp, he returned to the camp gate and bowed to Wang Shi, who was writing the memorial, and said:

"Aye, I've checked, there's nothing wrong with the camp."

"No, that's fine." Wang Shi replied without even looking up, "Send someone to deliver this memorial to Chang'an, to the Supreme."

He put down the brush, blew dry the ink, stamped the memorial, and then handed it to Wang She.

"Yes!" Wang She agreed, and soon sent someone to deliver the memorial to Chang'an.

After he came back, Wang Shi started to have people prepare meals.

Seeing him coming back, Wang Shi asked, "The training time is not short, are there any changes in the army?"

"The soldiers are less aggressive than before, but the generals are cunning and treacherous. It seems that we still need to promote some capable generals while fighting."

Wang She told his father roughly what he had seen. Wang Shi had expected this, so he was not surprised.

But after Wang She spoke, he continued, "You and Zhao Qian will take care of this matter."

"Yes!" Wang She agreed. Seeing that his father had nothing to say, he walked out of the gate.

At the same time, the movements of the government troops in Fengxiang did not escape the surveillance of Longyou.

Although the spies sent from Longyou did not have the ability to infiltrate the army, as long as they could understand the Tang army's orders, they would roughly know what these people were doing.

The news that Wang Shi was training troops in Fengxiang to coordinate with the various towns soon reached Liu Jilian's ears.

But before that, he still needed to meet with the envoys sent by the Khitan.

"It is difficult for me to support you. I have met the commander..."

"Please stand up, envoy."

Inside the Protectorate, Liu Jilian raised his hand in the air, signaling He Yinanzhi to stand up and take a seat.

"Thank you, Marshal Jie, for the invitation to sit!" He Yinanzhi stood up to return the greeting. His movements were quick and decisive, revealing the heroism and straightforwardness of the grassland people.

He took the first seat on the right, sitting upright, his eyes bright and looking directly at Liu Jilong without any reservations.

After he sat down, without waiting for Liu Jilong to ask, he said straight to the point: "General Liu Jie, I came south this time on the orders of Are to discuss something with you."

"Please speak, envoy." Liu Jilong nodded slightly with a calm expression, as if he was not surprised by He Yinanzhi's arrival.

He Yi Nanzhi did not beat around the bush and said directly: "The Tang Dynasty court recently sent an envoy to Mobei and rewarded us with 30,000 pieces of silk."

"In exchange, the Khitans promised to send troops to contain your actions."

Hearing this, Gao Jinda and others frowned, and Li Ji was even a little restless, but Liu Jilong just raised his eyebrows slightly and did not show too much emotion.

He had long expected that the Tang Dynasty would take such measures, but he did not expect that the Khitans would send Heinanzhi south and tell him the matter so frankly.

But he was not surprised. After all, the Khitans still had an extremely important thing to do, which was to join forces with Helong to launch an attack on the Uighurs entrenched in the Western Regions.

Before this matter is over, the cooperative relationship between the two sides will continue, so the Khitans will not watch Longyou perish, but they will not send troops to help either.

Liu Jilian also believed that the Khitans should have discussed with the Tang Dynasty about sending troops to the Western Regions during this negotiation, but compared with the direct support of Helong, the Tang Dynasty not only did not support the Khitans in hunting down the remnants of the Uighurs, but even intended to stop it.

After all, in history, the Khitans wanted to enter the Western Regions to encircle and suppress the remnants of the Uighurs, but ultimately failed because the Tang court did not support them and even blocked them.

Historically, the Khitans had no choice, but now that they have Helong, they naturally have more choices.

After thinking this through, Liu Jilong felt a little relieved, and then nodded to He Yinanzhi to show his understanding.

But after nodding, he asked again: "Besides this, do you have anything else to do?"

He Yi Nanzhi hesitated for a moment, as if he was considering whether to tell the whole truth. However, facing Liu Jilong's kind look, he finally said frankly:
"To be honest with you, Marshal Liu Jie, I went south this time to inform you of the Tang Dynasty's actions, and I also had another mission, which was to observe the situation in Longyou."

When Liu Jilong heard this, a sharp light flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure, because this kind of thing was not worth being surprised about.

The cooperation between the Khitans and Helong is certainly important, but if the people of Longyou change their minds and are unable to resist the Tang army, the Khitans naturally would not mind taking a piece of the pie. If Liu Jilian were Aje of the Khitans, he would do the same.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong chuckled and said, "From the perspective of the envoy, what is Longyou like now?"

"Very good!" He Yi Nanzhi answered without hesitation:
"The people of Longyou live and work in peace and contentment. When the soldiers learned that the war had broken out, they were not afraid but beat their chests and stamped their feet in excitement. Their morale was high and they did not show any signs of decline at all. They are true warriors!"

"With you as commander, I believe the imperial army will not be able to defeat you, and you will win this war."

"If you want, I can persuade Aje to marry the princess to you and bring you a dowry of several thousand cavalrymen!"

Ever since He Yi Nanzhi saw Liu Jilong for the first time, he felt that Liu Jilong was more like an emperor than the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

If he had not been loyal to the Khitans, he might have gone south to join Liu Jilong.

Now that Liu Jilian was facing the difficulty of being encircled and suppressed by the imperial court, if he could persuade Aje to support Liu Jilian by marrying his daughter, then the Khitans would surely get corresponding rewards in the future.

Thinking of this, He Yinanzhi continued to look at Liu Jilong, hoping to get his permission.

However, facing this tempting request, Liu Jilong chuckled and said, "I already have a wife. It would not be fair to your princess if I marry her."

He Yinanzhi naturally knew that Liu Jilong had married and had children, but he had also inquired about the so-called Feng family. In fact, the Feng family had been in decline since Feng Ao retired.

He thought Liu Jilong would agree to marry the princess of Khitan and then find a way to divorce his current wife, but it turned out that he was overthinking.

"Marshal Jie is loyal and righteous, I admire him very much!"

He Yinanzhi couldn't help showing disappointment on his face, and Li Ji, Cui Shu and others also showed regret on their faces.

Liu Jilong had no regrets about this. He looked at Cao Mao with a smile and said, "Cao Mao, tell someone to serve the dishes. I will not leave until I am drunk tonight."

"Yes……"

(End of this chapter)