Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 108 Repeating the same trick
"It's so enjoyable! So enjoyable!"

At night, tiny fires lit up on the Liangzhou grasslands, and at the same time, the laughter of many soldiers could be heard.

This place is sixty miles north of Changsong and thirty miles northeast of Guzang.

At this moment, 1,800 elite cavalrymen wearing armor were feeding their horses with the food they had looted during the day, while they themselves were gnawing on the cold cooked mutton.

Because they needed to hide, they only lit two or three bonfires, and the flames were not very big.

In addition, this place was more than thirty miles away from Guzang, and the Guzang light cavalry only patrolled within a range of twenty miles, so no one discovered them.

Some people don't want to queue up and just pick up the cooked mutton that was eaten during the day and start eating it. Others are a little more particular and queue up by the campfire with the cooked mutton, and only start eating it after it has been roasted for half a cup of tea.

"Zhechong, we must have burned at least several thousand acres of grain today!"

"More than that, probably 20,000 to 30,000 acres!"

"Ah... I feel sad when I talk about it. It would be great if we could have all that food!"

"Yes, we have collected at most a few hundred bushels today, which is only enough for a meal for everyone, and it can only be fed to the horses."

"Stop talking. If you talk I'll get so mad I won't even be able to eat a hot meal!"

"The pig-dog bandits..."

Sitting not far from the campfire, Zhang Chang and his companions felt happy and regretful, and even cursed at the end.

During this period, Liu Jilian just looked at them, and then looked at the Shanzhou army soldiers in the distance.

The Shanzhou soldiers who participated in the literacy class in the Shandan military camp no longer had any objection to the name "foreign bandits".

But then again, their requirements for food have become much higher.

Although the hundreds of buckets of grain that the army snatched today include millet and wheat husks, they can be cooked into porridge, and it can even be said to be a very good meal in this world.

However, for them who had enjoyed the Shandan food, this kind of food had fallen to the point where it could only be eaten by livestock.

A year ago, this group of people would have enjoyed the porridge made from this kind of grain very much, but now...

For a moment, Liu Jilong didn't know whether he felt funny or helpless.

"Zhe Chong, eat meat."

Hu Siguang did not participate in the topic of food. He just went to the campfire and roasted a large piece of mutton for Liu Jilong and brought it back.

After Liu Jilong took it, he looked at Huke Siguang, reached out and pulled out a short knife, cut off half and handed it to him.

"Sit down and eat together."

"Yes……"

At his instruction, Hukesiguang sat aside, while Liu Jilian cut the mutton and ate while talking about business.

"We are setting fire to Changsong today. Shang Moling can't find any trace of our army in Fanhe. I think he will react soon and turn his troops to help Changsong."

After Liu Jilong finished speaking, Shang Duoluo was surprised and said, "But Zhechong, we have already evacuated from Changsong. Look at this..."

"It's true that we have evacuated." Liu Jilong nodded and smiled:

"But don't forget that Changsong has already sent out scouts to ask for help, and Guzang must have also sent scouts to Fanhe to report to Shang Moling."

"After Shang Moling gets the news, he will definitely lead his troops to withdraw."

"When Changsong's second group of Tangqi goes to Guzang and delivers the news to Shang Moling, what do you think Shang Moling will do?"

Liu Jilong raised a question, which is the time difference.

It is more than sixty li from Changsong to Guzang, and more than one hundred and twenty li from Guzang to Fanhe, totaling more than one hundred and eighty to ninety li.

There were no post stations between the cities in Liangzhou, which meant that there was no such thing as "urgent horse change at the post station".

The light cavalry that reported the news could only change horses every other city, and the distance between several cities in Liangzhou was basically forty or fifty miles.

At this distance, even for light cavalry, it would take four or five hours to travel from Changsong to Fanhe, and four or five hours is enough to do a lot of things.

By the time Shang Moling received the news about Changsong's second batch of Tangqi, he was probably already on his way back to Guzang.

What would he do at this time was the question raised by Liu Jilong.

"They should withdraw to Guzang, right?"

"Not necessarily. It's possible that Jialin is waiting and watching."

"Maybe they will withdraw Banhe?"

For a moment, Shang Duoluo and others began to argue.

However, at the end of the argument, Zhang Chang's eyes lit up and he asked Liu Jilong directly: "Zhechong, just tell us directly!"

"Me?" Liu Jilong chuckled, and then gave a shocking answer:

"I have no idea!"

No one expected Liu Jilian to say this. After all, in their eyes, Liu Jilian was like a prophet.

However, in the face of their astonishment, Liu Jilong continued to smile and said: "I have said that we should adapt to local conditions and act accordingly."

"I could predict what Shang Moling and the others did yesterday because we took advantage of their disbelief."

"If they don't believe it, then we will choose the path they don't believe in."

“But now that we have completed this journey, they have more options. So it depends on us how we proceed.”

"What do you mean?" Zhang Chang and others were a little confused. They were a little stunned by what Liu Jilong said.

Liu Jilong happened to have finished his meat, so he used a short knife to draw a map of Liangzhou on the ground, marked a few cities, and began to give orders:

"Which way Shang Mo Ling goes depends on where he thinks is the most dangerous, or where we choose to attack."

"If we do nothing, he will most likely go to Jialin or stay where he is and wait and see."

"When Governor Zhang and his men come out of Yanzhi Mountain to surround Fanhe, Shang Moling will react and rescue Fanhe."

"So which path we want him to take depends on which path we can create the greatest threat!"

After Liu Jilong explained clearly, Shang Duoluo also understood. He said calmly: "Then what should we do about Zhechong?"

"How to do it?" Liu Jilong chuckled, then looked at the sky, estimated the time and said:

"Bring up the other tribal leader we captured a few days ago!"

"Yes!"

Zhang Chang got up and went to look for someone, and soon brought the little leader over.

When the little leader saw Liu Jilong, he immediately knelt down, but Liu Jilong patted his shoulder and pulled him up.

"You don't have to kneel to me. To you, I am your enemy."

"No! You have filled my stomach and my flesh!"

The little headman knelt down again in gratitude and kowtowed, saying: "I have never eaten so much meat in my life. It is you who let me know what it feels like to be full of meat!"

As he spoke, he actually began to sob softly, while Liu Jilong remained silent.

It sounds incredible that a small chieftain who manages hundreds of people cannot even get enough meat to eat. However, when Liu Jilong thought about the exploitation of herders by the Tibetan nobles, he understood it.

If the Tibetan nobles had been nicer to the farmers and herdsmen below, the people would not have rebelled.

But even so, Liu Jilong did not easily believe what the little leader said.

But to him, it didn't matter whether the little chief's intentions were sincere or fake.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong patted the little man's arms and pulled him up again.

Facing the sobbing little chief, Liu Jilong nodded and said, "I need you to do me a favor."

"General, please speak up. As long as you ask, I will definitely help you!"

The little-headed man wiped his tears and saluted with red eyes.

But he never expected that Liu Jilong would say, "I want you to take your people back to Guzang and tell the commander there that I will invade Changsong again tomorrow and capture Changsong City!"

"You...I..." The little man didn't know how to respond after hearing what Liu Jilong said.

Not only him, but even Shang Duoluo and others beside him looked at each other, at a loss.

"Take your people back to Guzang and tell the commander about this. Can you do it?"

Liu Jilong asked the little man again with a smile, but the little man knelt down directly.

"I heard from my brothers from Shanzhou in the army that Shandan is a good place. If I go back with them, my people and I will have our own herds and will not have to pay heavy herding taxes."

"I want to follow the general to Shandan with my people. Please don't abandon us!"

Something happened that Liu Jilian did not expect. The little leader was persuaded by the soldiers of Shanzhou Army with just a few words and actually wanted to go back to Shandan with him.

Liu Jilong was at a loss whether to laugh or cry and helped him up again: "If you believe me, then you should bring the news back to Guzang and live a good life there." "I promise you, I will lead troops to recapture Guzang within two years, and by then I will give you a thousand hectares of pasture and a thousand herds of cattle!"

"During this period, you don't have to do anything. You just need to tell the commander of Guzang what I said after returning to Guzang, and then continue to herd for them."

Liu Jilong said all sorts of good and bad things, but the little leader was still reluctant.

Fortunately, Liu Jilian insisted that he bring the news back to Guzang, so he nodded and agreed to return to Guzang.

"What's your name?"

When Liu Jilong asked him his name, he bowed and replied, "My name is Kuleden!"

"Okay, I'll remember your name, and you must remember what I said and do as I say. No matter what they ask you, you must answer truthfully."

"One day I will recapture Guzang and reward you with what I promised!"

Patting him on the shoulder, Liu Jilong asked him to take his people to Guzang.

When returning to Guzang, Kuledeng and his people would stop and look back every few dozen steps.

Until they gradually disappeared into the darkness, Liu Jilong turned and looked at Shang Duoluo and others.

"Zhechong, your method of winning people back is really amazing."

Zhang Chang happily flattered Liu Jilong, but Liu Jilong just glanced at them.

"Whether they are Han Chinese, foreigners, or Uighurs, as long as they are ordinary people, all they want is a bite to eat."

“They will support whoever can feed them and not torment them.”

"We have all been oppressed. I hope you will not forget your past experiences."

"When you govern a city in the future, I can't always keep an eye on you. I just hope that you can use your conscience to exploit the people less."

Past experiences have taught Liu Jilong that everyone will change and no one can maintain the same mentality and state for a lifetime.

A person's thoughts when he is alone are definitely different from his thoughts when he has a happy family.

For this era, or for the entire feudal era, whether the people live well or not depends entirely on whether the current officials in charge have a conscience.

Just like in Hexi, the system implemented by Tubo in Hexi was obviously improved after the situation stabilized, and the people's lives became much better than before.

However, as the local Tibetan nobles and officials became increasingly greedy, they eventually exploited the people of Hexi beyond recognition, even forcing every household into slavery.

The nobles in Luoshui City probably still can't understand why people like Zhang Yichao, Zhang Huaishen and Liu Jilian still emerge in Hexi to rebel against them when their governance of Hexi has been much more relaxed than before.

They also could not imagine what excuses the officials they sent to Hexi used to exploit Hexi beyond recognition.

Officials all have mouths, the difference is that the former have two mouths, one facing up and one facing down, while the clerk has only one mouth but can eat a person in one bite.

Since taking charge of Shandan, Liu Jilong has had more and more feelings.

He was able to govern Shandan well because Shandan was not big and he could see it all by himself. He knew what was good and what was bad, who was cheating on his superiors and who was exploiting the people...

But as the territory he needed to govern grew larger and larger, he began to worry about whether he could govern a state with several cities or even a road with dozens of cities.

Even though all this has not been settled yet, he gradually felt the burden on his shoulders.

He admitted that he also wanted to enjoy himself, but the education of later generations would always remind him from time to time to let him see what kind of life ordinary people live and whether he himself was attentive.

He didn't know how long this mentality would last. Perhaps as he experienced more and more things, encountered more and more temptations, and gained more power, this mentality would be completely worn out.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong regained his composure, told Shang Duoluo and the others to go to bed early, and then went straight into the tent to rest.

While he was resting, Kolden, who was released by him, was on his way back to Guzang, constantly colluding with his tribesmen to give confessions.

They could not admit that they had eaten meat from the Shandan Army and helped them harvest grain.

To this end, they could only fill their stomachs with water and chew grass roots to remove the smell.

Thirty miles is not a long distance, not to mention that there are scouts patrolling within a twenty-mile radius of Guzang City.

So from the time they were released, they had only walked southwest for less than two hours before they were discovered by the patrolling Guzang scouts.

They were taken to Guzang City by scouts, and the leader, Kuleden, was brought to the foot of the city and then hoisted onto the city wall in a basket by the defenders along with the scout who captured them.

Soon, he was escorted to the yamen by the garrison.

When he walked into the main hall of the yamen, Zhe Bu Luo, who had been awakened in the early morning, was already sitting in the main seat wearing a cloak.

He frowned at Kolden, obviously knowing Kolden's identity.

"Kolden, where are my herds?"

"They were eaten by those Han slaves, Du Hu..."

The first question that Zhebuluo asked was actually about his herd, and Kuleden answered honestly and knelt down to pay his respects.

"I heard from them that you were also released by Liu Jilong, and even your clansmen were released together."

"Yes, Protector General, he released us because he wanted us to tell you something."

As Kuleden spoke nervously, Zhebuluo saw his appearance and couldn't help but think of Zan Dongqin of the day before.

"What the hell is Liu Jilong doing again..."

Zhe Bu Luo's face darkened, and he then asked coldly, "What did he ask you to say?"

"He...he..." Kuleden hesitated, and finally said: "He said he will continue to attack Changsong tomorrow morning."

"What did you say?" Zhe Bu Luo suspected that he had heard it wrong.

It was only at dusk that he received the latest news from Changsong, saying that Liu Jilong had fled north after burning tens of thousands of acres of grain. After receiving the news, he sent someone to deliver the message to Fanhe.

Now Liu Jilong has sent someone to say that he is going to attack Fanhe. How should I report to Qiliben now?
Whether he reported the truth or exaggerated it, Qiliben would not forgive himself.

One moment Changsong was in danger, the next moment Changsong was fine, and now Changsong is in danger again...

Not to mention what Shang Moling would think, even Zhe Bu Luo himself was furious after being fooled by Liu Jilong several times.

"Where are they now?" Zhe Bu Luo asked, trying his best to suppress his anger.

Kuleden didn't want to answer when he heard this, but when he thought of Liu Jilong's instructions and the fact that it had been a long time since they set out, he answered:

"They are more than 21 miles northeast of Guzang, but I was released at :. I don't know what time it is now."

After Kuleden finished speaking, Zhebuluo subconsciously turned his head to look at the night clock.

I saw that the night clock for the Mao hour had been set up, and it was already 4: am at the Yin hour.

After a quick calculation of the time, it turned out to be three hours and more than four quarters.

This amount of time is enough for a person to take a nap and get up, and I'm afraid we won't find any trace even if we search further.

Even so, Zhe Bu Luo still shouted unwillingly: "Come on, send light cavalry to the northeast to search for any traces of Han slaves within thirty miles!"

"Yes!" The captain on duty saluted and walked out of the yamen, while Zhe Buluo looked at Kuleden.

"You stayed in their army for so long. What did you do with them? And how much military rations did they have?"

Zhe Bu Luo's questions were so sharp that Kuleden was at a loss as to what to do.

Fortunately, Liu Jilong had told him to answer truthfully, so he quickly replied after a moment:

"I helped them feed their horses and was forced to harvest some food when they attacked Changsong."

"Where are the military rations?" Zhe Bu Luo controlled his temper and continued to ask.

"I don't know..." Kuleden lowered his head. He really didn't know how much military rations Liu Jilong and his men had.

"Then what kind of horse feed do they ask you to feed the horses?" Zhe Bu Luo took a deep breath and asked again.

"At first it was soybean feed, but after I went to Changsong, I switched to grain."

Kuleden answered truthfully, and Zhebuluo asked him a few more questions.

When he realized that he could not get any information from him, he turned his face and said to Kuleden: "Remember, you owe me a thousand herds!"

"Yes..." Kuleden's heart trembled when he heard the number of livestock had more than quadrupled, but when he thought of Liu Jilong's promise, he nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Zhe Bu Luo also waved his hand and said, "Go away!"

"Yes..." Kuledeng stood up and left the yamen, while Zhebuluo also stood up and walked back and forth.

He didn't know whether he should tell Shang Moling this information. After hesitating for a long time, he finally decided to wait for the light cavalry who went to the northeast to investigate to come back and then report back based on the situation.

However, no matter how fast the light cavalry is, it still takes two or three hours to travel a distance of more than sixty miles.

Thinking of this, Zhe Bu Luo couldn't help feeling a little uneasy.

"Is Liu Jilong really going to attack Changsong again?"

(End of this chapter)