Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 116: Final Reconciliation
"Fanhedong Bengar Moli, begged for surrender from Governor Zhang..."

At noon on August 27th, the fifth year of Dazhong, after two hours of debate, Fan and Dongben Moli finally chose to surrender.

When he took Fan and Tu Ji out of the city and begged for surrender shirtless, Zhang Huaishen also assembled a large army and came to let them see the strength of Ganzhou.

Nearly two thousand elite cavalry, two thousand armored soldiers and new soldiers, plus nearly ten thousand civilians and more than four thousand prisoners.

Such a scene made Mo Li feel a little powerless.

"Moli Dongben, I would like to invite you to go to Jiuquan, Yizhou to stay there. What do you think?"

Zhang Huaishen still gave Mo Li enough face. Hearing this, Mo Li knew that he had no right to choose, so he nodded helplessly: "Thank you, Governor Zhang..."

Seeing this, Zhang Huaishen turned his horse's head to look at the Ganzhou army behind him, and said with high spirits: "Enter the city!"

"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng..."

Amid shouts of victory, the Sanchen flag replaced the Tubo flag of Fanhe City, and the Ganzhou army took over Fanhe City.

After a lapse of eighty-seven years, the Han people's flag was finally planted on the land of Liangzhou.

Although they had not yet recovered the entire territory of Liangzhou, the Sanchen flag fluttering in the wind described a bright future for them.

"Long live the Tang Dynasty!"

"Long live the Tang Dynasty..."

For a moment, the Han people who took to the streets shouted "Long live the Tang Dynasty", and tears flowed from their eyes unconsciously.

Even though they wore foreign clothes, had foreign hairstyles, spoke foreign languages, and no longer knew Chinese characters... they were Han people, the people of the Tang Dynasty!

"Finally we've come this far!"

On horseback, Zhang Huaishen, Liu Jilong, Suo Xun, Jiu Juyan and others gazed at the Sanchen flag on the city wall and sighed in their hearts.

They have spent four years since Zhang Yichao led the rebels in the uprising in the second year of the Dazhong period.

Now we can put the flag on the top of Fanhe City Wall, and tomorrow we can put the flag on the top of Guzang City Wall.

It's not far to recover the entire territory of Liangzhou...

After they came to terms with their thoughts, they all reined in and headed for Fanhe Yamen.

At the same time, the surrendered Fan and Fan soldiers also began to lead the army's elite cavalry to find the many tribes and herds hiding in the Qilian Valley in the south.

The fate of these tribes was to move to Ganzhou, Shazhou and other counties where there were more Han people to graze, and the warehouses and storehouses in Fanhe City were also successfully taken over.

In addition to the more than 8,000 strings of cash and 120,000 shi of grain mentioned by Zhang Huaishen, Fanhe also had thousands of kilograms of iron, hundreds of kilograms of spices, hundreds of pieces of various silks and linen, and at least 50,000 livestock.

As soon as the Ganzhou army entered the city, Zhang Huaishen promised to reward the soldiers with more than 8,000 strings of money, and the hundreds of pieces of silk and linen were rewarded to the generals.

At one time, each soldier received two strings of money, and each general received cloth.

The difference is that people like Liu Jilong, Suo Xun, Jiu Juyan, Chen Jingchong and others all got silk, while the captains and brigade commanders got at least a piece of silk cloth, and the team leaders and cooks got linen.

This is not all the rewards. After all, although the prices in Hexi have stabilized, they are still relatively high due to the lack of materials flowing into the Central Plains.

Two strings of coins might still be of some value in the Central Plains, but in Hexi it could only buy four or five shi of grain at most.

Therefore, after taking over Fanhe Yamen, Liu Jilong found Zhang Huaishen.

"This is a great victory, so the reward is too meager. It would be better to transfer more money and grain from other counties and reward the soldiers with three strings of cash, and the civilians with a sheep."

Zhang Huaishen nodded when he heard this: "Okay, but the most important thing right now is to find out the strength of Jialin, Guzang and other cities."

After saying that, he signaled Jiu Juyan to take action, and Jiu Juyan walked out of the main hall of Fanhe Yamen, and soon walked into the main hall with more than ten people.

These more than ten people were all captured soldiers from Guzang and Jialin, with official positions ranging from captain of ten men to captain of a hundred households.

As for Xiaojie'er and Jie'er, since they had people serving them, they put on armor and fled with Zhe Buluo immediately after the attack.

"You are all captured foreign soldiers. Although our army will not kill surrendered soldiers, we will not treat you too kindly either."

"If you want to live a good life, you should take the initiative to tell us about Jialin and Guzang's situation. My governor will naturally reward you according to the situation!"

Jiu Juyan paced back and forth in front of the foreign soldiers, telling them the benefits of handing over the information.

Upon hearing this, one of the ten heads walked up to the crowd without hesitation, knelt on the ground and said:

"Governor, I counted Jialin's soldiers, and at least 500 were killed or captured. Now there are less than 1,000 armored soldiers stationed in Jialin City!"

As soon as the head of the ten households finished speaking, Liu Jilong felt that he looked familiar: "What's your name?"

"Zhechong, I am Nong Guli, the one you captured at the beginning of the year..."

Nong Guli confessed his origins with a guilty conscience. Liu Jilong couldn't help but sneer when he heard it: "You are so unlucky that you fell into my hands twice."

"But look at your attire. Why are you getting more and more backward?"

"Uh..." Nong Guli also felt aggrieved. If he had known that the Guzang army was so vulnerable, he would have surrendered to Liu Jilong long ago.

Now, not only was he captured for the second time, but he was also ridiculed by Liu Jilong, losing the opportunity to become rich and powerful.

"Give him ten sheep and let him graze them for a living."

Liu Jilong looked at Jiu Juyan and was not angry because Nong Guli did not provide him with information after returning to Jialin.

"Thank you for your kindness! Thank you!"

Nong Guli didn't expect that he would have a chance to get a reward, so he kowtowed to Liu Jilong immediately.

If Liu Jilong hadn't interrupted him, he would probably have hit his head bruises.

"Zhechong, Guzang only has 1,000 armored soldiers and Qiliben's 2,000 elite cavalry!"

"Zhechong, there are less than 20,000 men in Guzang City, and more than 10,000 of them are Han people!"

"Zhechong..."

Seeing that Nong Guli would be rewarded, the captured Guzang generals introduced themselves one after another and gave out all the information about Guzang.

After they explained clearly, Liu Jilong signaled Jiu Juyan to take them away.

After they left, Liu Jilong looked at Zhang Huaishen and said, "It seems that the Liangzhou bandits may have less than 7,000 soldiers."

"If so, our army only needs to repair the armor obtained in this battle, and add the armor produced in Ganzhou, and we can recruit at least 4,000 armored soldiers before winter."

"By the beginning of next spring, the army will have trained for half a year and will have 8,000 soldiers ready to march eastward!"

"Yes!" Zhang Huaishen also nodded and said, "In half a year, the number of Liangzhou's armored soldiers will recover to 8,000 at most. Our army will defeat them one by one, and perhaps we can recover Liangzhou next year."

As he spoke, his eyes gradually brightened. After all, after regaining Liangzhou, they could communicate directly with Lingzhou of the Tang Dynasty.

Although there are still Emo entrenched in Baitinghai, Emo alone is not enough to shake their rule over Liangzhou, and they dare not block their way.

"After we recover Liangzhou, our army will be able to communicate with Lingzhou..."

Zhang Huaishen sighed, but Liu Jilong felt uncomfortable when he heard it.

He knew very well that if their plan was followed, the strength of Hexi after the recovery of Liangzhou next year would definitely be far greater than the peak of the Guiyi Army in history.

Because of this, he was very worried that people in the Tang court would start to hinder them after knowing this.

In his plan, recovering Liangzhou was only the first step, and taking over the Helong area was his goal.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong couldn't help but suggest to Zhang Huaishen: "The Helong area is now in disarray, and we control Xiduoyu."

“If we can recover the three counties of Jialin, Guzang, and Shenniao, we can win the remaining Changsong without a fight.”

"If we can recapture the entire Liang Province, our army will have at least 20,000 soldiers!"

"The strongest force in the Helong area right now is Lun Kongre who is stationed in Luomenchuan. Even so, this bandit only has 4,000 to 5,000 armored soldiers."

"Except for this thief, the one with the most troops is Shang Yanxin from the three states of He, Wei and Lin, and he only has 6,000 to 7,000 soldiers."

"The forces of these two bandits are not as strong as ours, and the bandits from other states are just waiting and watching."

"By then, with the strength of our army, it will not be difficult to recapture the Helong area!"

"Recovering Liangzhou will certainly make the court look up to us, but recovering the entire Helong is a great achievement."

"If I submit this achievement to the emperor, maybe the imperial court will grant me the title of Hexi Jiedushi!"

When Liu Jilong said this, his eyes were always observing Zhang Huaishen.

Seeing Zhang Huaishen's expression change from frowning to relaxing and approving, Liu Jilong continued:

"Right now, the Tibetan bandits have occupied the 14 states of Helong, which are also tea- and horse-producing areas. That is why the Tibetans have nothing to worry about."

"If our army can recapture these places, we can sell horses to the imperial court and tea to Tubo, and exchange them for silk and sell them to the Western Regions..."

"Liu Jilong" Zhang Huaishen suddenly interrupted him and looked at him with a scrutinizing look. Seeing his eyes change, Liu Jilong knew that his thoughts must have been exposed.

"You are right, but this does not seem to be something that ministers like me should think about."

Zhang Huaishen looked at Liu Jilong calmly, but Liu Jilong did not back down. Instead, he looked into his eyes and said calmly:
"The governor should have heard about what Gao Jinda said when he came back."

"The imperial court has no intention of recovering Helong, so only our army can recover Helong."

"If our army doesn't recapture it, I really don't know when the Han people in Helong will be liberated!"

Hearing this, Zhang Huaishen retracted his gaze and said calmly: "You are right, but it will take time to recover Helong."

"No!" Liu Jilong rejected Zhang Huaishen's idea and said firmly: "We must fight quickly to recapture Helong."

"Governor, don't forget that the Guasha group of insects are eyeing Liangzhou covetously."

"If we don't strike first, it will be difficult to attack Helong without any hindrance once the insects swarm over."

"Besides, retaking Helong is not only beneficial to the court, but also to you, the governor and the governor."

"What?" Zhang Huaishen frowned and asked, and Liu Jilong took a deep breath and said:
"In the past, the imperial court set up ten major military governors, among which the military governors of Longxi, Hexi, Anxi and Beiting were set up west of Longshan Mountain."

"Nowadays, the Han Dynasty is declining in Hexi and Longxi, while the barbarians are flourishing. If we want to restore the past, it will take at least ten years of hard work, and we need the support of the court."

"After our army recaptures Helong, we can recommend the governor to be the governor of Hexi, and the governor to be the governor of Longxi..."

"Okay!" Although Zhang Huaishen was moved when he heard Liu Jilong's words that he wanted to recommend himself as the governor of Longxi, he still interrupted him and stopped him from continuing.

"We can discuss this later. Let's first solve the problem of Banhe."

"Yes……"

Liu Jilong nodded to show that he understood, but he couldn't help feeling a little regretful in his heart.

He had just seen Zhang Huaishen's expression, but Zhang Huaishen was still too obedient.

The Tang Dynasty today is no longer an era where you can reap the rewards by following the rules, but an era where those with strong military forces can achieve success.

The prefect's rules would only make the Tang court feel that they were weak and could be bullied, just like the Guiyi Army in history.

Liu Jilian originally wanted to support Zhang Huaishen as the governor of Longxi, while he himself would develop in Longnan.

But now it seems that Zhang Huaishen may find it difficult to be tough at the critical moment.

If Zhang Yichao and Zhang Huaishen both abided by the rules, the Guiyi Army would sooner or later end up in a miserable situation.

For a moment, Liu Jilong felt as if there was a blockage in his chest, unable to move it up or down.

"I will go down and rest first."

Feeling uncomfortable, Liu Jilong did not stay in the yamen for long. Instead, he stood up, bowed, and left the main hall of the yamen at the signal of Zhang Huaishen.

He found a small yard to have a good rest. After all, he had not slept all night and was exhausted.

However, when he lay down, Zhe Buluo and others, who had been fleeing for several hours, ran into Chao Fan and the advancing Shang Moling head-on.

Zhe Bu Luo's group consisted of no more than five or six hundred men, and many of them did not even have time to put on their armor, and they just rode on their horses to break through.

Therefore, when Shang Moling ran into them, he thought they were escaped shepherds.

It was not until Zhe Bu Luo appeared before him that he knew the identity of this group of people.

"Zhe Bu Luo... Is this how you lead troops?"

Looking at the dusty Zhe Buluo in front of him, Shang Moling on horseback gritted his teeth and wished he could kill Zhe Buluo.

Zhe Bu Luo hunched over and spoke weakly: "I am incompetent in this battle. Please forgive me..."

"Please punish me!"

The generals of the Guzang army who followed Zhe Bu Luo also spoke up, which made Shang Moling's face even uglier.

The Zhebu clan was originally a powerful Tibetan family, and had been rooted in Liangzhou for nearly seventy years. Their power was so intertwined that it was impossible for him to wipe them out in one go.

Although Zhe Bu Luo requested to be punished, Shang Moling knew that if he was really punished, he would not be able to get the support of the powerful people in Guzang City.

Thinking of this, even if Shang Moling was furious, he still had to suppress his temper: "I will confiscate your two thousand slaves and five thousand sheep!"

"Thank you for your kindness, Qi Liben!" Zhe Buluo slowly straightened his back, took a breath, and then continued to say to Shang Moling:
"Qiliben, our reinforcements were defeated, and I'm afraid that fellow Moli can't hold on any longer. For now, we should stay in Jialing to prevent the Han from getting what they want."

"I know it without you telling me!" Shang Moling looked at Jie'er beside him with a dark face: "Order the three armies to withdraw the garrison to Jialin!"

"Yes!" Jie'er responded, then turned his horse around and began to order a retreat.

At this time, they were only more than 20 miles away from Jialin, so it was easy for them to retreat. However, they had lost so many soldiers this time that it would take three to five years of hard work to recover.

Shang Moling was so depressed that he felt like there was a blockage in his chest and he couldn't breathe it out.

Fortunately, on the way back, many escaped soldiers returned to the team, so the entire army was not wiped out.

After Shang Moling withdrew Jialin, he found that only 246 of Jialin's 800 armored soldiers were withdrawn, while only 1,230 of Guzang's 2,000 armored soldiers were withdrawn. Most of them had no armor and had left it in the camp. They were probably captured by Liu Jilian.

In addition, out of the three thousand light cavalry and six thousand slaves, only less than two thousand light cavalry escaped, and the rest of the slaves basically fled.

"Liu Jilong...I swear to kill you!"

Sitting in the main seat of Jialin Yamen, Shang Moling squeezed out these words from between his teeth.

But at this moment, he wanted to kill Zhe Buluo even more, but he couldn't do it because of Zhe Buluo's strength.

Not only that, when Zhe Bu Luo and Mang Longhua finished washing up and returned to the main hall, he couldn't even make a very unpleasant expression.

When Zhe Bu Luo saw Shang Moling's half-black and half-white face, he realized that he had made a mistake in command, so he knelt down to give Shang Moling a way out.

"Qiliben, our army currently has less than 7,000 armored soldiers and less than 5,000 light cavalry. Even if we combine the strength of the three cities, it will be difficult to resist the Han slaves."

"Plus, the cold winter is coming soon, and the grass harvesting is imminent. I ask Qi Liben to take charge of the situation and see what our army should do..."

"Humph!" Shang Moling snorted coldly, and glanced at Zhe Buluo and Mang Longhua:

"I will lead my army to temporarily station in Jialin to observe the movements of the Han slaves. You, Zhebuluo, will return to Guzang and organize the slaves to rush to harvest the fodder."

"In addition, I also need you to recruit enough tribes and soldiers from Helong. Otherwise, with Liu Jilong's methods, even if he doesn't attack Jialin, he will find a way to attack us in the spring of next year."

Although Shang Moling is sometimes impulsive, he can still analyze problems rationally when he calms down.

At the moment, Fanhe cannot be taken back, and even Jialin is at risk of being lost.

First defend Jialin, and then recruit enough people and soldiers from Helong to deal with the possible war next year.

Now that severe drought and famine are happening in the Helong area, it is still very easy to recruit those fleeing soldiers.

Previously, nearly a thousand of the 5,000 armored soldiers of Guzang were recruited in this way.

The severe drought and famine have not ended yet, and winter is coming, so if we act quickly enough, we might be able to snatch some of the armor and soldiers that once served under Lun Kongre from Helong.

Thinking of this, Shang Moling couldn't help but think of inviting foreign aid.

"Zhe Bu Luo, when you return, remember to write to Shang Yanxin and others in Lanzhou, Huizhou, and Hezhou for help, inviting them to join forces to fight against the Han slaves next spring."

After Shang Moling finished speaking, Zhe Buluo and Mang Longhua looked at each other, and then said with difficulty:

"Qiliben, it's easy to invite them, but I'm worried that they may not leave after they come..."

After Zhe Buluo's reminder, Shang Moling finally realized his mistake.

After all, the current strength of Liangzhou is not as strong as before. If Shang Yanxin and his group come with the intention of usurping the throne, then Liangzhou will probably become someone else's.

"Forget it, let's just leave this matter alone and recruit enough soldiers first!"

"Qiliben is wise!"

Zhe Bu Luo Shi flattered him out of courtesy, but Shang Mo Ling now felt annoyed when he saw him.

Seeing that the matter was almost settled, Shang Moling got up and left without saying a word. Zhe Bu Luo and Mang Longhua, who were left behind, also looked unhappy.

"Protector General, I can't even gather a thousand armored soldiers right now. If the Han slaves attack us in winter, then I..."

"Don't worry about that!" Zhe Buluo interrupted Mang Longhua's worry and comforted him:
"Gu Zang is only about 40 miles away from Jialin. If we defend Gu Zang, we must defend Jialin. We will not abandon you."

"Yes..." Mang Longhua breathed a sigh of relief, and Zhe Buluo also rubbed his sore brows.

"Okay, let's go down and rest first. Liu Jilong is probably busy taking down Fanhe, so we can still rest for a few hours."

After he finished speaking, he walked out of the main hall, clenching his fists. The scene of being chased by Liu Jilong flashed through his mind, and he couldn't help gritting his teeth.

"Liu...Ji...Long!"

(End of this chapter)