Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 126: If you want to advance, you must suppress it first
"Screw rustle..."

The cold wind was like a knife, cutting through the city walls of Zhangye.

The snow was flying all over the sky, like dancing silver butterflies, fluttering freely in the empty streets.

The snowflakes fell on the roof, seeming to crush the thatch. Fortunately, clay and wooden boards were laid under the thatch, allowing the people in the house to spend the winter safely.

There were no people on the cold streets, everyone was staying at home, making the streets unusually deserted.

In this situation, only soldiers wearing heavy winter clothes and holding short weapons patrolled the streets in the wind and snow to ensure the safety of the people in Zhangye City.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, gradually covering the soldiers' calves, making the patrol mission much more difficult.

"Auspicious snow heralds a good harvest..."

In a courtyard, Li Wei, standing under a tiled roof, spoke slowly with a hint of sigh in his tone.

After sighing, he slowly spoke with a hint of meaning:

"I heard that Liu Jilong was building siege equipment in Shandan, and that the elite cavalry led by Shang Duoluo returned to Shanzhou and never came back, is that true?"

"Indeed."

A voice responded to him, and the owner of this voice was Li Yizhong, who was promoted to the rank of Zhechou Duwei.

He was sitting in the house at the moment, frowning as he made tea for his father.

Once you get used to Shandan's fried tea, it's like being addicted, and you'll want to drink it again and again.

"You came to Zhangye to deliver the letter. What did the governor of Zhangye say?"

Li Wei walked back to the hall and sat down, but Li Yizhong shook his head and said, "Nothing was said."

"Didn't say anything?" Li Wei frowned, but Li Yizhong nodded in acknowledgement.

Hearing this, Li Wei couldn't help but sigh: "He really trusts Liu Jilong..."

"I don't think Governor Liu has any intention of competing for that position." Li Yizhong couldn't help but speak, and heard Li Wei sigh:
"How long have you been working under him? Now you call him Governor Liu."

"I..." Li Yizhong blushed and wanted to explain, but didn't know where to start.

Seeing this, Li Wei waved his hand and said, "Forget it. You were promoted in Shandan, so you should thank him."

"Based on your observation, how confident is Liu Jilong in taking Liangzhou?"

"100%!" Li Yizhong responded without hesitation. Li Wei nodded after hearing this: "100% is good..."

"You have to go on the expedition this time. After you follow Liu Jilong to recapture Liangzhou, you can at least become a provincial governor."

"Although Huizhou and Lanzhou were given to Suo Xun and Liu Jilong by the Jiedushi, with Liu Jilong's means, the Helong area will sooner or later be taken by Hexi."

"When you gain control of a state, we can leave and become independent."

Li Wei was still thinking about leaving and establishing his own country, but Li Yizhong was surprised and said, "Didn't Father plan to let me take charge of any city in Liangzhou? Why did he let me go far away and take charge of another province?"

The reason why Li Yizhong reacted in this way was mainly because the quality of Liangzhou city was too high.

Among the more than ten states in Longyou Road, except Qin, Xi, He, Shan, Wei, and Kuo, the population of the other states combined is not as large as that of any city in Liangzhou.

The effort required to manage a state and two cities with more than 20,000 people covering hundreds of miles is much greater than that required to manage a city with 20,000 people.

If there was a choice, Li Yizhong would naturally not want to be elected as the governor of other states, and the same was true for Li Wei.

"Of course I want to recommend you, but there have been endless arguments over there in Guasha these days. Liangzhou hasn't even been recovered yet, and those guys are already arguing like crazy."

"After you followed Liu Jilong to recapture Liangzhou, you could be promoted to governor for your merits, but the situation in Liangzhou is complicated, and only Zhang Huaishen can keep it under control. He is the governor, and you can only be the chief secretary or deputy driver at best."

"You may seem to be in a high position, but without military power, it is not easy for you and me to leave the master's house."

"Rather than staying in Liang Province and being controlled by others, I would rather take this opportunity to become a provincial governor."

Li Wei explained the whole process clearly, and Li Yizhong could only nod and say, "Then let's follow my father's arrangement."

"But after Liu Jilong and Suo Xun took Lanzhou and Huizhou, I'm afraid they won't continue to attack southwards. This..."

Li Yizhong was worried that without Liu Jilong's help, he would not be able to seize a state and gain a foothold in the south.

"Don't worry, I will find a way to deal with this matter. If possible, I can ask him to give you the position of Lanzhou governor."

Li Wei pretended to be profound, which made Li Yizhong look at him curiously.

Seeing this, Li Wei said directly: "Huizhou has more than 26,000 people, while Lanzhou has only more than 14,000 people."

"Although Lanzhou is a strategic point in Helong, do you think Liu Jilong would rather occupy a weaker state than Shandan?"

"In my opinion, what Liu Jilong covets is probably the land of He, Wei and Lin states currently occupied by Shang Yanxin."

"Each of these three states has at least 20,000 people. If Liu Jilong can take over the three states, it would not be a problem for the Jiedushi to promote him to the governor of two or even three states."

"But before that, you have to find out what Liu Jilong is thinking. I'm worried that he doesn't want to leave Hexi, but..."

Li Wei did not continue speaking, but Li Yizhong understood what he meant.

The future position of "Hexi Jiedushi" is indeed very tempting, and few capable people can resist this temptation.

"Don't worry, Aye. I will test Liu Jilong after I return to Shandan."

"But if you want to persuade Liu Jilong to give up the post of Lanzhou governor, you will have to pay a lot..."

Li Yizhong was a little worried that his family could not afford so much money and food, but Li Wei chuckled and said, "Don't worry about this. I dare to say this because I am sure of it. You just need to test him."

After that, Li Wei glanced at the sky and told him, "According to the time, Ming Zhen will be back from Chang'an soon."

"If you meet him in Shandan, it's better not to have a quarrel."

"I know, thank you for your concern, father." Li Yizhong nodded, and then went downstairs to rest as instructed by Li Wei.

As he retreated, in the inner hall of the provincial government not far from Li Wei's mansion, Zhang Huaishen, who was at the center of the vortex, was not anxious at all, but was calmly handling the government.

Zhang Huaijian, a cousin of the same clan who had been promoted to the rank of Zuo Guoyi Duwei, walked into the inner hall. Seeing Zhang Huaishen so calm, he couldn't help but bow and say:

"There's news coming from Guasha that everyone is vying for an official position in Liangzhou. Also..."

Zhang Huaijian glanced at Zhang Huaishen, and seeing that he did not get angry, he continued, "There are also people who think that Governor Liu will compete with you for it."

"Ha ha……"

Hearing this, Zhang Huaishen couldn't help but chuckle a few times, put the brush aside, stood up, washed his hands, and turned back to ask: "What do you think?"

"I think...it shouldn't..."

Zhang Huaijian was a little unsure, but still gave an answer.

After all, he had lived with Liu Jilong in Shandan for half a year, and he had a good understanding of Liu Jilong's character. He knew that he was not the kind of person who would repay kindness with enmity, so he hesitated and said what he thought was the answer.

"Isn't that okay?"

Zhang Huaishen chuckled, not worried at all that Liu Jilong would pose a threat to him.

"But Governor Liu was promoted too quickly, and he must be promoted for his merits. If this continues, the Jiedushi will really have no more titles to offer him!"

"Not necessarily." Zhang Huaishen shook his head and sat back in his seat, tapping his hands lightly on the table.

"Liu Jilong told me something last time that I found very interesting."

Zhang Huaijian showed a puzzled expression when he heard this, and Zhang Huaishen also said to himself: "He said... my uncle can serve as the governor of Hexi, and I can serve as the governor of Longyou."

"Longyou Jiedushi?!" Zhang Huaijian's eyes widened. Zhang Huaishen smiled and said, "I had the same expression in my mind at that time."

Zhang Huaishen put away his smile and said calmly: "The Jiedushi of Longxi led the military and political affairs of the twelve states including Shan, Qin, He, and Wei, and successively commanded seventeen armies and three guards."

"In the past, during the Tianbao period, the governor of Longyou ruled over 400,000 people, with a garrison of more than 75,000 soldiers and 10,000 horses. However, this was all due to the money and grain transferred by the imperial court, which was used to support such a large army."

"Now that the Tubo people are wreaking havoc in Longyou, less than 50% of the local Han people are here, and the rest are mixed with Uygurs, Tibetans, and other barbarians."

"What's more, Qinzhou, which has the largest population, has already returned to the imperial court. In addition, there is a drought in the area. I'm afraid we can't even gather 300,000 people now."

"Even if we recover the area, given the terrain, we can only support 20,000 soldiers at most."

"Maintaining 20,000 soldiers is not only to guard against the Duomai Tubo and Qingtang Tubo in the west, but also to suppress more than 100,000 barbarians in the country. It is not an easy job."

"When Liu Jilong mentioned this matter, I felt something was wrong. Later, I thought about it carefully and I think Liu Jilong's intention was not to let me serve as the governor of Longyou, but..."

"He wants to go to Longyou?" Zhang Huaijian reacted and gave the answer first, and Zhang Huaishen nodded in agreement.

Seeing Zhang Huaishen nod, Zhang Huaijian couldn't help but ask, "Do you want him to go?"

"I don't know..." Zhang Huaishen was unusually confused, and the scene of the last celebration banquet came to his mind.

"I have already told my uncle about this matter. Calculating the time, my uncle should have received the letter." "The specific arrangements will depend on my uncle's arrangements..."

After he finished speaking, he looked at the flying snow outside the window with mixed feelings.

Just as he was discussing this issue with Zhang Huaijian, a group of Tang cavalry came galloping from Dunhuang, thousands of miles away from Zhangye.

They brought Zhang Huaishen's letter into the city, handed it to Zhang Huairong, and then were arranged to rest.

Zhang Huairong took Zhang Huaishen's letter to the inner hall, found Zhang Yichao who was handling government affairs, and handed the letter to him.

"Uncle, Huai Shen sent a letter."

"Well, leave it there. I'll take a look later."

Zhang Yichao responded without even raising his head, and continued to handle government affairs with his head down.

Time passed, and soon two hours had passed.

It was not until Zhang Huairong brought the food that Zhang Yichao put down the brush in his hand and stood up to wash the ink off his hands.

After wiping his hands, he sat back in his seat and motioned Zhang Huairong to sit down and eat with him. At the same time, he opened Zhang Huaishen's letter and read it while eating.

"The dishes cooked in this iron pan are delicious. Uncle, please eat more."

Zhang Huairong was concentrating on eating, and from time to time he would use the serving chopsticks to pick up food for Zhang Yichao.

New things such as round tables, serving chopsticks, stir-fried tea, stir-fried dishes, stewed soups, etc. were all brought by Liu Jilong. They are now very popular among the middle and upper classes in Hexi, and the practice of separate dining is rarely seen.

"What's wrong, uncle?"

Seeing Zhang Yichao frowning, Zhang Huairong looked at the letter curiously, but couldn't see it clearly.

After a while, Zhang Yichao sighed: "Huai Shen said that Liu Jilong might be aiming at Longyou..."

"Longyou!" Zhang Huairong's eyes widened, and he said in disbelief:

"He was able to rise to prominence thanks to Huai Shen's kindness. Now that Liangzhou is about to be recovered, he has already begun to seek control of Longyou?"

"Yes...and no." Zhang Yichao put down the letter paper, and Zhang Huairong quickly grabbed it and read ten lines at a glance.

After he finished reading it, Zhang Huairong gritted his teeth and said, "Uncle, Liu Jilong must not be allowed to go to Longyou!"

"No..." Zhang Yichao shook his head and rejected him. Ignoring his stunned expression, he lowered his head to pick up some food and said while eating:
"If he stays in Hexi, it will definitely delay some things. He has to leave eventually."

"But..." Without waiting for Zhang Huairong to continue, Zhang Yichao continued:
"In fact, it's good for him to go to Longyou. With him in charge of Longyou and Huai Shen in charge of Gan and Liang states, there will be no more chaos in the Helong area."

"Besides..." Zhang Yichao hesitated for a moment, and finally gritted his teeth and said:

"Besides, the court's attitude towards us is probably not that trusting. After my brother enters the court, he will definitely be kept in Chang'an as a hostage."

"If our army recaptures the entire Helong territory, I'm afraid I will also..."

He didn't continue speaking. Zhang Huairong's heart sank when he heard it: "Then why don't we just not recover Longyou and only recover Liangzhou and Huizhou and Lanzhou?"

"No!" Zhang Yichao shook his head resolutely, his eyes firm as he said, "Hundreds of thousands of people in Longyou are still being enslaved by the bandits. If we have the power but don't save them, what's the difference between us and beasts?!"

Hearing this, Zhang Huairong said anxiously: "But if you want to recover Longyou, what should you do if the court wants you to go to Chang'an?!"

"Then I'll go!" Zhang Yichao gave the answer decisively without any hesitation.

"I am originally from the Tang Dynasty. I have lived under the rule of Tubo for decades and have done many things that are harsh to the people. Now that I can recover Helong and save hundreds of thousands of Helong people from danger, what does an individual mean to me?"

Zhang Yichao spoke openly of his dark history of being harsh on the people of Tubo. This made Zhang Huairong understand his determination. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.

Seeing him like this, Zhang Yichao smiled and said, "It's okay. Besides, the court may not transfer me away so soon."

"Besides, if Liu Jilong goes to Longyou, if the operation is done properly, maybe I can save the people of Helong without going to Chang'an."

"Uncle, what do you mean by that?" Zhang Huairong frowned and asked in confusion.

Seeing this, Zhang Yichao looked at him and chuckled, "Gao Jinda went to Suzhou to dispatch armor, money and food. I think he must be very tired. Let's go to Jiuquan to take a look."

"By the way, call Liu Jilong to Jiuquan. I have to meet him."

"If we don't see each other this time, I'm afraid we won't have the chance to see each other again in the future..."

There was a hint of regret in his tone, and Zhang Huairong had no choice but to do as he was told.

The next day, the Tangqi who came from Ganzhou set off on their return journey with Zhang Yichao's order, and Zhang Yichao also decided to go to Jiuquan after the New Year.

Half a month passed quickly, and Tangqi, carrying the warrant, returned to Zhangye first and told the truth that Zhang Yichao had summoned Liu Jilian to Jiuquan.

Zhang Huaishen did not say much. He just asked the Tangqi to rest for a day before heading to Shandan, told Liu Jillong the news, and allowed Liu Jillong to take 200 elite cavalry to Jiuquan.

Three days later, when Tangqi appeared again, he was already inside the government office of Shandan City.

"Send the Jiedushi's handwritten order to summon Lanzhou Governor Liu Jilong to Jiuquan to report on his work!"

In the main hall, when Tangqi Jiang spoke the contents of the warrant, everyone in the hall had different expressions.

Liu Jilong looked calm as he stood up and took the warrant.

Ma Cheng subconsciously looked at Liu Jilong, his brows furrowed and his eyes filled with worry.

Zhang Chang, Li Ji, Geng Ming, Zheng Chu, and Huke Siguang were joking and thinking that the Jiedushi was going to entrust an important task to their own governor.

Cui Shu and Li Yizhong frowned and stood there motionless.

"Liu Jilong receives the order!"

After receiving the warrant, Liu Jilong looked into Tangqi's eyes and asked, "Did the Jiedushi tell you the deadline?"

"No, I just told you to hurry up." Tangqi shook his head in response, and reminded: "By the way, Xiao Zhang Jiedushi has allowed you to lead 200 elite cavalry to Jiuquan to report on your work."

"Okay!" Liu Jilong nodded seriously, then looked at Huke Siguang and the others who were chatting and laughing.

"Huo Siguang, take the Tangqi brothers down to rest and kill a sheep as a reward for them."

"Ma Cheng, go to the camp and select two hundred elite cavalrymen. We will set out for Jiuquan tomorrow."

After Liu Jilong finished giving his instructions, Zhang Chang said in surprise: "Governor, the New Year is only ten days away. Why don't we go after the New Year?"

"Yes, Governor, why are you so anxious?" Zheng Chu was also very puzzled.

Geng Ming and Li Ji also cast inquiring glances, but Ma Cheng and the other two remained silent.

"It's not good that I couldn't let my brothers spend the New Year at home, but the most urgent task right now is to recover Liangzhou."

"If we wait until after the Chinese New Year to set off, it will take a month to go back and forth. I'm worried that we won't have enough time to organize the troops."

After explaining, Liu Jilong looked at Ma Cheng and said, "Choose some brothers whose families are in Zhangye, Fulu, and Jiuquan to go together."

"They can go home to visit their families on the way, and we can get things done."

"Yes!" Ma Cheng responded in a deep voice, and the tone of his answer made Li Ji, who originally had a puzzled look on his face, frown.

He was sensitive by nature, and Ma Cheng usually spoke in a light and gentle tone, basically a peacemaker in the army. Now his tone was so heavy, which was obviously not in line with common sense.

"Okay, everyone go down, it's nothing serious."

Liu Jilong waved his hand to signal everyone to go down, and he also walked towards the inner hall.

Zhang Chang, Geng Ming and Zheng Chu walked out chatting and laughing, followed by Li Yizhong and Cui Shu, and then Ma Cheng.

Seeing Ma Cheng walking out, Li Ji hurriedly followed him and followed him out of the yamen until there was no one around, then he caught up with him.

"Old Ma, are you and the governor hiding something from us?"

Li Ji blocked Ma Cheng's way and asked in a low voice.

If it were normal, Ma Cheng would definitely be surprised and then tease him for thinking too much.

But today Ma Cheng shook his head expressionlessly: "You think too much."

He was about to go around Li Ji when he finished speaking, but Li Ji stopped him again: "There must be something wrong, tell me!"

"..." Hearing this, Ma Cheng opened his mouth, but finally closed it, stretched out his hand and patted him on the shoulder:

"If you have something to say, wait until the governor and I come back and I will tell you. Don't be lazy during our absence. If the new recruits in the city fall behind, the governor will not forgive you when he comes back."

Leaving this sentence, Ma Cheng walked around Li Ji and headed towards the military camp, getting farther and farther away.

Li Ji's brows had never been relaxed from the beginning until now. Seeing that Ma Cheng didn't tell him, he clenched his fists and turned back to the yamen.

(End of this chapter)