Yao Mubai changed slightly: "Lord Shiqing, is the imperial court really ......!" But he didn't dare to say the rest of the words.

Pei Shiqing smiled slightly and asked, "Yao Du has been escorting Xiling, it seems that he has been here for some years, right?" ”

"It's been more than four years." Yao Mubai sighed: "I also told the truth to Lord Shiqing, I seem to be the protector of the capital in Xiling, but in fact it is no different from the military distribution." ”

Pei Shiqing said: "If I remember correctly, Lord Shiqing was an errand boy in the Ministry of Officials before. Pei Shiqing said: "That night, I met two drunken dragon scales, and your people didn't know their identities and had a conflict with them, and only later did I know that those two were dragon scales. ”

"Exactly." Yao Mubai smiled bitterly: "After a few months, I was transferred to Xiling. ”

"Xiling is hard, what I saw along the way this time, I will know the clues." Pei Shiqing said: "It is said that Xiling is bitter, but it is the people of Xiling who are bitter, and the Xiling family is very rich." ”

Yao Mubai groaned slightly, and finally said: "Lord Shiqing, I don't know what kind of attitude the imperial court has towards Xiling, can you tell me directly?" ”

"In fact, most officials in the DPRK and China will not consider Xiling." Pei Shiqing said: "In their eyes, compared to southern Xinjiang, Xiling is just chicken ribs. ”

"Chicken ribs?"

"Lord Duhu, you should know that for more than ten years, although the Xiling family has been powerful in Xiling, they are nothing more than exploiting the people in Xiling, and they cannot really threaten the empire." Pei Shiqing said: "The one who really threatens the empire is the Murong family in Southern Xinjiang. ”

Yao Mubai bowed slightly.

Although the Xiling family is the emperor of Xiling, after all, there are the eyes and ears of the imperial court here, and there was an agreement with the imperial court back then, except for the three cavalry of Xiling, there are no other soldiers and horses available, and only two thousand cavalry naturally cannot pose any threat to the empire.

Murong in southern Xinjiang has eleven counties in two states in southern Xinjiang, controlling tens of thousands, when the Wutuo Rebellion, the Murong army marched north, once conquered the city, the soldiers were extremely prosperous, many states and counties were looking at the wind and surrendered, but also let the world see the strength of the Murong army.

If it weren't for the fact that the Wutuo and Tusun people were all repulsed, the Tang army was fully capable of dealing with the south, and the Murong army had no backup, the Tang Empire would have been in danger.

After Murong Jun negotiated with the empire, he retreated to southern Xinjiang, and the imperial court named him the king of Zhennan, but the Murong family never really submitted to the Tang Dynasty, and still had tens of thousands of armor, and the imperial court had seen the strength of the Murong army, fearing that one day Murong would go north and deploy defenses in the south, forming a moon-shaped defense.

"The king of Zhennan is a master of soldiers, and there are many good ministers and fierce generals under his hands, which should not be underestimated." Pei Shiqing sighed: "Many officials of the imperial court have been writing to send troops to recruit Murong, but the imperial court has not moved for a long time, do you know why?" ”

Yao Mubai said: "According to the opinion of the lower officials, it is still not appropriate for southern Xinjiang to drag on for a long time. If you need one tael of silver to attack southern Xinjiang, but to guard against Murong, it will cost three taels of silver every year, which costs a lot. ”

"If you send troops to attack southern Xinjiang, it will naturally be a celebration of heaven and earth, but once you lose, and Murong Jun takes advantage of the situation to go north, the consequences will be unimaginable." Pei Shiqing said: "The strength of the Murong army back then, the empire was already clear, the king of Zhennan was good at using troops, and looking at the imperial court, there were very few generals who could match the king of Zhennan. He smiled faintly and said: "However, the king of Zhennan is already over sixty years old, and it is said that his health is getting worse and worse. ”

"The court is wanting

Wait for the king of Zhennan to die before sending troops? Yao Mubai was stunned.

Pei Shiqing shook his head and smiled: "This is just a joke from officials in the court. After a pause, he said: "The matter in southern Xinjiang has not been resolved, and the imperial court naturally has no energy to worry about the affairs of Xiling." This time General Hei Yu returned to Xiling, and the officials of the DPRK and China did not feel much joy about this matter, to tell you the truth, if it were not for the support of the general of the Great Commander of the Tai Dynasty and told the sage that Xiling could not be lost, the sage might not have issued an order to order General Hei Yu to sit in Xiling to reorganize the army. ”

Yao Mubai said: "Lord Shiqing, is the imperial court ..... Didn't you think about building a defense in Xiling from the beginning? ”

"Yao Duhu, let me ask you, how much silver is needed to recruit troops in Xiling and raise twenty or thirty thousand soldiers and horses according to the general's wishes?"

Yao Mubai said: "Naturally, it is a large amount of silver, and the general must take cavalry and archers as the main force of the battle, except for the soldiers, the war horses and other equipment are also costly. ”

"So can Xiling's taxes support such a group of soldiers and horses?"

Yao Mubai said: "Xiling has been famine in recent years, but in fact, there are not too many taxes that can be collected. Even if the wealth of Yuwen and other families is rushed into the warehouse of the Xiling Household Department, it is not enough to support such a group of soldiers and horses, and it also needs the imperial court to allocate silver and two equipment. ”

"Okay, then let me ask again, if the imperial court hands over all the taxes of Xiling to you, and transfers a large amount of money and grain from the already weak treasury to maintain these tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, after the Wutuo people break through, will Xiling be able to hold it?" Pei Shiqing stared at Yao Mubai's eyes and asked.

Yao Mubai thought for a while before he said: "If it were someone else, it would be almost impossible to hold it in the face of Xiling Iron Hoof, but with General Black Feather, there is still hope." Once the Vedas are killed, General Black Feather blocks the Vedos, and the imperial court deploys troops to support, and there is still a chance to drive the Vedas out of Xiling. ”

"What percentage of chances?"

Yao Mubai didn't know why Pei Shiqing was so concerned about this issue, so he asked again and again, but he could only reply: "There is about a fifty percent chance." ”

"That's your most optimistic estimate." Pei Shiqing said: "In fact, there may not even be a fifty percent chance." But even if there is a fifty percent chance of defending Xiling, is there also a fifty percent chance that Xiling will be swallowed by the Vedas? ”

Yao Mubai could only nod.

"That is to say, the imperial court does not take a tael of silver from Xiling, but also transfers a large amount of silver from the treasury, and even weakens the defenses of other places and deploys troops to support, and the final result is still fifty percent likely to be unable to hold it." Pei Shiqing smiled faintly and said, "Don't you think it's a waste?" ”

"Waste?" Yao Mubai frowned and said, "Lord Squire, how can it be said to be a waste?" Xiling is the territory of the Tang Dynasty, and it is a matter of course to defend its land with all its might, no matter whether it wins or loses, so why waste it? ”

Pei Shiqing was calm and calm, and said: "Jiayu Pass is a dangerous pass, as long as Jiayu Pass is blocked, it will not take 5,000 people, it will be able to make Jiayu Pass impregnable, not to mention 100,000 Wutuo iron hooves, even if it is 200,000 or 300,000, then it will not be able to break through." Since countless manpower and material resources have been spent in Xiling, there is no guarantee to defend it, so the best choice is, of course, to stick to Jiayuguan. ”

"What does Lord Shiqing mean, do you want to give up Xiling?" Yao Mubai suddenly changed.

"The Yuwen family is just the beginning." Pei Shiqing's face became cold: "The Wutuo people will not be able to advance eastward in two years at the earliest, so in these two years, we must transport as much as possible from Xiling to Guannai."

Material. We want people to mine - refined iron ore, and war horses, the wealth of the family, all of which must be continuously transported to the Kannai. These materials are owned by the Tang Dynasty, so that the defense of the south can be strengthened, and the southern Xinjiang will be conquered in the future, so it will naturally have a greater certainty. ”

Yao Mubai's back was cold.

"What should be said and what should not be said, I told you today, I just hope that Lord Du Hu can work with me in the next two years." Pei Shiqing said: "Wantonly mining, and even collecting silver from the Xiling family, naturally need a reason to keep them from turmoil, the best reason is that in the name of General Hei Yu's rearmament, the refined iron ore is transported into the customs to build weapons and armor, and the Xiling family donated silver to use this silver to reorganize the armament, so that we can complete the task and not let Xiling be turbulent." ”

"What does Lord Shiqing mean is that before the wolf of Wutuo enters Xiling, the imperial court will first suck blood in Xiling?" Yao Mubai's hands in his sleeves couldn't help but clench into fists.

"If Tsugo-sama understands it this way, it's not wrong."

"The general could never have agreed." Yao Mubai said sharply.

Pei Shiqing said: "That's why we have to discuss with him, if he is still a general of the Tang Dynasty and is loyal to the Tang Dynasty, he should agree." ”

"Lord Squire, I want to know, is this the meaning of the princess, or the meaning of the saint?"

"The meaning of the princess is the meaning of the saint." Pei Shiqing said: "I said, I am a dog at the feet of His Highness, what the master asked me to do, I will do my best to complete it, I can't do it, it's just a loss of head, and there will be others who will continue to do it." Seeing that Yao Mubai's body trembled slightly, his voice was slightly gentler: "To build a defense in Xiling will only weaken the power of the empire, and giving up Xiling can strengthen the strength of other parts of the empire, even if the Wutuo people enter Kunlun Pass, as long as the Jiayu Pass is blocked, the empire is still as stable as Mount Tai and will not be threatened by the Wutuo people." ”

"What about the millions of people in Xiling?" Yao Mubai clenched his fists and said: "Have you ever thought about it, sixteen years ago, the general captured the king of the Veda Khan, and the Vedas were forced to withdraw their troops, if they made a comeback, not only to swallow Xiling, but also to avenge the shame of being forced to withdraw the army that year, at that time, the sabers of the Vedas would be ruthlessly cut on the necks of the people of Xiling, and the lives would be devastated, without the protection of the empire, would they be allowed to be cut down like cattle and sheep?" ”

"For the sake of the empire, Xiling's sacrifice is worth it." Pei Shiqing's expression was cold.

"They are not cattle or sheep." Yao Mubai got up: "If the empire can't protect them, there are still generals, as long as there are generals, there is hope." The Xiling people can resist the Vedas with their own flesh and blood, and I only hope that the imperial court will not take away from Xiling those things that are used to resist the Vedas. Suddenly, he knelt on the ground and pleaded: "Lord Shiqing, please help the people of Xiling say a few words, let the court know their suffering, don't abandon them, don't abandon Xiling." ”

Pei Shiqing helped Yao Mubai up and sighed: "I am a dog, do you think two barking dogs will make the owner change his mind?" ”

"The people of Xiling were also proud to be the people of the Tang Dynasty." Yao Mubai looked at Pei Shiqing's eyes and said calmly: "Do you remember what the Founding Emperor Taizu said?" Even if a single hair of the Tang cattle and sheep is injured, the war knife of the Tang Empire will cut the enemy's neck, this is the real Tang Dynasty, and it is also the Tang Dynasty that makes the people feel honored. Is the empire that abandons its people still the Tang Empire? ”