The water stove made a "gurgling" sound, sending waves of heat into the main hall of the chief manager of Jinshan Road.

The snow is fluttering outside the window, but inside the main hall, it is as warm as early summer. Guo Yuanzhen, the general manager of Jinshan Road, held a cup of tea in his hand, and stood in front of the glass window to watch the snow scene outside. (Note: Guo Yuanzhen, Ming Zhen, character Yuan Zhen.) A famous diplomat and poet of the Tang Dynasty. ）

The tea leaves are specially transported from Shenzhou, and the water is also added with spices from Dashi, Tianzhu and the Western Regions, and when you drink it in your mouth, it has a mellow and elegant taste. The water stove is a new model that only appeared in Chang'an City this autumn, which is bigger and more refined than the old model in spring, and it is low-key and luxurious. (Note: Shenzhou, i.e., Xinyang.) One of the ancient Chinese tea producing areas)

The glazed window is not from Chang'an, but from Persia, which is closer to Shule. Stationed on the opposite side of the Green Ridge, the general of the big food Ma Hamade, respected Guo Yuanzhen's knowledge and virtue, and on his birthday last year, he specially sent craftsmen to bring the glass over and build this parquet window worth 10,000 gold for him. Although since the beginning of this year, the price of glass has plummeted, but it can make the enemy generals remember their birthdays and respect them, according to Guo Yuanzhen, in addition to himself, there is only Yanghu in the Three Kingdoms era. (Note: Yanghu, an ancient famous general, a gentleman.) When he died, the enemy nation mourned. ）

Guo Yuanzhen is a Confucian general, who likes to fight vertically and horizontally, far better than charging into battle. However, since he switched from literature to martial arts, his combat exploits are no less than those who like to charge into battle. When he went out of Liangzhou, he used the Tubo and Turks to fear each other, and without a single arrow, he expanded the northern and southern borders of Liangzhou by more than 700 miles. And when he left at the end of his term, the people of all ethnic groups in Ganliang and Ganliang rushed to ride horses to see each other, and the road was cut off for three days.

During his time in the Anxi Protectorate, he personally went to the tent of the Turgish chieftain Uzil on several occasions to mingle with him. He single-handedly contributed to the leadership of the Tuqi Shi tribes led by Wu Zhile, reattached to the Tang Dynasty, and sent two sons to Chang'an as hostages. The Tubo people tried to go north to Anxi, but with his incorruptible tongue and the support of Wuzhile, he "persuaded" the other party to give up. And the cannibal's encroachment on the Western Regions is because of his arrival, which stopped at the Green Mountains.

Although since the death of Wuzhile, the Tuqi Shi people, under the leadership of Suo Ge, captured the Broken Leaf City of the Tang Dynasty and provoked incidents many times. However, Guo Yuanzhen firmly believes that the situation is still under his control. The ten Turkish surnames plus the four Turkic surnames total only about 200,000 people, which is simply not enough to establish a state. And the Turkic Khan and the Empress Dowager of Tubo on the plateau could not tolerate the emergence of a new state in Anxi. Therefore, as long as the Tang Dynasty can temporarily endure it, there are only two ways in front of Suo Ge, to get lost or kill yourself.

In Guo Yuanzhen's view, the price paid by Datang to appease Suo Ge is simply insignificant compared to the continuous war that has turned the Western Regions into a pot of porridge!

As long as Suo Ge can maintain his current military strength, even if the Tang Dynasty does not crown him as the fourteenth Khan, the various ministries will follow him. And the position of the right Weiwei general Zhou Yiyi in the Western Regions was originally obtained by bribing Zong Chuke, and this person was forced to rebel against Suo Ge at the beginning of his tenure, and he should have been cut down and imprisoned a long time ago, and severely punished. Using this person's head to calm Suoge's anger is simply waste utilization.

As for the broken leaves, Gumo and other cities occupied by Suo Ge, Suo Ge himself has regained his allegiance to the Tang Dynasty, can the land and cities he occupies be regarded as returning to the Tang Dynasty?

And how much support the Turkic Khan Huang Si gives to Suo Ge now, how angry he will be when Suo Ge reattaches to the Tang Dynasty. At that time, it was inevitable that the Turks would be at war with the Turks. Datang only needs to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, and he can see that the Turks and Turks are both defeated!

"Father, the Turkic soldiers and horses of the Jialu Pavilion have retreated, retreated!" A young voice suddenly rang out outside the window, with excitement that could not be concealed.

Looking through the not-so-clear parquet glass window, Guo Yuanzhen saw his only son, Guo Hong, the governor of Jinshan Dao, and quickly rushed to the main hall from the gate.

Guo Hong is both civil and military, brave and good at fighting, and treats people sincerely. However, Guo Yuanzhen was very dissatisfied with this son. The advantages of "both civil and military, brave and good at fighting, and sincere to others" are enough to be a commander of the fold Chong, and I want to inherit his mantle and let the wealth of the Guo family in Hebei continue to be maintained, or go further, but it is too far, too far.

With the current weakness of the Tang Dynasty, a general who is both civil and military, brave and good at fighting, and sincere to others, is most likely to die on the battlefield. And generals who die in battle are also the most likely targets for their superiors and colleagues to shirk their responsibilities.

It's that the guy who is not brave enough to fight can be mediocre, and who likes to steal and play tricks, is easier to survive in officialdom. As long as you survive long enough, you can steadily rise to the top three grades under Tongping Zhang.

"Father, father, the cavalry of the Jialu Pavilion has retreated, retreated!" The young man has fast legs, and in the blink of an eye, Guo Hong's figure has appeared in the main hall of the chief manager. Facing his father's back, he continued to shout the good news.

"The old man heard! The Tucai soldiers and horses are not good at fighting for a long time, and they have been entrenched in the Jialu Pavilion for a month, but they have not made any gains from our army. If they don't retreat, are they going to freeze to death in that earthen fort? Not satisfied with his son's fuss, Guo Yuanzhen slowly turned his head and asked with round eyes.

"No, it's not!" Frightened by his father's accumulation of threat, Guo Hong blushed and waved his hand again and again, "Father Rongyu, according to the scouts, the cavalry of the Jialu Pavilion did not retreat as a whole, but scattered the shelves and went their separate ways!" ”

"Broken shelf?" Guo Yuanzhen's brows furrowed even tighter, and his suspicious look instantly filled his face. "What about scouts? Can he find out? The two sides had never fought at all, so how could the Tirish soldiers and horses fall apart on their own? ”

"I've sent scouts out with my own soldiers to capture the prisoners, and if I can catch them, I can find out why." Guo Hong didn't think about it, and waved his arms excitedly, "Father, if the situation is true, the last general will ask Ying to lead his troops to follow and pursue!" ”

"Grand Governor, the last general is willing to accompany the young general!"

"Grand Commander, the last general is willing to lead his troops to hunt down and kill the enemy!"

"Boss, the last general is familiar with the surrounding terrain......"

……

At the gate of the main hall, several young generals rushed in one after another. One by one, they stood solemnly and couldn't wait.

was blocked by 5,000 horsemen and horses, and did not dare to show their heads in Shule City for nearly a month, and everyone's stomachs were about to explode. At this moment, the enemy army is defeated without a fight, if everyone doesn't take the opportunity to cut off seven or eight hundred of his heads and come back, how can they be worthy of the military salary that Ping Su received?!

However, Guo Yuanzhen, the general manager of Jinshan Road, is as serious as ever. Slowly swept everyone's eyes, and shook his head decisively: "Be careful of deception!" Our army has been closed for a month, and it is very likely that it will feign to retreat to attract our army out of the city to chase after it, and then turn around and kill our army by surprise! ”

"This ......" Guo Hong and several young generals froze, blushing and not knowing how to refute.

The Jinshan army was nearly 15,000, but the enemy troops outside the city were only 5,000 in total. Even if they cover up and deceive, 5,000 people ambush 10,000 people, they are powerless. What's more, among the 5,000 enemy troops, more than half of them were herdsmen forcibly recruited by the brothers Suo Ge and Sha Yu from the Turgish tribes, not to mention the low combat effectiveness, and it was difficult to enforce the order and prohibition. With them to defeat first and then turn around and counterattack, the difficulty is far more difficult than the cold winter wax moon to cross the Tianshan Mountain!

However, as a general and son, they can't accuse Guo Yuanzhen of having no common sense. In fact, the general manager Guo Yuanzhen is not only familiar with military books, but also has great experience in leading the army. Many of his decisions have been privately disagreed with by many people before. But after the incident passed, everyone was often stunned to find that the chief manager's decision was the wisest, but he couldn't explain the reason to everyone at the beginning.

"Report, the chief manager, the soldiers were defeated and captured! The turquoise soldiers and horses of the Jialu Pavilion collapsed without a fight! Just when everyone was in a dilemma, there was another excited shout at the door of the line. Immediately after, Xun Li, the commander of Guoyi, rushed in with a head of snow, "The chief manager, Li Changle, a Han merchant who was captured by the Tuqi Shi people to do an interpreter, fled back and reported that the Tuqi Shi people were scared away. Suo Ge's younger brother Sha Xiao left the camp a few days ago to intercept and kill someone, but was captured alive by the other party. ”

"What?" Guo Yuanzhen was shocked, but there was no joy in his voice. "Where are the Han merchants? Bring him in to the old man! ”

"Yes!" I can't understand why the head manager of his own house is full of displeasure when it is obviously good news falling from the sky. Guo Yi Du Wei Xun Li hesitated and saluted, and hurriedly retreated.

Not long after, this person led a blue-eyed merchant and hurriedly walked in. Once again, he reported to Guo Yuanzhen the detailed reasons why the Tucai soldiers and horses took the initiative to retreat. And the pro-soldiers sent out by Guo Hong also almost followed him, dragging a few old and weak herdsmen who had been abandoned by the Tuqi Shi people back with ropes to pay the order.

The mixed-race Han merchant Li Anle had no sense of the overall situation, and was only excited to be defeated without a fight. Without waiting for Guo Yuanzhen to ask, he poured beans into a bamboo tube, and said happily what he saw in the Jialu Pavilion. In the end, he also begged Guo Yuanzhen to send Wang Shi quickly to avenge the innocent Han people who were killed in Broken Leaf City.

And the old and weak herdsmen who were abandoned by the Turks were all like ashes. Therefore, there is no need for Guo Yuanzhen to coerce and induce, there are questions that must be answered.

Under the reference of the two compartments, the mystery was quickly revealed. Na Suo Ge himself, during this time, was not in the camp of the Jialu Pavilion. All the servants he left to deter Shule City, and the real elite cavalry Shi was all quietly taken away by him to intercept and kill Shi Zhangqian, the commander of the Anxi army who came to contact all parties!

"Can spell, he said, Zhang Changshi can spell!" Li Changle, a Han merchant who took the initiative to stay and serve as an interpreter, suddenly widened his eyes, and his voice completely changed tone, "The chief manager, he confessed that the turquoise cavalry who fled back rumored that Zhang Changshi knew how to demons, and he recited a spell to invite the thunder of the sky." The elite of the Sha Yu Department was chopped to death on the spot, and the Sha Yu himself was also knocked out by the thunder, and then was taken back into Zhang Qian's car array by a tengu! ”

"Nonsense, I've been fighting outside for many years, who has ever seen someone cast a spell before the battle?" Guo Yuanzhen was a Jinshi when he was young, and he was an out-and-out Confucian disciple, how could he believe in strange forces? Therefore, he immediately retorted, "It must be that those Turgish people were too badly defeated to have the courage to admit it, so they made up stories so as not to be held accountable by Suo Ge when they returned." Xun Guoyi, pass on the old man's order, from today onwards, whoever spreads rumors such as spells in the army, the old man will be beheaded for the crime of rebelling against the army! ”

The last sentence is specially for everyone. The generals present were all in their hearts, and hurriedly bowed down to receive the order.

In fact, there is no need for Guo Yuanzhen to emphasize, and they don't believe that the demon law can appear in front of the two armies. The reason is very simple, the beliefs of all ethnic groups in the Western Regions are varied, pythons and rabbits can become immortals, and everyone has been fighting horses for many years, but they have never seen the appearance of witchcraft. According to some Taoist sects in the Central Plains, the army is the place where yang energy is at its peak, and any evil art will not work in the army!

"You ask him again, how many soldiers and horses did Zhang Changshi bring with him? Where did he suffer defeat? After sorting out the information in his heart a little, Guo Yuanzhen looked at the translator and commanded in a deep voice again.

Han merchant Li Changle knew that his performance just now was not liked by General Manager Guo, so he hurriedly tried to make up for his mistakes, and translated the former's words to the few Turkish herdsmen who were captured alive. The herdsmen, on the other hand, shook their heads again and again with blank faces, until Guo Hong threatened to torture them, and then confessed in tears: they had been forcibly recruited by Suo Ge, and their status in the army was low, so they were not qualified to know these important news. Otherwise, he would not have been thrown away by the generals guarding the camp and used as bait to attract the attention of the Tang army.

Guo Yuanzhen understood the customs of the Tuqi Shi people and believed that several old and weak herdsmen were not lying. I had to retreat to the second, speak softly, and ask about the deployment of cities such as Broken Leaves, Gumo, Dashi, and He Lie. Although the old and weak herdsmen tried to answer, they didn't know too much detail, and could only vaguely give a rough idea.

"Come on, give each of them twenty days' worth of dry rations, a horse, and let them go home!" Knowing that he couldn't ask for anything more useful, Guo Yuanzhen sighed and commanded in a deep voice.

"Yes!" Guo Ju, the captain of the pro-soldier school, agreed, and prepared to carry out the order. Unexpectedly, Li Changle, a mixed-race Han businessman, didn't know where he got the courage, so he shouted to stop him next to him, "Boss, no, can't!" After the broken leaves were broken, the people of the Han family in the city, who could not come up with money to redeem themselves, were all killed by him. Those who took out the money were all treated as herding slaves by him, and moved to the frozen city to herd horses and sheep. These Trolls were captured alone, and if you don't kill them, you have done your best. How can you give them back horses and dry rations?! (Note: Frozen City, a walled city next to Lake Issyk-Kul, on the southern shore of the lake)

"Drag it out, whip it twenty times, and blast it out of the city!" Guo Yuanzhen was questioned for the first time in many years, and his anger suddenly surged. glared at the Han merchant fiercely, and gave the order without hesitation.

"Boss, spare your life, spare your life!" Unexpectedly, in Guo Yuanzhen's eyes, his status was far inferior to that of foreign herdsmen, Li Changle was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and kowtowed again and again, "The villain was also killed by his relatives and friends, so he was in a hurry and collided with the chief manager." The villain doesn't dare anymore, please spare the villain's life. The villain, the villain can speak the local dialect of the six tribes, the big manager, the villain stays, it will definitely be useful to you! ”

"Chief Administrator, this person can take the initiative to report the news, and his loyalty is commendable." The town general Wang Hu listened to Li Changle's pitiful words, and couldn't help but whisper for him next to him.

"Yes, Boss, this person is also in a hurry!"

"The chief manager is angry, he can speak the local dialect of the six clans, and he is also a rare talent!"

……

The other young generals present also spoke one after another. I didn't want to see Li Changle being beaten and left outside the city and fed alive to the wolves.

"Since you are waiting to intercede for him, change it to ten lashes, and then stay in the city for a month to serve hard labor!" Guo Yuanzhen has always been generous to the generals below. After thinking about it, he nodded slightly, "However, send someone to take a good look at him." lest he be resentful and go to the enemy again! ”

"Yes!" All the generals have done their best to surrender their hands.

His own soldiers rushed in from outside the door and dragged away the mouthy Li Changle. Then, under the command of Captain Guo Ju, the soldiers took dry food and horses, and sent away the old and weak Turks who had thought they would die.

"My ministry is a teacher of benevolence and righteousness, how can we emulate the barbarians?" Guo Yuanzhen's anger in his heart did not subside, his face turned blue, and he began to give orders. "Wang Hu, Xun Li, Hou Dong, Bao Chang, the four of you, each with a thousand brothers, went to clear the enemy army around Shule. The farthest can not exceed fifty miles. If you encounter the main force of the enemy, return to Shule immediately, and do not take the enemy lightly! ”

"Obey!" Several generals who were named were surprised and delighted, hurriedly stepped forward to take the arrow, and then rushed away.

"Hmm-" gritted his teeth and grabbed another order arrow, Guo Yuanzhen's mouth was in his mouth, but no new order was issued.

Out of control, the situation is completely out of control.

The reason why he chose to hold on to it and avoid fighting with the Tuqi Shi people was to leave enough room for relaxation, and when the situation in the Western Regions was out of control by Zhou Yiyi, Niu Shi Award and others, he would come forward to persuade Suo Ge to accept it when he saw it and turn the tide.

Although Suo Ge did not explicitly send messengers to communicate with him, he also recognized this tacit understanding, and took all the main forces of the Tuqi Shi to Qiuzi's side, and only sent his younger brother Sha Yu to lead 5,000 soldiers and horses to make a feint attack on Shule.

And now, with the capture of Sha Yu by Zhang Qiansheng, the battle situation instantly deviated from his expected direction. After the news spread, Niu Shi Award and Zhou Yiyi will inevitably boost their morale. And Suo Ge is suspicious by nature, and he will definitely not believe that the matter of covering his life and being captured has nothing to do with Shule's side.

Once Suo Ge is annoyed and embarrassed, even if the two of them are Niu Shiqi and Zhou Yiyi, they can take the opportunity to join forces to defeat him. This person will inevitably completely fall to the Turks, and even in a hurry, the whole clan accepts the invitation of the Great Cannibal and converts to the Crescent Religion. From now on, there will be no peace in the entire Western Regions!

"Father, just now the Tuqi Shepherd explained that in Weitou City, there are less than 1,000 Tuqi Shi defenders!" Guo Hong was eager to fight, and took the initiative to step forward and reminded in a low voice.

"You take 2,000 brothers to meet Zhang Changshi." Guo Yuanzhen glanced at his son, "Be sure to connect everyone, including the shaper, to Shule without delay!" ”

"Yes!" The disappointment on Guo Hong's face could not be concealed, but he still took the arrow.

was about to turn around and go out, but saw the figure of Guo Ju, the captain of the pro-soldier school, rushing in. Without waiting for anyone to ask, he reported to Guo Yuanzhen in a loud voice, "Chief Manager Qiyu, Zhang, Zhang Changshi has arrived, and he has arrived outside the city." Also, more than 300 Turks such as Sha Yu were also held captive! ”

"It's coming so fast!" Guo Yuanzhen was stunned, and blurted out the words with emotion. Immediately, he held the table and continued to instruct his son, "You go, and the soldiers and horses under his command will be placed near the school grounds." Then, tell him that the old man set up a banquet here in the Chinese army to wash the dust for him! ”

"Yes!" Guo Hong solemnly arched his hand and replied extremely loudly.

…………

"Owner, Lu Zang asks to see him with a sticker." Outside Chang'an City, in the evening, in Zhangjiazhuang, Weinan, the housekeeper staggered forward and reported to Zhang Ruoxu.

"Lu Zangyong? What is he here for? Zhang Ruoxu's brows furrowed slightly, and his face was full of confusion. However, after hesitating again and again, he couldn't pull his face to refuse the other party's door. I had no choice but to order, "Invite him to the guest room in the front yard for tea, and the old man will wait for him." ”

"Yes!" The butler agreed, and staggered away. After a long time, Lu Zang, an uninvited guest, was brought into the room specially used to receive strangers in the Zhang family.

Zhang Ruoxu and Lu Zangyong have never had any friendship, but because both parties are familiar with Sun Anzu, they have traveled with the latter once. Therefore, he was not too enthusiastic, but ordered someone to set up tea and snacks and wait for the guests to explain their intentions.

And that Lu Zangyong didn't think he was an outsider at all. After drinking tea for a while, and then pulling around for a long time, he smiled and took out a recent collection of poems from his arms and asked Zhang Ruoxu for advice.

When Zhang Ruoxu saw this, he felt even more bored. After a few patient glances, he saw that the paper was full of rich and auspicious words, and most of them were made during the banquet at Princess Anle's house, so he put down the poetry collection with a smile and said in a low voice: "Don't hide it, Zhang has not touched pen and ink for many years, and he can't tell the quality of the poems at all." Instead of asking Yu Blind from me, you should go to Wei Gong Juyuan, Xiao Gong is loyal to them, so that they are very knowledgeable, far better than me, a country man who is not out of the door! ”

"Shi Weng Mo should be so humble, in today's world, how many people dare to say that their poems can be as good as your poem "Spring River Flower Moonlight Night"?" Lu Zang's original intention was not to discuss the work, he smiled and put away the poetry collection and waved his hand gently. "You're just weak by nature and don't want to write."

As he spoke, he took out an invitation card from his sleeve and stuffed it with a smile, "Princess Anle has admired the name of Shiweng for a long time, and she has always regretted that she can't ask for advice in person. Therefore, he specially invited Shi Weng to go to her house for a night banquet five days later. At that time, the literati in Chang'an City will be complete, and Shi Weng will just show his skills. ”

"Princess Anle, please me?" Zhang Ruoxu didn't react for a while, and asked in a daze. Immediately, he stood up and waved his hand quickly, "Ziqian, don't joke with the old man, the old man is so old that he can't open his eyes as soon as the sun sets, how can he go to the night banquet?" also asked Ziqian to accuse the princess on behalf of the old man, saying that the old man was blessed and did not dare to disturb. This invitation is better for a talent like Ziqian! ”

"Shion, the princess has really admired you for a long time." Unexpectedly, Zhang Ruoxu refused so simply, Lu Zangyong stood up, blushed and stuffed the invitation card into his hand again, "Although he had a misunderstanding with Yong Zhao, he has never spied on Yong Zhao's family property." Now that Zhaoyuan is in the Western Regions, there is a shortage of people at home to take care of him. You went, but it was just to make a poem, but it could make the princess and Yongzhao resolve the misunderstanding, and they would get along with each other from now on, so why not?! ”

"It turned out to be for the sake of Zhao!" Zhang Ruoxu took half a step back, shook his head with a sneer, "Then the old man won't dare to take it." Meng Yongzhao looked up to the old man and called the old man uncle. The old man can't lose his face and go to suck the carbuncle and lick the hemorrhoids! Butler, the old man is tired, send off the old man for him! ”

With that, he turned around and walked away. Throw a Lu Tibetan in the guest room, holding the invitation card in a daze!