Chapter 3 Yangguan (2b)

Weicheng is light and dusty towards the rain, and the guest house is green and willow-colored. Persuade you to have a glass of wine, and there is no reason to go out of Yangguan in the west. Although he has little knowledge of poetry, the popular song "Yangguan Three Stacks" left a very deep impression on Wang Xun's heart. He had heard this poem on different occasions more than once, as if as long as there was a send-off banquet, he would not regret saying goodbye if he did not invite the singers to sing a song of Yangguan Sanjie. It's just that in Wang Xun's heart, he never connected the Yangguan in the poem with the pale gray dot in the yellow sand in the distance, let alone thought that the Yangguan City in the poem was actually located in such a desolate place.

"Let's go! If you want to go to Anxi, I have to go there! Seeing that Wang Xun was still dazed, Gao Shi slapped him and turned the horse's head with laughter.

"Alas! Alas! Wang Xun was finally convinced that he was not dreaming, turned his head, and shouted at the brothers behind him who were also full of surprise, "Work harder, let's go to Yangguan City to rest today." Eat and drink to your heart's content, and continue on your way tomorrow! ”

"Alas, Holo. Captain Wang, although go first, leave a few of us here! Fang Ziteng let out a long sigh of relief and happily agreed. Finally, no more suspicious. The guard of Yangguan City was actually an acquaintance of Captain Wang. After leaving this city, he completely left the territory of Goshuhan. Even if he and Yang Guozhong are so good that they can't hug each other, they can't do anything to everyone!

"Let's go, everyone, work hard, there's hot water to wash your feet tonight!" Lao Zhou, Lao Zheng, and the Flying Dragon Guards who were worried along the way looked at each other, and their faces showed relaxed smiles. In the end, it is Wang Xiaohouye, the roots are deep, and you can meet acquaintances from such a distance.

The so-called Yangguan City, the predecessor was actually just a slightly larger garrison fortress. Because there is a large river formed by the melting snow water outside the fort, it has slowly evolved into a key point through the desert and the Gobi Desert. During the Kaiyuan period, the Tang Dynasty soldiers and the Later Turkic wolves rode here to fight a tug-of-war, and the blood once dyed the Ganquan River outside the city into a fiery color. In order to reserve enough supplies for the front-line soldiers, this pass was expanded and repaired many times, and finally made it a fortress on the Silk Road alongside the Yumen Pass.

In the third year of Tianbao, Shuo Fang Jie Du made Wang Zhonghei destroy the Turks and plough the court to sweep the caves. The tens of thousands of miles of grassland between Juyanhai and Xiaohai will be recaptured in the territory of the Tang Dynasty. At the same time, the military mission of Yangguan City was also announced, and it gradually became a foothold for caravans and pedestrians to replenish food and fresh water. Later, because this trade route was too close to the oasis at the foot of the snow-capped mountains, desert bandits and Tibetan bandits along the way were constantly harassing, and the merchants would rather make a big detour in the north than dare to go again, and Yangguan City became more and more deserted day by day. (Note 1)

A few months ago, he was ordered by Ge Shuhan, the envoy of the Hexi Festival, and Gao Shi came to sit here. With his outstanding skills and contacts for many years, he managed to renovate the city walls, warehouses, barracks and buildings and inns for pedestrians to rent, so that the entire Yangguan City took on a new look.

The sand thieves and Tibetan bandits who were hiding nearby heard that the new Yangguan city guard was a poet, and thought that there was a advantage to take advantage of, so they got entangled together and went to the grass valley outside the city. Unexpectedly, he kicked on the iron plate, and was personally led by Gao Shi to lead five hundred Hexi elites to a big defeat in the field battle, and was chased from Yangguan City to the depths of the desert, if it were not for the sudden fall of autumn snow, almost all the army would have been wiped out.

Since then, the sand thieves and Tibetan bandits no longer dare to brush the beard of the tiger. The trade route from Suzhou to Yangguancheng was reopened. Pedestrians found that the soldiers of this city treated people far more kindly than the Yumen Pass, and the city gate was taxed more fairly.

When he first arrived, Wang Xun certainly didn't know the twists and turns. Walking side by side with Gao Shi, I just feel that everything I see is very fresh. Neat and clean streets, scattered houses, narrow but bustling markets. Although it is not as atmospheric as Chang'an City, it is not as depressing and dull as in Chang'an City. It was like a young man who had just come out of the countryside, his clothes were patched, but his face and forehead were full of sunlight.

Along the way, people kept running to bow to Gao Shi, or for the patrolling soldiers who were draped all over their bodies, or for the Tiele shepherds with felt hats on their heads, or for the big food vendors wrapped in cloth from head to toe. A few foreign barbarians who didn't know where they came from actually knelt on the side of the road and reached out to stroke the tips of Gao Shi's boots. The surrounding guards did not drive them away, and after they had fulfilled their wishes, they silently moved out of the way.

"Brother Gao is really a good means, in just a few months, you can actually make the people here worship you so much!" Wang Xun looked curious, and couldn't help blurting out the words of admiration.

can make Wang Xun, a layman, praise him in person, Gao Shi is more comfortable in his ears than receiving a car of praise from his colleagues, and he does not pretend to be modest, and responds with a laugh, "Where do you need any means!" Walking on the ancient silk road, saving life is the first priority. I can protect the peace of the party, and they will naturally thank me sincerely. If one day I am defeated by the robbers of the desert, they will be the first to throw spit and throw stones at me. ”

"Ahh Then they have no conscience! Wang Xun was amused by Gao Shi's frank words. I used to drink and talk about poetry with the latter, and I admired and admired, but I never felt that the other party was so easy to get close. But today, what he came into contact with was a strange man who was both civil and military, not the great poet who was a little arrogant and sophisticated.

While speaking, the two of them had already walked to the town guard yamen in the center of the city. A guard had already stepped forward and grabbed the horse's head for the two. Gao Shi threw his stirrup off the saddle and jumped off his mount, looked back, and proposed with a smile, "There is a barracks in the southwest corner of this city, and your people might as well go there and rest first." Dry food and hot water are readily available in the room. I arranged for a few brothers to take care of them, so that they would not be left to chance. As for you kid, just sleep in my mansion today, I haven't heard news from Chang'an for a long time, let's have a good drink tonight! ”

"But it's up to Big Brother Gao's arrangement!" Wang Xun thought for a while and thanked him, "There is also a team of soldiers and horses sent by General Geshu, thanks to them taking care of them everywhere along the way." Brother Gao, if it's convenient......."

"Let's live in the barracks together." Gao Shi waved his hand very generously. When he went out of the city to greet Wang Xun, he had already seen the escort. The level difference between the two sides is too far, there is no need to spend too much time on the latter, "After you set off tomorrow morning, I will arrange for them to go back on a business trip!" ”

"There's Brother Lao!" Wang Xun gave up his hand again, and was about to turn around and say a few kind words to the escorts to express his gratitude, but the captain surnamed Gu of the Hexi Army who led the team took the initiative to chase after him, and arched his hand at Gao Shi, "Gao joined the army, a certain family is so polite!" ”

"Gurutu? How are you? Gao Shi's eyebrows jumped up instantly, and he asked in a low voice. Soon, his face returned to calm, shook his head, and continued to smile and say, "Since you are here, let's come in and have a bowl of wine together." The two of us haven't seen each other in a while! ”

"Don't bother. A certain family escorted them here on the orders of Ge Shu Dashuai. Now that everyone has entered the customs safely, there is nothing to do with a certain family. A certain family will go back to pay the order to the marshal, Gao joined the army, you are so self-sufficient! Captain Gu, who led the escort team, squinted his eyes, as if he had something to do with Gao Shi, and bit the word Ge Shu Dashuai very hard.

"Then I won't be far away!" Gao Shi's eyebrows jumped up again, and his gaze was instantly as sharp as a knife.

This is not the high secretary who plays the sword and sings in Wang Xun's memory. If there was a sword in his hand at this moment, Wang Xun believed that the other party would even put it directly on the neck of that captain surnamed Gu. Although the latter is five big and three thick, it may not be the enemy of Gao Shi.

This gap in momentum is far from being bridged by manpower. Under Gao Shi's angry gaze, the captain surnamed Gu actually took half a step back and muttered a defense: "A certain family, a certain family is also a ......."

"Go back and do the errand! Let's just say that Gao took the person for you! Gao Shi shrugged his shoulders and slowly put away his anger.

The captain surnamed Gu didn't dare to talk any more nonsense, hugged his fists at everyone, and turned to leave. When his figure was far away, Wang Xun, who vaguely sensed that something was wrong in his heart, hesitated for a moment, and asked Gao Shi in a low voice: "Brother Gao, what is this Captain Gu doing?" Why don't you know what to do? ”

"He's a Turkic mongrel!" Gao Shi took a sip on the ground, his face full of disdain. "You ignore him. These guys are so virtuous, they can't see others give them a good face! ”

"Oh!" Wang Xun frowned and nodded, "No wonder he didn't say much along the way." It turns out that I don't know how to speak Chinese! How could the Anxi army use the Turks, aren't they afraid that their thieves will not die? ”

"General Geshu is also Turkic!" Gao Shi smiled and shook his head slightly. For fear of causing misunderstanding among other colleagues, he quickly added, "But General Geshu is loyal to the Tang Dynasty. Among the Turkic people, most of them are good, and only a small part do not know what is good. This guy, surnamed Gu, is one of them! I've never dealt with him, so I'm angry when I see him! ”

"I don't think it's pleasing to the eye either. However, along the way, I still have to thank him for escorting the troops! Wang Xun frowned, smiling with sunshine.

If memory serves, Gao Shi's previous position was Ge Shuhan's privately hired secretary. And now, he is wearing a four-grade military uniform. Whether it is the former or the latter, his status is far more prominent than that of a lieutenant. There is a way that jade doesn't need to take the initiative to touch the tiles, Gao Shi, who is in an important position, is not too petty?

Unless, the one surnamed Gu is not a captain at all. Or....... Wang Xun didn't dare to think about it anymore, followed behind Gao Shi, and slowly walked into the yamen of Yangguan Town.

The door creaked shut. The autumn sun shines on the brass knocker, reflecting a little bit of gold.

Note 1: Small sea, Lake Baikal.