Chapter 5: The Purple Robe (Ten Times)

When he came out of his tent in Goshuhan, the sun had already set in the west. Blown obliquely by the evening wind, there was a cold and sticky feeling, and immediately rushed from the back of the spine to the overhead door. It's all soaking wet! Through the thick winter clothes of military generals, outsiders can't see the clues. But Gao Shi is clear in his heart, the middle coat he wears inside, if he finds a secluded place to wring it out, sweat will definitely be able to wring a small washbasin.

In the face of Ge Shuhan, a feudal official who holds the power of life and death in his hands, he can't help but be afraid. However, deep down, there is an indescribable sense of mission in his heart, which makes him strive to straighten his spine in front of the other party.

This sense of mission for no reason is ridiculous. The Tang Dynasty court never gave him any benefits, but Ge Shuhan had the grace of knowing him. If it weren't for the latter's vigorous promotion, Gao Shi knew that he would have no light in his career in his life. A down-and-out literati in his fifties who is still wandering in the position of a low-level official, unable to tolerate his superiors and unable to please his colleagues, except for a few poems that can barely be mastered, what possibility will there be that the princes of the imperial court will be discovered? Only Ge Shuhan, who is famous for his flying and domineering, did not think that she was old and arrogant, and took him into the background. Whether it is for the purpose of window dressing, or whether he wants to make a name for himself with the bald pen in his hand, after all, it gives him a hope to move up, and there is still room to display his talents.

With these, Gao Shi should have planned for Ge Shuhan to the letter. The death of a confidant is the creed of the ancient literati. Ge Shuhan has the grace of knowing him, and of course he will repay it with his life. However, the moment he learned that Wang Xun might be in danger in Yangguan City, Gao Shi resolutely left these gratitude and creeds behind.

He wanted to do his best to help this young man, even if he offended Ge Shuhan and lost his official position again. When making this decision, Gao Shi actually didn't understand why he was so stubborn. Wang Xun and him are just a few meals of friendship, not even a friend of wine and meat. However, he clearly understood one thing, if he really stood by and watched, I am afraid that the rest of his life will never be able to sleep peacefully in every long night.

took Wang Xun into Yangguan City in advance, and did not give Gu Li the opportunity to strike first; Take the opportunity of the banquet to point out that the other party's future is in danger. Contact the Loulan tribe who asked for it, and ordered it to ensure the safety and ....... of the baggage team. What can be done, with the guidance of conscience, Gao Shi has already done everything. After receiving the reply from Loulanbu, he immediately began to plan how to deal with Ge Shuhan's anger. On the premise of sticking to the bottom line, protect yourself as much as possible. This is a valuable experience accumulated in the past few years as a county lieutenant. In fact, this life experience and other tricks he learned as a petty servant but were not proficient in getting along with his boss helped him again. In the face of Ge Shuhan's stormy anger, Gao Shi always forced himself to keep his composure. People who are already over half a hundred years old, what else can't be seen? Even if you climb up again, do you still expect to be like Jiang Ziya? Failure, the worst result is to continue to fall into poverty, return to Chang'an to sell fame and poetry to make a living. And once the well-thought-out countermeasures can be successful, Gao Shi believes that from now on, his treatment under the Hexi Military Festival envoy will definitely be a different situation.

When a person has lost and has nothing to lose, it is often the beginning of winning. Because at the moment he has the best mentality, no one can beat it. Today, Gao Shi won. He first used his attitude of neither humility nor arrogance to successfully curb Ge Shuhan's anger. Then he took advantage of the greed of the other party who caused trouble but was unwilling to let the situation get out of control, and successfully turned the contradiction to Tibet. When there is a common external goal, people give up for a moment to lean into each other. This is also one of the riches left by his three-year career as a small official. Obviously, this rule also applies between high-ranking and powerful ministers like Ge Shuhan, Yang Guozhong, and Feng Changqing. Some of the means of diverting contradictions are not on the table, and even in order to achieve their goals, they do not hesitate to pull out some false lies such as "Shandong Jiangmen". When the goal is achieved, the pride that swells up from the bottom of my heart is absolutely fluttering, and the pace is getting easier and easier.

While striding forward, with pride in your heart, you can resist the cold wind outside. Gao Shi continued to secretly calculate his next move. With Ge Shuhan on his side, the defenders of Yangguan City may have a fat year. In the case of no shortage of grain and grass, from next spring, with the reopening of the Loulan Ancient Road, the customs tariff may also complete the transformation from a complete dry to a trickle. If Ge Shuhan's trust can continue undiminished and let him serve in the position of the governor of Yangguan City for another three years, perhaps, the Yangguan battalion will have a chance to become one of the strongest troops under the Jiedu Envoy's account, at least in terms of weapons and equipment and combat experience, it will not be too inferior to other colleagues. (Note 1)

This is Gao Shi thinks that he can give Ge Shuhan the best return. It is much more valuable than helping him pat Yang Guozhong's ass. Even if you can form a party with Yang Guozhong, what can you do? For Ge Shuhan, it is just one more level of official rank above his head. He is already the Kaifu Yitong Three Divisions, the Jiedu Envoy, and the Auxiliary General. Whether it is a real job or a casual job, it is close to the top of the people. No matter how much it increases, it will only be in vain. And having one to several strong armies that win a hundred battles in their hands can make their glory and favor last forever. Even after returning to their hometowns or retiring after success, there can still be a group of former generals who work together to maintain the wealth and glory of their families and descendants.

Compared with Yang Guozhong's favor, the latter is tantamount to much more affordable and reliable. The key is how to make Goshuhan fully understand the truth. The general is different from his own background and experience. Gao Shi clearly understands that a proud son like Ge Shuhan, whose father has been the deputy protector of Anxi Town and whose mother was once a princess of a country, will not seek safety in advance like a low-grade official like himself, who has been down for half his life. They are used to the feeling of drifting in the clouds, and they always want to go further. Jiedu envoy, general, then the prince, then the king, then the king, and then .......

The rest is already self-evident. Gao Shi hopes that there will never be a day like that. However, the fact that the generals of Turkic descent in the Hexi army had been promoted quickly made him feel a potential risk. Even if there is real evidence, morally, he cannot expose the conspirators who are kind to him. What's more, it's just speculation now. Therefore, what he could do now was to try to pull Geshuhan to a safer path, instead of watching him move farther and farther away from the normal direction at the instigation of those former Turkic royal clans.

Because of the excitement, Gao Shi's thoughts drifted farther and farther. Only by ensuring the stability of Ge Shuhan's future can we ensure that we are safe. is already in his fifties, and he doesn't expect that he will one day become a prince who guards one side for the imperial court, but he hopes that he can be safe and easy to get into the Zhishi under the envoy of Hexi Jiedu. has been a real governor, and can have a good relationship with the generals of the Hexi Army and the assassins, his descendants must be much smoother than himself in their official careers. And the hand will not be as tight and loose as your own.

Thinking of the smugness, Gao Shi couldn't help but smile. He was almost deaf to the sound of hurried footsteps behind him. At this time, the colleague who shouted several times behind him, the loyal general Lu Jiong, was a little annoyed, coughed heavily, and said loudly: "Okay, you are a, do you get carried away when you are proud?" Believe it or not, a few casual words from Lu can make all of what you plan today? ”

"Who?" Gao Shi finally heard the last half of the sentence, and looked back in amazement, "It turned out to be Zhaolin Gong, when did you leave the big tent from the festival?" Please forgive Gao's ears, I didn't hear Zhao Lingong's greeting! ”

"Alright, don't play dumb with me!" Although his official position was far above Gao Shi, the loyal general Lu Jiong did not have the slightest arrogance, and waved lazily at the other party, "As soon as you left, I made an excuse to follow out." In order not to attract attention, he didn't even dare to bring a personal guard. It's just that I didn't expect you, a poor ghost, to even have a little guy around you to serve pen and ink. As a result, Bai shouted at you several times, but no one helped remind you! ”

"It's Gao who wanders his mind at a certain time, offended, offended!" Seeing that the other party didn't look like he was planning to ask the teacher for guilt, Gao Shi smiled and gave his hand. "I don't know what to teach according to the father? Subordinates are willing to receive guidance in person! ”

"Finger fart!" Unable to get used to the invisible armor on Gao Shi's body, the loyal general Lu Jiong scolded, "You guy with a full stomach and intestines, how dare I show off in front of you?" I chased you here today, just to tell you the truth. In the future, no matter what you lack on the side of the husband, whether it is baggage, grain, or even a large basket of copper coins, just give Lu a word. If there are too many cars, it is estimated that it will not be too difficult to squeeze one or twenty cars out! ”

"Thank you for your righteousness!" Gao Shileng paused, and immediately reached the ground. Lu Jiong is one of the core generals of the Central Plains in the Hexi Army. With his favor, he will walk much more smoothly under the tent of Geshuhan in the future. However, reactive power is not punished. Suddenly throwing out so many benefits, what does the other party want to pay for himself?

As if seeing through the confusion hidden in Gao Shi's stomach, Lu Jiong smiled and shook his head gently, "Lu didn't expect that you, a literati who deals with pen and ink all day long, are actually more courageous than Lu." What Lu has always wanted to say to General Ge Shuhan and what he wants to do, you have said it, and you have done it better than Lu. Lu admired him so much that he couldn't express it, so he simply gave you something practical. It can also be regarded as a congratulatory gift for you to be promoted to the official governor of Yangguan City immediately! ”

Gao Shi shook it again, and made up for it again, "In this way, Gao is ashamed." If he has a certain place in the future, please follow the words of the brother! He didn't expect that Lu Jiong, who was in a high position, actually had the same thoughts as himself. In his opinion, the reason why he dared to challenge Ge Shuhan's authority was that seven or eight times out of ten he was angry with the book. And Lu Jiong, who was born as a military general, has the same hot mind!

Lu Jiong quickly avoided half a step, and then returned the favor with a flat face, "Brother Duff doesn't have to be polite anymore." To tell the truth, let you, a newcomer to the literati lead, Lu is already ashamed. You and I, after all, are both sons of the Han family! ”

"Han Erlang?" Gao Shi frowned, and a sense of vigilance suddenly surged in his heart. If he gets some benefits from the other party and wants to form a party, he doesn't dare to continue to accompany him. After all, this is the territory of Geshuhan, and the latter has an out-and-out Turkic blood flowing through it.

"Do you know why Lu said that?" Looking at the expression on Gao Shi's face, Lu Jiong sighed softly. "Fei Lu deliberately pulled you as a fellow party, but wanted to explain the truth here to you. You literati have a saying, called 'the spring breeze does not pass the Yumen Pass'. Since the founding of our Tang Dynasty, this place in the Western Regions has always shed blood. A big reason is that there are too few Han family sons and daughters who are willing to come here and take root here! ”

Speaking of this, Lu Jiong's eyes swelled with a faint sense of helplessness, paused, and continued to sigh and add: "However, since the first year of Kai, the imperial court has not sympathized with the hardships of the border guards who have traveled thousands of miles away from home, and blindly promoted tribal generals, employing people not by their skills but by whether they have tribal blood. Self-damage to the main trunk and strong and weak branches. As a result, the Western Regions are cheap, and the children of the Han family who are willing to take root here are becoming more and more rare. Over the decades, the accumulation of disadvantages has become a reality. Although it seems that there is no major problem at the moment, once the Central Plains is in trouble, there is no time to look west. Lu is afraid that the blood shed here by generations of Datang soldiers will be in vain. ”

"Brother Lu......" Gao Shi shouted in a low voice, but he didn't know what words to use to respond. He was once again shocked by the other party's words. It turns out that someone can see farther than himself! Protecting Wang Xun by himself and trying to bridge the relationship between Feng Changqing and Ge Shuhan's two major envoys is just acting with intuition in his heart. However, Wufu Lujiong has already raised this matter to the height of the gains and losses of the territory of the Tang Dynasty. What a sharp gaze?!! Without the existence of the Central Plains people, may the Western Regions still belong to the Tang Dynasty? Since His Majesty Emperor Taizong conquered the Western Regions, Tiele, the Later Turks, the Turks, the Turks, and the current Hui have been extinguished. The Han family repeatedly shed blood for the Western Regions, isn't it because there are many Hu people here and few Han people?!

........ Employing people is not based on their skills, but on whether they have tribal blood. Self-damage to the main trunk and strong and weak branches. As a result, the Western Regions are cheap, and the children of the Han family who are willing to take root here are becoming more and more rare. ...... At the moment, it doesn't seem to be a big deal. Once the Central Plains ....... chewed Lu Jiong's words repeatedly, and suddenly, Gao Shi's whole body seemed to have been struck by lightning.

What is the current situation in the Central Plains, he has been traveling around for a long time, and it can be said that he knows better than anyone else. The Tang Dynasty has been suffering from chronic illness for a long time. Many people could clearly feel the twilight in it, but no one could hold him back and stop him from sinking.

So, in the song of the prosperous era, everyone was drunk and dreamed of death. What else could be sadder than witnessing danger coming and being helpless, not even sounding a warning voice?!!

‘...... Although it seems that there is no major problem at the moment, once the Central Plains ....... At that time, I am afraid that I can only count on the sons of the Han family who are already in the Western Regions. For example, Wang Xun boy, and those flying dragon guards around him! Although it is not a top matter at the moment, after all, one more person will give you one more seed of hope! ’

Thinking of Wang Xun's still immature face, Gao Shi's gaze immediately became clear again. He found that he had done something more meaningful than he had expected! Sow the seed and reap hope. "Okay, Han family, there are a lot of hot-blooded men here!" Inadvertently, a phrase slipped out of his mouth. He was startled by himself, and also by Lu Jiong, the general of Zhongwu.

"What did you say?" Lu Jiong, the general of Zhongwu, took a half step back and asked in surprise.

"I said, the little ones I let go of are estimated to have arrived in Yanqi now!" Gao Shi smiled, and his gaze slowly turned into the distance.

The winter sun has fallen to the edge of the desert, red and round, like a solidified fire. All the clouds in the sky were ignited by this solidified fire, burning the inverted sky red from west to east.

At this moment, the gods in heaven may be asleep. There were people on the ground, but they were still awake.

Note 1: Governors, similar to governors. In the Tang Dynasty, it was a large or small official position, mainly suitable for vast and sparsely populated places. Appointed by the imperial court to sit in one place, full responsibility for military and civil affairs. It is mostly used to naturalize the leaders of ethnic minorities in the Tang Dynasty.