Li Qing strode out of the tent, the yellow dust was rolling, the sand and dust were flying all over the sky, nearly a thousand cavalry had driven hundreds of paces away, their ranks were neat, their appearance was majestic, the sunlight reflected on the black armor, at the front of the team, an apricot-yellow banner was embroidered with gold thread with a large 'Tang, the word, shining golden in the sun.

"Woo~" The horn sounded again, the team slowly stopped, and two war horses rushed out under the flag corner, both of which were silver helmets and silver armor, an officer in front of him held a bright silver gun, and carried an eagle bow on his waist, with a foot tall, broad shoulders and a round waist, with heavy eyebrows and tiger eyes, sharp eyes and straight eyes, his nose was high and slender, and his head was habitually raised slightly, revealing a bit of arrogance, it was Nan Jiyun, the current deputy general of the Doulu Army, and the general behind him had an elegant appearance, although he was a soldier, he had a bit of bookishness, and he was Duan Xiushi, the leader of the scouts of the Doulu Army.

The original soldiers and horses of the Doulu army Li Siye was transferred back to Anxi by Gao Xianzhi before the battle of Xiaobojin in the year of Tianbao, because of his outstanding achievements, he has now been promoted to the soldiers and horses of the four towns of Anzhen, and the current soldiers and horses of the Doulu army are Bai Xiaode, he has been promoted by his excellent performance in the battle of killing Tubo Zampu and seizing Shibao City, after Li Qing entered Beijing, the governor of Shazhou has been serving as the envoy of Hexi Jiedu, and the specific government affairs are presided over by Wang Changling, who is a member of the army, and the army is led by Bai Xiaode.

Nan Jiyun and Duan Xiushi Pegasus rushed to Li Qing, jumped off the horse and half-knelt down to give him a big salute, "The last general will see the governor!" ”

Li Qing looked at these two old subordinates who he hadn't seen for a few years, and was full of emotion, and hurriedly helped them up, "Get up!" Get up! ”

"Yes, my old subordinates are all promising, and they are all generals who can stand alone." Li Qing patted Nan Jiyun on the shoulder. looked at Duan Xiushi again and smiled: "The scar on the face was left last time?" ”

Duan Xiushi's eyes were slightly ruddy, and he choked up: "It's really my luck that the Governor can come back." ”

Li Qing nodded and said with a slight smile: "Time has changed, today's governor is no longer the Li governor of four years ago." ”

"Yes! The Governor is much more mature! Nan Jiyun looked at Li Qing, who had a short beard under his chin, his eyes were quiet, and he couldn't help but think of the little proprietor of the hotel who had a dispute with him back then; thought of Li Duwei, who was arrogant and arrogant; Thinking of Li Dudu, who traveled thousands of miles and shouldered all the responsibilities, and after several ups and downs, he has become an important minister of the imperial court, and now returning to the Western Regions is another scene. What happens to people is truly amazing.

By this time, Tocharo's team had already packed their bags. Preparing to leave, the envoy Shamittal waved goodbye to Li Qing from afar. Li Qing also smiled and bowed his hand to him slightly.

He suddenly remembered something, and when the envoy had gone away, he turned around and asked with a smile: "I almost forgot, when you came, you saw a group of Tibetan scouts pretending to be Tang Army?" ”

"Back to the Governor, if you encounter it, it has been annihilated by us, which makes the Governor frightened."

Duan Xiushi looked ashamed, and said with self-reproach: "They came from the Great Snow Mountain. I thought they were going back, but I didn't expect to hide here, it was a dereliction of duty, please punish them! ”

"Let more than 300 Tibetan scouts enter the country. It is indeed your dereliction of duty. ”

Li Qing's face gradually became solemn, stared at Duan Xiushi and said slowly: "I will demote you by one level and punish you for half a year." You're convinced! ”

Duan Xiushi's face immediately turned red, and he lowered his head and replied loudly: "The last general will be punished!" ”

Nan Jiyun's eyes flashed with a hint of surprise, just now Li Qing was still laughing and groaning, but in a blink of an eye, he turned his face, and the punishment was so severe, leaving no room for anything, a sense of awe rose in his heart, turned over and galloped to the front of the cavalry and said sharply: "General Duan let the Tubo army enter, the crime of dereliction of duty, he was demoted by one level, fined for half a year, and the army can hear clearly." ”

Nearly a thousand cavalrymen were silent, only hearing the wind slapping the horns of the flag and hunting, some of them were Li Qing's old troops, and some were newly recruited, but at the moment they were all in the same complicated mood, I don't know what kind of governor they will face in the future.

"Let's go!" Li Qing ordered lightly, and as soon as he urged his horse, surrounded by thousands of cavalry, he drove southward. .......

After a few years of separation, Shazhou has changed a lot, first of all, the population has increased to more than 30,000 households, nearly 200,000 people, most of them are landless peasants who fled from the original, with the increase of population, commerce and handicrafts have gradually developed, especially bulk trade, Hu merchants come and go between the original and the Western Regions, Shazhou has become a hub for the distribution of goods and trade.

As a result, the county seat of Dunhuang has also doubled, on the basis of the original small county to build a circle of outer cities, Wang Changling led the people to plant trees extensively, dig ditches to divert water, plant wheat and millet, in a few years, the former desolate small county was verdant and green, became an oasis on the plug, the people live and work in peace and contentment, the nation is harmonious, and it is full of vitality.

Today, the old boss returned, Bai Xiaode led the generals, and Wang Changling led a group of officials to the city gate to greet Li Qing.

The yamen has not changed, because Li Qing is the main position is the deputy protector of the Anxi Prefecture, and the governor of the Anxi Jiedu Prefecture, in charge of the government affairs of the entire Anxi region, so he will mainly work in Qiuzi in the future, of course, Shazhou will often come back, and this is his old nest, he has decided to settle his home in Shazhou, but his old house has not yet been cleaned up, Li Qing temporarily lived in the state yali, came to Shazhou mainly to inspect the old land, and contact the feelings of the old officials, only lived for two days, and he will set off to Qiuci early the next morning.

After the welcome ceremony, Li Qing took a nap in the yamen, and when he woke up, it was already dusk, Li Qing stretched his waist for a long time, only to feel refreshed, he casually pushed open the back window and looked out, the red fireball was slowly falling to the west, the burning sunset covered the entire county with a layer of golden light, the whimpering horn faintly came from the city wall, the courtyard was very quiet, he remembered that there were originally a few broken earthen walls, and now the earthen walls are no longer replaced by more than a dozen low poplars, although they are young, but they grow extraordinarily luxuriantly, and a gust of wind blows, The green green made a rustling sound.

"Has Yang Ming eaten?"

Li Qingyu turned around and saw Wang Changling standing at the door with a smile on his face. Behind him, Zhang Xun, the county magistrate of Dunhuang County, also smiled like him, as if he was infected.

Speaking of eating, Li Qing's stomach screamed, and he remembered that he hadn't eaten lunch yet, "Please sit down." ”

Li Qing smiled and invited them to sit down, and then made a gesture to the pro-soldiers at the door, who quickly brought some wine and food.

"Come on! Let's have a drink together and let's talk while eating. ”

Li Qing filled each of them with a glass of wine, and then picked up his wine glass and said with emotion: "When you leave the Hexi Corridor." I've always been reluctant to give up, and I'm thinking that our Shazhou is located in the Gobi Desert. The yellow sand there is long, which is very different from the Hexi Corridor where the wind blows the grass and sees cattle and sheep. I was ready in my heart, but I didn't expect Shazhou to become an oasis, with rivers and trees, and the scene completely changed from when I left four years ago. I toast you. ”

"This is all done by Wang Senjun and the others. I'm just going to get started. Zhang Xun turned Wang Changling with his elbow, and said with a modest smile, when he came to Shazhou with Li Qing, his skin was also white, but after a few years, he was dark and thin. Like a piece of charcoal, Wang Changling is the same, he was originally an old farmer-like official. Now he leads the people to dig ditches and rivers, and personally carries the mud and soil.

But there is no big change, just like when Li Qing first met him in Yibin County.

At this time, Zhang Xun gave him all the credit, he was not modest, squinted and drank the wine, without saying a word, looking like he was receiving it happily, Li Qing saw the tacit understanding between the two in his eyes, and only smiled slightly.

"But!" He suddenly changed the topic, and then asked: "I heard Nan Jiyun say on the road that the population of Shazhou has reached 30,000 households, but there are only 8,000 households on the account sheet you reported to the household department, why is there such a big difference?" ”

These words came out like a strange peak, and when he heard the two of them look at each other, he remembered that he was sitting opposite the household servant of the imperial court, how could he hide this kind of cheating.

"It's my responsibility!" Wang Changling waved his hand, stopped Zhang Xun's words, and took over the matter, "The difference is mainly those landless peasants who fled from the original, the rules of the imperial court are not allowed to accept registration, and they must be repatriated to their hometowns, but my Shazhou is vast and sparsely populated, and the most scarce land is people, so I did something on the account sheet, only reported to the registered households, and everyone else concealed it." ”

"Brother Yuhu has become emboldened, and he dares to deceive the court, aren't you afraid that the red-eyed person will sue you?"

Wang Changling shook his head and said with a wry smile: "These accounts are all written and reported by me and Zhang Xun personally, and others don't know about it. ”

Li Qingshu smiled slightly, "Don't worry, you two, not only will I not say anything about this matter, but I will bear the responsibility in the future, you just want to find a way to recruit more people for me." ”

He just asked, Mo said that he is no longer a household servant, even if he is, he will pretend to be confused, but it will not be over, after all, the old place is here, how can he be ruthless, and Li Longji approved him to increase the establishment of 3,000 troops, but it is only a quota, and he has not really transferred the army to him, and he has to find a way to recruit the army himself, he is worried about this matter, and now that the source of troops is available, the problem is also solved, how not to make him overjoyed.

However, Wang Changling's words made Li Qing think of Gao Xianzhi, Anxi's account sheet reflected that the number of households in Anxi did not increase but decreased, could it also be fake?

Li Qing didn't ask in a hurry, he picked up the wine glass and took a sip, and then asked without hurrying: "Brother Yuhu has been in the Western Regions for a few years, can you know the current situation in Anxi?" ”

Although Wang Changling doesn't care about concealing the report, this has always been a problem in his heart, he is not a history of assassination, once a new assassin is appointed, the matter will be immediately exposed, and the situation he has worked so hard to create will be completely ruined.

But it seems that God bless him, the court sent Li Qing back, he just let out a long breath, now Li Qing clearly expressed his support for him, and let him have no worries, at this moment Li Qing has changed the topic, asked about the situation in Anxi, Wang Changling completely put his mind at ease, he drank two glasses of wine, and said with great interest: "I have been to Qiuci twice, plus there are a lot of merchants in Shazhou, I have heard and witnessed, I also know a little bit about it, I don't know what kind of question Yang Ming wants to ask?" ”

"I don't know what exactly I want to hear, so Brother Yuhu will tell me about current affairs!"

"Current affairs?"

Wang Changling shook his head again and again, "When it comes to current affairs, my words may not be very good, but what I say is the truth, and Yang Ming is not strange to listen to." ”

Li Qing smiled lightly and said, "I don't know your rectal personality yet?" Since I ask you, I want to hear the truth. ”

Wang Changling lowered his head and pondered for a moment before he said slowly: "If you want to talk about the current politics of Anxi, you have to start with its trade turnaround, my Shazhou is now commercially developed, and it has replaced Qiuci as the largest trade transfer station in the Western Regions, and it is still a gift from Gao Xianzhi." ”

"Why?"

Wang Changling waved his hand, "Yangming and don't be in a hurry, listen to me slowly, the problem lies in the commercial tax, it turns out that in addition to paying taxes in Chang'an, merchants also have to pay a tax in Anxi, although it is not in accordance with the rules, but this is a well-known thing, the earliest is twenty taxes and one, and the burden is not heavy, but since the war in Xiaobojin the year before last, the commercial tax has soared to five taxes and one, and the burden of the businessmen is extremely heavy. The businessmen could only find another place to engage in the transfer of goods, so we became Shazhou. ”

Speaking of this, Wang Changling was quite emotional, "In the past, when the Great Food was in its heyday, there was an endless stream of merchants, and the merchants from as far as Daqin had arrived, but after the rise of the Abbasids in Khorasan a few years ago, the Great Food fell into a civil war, the trade routes were blocked, and the merchants decreased sharply, only some merchants surnamed Hu Xiaoguo came and went, Gao Xianzhi also levied this heavy tax at this time, which is tantamount to adding insult to the situation for these merchants. Everyone is grateful, the reputation of the heavenly khan, but it is a pity that the great joy is today, the tenderness is gradually decreasing, the majesty is aggravated, that Gao Xianzhi is a brave and ruthless martial artist, even if the military victory, but the people's hearts are lost, Yang Ming this to Anxi, when more flexible, less strong, open schools, educate Hu people, spread the originalization, encourage Hu and Han intermarriage, accelerate national integration, this is the long-term solution. ”

At this time, Zhang Xun next to him said: "Although the young brother's idea is good, I am afraid it will be difficult to implement, Gao Xianzhi is becoming more and more arrogant after Xiao Bojin's victory, how can he let the governor easily change his established strategy, if he blindly works hard, he will stumble in the back and wear small shoes, and if he draws his sword and crossbow, everything is against the governor, I think it is the best policy to persuade Gao Xianzhi to cooperate, if he can't be convinced, the governor should adopt some strategies, don't fight with him, the art of war cloud 'the real is virtual, the virtual is real,, roundabout side attack, grab his handle, Let him have a hard time speaking, and then push the administrative affairs, from simple to difficult, from easy to difficult, slowly figure it out, and it will be effective in two or three years. ”

Although Wang Changling's insight is good, but Zhang Xun's pragmatism makes Li Qing appreciate it more, this time he came to Anxi, Li Longji's purpose is to let him and Gao Xianzhi contain each other, of course, he will also guard against their alliance, so there will inevitably be action, I am afraid that the prison army Bian Jicheng plays this role, although he has a good personal relationship with Li Qing, but Li Longji's holy will He dare to disobey, in this way, he Li Qing will never think of the day when he will form an alliance with Gao Xianzhi, so to go to Anxi, you must first have a group of your own capable subordinates, Zhang Xun is a great talent, It's too aggrieved for a county order, Duan Xiushi is not bad, he has both martial arts, and Zhang Ji, and then transfer Gao Shi here, so that his subordinates are also full of talents, and he is not afraid of him Gao Xianzhi.

Thinking of this, Li Qing pointed at Zhang Xun and smiled at Wang Changling: "I have a lot of people under my command, so Zhang County ordered me to take it away, can Brother Yuhu agree?" ”

Although Wang Changling was reluctant, he also knew that Li Qing urgently needed a capable general, so he nodded and said: "Yang Ming will take it away, but the new Dunhuang County Order will still be sent by the imperial court, my old friend Cen Shen is extremely depressed in Beijing, Yang Ming may help me transfer him?" ”

"Then let's make a decision!" .......