"Childe, didn't you say that these people are suspicious? Why should we allow them to go together? Su An was a little puzzled by Lin Zhao's approach.

After talking with Lin Zhao, the brocade boy named Xin Wenzhe intentionally or unintentionally mentioned the matter of traveling together, and Lin Zhao agreed immediately without thinking too much.

Lin Zhao smiled lightly and asked, "Is there really a medicinal herb merchant surnamed Xin in Chang'an?" ”

"Yes, the rejuvenation workshop of the Xin family in Chang'an is very famous, with branches in Bianjing, Luoyang and other places, and it is also an imperial merchant who procures imperial medicine

One.

During the reign of Emperor Renzong, his family cured the illness of the Empress Dowager Liu because of the offering of medicine, and he has been taking on this errand since then

It's been decades. Su An, who is a general of the forbidden army, knows a little about this.

Lin Zhao smiled: "That's not right, they have already made it clear, they are going to deliver snow lotus and cordyceps tribute to the palace, can we not help?" ”

"But their identities are very suspicious, they may not be the Chang'an Xin family!" Su An said: "After the son's order yesterday, I sent someone to secretly investigate, but unfortunately there was no result. However, judging from yesterday's situation, they are only afraid that it is not simple, even if it is an imperial merchant who procures medicinal materials for the royal family, it will not be so arrogant! ”

Lin Zhao asked: "If there is no result, forget it, it doesn't matter if it is a medicinal herb merchant or not!" ”

"That son still let him go along, what if they have other plans and misdeeds?" Su An was a little worried.

"Maybe there are other plans, but what are the plans? We don't know! Lin Zhao said: "Instead of making enemies dark and bright, it is better to keep them by your side, maybe we can detect clues, at least we can have a breakthrough." Otherwise, they will be at a loss and will not know the enemy's situation, and they will be worried along the way. Rather than this, it is better to put them under our noses and be at ease! ”

"Oh, that's what Childe is going to do!"

Lin Zhao instructed: "Put them around, send someone to keep an eye on them, and report immediately if you find any abnormalities!" Remember to be careful! ”

"Good!"

Lin Zhao looked at Xin Wenzhe with a leisurely demeanor behind him from a distance, and he was a little apprehensive in his heart. It's a bit risky to do that, and it's hard to say whether it's right or wrong.

This Xin Wenzhe is not only difficult to distinguish between male and female, but now it is even more difficult to distinguish friend from foe. What is he going to do when he goes to Hehuang? What does it mean to come and walk with yourself? Is it simply a search for asylum?

I am afraid that the road will be difficult!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Qilang, I really didn't expect Lin Zhao to agree so happily!" Ah Chang was still a little worried before, after all, it was a visiting mission, and it was completely reasonable not to let others go with him.

Mr. Xin shared the same concerns. If they can't go with the mission, and the security is not guaranteed, it is estimated that Ah Chang and the others will insist on not letting people go west by themselves, but fortunately, it is now properly resolved.

"But, Shichiro, what about when you come back? After all, Dasanguan is our territory, but Huangshui is the territory of the Tubo people, so we may not be able to take advantage of it, and I am afraid that things may not go so smoothly. All in all, Ah Chang never agreed with Shichiro West to get into danger.

But Xin Wenzhe seemed to be iron-hearted, and said: "I can't control it so much now, I can only take one step at a time, no matter what, I have some friendship with those Tubo people, even if it is treacherous, it will not be ...... What's more, the eldest brother is really in a hurry. ”

Ah Chang was also helpless, saw the mission in front of him from a distance, and said: "This Lin Langzhong has always been an official of the imperial court, if we find out that we are deceiving them, will we misunderstand?" If we know our true identity, I am afraid that it will also have an adverse effect on Dalang. I heard that Lin Zhao and Wang Anshi have a close relationship, so there will definitely be something on Li Fugui's side......"

"Don't underestimate Lin Langzhong, maybe he is already beginning to doubt our identity now!" Xin Wenzhe looked at the dashing figure on the white horse at the front of the team, and couldn't help but sigh lightly.

"This ......" This time Ah Chang was worried.

Xin Wenzhe shook his head and said, "It's okay, it's probably just a routine vigilance, which is completely understandable." As long as we follow the rules along the way, when we get to Huangzhou, we just go our separate ways, and he can't do anything to us. ”

"What if he sends someone back to Chang'an to verify?"

"No, it won't!" Xin Wenzhe seems to be very confident, and the young and promising Lin Langzhong will not be so boring, nor will he be so unconfident.

Xin Wenzhe instructed: "Remember, everyone should be cautious, except for not revealing their identities, everything else is as usual, and don't provoke the suspicion of others for no reason." ”

"Yes!"

Xin Wenzhe thinks that he should be able to reach Huangshui safely......

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After walking for a few days in a row, Su An came to report: "Childe, Xin Qilang and his party have been behaving in a good manner these days, and there is nothing wrong with it!" ”

"It's best to be okay with each other, as long as they are well-behaved, I don't mind escorting them for a while." Lin Zhao was a little relieved, but he was still vigilant in his heart, and asked, "How will we go next?" ”

"We are out of Dasanguan and west into Qinzhou (near today's water), from here we can go north, go northwest, and go to Huangshui after arriving in Lanzhou! However, this year's autumn flood of the Yellow River came late, and the autumn rain in Lanzhou is now continuous, the roads are muddy, and the trip will inevitably be delayed. Su An read out the results of the exploration of the pathfinder guide and Qin Feng's road side army, and the situation seemed to be very unfavorable.

"And there is news that General Li Fugui on Huanqing Road seems to have clashed with Western Xia, and Lanzhou may not be safe!"

"The trip is blocked...... Lin Zhao immediately fell silent, the last thing he wanted was this situation. You must know that Hehuang Tubo is on the plateau, and it is not yet August, and the weather has begun to turn cool, and then it will start to become bitterly cold.

There is a bit of a detour from Lanzhou, a waste of time, if it is because of the weather and the unrest of the border, the delay is time, and I don't know when I get to Qingtang City.

In the harsh winter, hundreds of people on the plateau will be very uncomfortable. Especially when he was in a hurry, he was even more miserable, if he added altitude sickness, the situation would only get worse, and his return would inevitably be delayed, Lin Zhao had always wanted to be able to go early and return early. Who wants to stay on the plateau for the New Year? There are still a few delicate beauties waiting at home!

"Is there any other way?" Lin Zhao asked softly.

"Yes!" Su An's answer was very affirmative, and said: "You can directly go west through Hezhou, and then go north along Minshui, pass through Tuyuhun's hometown, and then enter the territory of Hehuang!" ”

It seems to be a very convenient and direct path, but it has not become the first choice, will there be any problems in this? Looking at Su An's appearance of wanting to speak and stopping, the doubts in Lin Zhao's heart became even stronger.

"Bo Zhou, is there any problem?" Lin Zhao asked softly.

Su An said: "Hezhou is indeed controlled by the Tubo people, but it is not in the hands of Dong Yu, but his eldest brother is blind!" His relationship with Dong Yu is not very good! ”

The situation in the northwest was already complicated, and the Song Dynasty, Western Xia, and Tubo stood side by side, which was quite complicated. The reality is much more complicated than that.

In this way, there were other Tibetan tribes behind the Western Xia, as well as the Uighur regime supported by Jiaoguo Luo and Dong Yu's father and son. In fact, they did not agree with the Tibetan people, and the Hehuang generation alone was divided into three forces.

The reason also starts with the life experience of the previous generation of Zampu Jiaoluo.

Although Jiao Guluo is a descendant of Zampu and has a noble bloodline, he was exiled to the Gaochang generation in the Western Regions when he was a child. It's just an inconspicuous child, and life is very difficult.

Later, some Tibetan people living in Gaochang discovered Jiaoguoluo and became interested in his noble status, so they brought it back to Hehuang, the hometown of the Tubo people.

At that time, the Tibetan people in the Hehuang area were "scattered of ethnic groups" and "there was no reunification", and the Zonggecheng, Miaochuan, and Panluozhi regimes were not unified with each other, and they were fighting each other, and they were in a kind of civil strife.

At this time, there was an urgent desire for an outstanding leader to emerge in Tibet, who could unify Tibet, improve the current chaotic situation, and restore the strength and wealth of Tibet.

The appearance of Jiaoguo Luo makes people see hope, and a big reason for the decline of Tibet is because of the struggle for the throne. However, for hundreds of years, the Tibetan people have always insisted that Zampu and his descendants are the rulers of Tibet, and their noble bloodline is very acceptable and recognized by the Tibetan people.

Moreover, Tubo also believes in Buddhism/religion, and the influence and power of the sect/religion are very great, and the name of Jiaoguo Luo is the meaning of "Buddha", and it is also regarded as a well-deserved Zampu by the Tubo people of the Hehuang generation.

It is true that the common people identify with and respect the Jiaoguoluo, but the Tibetan nobles who hold the power do not think so, but regard the Jiaoguo Luo as a fragrant glutton.

As a result, a Tibetan version of "coercing the Son of Heaven to order the princes" was staged.

At that time, Li Lizun, the chief of Zongge (now Ping'an), and Wen Qiqi, the leader of Miaochuan, abducted him to Kuozhou by force, and the "grammar" respected him as Zampu. Soon, Li Lizun went to Zongge City alone and married his daughter to Jiaoguoluo.

The relationship between Jiao Guluo and Li Lizun is like that between Emperor Xian of the Han Dynasty and Cao Ying, and Li Lizun's daughter is like Empress Cao.

It's just that Li Lizun doesn't have the ability and strength of Cao Ying, and even his prestige is much worse. Under the influence of strong religious power, the influence and prestige of the noble bloodline of Zangpu in Jiaoluoluo were unprecedentedly high, far surpassing Li Lizun.

As Kakuro grew older, especially as he became an adult, the contradictions between the young king and the ministers in power became more and more apparent.

In 1034 AD, the arrogant Li Lizun offended two powerful neighbors of the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia Dynasty because of some inappropriate actions. As a result, Hehuang and Tubo were in a very embarrassing and dangerous situation, which seriously damaged the interests of the local Tibetan nobles and caused strong dissatisfaction.

Although Jiao Guluo has been living in the Western Regions since he was a child, he is extremely smart, and he has inherited the superb political IQ of the Zampu family, and his skills are not ordinary.

He knows how to seize the moment, and after discovering Li Lizun's very passive situation, Jiao Guluo is keenly aware that this is a good opportunity to regain power.

So he staged a coup d'état at a very opportune time, and with the support of many Tibetan nobles, Zampu finally regained power and restored his former supreme authority. As for Li Lizun, he was drowned in the long river of history and disappeared without a trace.

Li Lizun was defeated, but he also affected his daughter and two grandsons.

If he marries his daughter under Li Lizun's oppression, he will be intimidated by Li Lizun's strength and oppression, as well as necessary political needs. had to deal with it, pretending to be very fond of the daughter of the Li family, and gave birth to two sons.

Now that Li Lizun is no longer what he used to be, as soon as he was defeated, the resentment that was suppressed in Jiao Guluo's heart broke out together, and then his anger turned on his wife and two sons.

At the same time, Kakuro married another woman, Lady Joe.

Compared with the strong and domineering daughter of Li Lizun, Mrs. Qiao is a gentle and virtuous woman, and she is very smart, so she won the favor of Jiao Guluo, and then gave birth to a child for Mrs. Qiao, which is the third son Dong Yu!

As a result, the status of the two sons born to Li Lizun's daughter, who was blind and sharpened the felt horns, immediately declined, and became a little embarrassed.

After moving the capital from Miaochuan to Qingtang City (present-day Xining), he expelled Li Lizun's daughter Li as a nun and put the two sons born to Li, Blind Felt and Felt Horn, under house arrest in Kuozhou.

Jiaoguo Luo then devoted himself to restoring relations with the Song Dynasty, and he followed the custom of calling the Tang Dynasty emperor the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty in Tubo Zanpu, calling the Song Dynasty Emperor the Son of Heaven, and the Song Dynasty also made him the envoy of the Baoshun Army and the envoy of the Hexi Dynasty, forming an alliance with the Song Dynasty to jointly deal with the powerful Western Xia.

In 1036 AD, Li Yuanhao, the king of Western Xia, raised an army to attack the Qingtang Dynasty, but was defeated by Jiao Guluo and captured his commander Sunur alive. Yuan Hao was annoyed and angry, and personally supervised the army to attack Hehuang, but was defeated again. "Self, the number of odd ways to break Yuan Hao." so that they do not dare to easily offend.

The success of the Song Dynasty against the summer made the Song Dynasty famous, and the tribes of Helong gathered under their command for a while, and they were strong for a while, with an area of more than 3,000 miles and a population of more than one million households.

Tibet seems to have regained its former strength, and the reputation and status of Qingtang City in the northwest region have risen rapidly. It also opened up a route through Hehuang Qingtang City and Qinghai Lake to Gaochang in the Western Regions, making the Silk Road an additional channel. As a result, the important surnames of the original Silk Road under the control of Western Xia declined.

You must know that although the territory of Western Xia is very large, most of them are deserts and grasslands, and they belong to nomadic peoples, and the economic situation of the whole country is not very good. The degree of dependence on the trade routes of the Western Regions is very high, and the trick of Jiao Guluo can be said to be a draw from the bottom of the kettle. Li Yuanhao was furious about this, and when he couldn't take advantage of the military, he began to look for another way to deal with Jiaoluo.

The economic and military successes of the Jiao Kuo Luo were bound to be scattered, and the care of the Li family and the blind felt and the grinding felt horns was gradually neglected.

When he and Li Yuanhao competed in the battle of Lanzhou, his two sons Blind Felt and Felt Horn got in touch with Li Lizun's remaining party forces, and took advantage of their father's lack of time to pay attention to their mother, and then went to Li Lizun's base - Zongge City.

Mo Felt Horn occupies the Zongge City, and Blind Felt lives in the Niche Valley of Hezhou, both of them occupy one side. Things have already happened, and the remnants of the two sons are not small, and after Jiao Guluo found out about the problem, he was powerless. Although it is possible to send troops to exterminate the two sons, it will inevitably cause internal instability in Hehuang and Tibet.

At that time, he was fighting with Western Xia, and he really couldn't spare his hand. What's more, no matter what, the grinding felt horn and the blind felt are his sons, the tiger poison does not eat the son, and the horned man does not want the father and son to kill each other, and completely force the son to the four roads.

As a result, although the place of grinding felt horns and blind felt was too close to the Song Dynasty and Western Xia, it was sandwiched between these two powerful forces, and it was difficult to survive. Although their strength is too far from their father's rivalry, it is difficult to compete.

But because of his father's one-year benevolence, he took the opportunity to gain a firm foothold. Li Yuanhao finally found an opportunity, the cannibalism between father and son is undoubtedly the most cruel revenge for Jiaoluo, and he did not let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and gave the blind felt and the support needed to sharpen the felt corners.

As a result, the kingdom of Gro was divided into three parts: the Felt Horn, the Blind Felt, and the Grossman Headquarters.

Kakuro was fine when he was alive, but no matter what, he had to worry about his father's existence when he was grinding his horns and being blind. But after Jiao Guluo's death, Dong Yu was not so convinced, and the contradictions between the brothers began to intensify.

For the grinding felt horn and blind felt, Dong Yu's mother, Mrs. Qiao, snatched her mother's position and snatched the position of Zampu, which should have belonged to her brother. Especially the eldest son who occupies Hezhou, the anger in his heart is even stronger.

All in all, Dong Yu's mother and son snatched everything that should have belonged to them, so how could the two of them swallow this breath? Contradictions and frictions between brothers have always existed. If it was because Blind Felt only had the land of Hezhou, its strength was weak, and Dong Yu's opponent, I was afraid that he would have waved his troops to Qingtang City a long time ago.

Regarding this situation, the attitude of the Song Dynasty was very ambiguous. Although he has always canonized Jiaoluo and Dong Yu's father and son, and needs his help to deal with Western Xia.

But the Song Dynasty didn't want Hehuang Tubo to be too strong, and having a Liao State and Western Xia was enough to cause headaches. If there was one more powerful Tibetan, the northwestern frontier of the Song Dynasty would not want to be peaceful.

Hehuang and Tubo have always contained the Western Xia, which has caused the party members a headache for this, and they are naturally happy to see this kind of division within them.

Originally, all parties were happy to see it, but now it has had a lot of impact on Lin Zhao!

Blind felt didn't dare to start a war with his younger brother Dong Yu, but it was completely okay to make some small moves. Now that the Song Dynasty has sent an envoy to Qingtang City, the mission to congratulate Dong Yu on his birthday is going to pass through Hezhou, what will the blind felt think? Could he have allowed the Song Dynasty mission to pass by so calmly?

In this regard, Lin Zhao had to think and worry a little more! (To be continued.) )