readx; At the beginning of the founding of the Tang Dynasty, the imperial court built three surrendered cities south of Yinshan Mountain, and sent troops to garrison against the Turks, but with the demise of the Eastern Turks, more and more Turkic people attached to the Tang Dynasty in the south, and the Tang Dynasty made a major decision to place these attached Turks in the vast grassland north of the Great Wall and south of Yinshan. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

After the Tang Dynasty, with the corruption of the military system, the imperial court could not afford the huge military expenditure, and the actual control of the Tang army gradually retreated southward, and the Yudu Hufu alone became the nominal control of the Tang court.

The Turks attached to the Tang Dynasty nominally respected the Tang emperor as the Heavenly Khan, but in fact they were self-reliant and self-governing and not controlled by the Tang Dynasty, on the contrary, they respected An Lushan and Shi Siming as gods, so much so that they later became the main force of the Anshi Rebellion.

However, due to the early split between Shi Siming and An Lushan, the supporters of these two factions of Hebei warlords were clearly distinguished, An Lushan was supported by the Khitan, and Shi Siming's supporters were mainly attached to the Turks, who called Shi Siming the second sage, sent food and troops, and supported Shi Siming's dominance in Hebei.

But there is no free lunch in the world, with the Turks supporting Shi Siming, but also to seek the rich wealth and population of Hebei, when the Tang Dynasty is strong, they will put on sheepskins, pretending to be docile sheep, but when the Tang Dynasty is weak, they will lift the sheepskin, revealing the hideous wolf teeth......

At the beginning of April, Li Qing'an personally led 150,000 Tang cavalry to arrive at the endless grassland, Li Qing'an has been experienced in a hundred battles, and has had many confrontations with the Hui people, if you just want to fight the Hui people, it is very simple, send an elite cavalry deep into the hinterland of the grassland, there will always be gains, but if you want to completely destroy the Hui people, then you have to use positional warfare, step by step.

But if that was the case, the Tang army's logistical supply line would be too long and easy to be attacked by the Hui cavalry, so Li Qing'an decided to use the method of the Tubo people to establish supply points, and where the army went, the supply points would be built?

The first supply point Li Qing'an chose was called Heicheng, located south of Qingshan, which is today's Hohhot, it was originally a grassland town, a supply station and outpost for the Tang army to patrol around the Yinshan area, but with the influx of Turkic people, the small city also lost its military function and became a gathering place for merchants.

Tea, salt, pig iron, silk, cloth, grain and a large number of goods from the Tang Dynasty are distributed here, although the Tang Dynasty has imposed a strict trade embargo on the Hui a few years ago, but the smuggling in Hebei is still rampant, the ban of the imperial court can not control Hebei, in addition to the pig iron and grain and other strategic materials that Hebei itself is also in short supply, tea, salt, silk, cloth and other daily necessities are still a large number of smuggling or trade into the grassland.

The trade of the black city is still active, the black city is not big, the circumference of the city wall is only three miles, the city wall is about one zhang high, the grassland is mainly used to prevent wolves, so the city wall is generally not high, there are more than 300 households in the city, including about forty or fifty fixed shops, here can also be called the commercial center on the grassland, the inn in the city, the wine shop, the gambling hall, the record yard are all available, every day is crowded with herdsmen from all over the grassland, they sell the sheepskin medicinal materials, and then buy some tea and salt and other daily necessities to go back, there is surplus money in their hands, Naturally, I also have to visit the wine shop Qinglou, a large number of customers, so that the business of each shop here is very prosperous.

But early this morning, the whole black city was shrouded in fear, most of the shops were not open, every household was worried, there were already herdsmen who had spread the news of the Tang army's northward march here, and last evening, the main force of the Tang army had reached fifty miles away.

In the middle of the main street of Heicheng, there is a wine shop called Yan Ranju, which is also the largest of the five wine shops in the city, which is run by a Han man, and more than a dozen of his men are from Shuozhou.

This Han surname Tao, is a native of Shuozhou, Hedong, he has lived in Heicheng for 30 years, he is kind, often help the poor and orphaned, coupled with his rough medical skills, the general herdsmen have any diseases, he will be willing to help, for decades, the herdsmen around hundreds of miles do not know him, do not respect him, all call him Tao Dad, his wine shop is also the best business, every day is full of herdsmen from all over the world. There are even shepherds who come from thousands of miles away.

Early in the morning, the Yanranju wine shop was crowded with guests, there were hundreds of people, the wine shop was crowded, and even a table of four people was crowded with more than a dozen people, men, women and children, these guests are all merchants and residents of the city, they are not here to drink, but to take refuge here, this is a subconscious idea, the arrival of the Tang army, only the place of the Han people is safer.

Not only Yanranju, but also another Han-owned inn and several Han shops were also crowded with Turkic people who had taken refuge.

The whole small city was very quiet, and the wine shop was a little lively, full of whispers, at this time, there was a sudden sound of horses' hooves on the street outside, the sound was like thunder, which was at least the sound of hundreds of horses, and there was silence in the inn for a moment, the woman held the child tightly in her arms, and everyone's face showed a look of fear, this is the Tang army entering the city.

Shopkeeper Daddy Tao's expression was a little complicated, he seemed to be preoccupied, he walked quickly to the door, looked out through the crack in the door, and he saw a group of dozens of Tang Army soldiers at a glance, walking towards his inn. Frightened, he took two steps back.

'Bang! Bang! There was a knock on the door, and someone outside was heard shouting, "Open the door!" ”

Everyone's faces were frightened and frightened, the shopkeeper Tao Daddy stepped forward and pulled the door bolt, the door was pushed open with a bang, and dozens of Tang soldiers strode into the wine shop.

"So they're all hiding here!"

The leader was a Tang military captain, he swept around the people in the room, and said coldly: "What are you afraid of!" Are you afraid that the Tang Army will eat you? Hum! These few hundred of you are not enough for the Tang army to fill the gaps. ”

He suddenly raised his voice and said in a loud voice: "By the general's command, Heicheng has been requisitioned by the Tang Army, and everyone has moved out of the city to live temporarily!" ”

After he finished announcing the order, seeing that everyone did not react, he couldn't help but stare at him, "Didn't you understand what I said?" ”

Father Tao hurriedly stepped forward and said, "Master Jun, they are all Turkic and can't understand Chinese. ”

Only then did the captain come to his senses and said to Daddy Tao: "Then you tell them!"

Father Tao cautiously confirmed: "What does Master Jun mean, don't kill them, just move out?" ”

"That's right! The general doesn't want to kill them, but we want the black city, let them move out of the city immediately, they can take their things with them, but they must move them within half an hour, from now on, those who exceed the time will be punished in detail! ”

Daddy Tao hurriedly explained the meaning of the lieutenant to everyone in Turkic, and there was a sudden chaos in the wine shop, and everyone rushed out of the wine store and rushed to their own shops and homes, only half an hour, and everyone wanted to move a little more.

Dozens of Tang soldiers hurriedly flashed to the side and let them out, and in just a moment, the hundreds of people in the wine shop ran away cleanly, and there was not a single one left.

At this time, the captain turned around and asked Daddy Tao: "You are Tao Yi?" ”

Father Tao nodded, he had not used the name Tao Yi for nearly thirty years, he took out a bronze medal from his arms and handed it to the captain, who looked at it carefully and said to him: "You come with me!" ”

The two walked out of the liquor store, turned on their horses, and headed out of the city.

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On the grassland outside Heicheng, 150,000 Tang troops are camping, this will be a ten-mile company camp, due to the inconvenience of the northern expedition, some of the useless baggage Tang army did not carry, such as siege weapons and camp fences and other items, the Tang army used the way of guard towers, and built more than 20 guard towers on the side of the company camp.

The camp was busy, some of the soldiers were camping, some were feeding the horses, some were burying pots and rebelling, the sound was boiling, the excitement was abnormal, Daddy Tao had already dismounted, and followed the captain to the big tent of the Chinese army.

When he was three years old, his father was sent by the Han and Tang Societies, and the family moved to Taiyuan, Hedong, becoming a member of the Hedong Han and Tang Associations.

When he was twenty years old, he changed his name and surname to Heicheng, where he married a wife and had children, took root, and thirty years passed in a flash, although he was far away from the Tang Dynasty, he was still a member of the Han and Tang Societies, and regularly reported to the Taiyuan Han and Tang Societies every year, and handed over seventy percent of his profits to the Han and Tang Societies.

Until a few years ago, the Hedong Han and Tang Dynasty Society was changed to the Hedong Intelligence Hall, and he also changed his identity, received a new license plate, and became one of the members of the Datang Intelligence Hall, responsible for collecting intelligence on the Turks in the Yinshan area.

The two approached Li Qing'an's big tent of the Chinese army, but were stopped by the guards, and the captain stepped forward and said, "This is a member of the intelligence hall of Heicheng, and the general is going to summon him." ”

Several pro-soldiers stepped forward and searched Tao Yi up and down closely, and then let him in.

In the tent of the commander of the Chinese army, Li Qing'an was discussing the military situation in front of the sand table with more than a dozen major generals, including deputy general Li Sheng, senior generals Lei Wanchun, He Lou Yurun, Ma Lan, and marching Sima Xin Yunjing.

After coming out of the Great Wall, they marched hundreds of miles all the way on the steppe, and they did not encounter any Turkic tribes, nor Shi Siming's remnants, they seemed to disappear out of thin air.

It wasn't until yesterday that their patrol caught dozens of Turkic herdsmen who came to Heicheng to sell things, and they learned from them that their tribe had fled north to Yinshan, but they were only a small tribe, and there was no Shi Siming's army to follow, and they didn't know where Shi Siming's army fled.

Li Qing'an picked up the wooden pole and pointed to Yinshan and said: "Now there are three possibilities, one is that Shi Siming has crossed Yinshan and fled to the hinterland of Mobei to join the Hui army, and the other may be that they are hiding somewhere in Yinshan and sit and watch us fight with the Hui army, and the other may be that they fled east or west, or even detoured behind us, waiting for the opportunity to kill back to Hebei." ”

Speaking of this, Li Qingan glanced at everyone's expressions, and when he saw their solemn faces, he knew what they were most worried about, and said with a smile: "Among these possible surnames, I am most concerned about whether Shi Siming will flee to Beiting, which is actually what I am most worried about." ”

Li Qing'an's eyes fell on Lei Wanchun again, and asked him: "General Lei, you once galloped from Beiting to Juyanhai, and from Juyanhai to Shuozhou, let me ask you, how much time does it take in between?" ”

Lei Wanchun got up and said: "Return to the general, the distance from here to Beiting is 10,000 miles, if you don't stop galloping, it will take a month, all the way is thousands of miles of grassland, and now the season also allows, in terms of distance and climate, it is not impossible, but Shi Siming's biggest problem is food supply, he has more than 100,000 troops, and it is almost impossible to lead more than 100,000 troops all the way to Beiting, and more than 100,000 Turkic Hu soldiers are dragging their families and bringing them small, unless he can say that all the Turkic tribes will follow him to move west, so he thinks humbly, It is unlikely that he fled to Beiting. ”

Li Qing'an waved his hand and asked him to sit down, and he said to everyone: "Although the surname may not be big, there is still this possibility, so I have ordered Duan Xiushi to send 5,000 cavalry to patrol and intercept on the grassland in the west, and once it is found, it will be reported to me immediately, I ask you to rest assured, in fact, I personally think that the possibility of killing back to Hebei is not big, the reason is also the food problem, and he is killing himself when he returns to Hebei, so there are only two possibilities, cross Yinshan, go to seek refuge in the Huifu people, or hide somewhere in Yinshan, In addition, there is an important clue that please don't forget, Shi Siming's army of more than 100,000 is composed of Turkic people from sixteen tribes, and Shi Siming is not alone in the final say, his major decisions must be agreed by the leaders of the sixteen tribes. ”

Li Sheng next to him laughed, "What the general means is that Shi Siming's army crossed Yinshan and went to seek refuge in the Hui people, but the surname is not very big, right?" ”

Li Qing'an smiled and nodded, "That's right, maybe Shi Siming wants to go, but the Turks in his army may not want to go." ”

At this time, a report came from outside the big tent, "General, Tao Yi from Heicheng has been brought!" ”

"Let him in!"

Li Qingan smiled at everyone: "How can we guess that we are all laymen, and we also listen to the opinions of the Intelligence Hall!" ”

After a while, the curtain was lifted, and several personal soldiers led Tao Yi in, although Tao Yi was a member of the Intelligence Hall, but after all, he had lived in the grassland for thirty years, and there was no difference between him and ordinary civilians, he stepped forward and knelt down on his knees and kowtowed to Li Qing'an, "Tao Yi knocks on His Royal Highness King Zhao!" ”

Li Qingan saw that his beard was white and he was over sixty years old, so he hurriedly stepped forward to help him up, "No need to be polite, please get up!" ”

Helping him up, Li Qingan introduced to everyone with a smile: "This Tao Gong is also a Broken Leaf person, who has lived in Heicheng for thirty years, and is a member of the former Han and Tang Associations. ”

It is no secret that the Han and Tang Dynasties will meet in the Anxi Army, everyone heard that he is also a Broken Leaf person, so they feel a little closer, and they all smiled and arched their hands to him, Tao Yi looked very nervous and restrained in the tent where the generals gathered, Li Qing'an didn't embarrass him much, so he smiled and said: "We are discussing the whereabouts of Shi Siming's army, can Tao Gong give us a little clue?" ”

After speaking, he handed the wooden pole to Tao Yi, Tao Yi walked to the sand table, he saw this kind of living map for the first time, and was stunned for a long time before he slowly reacted, "Ah! It turns out that this is Yin Mountain, oh! This is Qingshan, then this must be the Black City. ”

He found a black city made of wood, and looked around carefully, Li Qingan did not urge, he knew that it would take time to adapt to this kind of sand table, but since Tao Yi did not deny it, it means that he has a clue, and Li Qing'an also has some hope in his heart.

Tao Yi has gradually become familiar with the sand table, and gradually calmed down, so he said to everyone: "There are a lot of Turks around my wine shop, about three days ago, a group of Turks who came to Heicheng to buy tea and salt came to my shop to drink, I heard them complain, saying that the army was too expensive, and their lambs were robbed by the army, I asked him where the army was, and he said that it was from the south, and it was estimated that it was Shi Siming's army. ”

Tao Yi's clues surprised the officers in the big tent, and Li Sheng hurriedly asked him, "Then where did these Turks come from?" ”

Tao Yi smiled: "I also saw this group of people for the first time, I also chatted with them for a while, they are the Turks of the Tongluo Department, after the merger of the Luo Department and the Absi Department, most of them were taken to the west by the Absi Department, but there is a small part of them distributed in the north of Youzhou, they said that there are many tribes that fled east together, there are hundreds of thousands of people, and there are servants, Tongluo, and Sijie, as a result, there was a conflict within them on the side of the Ninety-Nine Springs, and Tongluo and Sijie were unwilling to go north, and finally the army and the Servant Bone Department went to the direction of Yinshan. ”

Li Qing'an and Li Sheng glanced at each other, and there were at least two pieces of information in Tao Yi's words, one was that Shi Siming's Turkic army had split, and the other was that the time between them was not long, which may have been caused by the time spent too much time for the Turks to gather.

Li Qing'an looked at the sand table carefully, and Tao Yi pointed to a green road in the east with a wooden pole, "This is the Ninety-Nine Springs, which are actually composed of many small lakes, and they are only two hundred miles away from us. ”

Li Qing'an nodded, Tong Luo and Sijie could be handed over to Li Guangbi's army to deal with, their purpose was to catch up with Shi Siming's army.

At this time, Tao Yi suddenly remembered something, so he hurriedly said: "There is another clue, which may be useful." ”

Li Qingan hurriedly said: "You say! ”

"The day before yesterday, I heard from the owner of a shop that someone was buying a lot of tea and salt, and they had all the stock in their store, and it seemed that this happened in many stores.....

"Where are they now?"

Before he could finish speaking, Li Qingan interrupted him, he was almost certain that this must be someone sent by Shi Siming, only the army had such a big attrition.

"They've all moved out of town, and they should be near the South Gate."

"Take me to see it!"

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A moment later, Li Qing'an and Li Sheng rushed to the south of the city with hundreds of cavalry, which was the temporary residence designated by the Tang army, and now the time limit has passed, hundreds of families have left the city, every household has its own tent, they have moved the valuable things and cattle and sheep at home, everyone is busy setting up tents, packing things, not far away, a team of cavalry is watching them.

Tao Yi went to the tent, and soon he brought three or four merchants over, and his own soldiers brought them to Li Qing'an, who by this time already knew what to ask them.

Tao Yixian said to Li Qing'an: "These three people are the three largest salt tea businesses in the city, and their stocks have been bought. ”

The three merchants, all Turks, knelt down and kowtowed, "See Your Highness!" ”

Li Qing'an smiled and said to them in Turkic: "The Tang army never harms civilians, nor does it rob merchants, you can rest assured, I want to ask you now, who bought up your stocks, where did they go?" When was it happening? ”

The three Turks were amazed to hear that Li Qing'an could speak Turkic fluently, and one of the elderly merchants replied: "Back to Your Highness, the incident happened the night before yesterday, there were more than 20 big men, very shrewd and capable, and we also counted them afterwards, they bought a total of 10,000 quintals of tea and more than 1,000 stone salt, and we sent the goods outside the city, and found that they actually had hundreds of people and more than 200 carriages. ”

More than two hundred carriages, it should not be fast, but they can catch up, Li Qingan asked again: "Then did they say where to go?" ”

"They won't say it, but one of my buddies heard one of them complain, saying that Nuozhen Water City is so far away, how can it be possible to arrive in three days."

Nuozhen Water City is located at the northern foot of Yin Mountain, this is the most critical clue, Li Qingan immediately turned back to Li Sheng and said: "The horse convoy transporting tea and salt is going to Nuozhen Water City, which should be the gathering place of Shi Siming's army, time is pressing, we must set off immediately!" ”

An hour later, Li Qing'an and Li Sheng led 100,000 cavalry to the north, while Sima Xin Yunjing led 50,000 men to stay in Heicheng.

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Lei Wanchun led three thousand cavalry as the vanguard, each of them was equipped with two horses, Li Qingan ordered them to catch up with the horse convoy carrying salt tea in one day and one night, and the three thousand cavalry galloped like lightning on the vast grassland, but the grassland was too vast, and it was not easy to find the whereabouts of the horse convoy, Lei Wanchun sent ten scout teams to search separately.

The next morning, a team finally found the traces of the horse convoy, Lei Wanchun immediately led the army to rush over, beside a small river, they saw a clear wheel print, judging from the wheel print, it should be carrying heavy loads, and there are a lot of them, and there are a lot of horse dung.

A scout stepped forward and reported: "General, the horse manure is very fresh, and it will be more than an hour at most. ”

For more than an hour, the convoy was fifty miles ahead, and Lei Wanchun immediately ordered, "Go!" Catch up with the convoy in an hour. ”

Three thousand cavalry urged the horses to chase after them, and at noon, a scout came to report and found a line of small black dots more than twenty miles away.

Lei Wanchun waved his hand and stopped the army, and he said to a general beside him: "You lead a thousand brothers to go around to the front first, block them, and not allow anyone to slip through the net!" ”

General Lang ordered to lead a thousand cavalry to the northwest, Lei Wanchun was not in a hurry, about half an hour later, he estimated that the army had bypassed, and then ordered, "The whole army is in pursuit, and no one is allowed to slip through the net!" ”

The remaining 2,000 cavalry were like a whirlwind blowing on the flat ground, and everyone fought bravely to be the first, and pursued fiercely to the north, and after half an hour, they finally caught up with the caravan carrying salt and tea.

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(To be continued)