"It's finally here!" Arriving two or three miles west of Duolun City, Tang Zhidao ordered the team to stop and rest for a while. In the past two days, the officers and soldiers have indeed suffered a lot, and when they saw Duolun City, they all let out a long breath in front of them, and they thought about how they had to eat a good meal and sleep well in the city.

"It's just in time!" Through the telescope in his hand, he saw that the five-color flag was still hanging at the head of Duolun City, and the west gate was also wide open, and the lazy and lazy soldiers could be vaguely seen at the gate of the city.

"Let's go!" Seeing a group of cavalry rushing over from the West Gate, Tang Zhidao ordered, and everyone consciously lined up in an orderly manner and walked towards Duolun City, the first commercial port on the grassland of Inner Mongolia.

Duolun is the abbreviation of the Mongolian word "Duolun Nor", which means "seven lakes", and is named after the seven water pools. Since the Liao-Jin Yuan, it has been a strategic point connecting Gyeonggi with the gateway to the Mongolian Plateau. Emperor Kangxi allied with 48 princes and three leaders of Inner and Outer Mongolia in Duolun, and built the "Huizong Temple", and the Yongzheng Emperor built the "Shanyin Temple", making Duolun the center of Lamaism in northern China. On his eastward journey, the Sixth Emperor passed through this place to pray for blessings, which further increased the influence of Duolun Lamaism. The construction of Huizong Temple and the presiding over and management of Lamaism in Inner and Outer Mongolia by the Living Buddha of Zhangjia greatly promoted the prosperity and development of commerce in Duolun City.

Around the second year of Tongzhi, Duolun City gradually developed into a famous foreign trading port with 4,000 merchants and a population of 180,000 - the capital of Mongolian merchants. The economic prosperity has promoted the development of the city, and in the eighteen streets crisscrossing it, commercial shops, handicraft workshops, guild halls, temples, mosques and dwellings are scattered, distributed among them, and it is known as the rich grassland city of "welcoming China in the south, connecting Mongolia in the north, making gold in the day, and fighting silver at sunrise".

However, when Tang Zhidao and his party arrived in this city, the city had already begun to decline. The reasons are both internal and external. Internationally, in the last years of Guangxu, the Eastern Railway was completed and opened to traffic, and most of the trade leading to the left wing of Inner and Outer Mongolia was absorbed and cut off by the railway, and at the same time, the competition of foreign foreign companies also divided a lot of profits of the caravans in Mongolia; With the fall of the Qing Dynasty, the autonomy of Outer Mongolia, the rampant horse bandits, and the tyrannical expropriation of bureaucrats and warlords also greatly affected the development of Duolun City. By the fifth year of the Republic of China, the number of merchants inside and outside Duolun had dropped to more than 1,000, and the population had also decreased to about 50,000.

Even so, however, Duolun City is still a cornucopia of attention, and it is said that more than 30 million taels of silver are traded in bare furs and livestock every year. Every year, the Mongolian people transport 100,000 truckloads of green salt to Duolun for sale, and the Salt Affairs Bureau's Duolun branch collects 240,000 to 250,000 yuan of cash in salt customs every year, and the local civil affairs department collects another 400,000 to 500,000 yuan of local tax every year, which is much more than the tax collected by Guisui and Baotou.

"Adjutant Hou, the bandits have retreated?" Seeing the adjutant surnamed Hou who went out of the city to greet him, the head of the Tang regiment asked eagerly: "I don't look at the garrisons inside and outside the city like they are facing a great enemy?" ”

"Bandits?" Adjutant Hou looked at Commander Tang in surprise and said, "Isn't it still tossing in Rehe, two days ago, it was rumored that it had left Rehe and headed for Duolun, but somehow there was no news in the past two days." ”

"Then why is the market so deserted? When I was in Zhangjiakou, I heard about the prosperity of Duolun. As he spoke, the team had already passed through the tall gate of Duolun City, and walked through the wide long streets of Duolun City, Tang Zhidao saw that it was unusually deserted, and the shops around him were less than two or three percent open, and he couldn't help but continue to ask Adjutant Hou.

"It's not the right time for the head of the Tang regiment to come, it's about to go through the winter, the trade on the grassland has entered the off-season, and the situation is unstable, many mainland merchants who have settled here have returned to their hometowns in advance, and a few days ago, it was said that the Mongolian bandits were coming, and many merchants fled out of the city." Adjutant Hou said attentively: "Fortunately, Commander Tang, you arrived in time with reinforcements, otherwise I really don't know what to do!" ”…,

"Every year around the 15th of June, the temple fair is the busiest time in Duolun City. Ten days before the temple fair, a large number of people, princes and nobles came. During the temple fair, there is a play every day; In front of the temple, merchants set up countless tents to do business...... "Adjutant Hou pointed to a tall temple in the city and said, "This is Huizong Temple, the center of the Yellow Sect of the entire Xilin Gol League. ”

"As far as I know, your army should have at least three battalions, plus the local armed forces at least three or two thousand people, it shouldn't be much of a problem to hold on to the fortified city!" Head Tang looked around and asked, "Why does Duolun City look so empty?" ”

"Commander Tang doesn't know, Duolun City has three battalions of troops, but there is a Mongolian battalion inside!" Adjutant Hou said helplessly: "Although many of the officers are Han Chinese, most of the soldiers are Mongols!" ”

"What about the Mongols, aren't they our soldiers?" Head Tang said disappreciably: "Out of Duolun City, they are all Mongolian herdsmen, so it is difficult for them to become traitors!" ”

"Captain Tang, there's no way around it!" Adjutant Hou said with a wry smile, this is what Commander Tan meant, after all, there is a lesson from the past. The reason why Mi Zhenbiao was defeated was that the rebellion of a Mongolian sentry commander under him played a great role, not to mention a battalion of Mongolian soldiers!

"Captain Tang, Commander Tan has led them to greet you!" Without waiting for Tang Zhidao to continue to ask, a large group of people came out of the opposite corner, and although the one led by was already white-haired and long-bearded, he still looked very energetic in his golden official uniform.

"Tan Zhentai, how dare you work your master!" Tang Zhidao guessed that he must be the army major general Tan Zongrui who was the acting envoy of Duolun Town, and he didn't dare to take a big step, so he quickly jumped off the horse and took two steps to meet him.

"This brother is ......," Tan Zongrui asked cautiously when he saw that the person who came was very young, but he had an extraordinary bearing.

"Commander Tan, this is the Tang Regiment Leader of the reinforcements!" Adjutant Hou hurried up and introduced.

"Humble Tang Dao, lieutenant colonel of the second regiment of the army!" Tang Zhidao solemnly saluted Tan Zongrui and the others with a standard military salute and said loudly: "I was ordered to come to assist in the defense of Duolun, and I hereby report to Tan Zhen's envoy!" ”

"Good, good! Captain Tang is really young and promising! Tan Zongrui also replied with a gourd painting, clasped the hands of Head Tang and said politely: "I finally looked forward to you, and now there is hope for Duolun." He couldn't help but curse in his heart, how can I send a baby officer. But Commander Tan is also an old bird who has been in the officialdom for many years, and his face is still very enthusiastic, after all, they are all guests, especially this young officer came in time.

"After receiving Tian Dutong's order, Tang led his troops day and night to finally arrive in time." Tang Zhidao pretended to be complimented while looking at the few people behind Commander Tan: "It still depends on Tan Zhentai and the princes working together to defeat the bandits and keep Duolun!" ”

"This, this ......" Tan Zongrui said in embarrassment, he sent a telegram to the Dutong Mansion at that time, but claimed that the Ba Bandit Brigade was coming to the city.

"Captain Tang, it was just a miscommunication at the time." Seeing this, Lin Jianzhong hurriedly relieved the siege and said: "The bandits are still in Rehe, but they have defeated the Yi army one after another, and they may invade Duolun in a few days." ”

"Oh! That's good, that's good! Tang Zhidao pretended to suddenly realize and said: "Then Tang's department can rest for a few days." ”

"Head Tang and his entourage have a long journey, let's go back to the house first and then talk in detail." Governor Ma saw that everyone was gathering on the street to greet each other, and it was inconvenient to say quickly.

"These subordinates of mine haven't eaten hot meals for a while, and I ask Tan Zhentai to have mercy." Head Tang also felt a little hungry at this time, so he unceremoniously asked: "I heard that the mutton beef in Saibei is good." ”

"A little thing, a little thing!" Without waiting for others to speak, President Ai of the Chamber of Commerce agreed and said, "Ai will immediately send someone to handle this matter." ”

"Chief of Staff Lin, you lead people to place Commander Tang's subordinates in the big camp in the northwest of the city." Tan Zongrui also realized that his arrangement was a little lacking, and hurriedly ordered: "Head Tang, how about we go back to the house first?" ”

"Tan Zhentai is invited, dare not obey his fate!" Head Tang said with a smile, then got on the horse and followed Tan Zongrui and his party in the direction of the town guard embassy.