The annual border trade quota allocated by the Great Sui Dynasty to the Lifa tribe was more than three times that of the Xue Yantuo tribe, and if the quota of the Li Fa tribe was transferred to the Xue Yantuo tribe, the salt and iron cloth that the Xue Yantuo tribe lacked would basically be able to meet the needs. Xue Shixiong couldn't help but be overjoyed, and even thanked him: "Please rest assured, Lord Liu, the grass people will definitely restrain their subordinates and never allow them to step into the territory of the Great Sui for half a step!" ”

Liu Ziqiu waved his hand and said, "It's not that serious." Liu planned to set up a border city to allow the people of the border to trade with various tribes. When the time comes, the subordinates of Leader Xue can also lead cattle and sheep to the border market to exchange for salt, iron and cloth, as long as they abide by the rules and pay taxes according to the rules. ”

Xue Shixiong didn't expect Liu Ziqiu to give him another big gift, this is something that the grassland tribe has been fighting for for many years and has not been able to get, in his opinion, it must be the forty young girls and young women who have played a role. However, Xue Shixiong did not forget for a moment in his heart that there was still a powerful enemy to his west. Thinking of this, Xue Shixiong hurriedly arched his hand and said, "Please rest assured, Lord Liu, the grass people's subordinates will definitely abide by the rules and pay taxes according to the rules." The grass people also have a gift for adults. ”

"Oh, what gift?" Liu Ziqiu was also very curious, and reached out and touched his chin. He didn't have a beard, so he couldn't make a beard movement like Old Lady Gu.

Xue Shixiong laughed and said: "Lord Liu doesn't know that there is a shining pearl in this grassland, and her beauty is unparalleled in the world. This pearl is in the dust of the royal court at the foot of Sanmi Mountain, waiting for Lord Liu to come to the rescue! ”

Liu Ziqiu nodded thoughtfully and said, "Liu knows, Leader Xue, please go back!" ”

Xue Shixiong didn't dare to say more, and bowed to the side. saw Liu Ziqiu riding by, and said, "Leader Xue, thank you for your kindness." Those girls, please go back. ”

Watching Liu Ziqiu's migratory army gradually move away, Xue Shixiong came back to his senses. Liu Ziqiu sent him two big gifts for no reason, but he refused to accept these young girls and young women he selected from the tribe. Could it be that Liu Ziqiu doesn't like these women, or Liu Ziqiu has other plans, Xue Shixiong couldn't figure it out.

……

Passing through the territory of the Xue Yantuo tribe, the migratory army turned south. Because there were many women and children in the team, as well as many cattle and sheep, Liu Ziqiu waited for the sun to rise high every day before giving the order to set off, and began to set up camp tents before the sun set. Ten days later, the huge procession finally reached the Western Turkic border. In order to prevent disturbing the people of Dunhuang, Liu Ziqiu had already sent a team of cavalry to report to Wu Gong.

Knowing that Liu Ziqiu had attacked the Eastern Turkic tribe of Lifa and returned victorious, Wu Gong hurriedly led all the officials of the county to the Western Turkic border to greet him. After Liu Ziqiu's rectification of the army, Wu Gong's power was weakened a lot. Now, he is only in charge of local affairs, and does not care about leading the army. However, Wu Gong's fortune did not diminish in the slightest, and on the contrary, Liu Ziqiu greatly delegated the power to manage local affairs. At present, the appointment and dismissal of officials below the county order in Dunhuang County are all decided by Wu Gong, and this power allows Wu Gong's orders to be better implemented in all counties under his jurisdiction. Correspondingly, Wu Gong's status among the county officials has also been promoted. Therefore, Wu Gong is sincerely grateful and admired Liu Ziqiu, and he can no longer afford to have the slightest heart.

From the Western Turkic border to Dunhuang, it is also necessary to pass through a large area of desert and grassland, which is neither under the jurisdiction of the Western Turks nor the Great Sui. There are also many tribes living in this land, and these tribes are sandwiched between the two major forces to survive, and it is quite difficult for them to survive. Knowing this, Liu Ziqiu nodded and said, "Lord Wu, Liu has something that he wants to trouble his lords. ”

Wu Gong hurriedly arched his hand and said, "Please ask the lord to command." ”

Liu Ziqiu raised his horsewhip and pointed around, and said, "Liu plans to set up a new county in this borderless land, which will be called Yiwu County. Lord Wu has lived in Dunhuang for a long time, and must have dealt with these tribes often, so how to convince them, please use your brains more. ”

Speaking of this, Liu Ziqiu pointed to his feet again and said: "This piece of land near the lake and the river can be built into a city, as the county seat of Yiwu County, it will be called Yiwu City." There was a border market outside the city, where the people of the Han, Xihai, Turkic, and Tiele ethnic groups were allowed to trade. ”

Wu Gong was stunned for a moment, and said in a loud voice: "My lord, the Xue Yantuo people in the north often go south to attack and disturb our realm, if you set up a city here, I am afraid it will be difficult to last." ”

Liu Ziqiu laughed and said, "Xue Yantuo has been hurt by me, so he shouldn't dare to come again." Rest assured, as long as the border city is built, there will naturally not be so many things to attack the border in the future. ”

Wu Gong hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I don't know if the lord has a suitable candidate to serve as Yiwu Taishou?" If the lower officials want to take care of Dunhuang and Yiwu counties, I am afraid that they will not be able to do it. There are still many affairs in Dunhuang County, and the lower officials dare not leave for a long time. ”

No one can serve as the chief guard of two counties at the same time. Of course, Wu Gong knew that if a border city was set up here in Yiwu County, there would definitely be a lot of money in the future. However, with the huge increase in profits came great risks, as Igo County was closer to the border and more vulnerable to raids by nomadic tribes. On the contrary, Dunhuang County may lose the opportunity to interact with the nomadic tribes in the north, but with the buffer of Yiwu County, it will be much safer. Wu Gong is getting older, and Ren Dunhuang Taishou has also made a lot of money over the years. He took refuge in Liu Ziqiu in time, his family wealth was not cleaned, and it was enough for a few lifetimes, so he didn't want to take risks.

Liu Ziqiu could see that Wu Gong didn't want to take on this heavy responsibility, but after thinking about it carefully, he didn't have any suitable candidates, so he said: "Lord Wu, Yiwu and Dunhuang are close neighbors, Yiwu is newly established, many things are inseparable from Dunhuang's help, and the person who serves as the Taishou must be able to cooperate with Lord Wu tacitly." According to Liu, the new Yiwu Taishou was recommended by Lord Wu, and it was enough to report to Liu when the time came. ”

Now in troubled times, it is difficult for Liu Ziqiu to formulate a complete system and rules for selecting officials, but he understands a truth, power comes out of the barrel of a gun, as long as the army is firmly grasped in his hands, he is not afraid that these local officials can afford to make a big noise.

Wu Gong didn't expect that he could be so trusted by Liu Ziqiu, so he couldn't help but be grateful, gave a deep salute, and said, "My lord, the lower officials recommend Dunhuang Changshi Kangqi." ”

Kang Qi is Wu Gong's deputy, but he usually doesn't deal with Wu Gong very well. However, Kang Qi climbed up step by step from a small official, and he was very handy in handling various affairs in the county, and he was indeed a rare talent for governing the place. Wu Gong had been suppressing Kang Qi all the time, but at this moment, he saw that Liu Ziqiu fully trusted him, but he didn't dare to abolish the public because of his personal interests, and he didn't avoid "hatred" when he came back and forth.

Liu Ziqiu did not hesitate, nodded and said: "Okay, since it was recommended by Lord Wu, it must not be wrong, then Kang Qi will serve as Yiwu Taishou." Yiwu is newly established, as a brother county, Lord Wu needs a lot of help here. ”

Wu Gong promised again and again.

After walking for another two days, the army passed through Yiwu County and entered the territory of Dunhuang, and the road was open for a while. At this time, a team of small colonels with red flags on their backs galloped over and said loudly: "Lord Qiqi, there is an urgent military situation in Wuwei County, and the Turkic army is on the side!" Lord, please! ”

After Liu Ziqiu ransacked Qi Lifa's camp, he knew that one day he would be retaliated against by the Eastern Turks, and couldn't help but sneer: "It's so fast!" ”

When the camp was captured at the beginning, due to the suddenness of the incident, the tactics of separate attacks were adopted, and Mu Duoli gave the order to surrender, not a single person escaped from the entire camp, and the news was blocked quite outright, but later Liu Ziqiu made the decision to let Feng Xin go. According to Liu Ziqiu's estimate, in this icy and snowy grassland, it is difficult for a person who breaks away from the brigade to survive. But he underestimated the ** of a person to survive, this lame boy trekked hard for seven or eight days on the grassland in early winter, gnawed the snow on the ground when he was thirsty, and even ate grass roots when he was hungry, and actually let him reach the Turkic tent alive.

Jiaoriyan asked from the side, "How many enemies are there?" ”

The little colonel arched his hand and said: "Return to the general, the enemy has about 20,000 horsemen, and has entered the foot of the Great Wall, General Lu ordered the villain to come to the emergency!" ”

After Liu Ziqiu reorganized a group of soldiers from the original Great Sui, he readjusted the deployment, and the Great Wall in the north was guarded by Lu Tong, and Lu Tong was also promoted to the commander of ten thousand masters. However, when he heard that there were only 20,000 Turkic soldiers and horses, Liu Ziqiu knew that it should be Tong Lifa and his men who were coming.

The Great Wall is strong, as long as Lu Tong holds on to help, those Turkic cavalry can't help it for a while. And the only Gaoyue County outside the Great Wall has been turned into an empty city by Tong Lifa, and there is nothing left to lose. Therefore, Liu Ziqiu had nothing to worry about, waved his hand, and said, "Summoning Lu Tong, hold on for ten days." The Great Wall will not be broken within ten days, and he will be credited with his first credit. Ten days later, if he can't keep it, forgive him for his innocence! ”

Wen Hao was itching, so he immediately arched his hand and said: "Lord, my subordinates are willing to be the vanguard to frustrate the Turks' spirit!" ”

Liu Ziqiu laughed and said, "What's the hurry, you have to fight." Let's go to Dunhuang City to drink first, don't live up to Lord Wu's hospitality! ”

……

The army that appeared outside the Great Wall was none other than Tong Lifa and his 18,000 men. When the Qimin Khan Ashina was dying, his sons gathered in the tooth tent. The sons of Qimin Khan are all leaders of various tribes, and it stands to reason that they are all qualified to inherit his throne, but in the end, this matter is still seen as strength, so some of the weak ones only brought some personal soldiers and guards, while Tong Lifa and Du Shiji came with large armies respectively, and their eyes were firmly on the throne.

At this time, Feng Xin brought the news that the camp of Tong Lifa had been captured by the Sui army. Without the women, children, cattle and sheep in the camp, the whole tribe would have lost its foundation. Tong Lifa could no longer care about competing with Du Shiji for the throne, so he immediately gathered men and horses and arrested Feng Xin.