(I'm depressed, I haven't saved more than a thousand words tonight.) ）

"Your Highness, Your Highness, please stop.".

Seeing that the prince was about to meet him, Zheng Quan hurriedly turned over and dismounted, and while asking the prince to stop, he trotted forward and said:

"Chen Zhengquan has seen His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Li Chun originally wanted to show his demeanor of respecting the minister, but when he saw Zheng Quan giving a salute first, Li Chun had no choice but to stand still, accepted Zheng Quan's salute, and said:

"Flat."

After Zheng Quan stood up straight, Li Chun said:

"Greetings St. Ann!"

Zheng Quan said:

"St. Bow."

Despite being in a war zone, the etiquette was much simplified, but the welcome ceremony was clear and time-consuming. After entering the humble platform, the guest and host sat down, and Lu Wen asked Li Chun on behalf of Zheng Quan if the emperor had any instructions, and Zheng Quan said:

"Back to Your Highness, Your Majesty is here, Your Majesty has instructed that the purpose of this trip is to consolidate the country, as for the strategy, Your Majesty only mentioned one, that is, to work for relief."

"Cash-for-work?"

Li Chun, Li Yu and Lu Wen and others looked for each other's eyes, Li Chun stroked his palms and smiled:

"The widow knew that my father would do this. In the face of a great drought during Yongzhen's years, he did just that. ”

Seeing that Zheng Quan was surprised, Li Chun ordered:

"Changji, take out the paperwork you drafted!"

Li Hegong, who was sitting at the back, respectfully took out a stack of papers and sent it to Zheng Quan. Zheng Quan opened it and saw that it was a series of plans to implement cash-for-work, road and water conservancy, and land reclamation and irrigation in Lintao and Hezhou. Seeing that Zheng Quan was surprised and delighted, Li Chundao:

"This is the acting Didao County Commander Li He Li Changji, a talented man in the clan. Changji has already prepared the paperwork, but there is no money and food to implement it, and Lord Zheng is here, which can be described as timely rain! ”

Since Longyou Xingtai has been prepared for a long time, Zheng Quan is naturally happy to see it. According to Li Chun's instructions, he put aside the relevant affairs for the time being, and sat down to wash the dust for Zheng Quan.

Zheng Quan will inspect Lintaohe Prefecture to pacify for about half a month, and Li Chun will lead Longyou Xingtai to move to Lanzhou five days later, and Zheng Quan's affairs here will be handed over to Li He to greet him.

The earth-shattering white-haired wind on the Gobi finally blew after brewing for a day, Shi Jingfeng looked at the dark and dreary night, the white field, and said:

"Quickly get out of the ravine ahead."

Shi Jingfeng took 3,000 people to seize Guazhou this time, 500 veterans he brought from Zhenwu, and 2,500 new troops mixed with old and new.

"I don't know what happened to Zhang Yichao's kid."

Follow the Hulu River Valley to the east, walk for four or five days, and walk to the north of Jinchang County, Guazhou for more than 50 miles, which is the Yumen Pass where the spring breeze is not excessive. The west of the Yumen Pass here is four hundred miles away from the Hanyumen Pass, because the Yiwu Road was opened from the Northern Zhou Dynasty, it can directly lead to Yizhou through here, and there is no need to go through Dunhuang again, the main road guarded by the original Dunhuang Hanyumen Pass is gradually scarce, so the Yumen Pass has moved here, it is in the hub position of transportation, Jiuquan in the east, Dunhuang in the west, Guazhou in the south, and Yizhou in the northwest. And the mountains and rivers are nearby, and the situation is dangerous.

Tang Hui Liyan Brown wrote "The Biography of the Three Tibetan Masters of the Great Ci'en Temple", Xuanzang Master traveled west to seek scriptures, and arrived in Jinchang City, Guazhou in September and October of the third year of Zhenguan, and asked about the westward journey in the local area, and someone told him: From now on, there is a gourd river in more than 50 miles to the north, "wide and narrow, the dry waves are very urgent, and the depth cannot be crossed." On the jade gate, the road must be passed, that is, the throat of the western border." During the Tianbao period, the poet Cen Shen once wrote "The Song of the General of Yumen Pass": "The Yumen Pass City is far and lonely, and the yellow sand is thousands of miles and the grass is dry. It is adjacent to Dog Rong in the south and Hu in the north, and the general is ready to arrive. Five thousand armored soldiers are courageous, and there is nothing to do in the army but to be happy. •••••• "There are as many as 5,000 soldiers guarding the pass, which shows the importance of the Yumen Pass."

The white-haired wind outside the mountain valley was still blowing, and the ice in the Hulu River seemed to be blown away. Shi Jingfeng ordered the soldiers to huddle together to keep warm, and he couldn't help but recall what happened before the army was dispatched.

"There are more than 30 beacons above and below the Yumen Pass, distributed on the top of the mountain, the intersection, and the key passes of the estuary around it, such as alfalfa Feng, Chaoshanzi Qifeng, etc., the soldiers guarding the pass are the same as the Tang Dynasty, and the soldiers are still 5,000 people. However, the Tubo army in Guazhou is mainly concentrated here. ”

The old man surnamed Liang from Guazhou, according to Zhang Qianyi's request, gave a detailed introduction to the situation of Yumen Pass, which Shi Jingfeng was particularly concerned about. The old man lives in Guazhou and is very familiar with the geography of Guazhou. Because the Tibetan people are noble, strong and lowly prisons, once people reach old age, they are often killed, so their whereabouts are not very noticed, and they brave death to cross the desert to Shazhou. Old Man Liang said:

"These barbarians, but they don't know that I have the Central Plains of Lao Huang Zhong!"

However, after Old Man Liang introduced the situation of the Jade Gate Pass, the atmosphere was actually a little silent for a while. The pro-soldier team is smacking his tongue and saying:

"Five thousand?"

There are only 2,000 veterans from Zhenwu, only 5,000 recruits recruited in Shazhou, and only 1,000 can be skilled in bows and horses. And the defenders of Yumen Pass actually had 5,000 people, no wonder Dong Zheng was surprised. Shi Jingfeng made a gesture to shut up Shi Zheng and continued to ask:

"Don't hide it from Daddy Liang, our army is a partial division, there are not many people, only 5,000 people, if you are on the flat ground, you are not afraid of him, but if you attack the city, you will inevitably have some insufficient manpower. But don't worry, Dad, since we are here, we will not leave again, even if all of us die here, we must drive the Tubo people away first. I hope that the fathers and elders of Guazhou can fully support our army, and Shi has thanked his father here! ”

Old Man Liang has been through wind and frost for a long time, and when he saw the appearance of everyone just now, he was already clear in his heart. Seeing that Shi Jingfeng did not hide it and said it "truthfully", he said:

"General Shi also underestimated my Guazhou children, Shazhou children know to help Wang Shi, don't my Guazhou people know? Since the fall of Guazhou, more than 40 years, there is no time not to look forward to Wang Shi's westward expedition, in the first ten years, every year there are sons and daughters who venture deep into the desert to Shazhou to help General Yan defend the city, General Shi, please see! ”

Everyone's attention was attracted by Old Man Liang, who stood up and pulled the clothes on his chest despite the cold, only to see a long and curvy scar across his chest, Old Man Liang said:

"This is the mark left by the Tubo people when the little old man guarded Shazhou! Hugh said that there are only 5,000 generals, that is, there are only 3,000 generals, 2,000 people, as long as the general gives an order, Xiao Lao'er can give up his life. There are so many good men in Guazhou, the general must not underestimate me and wait. ”

Old Man Liang made a generous statement, and everyone couldn't help but be in awe, Shi Jingfeng stood up and said:

"Old hero, please be honored by history!"

After saying that, everyone followed Shi Jingfeng to the old man Liang, and the old man Liang was so panicked that he said "I can't help it" to help this and that.

After sitting down again, Shi Jingfeng said:

"Dad, I won't tell you anything, although the number of our army is small, they are all elite soldiers who have followed Shi for many years. And the imperial court is determined to recover Longyou Hexi, this time a total of 300,000 troops were requisitioned and sent to each province divided into three roads, two roads through the river Huang, one route led by Chen Guogong Li Guangyan through the west of the river, Shi Mou's headquarters is Chen Guogong's vanguard, and even if the father does not come, we are also planning to take Guazhou. Dad, you are familiar with geography, is there only one road in the Hulu River Valley in Yumen Pass? ”

Old Man Liang said:

"General Shi, you're really asking the right person. Xiao Lao'er lives outside Jinchang City, hunting and fishing on both sides of the Hulu River, and is most familiar with Yumen Pass. Has General Shi ever heard of Master Sanzang? ”

Master Sanzang is the monk Xuanzang, a senior monk of the Wisdom Sect, Shi Jingfeng didn't know why Old Man Liang asked this, but he still patiently replied:

"Master Sanzang? I heard a little, and I heard that it was a monk who went to Tianzhu to get the Western Scriptures. I don't know what he has to do with this Jade Gate Pass? ”

Old Man Liang said:

"General Shi didn't know that when Master Sanzang went to Tianzhu to get the true scriptures, it was during the reign of Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, when the Western Regions were undecided, and the Tang Dynasty strictly forbade the people to cross the border. This Sanzang Master has a fate with Buddhism, a compassionate heart, and wants to go to Tianzhu to get the true scriptures to Pudu sentient beings, so he took the risk twice to go out of the Western Regions, but was captured by the border army before he reached Longyou twice. It was also this Sanzang Master who was smart, and the third time, he no longer walked from the official road, but mixed in the merchants, and secretly passed the checkpoint. After crossing the river, Master Sanzang took the hired servants and slept in the open air, and finally arrived in Jinchang County. Outside the city of Jinchang, Master Sanzang saw the Yumen Pass from afar, so he inquired about the local people, and only then did he know that it was difficult for birds to fly over the Yumen Pass. ”

Old Man Liang is very good at telling stories, which attracted everyone, and they all wanted to know how Monk Xuanzang passed the Jade Gate. It turned out that after Xuanzang knew that Yumen Pass was sad, he was unwilling to give up halfway, so he came up with a plan to secretly Chen Cang, so he found a Hu guide in Guazhou, and arrived at the river in the middle of the night and saw Yumen Pass from afar. "It is to chop wood for a bridge, fill the sand with linen, and drive the horses through", unscathed, passed the Yumen Pass under the noses of the border army, and went straight into Yiwu Road. It wasn't until more than ten years later that Master Sanzang obtained the true scriptures and came back from Tianzhu, and the defenders of Yumen Pass and the Hu Han people did not know how Master Sanzang passed the Yumen Pass. Master Sanzang also refused to say, but the way is to have a relationship with the Buddha and have a firm mind, so everything is not difficult. The locals spread falsehood, saying that the Buddha was moved by Master Sanzang and showed him a path that only a god can walk. Since then, Hexi Buddhism has flourished.

As soon as the story of Old Man Liang was finished, Shi Zheng couldn't help but say:

"Daddy Liang, do you know this road?"

Old Man Liang said:

"This little brother is really a clever person, the path that this Sanzang Master has walked, the little old man really knows. This road is not a divine road, but it is inaccessible and difficult to walk. Along this road, you can avoid more than 30 beacons around the top and bottom of the Yumen Pass, and lead to the Yumen Pass. At that time, Yumen Pass will be in General Shi's pocket. ”

Hearing what Old Man Liang said, everyone became excited, especially Li Jiyan, knowing that Shi Jing had few soldiers, and if he could take Yumen Pass lightly, how much pressure should be relieved of Shazhou.

However, Old Man Liang finally added something. Old Man Liang said:

"Generals, please forgive the little old man for talking too much. You must know that the people who have lived in the four states of Hexi for generations are not only Han people, but also Turkic, Gaochang, Dangxiang, Tiele and other Hu people, these people were all Tang people before the fall of Hexi, and some tribes intermarried with Han people, and they are no different from Han people. After the fall of Hexi, some tribes were driven by the Tubo people and served the Tubo people. These people are also familiar with the customs and customs of Hexi, how to deal with and arrange these people, General Shi still needs to come up with a way as soon as possible, otherwise people's hearts will be unstable, and Hexi will be difficult to decide. ”

Old man Liang's words reminded Shi Jingfeng that as a strong general in the border army, Shi Jingfeng is more familiar with the grassland than with the farmland, and the difference between Hu and Han is not clear in his subconscious, but not everyone is like Shi Jingfeng, Shi Jingfeng immediately said:

"Shi has been taught, and he will do this after talking about the matter of Yumen Pass."

After the meeting, the following division of labor was made:

Shi Jingfeng led 3,000 main forces to seek Guazhou and attacked Yumen Pass.

Zhang Qianyi led 2,000 men to stay in Shazhou, and while expanding the scale of regimental training, he drove the Tibetan prisoners of war and local people to repair the city and consolidate the city defense.

Li Jiyan led 1,000 people to enter the Yumen Pass of the Han Dynasty, and requisitioned 5,000 people to repair the Guancheng and the supporting city defenses such as Linyaosui and Yumen Houguansui.

Shi Zheng led 100 veterans and 500 soldiers led by Li Jinglong of the Li family in Shazhou to enter the old site of Yangguan, more than 100 miles south of Hanyumen Pass, and Li Jiyan became a corner.

Originally, he had to rely on Old Man Liang to lead the way to attack Yumen Pass, but considering that Shi Jingfeng's 3,000 people alone could not control the huge Guazhou, he had to ask Old Man Liang and another envoy to go back to Guazhou again, contact Haoqiang, and mobilize the people. Although he was tired from running around, Old Man Liang agreed without hesitation. Shi Jingfeng decided to send twenty veterans to follow Old Man Liang and them back to Guazhou together.

Zhang Yichao, as a scout team, is leading more than a dozen local scouts to explore the way in the direction indicated by Old Man Liang.

Zhang Yitan led 300 cavalry to make a feint in the north of Shazhou, making a gesture of attacking Guazhou on a large scale.

In fact, Shi Jingfeng was very worried about whether Zhang Yichao would be able to complete the task he had delivered, but now there was no one available. Zhang Yichao didn't care about taking people away. Zhang Qianyi smiled and said to Shi Jingfeng:

"General Shi, Hugh is going to underestimate my dog, although he is only fifteen years old, he has even been there."

Ten days later, the two scouts sent by Zhang Yichao returned to Shazhou with the sheepskin map drawn after evading the layers of interrogation of the Tubo army, at this time, Shi Jingfeng also completed the preliminary training of his 3,000 soldiers and horses, the content of the training was mainly mountain climbing and rock climbing, which was a piece of cake for these men who grew up in the mountainous areas of Beidi.

Three days ago, under the cover of night, Shi Jingfeng led the army to quietly leave Shazhou. Three thousand men, six thousand horses, this is a light cavalry, the first goal of this heroic division that will later rise to prominence in the desert is Yumen Pass.

The white-haired wind that had raged for most of the night finally stopped, and Shi Jingfeng ordered:

"Let's go!"

The soldiers, who were sitting around the north wind to keep warm, quickly stood up and arranged their horses. Thousands of soldiers and horses made only a tiny noise before they came out of this valley.

Shi Jingfeng was very dissatisfied with the voices made by the soldiers, but most of the team were recruits, and he was helpless.

"Actually, they've done a pretty good job."

Yes, indeed, three thousand men, six thousand horses, with blankets on their bodies, cloth on their hooves, sheepskin jackets on men, and a patch of white flowers, which was very well disguised in the white valley road.

After the army left the valley, dozens of horsemen came out of the valley, and at the command of the leader, the soldiers dispersed automatically, clearing the ground with homemade tools, and trying to remove the traces of thousands of cavalry passing by. It didn't seem to take long to clean up.

There is no way, this place is too close to Jinchang City, and this battle may be the most important battle to recover Hexi.