Wen Zisheng, a poet of the Northern Dynasties, wrote in "Liangzhou Music Song": "Traveling to Wuwei County, looking at Guzang City from afar, the carriages and horses are intertwined, and the song is blowing in the sun. ”

In the Tang Dynasty, Wuwei County was Liangzhou, and Guzang City was Liangzhou City, also known as Wuwei City.

This is the most famous cosmopolitan city in the Northwest!

If Chang'an City is boxy, Fang City's independence is like a chess game; Then Liangzhou City is like a phoenix with wings outstretched! At this time, the city of Liangzhou is long from north to south, short from east to west, and there are east and west garden cities in the south city, which resembles a bird city with two wings of head and tail.

Liangzhou City is not one city, but seven!

In this regard, Cen Shenfu said: "The moon rises and hangs on the city, and the moon rises in Liangzhou." There are 100,000 families in seven cities in Liangzhou, and the Hu people play the pipa half-detached. ”

In this era, the city of Liangzhou was 11 miles long and 3 miles wide, with 1 central city and 6 sub-cities surrounding it, with a total population of hundreds of thousands! It is the first male city in the northwest except Chang'an!

This pattern is not formed in one or two years, and its time span is even calculated in a hundred years.

After Liangzhou City became the capital, there were five local governments in the name of "Liang" to rule Liangzhou, and the upgrading of political development promoted the city to be further built, which had a lot more functional space than the state city, which was enough to reflect the essential connotation of the imperial city.

In other words, the current pattern of Liangzhou City is a capital without the name of the capital!

It perfectly interprets what it means to be low-key and luxurious.

Since the founding of the Tang Dynasty, going to Liangzhou on business has always been the beauty difference of central officials. There are also strong Liangzhou City as a barrier, the strong Chishui Army as a cover, a large amount of goods from the Western Regions, and an irresistible "specialty" of the Western Regions, such as orchid and Hule wine.

But at this moment, Cui Xiyi, the envoy of Hexi Jiedu, was frowning in the study of Jiedu Mansion.

Troubled by some messy chores.

As an old bureaucrat, he knew very well in his heart that in fact, the government affairs of the imperial court were sometimes not very troublesome, because everyone was used to it.

For example, dealing with Tibet.

That's right, Tubo is not easy to deal with, but the problem is that after so many years, the border towns of the Tang Dynasty have formed a mobile defense area against Tubo in Hexi and Longyou, and have deployed nearly 150,000 standing troops who are brave and good at fighting!

This is not counting the use of the imperial court's "autumn defense order", and tens of thousands of people can be requisitioned from the local Sogdian Zahu settlement in Hexi.

If it is not enough, then it can also be seconded from Shuofang.

This is the power of the Tang Dynasty's "Autumn Defense Order", if there are 400,000 people in Tibet, the Tang army can increase it to 400,000, until Tubo does not move.

Therefore, this kind of seemingly behemoth-like troublesome matter is actually not a big deal as long as it is handled carefully according to the rules of the imperial court.

However, as a local official, the most feared thing is that the center of Chang'an "parachutes" some strange characters over.

These people are small-capable, have a big temper, have a deep background, and have a lot of. Wherever you go, you can make chickens and dogs jump.

But the low-spoken local officials can't do anything to them!

Now, the edict of the imperial court is in front of Cui Xiyi, which makes him cry and laugh. An eight- or nine-year-old child who made up for a position in the state capital to join the army came here on a "business trip", and the saint personally said that he would "take good care" of him, which is simply unreasonable!

The position of the state capital to join the army is very special, because the state capital here is not the capital city of ordinary state and county, but specifically refers to those "giant cities" that exceed the scale of ordinary capital cities! Only an establishment of this scale is worthy of the idle official position of joining the army in the state capital.

For example, Yangzhou Mansion (Yangzhou City), Yizhou Mansion (Chengdu), Luoyang Mansion (Luoyang City), ...... Of course, it also includes Liangzhou Mansion (Wuwei City).

Although this official position is actually useless, in "theory", it can intervene in anything.

Including the impeachment of the festival of the envoy!

What makes Cui Xiyi feel even more embarrassed is that this person's father is Fang Youde, the envoy of Youzhou Jiedu, who has become famous in recent years, and his future father-in-law, Wang Zhonghei, is the new Chishui military envoy!

In order to protect this son-in-law, Wang Zhongsi actually sent a team of 50 elite soldiers of the Chishui Army under the pretense of public welfare, led by one of his fellow villagers, to take off his military uniform and change into regular clothes, not to participate in military affairs, but to play with this Yanei!

The purpose is just to protect him!

Cui Xiyi was like a fly flying into his mouth when he yawned, feeling so disgusting that he couldn't do it, but he couldn't do anything about it.

This hairy kid is too big!

In Datang officialdom, what you do is about relationships! If you don't have a network, you can't exercise the corresponding power, which is a very real problem.

Not only that, even the Niu cyclamen, who he recommended to go to the center and had a good personal relationship with him, wrote back and said that after that "Fang Langjun" came to Hexi, he must take good care of it, and he must not negligently let the other party get sick and injured.

A lot of people are like this, what else can he, the envoy of Hexi Jiedu, do?

However, now Cui Xiyi just wants to take care of that "Fang Langjun", and he can't find the other party's person!

Since leaving the customs, there is no record of that person's customs clearance at the post stations in various places.

In other words, either this Fang Langjun had an accident on the road and did not pass through the post station further west at all, or ...... It's just that he blended into the entourage of other officials, and he didn't need to take out the customs clearance documents at all!

Judging from the current situation, the latter is more likely!

In Datang, slaves are equivalent to goods, as long as they are not the kind of "good-looking" slaves, the post guards of the post station will not care at all, and it doesn't matter if there are many followers or few followers, as long as they do not exceed the corresponding grade of the official.

"Someone's coming!"

Cui Xiyi shouted outside the door.

"Commander, please command."

A scribe walked in and bowed with his hands crossed.

"Go to the townships and towns in Hexi, post the list, and see who has seen that Fang Langjun."

Cui Xiyi said painfully kneading his temples.

"Jieshuai, the post list is fine, but the hope of finding it is very slim. We don't know what that one looks like, but we just know that there are four people, two adults and two children, how can this be easy to find? ”

"There's no way, won't you find a way?"

Cui Xiyi scolded impatiently.

On weekdays, he has a gentle personality, but recently, he has been so annoyed that he wants to hit someone.

First, he agreed with the Tibetan general Qilixu that the two countries would not defend each other on the border of Hexi, and the other party also agreed. As a result, when his lieutenant went to the court to report on his work, he suggested that Tang Ting treacherously play a sneak attack!

What is good or not is that Li Longji actually agreed to this move. In desperation, he had to order the Chishui army to go south to attack the Tubo people, and beat Qili Xu to flee alone. But the Tibetans are not Turkic, and their rate of blood recovery is much faster than that of nomadic peoples like the Turks. In less than half a year, Tubo recovered his strength and began to frequently attack the Hexi Corridor through the Qilian Mountain Tunnel!

made Cui Xiyi tired of coping.

Now there is one more "Fang Yanei" to serve, Cui Xiyi only begs this one not to make trouble, and don't have an accident, otherwise, it will be difficult to complete the rest of the matter.

……

Huizhou (near Jingyuan, Gansu) was the last stop in the east of Liangzhou, and the Tang court set up the Wulan ferry port on the Yellow River not far west of Huizhou just in case, for example, the situation in Hexi collapsed incorrigibly.

On the west bank of the Yellow River, near the Liangzhou side, the Wulan Pass was built, while on the east bank of the Yellow River, the Huining Pass was built. The two passes face each other, guarding both banks, and in the middle is the winding and magnificent Yellow River.

At this moment, Fang Chongyong and his entourage, following the team of "Dugu Judge" Dugu Jun, mixed all the way out of Wulan Pass. After that, there is no longer any post station that can provide accommodation between Liangzhou City, and it can be said that this is the most arduous journey.

Of course, although there is no post station in the imperial court, there are still many private "shops", but they need to be paid for by themselves, and the service is not so thoughtful.

These shops are as famous as ordinary post houses, and even more than them. But the small one is only a courtyard, which can only provide drinking water and simple food.

At the beginning, Fang Chongyong invited Dugujun and Gao Shi to come over for a drink and make friends, just with the attitude of giving it a try. I didn't expect Datang to be open, and no one would refuse such an invitation, let alone Fang Chongyong's backstage being so strong.

Dugu Jun didn't say much, and he didn't say a few words from beginning to end, but after Gao Shi heard that Fang Chongyong and his party were going to Hexi, he enthusiastically introduced them to the customs of Liangzhou.

Probably because he spoke too well, Fang Chongyong slapped his head, and immediately wrote a letter of recommendation to Gao Shi, and then said: "Youzhou Fang Jieshuai is thirsty for talent, he may not listen to other people's words, and the words of my only son in the family still have some weight." You can take this letter and go to Youzhou Jiedu Mansion to mix up an official or something. ”

Gao Shi was overjoyed and hurriedly thanked him, but Dugujun watched coldly all the way and did not express any opinions.

After Gao Shi left, Fang Chongyong proposed that after leaving the customs, the four of them pretended to be Dugu Jun's slaves and maids, and this request was also readily agreed by Dugu Jun.

"The west wind is strong, and the geese in the sky are called frost and the morning moon.

Frost and early moon, the sound of horses' hooves is broken, and the sound of trumpets is swallowed.

Xiongguan Mandao is really like iron, and now it is stepping forward from the beginning.

From the beginning, the mountains are like the sea, and the remnant sun is like blood. ”

Fang Chongyong looked back at Wulan Pass at sunset, and chanted a poem with emotion.

"Good! The virtuous brother is brilliant, and he deserves to be the son of Fang Jieshuai! ”

There was a sound of Dugujun's applause behind him. Although this "Dugu Judge" was not enthusiastic about Fang Chongyong in Ma Weiyi, along the way, the two have become familiar with each other. Fang Chongyong is young and old, wise and intelligent, which makes Dugujun ashamed.

"Brother Xian is hiding in my team, is he afraid of being plotted?"

Dugu Jun asked with a strange expression. He felt very strange that Fang Chongyong's father was the envoy of Youzhou Jiedu, and his father-in-law's envoy of the Chishui Army, and the people who generally served as the envoys of the Chishui Army, according to the unspoken rules, would soon take over as the envoy of the Hexi Jiedu.

The most conservative estimate is that there is also a half-section envoy standing behind Fang Chongyong! It's scary to think about!

This kind of person is very low-key if he doesn't walk sideways, but the one in front of him is still cowardly to hide from other people's ranks and pretend to be slaves.

"Brother Dugu doesn't know anything, when he goes out, the rivers and lakes are treacherous, and he is careful to sail the ship for ten thousand years. The person wearing the clothes of a bandit may not be a real bandit. ”

Fang Chongyong sighed with emotion.

Dugujun nodded slightly, this is a true sentence. If the killing party of the open fire is heavy, it is naturally the world's biggest, and Li Longji will not be able to keep this person. But can you kill it secretly?

A crime that goes undetected can only be called an accident, isn't it?

There is such a long road between Chang'an and Hexi, and there are bones buried underground, but I am afraid that there are many people who died in vain.

"The virtuous brother is prepared for danger in times of peace, which is admirable, but it is just ......"

Dugu Jun wanted to speak and stopped.

He wanted to ask this question for a long time, but the two talked happily along the way, and they didn't care about it.

"Brother Dugu might as well speak up if he has something to say."

Fang Chongyong nodded slightly and said.

"Gao Shi is a person, a person who tends to be inflammatory. Although he flattered me all the way, I didn't dare to recommend him to the superiors casually.

Although the virtuous brother can recommend him to serve in Youzhou Jiedu Mansion, if he becomes a traitor in the future, Fang Jieshuai will also be jointly and severally liable. ”

Dugu Jun didn't continue, he believed in Fang Chongyong's intelligence and definitely understood what he was talking about.

Gao Shi, you've only known each other for a day, and it's the first time we've met.

The taboo of dealing with the world is nothing more than to talk about it in a shallow way. I didn't even understand who Gao Shi was, how could he put my father to death like this?

"Don't worry, my father's eyes are like lightning, and the cow, ghost, snake, and god will be present in front of him."

Fang Chongyong waved his hand disappreciably and said, not taking Dugujun's words seriously.

Seeing his attitude, Dugu Jun stomped his feet anxiously and said:

"Let me put it this way, in addition to Gao Shi, the person who wrote me a farewell poem also has the world-famous Li Bai.

But so what, do you think they really want to be my friend? They just thought I could introduce them to their superiors. If I didn't have a half-official position, or if I wasn't a judge but just a little soldier, you see if they would have bothered me.

Even if you don't mention these things, will you do things if you write poetry well?

Not necessarily!

We, the officials in the Jiedu Mansion, must be able to afford government affairs. Otherwise, it will harm yourself and the officials who appreciate and recommend you. ”

The judge is a position established by the imperial court, not a position that can be recruited by the Jiedu envoy. The festival envoy only has the right to make suggestions, not the right to decide.

Therefore, Dugu Jun became this official, which shows that there are people behind him who support him.

It can be seen that Dugu Jun doesn't think very highly of Gao Shi, even if the latter licks him very hard. It is also very likely that Dugujun does not look down on Li Bai.

Maybe he agrees with these people's poetic talents, but writing poetry and being an official are two different things!

Tang poetry has left a brilliant memory in the history books, but this does not erase the fact that many poets often have to grovel to curry favor and cater to the powerful.

And even some officials of slightly higher status than them.

Ironically, many famous articles in the Tang Dynasty were licked by kneeling and licking extraordinarily.

And the reason why Dugu Jun looks up to Fang Chongyong, in addition to his personality, is that this kid dared to come to Hexi at the age of nine to practice, and he can also get the identity of an official and a half-post and a banglang, so ten years later, twenty years later, what kind of status will he have?

Contact his background and backstage, let alone that.

Where in the world is there love for no reason! Fang Chongyong was mixed in Dugu Jun's team, not to hide his whereabouts, where did he simply go?

The two sat in the carriage and chatted, and the time passed quickly, and it was evening at once.

"This line was originally maintained by the Xinquan Army, but it was demoted to guard in the third year of Kaiyuan, and now even the garrison has been moved to Wulan Pass. If not, we wouldn't have to sleep in the wilderness along the way. ”

Dugu Jun couldn't help but complain.

From the former Liangzhou to Wulan Pass, Datang was equipped with an army to maintain the security of the passage, and by the way, the garrison also provided some convenience for past merchants and officials to supplement military spending.

However, the ecological environment of the station has deteriorated, resulting in the administrative downgrading to guarding. And because the Ulan Pass is far superior to the original garrison of the Xinquan Army in terms of geographical location and natural conditions, this led to the Xinquan Army almost changing its name to the Ulan Army, and the Xinquan Army was relocated and became an authentic "fortress army".

Anyway, the Silk Road between the Hexi Corridor and Chang'an has a relatively short distance, but there is a real flaw.

For Fang Chongyong and them, after all, it is still the same sentence: be careful to sail the ship of ten thousand years.

Even if you are about to arrive in Liangzhou City, it does not mean that you can sit back and relax.

After Fang Chongyong arrived at the original garrison of the Xinquan Army, the group chose to camp and camp by a river where the water is very shallow and gentle, and only when the water rises in spring and summer, and light a bonfire, and barely enclose half a circle with carriages and horses, which is also a last resort.

Slightly away from the earthen house abandoned by the Shinsen Army.

They chose to leave Wulan Pass at dusk, walked to the vicinity of the Xinquan Army garrison and then rested and camped, and hurried the next day to catch up for a day, and could reach Liangzhou City without nightfall. The location of the original garrison of the Xinquan Army was so ingenious.

If you leave Ulan Pass early in the morning, when you have to camp at night, the team will be within the range of the Tibetan rangers.

The lesser of two evils, there is no problem with Dugujun's choice.

Just as everyone was chatting casually around the bonfire, the sound of horses' hooves was heard in the distance, galloping from the main road, from far and near!

"The Tang Army will not patrol the post road at night, it must be a bandit! Hide! ”

Dugu Jun's complexion changed greatly, he didn't expect to encounter this kind of thing just after leaving Wulan Pass.

There will be no Tubo people here, but Hu people who pretend to be Tubo people and try to fish in troubled waters cannot be ruled out! Fortunately, he hired more than a dozen guards, and if something happened, he could resist for a while.

First, let's swing the sculls.

(End of chapter)