stubborn thief

On the banks of the Tomu River.

Taimeng Acropolis.

Unlike the bustling and hot Xi'an Prefecture, Taimengwei in August is shrouded in a continuous drizzle. Even on cloudy days when it doesn't rain, the heat is not as unbearable as in midsummer.

Wang Jinzhong, clad in chainmail, stood on the mountainside, watching the Tai Mengwei's divisional team digging trenches.

His term of service on the border had expired, and he should have returned to Xining, but on Sunday, he was forced to stay because he was offered the position of commander of the Taimeng Guard.

In fact, the position of commander did not initially appeal to Wang Jinzhong.

After all, Zhou Riqiang is there. Even if he becomes the commander, he is not qualified to hold the seal. At most, he is a commander in charge of training troops but without real authority, and his power is limited.

According to the agreement made by Liu Chengzong back then, he could be promoted upon returning to the Central Plains. At that time, the Marshal's Mansion was vying for supremacy, and returning now would allow him to catch up with a major battle.

It's better than being stuck in this godforsaken place, starving and freezing with nothing to eat, and having to fight some nobody from the west.

Not to mention, his elderly father lived alone in the Hehuang family. He had been away for several years, and although letters from home had never stopped, he was still worried about him.

The person who made him change his mind was Zhou Yijing.

Wang Jinzhong was born into a family of servants and had no lofty ambitions or knowledge. He surrendered with Wang Chengen and served as a soldier for Liu Chengzong, all for the seven bushels of monthly rations, the tea, oil, dried meat, and pocket money that his father could use to buy wine.

Later, he was willing to go to Tianshan, but all he wanted was a future as a fifth-rank military officer.

But Zhou Yijing was a scholar who had descended to earth as a literary genius; he was a truly insightful person who could draw anything.

People like this have been sent to Taimengwei by the Grand Marshal... This godforsaken place may look like a godforsaken place, but it will definitely have a bright future!
The day after Zhou Yijing arrived in Taimengwei, Wang Jinzhong wrote a letter to his elderly father, saying that he could not take care of him and suggested that he have another child.

At the same time, Zhou Riqiang wrote a letter to Yang Dingrui, the governor of Qinghai, hoping that Governor Yang could help him find a stepmother to take care of his elderly father's daily life... He would stay in Tianshan and serve the Grand Marshal in this remote corner of the country for another three years!
He didn't want to go back after seeing Zhou Yijing.

But when Zhou Yijing saw them, he was so distressed that he cried in his dreams.

Since following Hong Chengchou's defeat until arriving at Taimengwei, Zhou Yijing's mind had been a complete mess.

He was first imprisoned, and while he and others were considering dying for their country, he was forced to say goodbye to his fellow prisoners and was summoned by Liu Chengzong.

This was something he was completely unprepared for; everyone thought that Hong Chengchou would be the first to be summoned.

The meeting wasn't the kind of surrender he had imagined.

That was entirely Liu Chengzong's own account. He simply said that he had expanded the territory, briefly introduced the situation of defeating the Oirat Mongols, and then told him that he had become a military officer and would go to guard the border for the Han people.

Zhou Yijing was pushed and shoved away by Liu Chengzong's rude guards. Before he could even process what was happening, two carts of luggage were brought over, and he was loaded onto them and taken away.

He set off with the army, spending his days in a daze, swaying and drifting in and out of consciousness on the horse-drawn carriage.

In fact, Zhou Yijing is not afraid of being exiled.

He was not some scholar who had never traveled far from home. His ancestral home was Xi'an, but he grew up in Quzhou, Zhejiang. He passed the imperial examination and was appointed as a county magistrate. He went to Haifeng, Guangdong. Yan Siqi, the leader who carried out large-scale reclamation of Taiwan, was from Haifeng. "One out of every three households along the coast is a pirate."

Qiantou Village within the territory was captured by Zheng Zhilong just half a year ago and used as his lair.

When Zhou Yijing took office, the local area was frequently flooded, and many people followed the bandits to the sea. Therefore, he called on the people to donate money to buy fields and ponds. Combining feng shui, he built Nanmen Lake in the Bing direction outside the south gate of the county government office; and built Wenfeng Pagoda in the Ding direction of Xiedao Mountain.

The stone gate at the base of the tower faces the northeast (Gen) direction. Together with other peaks and water features, it forms the "Six Auspicious Symbols of Prosperity" pattern (Gen, Bing, Ding, Xun, Xin, Dui), receiving the auspicious waters of the county's Yuan Chen (original energy), creating a grand and elegant feng shui atmosphere to revitalize Haifeng's fortune.

He's very skilled at controlling floods, and he's also very knowledgeable in feng shui and geomancy.

But his most impressive feat was using feng shui and geomancy theories to persuade commoners to donate money during times of war and chaos, and even pirates had to donate money to him for construction projects.

Even the most powerful pirates who sailed overseas had to return home to worship their ancestors, and their sons also had to take the imperial examinations, all of which required the auspicious energy of the Wenfeng Pagoda.

Therefore, his reputation as an official was excellent.

Before the pagoda was even completed, Zhou Yijing was promoted to Imperial Inspector of Gansu.

exile?

He's been all over the world, from north to south.
But when he heard that the place they were going to was north of the Tianshan Mountains, in the territory of the Oirat Tartars, Zhou Yijing was really scared... He had never been to this place before, and had never even heard of it.

The main problem was the army traveling with him. They didn't look like respectable people either. They were like He Renlong, Gao Jie, and Li Chengdong. It was a miracle they had enough rations if they didn't eat him on the way.

Still in shock, exhausted from the journey, unable to eat or sleep, and at a loss for what to do.

Every day I eat fried noodles and fried rice, which are hard to swallow.

After crossing the Yellow River and traversing the valley, we encountered pirates who were different from those in Haifeng, as rumored.

Southern pirates are thieves who roam the seas.

The pirates of the North are thieves in the desert.

it's the same.

People's clothing and attire gradually became unfamiliar, and their language became increasingly incomprehensible.

Even the wheels of the carriage were worn out from all the walking.

He paused briefly in each nomadic tribe. The civil officials in the military were so conspicuous. Those officers, who were speaking in Mongolian dialect, led the herdsmen, while the herdsmen lined up, pulling most of their children along, and knelt down to kiss his official boots, asking him to pat each of them on the head.

The officer in charge explained that Commander Xie of the Mongolian brigade persuaded the central government to include the various tribes of Qinghai in the imperial examination system. Anyone who could write Chinese characters had to participate in the preliminary examination for the first degree. If they passed, Commander Xie would reward them with two sheep and a knife.

Look, he said that no matter whether they sail a boat or ride a horse, the sons of pirates must also take the imperial examinations.

People believed that the Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) were no different from deities walking in the world, and that they should borrow his divine power of passing the imperial examinations to fulfill the dreams of high-achieving students.

He stroked the head of each shepherd boy expressionlessly, like a precise machine, but his mind was elsewhere.

I suppose Liu Chengzong's talk of expanding territory is just that—expanding territory.

These are all things that have already reached the sea. In the south, matters at sea are not under the jurisdiction of the imperial court.

He thought the long journey was nearing its end.

They said that they still had to cross 600 miles of desert where no one was, walk 400 miles of waterless desert, and drink water from the karez well built by the Taiji. This journey to the far west that belonged to him had just begun.

We set off again.

These were post stations scattered across the yellow sands, far from any city. The veterans stationed there inquired about the latest movements of their old friends and acquaintances. Yellow sheep, adorned with bells, shuttled between the post stations, delivering letters from home.

The desperate bandits in the desert, who didn't even own horses, came galloping through the yellow sand. When they realized that their target was an army, they disappeared into the endless yellow sand even faster.

When his nose finally got used to the smell of camels, Zhou Yijing saw the outline of Hami City amidst the sound of camel bells.

This famous city, which had been reclaimed and lost three times and had haunted the Ming Dynasty for a century, was now being greeted by Hami Khan, who led a hundred-man army without armor or warhorses.

This Khan, who shared the same name as Bo Bai, who had harassed Ningxia during the Wanli era, was extremely mercenary. He did everything he could to sell all the goods in the city to the army and even generously gifted Zhou Yijing his own ornately decorated carriage. He had only one small wish: that when he reached the Tianshan Mountains, he would persuade Chu Hu'er to stop his annual border crossings to harass Hami.

They don't even need to achieve anything; they just want him to help.

Zhou Yijing refused Babai Khan's carriage, saying that he was just an exile and didn't even know who Chu Hu'er was, let alone whether he could do it.

Unexpectedly, when Babai Khan heard that he was an exile, his eyes lit up and he immediately started talking, pouring out his grievances to him.

They say that life wasn't like this back when the Ming Dynasty was in power.

The tribute processions along the Jin Road were polite, civilized, and wealthy. They could easily slip a few coins through their fingers and that would be enough to fill their stomachs in Hami City.

Unlike Liu Chengzong, who, after arriving, launched campaigns east and west, with his troops running rampant everywhere, recruiting and taking in villains from all over the country. Chu Hu'er of Tianshan was a notorious villain, causing unrest in every household along the way, robbing anyone he saw.

If Liu Chengzong's wickedness is a ten, then Chu Hu'er's is at least a three.

Zhou Yijing felt that this Mr. Babai was not a good person, and that this was completely malicious slander.

Although he did not know Chu Hu'er, he was also someone who had drunk water from the Taiji Well. How bad could the Taiji be, who could painstakingly dig those wells in the hundreds of miles of desert and benefit travelers?
Now he wasn't so resistant to Liu Chengzong anymore.

That Grand Marshal, aside from being a bit uneducated and exiling surrendered generals to distant places, wasn't exactly utterly wicked.

But Babaihan did make him feel right at home in Hami, so much so that when Zhou Yijing set off to leave Hami, he felt a distinct sadness of leaving his hometown.

Of course, this sadness may not have anything to do with Babai Khan. It's just that Hami City is the most remote and mysterious city in Zhou Yijing's knowledge. After leaving here, he has no idea where to go next.

But they were not completely ignorant.

We set off again and arrived at the Flaming Mountains.

There was no alchemy furnace of Laozi here, but Zhou Yijing saw a mirage. He Renlong and his men had long been prepared for battle. As soon as they saw the distant village, they sent out elite cavalry scouts, ready to fight.

The result is nothing.

Later, He Renlong and his men parted ways with them. The young officer nicknamed Li Hezi always had a joking smile on his face and said that they were going to Lion Camel Ridge and would no longer travel with Master Wenqu.

However, the rest of the journey was much easier.

The unchanging Gobi Desert has been transformed into beautiful grasslands and magnificent snow-capped mountains, with the Yili horses that Zhou Yijing had seen in Liu Chengzong's army galloping through the boundless forest.

Tianshan.

Beneath the snow-capped mountains, on a high plateau where the endless forest and grassland meet, stands a city enclosed by four earthen walls.

Tianshan Guard City.

The garrison commander stationed here is Liu Chengzong's elder brother, Liu Chengzhu.

The city was bustling with activity and people were building it. There were also large and small arsenals and supply depots. Although people were dressed in armor and carrying muskets, they were not panicked. There were also many women and children in the city, and they seemed to be living in peace and contentment.

Zhou Yijing thought this place was pretty good. Although it was a long journey and a bit cold, it had food, drink and was lively.

It seems that the new frontier opened up by Liu Chengzong is developing quite well.

In the government office filled with military officers of the Tianshan Guard, Zhou Yijing met Liu Chengzhu.

Unlike Liu Chengzong, who was in Han territory but whose clothing was somewhat Mongolian, Liu Chengzhu wore a headscarf, a battle jacket, a goose feather knife at his waist, and a flintlock musket, making him look like a Ming army officer.

Even the entire Tianshan Guard Headquarters seemed to become tense under his aura, as if a war was underway.

Zhou Yijing thought to himself that he had been exiled to this government office for reporting, and that the superior was being a bit too serious. It seemed that he would have to be more careful in his future behavior.

But in reality, after Liu Chengzhu learned of his origins, he couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention, because the tense atmosphere in the yamen was not caused by him, but because there was a real war going on in Tianshan.

The incident began when Duerboda, who had long resided in Shaanxi, obtained Liu Chengzong's consent to order his son to lead his troops to the sea, leaving some pastureland in the Tianshan Mountains to be allocated to the Tianshan Guard.

When the nobles of the Oirat Alliance were dividing up new pastures, they made a mistake in allocating nomadic lands. The pastures that several nobles were supposed to graze on this year had been grazed bare, triggering a chain reaction.

If someone else's livestock eats the grass, it's a big deal; it requires cutting and drawing blood.

He started fighting with himself.

As a force for maintaining stability, the Tianshan Army has dispatched troops to the border to prevent the Kazakh Khan from taking the opportunity to seize grasslands. At the same time, Liu Chengzhu needs to obtain the latest intelligence on the conflict and be ready to send troops to mediate at any time.

He had no time to care about Zhou Yijing.

"You're out of luck. There's fighting at Lake Zaisang, so you can't take a boat there. I'll have someone take you to Altai. From there, it's another two thousand li by water to get to where you're supposed to be... How much weight can you draw? Never mind, do you even know how to use it?"

Zhou Yijing was still reeling from the shock of still being two thousand miles north of Tianshan when Liu Chengzhu stuffed the musket and gunpowder pouch from his waist into his hands and casually ordered two soldiers to join him.

"Never leave their side. If you know how to ride and shoot, always carry your bow. If you don't know how to use a musket, learn on the ship. If any strangers approach, fire your guns and kill them without hesitation."

"During the spring floods, it's inevitable to navigate dangerous shoals. When you're near the shore, avoid going into the woods. Beware of lynxes, flying bears, and snow leopards. Don't get snatched up. Also, watch out for wild horses and donkeys; a kick from one can hurt a lot."

"When you get to a place, listen and observe more. Don't hunt if you're unfamiliar with the area. Don't trust anyone except the Tianshan Army. The Banner Army are forest subjects; they'll kill you if you're alone in the wild. The convicts are vicious; they'll do the same to you in the fort."

"And Chu Hu'er's cavalrymen with fire pokers, stay away from them, those barbarians will poke anyone they see."

After giving his instructions and receiving military intelligence, Liu Chengzhu left the government office to gather troops and led his cavalry westward, ignoring the mentally unstable Zhou Yijing.

A little scary.

Fortunately, two soldiers were left behind, and they took Zhou Yijing and headed to Altay.

Liu Chengzhu only said that it would take more than 2,000 li by water from Altai to Taimengwei, but he didn't tell Zhou Yijing that it was still more than 1,000 li from Tianshanwei City to Altai.

Zhou Yijing had been bouncing on horseback for half a month, and he was almost driven crazy by this long and arduous journey to the far west.

Finally boarding the military boat on the Tomu River, Zhou Yijing was a completely different person, inside and out, compared to when he set off from Shaanxi.

The long voyage of two thousand miles was without disaster or difficulty. When they finally set foot on solid ground, they found themselves in a vast and desolate wilderness they had never heard of before.

The setting sun hangs above the wide river, casting a golden glow on the river surface and the boundless coniferous forest. The dense forest surrounds and protects a small mountain, on which a fortress made of logs has been built.

The dirt road in the dense forest wound its way from the fortress through the woods, leading directly to his feet.

At that moment, Zhou Yijing didn't know who he was, where he was, or what he was supposed to do.

All he knew was that on the bank of the great river, the huge rock that had stood there had been flattened, and the inscription carved out was in red ink, with fourteen characters written on it.

Grand Marshal's Mansion, Tai Meng Guard.

This journey to Xi'an is nine thousand li. (End of Chapter)