Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 37 Rewarded Again
"Long live the Tang Dynasty! Long live the Tang Dynasty!"

"Soldier, keep this for yourself!"

"Grandpa, is the Tang Dynasty our home in the east?"

"Yes, yes, yes...but now Shandan is our home, this is the Tang Dynasty..."

"Tang Dynasty..."

At dusk, upon learning that Shandan City had been completely taken over by Shazhou soldiers, some Han, Sogdian and Umu people who had been hiding in their homes for the past few days took to the streets.

Under their gaze, when the Tibetan flags on the city gate tower and the bell and drum towers in the city were replaced with the Three Stars Flag of the Tang Dynasty, the people seemed to be celebrating like crazy.

More people poured out from the narrow streets and alleys, their faces no longer showing the sorrow and fear of the past, but instead with smiles of relief, which contained hope for the future and a desire for freedom.

The cheers and the sounds of gongs and drums intertwined to form a symphony of celebration.

Some children are asking questions, the elderly are answering, and expressing their feelings...

Groups of children were running through the crowd. Although they looked gray, their eyes were shining brightly.

Although they no longer knew how to speak Chinese or write Chinese characters, they knew that they were Han people and the subjects of the Tang Dynasty.

Groups of people took out valuables from their homes and excitedly presented everything they had in front of the government office and the government warehouse, fearing that without these things, the Shazhou army would withdraw from Shandan City.

They were very enthusiastic towards the patrolling Shazhou soldiers and bowed their heads to them at every turn. Every movement expressed their joy and gratitude.

Carefully prepared food is placed at the door of every household.

Corn rice balls, aged meat jerky, and long-buried wine...

Everything on the table represents deep respect and gratitude to the soldiers of Shazhou.

The soldiers of the Shazhou Army were dressed in military uniforms, and the armor plates flashed a cold light in the dusk.

However, in the face of the people's enthusiasm, their expressions revealed a hint of warmth and tenderness.

They did not dare to take the food, but gently stroked the children's heads with their rough fingers and bowed to the elders.

The solemnity and respect made everyone present feel the majesty and warmth of the Shazhou soldiers.

On both sides of the street, shabby signs swayed in the wind, as if they were also rejoicing for the city's rebirth.

The smoke from the cooking stove rises up, bringing with it the smell of home and heralding the restart of life for the people on this land.

Shandan City, a city that once languished under the shadow of Tubo, is now radiating new vitality and vigor under the protection of the Sanchen Banner.

"My fellow soldiers, take this and eat it!"

Some people came forward, slaughtered and cooked the poultry that they usually were reluctant to eat, and excitedly presented them to Zhang Yichao, Liu Jilong and others.

Although they were stopped by the guards, they were determined to offer their best.

"Huai Rong, let the soldiers accept it."

Zhang Yichao looked at the scene before him and actually agreed to accept the gifts from the people.

Such a military order surprised Zhang Huairong, but after a moment of reaction, he chose to obey the order.

Zhang Yichao continued to move forward, and soon he brought Liu Jilong and Zhang Huairong to the Drum Tower of Shandan City.

The Drum Tower is built of rammed earth and is more than two meters high. It houses a large drum for telling time.

The space above is not wide, only about ten square meters.

Zhang Yichao stood in front of the big drum, his hands on the parapet, looking at the sun that was about to set in the distance.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone on his face, but instead of revealing his old age, it made him look more energetic.

"Now that Gansu and Su have been recovered, our Eastern Expedition will soon come to an end." Zhang Yichao said this with an indescribable feeling, and then glanced sideways at Liu Jilong and Zhang Huairong.

"Shandan is the gateway for our army to advance eastward. I intend to set up a Zhechong Central Commandery here. Huairong will concurrently serve as the Zhechong Commander and the Right Guoyi Commander, Suoxun will serve as the Left Guoyi Commander, and Jilong will temporarily serve as the deputy general under the Right Guoyi Commander."

The Tang Dynasty's Zhechoufu was divided into three levels: the best was 1,200 soldiers, the middle was 1,000, and the worst was 800.

The Zhechoufu was staffed with one Zhechou Duwei, one left and one right Guoyi Duwei, one Bingcao and one Biejiang, and the number of Xiaowei was determined according to their ranks.

Liu Jilong didn't expect that he had been promoted to a higher rank less than a month ago, but now he has jumped to a higher rank and become a special general.

A separate general is also called a partial general. Although he has no troops to lead, judging from the meaning of Zhang Yichao's words, this division of troops is to let him help Zhang Huairong lead the troops under the command of the Right Guoyi Duwei.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong could only sigh in his heart that it was really easy for big people to promote small people.

At the same time, he knelt on one knee and raised his hand to bow: "I will obey your command!"

Compared with Liu Jilong, Zhang Huairong did not agree so quickly.

He stood there without bowing, and Zhang Yichao saw this and signaled Liu Jilong: "Jilong, go downstairs and wait first."

"I'll take my leave!" Liu Jilong slowly retreated, then turned around and walked down the Drum Tower.

After Liu Jilong left, Zhang Huairong spoke up, "Governor, Liu Jilong is certainly brave and resourceful, but if you promote him to a special general so quickly, I'm afraid Suo Zhongyi and Li En will react."

"This is one of the reasons why I appointed him as a special general to help you lead the troops." Zhang Yichao sighed.

"Liu Jilong comes from a low-class background and has a clean identity."

"Many of our generals and lieutenants are from wealthy and powerful families. If this continues, the soldiers below will surely complain."

"Promoting Liu Jilong can not only demonstrate fairness but also set a benchmark. Why not do it?"

"Besides, Li En, Suo Zhongyi and the others all have their own thoughts and plans, and they are not as pure as Liu Jilong."

"Shandan is an important place. Suo Xun is a good kid. He is one of the few children of the Suo family who wants to return to the east, so I will leave him here."

"But if you only leave him here, I'm worried that you won't be able to keep him in check. If you don't watch out for a moment, Shandan will inevitably become the place where the Suo family will make their fortune again."

"Leave Liu Jilong here and let him help you lead the troops. This is the best solution I can think of."

"Uncle..." Zhang Huairong's address was more intimate. He also knew that his uncle had a difficult life.

Faced with Suo Zhongyi, Li En and other people who had their own thoughts, his uncle was thinking only about returning to the Tang Dynasty.

In the entire Shazhou Army, apart from his uncle, the only one who thought so was his cousin Zhang Huaishen.

In this world, it is rare to find people as pure as them.

Thinking of this, Zhang Huairong knelt on one knee and raised his hand to bow: "Uncle, please rest assured, nephew will definitely manage Shandan well!"

"Well, I believe you." Zhang Yichao helped him up and said:
"This time we are leading our army eastward to Shandan. The Huihe in the north are not stable. I have to go back to Zhangye to take charge of the situation. Shandan is now in your hands."

"That Liu Jilong, if you use him well, it won't be a problem to check and balance Suo Xun, but you still need to be on guard against him."

"Be on guard?" Zhang Huairong asked puzzledly, "Didn't my uncle say he was very pure?"

"Yeah..." Zhang Yichao let out a long sigh, walked to the parapet, and looked down at Liu Jilong who was waiting under the Drum Tower.

"Compared to that group of people, he is indeed very pure, but he also has his own thoughts. It's just that he knows what we should do now, while that group of people don't know."

Zhang Yichao walked to the other side of the Drum Tower. The afterglow of dusk was blocked by the big drum. He looked towards the distant east and did not come back to his senses for a long time.

After a long while, he slowly uttered a word.

"If we want to return to the Tang Dynasty, we must recapture Liangzhou. However, our army is weak... I don't know if I can achieve this in my lifetime..."

(End of this chapter)