Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 88 The fox pretends to be the tiger's power
"Wow—"

Under the azure sky, a goshawk soars in the sky, making eagle cries from time to time.

In its sharp gaze, a long snake seemed to be crawling slowly in the valley between the snow-capped mountains.

For it, this slowly crawling long snake is undoubtedly the most suitable food to hunt at the moment.

However, when it was about to pounce down, a shadow shot out from the long snake, which scared the hawk so much that it flapped its wings and flew away.

"Straight thief!"

"Haha, give me money, give me money!"

On the valley road, the long snake in the eyes of the goshawk was not an animal, but a team heading from Shandan to Shancheng.

Eight hundred elite cavalrymen from Shanzhou and Shandan guarded more than a thousand horse-drawn carriages. In addition to the Shanzhou light cavalry driving the carriages, there were also bags of heavy food and beans, and tents.

Four days had passed since they set out, and it was now the fifth day of April.

"It took four days to travel 180 miles. At this speed, it will take at least another nine days to reach Shancheng."

On horseback, Zhang Chang put away his bow, and ignoring Li Ji's teasing about giving him money, he complained to Liu Jilong about the long journey.

The Tangqi had already marched more than twenty miles, so their armor was placed on the horse-drawn carts that transported grain, and everyone traveled light.

Even so, the boredom of the journey still made them think of ways to play.

As long as they didn't go too far, Liu Jilong wouldn't scold them.

Seeing Zhang Chang complaining, Liu Jilong glanced at the carriage in front and then scanned the valley.

The Sanxie Road is over 500 miles long, running directly from Qilian City to Shancheng, the seat of Shanzhou. Its widest point is no more than 100 steps, and its narrowest point is only more than 10 steps.

Looking up, there was still snow piled on the mountain, and there were few bushes along the road, making it very difficult to make a fire.

Fortunately, there were streams in the valley that could provide water, and Liu Jilong and his men had prepared enough coal to make a fire, otherwise the journey would have been really difficult.

"Be patient, it's only been a journey of more than ten days and you're already complaining. In the future, when a large army takes dozens of days to travel, you might rebel."

Liu Jilong gave them an injection for prevention, but everyone looked at each other in confusion and no one dared to say anything.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong also calmed down and became alert to changes around him.

Although he did not think that Tuoba Huaiguang would dare to break off relations with Shang Bibi, he still ordered Zhang Chang and his men to move the Tang cavalry thirty miles away just in case.

During the days of the march, Liu Jilong had a lot of communication with Shang Bibi, and there were a few pieces of information that caught his special attention.

Minzhou, located in the south of Hezhou and Weizhou, was a sulfur mining site of Tubo in the past. Thousands of kilograms of sulfur were mined every year for use as medicinal materials.

This was the first sulfur mining site that Liu Jilong knew about in recent years, so he kept in mind the fact that Minzhou produced sulfur.

Hexi and Longxi are not short of high-quality saltpeter, and charcoal is even easier to obtain, but sulfur is extremely difficult to find.

If Liu Jilian could gather all three materials, it would be much easier to attack the five cities in Liangzhou.

Most of the city walls of this era were made of rammed earth, so only enough black gunpowder was needed to blow down the wall.

If Liu Jilian remembers correctly, gunpowder was used in wars in the late Tang Dynasty, and many firearms evolved in the Song Dynasty.

Because of this, many fortified cities in the Song Dynasty began to be built using rammed earth and bricks.

In the Ming Dynasty, more powerful artillery appeared. Therefore, the city walls of the Ming Dynasty were made as thick as possible by covering them with rammed earth and bricks, so that artillery could not easily break through the walls.

Many brick-clad ancient cities in later generations are masterpieces left over from the Ming Dynasty.

Liu Jilong didn't know how much gunpowder was needed to blast open a gap, but as long as there was enough sulfur, he could produce enough black powder.

It was unrealistic for him to buy sulfur by himself, but if he bought it through Shang Bibi, then there would be no problem.

While he was thinking this, the entire team was moving further and further along the valley road towards Shancheng.

From the time they finished spring plowing and set out on April 2nd, it was not until April 13th that they finally got out of Sanshao Road.

The scorching sun at noon melted the white snow on the Qilian Mountains, and the snow turned into snow water, flowing into the river along the gullies formed in previous years.

In this process, not only the Hexi cities on the Hexi Corridor benefited, but also Shancheng, which is adjacent to the Huangshui River.

Shanzhou has three counties under its jurisdiction, namely Huangshui County where the government is located, Shancheng County, and Longzhi County.

Now all three counties have been recovered by Tuoba Huaiguang, but long before the war, Shang Bibi moved the population and grain of Huangshui and Longzhi counties to Shancheng.

Later, seeing that Shancheng could not be defended, Shang Bibi led 3,000 light cavalry to flee. Therefore, in the massacre by Lun Kongre, not many people in Shanzhou were killed or injured. Only the tribes outside the city who were sitting on the fence were slaughtered.

As the team walked out of the valley, more than ten miles away was Shancheng County, the gateway to Hehuang.

The two Tangqi had already negotiated and passed the news to the Shancheng and Shanzhou armies respectively.

"Reporting to the Jiedushi, Tuoba Duhu led Shanzhou officials and soldiers to line up outside the north gate of Shancheng to welcome you."

On the river valley plain, Shang Duoluo bowed and reported, while Liu Jilong looked at the carriage beside him.

Inside the carriage, Shang Bibi looked at Liu Jilong upon hearing this.

"Are you sure it's a welcoming parade, not a show of force?"

Liu Jilong's words made Shang Bibi look embarrassed, but it was because he was worried about this situation that he specially invited Liu Jilong to escort him here.

Therefore, after the embarrassment, Shang Bibi still bowed to Liu Jilong and said, "Thank you, Liu Guoyi."

"Zhang Chang, Li Ji, Geng Ming... give the order to pierce the armor!"

Liu Jilian did not respond to Shang Bibi, but used military orders to tell him what his attitude was.

Tuoba Huaiguang was showing off his power, so Liu Jilong had no choice but to be timid.

Shang Bibi had already told Liu Jilian about the situation in Shanzhou. In short, it was impossible for Tuoba Huaiguang to mobilize 800 elite cavalry to confront them, not to mention that Shanzhou's life-saving food was still in their hands.

"Screw rustle..."

Amid the rustling sound of armor being pierced, the elite cavalry from Shanzhou and Shandan put on their armor one after another, while the light cavalry from Shanzhou in the rear only needed to drive their carriages.

During the entire armor-piercing process, the Shandan soldiers helped each other and were ready to go in less than half a cup of tea.

In comparison, the more than 300 elite cavalrymen from Shanzhou took a long time and took a quarter of an hour to put on their armor.

Just from a simple question of armor, we can see the level of both sides.

Fortunately, Shang Bibi often went to Shandan and had long known about the elite strength of the Shandan army, so she did not feel embarrassed about it.

"set off!"

Following Liu Jilian's order, more than 800 elite cavalrymen cleared the way and headed south.

The valley near Shancheng is very wide, so a lot of arable land has been opened up.

It's a pity that these arable lands have been severely damaged by Lun Kongre's cavalry. Although half a year has passed, no crops have been planted on these arable lands. It is probably because the arable lands have been contaminated by raw manure. They will not recover without being left fallow for a year.

"How many acres of arable land are there in the west and south of the city?"

Liu Jilong glanced at Shang Bibi in the carriage. Shang Bibi did not hide anything: "Eighty or ninety thousand acres."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong said nothing, but just kept on going.

Under his command, Shancheng in the south began to become vaguely visible.

By the time of Shenshi (15:), they were only two or three miles away from Shancheng, and could already see a large number of cavalrymen ready for battle in the distance.

"If you don't know, you might think we're here to attack the city..."

Zhang Chang spoke impatiently, and Geng Ming and Li Ji also looked unhappy.

Liu Jilian said nothing, but led 800 elite cavalrymen step by step towards Shancheng.

The armor on their bodies sparkled brightly in the sun, but there were only a few people in Shancheng who could wear it.

Liu Jilong had amazing eyesight. With just a careful look, he determined that the number of armored soldiers under Tuoba Huaiguang would not exceed five hundred.

Behind the five hundred armored soldiers are several thousand light soldiers wearing leather coats, so they are nothing to worry about.

Seeing this situation, Liu Jilong also understood why Shang Bibi ran away.

Compared with the scale of more than 10,000 armored soldiers gathered by Kongre, it would be strange if these armored soldiers in Shancheng did not run away.

But no one expected that Tuoba Huaiguang could actually withstand Lun Kongre's fierce attack and take the opportunity to recapture the two cities of Huangshui and Longzhi.

"Protector General, is that the Tang army?"

"Um……"

Under the flag of Shanzhou, a guard tentatively asked Tuoba Huaiguang. After Tuoba Huaiguang responded, he shook the reins and walked towards the Shandan elite cavalry.

Hundreds of armored soldiers and thousands of light soldiers behind him followed him closely, and the Shandan army opposite them also refused to give in.

A quarter of an hour later, the two armies were only fifty steps apart. Tuoba Huaiguang took the lead in stopping and raising his whip, and thousands of Shanzhou soldiers stopped one after another.

Liu Jilian led Shang Duoluo and more than a hundred other elite cavalrymen to guard Shang Bibi's carriage and finally stopped in front of Tuoba Huaiguang.

During this period, Tuoba Huaiguang's eyes were always on Liu Jillong, because Liu Jillong was very eye-catching both in appearance and figure.

Of course, what caught Tuoba Huaiguang's attention the most was the way Liu Jilong looked at them. His eyes were calm, as if these thousands of people posed no threat to him at all.

"This must be Shandan Liu Guoyi, right?"

Tuoba Huaiguang dismounted and saluted Liu Jillong on horseback with his arms folded. Liu Jillong also nodded and looked at him.

Tuoba Huaiguang was not tall, but he was strong and robust, and it was obvious that he was an excellent cavalry general. No wonder he dared to lead 500 elite cavalry to attack Lun Kongre in history.

After looking at him, Liu Jilong turned to look at Shang Bibi, only to see that he had just got off the carriage and glanced at the soldiers in Shancheng.

There was a hint of surprise in his eyes. He obviously didn't expect that there would be so many soldiers in Shancheng, and all this was undoubtedly the masterpiece of Tuoba Huaiguang.

"I am honored to see the governor, and I have done my duty!"

Tuoba Huaiguang saluted Shang Bibi without hesitation. Shang Bibi smiled and stepped forward to help him up: "Huaiguang, it seems that I was not wrong about you. Shancheng was indeed defended by you."

"I heard that you have recovered the two cities of Huangshui and Longzhi. You should be credited with a great achievement!"

After saying that, Shang Bibi turned to look at her eldest son Shang Moyan, who took a wooden box from the carriage.

When Tuoba Huaiguang saw the wooden box, his eyes widened.

In front of him, Shang Bibi took the wooden box with both hands and walked up to him, saying with a smile: "This is the seal of the Jiedushi of Shanzhou. From today on, you are the Jiedushi of Shanzhou!"

"This..." Tuoba Huaiguang really wanted the seal of the Shanzhou Jiedushi, but he was hesitant to take it.

After struggling for a while, he finally bowed and said, "Jiedushi, you are the only Jiedushi of Shanzhou. How dare I cross the line?"

It’s not that he doesn’t want it, but the biggest problem in Shanzhou right now is food, and only Shang Bibi can solve the food problem.

Tuoba Huaiguang was not blind. He knew that behind Liu Jilian's eight hundred elite cavalrymen were carts of food.

Not only did he see the grain, but the Shancheng soldiers behind him also saw it.

He wanted to be the governor of Shanzhou, but he knew better that he could not bring food, while Shang Bibi could.

As long as Shang Bibi can keep bringing food, the group of people behind her will abandon her without hesitation and join Shang Bibi's army.

In this case, he could only suppress his ambition and continue to serve under Shang Bibi.

If Shang Bibi could not tolerate him, he could lead his loyal followers to surrender to the Tang Dynasty.

"Haha... Huaiguang, you misunderstood."

Shang Bibi chuckled and helped him up, while putting the seal into his arms.

"I will soon submit a petition to the Tang Dynasty, asking them to appoint me as the governor of Hehuang and to send troops to recapture Kuzhou."

"When the time comes, I will travel back and forth between Shan and Kuo, and Shanzhou will be handed over to you."

Shang Bibi was still making empty promises as usual. You know, even if he took back the three cities of Shanzhou, he would only have eight or nine hundred armored soldiers and three or four thousand light soldiers under his command.

Trying to recapture Guzhou with such a small force is nothing but wishful thinking.

However, in order to appease Tuoba Huaiguang, Shang Bibi still drew the cake first.

Anyway, he now has Hexi as his backer, so he is not afraid that Tuoba Huaiguang will attack him.

"This this……"

Tuoba Huaiguang wanted to take it but didn't dare to. In the end, Shang Bibi forced the seal into his arms, and he finally took it.

"Then I will take it..."

"That's right, Huaiguang!"

Shang Bi Bi was obviously very reluctant in her heart, but she pretended to be very magnanimous on the surface.

"Okay." He turned to look at Liu Jilong and said, "Liu Guoyi, please order your troops to deliver food into the city."

Liu Jilong didn't say anything, but just nodded and signaled Zhang Chang.

Zhang Chang understood what he meant. He first led a hundred elite cavalry into Shancheng to investigate the situation. After confirming that there was no ambush, he returned to the front and responded to Liu Jilong with his eyes.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong ordered Shang Duoluo to escort the less than 10,000 shi of grain behind them into the city.

They have consumed a lot of food these days. Of the 10,000 shi of food that they originally shipped, there are probably only 9,400 to 9,500 shi left now.

But even so, this was not all the food, because Liu Jilian also had to escort 6,000 Han people to Shandan, so he only transported 8,000 shi of food into the city, leaving 1,500 shi as food for the army's return journey.

He had discussed this with Shang Bi Bi a long time ago, so Shang Bi Bi had no objection.

"drive!"

"Sorry..."

Seeing cartloads of grain entering the city, the soldiers of Shanzhou stretched their necks, fearing that the grain would disappear once it was out of their sight.

During this period, Liu Jilian had been observing the actions of the Shanzhou soldiers, so when he saw them staring at the food, he knew that Shanzhou was running out of food.

After knowing that Shanzhou was short of food, Liu Jilong no longer worried about Shang Bibi's safety.

Although 8,000 dan of grain was a lot, it was only enough for the more than 20,000 people in Shanzhou to eat frugally for one month.

A month later, if Shang Bibi hadn't brought new food, this group of people would probably have starved.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilian also rode his horse and followed Shang Bibi's carriage into Shancheng.

His first impression of Shancheng was that it was dirty and messy. The streets were full of livestock and human feces, and the houses along the streets were either in ruins or dilapidated.

Seeing that Shancheng was governed like this by Tuoba Huaiguang, Liu Jilong felt quite disappointed.

If he had more than 20,000 people under his rule, he would have resorted to the strategy of "building high walls and storing up grain" long ago, without having to consider ethnic issues.

"Xu..."

Soon, everyone arrived at the Shanzhou Jiedushi Yamen.

The Shandan and Shanzhou armies surrounded the government office, fearing that their general might meet with an accident.

Liu Jilong, Shang Bibi and others walked into the yamen, and Shang Bibi took the main seat as a matter of course.

When it was the second person's turn, Tuoba Huaiguang made a gesture of invitation to Liu Jilian.

Liu Jilong was not modest and sat down on it, while Tuoba Huaiguang sat in the first seat on the left.

Shang Moyan sat in the first seat on the right, followed by his younger brother Shang Moye, Shang Duoluo, Zhang Chang and others.

There was also a row of people sitting on Tuoba Huaiguang's side, among whom were those he recruited from various states to surrender, as well as those who had made meritorious services in defending Shanzhou.

"Huai Guang, how much food and livestock are there in the city?"

After Shang Bibi took her seat, she began to ask about Tuoba Huaiguang without any reservation.

If it were someone else, they would definitely hesitate and indicate that there were outsiders present, but Tuoba Huaiguang did not.

He knew very well that the person standing behind Shang Bibi was He Xi, so he simply said:
"There are less than 800 dan of grain and grass in the city, but there are still more than 3,000 oxen, more than 500 oxen, more than 2,000 horses, and more than 400 sheep..."

The situation in Shanzhou was clear at a glance. If Shang Bibi had not brought food here, it would have been only a month or two before the country fell apart.

Liu Jilian didn't know how Tuoba Huaiguang survived this period in history, but he knew that Shanzhou would be dependent on Hexi for a long time.

"How much grain can be harvested in the autumn harvest in the south and west of the city?"

Shang Bibi did not blame Tuoba Huaiguang, but continued to ask with a smile, as if the situation was still under control.

Seeing this, Tuoba Huaiguang breathed a sigh of relief and explained the whole situation.

The grain harvest in the south and west of the city could reach 80,000 shi at most after the autumn harvest, which could only feed more than 26,000 soldiers and civilians in Shanzhou for eight months at most, and could not last until the autumn harvest of the following year.

Hearing this, Shang Bibi really looked at Liu Jilong and said, "Liu Guoyi, does the previous agreement to borrow 20,000 grains still count?"

"Of course." Liu Jilong instantly understood Shang Bibi's idea. She was simply using her advantage of being able to borrow grain from Hexi to maintain her position in Shanzhou.

When it comes to scheming and tactics, Shang Bibi really lives up to her reputation.

If it weren't for the poor marching and deployment, Lun Kongre would have been killed by his sword long ago.

"Then our army will borrow 20,000 dan of grain, including the 10,000 dan previously, for a total of 30,000 dan."

"Three days later, I will order Shang Moyan and Shang Duoluo to lead 800 elite cavalry and 2,000 cavalry infantry to escort your tribe and the Han people in the city to Shandan, and to transport 30,000 shi of grain to Shancheng."

"In addition, Liu Guoyi will have to make the decision on the trade between the two sides of the city. Talk to Zhang Ganzhou about it after you go back."

Shang Bibi was waving the banner of Hexi, and Liu Jilong was happy to let him do so, so he nodded readily: "Okay!"

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Huaiguang and the generals behind him all breathed a sigh of relief.

With this batch of grain, if they save a little, they can still make it until the autumn harvest.

Seeing that the atmosphere was relaxed, Shang Bibi smiled and ordered Shang Moyan to slaughter the sheep and prepare the meal.

As for Liu Jilong and the others, they naturally had to stay and attend the banquet...

(End of this chapter)