Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 92 People’s Mind Changes
“The taste of this meat…”

At the main table in the yamen, when Gao Jinda tasted the three pork dishes that Liu Jilong specially prepared for him, he couldn't help but be stunned.

"Delicious! The meat is so juicy!"

"This pork is much more delicious than what we had in Chang'an!"

"Have you been to Chang'an?"

"Hurry up, tell me what Chang'an is like!"

"Is the city wall of Chang'an ten feet high? Is it several dozen feet wide?"

"Yes, yes, yes. Can that Suzaku Street really accommodate more than ten carriages at the same time?"

"Are the women in Chang'an beautiful?"

"When will Chang'an send troops to retake Helong? I also want to go to Chang'an to take a look..."

When the six men brought by Gao Jinda said that they had been to Chang'an, everyone in the yamen widened their eyes and asked them questions with envy.

Some people care about the prosperity of Chang'an, some care about the women in Chang'an, and some care about when the Tang Dynasty will send troops to help them.

There were so many questions that the yamen was very noisy.

Seeing that the situation was out of control, Liu Jilong's indifferent voice came from the main seat: "Okay..."

As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone shut up one after another, and Gao Jinda narrowed his eyes when he saw this.

Before he could speak, Liu Jilong smiled and said, "Let Gao Yaya tell us about the people and things he encountered during his trip to Chang'an."

"Haha, this trip to Chang'an was at the end of the third year of Dazhong. At that time..."

When he said this, he really hoped that Gao Jinda could tell the true situation in Chang'an, but in Gao Jinda's narration, he grasped a different point.

Getting lost in the southern desert and hiding from the Uighurs and Kyrgyz was a test from God for them.

After arriving in Fengzhou, the military and civilians of Fengzhou became a sensation in the whole city because of them, and countless military and civilians respected them very much.

Although they encountered looting by the Tanguts on the way south and were held captive for more than half a year, and even lost a comrade, they were eventually rescued by the soldiers and civilians of Fengzhou who cared about them.

After being rescued, they headed south to Chang'an. Wherever they passed, high officials and common people were all moved and wept, and were inspired by the Guasha Uprising...

Although they saw many scenes along the way that were not part of the "Glorious Tang Dynasty, God's blessing on all nations, and the people being self-sufficient" of their childhood, and even saw people dying of poverty in the wild, they attributed all these scenes to the rebellion of the feudal lords.

"These vassal states are truly hateful!"

"If we can open up Helong, we can suppress these vassal states for the Supreme and bring peace to the world!"

"Ugh……"

Listening to Gao Jinda's experience, Zhang Chang, Li Yizhong and others sighed, and Gao Jinda nodded in agreement.

Seeing their appearance, Liu Jilong felt strange: "In the eyes of the Tang Dynasty, you are just vassal states. Who are you suppressing..."

Of course, he couldn't say that.

Perhaps in the eyes of everyone, they are the righteous army from Hexi, recovering lost territory for the Tang Dynasty.

But in the eyes of the Tang Dynasty, they were just a new vassal state led by Zhang Yichao. Their loyalty to the Tang Dynasty was probably not as great as that of Heshuo and Lianghuai, which often gave the Tang Dynasty a small shock.

If a relative who had disappeared long ago suddenly came home to show his filial piety, anyone would worry about the intentions of this so-called relative, not to mention the two forces.

Now, because they are far enough away from the Tang Dynasty, Chang'an does not feel the threat.

But by the time they recaptured Liangzhou, it was only separated from Chang'an by the Yellow River and the Long Mountains.

Not to mention that Zhang Yichao’s idea is to recover the entire Helong territory, and taking over the entire Longyou is their ultimate goal.

Although this idea did not succeed in history, Liu Jilong himself knew that this day would not be far away.

By that time, Heshuo and Lianghuai will be far away, but the powerful troops in Hexi will be right in front of us.

Even if they don't want to cause trouble, in Tang Ting's view, as long as they have the ability to cause trouble, they are a potential threat and must be resolved.

Thinking of this, Liu Jilong felt more and more uncomfortable. He picked up the wine glass on the table, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it in one gulp.

There was not enough food in Hexi, and since Zhang Yichao recovered the four states, he had issued an order banning the brewing of wine.

The wine we can drink now is basically the wine left over when Tubo occupied Shandan.

These sweet rice wines are not strong in alcohol, but have a strong aftertaste.

Liu Jilong seldom drank alcohol on weekdays, and now he was drinking alone, so naturally he could not escape everyone's attention.

It was just that Gao Jinda spoke first and he drank later, so everyone thought he was missing the Tang Dynasty and raised their glasses.

"After listening to Gao Yaya's story, I realized how much injustice Yaya and the others had suffered."

"Even Liu Guoyi couldn't help but feel sad for everyone and drank a glass of wine alone."

As the nominal number two figure in Shandan, Li Yizhong naturally took the initiative to make amends for Liu Jilong when he saw that Liu Jilong did not speak up.

Liu Jilong also said at the right time: "I would like to offer a toast to Gao Yaya and everyone else!"

As soon as he opened his mouth, everyone stood up and toasted Gao Jinda and the others.

Gao Jinda and others took the toasts and raised their glasses in response of thanks.

After this, although some people still asked them questions, it was not so frequent. Everyone ate and talked at the same time, having a great time.

In addition to the three pork dishes cooked by Liu Jilong himself, there were also seven or eight other dishes on the table, including roast duck, stir-fried lamb head and trotters, garlic and vinegar white blood soup, five-flavor steamed chicken, and Yuanzhi lamb bones.

Liu Jilong had not arranged such sumptuous meals even when Zhang Huaishen came.

Of course, this is also related to Zhang Huaishen's request for simplicity.

All in all, everyone enjoyed the banquet very much, whether it was Gao Jinda and others or the Shandan Army, Shanzhou Army and others.

Some people who love drinking even "sing and dance" in the courtyard under the influence of alcohol.

Taegeuk is a form of song and dance in which the common people of the Tang Dynasty held hands and stomped their feet to the rhythm, singing while walking.

They sang the "Dazhen Music" which Gao Jinda and his colleagues brought back from Chang'an and had long been lost in Hexi. They sang the music using the stepping of their feet as the beat, which drew praise from others.

"First, take the twelve prefectures of Shanxi, and then the other members will attack the yamen."

"Looking back, I see the Qin Fortress as low as a horse, and gradually I see the Yellow River flowing straight north."

"The might of heaven rolls across the Yellow River, and the soldiers marching across thousands of miles sing the songs of the Han Dynasty..."

The singing was stirring, and the sound seemed to take them back to the Kaiyuan period, to the time when the Han Dynasty was prosperous.

In the end, everyone joined in, even Liu Jilong was urged to be the leader of the team and started singing "Military Song" with everyone.

Upon learning that "Song of Joining the Army" was written by Liu Jilong, Gao Jinda became more curious and optimistic about him, and he understood better why Zhang Yichao and his nephew entrusted such an important place to him.

As time passed, countless people got drunk at the banquet. Liu Jilong only saw them being carried away by soldiers. In the end, he was the only one left sitting in the seat of honor.

"This bunch of hot-shots..."

After taking a sip of wine and looking at the food that had been eaten up, Liu Jilong smiled bitterly and shook his head, then ordered the soldiers to clean up everything.

He returned to the inner hall, and after washing off the smell of alcohol, he went back to his bedroom to rest.

The next morning, he got up early to practice martial arts, while Gao Jinda, who was also resting in the yamen, woke up from his hangover after noon.

As soon as he woke up, he sent someone to find Liu Jilian and told them that they had to set out for Zhangye.

Liu Jilong arrived at the main hall of the yamen without having time to change his clothes, but saw that Gao Jinda had already changed into his departure clothes.

"Can't we rest for two more days?"

An appropriate banquet can best promote relationships. After last night's banquet, Liu Jilong and Gao Jinda have become familiar with each other.

He persuaded Gao Jinda to stay, but Gao Jinda smiled and said, "I can wait, but the governor can't."

"I have brought the Supreme Emperor's imperial edict this time. With this imperial edict, we are now legitimate."

Gao Jinda was full of energy and wanted to fly back to Shazhou immediately.

Seeing this, Liu Jilong could only nod and say, "Your horses are no good. I'll have someone pick out military horses for you to replace."

After that, he ordered the soldiers to go to the ranch to find good horses to exchange for Gao Jinda and the others.

Gao Jinda did not refuse. He just bowed to Liu Jilong after packing up and said, "Guo Yi, please don't see me off. We were entertained yesterday. You still have to invade Liangzhou tomorrow. You should have a good rest today."

Hearing this, Liu Jilong did not try to refuse the offer, but instead said in return: "I hope that the next time I see Yaya will be when the army retakes Liangzhou."

"Yes!" Gao Jinda responded with a smile, and said at the same time;
"Wu Zhen and Zhang Changshi both went to Chang'an, but they took different routes. In two months, Guo Yi will be able to meet Wu Zhen and the others."

Wuzhen and Gao Jinda had the same route, so they met on the road.

However, after Zhang Yitan negotiated peace with Cheng Le at Juyan Lake, Cheng Le sent people to escort him to Lingzhou (Ningxia), so the two sides naturally missed each other.

"I will treat them well."

Liu Jilong made a promise, and then he saw the soldiers walking quickly towards him: "Guo Yi, the horses are here."

After the soldier finished speaking, Liu Jilong and Gao Jinda looked at each other.

Although they spent a short time together, they both admired each other.

Liu Jilong admired Gao Jinda. After two years of hardship, he returned to Hexi without stopping. Gao Jinda admired Liu Jilong's well-organized management of Shandan, and even more admired his enterprising spirit to move eastward.

"Don't..."

The two looked at each other, then bowed to each other.

Liu Jilong got up a little late, so when he got up, he only saw the backs of Gao Jinda and his group, but that was enough.

After watching them go away and disappear at the gate of the yamen, Liu Jilong returned to his seat to rest.

Gao Jinda and his companions arrived in Zhangye at dusk the next day.

Before they arrived, the Tangqi from Shandan brought back the news of their return, and the entire Zhangye government was shocked.

They thought that Gao Jinda and others had already died in the south of the desert, but they didn't expect that they not only completed the mission, but also chose to return to Hexi after completing the mission.

Zhang Huaishen led many Zhangye officials to welcome Gao Jinda and others back at the East Gate and arranged a banquet for them.

However, Zhangye’s chefs and ingredients were obviously inferior to those of Shandan, so this banquet was not as enjoyable as yesterday’s.

However, although the banquet is not possible, the important business cannot be delayed.

At the banquet, Gao Jinda presented the imperial edict issued by the emperor to Zhang Huaishen with both hands.

Zhang Huaishen took the imperial edict respectfully, opened it and told everyone the contents.

Upon learning that Zhang Yichao had been officially appointed by the Tang court as the acting governor of Shazhou, the crowd did not dislike the low position but applauded excitedly.

"With the imperial edict from the court, we are finally no longer homeless!"

"The imperial court has accepted us, so we should recapture Liangzhou and open up Helong as soon as possible!"

"By the way, Gao Yaya, doesn't the imperial court have any plans to send troops to Longxi?"

"Yes, Gao Yaya, tell me..."

What the officials and people of Hexi mostly hoped for was that the Tang Dynasty would take the initiative and work with them to open up Helong.

Although these questions have been answered once in Shandan, Gao Jinda still patiently explains them to everyone.

When they learned that the imperial court was unable to get away because it was busy guarding against the vassal states, everyone sighed but also expressed understanding.

"If the imperial court knew that we have recovered the five states and repelled Lun Kongre's invasion, I'm afraid they would grant the military governor a banner and a seal."

"That's natural!"

"Hahaha……"

After sighing, everyone was thinking about what good news Wu Zhen and Zhang Yitan’s team could bring back.

The banner of the Hexi Jiedushi is not only Zhang Yitan’s obsession, but also what everyone in Hexi is looking forward to.

Hearing this, Zhang Huaishen interrupted:

"Liangzhou has not yet been recovered. Even if the court wants to grant the Hexi Jiedushi a banner, it should be after Liangzhou is recovered."

He was worried that everyone would be disappointed, so he specifically mentioned Liangzhou.

Upon hearing this, everyone remembered that Liangzhou, an important city in Hexi, was still in the hands of the Tibetans, so it was too early to talk about the Hexi Jiedushi's flag and seal.

"Our army is currently allied with the Uighurs. If we can contact Umo, then we can retake Liangzhou in no time."

Cao Yiqian said to Zhang Huaishen, but Li Wei shook his head and said:

"Liangzhou is not so easy to conquer. Even if we use the strength of the five states, we may not be able to take it."

"What's more, some scattered barbarians in the west have been eyeing Shazhou and Yizhou."

Li Wei mentioned a dilemma, and Gao Jinda frowned after hearing it: "Didn't the Uighurs in Xizhou and Tingzhou surrender to us?"

Gao Jinda got this news from Liu Jilian. He thought that everything was going well in the west of Hexi, but from what Li Wei said, it seemed that things in the west were probably going to be serious.

"You heard it from Liu Jilong, right?" Zhang Huaishen looked at him and saw him nod, then he explained:

"Half a month ago, some Hu people began to enter the borders of Yizhou and Shazhou to graze. Although they were expelled, they would attack our Tangqi from time to time."

"The reason why the Jiedushi is currently stationed in Shazhou and has not yet moved eastward is that the large and small tribes in the Western Regions have different demands."

"Although the two major tribes of Pugujun and Anning have already submitted to us, other small tribes do not think so."

"For this reason, the Jiedushi is prepared to work with Pugu Jun and An Ning to deal with these small tribes."

"Solved?" Gao Jinda frowned. After all, he was the Yaya of Shazhou, and the main duties of the Yaya included managing military law and participating in military affairs, so he naturally understood the local situation.

After the destruction caused by Tubo, the only major powers left in the Western Regions were the Qarluk, Khotan, Zhongyun, and the three major Uighur tribes of Pugujun, Pangteqin, and Anning.

In addition, there are many small Uighur tribes that roam in Tingzhou, Xizhou, Yizhou and other places.

If Hexi joins forces with Pugu Jun and An Ning to encircle and suppress these small tribes, then these small tribes will most likely be annexed by Pugu Jun and An Ning.

At that time, the harassment from the small tribe will be temporarily eliminated, but Pugu Jun and An Ning will become much stronger as a result.

Even he understood this principle, so it was impossible for the Jiedushi not to understand it.

Thinking of this, Gao Jinda prepared to return to Shazhou this morning to find out what happened.

"If you ask me, we can put the eastward advance on hold for now and deal with the barbarians in the western regions first!"

Du Wanmeng muttered, and suddenly felt that everyone around him was looking at him, then he smiled awkwardly: "I was just talking..."

After hearing him say this, everyone withdrew their gazes.

Retaking the Western Regions could indeed solve the problem in the rear, but the Han people in the Western Regions were very rare. Even during the Kaiyuan period, there were only more than 100,000 people in Hankou, the Western Regions.

These more than 100,000 Han people, led by Yang Xigu of Beiting and Guo Xin of Anxi, resisted Tubo for decades until they were completely defeated by Tubo in the third year of Yuanhe.

More than 50 years of resistance has caused the number of Han people to drop sharply from more than 100,000. Now it is probably less than tens of thousands.

What Hexi needs now is population, especially Han people.

There has been a lot of debate in Shazhou about this.

Officials of Han descent all advocated moving eastward and returning to the Tang Dynasty, while officials of Fan, Sogdian, and Khotanese descent supported moving westward.

Such debate was not obvious when Zhang Yichao successively recovered Gan, Su and Yi states, but as Yi state was recovered, the debate gradually intensified.

Zhang Yichao had to deal with the remnants of the Uighurs in the west, and appease the powerful people in the five states. He was exhausted.

It was because Zhang Huaishen saw the situation of his uncle that he began to strongly support Liu Jilong's eastern strategy.

He knew very well that as long as he took the five cities of Liangzhou, the dispute in Shazhou would disappear immediately.

There were no more than 70,000 people in the five states of Hexi, of which more than 6,000 were people Liu Jilian had just acquired from Shanzhou and Liangzhou.

Once the five cities of Liangzhou with a population of 100,000 are captured, the internal fighting in Hexi will temporarily stop until the five cities of Liangzhou are divided up, and then the dispute will arise again.

Zhang Huaishen also mentioned this in the letters he exchanged with his uncle.

It’s just that my uncle always tells us to take it slow and never says how difficult his situation is.

The more he endured this, the more he wanted to retake Liangzhou.

Thinking of this, Zhang Huaishen asked Gao Jinda meaningfully, "What was Shandan doing before Yaya came to Zhangye?"

Gao Jinda didn't think too much about it, just thinking that Shandan didn't send the document. Zhang Huaishen didn't know Shandan's latest movements, so he said:

"Before I set out for Zhangye, Liu Guoyi said that he would lead his army to invade Liangzhou for the second time today."

"According to the time, they are probably already camping and resting on the grassland in the north of Longshou Mountain..."

"Eastern strategy?"

"That fellow Liu Jilong has gone east again?"

"Last time I heard that he captured tens of thousands of herds, and my prefecture only captured 10,000. I wonder how many herds he can capture this time."

"The herd is still a minor issue, the main thing is the population."

"The population of Shandan has already surpassed that of Guazhou and Suzhou. If it continues to develop, it will probably not be long before it catches up with Yizhou and Shazhou."

"It seems that the recovery of Liangzhou is just around the corner..."

In response to Gao Jinda's speech, the officials in the provincial government who learned that Liu Jilong had made a second eastern expedition to Liangzhou immediately began to discuss it, with voices rising one after another.

Their attitudes are different, but what is the same is that they are all optimistic about Liu Jilong's Eastern Strategy.

It is not possible to be pessimistic. After all, Liu Jilong always does a good job, and this time is probably no exception.

Looking at the situation in the provincial government, Zhang Huaishen, who was sitting in the main seat, looked normal, but he breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

As long as this group of people has confidence in regaining Liangzhou, the news will be sent to Shazhou through them.

Once the message is delivered, the dispute in Shazhou will be weakened, and this is one of the few things I can do for my uncle.

Thinking of this, Zhang Huaishen took a deep breath.

"Uncle, the day of retaking Liangzhou won't be too far away..."

(End of this chapter)