Chapter 193 Rebellion, cheers in Liangzhou City
Duan Xueshi chatted with Mei Lingzan until the afternoon and then left the tent.

He told Mei Lingzan some details and told him not to be impulsive before the opportunity came so as not to reveal his flaws.

Mei Lingzan was well aware of the cruelty of Chidai Zhudan and Mei Luqiongsang Woermang.

The last time Tuyuhun rebelled, anyone who was even slightly involved was killed by Tubo, and their families were reduced to slaves.

With Duan Xiushi's assurance, he would be extremely cautious in the coming period, waiting for the moment when the Tubo emperor personally led the army and the war began.

If he seizes this opportunity, he can become the real King Subi instead of just bearing the title of King Subi.

When Duan Xueshi left the Subi King's tent, the famous Tibetan general Enlanda Zhalu Gong came to see the Subi King.

He was followed by dozens of Tibetan Yulin soldiers, and he passed by Duan Xueshi, Chang Qing and others.

Enlanda Zhalugong did not notice Duan Xueshi and thought he was some of Subi's slaves.

But Duan Xiushi noticed Nlanda Zhalugong.

He thought that this must be an important figure in Tubo. Sure enough, not long after, Mei Lingzan personally came out of the tent to welcome Enlanda Zhalugong.

Duan Xueshi took a quick look and quickly left Mei Lingzan's camp.

The return journey was even easier. Duan Xueshi and Chang Qing, under the order of King Subi, drove hundreds of lambs and yaks to a tribe near Jishi Mountain.

The Tibetan soldiers guarding the pass let them pass without much inspection.

"General Enlan, I wonder what brings you to my unit?"

Mei Lingzan was shocked when he learned that Enlanda Zhalugong was coming.

Li Xuan's envoy was just about to leave the camp when he saw Duan Xueshi and Enlanda Zhalugong miss each other.

At that moment, his heart was in his throat.

Fortunately, everything is fine!

Duan Xueshi, Chang Qing and others not only disguised themselves as Tibetans in appearance, but even the timid manner in which they walked in the yamen made them look very similar to Tibetan slaves.

"I will follow the orders of the Zamp!"

As Enlanda Zhalugong spoke, he took out a golden arrow from the bag on his back.

This golden arrow is only seven inches long, made of pure gold, and carved with a divine bird of Tibet.

The golden arrow was a token of the Tubo king's ability to mobilize troops and generals. Whenever a large-scale military campaign was launched, a seven-inch golden arrow had to be used as a token.

At the same time, special envoys carrying golden arrows, such as the Zamp himself, must pay a visit to the kings of the subordinate tribes and the four marshals and ministers.

Even though Mo Lingzan was the King of Subi, he still obediently bowed to Enlandazhalu who was carrying the golden arrow.

Then, he personally welcomed Nlandazalu into the tent, treating him with great respect, as if Nlandazalu Gong was the king.

"King Suobi, I will not elaborate further. In July, the Zamp will hold a meeting in the area of ​​Fuxi City in western Qinghai, and then lead troops to recapture Jiuqu. I hope King Suobi will lead his troops to participate."

Enlanda Zhalugong said to King Subi, which seemed like a discussion, but was actually an order.

"As one of the four inner tribes, Suobi is very close to Luoshui, just like a brother. Now that the Tang people have taken away Jiuqu and insulted our Zamp, Suobi will definitely do his best to help. I have 5,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry under my command. All of them will participate in the battle."

Mei Lingzan patted his chest and promised.

He was just thinking about asking the Tibetan king for help, but Enlanda Zhalugong arrived first.

It is normal to think about it. Tubo wanted to devote the whole country's strength to guard Qinghai and recover Jiuqu, and of course Subi was indispensable.

"Well, I will also arrange for them to send troops on the other side. Our army will win this battle, and the Zamp will reward us handsomely."

Nlanda Zhalugong was very satisfied with Meilingzan's attitude.

He knew that Mei Lingzan only had this amount of troops.

The other side he mentioned was that without Lu Zan, 15,000 soldiers would be sent out.

There are eleven Dongdai in Suobei. Tubo has already organized registered Suobei soldiers and slave servants in these Dongdai, and separated them from the jurisdiction of the King of Suobei. All of them will be transferred to Qinghai in due time.

Nlanda Zhalugong could no longer care about the decision of the Zamp.

If you win, all the previous failures will be nothing and you can turn the tide.

If they lose, they can only retreat to the snowy plateau to recuperate, and then make a comeback after the Tang Dynasty falls.

Everything that rises must fall, it has been like this since ancient times.

Enlandazalu's Chinese name was Ma Chongying, which showed that he was well versed in Chinese studies. He believed that the Tang Dynasty would decline sooner or later, and that the decline of the Central Plains dynasty would be like an avalanche that could not be stopped.

"Thank you, General. As the King of Subi, I will personally lead the troops to respond to the Zamp's meeting and deter the villains. We share the same hatred and will work together to achieve victory!"

Mei Lingzan bowed again and spoke righteously.

Enlandazalu Gong sighed secretly when he saw Meilingzan was so loyal.

He knew that Meiluqiongsang Woermang supported Meiluzan, who had the blood of Meilu family, and wanted to support Meiluzan to become the King of Subi.

He felt it was inappropriate, but his status could not be compared with that of Moluqiongsangwoermang.

After all, everyone has worked hard for the country, so it is normal for him to have some selfish motives.

The ministers of state, including the four major noble families, all have their own little thoughts.

Enlanda Zhalugong stayed in the camp for only an hour before leaving for other Dongdai.

Mei Lingzan personally escorted Enlanda Zhalu Gong out, his eyes full of determination.

Just as Duan Xueshi said, before the rebellion, no one should be informed to avoid the news spreading.

Wait until we are on the battlefield, and then strike back.

During this period, he offered gold, silver and jewelry to win over the generals under his command.

Send away your livestock, appease soldiers and reward slaves.

Only in this way would the soldiers and slaves obey him without hesitation.

The gold, silver, jewelry, cattle, sheep and livestock that Mei Lingzan has lost now will be restored tenfold or a hundredfold in the future.

If you want to take it, you must first give it.

Mei Lingzan felt that this sentence made a lot of sense and he also understood the wisdom of the Han people.

Duan Xueshi was a scholar, but he had the courage of "No venture, no gain".

Mei Lingzan heard that Li Xuan was also a scholar...

……

Mid-April, Huangshui City.

Li Xuan asked Yan Zhenqing to take up the concurrent post of judge of the Hexi Interview Envoy.

Li Xuan asked Gao Shi to take on the concurrent post of judge of the Longyou Interview Envoy.

They helped Li Xuan handle supervisory affairs in various counties.

At the same time, Li Xuan recruited dozens of scholars to expand the shogunate.

The literati in Chang'an and Luoyang heard that Li Xuan liked to employ commoners, and that even if they did not pass the Jinshi or Mingjing examinations, they would still be employed.

For example, the great poet Gao Shi, who had no official title, was employed by Li Xuan. Yang Wan, a scholar, was now the magistrate of Hexi.

Therefore, scholars and literati swam to the Longyou and Huangshui River like carp crossing the river.

Li Xuan met a Jinshi named Lu Zhen, who later became the prime minister.

Li Xuan knew that Lu Zhen had the ability to manage finances, so he immediately appointed him as the judge of Longyou Branch, allowing him to manage Longyou's financial affairs and help Liu Yan share his worries.

Four more Jinshi and two Mingjing were summoned into Li Xuan's shogunate and arranged as prosecutors and inspectors to work under him to see how they performed.

As long as Li Xuan thinks the idea is good, he will promote it.

They would even be recommended to serve as officials in Taoyang County and Jiuqu County newly established by literati.

Li Xuan handled military and political affairs in Huangshui City for more than half a month.

On this day, a group of riders quickly entered Huangshui City.

He was carrying a black bag and stopped in front of the Jiedushi's government office.

"Report... The Tuyuhun tribe stationed in the south of Jinchang City has rebelled. They have besieged Jinchang City and cut off the road from the Western Regions to Hexi..."

The extremely urgent letter was delivered to the governor's office and presented to Li Xuan.

After reading the letter, Li Xuan immediately summoned Li Mi and his subordinates to the governor's office to discuss the matter.

When the officials heard that Moli Tuyuhun had rebelled, they were immediately surprised.

They had never expected such a ridiculous thing to happen.

"General Li, the Moli Tuyuhun is the largest Tuyuhun tribe affiliated with the Tang Dynasty. However, their tribe only has more than 40,000 people. Excluding the elderly, the weak, women and children, the troops they can get are only 10,000. What can they use to rebel?"

"Moli Tuyuhun actually dared to challenge General Li's reputation. He should be destroyed to serve as a warning to others."

"Could it be possible that they were instigated by Tubo to rebel against the Tang Dynasty?"

"They are stupid. It is impossible for Tubo to send troops to Jinchang County now."

"I feel something is strange. Since Moli Tuyuhun was able to surround Jinchang City, they must have mobilized the entire clan, even the young and the old..."

After all the officials spoke aloud, Liu Yan said one more sentence.

Moli Tuyuhun was located in Jinchang County in the Hexi Corridor.

There were four counties in the Hexi Corridor during the Han Dynasty, from east to west, namely Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang.

The Tang Dynasty divided land between Jiuquan County and Dunhuang County to form Jinchang County.

Before the state was changed to a county, Jinchang County was also called Guazhou.

The five counties in Hexi included the affiliated Hu tribes such as Huihe, Qibi, Sijie, Tuyuhun, Qiang, Hun, and Turkic.

This also meant that each county had an army stationed there, such as the Dadou Army in Wuwei County, the Jiankang Army in Zhangye County, the Doulu Army in Jiuquan County, the Momen Army in Jinchang County, and the Yumen Army in Dunhuang County.

In addition, the Ningkou Army and Baiting Guard near the desert north of the Hexi Corridor were set up to prevent the Uighurs.

To the south of Jinchang County is the Great Snow Mountain, and further south are the Shule South Mountain and the Ulandasan Mountain. It was impossible for Tubo to encroach on Jinchang County from the south.

The terrain of the Hexi Corridor is like a natural moat.

The county seat of Jinchang County was Jinchang City.

Jinchang City is the base of the Moli Army, which has 5,000 soldiers.

Therefore, Liu Zhiru, the commander of the Moli Army, did not leave the city to attack at the first time. He felt that this was a serious matter and requested an order from Li Xuan.

Li Xuan was the only one in Helong who had the power to mobilize troops.

Just like when Li Xuan was in Feng'an Military City, even if the situation was urgent, he had to report to Wang Zhongsi, and Wang Zhongsi signed the order to dispatch the Gaolanzhou cavalry.

"Judge Liu is right. The Moli Tuyuhun tribe sent a thousand cavalrymen last winter to help the Tang Dynasty attack the Huihe and contain the Tubo. They must be aware of the strength of the Tang Dynasty's Helong army of more than 100,000. Why did the Moli Tuyuhun do such an overestimating move?"

Li Xuan agreed with Liu Yan's words and felt that there was something fishy going on.

Historically, in the fifth year of Tianbao, Moli Tuyuhun rebelled. Wang Zhongsi sent troops to suppress them, easily defeated them, and brought their people back to Wuwei.

Li Xuan thought that after his two expeditions, such a thing would not happen again.

I didn't expect it to happen.

Li Xuan thought he had some reputation, and he was puzzled as to how Tuyuhun, a tribe dependent on others, dared to surround Jinchang City and cut off the Silk Road.

After hearing this, the officials nodded and thought it made sense.

"The Hu people are still young and ignorant, and they raise troops out of anger without considering the consequences. This happens repeatedly... They probably feel that they are being treated unfairly, so this happens."

Gao Shi said to Li Xuan.

"Yeah, I think so too. I happen to be going to Hexi."

Li Xuan agreed with Gao Shi's words, and he asked Li Mi: "What do you think, sir?"

Li Mi usually spoke very little. He usually read books in Li Xuan's mansion or wandered outside the city.

There is a Taoist temple outside Huangshui City, where Li Mi sometimes goes to discuss the Tao.

He had the image of an idler, and he would not ask about anything unless Li Xuan asked.

"There are many Hu tribes in Hexi. Dealing with Moli Tuyuhun will inevitably lead to grief. However, rebellion cannot be tolerated. The leader of the rebellion must be severely punished, and then the rest of the tribes must be appeased."

Li Mi replied to Li Xuan.

As for why the Tuyuhun tribe rebelled, Li Mi was not clear.

But this was a rebellion that could be easily put down.

Li Mi believed that even if Tuyuhun had hidden secrets, its tribal leader must be severely punished.

At the same time, appease the remaining Tuyuhun people.

This will convince the other Hexi tribes and make them willing to serve Li Xuan.

Li Xuan agreed with Li Mi's words. After the meeting, Li Xuan led the Shen Ce Guard, one man and three horses, to Jinchang City.

Not only this year, but he will also use these Hu people in the future. He wants to see what is going on.

If it was the Moli Tuyuhun tribe that had evil ambitions, Li Xuan would never tolerate them.

If there were other reasons, Li Xuan would also investigate thoroughly. He would do as Li Mi said, no matter what the reason, anyone who dared to rebel must be severely punished.

Things like Wang Jun harming the Hexi Hu people kept happening.

Although suppressing the rebellion is considered a military achievement and can be recorded in history books.

But this is not what Li Xuan wants.

Originally, Li Xuan was about to go to Wuwei to listen to Yan Zhenqing's report on the case of trafficking in women.

"Order the Jiankang Army Commander Zhang Renxian and the Doulu Army Commander Li Feishouyu to lead their infantry and cavalry to the west to support the Moli Army."

Li Xuan issued a military order.

The messenger carried Li Xuan's military order and quickly went to the two places to deliver the order.

Although the Jiankang Army was a little far from Jinchang City, even if only the Doulu Army arrived, together with the Moli Army in Jinchang City, they could easily defeat the Tuyuhun rebels.

Sending the Jiankang Army from Zhangye out together was just a precaution.

……

A few days later, Li Xuan led the Shen Ce Guard and entered Guzang City again.

This was his second time to arrive at this seat after becoming the Jiedushi of Hexi.

An Sishun, deputy ambassador of the Hexi Jiedushi, judges Yang Wan and Yan Zhenqing, Lu Sigong, chief secretary of Wuwei County, and others led officials to welcome Li Xuan.

At this time, many merchants came to Guzang City because their way to the Western Regions was cut off.

Time is money, and they are also very anxious, hoping that the Tang Dynasty can quickly put down the rebellion and clear the road.

The Hu merchants were also accustomed to this.

They had traveled all the way along the Silk Road and had seen too many wars and chaos. Overall, the Tang Dynasty was relatively stable.

After a year of renovation, the appearance of Guzang City has changed.

Lu Sigong expanded the city market of Guzang City and managed it personally. He divided the market into twenty areas, including silk, porcelain, tea, lacquerware, jade and other handicrafts, daily necessities, paper and books, clothes and hats, animal furs, marine specialties, iron farm tools, and wine.

Every area has a city official to supervise it.

Anyone who dares to bully the market must be reported immediately. If the inspectors sent by Lu Sigong find out, they will be punished.

Although the goods were not as complete as those in Chang'an and Luoyang, the market was the largest in Helong. Many Hu merchants could buy the items they wanted without going to Chang'an.

More Han merchants transported goods from Jianghuai, Luoyang and Chang'an to Guzang City to earn some price difference and promote prosperity.

Due to the limited area of ​​Liangzhou City, Lu Sigong set up a market in the wilderness south of the city.

There are collections of horses, cows, sheep, camels, dogs, chickens, ducks, geese, etc.

There are also some other cars, vehicles, furniture, etc. in the market outside the city.

According to Lu Sigong, 28 new wine shops, tea houses, restaurants and brothels were built in the city within a year.

More than 200 shops selling tea, rice, oil, salt, daily necessities, etc. were added.

In addition to the official printing workshop in the city, there are also ceramic workshops, papermaking workshops, textile workshops, pigment workshops, iron smelting workshops, wine workshops, etc. in the north of the city.

This will increase a large amount of tax revenue for Wuwei County!

Lu Sigong gathered thousands of laborers to divert water from the Macheng River to Fanhe County, benefiting the farmland in that area.

Lu Sigong admired Li Xuan's reforms of agricultural tools and water wheels, which saved the people a lot of effort in everything from farming to irrigation.

Many people in Wuwei learned that the new agricultural tools were invented by Li Xuan, and they engraved stones and erected steles in various counties to record Li Xuan's kindness.

Only with a good political environment can there be good business conditions.

The Hu people called "Gu Zang City" "Liangzhou City". When the reputation of this city spread, many Hu people stopped there.

Even the Hu people who went to Chang'an would stop in Liangzhou City.

This also enabled merchants to seize the opportunity to build more teahouses and restaurants, thus driving prosperity.

Of course, Wuwei still has many shortcomings that need to be improved.

Li Xuan hoped that the people of Guzang City would have enough food and clothing, rather than relying on collecting taxes from merchants to enrich the government.

When the cotton seeds arrive in the future, Li Xuan will be the first to plant them in Wuwei County, Xiping County, and Jiuqu County.

He also wrote a letter to Wang Sili, the envoy of Feng'an Army, hoping to get a batch of watermelon seeds from Feng'an Army to Wuwei.

Try watermelon in Wuwei.

Although the watermelon looked terrible in the eyes of later generations, people of that era, even Li Longji, were very satisfied with it.

People believed that watermelon was a summer cooler and treated it as a precious gift, which they gave as a reward to the rich and powerful in Chang'an.

Li Xuan entered the city of Guzang accompanied by An Sishun, Lu Sigong, Yang Wan and Yan Zhenqing.

With the hustle and bustle of pedestrians and rows of shops, Li Xuan clearly felt that the city was more prosperous than last time.

Li Xuan led the Shen Ce Guards walking on the streets, attracting countless people's attention.

The Shen Ce Guards were wearing conspicuous Ming Guang armor. Although they did not wear face guards, each of them looked mighty as they rode on tall horses.

There was no such scene in the Guzang City before.

Some people recognized that the person guarding the middle of the Shen Ce Guard was Li Xuan, the governor of Hexi and Longyou.

Although he had been away from Hexi for a year, the people were still impressed by Li Xuan's ability to punish evil and eliminate evil.

Without Li Xuan, Wuwei County would not be what it is today.

Through word of mouth, people around soon learned that Li Xuan had returned to Hexi, and they flocked to the streets to watch, cheering and applauding.

Li Xuan waved slightly to the people around him on his horse. It was not that he enjoyed the cheers, but that he saw a heavy responsibility in the cheers.

The Hu merchants could not help but stop. Unlike the previous destruction of the Turks, Li Xuan had an army of over 100,000 and defeated the powerful Tubo country, forcing it to flee in panic. Li Xuan's reputation resounded throughout the Silk Road.

All the countries in the Western Regions knew that the Tang Dynasty had a young and spirited marshal.

Although Tubo had not yet lost Xiaoboluo, the more than 20 Tubo vassal states around Xiaoboluo were in a state of constant fear.

Tubo was defeated again and again, and they were afraid that after Tubo was defeated by Li Xuan, the Tang Dynasty would settle accounts with them...

(End of this chapter)