The water in the pot was boiling, Du Zhongxiao took a piece of meat and shook it, took it out and dipped it in the sauce bowl, put it in his mouth and ate it, and said to everyone: "The pot is ready, let's eat the meat!" ”

Several people put the meat in front of them in the pot, and when it was cooked, they couldn't help but praise. It is autumn, the season to slaughter livestock for winter, the meat is fresh and cheap, and Wang Pu gives a large amount.

While drinking wine and eating meat, Du Zhongxiao said: "Zhao Zi has entered Yizhou. Two days ago, an official document said that there are less than 1,000 households in Yizhou City, and the other two jobs and benefits are even less, and it is simply not a town. In the Western Regions, if there are no trade routes in the local area, it is estimated that this is the case, and there are no households. During the Tang Dynasty, it was two trade routes in the north and south, which merged to Yizhou, from where it entered Hexi and went to the Central Plains. Later, the party took possession of the Central Plains and closed the trade routes, and Yizhou was abolished. If the railway is connected to Yizhou, both the north and south roads can flourish, and Yizhou is expected to recover. ”

Fu Bi said: "The south is rebuilt in Khotan, how should the marshal deal with Yizhou?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Yizhou is at the intersection of Hexi, and its status in the Western Regions is not much different from Shengzhou on Hequ Road. Moreover, there are many remnants of the Central Plains, which are naturally counties and counties, and officials are sent to deal with them as the prefectures and counties of the imperial court. ”

Fu Bi nodded: "Yes, if the Western Regions wants to be stable, there must be counties and places, and it can't be all kingdom autonomy." ”

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "The place where the kingdom is autonomous must be a last resort. Where it seems to be reached by rail, there must be no shortage of population, and the place is prosperous, so naturally there is no need for kingdom autonomy. Although there is a shortage of manpower for a while, after a long time, it will not be like this. ”

Li Fugui said: "What the festival marshal said is true. Over the years, there have been many more officials, and there are not enough official positions. In the past two years, because the Central Plains vigorously built factories and set up supervisors, all officials were used, and there were many more official positions, which was not as difficult as in previous years. It is precisely because of the relationship between the construction of factories and supervision in the interior that there was a shortage of officials for a while, and no one was willing to come to serve as officials on the newly opened land. In a few years, the railway was repaired, and there were not enough official positions in the mainland, so are you still worried that no one will come? It's just a temporary thing, and there is no need to worry about the dissatisfaction of officials. ”

Tian Jingdao: "Yes, just a few years ago, many officials were pressed down after ascending to the top, and they were not allowed to be promoted. In the past few years, so much land has been newly opened up, and there are many more official positions, just in time for the establishment of factories and prisons in the mainland, and there is a shortage of officials for a while. ”

Du Zhongxiao sighed: "That's true. As far as Hequ Road is concerned, except for Shengzhou, where there are more officials, most of the other states only have Zhizhou, and the connected judgments cannot be fully equipped. At this time, if the Western Regions are opened again, there will be even more officials lacking. ”

Despite the preferential policies, most officials are still reluctant to come to Hequ Road to serve as officials, let alone the Western Regions. Only when the railway is connected and the local area is prosperous can it be possible to have a full supply of officials. Without the railway, it would take nearly a year to travel from the mainland to the place where he worked, and no one could stand it.

Fu Bi said: "Yizhou's status is relatively special, it is actually a trade route from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, but due to the isolation of the east and west, the trade route does not go from there, so it is left out in the cold. After the imperial court entered Yizhou, if Gaochang did not change the policy of no trade routes, it would be difficult to solve it. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "How many people does Gaochang have?" When the railway arrives in Yizhou next year, I will bring Zhang Qi's army to meet them! ”

Fu Bi sighed: "There are small forces in the Western Regions, and the best way is for them to welcome the imperial army and not use swords." Once there is a fight, those tribes are entangled with each other, and they are afraid that it will not be a game for a while. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "There is no way to do this, if you don't fight, there will always be people who don't give up." The railway leads to Yizhou, with Yizhou as the base, and all parts of the Western Regions are in the palm of your hand, so there is no suspense. This point is not clear to the forces in the Western Regions, and they must always wake them up! ”

A few people nodded. This truth is clear to the generals here on Hequ Road, but the forces in the Western Regions may not be clear. The current Song army is very different from before, there are enough horses and camels, and three or five hundred miles is enough to guarantee it. With Yizhou as a base, Gaochang can almost be penetrated.

Eating meat, drinking wine, and chatting about the recent situation in the Western Regions, several people ate enthusiastically.

There is snow outside the window, and cold winds come in from time to time, and with the warm fire in the room, it is not a taste. Du Zhongxiao is on Hequ Road, and since the big victory, he has always felt depressed. It wasn't until today that Zhao Zi's army entered the Western Regions, and the situation gradually became clearer, and his mood improved.

Between Hezhou and Yizhou, nearly 4,000 miles, a railway connects the two ends, and it can be reached in less than ten days. The army of the meandering road can enter the Western Regions with almost no effort, which is beyond the comprehension of the forces there. If at the beginning of next year, Gao Changguo still has no movement, after the railway is repaired to Yizhou, Du Zhongxiao will take Zhang Qi's 50,000 troops and advance to the Western Regions. At that time, there was no longer any need to ask Gao Chang's opinion, just call all the way through. With Yu Chi Saburo, he went south to rebuild the state of Khotan.

At that time, it was time for Du Zhongxiao to leave Hequ Road. It's better to leave with merit than to stay here for three years.

After drinking a glass of wine and eating two pieces of meat, Du Zhongxiao only felt that his chest was open. Looking at the snow road outside the window: "With such a heavy snowfall early this year, the coming year will definitely be a good year." Last year, I opened up the Hequ Road, and next year I will open up the Western Regions, and I have done a good job in this office! ”

Fu Bi said: "What the handsome man said is very true. In three years, one expansion of the river meander, and then the expansion of the Western Regions! Come on, and have a drink! ”

After everyone drank wine, Fu Bi said: "In the past year, everything on Hequ Road has stabilized, and it can be described as a national prosperity for the people. On the Khitan side, Yelu Chongyuan and Hongji fought endlessly in the Ruzhou area, and they have not seen a end so far. The rest of the forces mostly waited and watched, and did not personally go out to help the war. On the party side, since he was defeated in Hezhou, he has been frightened, and has been casting cannons to build the city and defending it with all his might. In addition, because of the defeat, the prime minister did not hide the false Pang to concentrate power, the political struggle was fierce, and there was no external attack. At this time, the more than 100,000 troops of Hequ Road entered the Western Regions, which was a good time for the festival commander! ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "In the first battle in Hezhou, I defeated the Black Mountain Supervisor and the White Horse Supervisor in succession, and I was not prepared to enter the Western Regions. It wasn't until later, in order to make peace, that the party gave up the Heishui Supervision Army Division in our dynasty, and Zhao Zi led the army into the station, and suddenly found that the Western Regions were close at hand! If you don't take it, you will be blamed for it, at this time, if you don't take the Western Regions, you can't say it! At this time, Yizhou has been occupied, and everything is waiting for the next year, and the railway will be built there! ”

Li Fugui said: "A few days ago, we have begun to deliver supplies to Juyan, which is enough for 50,000 troops to use for half a year. Zhao Zi was stationed in Yizhou with 3,000 men and horses, to be honest, with Juyan's 50,000 army, it was not much. It's not that the roads there are impassable in winter, they're just difficult to walk. If you use pack horses and camels a lot, you can also transport supplies in winter. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded: "From Shengzhou to Yizhou, the distance is four or five thousand miles, when you first came to Hequ Road, who dared to think that you could get there in a year or two?" Thousands of miles of travel is unthinkable in the Central Plains. But here, between these four or five thousand miles, there are only Hezhou and Juyan, which is really a wonderful thing to think about. An army of 100,000 people, leaping thousands of miles, think about it is a wonder in the world! ”

After Zhao Zi entered Yizhou, it was already a sure thing for Hequlu to attack the Western Regions, and everything began to unfold in an orderly manner. After more than a year of training, although the army has not recovered the combat strength of the battalion field, it is not what it was a year ago. At this time, the west could not attack the party, the east could not attack the Khitan, and the more than 100,000 troops on the Hequ Road happened to have the breakthrough of the Western Regions. Du Zhongxiao has served in Hequ Road for three years, and if he arrives and leaves, the next year will be the last year, just in time to enter the Western Regions.

Leaving Hequ Road, it is likely that Du Zhongxiao will return to the capital. has military merits, and if you are transferred back than usual, it will be much more beautiful.