"Ten famous horses, ten corals......

Du Zhongxiao sat behind the desk, listening to the name of the long gift list reported by the ceremonial official, and his face was expressionless.

The envoy went to Shengzhou, not to the capital, because if he wanted to enter the capital, he first had to make Du Zhongxiao allow him to pass through the meandering road. After Du Zhongxiao allowed it, the two envoys returned to Gaochang and Yizhou respectively before they could send official envoys to the Song Dynasty. Without this procedure, any small forces around it would have to go to the capital to pay tribute, and the Song Dynasty would not have the energy to deal with it.

There is nothing unusual about the gifts brought, nothing more than common horses, camels, corals, jade belts, incense medicines, etc., a few days ago, the big businessman Jin San has already shipped a batch of them, stored in the free zone. The number is not particularly large, and it is already a generous gift to the handsome ministers all the way.

After reading the gift list, the two envoys stepped forward and handed in the documents they had brought.

Du Zhongxiao opened it and said to the two: "Since the Qingli period, no envoys from the Western Regions have entered the capital. You will live in Shengzhou for a few days, and I will write to the imperial court, and then I will make a decision. Also, the two stayed in Shengzhou, and each sent someone back to tell the ruler that nothing should happen until the imperial court's will was issued. If there is any trouble or even a knife fighter, don't blame me for turning my face and being ruthless! It is not difficult for the army of Hequ Road to enter the Western Regions! ”

The two hurriedly saluted, saying that they did not dare together.

Du Zhongxiao said: "In these days, in addition to taking a look at the market and people in Shengzhou, together with the people of the Yamen, how to translate a pair of your words and words into Chinese. Gaochang and Yizhou are adjacent to each other, two national letters, the same sentence, but they are written differently, how can they be obtained? A misunderstanding will delay the major affairs of the military state. ”

Chen Xiliang obeyed orders. Lian Cheng said: "Jie Shuai, I can't understand the text and ink, and the national letter was written by someone else, so I'm afraid that I won't be able to do it." ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Among your entourage, there are always people who can read and write, let them do it." This matter must not be sloppy, there is a business trip on the national letter, but it is a big deal. At that point, don't say I didn't give you a chance. ”

Lian Cheng promised. In the Gaochang Kingdom, most of the things such as writing and ink bookkeeping were done by Sogdians, and the same was true in the ranks of Lian Cheng. This kind of big thing suddenly felt that the Sogdians were not at ease, so they could only agree to it.

Du Zhongxiao said: "That's it." Tonight, a banquet was held in the marshal's mansion to receive the wind for the two envoys, and the city's Chinese officials and military generals accompanied them. ”

Everyone sang the promise together, and Du Zhongxiao ordered the account to be returned.

When he arrived at the side room, he ordered tea to be served, and Du Zhongxiao sat alone. The tea had just come up, and Bao Zheng hurriedly came in.

The two sat down, and Bao Zheng said a little anxiously: "Jingluo, I just asked someone, and I learned that Yizhou is not based on Gaochang this year, and the envoys of the two countries are like crickets with red eyes." If it weren't for the pressure of the guards, it would have been fired at any time. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Cui Dutian has already reported that this year, Gaochang was defeated by the Black Khanate in Qiuci, and Yizhou took the opportunity to stand on its own. ”

Bao Zheng said: "That being the case, why did Jinglu summon them together?" The two places are in the same situation, and they should be summoned separately to avoid suspicion. ”

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "Long Tu, what kind of suspicion can you have?" Yizhou is about to leave Gaochang, and as soon as he has the opportunity, he will stand on his own, which has nothing to do with us. They can't fight in the Western Regions, how can they fight when they arrive in Shengzhou. ”

Bao Zheng nodded, thought for a while, and said, "Gaochang and Yizhou are like this, what is Jingluo's intention for the Western Regions?" ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "Let it be." Yizhou took the initiative to send envoys to come, with a respectful attitude, of course, he could not use swords. When the training of the Hequ Road army is completed, it will not be difficult to take Yizhou and Gaochang. It's just that it's easy to get land, but it's hard to win people's hearts, and this matter can't be rushed. ”

Bao Zheng nodded: "I'm just afraid that Jingluo will fight smoothly, so I can't help but enter the Western Regions with a large army and cause trouble." ”

Du Zhongxiao said with a smile: "Fighting a war is a major military matter, how can there be such a thing as a smooth fight, Long Tu is too worried." The homeland of the Han and Tang Dynasties in the Western Regions, if you have the opportunity, you can take it, and you can't save the kindness of a woman. But if you don't have a chance, you must have patience to wait, you can't get the territory and lose the hearts of the people. Everything will wait until the railway is repaired to Heishui City - by the way, the imperial court has agreed to change Heishui City to Juyan County, but there is no suitable candidate for the county magistrate. ”

Bao Zheng said: "It's not okay to be a magistrate there. ”

Du Zhongxiao said: "That's right. I don't have a suitable candidate here, does Longtu have anyone to recommend? ”

Bao Zheng thought for a while and said, "Think about it." Those who go there must have to be officials, and it is best to be from a jinshi background, and it is difficult to find candidates in a hurry. ”

The magistrate is too small, and those who have the ability and the future do not come. The status of Juyan County is particularly important, and it is necessary to be a capable official, and it is also necessary to be able to control the surrounding Tibetan tribes, and it is best to have experience as an official in the border areas. Du Zhongxiao didn't know many officials, and there were no suitable people at all. If Bao Zheng has no one, then he can only be selected by the imperial court. Du Zhongxiao has a bunch of recommended places in his hands, but there are no talents available.

As soon as the railway arrives in Heishui City, not only the Western Regions will be affected, but also the Hexi region of the party. From Juyan Sea, you can go straight to Ganzhou along the weak water upstream. Although this is a seasonal river, there are not many navigable sections of the river, but there is water along the way, which solves the biggest problem of marching in the desert. At that time, the Zhenrong army attacked Lingzhou, and Heishui City attacked Ganzhou, and the party collapsed.

The Khitan Yelu Chongyuan and Yelu Hongji were gearing up, and a big war was about to break out. After the defeat of the party, he was frightened and desperately built the city, and the area around the river meandering road was stable. The most important thing now is to build the railway to Blackwater City as soon as possible.

Heishui City is located next to an inland lake in the lower reaches of weak water, which is Xiutuze in the Han Dynasty and Juyanhai in the Tang Dynasty. The bicycle wants to ask the side, and the Juyan of the subject country is there. In the Han Dynasty, it was Wuwei County, and in the Tang Dynasty, it was Juyan County, and Du Zhongxiao wanted to change Heishui City to Juyan County, which is why so.

The water and grass around Juyanhai are abundant and beautiful, and they have been cultivated since the Han Dynasty, and it is a rare population settlement in the desert. However, it is precisely because of the desert that the surrounding area is easy to desertify once it is over-cultivated or abandoned for various reasons. Du Zhongxiao instructed Zhao Zi to garrison the army, try to supply food from the rear, and not to reclaim the area around Juyanhai, but to focus on grazing. Only where the conditions are particularly good can be cultivated as paddy fields and planted with mulberry dates, instead of dry land. In the end, when the railway is opened, there will be food, and the cost may be cheaper than local cultivation.

Without relying on the local supply of grain and grass, it is not difficult to station 100,000 troops around Juyanhai, anyway, as long as there is water. In the face of thousands of soldiers and horses, you can crisscross the invincible Hexi Prefecture and the Western Regions, such a base is enough to deter various forces.

Bao Zheng was afraid that Du Zhongxiao would fight well, which was the reason. Compared with the Khitan and the party, Yizhou and Gaochang were too weak, and Zhao Zi's army could destroy them. Why should Du Zhongxiao consider the enmity of two small countries, and meet separately, it is too wasteful of energy. It is necessary for them to understand the reality as soon as possible, and to know that the soldiers and horses of the Central Plains have once again come to the Western Regions, and all forces are mantis arms blocking the car.

To re-enter the Western Regions, the most important thing is not to use force, but to win the hearts of the locals, and with the hearts of the people, there is everything. It is said that it is backed by trade routes, and many prosperous places in the Western Regions are only relatively prosperous, which cannot be compared with the Central Plains. Due to backward production, the Western Regions could not support too much population, and the territory within a radius of thousands of miles was all added up, and the population was insufficient to be a large state in the interior. Without the cooperation of the locals, the army sprinkled pepper noodles everywhere, which was too costly. When stationed there, it is still necessary to concentrate troops on a few key points, and other places cannot be reached, and it is necessary to rely on local autonomy. If the autonomous forces can turn their hearts to the Central Plains, then everything is easy to say, otherwise there will be endless troubles.

The Han people inevitably relied on the garrison of the army, and slowly expanded over time. This process cannot be rushed, and it cannot be rushed.

At night, Du Zhongxiao set up a banquet in the back courtyard to receive the wind for the two envoys, and the civil and military officials accompanied him.

The guests and hosts sat down, and Chen Xiliang and Lian Cheng sat on the left and right, glaring angrily.

Du Zhongxiao said: "Drinking and laughing at the banquet, if the two envoys have any grievances, put them aside for the time being." If anything pleasant happens, be careful that I send someone to blast you out! ”

The two of them were busy and didn't dare.

Du Zhongxiao ordered the wine and food to be served, and said to Zhang Qi: "The general will send a personal guard, holding my sword on the side, which one does not obey the rules, behead!" ”

Zhang Yu promised, recruited a personal soldier, took Du Zhongxiao's sword, and asked him to stand aside with the wine. In this era, when drinking, there is generally a wine supervisor, and most of them are designated by everyone. Whoever violates the rules shall be punished by the bartender. Du Zhongxiao is a handsome man all the way, and his own soldiers are holding swords and being a wine supervisor on the side, which is not a joke. Some generals are really beheaded when they say that they are killed. Everyone knows that Du Zhongxiao will not do this, and he does not dare to touch the mold.

Chen Xiliang and Lian Cheng saw it, and they didn't look over their heads and stopped looking at each other. The two of them understood in their hearts that this was not to deter the officials of Shengzhou, but to deter the two of them, so as not to spoil the atmosphere of the banquet. Dare to do this, it shows that Du Zhongxiao does not take Yizhou and Gaochang in his eyes.

After a while, the wine and food came up, and Chen Xiliang and Lian Cheng had never heard of or seen it. The unhappiness in the hearts of the two gradually put aside. It doesn't matter what military affairs he has, he will talk about it after he has eaten and drunk enough.

After leading the wine, Du Zhongxiao said to Chen Xiliang and Lian Cheng: "This flavor of roasted mutton is a selection of tender and fresh meat, brushed with sauce, and then roasted with willow charcoal. When roasting, there were all kinds of spices, and benzoin was added, and the two envoys tasted it. ”

The two of them each took a skewer of meat, which was tender in the mouth, and the aroma was full of cheeks, and they couldn't help but stop eating it for a while.

Du Zhongxiao smiled. This kebab was a famous product of theirs in later generations, and it has almost become a local business card. Of course, barbecue is a traditional human skill, not invented there, but carried forward by them. In this era, the most barbecued meat is still in the Central Plains, and other places do not have this condition. Benzoin is cumin, and without it, the kebab would have no taste.

After eating the meat skewers, Du Zhongxiao pointed to the buns and said: "This flavor of grilled buns, with good mutton as the filling, mixed with green onions and leeks, and baked in a hot pit." Compared with steamed buns, it has a different flavor, eat a few and take a look. ”