With Cui Dutian on the train together, Chen Xiliang couldn't help but watch around. Until I sat down, I watched endlessly.

Sitting on the seat, Cui Dutian stretched his waist and said, "After ten days of running on the road, it can be regarded as getting to Hezhou and getting on the train." After a while, I asked someone to bring a copper pot, and when it was hot, we ate the shabu-shabu. Meimei took a few sips of wine, and then saw if there was any singing in the car, and called over to sing a few songs. On the way, we ate shabu-shabu, listened to small songs, and took the train to Shengzhou. ”

Chen Xiliang looked out the window and said to Cui Dutian: "It turns out that the train looks like this!" Many carriages, connected together, really run on the railway. It's just that this car doesn't use cows and horses, so how can it move forward? ”

"Burn coal! With so much coal in this area, wouldn't it be a pity not to burn the train! ”

Cui Dutian said as he recruited his own soldiers to come over and asked them to prepare a copper pot, get some good mutton, and drink with Chen Xiliang himself.

After a while, the soldiers brought a copper shabu-shabu, placed it on the table, and lit a charcoal fire. Then he set a saucer of oil and a few side dishes on the table, and went back to get wine. After pouring the order, Cui Dutian said to Chen Xiliang: "It's hard work all the way, and drink a glass of wine." ”

The two drank wine, and Cui Dutian said: "In the back carriage, sitting is the envoy of the King of Beiting Khan, your opponent." Along the way, I didn't ask you what's going on, but now it's okay, how about the envoy? Why did a Gaochang country come with two groups of envoys? Or the opposite. ”

At this moment, Qin Xianpeng walked over from the back carriage, saw the meat dishes on the table, and said happily: "I knew that you must have good wine and meat here!" It's a long road, there's nothing to do, and our brothers drink a glass of wine and talk. ”

Cui Dutian invited Qin Xianpeng to sit down and said to him, "It's time for you to come." I'm asking this envoy, what's the matter with the envoy of the Northern Court Khan? I haven't seen the envoys come for a few months, and as soon as they come, they come twice, and they don't deal with each other. ”

Qin Xianpeng said with a smile: "I heard the envoy over there say that this dynasty has a great victory over the Khitan, and the King of Beiting Khan will send an envoy to congratulate the festival marshal." However, the road had to pass through Yizhou, and the Yizhou soldiers would not let it pass, so it was delayed until this time. ”

When Chen Xiliang heard this, he couldn't help blushing: "How is this guy talking nonsense!" It is clear that they regard the Khitan as the right and have always refused to send envoys to submit to the country. When I heard that we had sent an envoy, I hurriedly followed! ”

Cui Dutian said: "There is no news from the Western Regions, we don't know what the situation is there, and I would like to ask the envoy to explain it in detail." Don't escort you to Shengzhou, the festival commander asked, we couldn't answer a word, but it was embarrassing. ”

Chen Xiliang was about to answer, when suddenly a whistle sounded, which frightened his face and stunned him.

Cui Dutian said: "Don't panic, this is the horn before the train leaves, so that idlers can avoid it." The whistle sounds, and the train is about to leave. ”

As he spoke, he heard the sound of shopping and eating, getting louder and louder, and the train slowly moved forward. Chen Xiliang came to his senses, looked out the window, was very surprised, and said, "It turns out that this car is driving like this." I just don't know how to open it. ”

kept looking out the window, until he got out of the station, and the window was full of yellow sand and wild grass, Chen Xiliang turned around.

Cui Dutian said: "The water in the pot is boiling, the meat, the meat, we eat the meat and drink at the same time." ”

After eating meat for a while and drinking for three rounds, Cui Dutian said to Chen Xiliang: "Envoy, what is going on in Gaochang, how about telling us?" I can't get to Shengzhou until tomorrow, and I'm bored on the road, so I should pass the time. ”

Chen Xiliang reasoned out his thoughts and said: "Our Yizhou, starting from the Han Dynasty, has three links and three uniques with the Central Plains. By the time of the Sui Dynasty, the Emperor of the Central Plains had re-established Yiwu County and returned to the rule of the Celestial Empire. In the Tang Dynasty, it was Yizhou, and the imperial court sent soldiers and horses. After the war in the Central Plains, the state border was owned by Tibet. Later, Zhang Linggong of the Guiyi Army led the army and the people to rise up and drive away Tibet. The Uighurs came west, occupied the northern court, and gradually grew stronger, and Yizhou was defeated and had to be taken as the main one. Although Yizhou has to be dominated by the King of Beiting Khan, below the city lord, they are all Tang soldiers and generals in the old days, and they are not comparable to Hulu in other places. When Taizong, the king and the captain made Gaochang, who had been in Yizhou, and the city lord treated him very well. ”

Cui Dutian nodded: "In this way, you were originally old soldiers of Yizhou in the Tang Dynasty. Although he was trapped in Tibet and later annexed to the rebels, the leader continued his lineage until he was subdued by the Uighurs. Now that the Uighurs have surrendered, how can they send their own envoys this time? ”

Chen Xiliang arched his hand: "The general doesn't know, Yizhou has no choice but to focus on Beiting, but the military and civilians are focused on the Central Plains." Over the years, the Black Khan and the Northern Khan have been at war endlessly, and a few months ago, the Northern Khan was defeated, losing the Moman and Qiuzi in the west, and retreating to Yanqi. The west was defeated, and the king of Beiting Khan wanted to forcibly recruit the soldiers and horses of Yizhou, but the city lord did not allow it, and he had nothing to do with the king of Beiting Khan, and Yizhou became independent. ”

Cui Dutian and Qin Xianpeng glanced at each other, didn't say anything, and said, "Come, drink, drink, let's talk while drinking." ”

After the Uighurs ruled Gaochang, they took the city of Gaochang as the winter capital and the northern court as the summer capital. Because they originated from the North Court, they are also known as the Khan King of the North Court. Its honorific name is Azalan, also known as Abailan Mountain, that is, the Lion King. The Black Khan King is the Qarakhanid King, and the Kara is the meaning of black in Chinese. The Black Khan King's honorific title is also the Lion King, which is the common honorific title of many surrounding forces, and the Western Regions forces generally call the ruler of Gaochang the Beiting Khan, as opposed to the Black Khan King.

These forces have different populations and have their own origins.

The Uighurs were originally a nomadic power that emerged from Mobei after the Turks, and after the collapse of the late Tang Dynasty, they moved westward along the Hexi Corridor. There were many forces such as the Liangzhou Uighurs, the Ganzhou Uighurs, the Yellow Headed Uighurs, and the Western Uighurs. The Uighurs in Hexi were wiped out by the Dang, and now only the Yellow Uighurs in the mountains and the Western Uighurs in Gaochang remain.

The Black Khan, on the other hand, was the remnant of the Turks, the overlords of the steppe before the rise of the Uighurs, and after believing in a certain religion, they slowly combined into a large force.

Yizhou is the eastern gate of the Western Regions, the main area of immigration to Tunbian during the Han and Tang dynasties, and there are a large number of Han people. The late Tang Dynasty was isolated from the Central Plains, and formed a relatively identifiable Yizhou people with local natives, Sogdians, Turks, and some Uighurs. Its unifying forces have always claimed that they are the descendants of the original Tang Dynasty guards, and have won the support of the local people with this call. Of course, there is no need to investigate the actual situation, the last few generals and officials of the Tang Dynasty in Yizhou did not have the surname Chen.

Khotan, on the other hand, is dominated by indigenous people, but there are also Han Chinese and other Fanhu, and it is the only one of the major forces that is dominated by indigenous people. After Khotan was destroyed by Black Khan, there are actually no local forces in the Western Regions now, and the local color of Yizhou is relatively stronger.

The most powerful wars between the Western Uighurs and the Black Khanate have been going on for more than a century. In the past, it was the Western Uighurs, that is, the Beiting Khan King had the upper hand in the war, and in the last year or two, the strength and weakness have changed, and the Black Khan King has begun to gain the upper hand. To the west of the Uighurs in Western Prefecture, where the war had been raging around Qiuzi for several years, the Black Khan had gained an absolute advantage, and the Northern Khan had abandoned Qiuzi and retreated to Yanqi.

Taking advantage of the weakness of the Northern Court Khan, Yizhou regained its independence and no longer served as a vassal to the Northern Court Khan, becoming an independent force. This matter has nothing to do with the Song army coming west, but Zhao Zizhan Heishui City just caught up. The reason why the envoys were not sent in front was because Yizhou was afraid that the Song army of Heishui City would take advantage of the situation to advance westward, and wanted to pull the banner of the King of Beiting Khan to be bold. After several months, the Song army had no intention of advancing westward, and it was not convenient to fight in winter, so they hurriedly sent envoys to Shengzhou.

The king of Beiting Khan had already surrendered to the Khitan, and there was another Yizhou on the way east, and the Song army was still far away, and there was no willingness to send envoys. It wasn't until he heard that the envoys from Yizhou had set off that he hurriedly sent people for fear that Yizhou would lead the Song army into Gaochang.

With such a complicated matter, middle-level officers like Cui Dutian and Qin Xianpeng don't need to know it completely, it is enough to know about it. I don't know how many forces there are in the Western Regions, there is a country in the country, and there is a city in the city, which one can be clear? They don't have the need, they don't have the patience.

As soon as Cui Dutian heard that Yizhou had only become independent from the forces of the King of Beiting Khan this year, he was very suspicious of coming west because of the Song army, so he didn't have to listen to the following. If you have anything to say, go and talk to Du Zhongxiao in Shengzhou, it's useless to talk to yourself. Anyway, I don't know if it's true or not, it's better to listen to these than to listen to small songs.

After drinking a few rounds of wine, Cui Dutian ordered him to find a singer and listen to the song leisurely with Qin Xianpeng. At night, the two of them rested separately, just waiting for tomorrow to arrive in Shengzhou.

Chen Xiliang in the front compartment and Lian Cheng in the back compartment had their own worries and couldn't sleep. Everyone understands which side Du Zhongxiao, who holds a large army in Shengzhou, is biased, and which side has the advantage. Although the Gaochang area is large, known as the 22 cities, the actual population is not as large as the strength of the Song army, why resist?