Three Kingdoms

Chapter 2548 When is the end of grudges and grudges?

  Western Regions.

Near Tianshan Mountain.

Menghua and others were heading west along the mountains.

 The Western Region is very large, but most of the areas are uninhabited.

 After all, both plants and animals need water. Without water, nothing can survive.

 Where there are mountains, there must be water. The melted water from the rolling snow peaks nourishes the life on this plateau.

Therefore, if you look down from a high altitude, most of the creatures are concentrated on both sides of the mountains, and then in the middle area, you will find the dry yellow sand basin, which is the restricted area of ​​life.

 The Kingdom of Cheshi is also on this lifeline. The clear snow and water of Tianshan Mountain gave birth to this country.

 In the historical records, when records of Cheshi Kingdom first appeared, it was also called Gushi, and was listed together with Loulan.

At first, the country of Cheshi was quite good, because in the historical records, it was specifically stated that both Loulan and Gushi had castles and built moats. This shows that to a certain extent, Gushi, also known as Cheshi, In fact, it was also influenced by China to some extent, or in other words, Cheshi was embarking on the road of farming and settling down.

 It was just later...

 The charioteers first came into contact with the Xiongnu. The chariot division was originally close to Yanze, and the Xiongnu's right side was east of Yanze, until the Longxi Great Wall. The south side of the Xiongnu was connected to the Qiang residential area, blocking the road to the Han Dynasty.

"Han Shu" records that there are two routes out of the Western Region from Yumen and Yangguan. One is from Shanshan to the north of Nanshan Mountain, and goes west from the Po River to Shache, which is the southern route. The southern route crosses Congling in the west and the Big Moon appears. Shi, rest. The other one starts from Wang Ting in front of Cheshi and follows Beishan, and goes westward from Po River to Shule, which is the North Road. The North Road crosses Congling in the west and leads to Dayuan, Kangju, and Yancaiyan.

 The importance of the driver is clearly evident.

It is precisely because of this that when Meng Hua and others came to check out the Che Shiqian Country, the Che Master people here, or in other words, the Che Master Guo Zuo, already had no idea what they had.

Although it was during the Han Dynasty that China first came into contact with Che Shi, there is no written record of Che Shi itself, or it may have existed but disappeared, so no one knows when exactly Che Shi was established. A rough estimate is that it existed during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and then continued to evolve and merge with China, forming a white-yellow mixed race...

Because they were caught between the Xiongnu and the Han, the charioteers had been swinging back and forth between the Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu. It was like taking refuge with the Xiongnu at one time and the Han at the other. As a charioteer from a small country, there was no choice at all. , you can only choose the immediate interests, and you will defect to whichever party is stronger. But if you defect to the other side repeatedly, you will actually offend both sides.

Just like those small countries between Jin and Chu that had the longest and fiercest struggle for hegemony during the Spring and Autumn Period, such as Zheng, Song, Chen, Cai and other countries, their affiliations were often a symbol of whose hegemony belonged to them, so they It has become the object of competition among the great powers, and therefore suffered the most severe disasters of war.

The Cheshi Kingdom has now been divided into four kingdoms. In history, it was divided into six kingdoms at most, namely the Cheshi Front, the Cheshi Rear, Dongqiemi, Beilu, Pulei, and Yinzhi. Therefore, it is very simple to see Only when it is unified can it be strong. Once it is divided, it will become smaller and smaller until it is annexed by others or directly dies.

At some time after the remains of the caravan were found in Menghua, a group of people and horses slowly walked along the mountain road.

Looking at the costumes of the people and horses, they look like Qiang people.

After General Hussar conquered Longxi and quelled the Beigong rebellion, for these Qiang people, some were willing to accept it, while others were unwilling, and they naturally split apart, and these Qiang people who were unwilling to accept Han rule The Qiang people also fled further west.

Escape is naturally not a good thing, and don't expect to be treated politely by others. Just like the refugees in the Han Dynasty, they are despised wherever they go. The same is true for these Qiang people.

 In winter, when I can’t stand it anymore, I naturally think about some zero-yuan shopping activities, and then when I am hooked by some thoughtful people, I naturally start doing it vigorously.

　　　『Take a break! Damn, it's freezing! ” The leading Qiang leader dismounted, then walked to the side sheltered from the wind, took out a small gourd of wine from his arms, took a sip, and exhaled heavily.

 His men also dismounted one after another and came together to complain.

　　"It's such a cold day, a caravan will come out..."

　　　『The nobles are good at talking nonsense, but we are the ones who break our legs! 』

“Perhaps you think that since there was a caravan last time, there may be one now...”

　　　　Bullshit! I heard that the higher-ups are talking to those guys about..."

"Shut up! ” The young Qiang leader stopped and said, “Are you allowed to talk nonsense about this matter? Nothing to do, right? Clean up after yourself and move on! If you can't get to shelter before dark, you deserve to freeze to death outside! 』

After being shouted at by the leader, these Qiang people did not dare to say anything. They began to gather the horses listlessly, feed them some food, and then readjusted some saddles and other things, preparing to continue on their way while it was still early.

 After resting for a while, we set off again.

 Shaking, trembling.

Just after turning a mountain pass, the wind brought some fine snow powder and hit the Qiang leader's face.

“Pfft…” The Qiang leader sighed, then wiped the snow powder on his face. Suddenly his nose moved a few times, as if he smelled something strange.

 Normally, snow powder should be tasteless...

The Qiang leader couldn't help but rein in his horse, raised his head and began to look around.

At the next moment, an arrow whizzed in the cold wind, hitting the Qiang leader directly in the face!

The leader of the Qiang people screamed for a while, then fell off his horse in despair, causing a panic in the Qiang queue!

On the hillside, Menghua lifted off the white linen cloth of his disguise, nocked arrows and fired his bow in succession, and shot down two or three more people. Around him, there were also many soldiers who lifted off their disguise, and either opened their bows and fired furiously, or It was roaring and charging towards the Qiang queue!

Facing the soldiers who suddenly appeared from the snow, these Qiang people were obviously panicked. In addition, the Qiang leader was dead, so these Qiang people subconsciously turned around and ran away.

However, the mountain road is long and narrow, and it is inconvenient to turn around. Where can you run away immediately if you want to?

 Among the countless splashes of snow and dust, there are splashes of blood from time to time, adding a touch of shocking red to the gray sky and earth.

No matter how much you brag, no matter how powerful your words are, in the face of swords, guns and arrows, you still have to rely on your true ability. And these Qiang people have already run away once with their tails between their legs, so if they continue to run away a second time, they will not It's not something unacceptable.

Amidst the shouts and shouts, Meng Hua led his men into the Qiang queue, either slashing or killing with arrows. In a short time, he killed all the Qiang who still had the courage to resist. The rest are those who were left behind, those who ran away when the situation was bad, and those who lost their courage and knelt down to surrender...

“Don’t kill me, I... won’t kill...” The Qiang man fell to his knees and shouted in slightly awkward Chinese.

　　　　Hahaha, why don’t I kill you? Give me an explanation! ” The Menghua soldiers kicked the Qiang man over, and then their blood-stained knives were dangling.

 In the Han Dynasty, there was no Geneva Convention. Well, even in later generations, sometimes these conventions are as inaccurate as **** paper, let alone in the present. Trapping and killing after surrender is not an incredible operation. After all, for these ordinary soldiers Said, the merit of the head is the most important, as for the others...

"Do not kill me! "The Qiang man howled, "I know many, many... things, yes, many things..."

The soldier rolled his eyes and patted the Qiang man's face with a knife, "I hope you are telling the truth, otherwise...hehehe..."

The soldier turned to Menghua and shouted, "There is a guy here who claims to know something!" 』

Meng Huazheng grabbed a handful of snow powder and wiped the blood on his hands. Hearing this, he raised his head and said, "Bring it here!" 』

 …(〃 Pan`)q…

 Wuwei.

In the cold wind, Jia Xu, wearing a thick cloak, stood at the top of the city, looking into the distance, as if he was admiring the snowy scenery, and seemed to be thinking about something. Jiang Ji stood beside Jia Xu.

Jiang Jiong glanced at Jia Xu.

Jiang Ji had been blowing the wind on the city wall with Jia Xu for a long time. He watched the sun gradually setting in the west, and the cold wind became stronger and stronger. Then he looked at the white frost hanging on the beard and hair of the guard beside him. He couldn't help but move forward, "Your Majesty, seeing that the sun is going down, it's getting colder and colder, why not..."

Jia Xu nodded, then smiled, "Okay, let's go back to the Yamen." It’s okay, it’s okay… I just feel unhappy, which makes you hang out with me…”

Jiang Ji’s eyebrows jumped, it’s strange that nothing happened.

However, Jiang Ji didn't dare to say more. After giving instructions to the soldiers on duty, he accompanied Jia Xu back to the government office. Then he took off his already damp cloak and asked his servants to dry it while he He sat in the hall with Jia Xu. After a moment of silence, he asked cautiously, "I don't know, sir, what are you worrying about?" 』

　　『How was the Western Region before you came back? ” Jia Xu did not answer Jiang Jiong’s words directly, but asked instead.

 Could it be that something happened in the Western Region?

Jiang Jiong was thinking about it in his mind, but he still answered Jia Xu's question honestly: "The countries in the Western Region...are basically stable..."

Jiang Jiong was in the Western Regions before, and he also followed Lu Bu to conquer some Western Region states.

Jia Xu nodded, seeming to be sighing, "Yes, the countries in the Western Regions are... quite stable..."

  What does this mean? Isn't it bad to say that it is stable? Jiang Ji was a little confused, but he habitually remained silent and did not ask.

　　　『The human heart is interesting. ” Jia Xu chuckled twice, “Chang Shi left not long ago...”

Jiang Ji was startled, looked at Jia Xu with doubtful eyes, and then started to think a little.

"It's nothing more than the human heart... The farther the distance is, the farther the human heart is... Once the human heart is far away, some gaps will inevitably arise, and there will gradually be malice in the gaps..." Jia Xu still chuckled. , "It's a pity, it's ridiculous. I obviously suffered a loss, but I can't remember it. What can I do?" Hum, haha, hahaha..."

"The envoy of the Western Regions... said..." Jiang Ji was startled, "could it be..."

　　‘Isn’t it possible to just fight and fight honestly? Jia Xu narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "If you have to get involved in these court politics, you worry too much about gains and losses... What will be the result?" But maybe we still have to thank him..."

Jia Xu's words confused Jiang Ji, "You still want to be grateful...?" 』

Jia Xu nodded, with a calm look on his face, "Of course I want to thank him... Do you think, in this place in the Western Regions, the big man has done it over and over again? Why? Could it be that these countries in the Western Regions have many powerful soldiers? 』

 The predecessor of the Western Regions is "Xirong".

In the pre-Qin period, because the Western Regions were not well understood, they were generally referred to as Hulu. It was not until the Western Han Dynasty that the fog of war here was truly revealed, and the area west of Yumen Pass was officially called the Western Regions.

 with the Tianshan Mountains that are divided into two parts: pastoralism in the north and farming in the south. The northern region is similar to the north of Yinshan Mountain in China. It is mainly composed of nomadic people who migrate in pursuit of water and grass, so it is also called the "Xingguo". It is mainly composed of Sai people, Yuezhi people, Cheshi people, Wusun people and Huns. wait. To the south are many settled farming tribes, living in the oases of the Tianshan Mountains and deserts, which are also called "city states".

Because of the decline of the Qin Dynasty, during the period between Qin and Han, a large number of Chinese people, that is, Qin people, entered the Western Regions and passed on various advanced technologies to the Western Regions at that time. However, due to the limitations of productivity at that time, transportation was not smooth. This made it impossible for the Western Regions to form a unified whole until the Xiongnu went south and took control of the Western Regions. The king of the Xiongnu in the west appointed a "child servant captain" to manage the affairs of the Western Region. At the same time, he used the Western Region as a base to frequently plunder the border areas of the Han Dynasty.

 The Xiongnu's entry into the Western Regions and their rule also began to change the structure of the Western Regions, and directly contributed to the subsequent unification of the Western Regions by the Western Han Dynasty.

In other words, if the Xiongnu had not used the Western Regions to cause trouble, the Han Dynasty at that time might not have had the intention to conquer and rule such a distant territory...

no Zuo no Die.

 This sentence is valid both in ancient times and in modern times.

Jia Xu smiled and pointed at Jiang Ji, "Look, I sent you back first, and then sent back a group of old soldiers from the Western Regions a few days ago... Although these wounded soldiers from the Western Regions can indeed be sent back." Come back...but is there a possibility that there will be trouble if you stay? 』

Jiang Jiong was promoted by Li Ru.

Hearing this, Jiang Ji's face turned a little pale, "Your Majesty, this... the Protector of the Great Protectorate should not..."

　　　『Not to what? Not so stupid, or not so blind? ” Jia Xu smiled and said, “I would rather not be like this...but this matter is not decided by someone...”

Looking at Jiang Ji's slightly confused look, Jia Xu said slowly: "In the past few days, I have been thinking, why couldn't I save the Western Region before?" In the Western Regions, is the Han army still a Han army? Or has it become...the Army of the Western Regions? 』

Before Jiang Ji could answer, Jia Xu continued to speak slowly, as if these thoughts had been hidden in his mind for a long time, "Not to mention the Western Regions, in fact, all the counties, counties, and princes of the Han Dynasty transferred their own territory to , regarded as the foundation, and fought with the bandits on their own territory, and they all worked hard, but if something happened to other counties and counties in the country, they would often lose the battle... Just like the Xiqiang... You were in Longyou before, you know Emperor Xiaoling What happened when we were fighting Xiqiang..."

"The local soldiers in Longyou want the soldiers from outside to charge into the battle, and then they follow behind to take advantage...The generals who lost the previous battle hope that the new army that was added later will also lose the battle, so that they will not appear stupid and incompetent...Corruption at all levels The officials hope that the war will continue like this forever, so that endless money will be delivered to their noses for free from all over the country..."

“A certain person once calculated that if we really save money and refuse corruption, the money the court spent on the Xiqiang War would not have required 4 billion, but less than 400 million would be enough..."

　　　Where did all the extra money go? 』

　　　　Interesting? Are those who are clamoring for a fight really loyal to the Han Dynasty? Those who say it is better to give up must be Chinese sinners? If you just listen to one side of the story, you will probably have problems. 』

　　　"Xiqiang, four billion, everyone can make a profit, from soldiers to generals, so who hopes to really win?" 』

　　　"Those generals and officials who made huge gains in the War of Xiqiang, have they ever thought that their actions brought down the Han Dynasty, led to the decline of the court, and then led to the humiliation of the emperor and the displacement of hundreds of officials? 』

　　　How long has it been since then? 』

　　『Someone forgot again…』

Jia Xu looked into the distance and then fell silent.

Jiang Jiong was also silent, he didn't know what to say.

After a long time, Jiang Ji hesitated and asked: "Your Majesty, then this time... it should be different, right?" 』

　　"It's indeed different, but why is it different specifically..." Jia Xu nodded and smiled, "I haven't figured it out yet... so I have to take another look and think about it..."

Jiang Ji was a little surprised. Because in his impression, Li Ru was undoubtedly a wise man, and Jia Xu didn't give in much. But now Jia Xu actually said that he couldn't "figure it out". Is this true or false?

“In this case…” Jiang Ji said, “Should we report it to the Lord…”

"This matter has been reported to the police a long time ago..." Jia Xu waved his hand and said, "The problem now is not just the Western Regions..."

　　　　Not just the Western Regions? Jiang Ji asked, "Is it An An'an or Taixi?" 』

“Hahaha, no, it’s not this...” Jia Xu burst out laughing, “You’re thinking too far... Qianqiu Huaxia, when were they all defeated by outsiders? If we in China have no problems, who can defeat us? So it’s not rest, well, even if it’s rest, so what? The key is to be within, not outside..."

Jia Xu said, looking in the direction of Chang'an, "Because... even if this problem does not appear now, it will appear in the future... If it can be solved well, it can become a template for future generations. If... well, haha..."

 (End of this chapter)