Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3067 The eternal oasis road, different travelers

Shule River.

This was the name of later generations. In the Han Dynasty, the river was called Jiduanshui and also called Mingshui.

It comes from Shule Mountain and then goes upstream, or it seems like it goes upstream, from south to north, from east to west, and then disappears into the desert. There are many sections of the entire river that are underground rivers, just like river water gushing out from the Nine Underworlds, so it is called underworld water.

Fei Qian now led his army along the Shule River.

Ahead is Wowa Pond.

The ripples of water are like the soft eyes of a beautiful woman.

Such a graceful lady cannot be let down.

"The front part crosses the river and reaches the camp at Wowa Pond!" 』

Fei Qian gave the order, and immediately the soldiers shouted and passed the order. The soldiers and horses surged and accelerated towards the front.

Looking back, the Shule River is like a piece of silk, shining brightly in the wind, emitting a soft and delicate brilliance. It is also like a gentle mother, surrounding each oase, just like holding each child.

The temper of the Shule River is hidden in the dark. It is not as obviously violent as the Yellow River and the Yangtze River at certain stages, and the water waves are so turbulent that people can't stand it. Most of the Shule River sections are not very high and the water flow is not too large, but there are some sections where it is impossible to cross the river, even if the water level is not high.

Because at the bottom of the Shule River, there are large and small very sharp stones on the river bed in some areas. People who are not familiar with the terrain mistakenly believe that crossing the river only requires looking at the water level, and then jumping into the water happily, they will inevitably be cut bloody by the little temper hidden in the Shule River.

From Yumenguan to the Hexi Corridor, the area is very wide, but no matter how you go, there is only one road, which is the road along the Shule River.

There is no other way.

During the pre-Qin period, the Shule River Basin was occupied by the Wusun, Dayuezhi, and Xiongnu, and nomadic culture was the mainstream culture in this region. During this period, this place was the paradise and cradle of nomads. The Shule Song of Shulechuan has been sung for who knows how many years.

Later, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty focused on this place. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent General Huo Qubing to march westward and defeated the Huns, fundamentally solving the harassment and threats from the Huns. Subsequently, the four counties of Jiuquan, Wuwei, Zhangye and Dunhuang were established, and Yumen Pass and Yang Pass were set up.

From then on, the Silk Road was officially opened.

On the Eurasian continent, which accounts for one-third of the world's land area, a beautiful ribbon forms the world's longest and most prosperous trade channel and cultural avenue. The Shule River Basin is the bridgehead on this road to civilization.

During the thousands of years of repeated opening and closing of the Silk Road, opening again, closing again, etc., the Shule River has always been here. Although the Shule River has become older with the changes of the years, it is still here. It is possible to nurture the surrounding oasis and the surrounding children. Without such an east-west river, the Han people would not have a suitable channel to open up a Silk Road.

This is a window and a door left to China by God.

Cities are symbols of human social civilization. There are naturally many cities on both sides of the Shule River, and the most basic urban pattern is left over from the Han Dynasty.

Fei Qian looked in the direction of Dunhuang.

The construction of the grotto over there has not started yet.

When the Wuhu Luanhua began, monk Lezun walked to the end of Mingsha Mountain and felt the gurgling water and ginseng trees in the valley. He also saw Sanwei Mountain emitting a strange golden light under the setting sun, resembling a thousand Buddhas. Lezun believed that this beautiful mountain and beautiful water must be the holy land of Buddhism, so he went around asking for alms and dug the first cave of Mogao Grottoes on the steep wall beside the Danquan River.

From then on, the tinkling sound of axes and chisels echoed along the Dangquan River for thousands of years.

The extremely chaotic wars, countries each doing their own thing, the chaos in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, and the forgotten history once again taught the Chinese people a lesson.

But, can you remember it?

Who remembers it?

The generation that experienced the pain remembers it, and then the next generation of children forgets it in the midst of happy laughter.

Sir, times have changed!

Stop talking about what it was like back then!

Young people always say this.

The Buddha statues in the Dunhuang Grottoes are the only and final spiritual sustenance for people living in the extremely painful Wuhuanhua. Living to endure endless pain, smearing the last hope and the blood of the heart on the cold and ruthless rocks, so among all the colors in the grotto, red is the most vivid.

Then, some people laughed and said that this is just a great integration of nationalities.

In fact, what these people want to say is -

My lord, I've eaten poop!

Don't shut up your stinky mouth yet!

The melodious camel bells gradually faded away. In the third year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, the indestructible Jiayuguan city tower was officially closed, and Dunhuang and the entire Shule River basin were abandoned outside the pass. Dunhuang, a prosperous capital on the Silk Road, retreated into a nomadic society overnight and remained isolated for hundreds of years.

Close your mouth, close your eyes, plug your ears.

The world suddenly became quiet, so happy...

Hundreds of years later, the door that the Central Plains dynasty closed in the northwest was opened by Westerners from the southeast coast!

A peck and a drink, that's all.

Therefore, Fei Qian thought, if we put the rise and fall of the Silk Road and the fate of Dunhuang on a broader and deeper level to summarize and reflect, we can see that when a nation opens its mind and takes the initiative to communicate with other nations in the world, Over time, it will be enriched and developed, but if it closes its doors and rejects all foreign culture, it will lose its vitality and go into decline.

Infighting, internal strife, internal fighting.

Excellent generals do not die on the external battlefield, but in the dark cells of their own country.

What civil servants think about is not how to govern and develop, but how to make money.

Being an official is to make money, and making money is to be an official.

The powerless people are like a little girl who can only cry and can't speak clearly. Anyone can come up and manipulate them at will. They can do whatever they want, and they can silence them if they want. She can also shake out a piece of contract, indicating that the girl has signed and pledged it, and this is of her own free will! No one else can care!

Even if the girl dies and is buried underground, within fifty years, whether it is skin, flesh or bones, they will still belong to the person who holds the contract...

Because there are too many people, and the rulers think they don’t need so many.

Just like when does a shepherd take the best care of his sheep? Naturally, the flock is not large, and the loss of one sheep will affect the shepherd's quality of life. When a shepherd has tens of millions of cattle and sheep, but only a few or dozens of them, what does it matter? It's hard not to think that there are too many cattle and sheep to feed, so we might as well hold a feast without sheep for a hundred days and kill some cattle and sheep to reduce the burden.

If you want to change, is there any use in talking to the shepherd?

You can find a way to communicate with a person. Even if this person is a bully, there is still a way, but if you want to communicate with a group of bullies...

kill?

Then wouldn't it mean that he has become a fool like a gangster?

Killing is a means, not an end, and it is the final resort. Because after killing, if there are still people who are not afraid, then there is nothing you can do, which is equivalent to your own complete failure.

Therefore, if we want these shepherds in China to show pity to their cattle and sheep, on the one hand, we need to replace a group of shepherds and get rid of the cruel shepherds, and on the other hand, we need to increase the value of cattle and sheep.

After being a shepherd for a long time, he will forget that he was once a cow and sheep.

As for making cattle and sheep evolve into shepherds...

It’s not that it’s impossible, it’s that it’s very difficult.

It's really tough.

Some cows and sheep are just willing to be cows and sheep, so you don’t have to worry!

Only a few cattle and sheep would want to become shepherds. The "very few" here are not the few that Fei Qian controls, but the very few of the cattle and sheep themselves. Most of them want to change when they are in pain, but once the pain disappears temporarily, they return to their original state. It was not until the next time of pain that I remembered that I once had such an ambition.

The camp was launched.

The moonlight rises into the sky.

Ordinary soldiers are on duty and sleeping.

Fei Qian sat in the tent, watching the battle reports collected from all over the country.

This is his night.

It was also his night every day for thousands of days.

How much you pay, how much you get in return. As a battle commander, do you want to win the battle easily while sleeping? It's better to dream faster.

Life and death have always been a big issue.

The examination papers are spread out among thousands of miles of rivers, and the writing and ink on the questions are dripping with flesh and blood.

The chess piece only has full deterrence when it does not fall, but once the position is determined, it is basically the grinding of blood and flesh, the struggle between knife and fire.

Fei Qian looked at Tuyu.

Red and blue arrows crisscross.

From north to south, every place is testing the question-askers and answerers.

What's more, the answerers and questioners are constantly evolving, exchanging, even cheating, cheating, and then accusing, accusing, using the other party to cheat, or taking advantage of each other's tricks.

"Lord," Zhang Liao came to pay the order after completing his inspection of the camp. "Everywhere in the camp is settled, and there is nothing abnormal." 』

"Um. Fei Qian nodded, then pointed to Mazar beside him, "Sit down." 』

"A certain messenger came to report urgently," Zhang Liao asked, cupping his hands, "I wonder if something has changed?" 』

"It's not that there are changes in Guanzhong, but there are changes in Youbei." Reports came from Youbei. Cao Jun led the remnants of Wuhuan and Xianbei and set up an ambush in the Black Stone Forest..." Fei Qian did not hide Zhang Liao's intention and said directly, "According to someone's knowledge, there is coal in the Black Stone Forest... so it is called For the Black Stone Forest..."

There is some coal around the Black Stone Forest. These coals look like black stones, so they are called the Black Stone Forest.

It’s just that I don’t know if it’s scattered coal on the surface, or if some of the deep coal is exposed to the surface.

Someone had done a rough survey in the early years, but because of the remote location and inconvenient transportation, they simply marked it and did not dig it.

Zhang Liao was suddenly shocked, "Now that the north wind is blowing, this... is this going to be a fire attack?" 』

Fei Qian nodded, "Most likely." 』

Zhang Liao cupped his hands and said, "I wonder how Zhao Duhu should respond?" 』

Fei Qian shook his head, "The letter is just that, there is no follow-up..."

Zhang Liao: "..."

This...can I send the blade?

"Zilong has always been cautious and would not fall for this trick. Black Stone Forest... Hey, Black Stone Forest..." Fei Qian thought for a moment, and finally knocked on the table and put the matter down. After all, even if Fei Qian thought of any brilliant strategy at the moment, it would be impossible to pass it on to Youbei. go.

"Let's just focus on the present... The land west of Hexi is in a time of order. Fei Qian said to Zhang Liao, "Where do Wen Yuan think we should start?" 』

Zhang Liao took a breath, and then spit out two words, "Big family!" 』

Fei Qian smiled and nodded, "Let's talk about it." 』

"The land in Hexi is slightly different from Longxi. Zhang Liao said, "Longxi is close to Guanzhong, and Hexi is adjacent to Hudi." If Guanzhong is captured, Longxi will be easily conquered, but only by defeating the barbarians can Hexi be conquered. This was true during the Han and Wu Dynasties, and it is true now. 』

Fei Qian laughed and said, "Of course!" The land west of Hexi is the key point leading to the Western Region and must not be lost. Wen Yuanqi went to arrange military affairs. After a day of rest, he headed to Jiuquan! 』

It would be easy to understand the local big family if they were replaced by public intellectuals of later generations...

Both good and bad.

Now is the time to distinguish and filter.

After Zhang Liao received relatively clear instructions, he said goodbye and left the tent. Fei Qian still had to face the map on the table alone, just like Fei Qian, who had always faced the big man alone. The situation is the same.

Fei lurked in the Western Regions, leaving behind Tai Shici and some soldiers and horses, but he also brought back some others.

The Qiang, Hu and Semu people from the Western Regions will also be transported into Guanzhong along the Hexi Corridor in large quantities of gold, silver, cattle, sheep and war horses. These are either plundered during the war, or compensation after the war. Jia Xu at Yumen Pass will approve all people and objects passing through the pass, but when it comes to the Hexi Corridor, Fei Qian needs to clean it up in advance...

Fei Qian's eyes wandered around the Hexi Corridor for a few times, and it didn't take long before he landed on Shangdang Taiyuan.

Compared with the current situation in the Northern Territory or Hexi, Fei Qian is more worried about the Taiyuan generation.

The pressure in Taiyuan will be greater.

Because the soldiers and horses of Yinshan will not give Taiyuan much support.

After all, compared to Hedong and Taiyuan, Hedong is naturally more important.

Xihe, Shangjun, Beidi, etc. are all focused on supporting Pingyang and Chang'an. Even if Taiyuan is in danger, it is impossible to massively increase troops.

This was the strategy that Fei Qian, Pang Tong and others had discussed before.

Shangdang Huguan, Jiaqu has been operating for many years, the city defense is stable, and the reserves are sufficient. As long as we fight steadily, we will definitely die at Huguan. It is not a problem to persist for one year or even two years.

Most people would think that the wall of Huguan is the scope of the battlefield. However, the strategy formulated by Fei Qian and Pang Tong regarded Taihang Mountain as the outer wall of Shangdang Huguan, so Wei Yan outside the outer wall , is not a lonely soldier and horse, but connected with Huguan.

If Cao Jun is viewed as a whole from south to north, then Huguan relies on Taihang and Shaanxi relies on Dahe. They are two nails stuck in the waist of Cao Jun, and they are stuck in the area of ​​​​the lower back that is difficult to reach.

Huguan is protected by the Taihang Mountains, and Shaanxi and Tianjin are protected by the river. Whether you want to suppress it with heavy troops or encircle it, it is very difficult.

Historically, when Cao Cao conquered Huguan, he had no worries about his retreat, and there were no multiple routes to advance. He could use brute force to pry directly. Even so, the prying was messy and bloody, and now Le Jin is just on the side, like a thief with a small screwdriver trying to pry open the thick vault door with a heaven and earth lock installed...

The same is true for Wei Yan. There is a navy stuck at the third gate. Cao Cao wants to go against the current. Without a huge navy, he can't even think about it. Cao Cao's navy is all in Jingzhou. There is no shortage of transport ships in Shandong. The problem is that the entire Shandong area There is no organized navy at all.

Even if we take a step back, Cao Cao cobbled together a navy army and exchanged the navy chess pieces in Wei Yan's hands. As long as Wei Yan could control his impulse and retreat to the mountains, the mountains would be the main battlefield for Wei Yan's mountain troops. What could Cao Cao do? manage?

Temporarily forming mountain soldiers and playing hide-and-seek with Wei Yan?

Therefore, as long as Jia Qu and Wei Yan remain stable and do not greedy for success or make rash advances, Cao Cao can only do nothing but do nothing. There are not many good solutions.

On the defensive line, there are solid areas, but naturally there are also weak points.

Taiyuan County...

Fei Qian hopes that Cui Jun can survive, but also hopes that Cui Jun cannot survive.

This is a very contradictory idea, but very realistic.

Different regions, different environments, and different positions will inevitably lead to different behaviors.

Taiyuan County is actually somewhat like the land of Hexi.

The prosperity of Hexi is due to the opening of the Silk Road, otherwise it would be a nomadic land.

Because the Central Plains needed to communicate with the outside world, Hexi was opened up and the seeds of civilization were sown here. With the countless sweat and blood sprinkled on the banks of the Shule River, the flowers of civilization bloomed.

It is also because of this that Taiyuan County's settled merchant atmosphere is too strong.

Fei Qian does not despise businessmen, nor does it mean that all businessmen are unpatriotic. Just like there are traitors among the three categories of scholars, peasants and workers, sometimes it is more about human nature and cannot be generalized by a single category. It's just that businessmen have always been too calculating and too shrewd, so they are often driven by interests.

All people are flawed.

Just like a river, not everything is perfect.

The Shule River is beautiful, but beyond the oasis, there is a desert.

Where there is light, there must be shadow.

If there are people who report things openly, there will naturally be people who are sneaky and smugglers.

When Jia Xu was cleaning up the business documents at Yumen Pass, he would inevitably find some holes dug by rats and foxes.

These potholes, for the Western Region, are in Hexi.

As for the Northern Territory, it is in Jin.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, there was no doubt that Shanxi merchants were smugglers and traitors. It's just that merchants from Huizhou and Zhejiang were also smuggling at that time. As for why they all looked at Shanxi merchants with black faces and bodies, it was because there were many officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang later. Sons can't smear my face. Therefore, the label of traitor businessman can only be worn by Shanxi businessmen. Who knows that Shanxi businessmen have indeed done these things, and there are not as many officials in Jiangsu and Zhejiang later?

So if you want to plug potholes and find mice and foxes digging in the ground, of course you need to smoke them...

No merit falls from the sky, and no trust is born without reason. In the land of Hexi, Fei Qian is ready to start a fire, but in the land of Jin, I wonder if Cui Hou and Cui Jun can withstand the smoke and fire this time?

The friendship of the past can alleviate the sin for a moment, but it cannot absolve it for a lifetime.

Which way to go depends on Cui herself...

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