Three Kingdoms

Chapter 3067: The eternal oasis road, different travelers

  Shule River.

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

Come from Shule Mountain, then go upstream, or seem to go upstream, from south to north, from east to west, and then disappear 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 the army along the Shule River.

 Ahead is Wowa Pond.

 The water is rippling, just like the gentle eyes of a beautiful woman.

Such a graceful lady, naturally she cannot be let down.

　　『The front part crosses the river and reaches the camp under Wowa Pond! 』

Fei Qian gave the order, and immediately the soldiers shouted and passed the order on. The soldiers and horses surged up 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 **** 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 longest and most prosperous trade channel and cultural avenue in the world. 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 the symbol 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 Festival was about to begin, monk Lezun walked to the end of Mingsha Mountain and realized 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.

Since then, the sound of axes and chisels has been ringing 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 again amid the laughter of happiness.

 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, this is just a great integration of nationalities.

 Actually what these people want to say is—

 Sir, you have eaten poop!

 Hurry to shut up your stinky mouth!

 The melodious camel bells gradually became quieter. 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.

 Shut your mouth, cover your eyes, and 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!

 One peck and one drink, it’s all like this.

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.

  Involution, internal strife, internal fighting.

 Outstanding generals do not die on external battlefields, but in dark prison cells within their own country.

  civilian officials are not thinking about how to govern and develop, but about making 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 in the ground, whether it is skin, flesh or bones, it will still belong to the contract holder for fifty years...

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

 It’s 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?

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

kill?

So 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.

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

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

 As for the evolution of cattle and sheep into shepherds...

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

It's really tough.

 Some cows and sheep just want to be cows and sheep, so don’t worry!

Only a very small number of 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 is 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 used to write the questions are like dripping flesh and blood.

 The chess pieces only have full deterrence when they are not falling, 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 the map. Red and blue arrows criss-cross.

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

What's more, the answerers and the 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.

"My lord," Zhang Liao came to pay the order after completing his inspection of the camp. "Everywhere in the camp has been fixed, and there is nothing abnormal." 』

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

“I saw a messenger who was urgently reporting,” Zhang Liao raised his hands and asked, “I wonder if something has changed? 』

　　　『It’s not the changes in Guanzhong, but the changes in Youbei. Reports came from Youbei that 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 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 whether it is scattered coal on the surface, or whether some coal in the deep layers is exposed to the surface.

Someone did 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 startled, "Now the north wind is blowing. Is this...a fire attack?" 』

Fei Qian nodded, "Most likely." 』

Zhang Liao cupped his hands and said, "I wonder what Zhao Duhu should do to deal with this?" 』

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

 Zhang Liao: "…"

 This...can I send you a 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 some brilliant strategy, it would not be passed on to Youbei.

　　　‘Let’s focus on the present... The land west of Hexi is at the right time for 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 household!" 』

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

　　　The land of 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 big local households if they were replaced by public intellectuals of later generations...

 There are 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.

 Feiqian left Tai Shici and some soldiers and horses in the Western Regions, but also brought back some others.

The Qiang, Hu and Semu people from the Western Regions, as well as a large amount of gold, silver, cattle, sheep and war horses that will be transported into Guanzhong along the Hexi Corridor. 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, 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.

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

 The pressure in Taiyuan will be relatively high.

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

  After all, compared with 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 increase troops in a large scale.

 This is the strategy that Fei Qian, Pang Tong and others 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 and 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 Shaanjin relies on the river. 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 it is to suppress it with heavy troops or to 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, so he could use brute force to pry it off. Even so, the prying was messy and bloody, and now Le Jin is just going all the way, 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?

 Hand-seek and hide-and-seek with Wei Yan by temporarily forming mountain soldiers again?

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 defense 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 a bit like the land west 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, they opened up Hexi and sowed the seeds of civilization 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 businessmen's 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.

 People are all flawed.

 Just like a river, not all places are perfect.

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

 Where there is light, there must be shadow.

 As long as there are people who declare things openly, there will naturally be people who are sneaky and smugglers.

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

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

 For the Northern Territory, it is in the Jin Dynasty.

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 for no 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 the rest of the life.

Which way to go depends on Cui herself...

 (End of this chapter)