Nanzhao was the gathering place of the Wuman and Baiman.
Before the Mengshe Zhao, people in the Central Plains called these barbarians Cuan people.
Before the Eastern Jin Dynasty, the Cuan people were divided into two branches, the Wu and Bai barbarians. The Wu barbarians were the rulers, while the Bai barbarians were the ruled.
After the Eastern Jin Dynasty, internal struggles among the Cuan people became very serious, with constant annexations and fights between them.
In the early Tang Dynasty, the Cuan people completely split into two tribes, the Eastern Cuan and the Western Cuan. The Eastern Cuan was mainly composed of the Wuman, while the Western Cuan was mainly composed of the Baiman.
For the people in the Central Plains, whether it is the Dongchuan or the Xichuan, they are all called southern barbarians.
The governor of Jiannan, Shi Long, was from the Baiman tribe.
The land of Jiannan was governed by Jianchuan City, where Shi Long lived.
At noon, Jianchuan City welcomed four distant guests.
The first person had willow-shaped eyebrows, phoenix-like eyes, a plain face and a delicate nose. On his rosy little mouth, there were two tufts of mustaches sticking out of place.
The man was nearly six feet tall, with a slender figure, wrapped in a felt robe and with feathers in his hair, dressed exactly like a barbarian. In addition, he had an iron whip slung across his waist and wore straw sandals, which were commonly worn by barbarians. This man was none other than Yuchi Jin.
As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. If one entered the Nanzhao territory while still dressed as a Han Chinese, it would definitely cause hostility. After all, Nanzhao had been badly beaten by Gao Pian, Song Wei and others, and nowadays, there are only a few adult men in the country.
On the left of Yuchi Jin was a big man with lion-like eyes and a fierce appearance, it was Geng?m; he also had his hair tied up high with chicken feathers inserted diagonally, and he held a long spear in his hand, guarding Yuchi Jin very vigilantly.
To the right of Yuchi Jin is Han Xun. He is dressed similarly to Geng Xun, with a broadsword on his waist, a copper hairpin in his hair, and a short outfit, looking quite ferocious.
In addition to Yuchi Jin's group of three, there was another person. This person had a white face and a curly beard, and looked very elegant. Wearing the same Baiman costume, he obviously looked more natural than Yuchi Jin and the other two.
There is no other reason. This man is a genuine Baiman named Duan Yizon, who claims to be a poet of Nanzhao.
Of course, the identity of a poet was obviously a gimmick. Privately, Duan Yizon had another identity. He was the Great Compassionate One of Nanzhao.
Ci Shuang was equivalent to the ceremonial official of the Tang court, and his rank was equivalent to the Nine Ministers of the Tang court.
At the beginning of the year, Duan Yizon, as a ceremonial officer, was ordered to go to the Tang court to ask for peace. Also going to the Tang court were Prime Minister Zhao Longmei and Qingping official Yang Qikun.
They met Emperor Xizong in Fengxiang, who agreed to their request for peace and conferred the title of Princess Anhua on a daughter of the royal family, in preparation for her marriage to Longshun.
The emperor of the Tang court agreed to the marriage, and apparently everything went very smoothly for the three of them. However, accidents happen all the time, and when the three of them eagerly went to welcome the princess and prepare to return to Nanzhao, the entire delegation was suddenly attacked.
Zhao Longmei and Yang Qikun died tragically on the spot. Duan Yizon hurriedly exchanged robes with a loyal assistant officer and narrowly escaped the disaster.
After surviving the disaster, Duan Yizong fled for his life.
But it was not so easy for a weak scholar like him to go all the way south from Fengxiang, through Sichuan and Shu, and then to Nanzhao.
Besides, the border between Sichuan and Shu was not peaceful, and Duan Yizon was penniless. He had to beg for food along the way. He finally escaped to the border of Huichuan, but fainted from hunger on the roadside because he had no food.
By chance, Yuchi Jin and his two companions were heading south and met him. The kind-hearted Yuchi Jin rescued him and asked him to follow them. Duan Yizon then followed them all the way to Jianchuan City.
"Brother Duan." When they arrived at Jianchuan City and knew that the other party was from Nanzhao, Yuchi Jin turned his head and looked at Duan Yizong, asking sincerely: "If the three of us want to seek an official position in Jianchuan City, how should we proceed?"
If they joined the army in the Central Plains, they could go directly to the post stations or barracks set up by the counties; but in Nanzhao, the three of them didn't know what to do.
Yuchi Jin's question aroused Duan Yizon's curiosity.
Duan Yizong followed Yuchi Jin and the other two all the way. He knew that they were all Han people, but he did not expect that these three people would travel thousands of miles to Nanzhao just to join the army. How could Duan Yizong not doubt their intentions
"Oh, brother, you came to Nanzhao just to join the army?" Duan Yizon asked with a complicated and flickering look.
Although Yuchi Jin and the other two saved his life, he could not sit idly by if the other party came to Nanzhao with ill intentions; after all, the grace of saving his life was only a personal affair, while loyalty to the emperor and patriotism was the greater cause.
Yuchi Jin saw Duan Yizong's expression. She raised her eyebrows and said in a sonorous voice, "Brother Duan has misunderstood. Brother Duan has traveled to Sichuan and Shu, so he should know the current situation in Sichuan and Shu. Wang Jian has wantonly provoked wars, causing the people in my hometown to suffer."
"Although the three of us were born in Sichuan, we have no place to serve and cannot speak for our fellow countrymen. We have no choice but to find another way and come to Nanzhao to join the army, hoping that we can get a position and find a place for our fellow countrymen to stay."
This explanation is normal, and even Duan Yizon could not find any fault with it.
During the late Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties period, many people were displaced and fled to remote small countries.
For example, the Khitan general Gao Mohan was a member of the Bohai Gao clan. After Bohai was defeated, he fled to Goryeo and married a Goryeo princess. This is a living example.
With all the grudges gone and grateful to Yuchi Jin for saving him, Duan Yizong immediately said, "Wang Jian of Xichuan, Li Sigong of Dongchuan, Yang Shili and others have been fighting continuously, which has really made the people of Sichuan and Shu suffer. If you want to join the army in Nanzhao and make a living, I can help you introduce one or two people."
"Introduce?" Before Duan Yizong finished his words, Geng Xin suddenly turned his head and stared at him coldly and fiercely. That pair of dark eyes almost froze Duan Yizong to death on the spot.
Not everyone can make an introduction. Duan Yizon wanted to make an introduction for Yuchi Jin, which meant that he was not just a poet. This also meant that his earlier words were a deception to Yuchi Jin. How could Geng Xin not be angry
When they encountered the dying Duan Yizong, Geng Xin and Han Xun wanted to ignore him; but Yuchi Jin insisted on saving him, so they had no choice but to let the lady save the Nanzhao man.
But in their hearts, they were always on guard against Duan Yizon, thinking that there was something wrong with this man.
Now that the other party had opened his mouth, he wanted to help with the introduction, which directly confirmed that Geng?m and Han Xun's guess was correct. How could Geng?m still be polite to him? Facing Duan Yizon's expression now, he was in a mood to kill the other party on the spot immediately if they disagreed with him.
Han Xun beside Yuchi Jin also looked at Duan Yizong unkindly. These two men, one as murderous as a devil, the other as cold as a prison, looked at Duan Yizong in unison, frightening him so much that he almost wet his pants.
Is this still a human gaze? Whether it was Geng Xin or Han Xun, the gazes they gave him were so cold and ruthless, revealing their murderous intent. Duan Yizong had no doubt that as long as Yuchi Jin nodded, these two would immediately dismember him on the spot.
"Forget it." Yuchi Jin was also a little uncomfortable with the other party's deliberate concealment of the truth from her, but after all, she was kinder than Geng Xin and Han Xun, and could put herself in the other party's shoes and think about the problem, so she spoke out to stop the two of them.
"Everyone has their own secrets. I believe that Brother Duan is not trying to deceive us on purpose."
"That's right, you are really open-minded, and I have been a villain in vain." Before Yuchi Jin finished speaking, Duan Yizong responded as if he had been pardoned, and kept agreeing with him, as if he was afraid that if he was a little slower, he would be torn to pieces by Geng Yan and Han Xun.
"I will never forget the kindness you gave me in saving my life. After all, I am from Nanzhao. At that time, I was afraid that if I told the truth, you two would directly hand me over to the authorities for reward. That's why I didn't dare to tell the truth." Duan Yizon explained with a fearful look on his face.
"Ask for a reward?" Geng Yan glanced at him sideways and said disdainfully, "You are not worthy of it. How much can you exchange for a reward?"
"That's right. Some people shouldn't think too highly of themselves, nor should they be afraid of speaking too arrogantly and getting their tongues bitten." Han Xun glanced at Duan Yizong with contempt and echoed Geng?m.
The two of them sang the same tune and immediately made Duan Yizong so angry that he was speechless.
I think he must be very aggrieved. When he concealed his identity in the past, these two people looked down on him. Now that he is ready to be honest, these two guys still look down on him. How can he not be depressed
"Okay, generals, please stop talking." Today, Yuchi Jin was finally sure that Geng Xin and Han Xun had truly joined Zhu Li with all their heart. Since they were so sincere, Yuchi Jin would naturally not be polite to them and would speak more directly.
To be honest, if they really fought, Yuchi Jin had no confidence that she could defeat either of them; in her opinion, with Geng and Han's abilities, no matter which vassal state they joined, the other party would definitely treat them like guests of honor, so there was no reason for them to come and take risks with her.
Now not only have the two of them come, but they also follow her lead in everything. Doesn't this explain their attitude
One side is his own people, and the other side is suspected to be a person of status in Nanzhao. Yuchi Jin naturally does not want there to be a rift between them. Once there is a rift, it will not benefit anyone.
"If I remember correctly, Brother Duan said he could recommend us to serve as officials. Is Brother Duan a prominent figure in the Nanzhao Kingdom?" After stopping Geng and Han from mocking Duan Yizon, Yuchi Jin asked directly.
Upon hearing the question, Duan Yizong looked at Geng Xin and Han Xun coldly, and said proudly: "Brother, I will tell you the truth. I am a great official in Nanzhao. If you want to enter the officialdom, it will only take a word for me."
Duan Yizong was not bragging when he said this. Since he was sure that Yuchi Jin and others were strong refugees with nowhere else to go, he naturally did not worry that they could cause any harm to Nanzhao.
He had no worries about the greater good, so he might as well help Yuchi Jin to repay the other party for saving him. With his great status, it might be impossible to ensure that Yuchi Jin became a military general, but if he became a Luojuzi, it would not be a problem.
Luo Juzi was a brave warrior selected from among a hundred in Nanzhao, and he could command a hundred men. In Duan Yizong's view, since Yuchi Jin had saved him, it was not a big deal for him to give him a position as Luo Juzi.