Although I carefully calculated all the possibilities along the way, and even witnessed many things that I had anticipated, I was still very surprised when I saw Lao Er welcoming me outside Jincheng (the old site is now in the west of Lanzhou). Before I even got close to the city wall, and before I had time to think about how to explain all this, I saw a group of cavalrymen guarding a quiet and beautiful man in gorgeous clothes blocking our way.
The one who suppressed the impulse of several Qiang brothers who were unaware of the situation and wanted to draw their swords was my second brother who I mentioned as the elder here.
This person still had a look of detachment on his face, but this time there was a hint of disdain.
This doesn't surprise me. I feel embarrassed to see old friends in this state.
"How did you know I was coming?"
"My eldest brother sent a letter on a fast horse a long time ago. The messenger can change horses, so he is naturally faster than you. And do you think it is easy to hide your body? My scouts have been reporting back since Linqiang." My second brother smiled happily, but he didn't mean to hug me. He just pointed at me with his whip unceremoniously and proudly: "After seeing the report of your trip to the south of Yizhou and receiving the imperial edict from His Majesty, I expected that you would leave like this! You definitely don't want to waste time going back, and there are a lot of things to do over there. You will definitely finish your business on the way and leave directly from my place. But you are also stupid. You came all the way from Linqiang official road, and no one stopped you to question you in the pavilions along the way. Don't you find it strange?"
"I also felt strange at first, but I think my features are too obvious, and I have met my elder brother. My elder brother has been on good terms with the Qiang people recently, so our garrison will not question him too much. I planned to change into Han clothes here and travel east, so the journey was smooth, and I was not particularly surprised. But no matter how you calculate it, you should be in Luoyang at this time. Not here! After all, why was the imperial edict only given to me on this matter? This is what surprised me the most."
"Your sister-in-law is not able to move around, and I wrote to the emperor that you are almost certain to leave here, so he allowed me to stay and meet you. This way I can stay a little longer, waiting for you and accompanying my wife, which is the best of both worlds. Where's the eldest brother? He is on his way to you."
"Oh, I asked my eldest brother to leave later. This way, my sisters-in-law can go back to their parents' home, and it can also ensure the safety of my two brothers. But my eldest brother didn't arrange for him to pick me up, and I didn't expect that you hadn't left yet. But it's okay. Let the news of my arrival spread immediately, and I will accompany you for a walk on the street, so that it will be convenient for my eldest brother to come back, and we won't stay any longer. I wasted a lot of time on the way. We still have to hurry to Luoyang."
"Well, you know you're anxious."
"Of course, eh... that's not right, since you are in the country, if you want to welcome me, why not in Linqiang? (The old site is now west of Xining)" I suddenly felt something was wrong.
"First, I'm actually worried that you might cross the Qilian Mountains and come back from Zhangye. But even if you go that way, this is the main road to the east. Second, the mountains in Linqiang are high, and there is pestilence (actually, the air is thin), and your sister-in-law can't stand it. And the hot spring there is outside the city. There is hot spring inside the city here, which is safer."
"That's great. Help me find a place to wash myself. I stink." When he heard the place he most wanted to go, he didn't want to go anywhere else.
"Of course, stay away from me. Your sister-in-law is so hypocritical now, she can't stand any strange smell."
"The morning sickness should have passed by now, and the mouth should have hurt by now. Why is it still like this? And don't let your sister-in-law hear you saying this." I think I am quite experienced. During the last period in Guangxin, I had to serve rice and soup to the two ladies all the time.
"If you dare to call her sister-in-law, she will probably beat you before you tell on her. There is a lot of beef and mutton here, and the smell is fishy. After all, she is at home in the palace, wandering between pavilions and terraces filled with all kinds of incense. How can she stand the smell of the market?" I nodded and added, "Please help me settle my men first. They are all Qiang people. Treat them well and let them rest. If they are willing to wash, let them wash. It's better to let them wash too."
It wasn't long before they were led to a secluded courtyard in the north of the city. After walking a few steps, they saw a hot spring.
"Are there such ponds here?" The outside is still in my Han style, but the pond and the outer cover look like they were built by my eldest brother. I heard that they are the shapes of things in their hometown, and they were painted on sheepskin.
"Yes, it was repaired by my elder brother." As expected: "Ru'er... your elder sister Ru has seen some volumes in the palace before. Three years before we were born, during the time of the previous emperor, an envoy from the Qin Dynasty in the west came from Jiaozhou. It was sent by Emperor Anton. It seems to be the country that my elder brother and his tribe came from. My elder brother's tribe fled from there." (Note: This is a historical fact. In 166 AD, Rome had already become an empire and the emperor was Antony)
"I have been to many Rongdi and barbarian tribes, and I have seen many Han people among them. Many of them escaped during the Party Persecution." The topic was a bit heavy, and I also felt that this was not a good topic to bring up, so I quickly asked for a shower.
I quickly took off all my clothes, got into the water naked, splashed water on myself a few times, and was completely immersed in it. I was feeling comfortable, but I couldn't help but complain to someone who was slowly getting into the water next to me: "If you want to soak, why don't you soak in the same pool with me? Why are you hiding so far away?"
"I'm afraid you'll stink it up. You'll probably have to soak it for three days. The smell is really strong."
"Alright, alright, Zirui, you've worked hard!"
The sound was like a bolt from the blue. I quickly covered my vital parts and shrank into the water. Unfortunately, the water was very clear and I still felt completely exposed with only my head above the water.
He did not dare to turn around: "My clothes are not in order. I dare not turn around to salute you. Please forgive me, Princess."
"I know, I know. It's okay. We were like this for ten months in the womb. Why should you be shy now?" I heard the last sentence behind me. Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound above my head, and a strange fragrance penetrated my head. The whole pool was instantly covered with red petals.
I naturally didn't dare to turn around. I had thought that the gentle and quiet eldest princess had become more unruly after marriage, and now that she was pregnant with my second brother's child, she was so bold. It was really unimaginable.
And he couldn't help but have many doubts: "Why did my sister come here? And there is still snow on the ground outside, why are the petals still as fresh as before?"
"There is a hot spring here. The area around the hot spring is as warm as spring. There are everlasting flowers. It is in the backyard. You may want to go and have a look after you come out of the hot spring. We live in the backyard. Ziyu likes quietness. You know that. It is cold in winter. Recently, I went to the hot spring to take care of my pregnancy. Although I cannot take a hot spring bath while pregnant, it is really comfortable to live by the hot spring and smell the fragrance of flowers and plants. It is better than being stuck by the brazier in the house in the wind and snow. You should wash up quickly. It smells so bad now. I will sit down somewhere far away to talk. You should wash up quickly."
I still turned my back obediently, unbraided my hair, and slowly began to wash. However, at their request, I asked them to dismiss everyone and told them what happened along the way.
Zhang Hua's arrival made me feel at ease. What was even more gratifying was that he also brought some young clerks with him, and most importantly, a letter to me.
The letter was written by Yin Ling. After reading a few sentences, I saw that the scholar was in poor health. I was more convinced that they knew what I was going to do. However, when they talked about this matter, except Zhang Hua and the guy who had a cold and stiff face, everyone else was very surprised.
Indeed, they had little time with me. I directly gave Shi Gongzi the title of Light Cavalry Captain, and wrote on the spot, asking him to immediately return to Guangxin and bring some soldiers back to Jiaozhi to visit his sick father and show filial piety. On the way back, he should support the battle in Hepu, which should have been going on.
At this point, I still need to explain to my second brother that this young master is not a legitimate son, and there are even rumors that he is an adopted son. My second brother's puzzled brows immediately opened up. He clapped his hands and said: Third, you are getting more and more cunning. The problem that this gentleman gave you, you turned back. And prevented Nanzhong from being involved by the Shi family.
I said proudly: And in this case, the scholars will definitely help.
The second brother suddenly asked doubtfully: Is that Lord Wei Yan really sick
The princess suddenly said: Not necessarily, it must be Sister Yinling who thought of this and did it on purpose. When I talked with..., I found that my sister-in-law's wisdom is definitely better than yours. No matter how old he is, no matter how healthy he is, just let him go back.
"Actually... what Yinling said in the letter may not be a lie, but of course she may not know it. It takes more than a month for the old man to travel from Jiaozhi to Guangxin and back. And he may not be very happy with me. Although I tried very hard to show that I rely on him, my Si Tu was hostile to him, and of course I deliberately indulged him. And in the end, as soon as he mentioned the intention of refusing, I ignored him and did it on his own. He must not be very happy in his heart, so it is very likely that he is in poor health. Therefore, Master Shi will go back with the prescription prescribed by Yinling. As long as he sends troops, he will be making medicine for himself. And these soldiers will have to be controlled by Sima Bo when they enter Hepu. I am now worried that the fourth brother will make trouble for me again, and I can't rely on Yiwu. I hope Brother Bo can calm them down."
The second child actually sighed with me.
The princess disagreed: I think with Yinling's instructions, your two Rongdi subordinates should not dare to act rashly.
This topic came to an end, and I continued.
I appointed Zhang Hua as the governor of Nanzhong, in charge of the military and political affairs here, and giving him the power to remove and appoint officials.
Right after I finished speaking, my two brothers and their sisters-in-law teased me, saying that as the regent, I would abuse my power and give random official titles.
Before I could explain that this was mainly for the southerners nearby, after all, it was not appropriate to say so, they asked me to continue. I did not dare to express my dissatisfaction.
Is this person reliable? I remember he was brought back by my third uncle.
We have been together for quite a while. Zihuang is honest and steady, and he will never let anyone down. In Zangke, the King of Tiannan and I have a sworn brotherhood, and he has just been canonized by Your Majesty; Jucheng has been attached to the Han Dynasty for a hundred years, and knowing that the King of Tiannan was conferred the title because of my friendship, how could they act rashly; the people of Dian respect my kindness, but they are also afraid of the brutality of the Dong thief. Moreover, now that they have lost their country and are in disarray, even if they cannot get much help, there will be no major trouble; the remnant of the Yizhou army in the mountains to the north has a blood feud with Dong, and they rely on my support. After thinking it over, only the local Zhu family is concerned. They have been deprived of the right to govern this place, so it is inevitable that they will have different intentions. Others are fine, but I am afraid that they will all attach themselves to the old Zhu family and cause trouble for me. But their family will definitely not be a match for Zihuang. Therefore, Zangke is worry-free.
This remark was praised by the princess, but my second brother still disagreed and even questioned whether I was thinking this now.
I ignored him and continued talking.
After everything was delivered in this way, he said hello to everyone around him and then continued westward with Ge Liang, E Huan and Su Mei.
Compared to the Han people, I think the barbarians are easier to deal with. Especially when I am with E Huan and Su Mei. As for the one in the team who is known for his expressionless face or inexplicable smile, he can also be used to diagnose people. Especially when others basically rely on witchcraft to cure diseases, he can cure diseases immediately. In addition, his expression makes people feel that he is a bit unfathomable.
West of Zangke is Yizhou County. There is a big pond here, so it was once called Kunming Pond. In the past, Emperor Xiaowu sent envoys here, but they were blocked by the Kunming Yi. They dug Kunming Pond from Shanglin, so this place was also called Kunming Pond. The locals called it Dianchi, so the pond seemed to flow outwards, so it got the name Dianchi. Dian means top. People near this place are called Dian people because they came from here.
Before reaching Dianchi Lake, there is another lake (Note: Fuxian Lake) in the southeast of Dianchi Lake. There are rumors nearby that several decades ago, the capital of Dian people fell into this lake, and the people were terrified and thought it was a punishment from heaven, so the Dian people did not establish a country again. Most of the Dian people are engaged in animal husbandry and travel here. The vassal raises cattle and sheep for a living. There are many mines in the mountains here. They are mainly silver, tin, copper and lead, and most of them are occupied by the Yong family, a Han Chinese family, who are all rich. There are many cities around them, and they are occupied by the big families here. Here, the Han family's orthodoxy is no longer prominent. Coincidentally, I also encountered the relatives of officials who fled to the north and would rather travel with the Dian people than enter the Han city here. I also agree with this, so I let them go east. I left a letter for them, asking Zhang Hua to settle them and recruit them.
It was not without reason that Emperor Gaozu sent Yong Chi to Shifang (near Chengdu), but his descendants prospered further south. Now almost all important positions here are held by people with the surname Yong or relatives by marriage. This is no longer the Han Dynasty, but the Yong Dynasty. He left the next day, only asking him to make peace with the surrounding areas, and had no other requirements. He asked me why I went north. I knew that I was going to the court to meet the emperor, and by the way, I had to prepare for the attack on Dong, and contact all the surrounding tribes and the remnants of Yizhou. I didn't stay with them because I trusted them to be loyal and righteous and would not collude with Dong.
They gave me a lot of gifts, I refused them for a while, but then I accepted them all. I will definitely deal with him. I just won't do anything to you right away. These are your life-saving money for the time being.
He then gave most of the things that were inconvenient to carry to the people of Yunnan.
I was not close to the Yong family here, and I did not stay for long. After all, it was the scholar who took the initiative to send his son to help contact, which saved me a lot of trouble. I thought about it for a few nights, and decided to go back quickly to ask Zhang Hua to send more official letters to protect this place in the name of the Han Dynasty to reassure the Yong family.
Although I left the Han people here behind, fortunately the Dian people had become close to me, so I followed their guidance and continued westward into Yongchang County.
South of Yongchang there are the Ailao Yi people, who take Sha as their surname. At first there was a girl named Shayi who was fishing in a stream. She got pregnant after hitting a sunken log and gave birth to ten sons. Suddenly a dragon came and asked where the ten sons were. The nine sons were frightened and fled, but the youngest son climbed onto its back and licked it without leaving, feeling very happy. The Ailao people say that the word for back is Jiu, and the word for dragon is the same as the Chinese word for dragon, so they called this son Jiulong and elected him as the king together with his brothers. After that, they multiplied and took dragon as their ancestor and Sha as their surname. They built their own settlements in the valleys, isolated themselves from the mountains and had no contact with the Chinese. (Note: This is basically a translation of history books, and the following is imaginary and fabricated)
I had no intention of involving them, but I never thought it would turn out to be a good thing.
Because they regard the dragon as their ancestor, both men and women have tattoos, especially the elders who are decorated with dragon scales. Although they look very scary, they are quite gentle. When they meet on the road, they often sing enthusiastically. At this time, Su Mei often sings back.
The weather here is mild. One day, I felt that I had not washed for a long time. When I set up camp at noon, I went to the stream to wash. Suddenly, I heard a noise in the forest, as if someone was running away. The patrol did not see the person, so I thought it was a wild animal and did not pay much attention to it. I thought that even if it was Ailao Yi, it would not be a problem.
After lunch, we took a short break. Just as we were about to continue our journey, a large number of tattooed wild men suddenly emerged from the mountains. Although they looked scary and aggressive, they had no intention of attacking us. They just sang and danced around us. A leader came up to us, saluted, and spoke incomprehensible words. A man who could speak Chinese came to explain to me: Because they saw the image of dragon scales on my body, and the witch said a few days ago that a noble person would come to the east, they determined that we were the ones, and they came here to invite me to join the village and accept their hospitality.
I didn't expect that being covered in scars would have this benefit. They believed that I was a brother from the east, and a descendant of the dragon like them.
However, they thought that I might be of high status and didn't need a tattoo, so they treated me with great respect. I had heard that they had no wrongdoing with the Han people before, so I felt relieved to enter their territory. The lone pedestrians I met on the road also had no ill intentions. When I saw the crowds, I felt that they were kind and simple, and had a brotherly attitude.
But I don't recognize my brothers. They are all covered with tattoos and I can't tell what they looked like. Apart from their height, weight and body shape, I can tell the genders. Although Qu Shuai is a man, they respect women. At least when they toast, those women come to me to toast without any scruples.
Besides, E Huan was ranked second. They thought his fierce appearance had the majesty of a dragon, so many women approached him actively.
It was obvious that E Huan was not very fond of these "beauties". But for the sake of the unity of all ethnic groups in the Han Dynasty, I asked him to accept all of them and to help me drink.
Even so, I was still drunk that night. The next day. According to Ge Liang's report, E Huan violated military regulations: "raping a decent woman."
Both I, who received the report, and Ge Liang, who reported it, were very surprised.
I asked the other party, Qu Shuai, very nervously whether E Huan could marry that woman.
I didn't expect everything to go smoothly.
The one who made the mistake was also drunk last night. Faced with the Ailao beauties who kept paying attention to him, he finally accepted the one who looked like a human. Because the girl was still young, she only had the tip of her chin tattooed. It is said that she will tattoo her eyes after she becomes an adult.
E Huan did not receive many congratulations. Instead, he was privately called a beast by the three of us who were left.
My second brother naturally interrupted me and reasonably doubted my innocence.
I explained, didn’t I ask E Huan to block the drinking
Frankly speaking, I should be innocent.
At least I can't remember.
The wine tasted sweet and was nothing special, but it was really strong after drinking too much. I remember that I was in a deep sleep, and that thing could only be done by a sober person, so I think I am innocent.
Anyway, after all the joking, the matter finally came to an end.
To change the subject, I also questioned Ge Liang at the time. I forced him to decide to write an article for the Grand Historian to record everything here. I immediately felt that he should be innocent. After my persuasion, he also felt that it was not in accordance with etiquette to record this, so it would be better to skip it.
As for Su Mei, it seems that here women chase men, and she does not meet the conditions of being a beauty here. She also has no interest in our discussion. She drank too much last night without realizing it, and found herself lying in the stream when she woke up. She remembered that she was thirsty and came to drink water last night, but she could not remember anything after that. Although the winter here is not very cold, it is still quite cold in the mountains at night. Fortunately, the mountain spring is also hot soup. When she woke up, she felt that the bath was quite comfortable.
So, when we set out, there was a girl with a black spot under her chin in the team. We also traded some things with them. I was not familiar with this, so I asked Ge Liang to do it.
The girl doesn't speak Chinese yet, and now it's E Huan's own teaching time, so I won't bother with it.
With the help of Shamei from E Huan's family, we have been very smooth in the territory of Ailao Yi. Especially after Shamei's chatter, we basically received very good treatment along the way. We even praised E Huan, thinking that although he was a beast, he still made great contributions. Later, we found that although they are collectively called Ailao Yi, there are great differences between Ailao Yi and Ailao Yi. If you often cross a few mountains, the people there like to use a kind of yellow powder to apply on their faces, and if you cross two rivers, they will dye their teeth black. There are also some settlements where people don't look good, and even their daily routines are completely like Han people. They can't even speak Ailao language, but they are still worshiping this king named Ailao. (Combined with various archaeological and literature, Ailao Yi and many of our southwestern ethnic minorities are related, and the part that has been sinicized has partly integrated into the Han nationality and partly become the current Dai nationality. Many documents in this regard are a bit too absolute)
Shamei's name is very strange. We couldn't find any characters for ours, so we ended up calling her Shamei. But we ordered Ehuan to call her Madam. Shamei is quite smart. She can often guess what we are saying by listening to our words, and then she smiles very brightly.
Shamei is still at the age of a curious child, so she is very interested in riding horses, and she especially likes to ride on the same horse with her Elang. How she learned the name Elang is still unclear, and I have always suspected that Ge Liang taught her. In this regard, I feel that it is not good, but not good. At least every time Shamei calls Elang with a strange accent, Sumei laughs happily. In summary, it is very likely that the crime was committed by a gang.
After marriage, E Huan seemed much more stable. Therefore, I think it would be a good idea to quickly marry the lukewarm guy around me to the wife's family.
However, we had a lot more baggage with us, so the team moved slower. So we rested for one more day in order to catch up with the big market where Han and Yi people mixed together the next day.
Not only did he clear out a lot of the things he had traded, but he also found his own people in the tribe when he was buying and selling things. It was a coincidence that when he was buying and selling things, E Huan heard someone speaking the same language as his tribe, so he contacted them.
This tribe, called Yuexi Yi by others, has a large territory. This is the southern border of his family. To the east are the Dian people, to the west are the Han people of Yongchang County, and to the south are the Ailao Yi. E Huan sighed and said, if he had not gone east to Yizhou to join me, he might have gone west to join this fellow tribesman.
Ge Liang asked him why he came to me, and his tone seemed to make it seem like joining me was a very undesirable choice. He felt that it should be more harmonious here, unlike us, where he would be kicked by the lord from time to time.
The second brother finally couldn't help it: You didn't deal with Ge Liang properly.
I said that I wanted to do that, but there just wasn't a good opportunity.
The eldest princess helped me to explain: Zirui is just too soft-hearted, too soft-hearted.
I feel like the eldest princess' words are about to be sung.
E Huan replied to Ge Liang: "To the west, we have to pass through the territory of the Dian people. We have fought there in the past. I am afraid they are not good enough for us. The beasts in the mountains are fierce, but not as cruel as humans."
Ge Liang wrote down this passage and commented: The fact that E Huan could say this shows that he has made great progress under the command of his lord.
The remaining three of us all agreed that he had done a great job of flattering.
The three people here and I all agreed that his flattery was very good.
Their leader has a Han surname of Gao, which can be traced back to the time of Emperor Xiaowu. It was granted. They are quite peaceful and do not fight against others. His family is powerful. No one nearby is willing to be an enemy of his family. Moreover, they are quite harmonious among themselves. Many Han people and Ailao Yi people are attached to his family. They get along well with each other. They are also quite hospitable, so we stayed as guests for a while and asked about the itinerary and situation along the way in the northern area.
The Yueshi Yi people here are almost completely assimilated to Han Chinese. Except for the headdresses that have some Southwestern Yi characteristics, their clothing and customs are very similar to those of Han Chinese. Most of them can speak Chinese with a Yizhou accent. They are very warm to us. When chatting with their leaders, we can also feel an atmosphere of not wanting to be involved in various chaos. This is the same as the Ailao Yi. It can be heard that their relations with the surrounding areas are still very peaceful.
I think this is a good start. Since they are very friendly with the surrounding forces, it is naturally convenient for them to go to other directions from here, such as the north.
However, I still turned back to the southwest and had some contact with the Yongchang noble family, the Lu family. For this purpose, I even took out and changed into formal clothes, and ordered them to dress up and go there to receive a hospitality.
It was just as I thought, this place was already a country within a country. Fortunately, they still recognized my Han Dynasty tradition and treated me with courtesy. There were also official schools and township schools here, but seeing that most of the high officials in Buwei City (the capital of Yongchang) were surnamed Lu, I couldn't help but sigh in my heart.
The Lu family here is the descendant of Lu Buwei, so they directly named this place Buwei.
The second brother sighed and said: From the name of the city we can tell how powerful the Lu family is.
I comforted him, even though I felt there was nothing to comfort him: Fortunately, the capital of Yizhou is not called Chi (Yongchi).
The second brother laughed and said: But there is Dianchi Lake (teeth).
I nodded and said: The names of the places suggest that I have to uproot them all.
The princess smiled happily.
They expressed their loyalty to the Han Dynasty to me, and I was also "touched" by their loyalty. Governor Lu gave me Yucheng (now Dali) as a base for the campaign against Dong, and the entire Yongchang was under my command. I was a little unsure of their courtesy, and could only be "touched" to praise their loyalty and said that I would have many good words for them when I met the emperor.
Alas, the counties and prefectures of the Han Dynasty have become qualified for prefects, and can be transferred privately and openly!
Yuyu? That place has been turned over several times. I remember that the court has always planned to demolish the city wall and not set up a county seat.
Well, that place is bordered by a large lake (Erhai Lake) to the east and by a high mountain (Cangshan Mountain) to the back, and is the main road leading out of Yongchang to the northwest. According to people who moved from Yuyu to Buwei, the city walls there were indeed in disrepair, the administration was lost, and the government office had become a residence for bandits.
You can drop Ge Liang off now.
I've thought about it.
I did want to keep Ge Liang here to run the business, but later, I gave up. I was recruited from the local official school, and I asked directly how to run the business if I could recover the Yuyu.
The best answers were from a man named Lu Kai and a man named Wang Kang.
Lu Kai planned to set up a market town in view of the large number of forces nearby, so that all forces would hope for stability here. Wang Kang had a similar opinion, but suggested to eliminate the bandits first to establish prestige.
I appointed Lü Kai as the commander and Wang Kang as the lieutenant. I ordered them to keep in touch with the officials in Yongchang. If there is anything, they can report to Commander Zhang of Luoping.
Since Lu Kai is a member of the Lu family, he can get the support of the Lu family. Even if his heart is on the Lu family, as long as the Lu family is not on the Dong family. Before Dong Zhuo is eliminated, I will definitely support the Lu family. Besides, the Lu family still has visionary talents like Lu Kai, so why not use them
I didn't stay long, I just inquired about the bandits' movements, determined their numbers and positions, borrowed dozens of young men from the neighboring families that were friendly with me, and captured them all in one night in an abandoned fortress on Cangshan Mountain.
I was merciless. Except for those who were killed on the spot, all those who were caught alive were executed in public. After the case was concluded, they were all executed. Notices were issued to pacify the people. It was not even necessary to set up markets, etc.
Then I left.
I am not worried about what the Qiang and Yi tribes on the way north will do to me. Because the Han people who went to Yizhou before were all at ease and did nothing, and they were often unhappy. If they were to befriend such a tyrannical ruler now, they would be crazy.
And if they had voted for Dong, they should have led the thief Dong to the south or north to fight. Why do they need to be so panicked now
But if Dong is not stupid, he will definitely try to win them over. So my trip is still necessary. Of course, it is still a bit dangerous.
I gave the long iron rod to E Huan. He was quite strong and made no progress in his daily training with me. Ge Liang still pretended to have no interest in this. He must have a prejudice against me and believed that I would find fault with him, so he refused to give me a chance. I had no prejudice against him, although I did have the idea of using private interests to help others.
Although Su Mei tried to fight me several times, she gave up soon. She finally admitted that at least in front of me, she was indeed just a delicate woman. So she decided to go find Ge Liang. I had no choice. I didn't have any martial arts skills. I just relied on brute force to move heavy troops. I could only think of the tricks. When I used them, they were like a whirring wind, hitting people on the head.
Ge Liang was still very graceful. He didn't compete with her in strength, but only in technique. However, Su Mei was still a bit savage, and sometimes she didn't know how to use her strength. So from time to time, I saw one or two extra bruises on Ge Liang's face. I was still very happy about this, but I still comforted Ge Liang in a hypocritical manner. Ge Liang also accepted it in a hypocritical manner.
Then, I must tell you that something unexpected happened: Su Mei became pregnant.
As expected, both of them pressed on: I felt you were hesitating and unclear earlier, were you also feeling thirsty, and then what happened by the stream
When I woke up, I was lying in the room, so it shouldn't be me. But based on her reaction, it should have happened when I was at Ailaoyi's place.
We suspected that it was done by the Ailao Yizhong people. We didn't know how to comfort Su Mei.
Su Mei was very generous. After all, it was her child.
As if nothing happened.
However, the three men in our group all saw her crying alone.
The princess sighed: Does she have someone she likes
I sighed: Fourth Brother.
The princess then sighed: she should be sad that she could no longer be with her beloved.
Later, Su Mei became like the master, and we took turns serving her, not daring to make her unhappy.
Do you all feel guilty
Sister, it's not like that. She's already very sad, but she's still holding on. We should take care of her like her family. We wanted her to stay in Yuyu first, but she didn't want to. We had no choice but to take her with us. If we don't take good care of her along the way, it would be too shameful of us.
Going north, we reach Suijiu (today's Lijiang). Han and Qiang people live together here, and there is also a local tribe that has its own writing system. The characters are like paintings, and the meaning is in the paintings. You can understand the meaning without knowing the pronunciation, which is similar to Chinese characters. (Naxi people)
From here, we can see many Yizhou people who have taken refuge here. The local tribes seem to be a little unhappy about this. I let them choose to settle in Yuyu or go west to Louwo. Both places have been pacified.
I paid courtesy visits to all parties along the way and inquired about the way to the north. I learned that to the east was the Yuexi Yi, and further east over many mountains was the Dong bandits. There were still many Han people's fortresses in the dangerous places, which had not fallen into the hands of the Dong bandits. However, the Dong bandits relied on the speed of cavalry and often suddenly crossed the mountains to plunder and rob the people and their money and food. Many of the Han people who had been hiding in Sui for a long time felt that the fortresses there were insecure, so they moved here.
I was going to continue heading north to avoid the enemy's attack. After hearing this, I discussed it with Ge Liang for a night, and set out the next day, heading east.
Third brother. It really looks like what you did. Ge Liang is still suitable to follow you.
I will first draw a circle to imprison Dong Zhuo.
In fact, if the world is not in chaos, the longer we wait, the more confident we will be in defeating Dong. Now, we are a little short of time, and you are right to do this.
I looked at my second brother and his head.
I hope that when the time comes, my brother will help me.
I'm too lazy to pay attention to you.
We both laughed and shook hands by the pool.
Then I realized something. I shrank back into the water with a cry. That unscrupulous brother continued to laugh.
I felt that my image was at a disadvantage in the scene, so I started to talk about the good food along the way and didn't talk about other new things. Sure enough, after a while, the princess decided to find some food in the back. Let's talk.
When we were the only two left on the scene, Ziyu suddenly said coldly: What a good plan.
"I've seen quite a few pregnant women at this time of year." I pointed to the number two with my fingers.
"Okay, let's get down to business."
"Well, there are many places with dangerous terrain at the junction of the three counties, but they are not connected into a large area, and it is difficult to support the refugees here; the flat areas are easy to attack and difficult to defend, it is easy to reclaim wasteland, but difficult to maintain it. But later I found that there are many Shu brocade weavers, tea workers and lacquer workers who have fled here." I paused. "So, I let them grow tea in the shade of the mountains. Cut wood on the mountain to make tools, grow mulberry and raise silkworms. Then take it to sell, and buy grain from Yuexi. We drink fragrant tea just for fun, and they use tea as soup over there, but it's the same, they always eat beef and mutton, and there are no other fruits and vegetables. If you don't drink tea, you will feel sick and get angry after a long time."
"Then you can also help them find buyers among the Qiang people so that we can form an alliance. Since the fall of Shu County, the Qiang people have basically cut off their tea, silk and other goods. Silk is not a big deal, but tea is indeed important. I have already started growing it here."
"That's true. I marked the locations of each family along the way and sent people back to open this trade route to replace the old trade route to Shu County. This thief Dong Suo is brave, but he doesn't understand people's livelihood. God deserves his death. Therefore, I left Ge Liang and his men in that mountain area to form a horn with Yu Yu and Luo Ping to protect each other from afar."
"I also thought that the eldest brother migrated from Qilian Mountain and lived in harmony with the Qiang people, so I asked him to try to make peace with the Qiang people."
We both immediately stopped talking about any interesting stories and talked about the situation of the Qiang tribes along the way, who could be used by us and who was wavering. We still had a consensus. If the world was peaceful, the longer it dragged on, the more advantageous it would be for us outside. If we used the whole world to attack one state, the longer it would take, the weaker the state would be. However, if the world was not peaceful, the slightest disturbance would lead to chaos. Then the thieves in Yizhou would be a rare commodity and could take advantage of the chaos to escape, or they could get the best of both worlds. Besides, he already had spies outside and seemed to know all the news.
In response, the second brother pointed at my nose and said, "If you can travel here and there without any problems, then the thieves can travel here without any problems. If they are not eliminated early, when the world is in chaos, they will cause disasters. If this happens, it will be all your fault."
He paused and sighed, "My main troops are all here and in Hanzhong, and the rest are in the northern border. The Qin capital Linjing is actually an empty city."
"Linjing is close to Sili, so there shouldn't be any problem."
"Do you know why I set up the capital there?" Zi Yu paused and continued, "It's because I considered the danger here. It's easy to defend against the Qiang here. If the Dong thief comes out from here, what can I do? The princess and I moved here for the hot soup, but in fact, it's just to help you watch over this place. Hanzhong has Wen and Wen Shi, so it shouldn't be a problem. I'm guarding this place for you!"
"Brother, I know I was wrong." I think it's better to admit my mistakes.
"You didn't do anything wrong." His tone changed quickly, still indifferently: "Didn't you see that Po Qiang had changed their name when you came here?"
"I don't know. I took a detour because I knew the name of that place and was afraid that our men would be upset when they heard the words 'Po Qiang'."
"You're smart. I changed it a long time ago to He Qiang. Do you want to read the court bulletin?" His tone became rude again.
"I might have gone west and didn't see it. I haven't been home much and have been on the road most of the time." I think I am quite justified.
"There are three checkpoints along the way: Linqiang, Anyi, and Heqiang. Jincheng is the last line of defense. The area below is wide and difficult to defend. The Dong bandits have many cavalrymen and can travel hundreds of miles a day. If this place is lost, the entire Liangzhou will be at their mercy."
"Why did Big Brother marry three Qiang women? Three sisters at that."
Zi Yu suddenly said to me seriously, "Some Qiang people have strange marriage customs. The limit is three. If there are less than three sons and daughters, they can marry wives separately. If there are more than three, they can marry a daughter together, and the daughter is the most respected, and vice versa. Brother, you went to a tribe of Xianling Qiang at night. The Qiang people are hospitable and like to drink and eat. Because their tribe is brave, their chief has three daughters who are not married. It was because their witch said that there will be a hero who can defeat the sacred bull of the tribe, so he can entrust his daughters to him. Brother, you were drunk. You generously accepted the request of the Qiang chief and finally subdued the sacred bull. The chief was very happy. I will marry the three daughters to you. From now on, you will have no more obstacles to travel between Qiang. There are only grievances between Qiang people, and you still need to mediate to resist Dong thief. If the matter is finally accomplished, I can return to Linjing to help Zi Shi in times of need."
"Brother, your serious incident was caused by your drunken behavior?"
"Yes, tell me the truth, brother. Was the incident with that girl Su Mei caused by me?"
"I'm afraid not."
“This is still open to debate.”
"Yes."
"Can you please talk nicely?" The familiar voice sounded again, and the princess floated back to the field leisurely, chewing an apple.
"Most Qiang tribes have Han people who have sought refuge for various reasons. When I came here, I was led by a Qiang slave who had escaped from there, so there were no obstacles along the way. But when we were about to reach the slave's original tribe, the guide didn't want to go on. So I gave him money and asked him to mark the maps I had drawn along the way and the things that each family needed from us Han people. I asked him to take it back to facilitate Ge Liang to send a caravan."
"You trust him so much?"
"Well, after getting along for a while, he's quite honest. I haven't treated him unfairly. The things I gave him are actually of no use to him. He knows the way."
"Well, Zirui didn't really trust the wrong person."
"What would you do without a guide?"
"Brother, you have seen Qiang guards around me. I bought a slave from a tribe before. Although he has never been out of the house, he can speak Qiang language and knows who the tribe in the north is."
"You know how to prepare."
"Actually, I bought him because he was unwilling to be a slave." I said sincerely, "In the past, when the Qiang people killed each other, they would rob each other as slaves. If a tribe was very large, it was very likely that it would destroy the surrounding tribes. Many slaves came from this way. Most of these captured people would accept their fate and be willing to be slaves. But that person was not like that. I could see the desire for freedom in his eyes. So I wanted to buy him. Just like I met a slave tied to a stone in another house for public display. He ran away and was caught. To be honest, the grassland in the Western Qiang area is wide, connected to the sky, and there is no shelter. It is difficult to escape. But he would rather die than be a slave. The slave also wanted to run away like the guide and run into the Han territory. But he was not so lucky. My guide ran away in the snow for more than ten days, and his footprints were buried. He was lucky enough not to be frozen to death. But he was not lucky. He was caught in a few days. When the master woke up, he summoned other slaves and chopped off his feet in public as a warning to others. I exchanged him for more than ten pieces of tea cakes. After leaving his tribe, I wanted to let him go and let him find his freedom. He was also honest and grateful for my kindness, so he followed me all the time. So I let him follow me. The other few also had similar reasons. "
"My Zirui is such a kind-hearted person. Then you might as well acknowledge Su Mei's child. You already have several adopted children who have nothing to do with you anyway."
"But Su Mei wants to marry the fourth brother."
"My sister-in-law is a member of the Youzhou clan. Her archery skills are also very good. Aren't you afraid that her family will fight against each other every day and cause bloodshed in your palace?"
"That's Old Four's business. I don't care."
"What about the child?"
"Ge Liang and I have agreed that when the child is born, we will recognize whoever he looks like. If we adopt the child, I will not pursue the mistake. As for whether Su Mei will pursue the mistake, I will not ask. If he looks like no one but Su Mei, then it must be the fault of the Ailao Yi people. We, the government, will raise the child and not drag Su Mei down. Naturally, according to Su Mei's temperament, she will definitely recognize the child. Well, let's wait for a while, there will always be a turning point."
As for me, my entourage gradually grew, which meant that I had to pay a lot of money, and the Han Chinese currency was not used here. Fortunately, my horse had a lot of things that the Qiang leaders wanted, and I often gave them gifts, and they gave me gifts in return, which was enough to cover our expenses along the way.
"Then I met my eldest brother at my eldest sister-in-law's family home, but before that, I also brought down a so-called sacred bull. If I had just entered Qiang territory, I would definitely not be able to do it. In the first few days after I got there, I had a headache and shortness of breath. Fortunately, the guide said this was normal. Later, I gradually got better and adapted to the local climate and soil. Under their instigation, I went down without knowing the truth, and it took all my strength to beat the bull. Then my eldest brother appeared, along with his father-in-law, and I was his younger brother."
"Then he didn't marry his daughter to you?"
"Luckily, my eldest brother left first, and everything belongs to him. My eldest brother also insisted on making me busy for a while before he came out to recognize me, but it made the head of the canal very respectful and affectionate to me."
"Brother, you have good intentions!"
"Really, big brother has gained a lot of weight!"
"Well, I'll tell him for you."
Actually, when I met my eldest brother in such a situation, I began to feel that everything was set up; and when my second brother stopped me here and we talked for such a long time, I couldn't help but feel that there was an unclear conspiracy waiting for me. It didn't seem to be a bad thing, but if nothing unexpected happened, I must have been calculated. (To be continued...)
ps: I wish you all a happy new year 2015!