Chapter 236: The Uighurs come to envoy

Time flies, and three years have passed. In the past three years, many things have happened in the Tang Dynasty. The Cui family is divided and Cui Yuan is seriously ill. He has no choice but to order Cui Yu to give up his position as prime minister. Pei Jun got his wish and became the right prime minister. At the same time, he controlled the Ministry of Personnel. The court has become the Pei party world.

However, a series of serious separatist events occurred in the Tang Dynasty. The incident occurred in the fourth year of Xuanren. Cui Qinggong had 300,000 troops and proclaimed himself the King of Huai. However, soon there was a disagreement within Cui Qinggong. His general Li Xilie marched into Huaixi, controlled more than a dozen prefectures and counties, and became independent from Cui Qinggong. Another general, Li Huaiguang, went to capture Chenliu, and under the advice of his staff, also announced his separation from Cui Qinggong and was loyal to the court. He was named the governor of Bian Song by Cui Xiaofu.

In Shu, Zhu Li sent general Li Na to attack Hanzhong successfully, completely unplugged the Wei family's last piece of territory. 200,000 troops pointed at Chang'an and threatened the court to confer him as King of Shu. In the critical situation, Pei Jun transferred Pei Yi's 150,000 Longbei troops into Chang'an's defense. On the other hand, he ordered Pei Yi to go to Hanzhong to use counter-espionage strategies to rebel Li Na, and asked Cui Xiaofu to confer Li Na as the governor of Hanzhong, and persuaded Lu Qi to withdraw from the cabinet, and appointed Zhu Li's younger brother Zhu Tao as the Shangshu Zuo Pushe, and to work with the Secretariat of the Secretariat to enter the cabinet. Zhu Li temporarily gave up the idea of ​​becoming an emperor in Shuzhong.

The emergence of local warlords made everyone in danger of their own families. They recruited troops to protect themselves, breaking through the court's military restrictions. The Chu family in Huainan expanded to 100,000 troops, and the Wang family in Shannan was threatened by Li Xilie, and also expanded to 80,000 troops.

Just when political chaos occurred in the court and various places, Zhang Huan from Longyou was very quiet and almost forgotten. He twice refused Pei Jun's invitation to go to Beijing to become an official and buried himself in Longyou to develop his own power.

In three years, the Xiliang Army had expanded its troops to 250,000, with 300,000 war horses. It was strong and strong. At the same time, its economy and financial resources had also developed greatly. Nearly 8 million stones of grain were stored in the warehouse. Through trade, minting and industrial and commercial taxation, it earned more than 3 million stags of money every year.

Although Zhang Huan implemented the strategy of keeping a low profile, his strong strength has begun to be discovered by those with sharp vision.

Autumn in Longyou has come again quietly. The clear sky makes you almost unable to believe that summer has passed. The fields, trees, mountains and fields are still in a dark green tone. The sky is clear and cloudless, and the sun is bright and warm. On the official road nearly a hundred miles north of Jincheng County, a team of messengers come from the distant north of the desert.

"Swoosh!" A short arrow shot from outside the window, hitting Zhang Huan's chest. Zhang Huan groaned and fell on the table. Soon, a round little head appeared from the crack of the door. Then a pair of naughty little eyes blinked and looked into the study. When he saw that Zhang Huan had been shot, he immediately raised his small bow and cheered, "100th time! Mom, Daddy was shot to death by me for the 100th time."

Zhang Huan, who was shot, suddenly laughed and picked him up, "A arrogant soldier will be defeated. Have you forgotten the plan of pretending to be injured?"

"But I didn't really shoot you to death!"

"If your father dies a hundred times, what will happen?" Pei Ying walked in with a young lady in her arms. She touched her son's head and smiled, "Go! The wet nurse has prepared something delicious for you."

Zhang Qi screamed happily and turned around and ran out. When Pei Ying saw her son running away, she smiled gently at Zhang Huan and handed him the daughter in her hand, "Let her father hug her."

Zhang Huan's daughter was just one year old and was born at this time last year. She named her Zhang Qiu. Her eyebrows and eyes look very much like Zhang Huan, with curved and cute eyes, a well-behaved little mouth, and her skin is as white as a mother.

"Dad hug Qiuqiu!" She had just said a few words, but her mouth was vague. Her pink hands hugged her father's neck. Zhang Huan hugged her daughter with heartache. He looked back at Pei Ying and smiled, "You heard that I was going to Hehuang."

"Yes! You always go there for a month, leaving us three mothers behind." Pei Ying snuggled up to her husband with some complaints. She is twenty-two years old this year and is a mother of two children. She has become more mature and charming. But in front of her husband, she occasionally acts coquettishly, as if she is back in the fifteen or six-year-old girlhood. She gently kneaded his neck with her hands and pouted slightly, "Do you still have to bring your Silver Bottle Princess with you this time?"

Zhang Huan carried his daughter to the other side, but reached out to put her on his wife's waist, sat her on her lap, comforted her, "This is also impossible. This time, we want to raise the taxes of the Qiang people and the same standard as the Han people. She needs to convince the Qiang nobles that I have to go to Shibao City to participate in the ceremony of completing the castle expansion, but this time it doesn't take a month, about twenty days will be enough."

"Madam!" The anxious shout of Zhang Huan's concubine Yang Chunshui came from the door, "Young master fell and cried so hard. Just go and have a look!"

Pei Ying was suddenly panicked, and she hurriedly hugged her daughter, "Get sick, I'm going!"

"What's the point of a child falling? Don't spoil him too much."

"I understand, Zhang Xujun!" Pei Ying chuckled, kissed Zhang Huan's face, and went out with her daughter, but after walking two steps, she gave Zhang Huan a charming look, and pouted, "You are leaving, I will spend more time with me these days."

"As for orders, madam!"

Zhang Huan looked at his wife walking away. He sighed softly and looked at the blue sky outside the window in a daze. He is almost thirty years old this year. The green beard under his jaw is half a foot long, his personality is more mature, and his feelings are getting deeper. There is always a hint of melancholy in his smile.

There is a jade box in the upper left corner of Zhang Huan's desk. There is a line of black hair and a yellowed letter in the jade box. He has to take a look at it every day, which seems to have become a pious ceremony.

At this moment, Zhang Huan took the jade box and opened it. Her hands trembled slightly and picked up the black hair, pressing it on her face. A cool feeling came from the black hair, as if she could still smell the intoxicating fragrance of Cui Ning. She had been away from her for three years, and she didn't know when she would be able to return to her side.

For three years, Zhang Huan was eager to know Cui Ning's situation, but was also afraid to hear the news of her marriage. The words "Cui Ning" or "Second Lady" became a taboo in their family, and anyone who mentioned it would be severely punished.

However, Zhang Huan accidentally saw a letter from Pei Ying a few months ago, which was written by Changsun Yiyi. The letter mentioned Cui Ning, saying that she was taking care of her seriously ill father in the old house in Qinghe, Shandong. She never left the house for three years. What made him most gratified was that Cui Ning flatly refused anyone's proposal.

Over the past three years, Zhang Huan devoted himself to accumulating strength and worked hard to achieve great development in Longyou, both in military strength, talent reserves and workshop trade. Especially since the rice and wheat were ripe in Kaiyang, Longxi and Jincheng counties the year before yesterday, the grain output has increased rapidly. Last year, he also exchanged the court for 50,000 war horses for 10,000 Modao and 10,000 heavy armor in the military weapon temple depot, and established the only Modao Army in the Tang Dynasty, with Cheng Lie, the most powerful general of the Western Liang Army, as the commander of the Modao Army.

Now he has good soldiers and enough food, with hundreds of thousands of armored soldiers and thousands of soldiers. The time to abandon the strategy of keeping a low profile is ripe

"Is the governor here?" Pei Mingyuan's voice came from the yard, interrupting Zhang Huan's thoughts. He immediately put his black hair back into the box and stood up.

"Mingyuan, do you have any good news?" Zhang Huan was slightly surprised when he saw the excitement in Pei Mingyuan's eyes.

"Governor, do you still remember that when I first came to Hexi, I had served as an envoy to the Uighurs."

Zhang Huan nodded and smiled, "Of course I remember that you only met the Uighur Prime Minister under the recommendation of the snake and rats. What happened again?"

"At that time, I thought it was a waste of time, but now the situation has turned around." Pei Mingyuan suppressed his excitement and whispered to Zhang Huan: "The special envoy of the Uighur Khan has arrived. I want to discuss with us the joint attack on Tubo. I am waiting for the governor to receive him in the government."

"What!" Even though Zhang Huan was calm, he was still shocked by the news. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something and immediately said to the outsider's clerk: "Sanlang, bring my major event book."

Zhang Huan's former clerk Meng Jiao was appointed as the chief secretary of Kaiyang County last year. The current clerk is Niu Sengru, which is the young man who debated with people in restaurants during the Helong Academy exam. He was very talented and soon stood out in the academy and worked in the Longyou Government. After Meng Jiao was promoted, Hu Yong recommended Niu Sengru to Zhang Huan. He was very smart and capable, especially good at grasping the key points of the problem from various complicated clerks. He was highly valued by Zhang Huan and appointed him to take charge of confidential documents.

Soon, Niu Sengru walked in with a few thick books, "Please give orders to the governor."

"I want to send it from Loga ten days ago about the injury of Tubo Zamp."

Niu Sengru pondered for a moment, and immediately found a file from one of the books and handed it to Zhang Huan, "Is this what the governor wants?"

"Yes! It's it, let it be here for me, you go!"

Zhang Huan handed the file to Pei Mingyuan and smiled and said, "Do you still remember it?"

Pei Mingyuan took the file and looked at it. This was the news from their spies in Logan. The 100,000 Tubo troops who were expeditioning to India were besieged by 150,000 Great Food Army in Tocharo (now Afghanistan). Tubo Zamp Chisong Dezan was seriously injured and may soon die. Various factions within Tubo are currently fighting fiercely for the qualification of Zamp heirs.

"I also suspect that the Uighurs sent special envoys to meet the governor because of this reason."

Zhang Huan smiled slightly and said, "You talk to him first with Changshi Hu. Tomorrow, I will welcome you to the front door of the mansion."

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The special envoy from the Uighurs was named Mo Chuo Dagan. He had been on missions to the Tang Dynasty many times and could speak fluent Chinese. This time he was ordered by the Khan to contact Zhang Huan.

In the past few years, the Uighurs experienced civil strife. In less than half a year, the newly established Khan died strangely. Prime Minister Dunmohe Dagan proclaimed himself the Uighur Khan and continued to adopt the title of Vijay Khan. He always advocated being kind to the Tang Dynasty. When he ascended the throne, he sent envoys to welcome Princess Xianning to marry herself and handed over to the Empress Dowager Cui Xiaofu.

After the political situation of the Uighurs gradually stabilized, seizing Anxi occupied by Tubo became the target of the Uighurs again. At this time, civil strife occurred in Tubo, which made the Uighurs see the opportunity to seize Anxi, so they invited the Tang Dynasty to attack Tubo and seize Anxi, and divided it into Hexi. However, the Tang Dynasty court flatly refused. At this time, Khan Dunmohe Dagan remembered Pei Mingyuan, who once represented Zhang Huan on an envoy to the Uighurs. After repeated consultations with the ministers, Dunmohe Dagan resolutely decided to bypass the Tang Dynasty court and join forces with Zhang Huan to attack Tubo.

Mo Chuo Dagan seemed a little worried. Two months ago, he went to Chang'an to join forces with the Tang Dynasty to attack Tubo, but was treated coldly. In the end, he only saw the Minister of the Honglu Temple, which also allowed him to see the Tang Dynasty's indifference to the Western Regions. A big country is so timid. How strong can the Jiedushi in that place be?

But the development of the matter quickly made him look at him with admiration. Early in the morning, drums and music were sounding, dragons and tigers were leaping, and thousands of troops cleared the road. A gorgeous carriage was parked outside the Yingguan Hotel. Hu Yong, the chief of the Longyou Jiedu Prefecture, and Sima Pei Mingyuan, came to Yingguan Hotel and invited Mo Chuo Dagan to the carriage. Three hundred cavalry mighty cavalry guards opened the road in front, so that Mo Chuo Dagan enjoyed the glory of the emperor, and also made him see Zhang Huan's sincerity in cooperation.

The cavalry guards stopped in front of Zhang Huan's mansion. Zhang Huan went out of the mansion to greet him, "The special envoy came all the way, thank you for your hard work."

Mo Chuo Dagan came with heavy responsibilities. In addition, when Zhang Huan captured Han Erduobali, he was also a captured official, so he first felt awe of Zhang Huan, so he did not be arrogant because of Zhang Huan's kindness, nor did he underestimate Longyou because of his status as a local official.

Seeing Zhang Huan come out to greet him in person, he quickly walked out of the carriage and bowed and said, "Mo Chuo Dagan meets Governor Zhang."

Seeing that he was polite, Zhang Huan felt a little fond of it, so he stepped forward and grabbed his hand and smiled, "I have been waiting for you for a long time. Come on! Let's go in and have a detailed discussion."

"Then I'll disturb Governor Zhang."

Zhang Huan invited Mo Chuo Dagan to his study and ordered Hu Yong and Pei Mingyuan to accompany him. The maid came up with fragrant tea. Mo Chuo Dagan sighed and said first: "I went to Chang'an a few months ago to invite the Tang Dynasty court to hunt Tubo together. The Minister of the Honglu Temple told me that this matter is of great importance and requires discussion by the court cabinet. But I waited for half a month, but there was no news at all. I found the Minister of the Honglu Temple. He only said that the Prime Minister Pei was busy with affairs and had no time to consider this matter. He asked again, and said that the inner peace and unscrupulousness were not able to send troops. Why should the country's interests be so contemptuous? From this, it can be seen that the Tang Dynasty has not been thinking about Hexi for a long time. I was already cold. Is there really no one in the Tang Dynasty missing his hometown? But my Khan said that there is one person in the Tang Dynasty who would be willing to attack Tubo together with the Uighurs. Can the governor guess who this person is?"

Zhang Huan smiled faintly and said, "If you talk about individuals, there are more than tens of millions of people in the Tang Dynasty who want to fight against Tubo. But if you use your strength, this person will be my Zhang Huan."

He looked at Mo Chuo Dagan, and they laughed at the sky. At this point, there was no suspense in the matter. Mo Chuo Dagan took out a map and unfolded it in front of Zhang Huan. He pointed to Hexi and Anxi and said frankly: "My Khan will attack Anxi at the latest next month. He hopes that the governor will also send troops to Hexi to restrain the Tubo army in Hexi, and at the same time he will also restrain the Tubo army in Anxi. In this way, the pressure on both sides will be reduced by half. I wonder what the governor wants?"

Zhang Huan pondered for a moment and said, "In principle, I am willing to send troops to Hexi, but I have only made an oral agreement with you Khan. There is no written word. Can you agree to this?"

"This..." Mo Chuo Dagan hesitated a little. Of course, he knew that Zhang Huan did not want to leave any evidence of collusion with the Uighurs, but if there was no agreement, how could he explain to Khan?

At this time, Hu Yong next to him smiled and said, "If our Longyou Shenshe does not participate in the war, it will not affect the decision of the Uighurs to go south to Anxi. If you get it, it will be unexpected gains from the Uighurs. If you don't, the Uighurs will not suffer any losses. In this way, what else can the special envoy make a dilemma?"

Mo Chuo Dagan suddenly realized, and he stood up and bowed to Zhang Huanshen, "In this way, I will immediately return to the country to report to the Khan, hoping that the governor can send troops as promised."

"Don't worry, I will definitely send troops. I have been waiting for three years this day." Zhang Huan said with a cold smile.

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Pei Mingyuan sent Mo Chuo Dagan away, but Zhang Huan left Hu Yong. Zhang Huan looked at the western sky with his hands behind his back and silently. After a long time, he slowly said: "The Chief Secretary may have guessed what I am thinking about?"

Hu Yong smiled and said, "I know."

"Do you know?" Zhang Huan looked back at him and asked in surprise: "The Chief Secretary may as well talk."

"Does the governor want to take the opportunity to take Anxi down together?" Hu Yong said in Zhang Huan's eyes.

Zhang Huan didn't say anything for a long time. He slowly sat back on his seat and sighed softly, "You're right. When I heard the Uighur envoys say that they were going to take Anxi, I felt as uncomfortable as if I had swallowed a fly. Even though Anxi and Beiting were both my Tang Dynasty territory, they have become delicious foods on others' plates. I'm not willing to just take Hexi!"

Hu Yong nodded, and he stretched out his two fingers, "I have two strategies for the governor to choose how to retake Anxi."

"you say!"

"A named Qibing, the governor can follow the strategy of seizing Longyou, take over Hexi and take over the Uighur army to fight in Anxi, and take over Beiting in one go, cut off the retreat of the Uighur army, and then attack Anxi."

"What about another plan?" Zhang Huan asked without saying a word.
To be continued...