Chapter 26 Two accounts

The Uighurs sent an envoy to recruit the Tang army. Guo Shidao gathered to discuss, and the majority of the guardians, Liu Anzhu, An Liu, and Yang Yizhu, and there was no dispute.

Zhang Mai watched the expressions of the participants in the military tent, and saw that everyone was still pondering. It has been a few months since he came to this world. If there was a feeling of being dissatisfied between Zhang Mai and Tang Jun at the previous few gatherings, he already felt that he was a part of this group. He even felt that everyone did not treat him as an imperial envoy but as a relative. When facing the Shangguan sent by the court, people always tended to restrain some of their feelings, and the worry on some old people's faces was not covered up.

Deputy Grand Protector Yang Dingguo ordered Grand Protector Warden and General Manager Guo Taihang asked: "How much food do we have in stock now?"

Guo Taihang said: "Savory and frugality can only be spent for three months. Unless you are fishing and collecting and farming and herding sheep, you can get the harvest for the coming year."

Yang Dingguo asked again: "What if it's a war?"

Guo Taihang frowned and said for a while: "If it is a war, the Uighurs don't have to fight. Just block the route of march and send light cavalry to harass us, so that we can't farm and herd sheep with peace of mind, and starve us to death."

When everyone heard this, they felt fear on their faces. Yang Yi said, "If the Uighurs knew our reality and did this, we were indeed in danger, but they might not be able to know ourselves and our enemy! They might not be able to set up strategies like Guo Cangcao. Besides, we are not going to fight the Uighurs now. We can rest and rest for a while before taking action after we have reserved enough food and grass."

Yang Dingguo snorted coldly and said, "If we do not agree to the peace agreement of the Uighurs, don't think about living in Xinxuye City anymore!" Asked An Liu: "If we retreat to the valley you discovered, what will the harvest be in the next year? How much surplus will there be?"

An Liu smiled bitterly: "That river valley is smaller than here, and the river freezing time is about twenty days longer than that of Xinruiye City, and the water and soil are not as fertile as here. Besides, there has not been reclaimed yet, so how can it be so easy to grow grain? It has to be reclaimed every year, but even if all the soldiers from the military headquarters are thrown in, I guess it will take three years to reach 60% of the harvest of Xinruiye City this year, so where can there be any surplus?"

When Zhang Mai heard that he wanted to put all his troops into farming, how could he have time to conduct military training? Several old men even exclaimed at the same time: "Three years? Sixty percent?"

Guo Taixing said: "Isn't it that I can't even fill my stomach?" He has been in charge of warehouses for three years, so he naturally knew that the grain produced in the suburbs of Xinruiye City only allowed the Anxi military and civilians to fill their stomachs. Every year, he had to rely on grazing, fishing and other supplementary food to save 20% of the food to prepare for war and famine. In other words, if the new residential sites want to provide sufficient supplies to the Tang army, the grain output must reach at least about 80% of Xinruiye City.

"That's it." Yang Ding Guodao: "If we refuse the peace talks between the Uighurs, we want to fight, but we can't afford to fight, and we want to migrate, we are afraid that half of the old and weak here will starve to death."

Zhang Mai was also worried when he heard that "half of them would starve to death". He was born in an era of abundant material resources. He only saw the so-called starving people to death in books, but it was really hard to imagine what the scene would be like if the food was so deficient that he starved to death. But now he has to face such a dilemma in person. If there is really a friend he knows to starve to death by his side, how should he face it?

Many old people in the tent bowed their heads. They had experienced the tragic situation that Zhang Mai could not imagine. The Tang army in Anxi has been struggling for hundreds of years and has developed the tradition of "first young and strong, then old and weak" - whenever they encounter danger and difficulties, the old and weak always give way to young and strong. This tradition is just like a deer facing a desperate situation, the elderly and weak will jump off the cliff and commit suicide and leave their vitality to the young and strong. If the Tang army really reaches the point of shortage of food, the food rations of the elderly and weak in the Tang army will be cut first. Even if they will starve to death, they will have to save the food rations for the young and strong who can support the overall situation and the children who represent the future! Because if they did not do this, it would be impossible to ensure that the collective survived.

In fact, many of the surviving old people have seen their fathers and grandparents die under swords or in hunger to protect them.

"But if we negotiate peace with the Uighurs, we can still stay here and farm and raise herds. The little tribute the Uighurs wanted was nothing. There were only five hundred sheep, one hundred cloth, and ten horses."

Yang Dingguo did some calculations for everyone. Even if the tributes given to the Uighurs were deducted, the remaining property would be much more than moving westward to reopen the land.

"In the first year, we tied our belts and got through it. The second year will inevitably have a surplus. Three years can make food and clothing, and five years can lead to a well-off life! The Uighurs also promised us to go to Balasha to trade. Our women are good at making clothes, shoes and hats, and our pottery and ironware are better than those of the Hu people. So our goods will be sold there, whether it is sheep or horse or fur, or not, and there is no need to fight, money and grain will accumulate faster. I can't expect that our new Leaf City will stand up again in ten years. At that time, we were full and had money and grain in our hands, so we could move forward or backward."

As he spoke, his eyes narrowed, as if through the narrow slit of his eyes, he saw the new shaved city that was more prosperous than before the Burning City ten years later: the city gates came and went, and the market was piled with goods from Balasha, Shule, Talas and even Samarkand, and Khotan. Today's boy has grown up and a new generation of children has been born. He is so old that he can walk with a cane, but he has moved a rattan chair and lying lazily under the sun, watching his grandson playing with him...

Yang Dingguo thought to himself and unconsciously described it. Under his infection, many old people's eyes also emitted blurred colors.

Yes, that peaceful and peaceful situation is so tempting and desirable.

Although the people of the Tang Dynasty were brave, they were not barbaric. They did not kill for the sake of killing, but to protect civilization! They were to expand civilization!

Yang Dingguo said this and patted his son Yang Yi on the shoulder: "Yi'er, I know you are brave and full of passion, but some things do not have to be solved by war. The goal can be achieved by using peaceful means, and the effect will be even better. For example, saving Tang Min who was living in various parts of the Western Regions as slaves does not necessarily require a knife or a gun. When we make money, we can also use money to redeem them. You said, right?"

He has always been strict, and he has always been tough to speak with his son, and he even fights with one word. Otherwise, how could he develop the temper of Yang Yi? At this time, he was very rare to persuade his son in front of everyone. Yang Yi rarely saw his father so kind, but he was not used to it. In fact, he was not convinced. He wanted to resist, but he couldn't speak.

The atmosphere in the big tent seemed to be no longer as nervous as before. Everyone's hearts seemed to gradually get together. The discussion was not over yet, but the conclusion seemed to be coming soon.

Even Zhang Mai was a little moved by the peaceful and peaceful life described by Yang Dingguo. But he quickly shook his head and shook his head, as if he wanted to throw this temptation out!

Because when he thought of accepting peace talks from the Uighurs, a sense of uneasiness would arise deep in his heart!

"It never ends well if you are recruited by enemies who have no integrity!"

"The Uighurs are the enemy! The enemy will not be so kind!"

"If the enemy suddenly becomes considerate for himself, it will definitely not be a good thing!"

It was these thoughts that made Zhang Mai look bad for the two messengers, and it was these thoughts that made him stand up. It seemed that most people were still immersed in the world described by Yang Dingguo. They had to wait a while before they noticed Zhang Mai's actions.

"Enterprise... do you have anything to say?" Guo Luo, who had not spoken, focused everyone's eyes on Zhang Mai in one sentence.

"I have thought about the kind of life that Mr. Yang said..." Zhang Mai's words were not a lie. Even if it was time travel, it would be great if it was to travel to the middle of the Song Dynasty. But this was the Tang Dynasty and the Western Regions. He was not facing a saint, famous ministers, but a group of tigers and wolves!

"That's a good day, but everyone has thought about a question! Why did the Uighurs give us such a good day? Do they have a close relationship with us? Or is the Great Khan of the Uighurs so kind that he hopes that all the surrounding ethnic groups will live a good life?"

Of course, the Uighurs and the Tang army in Anxi were not close. Not only did they have no relatives, but they even had a grudge! When it comes to the Uighur monarch having such feelings, even if they say such words to the Uighur herders, they would laugh.

"The Uighurs are enemies and not friends, and they are definitely not good people! But this time they came to discuss peace with us, but the conditions were too generous. Five hundred sheep and one hundred pieces of cloth were worth nothing at all, and it was exactly what we could accept. But it was this point that made me very suspicious!"

"Suspicion?" Yang Dingguo asked: "What are the special envoys doubting?"

"I suspect that the other party proposed such a condition and seemed to have calculated our bottom line! They calculated accurately, and we will agree, because this is the most beneficial to us - but why would the Uighurs help us consider the problem? I don't believe that these Hu people will come to imagine for us! So in the end, I can only think of two points, either, the Uighurs themselves have a mess, or there is another conspiracy behind their actions!"

"Conspiracy? What conspiracy?" several generals asked worriedly.

"I don't know!" Zhang Mai said frankly: "I just feel something is wrong!"

Zhang Mai sorted out the words in his heart and said, "Just just now, Mr. Yang has calculated what we might get if we negotiate peace with the Uighurs. Now I have to calculate another account here: that is, if we negotiate peace with the Uighurs, what will we lose!"

"Are we the only one who will lose five hundred sheep, one hundred cloth, and ten horses proposed by the Uighurs? No! I will also lose one very important thing!"

"What?" Guo Luo and Yang Yi asked almost in unison.

"We will lose our ambitions!" Almost a few seconds ago, Zhang Mai could not find a good word, but he blurted out at the urge of Guo Luo and Yang Yi: "We may be able to get temporary peace, but we may lose the domineering spirit of competing with the Uighurs from now on! When we lower our heads to the Uighurs once, if the Uighurs propose the second condition to us, would we think that anyway, it is okay to endure it again. Then, there will be the third, fourth, and fifth... When our aura is exhausted by their gradually approaching pace, if their iron hooves suddenly come again, will we still have the courage to pick up the sword against them?"
Chapter completed!