Late Tang Dynasty Floating Life

Chapter 740
"Kang Duwei's demeanor is better than before, which is really surprising." Shao Shude thinks that Kang Fujin is amazing, and he has known him for a long time, but this person is very energetic, often running around, and his business is all over Lingxia And Guanzhong, recently I also asked myself a Wusan rank, and I am also an official.

"I'm old, my strength is fading, and I can't compare to the king in his prime." Kang Fujin said with a flattering smile.

He was very kind, and when he came, he donated a lot of breeding resources that Shao Shude needed by name, such as Dashi big-tailed Hu sheep, a total of more than [-] head, in exchange for Shao Shude's personal interview.

This kind of Hu sheep is more than three feet tall, with a tail weighing ten catties, as big as a fan, and can barely walk.The fur is relatively fine and soft, so it can be bred with Kangju big-tailed sheep from Liangzhou, Hexi sheep from Lingxia, Shayuan sheep from Guanzhong, and Hedong sheep from Hedong. Sheep are of great value.

Wool, now Shao Shude's excitement, is the second step in his attempt to transform society. It closely follows the three-crop rotation system of agricultural and animal husbandry production mode and downstream raw material processing, which can be said to complement each other.

In addition, wool, a material that far outperforms cotton in terms of cold resistance, is also of great use in grassland battles.

Kang Fujin's move really made him very happy, so he got up from Albus's Ke Dun and hurriedly received him.It can be seen from this that Marshal Shao's careerism is still very strong, at least women seem to be inferior to a sheep.

"It's time to enjoy wealth and honor." Shao Shude clapped his hands, and the maids began to serve the food, and the two will have lunch together.

"Tian's family works hard, and when they are old, they cook mutton and lamb, and do their own work." Shao Shude said with a smile: "At this time of year, we should have some mutton."

Confort King thanked again and again.Being able to dine in the Xia Palace is a sign of intimacy. What you eat is not food, but status, closeness and wealth.

"The hump of the purple camel comes out of the emerald cauldron, and the disc of the essence of water is lined with plain scales. Xuanzong also loved camel meat."

""The Spring and Autumn Annals of Yanzi" states that Duke Jing of Qi said, "It's fun to treat dogs, and to meet court officials." The feudal lords entertained their ministers, and they also used dog meat. This thing is very good, and Kang Duwei can try it more."

Shao Shude introduced each dish, and Kang Fujin was flattered and smiled from ear to ear.

In fact, these things are nothing to a person of his status.What's more, Lingxia is rich, the price of meat is relatively cheap, and the folks don't even limit the slaughter of cattle, so this lunch is not too extravagant.

I heard that King Xia has been practicing martial arts so far, and his kung fu has not fallen, no wonder he likes to eat meat so much.Compared with the slightly obese figures of some generals of the Guiyi Army, the strong and well-proportioned King Xia was indeed very self-disciplined.Apart from liking power and beauty, there is almost nothing to be reluctant to part with.

"I heard that the Gaochang Uighurs are more peaceful, but there are changes in the country?" Shao Shude asked casually after pouring a bowl of "Shuofang Shengshao" for Kang Fujin.

Shuofang Shengshao is actually distilled wine, the Datang version of brandy. Because the distillation equipment is complicated, the price is expensive, and the alcohol content is high, the market demand is large. The price of this wine is not very affordable, and it can be regarded as a high-end wine.

The chieftains on the prairie love this kind of wine very much, and they have been asking for a lot of money to buy it.

"I haven't heard of any changes. The Pugu family has repeatedly raised quarrels, but it's just that Shazhou is less often pointed at." Kang Fujin replied.

"King Xia wants to attack the Uighurs in Gaochang?" Kang Fujin couldn't help asking because he was really curious.

"No." Shao Shude said while cutting the flesh with a knife: "From Luo Manshan in the north of Yizhou to Uighur Yazhang, it takes thirty days for the horse to arrive. Why should I beat it?"

Yizhou is today's Hami.At that time, Luoman Mountain was Balikun Mountain, a part of Tianshan Mountains.

Walk 240 miles eastward from Yizhou, and then cross Shiluoman Mountain to the north. There is a big river in the north of the mountain that leads directly to the Uighur border. You can reach Uighur Yazhang by horseback for [-] days.Gaochang Uyghurs regained the old land of the Uyghur royal court, and this was the path they took.It's not too far for nomadic tribes, but it's really not close for people in the Central Plains.

"When I came to Lingzhou, I heard that the king broke the Uyghur tooth tent, captured tens of thousands of prisoners, and captured hundreds of thousands of miscellaneous animals. This is a great victory that has not been seen in many years. Why didn't he go straight to Yizhou from the Uyghur royal court?" Kang Fujin tentatively Asked: "It's only a 30-day journey, marching with cattle and sheep, it's not far away."

"It's still too far away, delaying my business." Shao Shude said.

"If the king is willing to send troops from Heichengzi to attack Yizhou or Tingzhou, Zhang Pushe of Shazhou is willing to send troops to help them." Kang Fujin said with a little hope.

"No." Shao Shude said resolutely: "The success of this attack on the Uyghur Yazhang lies in surprise. In fact, the loss is not small. There are thousands of horses that were killed. The soldiers and horses lost their way along the way, although in the end They ran back, but there were heavy casualties. If they attack Uyghur again, they will be unable to support them.”

Conforkin sighed regretfully.

"Lieutenant Kang Du needn't be too disappointed." Shao Shude suddenly smiled, and said, "After the grasslands are rectified, I will definitely attack Uighur and take back the two towns of Anxi and Beiting."

To destroy the Uyghurs in Gaochang, of course, two groups of troops had to be dispatched, one with the main cavalry out of Shazhou, and one with a brigade of cavalry out of the Uyghur tooth tent.But as he said, that's something to do later, not now.

"When will the grassland be finished?" Kang Fujin asked.

"This will fall on Captain Kang." Shao Shude said with a smile.

Conforkin was puzzled.

"I have ordered the Shannan inspection envoy Ge Shubu to move to Nuozhenshui to graze, and the Baidaochuan Qibi tribe will also go to the Rouzhou grassland next year." Shao Shude said: "If they want to survive, they must buy a lot of supplies from the south. This is It's a good deal, is Captain Kang interested?"

What can Confort King say?You have to be interested even if you are not interested.

"Nuozhenshui brother Shubu's business, I will entrust it to you, and I will only let you do it, and other merchants will not compete with you." Shao Shude said: "I will entrust Tuoba Sijing to do it in the Qibi department of Rouzhou. From now on There are five divisions in Yinshan, one is a specialized trading company, and only the trading company is allowed to connect with the tribe. It will be three years in advance, starting from the first month of next year, and we will consider whether to adjust after three years."

After a little thought, Confort King understood that this is a unique business, and it is a unique business that no one else can interfere with.Although Ge Shubu's strength is not strong, there are tens of thousands of people anyway, and it's a long-term business, so why not do it?
It's just that Tuoba Sijing also got this "cash cow" deal, which surprised Kang Fujin a little.

"Your Majesty wants me to do business, how dare you disobey?" Kang Fujin said.

"It's good that you understand. Someone from the shogunate will tell you the details." Shao Shude said, "In a word, you must be obedient and not act rashly. Grassland, I have been planning for a long time, and I want to see the results slowly .”

"Of course." Kang Fujin seemed to smell something, and immediately responded.

To rectify the grassland, the next step is to use these troops to conquer all parties.

It should not be to conquer the Central Plains. 10,000+ cavalry rushed over. If they do not indulge them in wanton looting and severely damage local states and counties, it is unlikely that they can afford it. Then this direction of using troops is worth talking about.I hope it is the Gaochang Uyghurs, not the Khitans, the Uyghurs are too arrogant.

After lunch, Kang Fujin went back to his house in Lingzhou, and Shao Shude took care of business.

The war in Henan has intensified, and there is only a thin line between the outbreak of a large-scale war.

Liang Hanyong sent back news through Huaixi, Zhu Xuan became more and more impatient, and did not provide food and grass supplies at all.They used the looted goods to buy from Zhu Xuan, but it was still not enough.

Zhu Jin occasionally donated some food, grass, arrows, and helped repair equipment, but under the persuasion of his staff, these assistances were also greatly reduced, and the situation on the Eastern Front deteriorated somewhat.

Liang Hanyong suggested to unite with Shao Lun, find an opportunity to kill Zhu Xuan, and replace someone as a Jiedu envoy, either Shao Lun or He Gui.

"Zhu Xuan, the thief, is really determined." Shao Shude dropped the brush, a little annoyed.

If Zhu Quanzhong hadn't pulled the Yellow River, maybe Zhu Xuan and him have repaired.Due to Quanzhong's notorious reputation, it is not easy to do this for a while, but judging by the trend, it will be a matter of time to fix it.At that time, may they join forces to expel Liang Hanyong's tribe?
But if Zhu Xuan is killed, will Zhu Jin lose his face?There are still many members of the Zhu clan in Yunzhen who control the area. After killing Zhu Xuan, how many counties can they control in the first place?
Shao Shude thought for a long time, but finally did not allow this.

The second letter about the war in Caizhou made him feel a little better.

After Qi Bizhang broke into Caizhou, he divided into several groups, burned the enemy's reserves, attacked and killed its transportation team, and even took advantage of the falsehood to attack Suiping County, and gained a lot.

Liang General Dai Siyuan led the Flying Dragon Army with [-] cavalry in constant pursuit, and also divided into several groups, entangled endlessly, and had more than ten battles with Xia's army ranging from hundreds to thousands of people.

Among them, the Yancheng and Shangcai battles were the largest.Taking advantage of the large number of horses and mules, Qi Bizhang temporarily mobilized more than 2000 men and forced [-] men from Dai Siyuan's troops to defeat the enemy with more and less.

Dai Siyuan collected the defeated troops, and there were only less than [-] horses left. He suffered a big loss and had to retreat to Chenzhou to rest, recruit new soldiers, and collect mules and horses.

The result of the battle between the two flying dragon armies was obvious from the very beginning.Qibizhang's tribe has grown to more than [-] people, with nearly [-] horses and mules. They have fought and fought in the enemy's rear all year round. Everyone is tough, fierce and bloodthirsty, which is no longer comparable to Dai Siyuan's tribe.

The third letter is from Huaizhou camp.

Heyuan Army envoy Li Renjun reported that Wei soldiers had been guarding the state for a long time, and the soldiers wanted to return.There was a sergeant who lost all his money in the game and made a noise. Although he was suppressed, the morale of the army fluctuated and he had to withdraw to rest.Luo Hongxin sent Yamen general Li Gongquan to lead the army to Weizhou to take over the defense.

In addition, this year Luo Hongxin sent money, food, equipment, and horses to Bianzhou in a big way, and the ferry was busy, but he didn't hide it at all.

"Hmph, the three axes of evil, Zhu Quanzhong, Luo Hongxin, and Yang Xingmi, have made me the master!" Shao Shude closed his eyes, thinking about the current situation.

Although Wei Bo did not fight, he stationed a large number of troops in Weizhou, which objectively restrained at least [-] to [-] of the main force of the Xia army. At the same time, he replenished Zhu Quanzhong's blood so that he could persevere under the situation that civilian production was greatly affected. .

Yang Xingmi, two armies attacked Huaixi.The South Road besieged Anzhou and failed repeatedly, but they continued to attack; the North Road entered Shouzhou, although they had been repelled, they may come again at any time.

His territory has also been stable for a long time. Based on the foundation of the two towns of Huainan and Xuanshe, it should be recovering well. In the future, he may also provide Zhu Quanzhong with support.

If Zhu Xuan joined Zhu Quanzhong's camp again, the situation would become even more complicated.

It is necessary to injure Zhu Quanzhong again, so as to deter the thieves, make them fearful, and dare not get involved in the war in Henan.

Xuzhou is the best breakthrough point.

(End of this chapter)