Chapter 420 The Third Force

In Xianyang County, on a cold snowy night, a team of camels from the Western Regions slowly walked into the city gate. The camels were loaded with various Western goods. This is a typical Hu caravan, composed of more than 200 small merchants, each merchant had his own one or two camels, and led the team with the most experienced elders. Along the way, everyone managed their own food and accommodation, and the accounts were settled very clearly. In addition, each person also needed to take out a sum of money as public expenses, such as bribing guards, paying road and bridge fees, etc. Although the journey was long and the expenses were very huge, when we arrived in Chang'an, each person's goods were profitable, and then they bought goods from Chang'an and returned to the Western Regions to sell. It took more than half a year to go, but the profit was quite considerable.

The leader of the camel caravan was a man in his fifties. His face was full of vicissitudes of life. His name was Muta, from the capital of Kangguo. More than two months ago, it was his camel caravan who encountered the attack of the Geluo people on the banks of the Zhenzhu River. After more than two months of trekking, their group finally arrived in Chang'an.

Muta has traveled to Chang'an many times, and always spends the night in Xianyang County. He is very familiar with this place. He pointed to a large inn in front of him and said to everyone: "It's still the same rule, stay in Wanjia Inn."

After saying that, he bowed to the young man on the second camel and smiled: "Tonight may be the last time we have dinner together. How about a drink with Brother Cui?"

The young man also bowed and thanked: "Xiao Cui is very grateful to the care of Uncle Muta along the way. I would like to pay a glass of wine to the uncle."

This little Cui is naturally Cui Yao. He did not ask the Tang army to escort him, but took Kang Guo's camel caravan to return to Chang'an. It was already mid-December.

"Okay! Everyone speed up, go to the inn to drink hot soup, and sleep in the warm bed." Muta shouted loudly, and said to everyone's hearts. Everyone was excited and urged the camel to speed up and ran towards Wanjia Inn.

In just a moment, we arrived at the inn. On the snowy night, hundreds of camels blocked the gate of the inn tightly. The inn shopkeeper had already heard the news and ran out. He and Muta had always met each other. As soon as they met, they hugged each other intimately.

"Everyone walks forward a few more steps and bring the camel through the side door into the backyard." Muta shouted loudly, and the merchants led the camel toward a door more than twenty steps away. Cui Yao also took the camel and walked towards the side door. But as soon as he took a few steps, he suddenly found that two people were rushing towards this side in the darkness opposite, and behind them, there seemed to be more than a dozen people chasing them.

"Uncle, save us!"

When the two saw someone here, they shouted desperately, as if they were a man and a woman, and they were speaking Turkic. The Hu Shangs were all stunned. Cui Yao stayed in the Western Regions for seven months and came back with Hu Shangs. He could also speak and listen to simple Turkic words.

When he saw someone asking for help, he immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Come here quickly."

The two men who asked for help heard that someone was willing to save them, and they ran towards Cui Yao even faster. After a moment, they came closer. Under the dim light of the lantern, they were two very young men and women. The man was about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a white robe, with a black face, a loose red hair, and long leather boots on his feet. The woman was about the same age as Cui Yao, with red hair combed in braids and tied around her head, wearing a green skirt, blue eyes, and a slightly dark face.

The two of them rushed to Cui Yao, and before they could take a closer look, they bowed and begged: "I'm sorry to save our lives."

At this time, more than a dozen black shadows had chased them twenty steps away. They were all dressed in black and held sharp blades. Seeing that there were a large group of camel merchants here, they couldn't help but slow down. Seeing that the situation was critical, the Hu merchants drew their swords to surround the two young men and women. At this time, Muta rushed over and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Uncle, someone wants to kill them." Cui Yao pointed to the two young people behind him and said. They realized that Cui Yao was actually a very young young man. He just called him uncle just now. The man was a little embarrassed, but the woman lowered her head embarrassedly.

Muta looked at the two of them. He saw a band of gold straps of ten thousand nails on the waist, covered with various jewelry, and knew that this person was unusual. He nodded and walked up to the dozen people in black who were chasing him and shouted: "You go quickly! Otherwise we will report to the official."

More than a dozen men in black were silent for a while, and suddenly turned around and ran into the darkness. After a moment, Muta saw them walking away, and then said to everyone: "Okay, everyone hurry up and go into the backyard to arrange camels."

Seeing that the matter had subsided, everyone walked into the inn from the side door. Muta took the reins from Cui Yao's hand and said to him: "Brother Cui, take these two people to eat first! I will arrange the camel for you."

"Then thank you uncle." Cui Yao handed him the camel reins, then turned around and smiled at the two young men: "You can follow me!"

"My name is Dortel, this is my sister Gudai." At a small table in the inn lobby, the young man introduced himself and his sister in fluent Chinese. He bowed to Cui Yaoshen, "Is there any surname of my benefactor?"

Cui Yao was a little surprised at his fluent Chinese, but he still bowed and said, "I am Cui Yao, a native of Chang'an, please call me Xiao Cui."

"Where is the uncle?" The man named Dortel bowed to Muta and asked in Turkic language: "Where is the uncle's surname? "

Muta smiled and said, "I am from Kang Guosakami, named Muta. Why are you two being chased by those men in black?"

Dortel sighed and said, "To be honest, we are from the two benefactors, we are from the Kias, and there are more than 20 followers. This time we went to Chang'an, but the Uighurs were followed. As a result, they chased them to Xianyang and started to attack. We couldn't resist. The followers died and were injured. We brothers and sisters fled desperately, thanks to your help."

"Why did the Uighurs kill you?" Cui Yao asked curiously.

"Mr. Eng-kun doesn't know that we, the people of Khikas, have been resisting the rule of the Uighurs for decades. We have had a deep feud with the Uighurs for generations. This time we went to Chang'an, somehow revealed the news and were chased by them."

At this time, Muta next to him suddenly saw a pair of golden phoenix bracelets on the wrist of the woman. He was secretly surprised. He was knowledgeable and knew that this was the custom of the noble women of the Kieves. They were indeed not ordinary people. They must have secret matters when they entered Beijing. He quickly kicked Cui Yao and told him not to ask more questions.

Cui Yao was a very smart man. He immediately understood what Muta meant and smiled and said, "We are also going to Chang'an. It's better to go together tomorrow, but now we will have a full meal first."

He turned around and shouted to the waiter in the shop: "Waiter, come and make two pots of good wine, and have a few more dishes to serve."

"Okay!" The waiter shouted, then ran into the inner hall. After a moment, he brought two pots of wine. Soon he served seven or eight plates of hot dishes. Cui Yao poured a glass of wine for Muta and Dotel, and poured another glass for himself. Just as the wine pot was about to put it down, he suddenly thought of something, so he picked up the pot and looked at Dotel's sister Gudai and smiled. Gudai hesitated, then held the wine glass with both hands and handed it over and said, "Then let's have a glass!"

Gu Dai also spoke Chinese, a little awkward, but her voice was sweet and generous, and she had a bit of the generousness of her daughter in the grassland. Under the light, Cui Yao had the opportunity to look at her carefully this time. Her face was dark. Except for her big blue eyes that showed some cleverness and cuteness, there was no other feature. However, her hands and wrists had crystal white skin, soft as boneless, and her nails were neatly clited. Only the nails of her little finger were like a piece of thin jade, and it was as bright as a kettle. Cui Yao was stunned for a moment.

Cui Yao filled her cup with some confusion and slowly woke up. He put down the wine pot, picked up the wine glass and smiled, "Today we are destined to meet, so let's have a drink for this fate."

"Damn!" The four of them drank the wine in one sip. Gu Dai drank the wine in one sip, but snatched the wine pot to pour wine for everyone. She stopped drinking it herself. Dotel toasted Cui Yao with another glass, and then asked tentatively: "Young Master Cui said just now that he was from Chang'an. I wonder if Mr. Cui knew officials from the Tang Dynasty?"

Cui Yao smiled heartily and said, "Why don't you know a few officials when you live in Chang'an? If you need any help from me, please just say that I will do my best."

"Thank you then!" Dortel didn't say anything to help. He toasted Muta with a glass of wine, but talked about the customs and customs along the way. Cui Yao was the most talkative, telling them the history of the Tang Dynasty and the customs of various places, and making witty words, attracting more than a dozen Hu merchants who were having dinner with him to listen, which caused everyone to be amazed from time to time.

The girl Gudai held her cheek and listened with relish. She looked at the young erudite scholar from time to time, her eyes full of admiration.

The next morning, everyone set off. The Dortel brothers and sisters changed into black clothes, borrowed two camels, and mingled among the Hu merchants.

"Young Master Cui!" Gu Dai came over and greeted him, with a little shy look in his eyes.

Cui Yao quickly bowed and smiled, "Miss Gudai."

Suddenly, Cui Yao found that the complexion of her face seemed to be darker. Then he realized that she had painted her face and remembered the crystal whiteness of her slender hands and white wrists last night. Cui Yao's heart thumped for a moment. He couldn't help but secretly glance at her. It happened that she also looked at her. When the two of them looked at each other, there was no expression on Gu Dai's face, but his eyes were flustered. He immediately turned the camel and disappeared into the Hu Shangqun.

Seeing her slender back disappear, Cui Yao suddenly felt a joy that he had never felt before, "Go!Go!" He loudly urged the camel and strided towards the east towards the sun.

It is very close to Xianyang to Chang'an, and it can be reached in half a day. The wide official road is crowded and bustling. I have never seen the man in black who chased the Dorter brothers and sisters last night. The merchants traveled across the Wei River and passed through the former site of Chang'an City in Han. At noon, the walls of Chang'an were vaguely visible. Cui Yao traveled in the Western Regions for seven months, after experiencing wind and frost, and now he has finally returned home. I don't know whether his grandfather is healthy. He was anxious for a moment and wished he could put his wings on and fly home.

"Mr. Cui." Dortel appeared quietly next to him at some point. Cui Yao glanced at him, suddenly remembered his temptation last night, and said without saying a word: "Brother Duo, what's the matter with me?"

"My Chinese name is Shi Muhua, and Mr. Cui called me Muhua directly."

Seeing that there was no one on both sides, Shi Muhua lowered his voice and said, "To be honest with Mr. Cui, I am actually Prince of Khisky. My sister and I were entrusted by my father to secretly send an envoy to Chang'an. We wanted to seek support from the Tang Dynasty. We should have gone directly to Honglu Temple, but I heard that the special envoy of the Uighurs was also in Chang'an, so we didn't dare to be careless, so we wanted to ask Mr. Cui to recommend officials from the Tang Dynasty for us. I wonder if the young master is willing to help."

Cui Yao's heart moved. He knew the current situation in the Western Regions. The Khikas is located in the northwest of the Uighurs, with hundreds of thousands of tribes, which are equal to the power of the Geluo people. They have a century-old feud with the Uighurs and have been repeatedly oppressed by the Geluo people. If the Tang Dynasty could support them.

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At this time, Shi Muhua took out a gold medal from his waist and said sincerely to Cui Yao: "This is the gold medal that Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty appointed my grandfather as Ye Hu, and he used this as a letter."

"How could I not trust Brother Shi?" Cui Yao smiled and waved his hand, and he also whispered: "Since Brother Shi is so honest, I won't hide it from you. My grandfather is the former right prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. Although he retired at home in illness, he still has some influence on the Tang Dynasty's government."

‘Cui Yuan?’ Shi Muhua felt ecstatic in his heart. He grabbed Cui Yao’s arm with excitement and said anxiously: “Young Master Cui must help me with this busyness. We 500,000 people from Kiagas will be grateful.”

"Please rest assured that Mr. Shi, I will try my best to convince my grandfather. If it really doesn't work, I will directly look for my aunt and ask her to introduce His Majesty the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty for you." Cui Yao looked at Gu Dai from afar, who was secretly looking at him. He suddenly made up his mind to help their brother and sister complete their mission no matter what.

The business traveler walked around Chang'an City halfway and slowly entered Chang'an City from Chunming Gate. A noisy and lively atmosphere suddenly came to her. Shi Muhua had been to Chang'an before, and she looked calm, but this was his first time to come. Faced with such a magnificent and prosperous city, her eyes were filled with shock.

When the camel team arrived in Dongshi, Cui Yao said to their brother and sister: "Let's get off the camel!"

The three of them pulled the reins, and the camel knelt down. They jumped off the camel. Cui Yao bowed to Muta, the leader of the camel team, and thanked him: "Uncle Muta, I'm going back now. If you have any difficulties, please come to Xuanyangfang to find me."

Muta also bowed and smiled, "Brother Cui, I hope you can get a gold medal next year and go to Anxi to become an official."

"Take care of all the uncles!" Cui Yao waved to everyone, and the Hu Shangs also waved goodbye to him.

"Let's go!" Cui Yao turned around and strode towards Xuanyangfang.

"Thank you, Uncle Muta, thank you, uncles." Shi Muhua and Gu Dai saluted and thanked the Hu merchants. They turned around and chased Cui Yao, and the three of them gradually disappeared into the vast sea of ​​people.

Muta saw their backs disappear and sighed secretly. He felt a little reluctant to leave Cui Yao. He turned his head and looked at the towering city walls in the east city. He suddenly became excited and turned around and shouted to everyone: "We will go to the city office to register directly, and try to get the goods out today."

Cui's mansion is still in Xuanyangfang. After three years, Cui Yuan has become older. His hair has fallen off. He has worn a hat and has become thin and thin. He stays in the study all day and never goes anywhere.

At this moment, the Tang Dynasty veteran was sitting in front of the desk and carefully reading a memorial. This was the memorial sent by the emperor to him. It was the request of the Uighur Loyal Khan to marry the princess of the Tang Dynasty. This was also a way for Cui Yuan to exert his remaining energy. Some major state affairs emperors would send people to send copies of the memorial to Cui Yuan to solicit his opinions. For example, the two tax law that began to be implemented last year was of great importance, and Cui Yuan also participated in the entire decision-making process.

The Uighurs requested to marry the Princess of the Tang Dynasty, which was also a major event. The Uighurs reached an understanding of advancing westward with Dashi three years ago. The Dashi persuaded the Gelulu people to give up a large piece of territory east of Yibohai, so that the power of the Uighurs could reach the Yibohai, which provided great convenience for the Uighurs to surround the people of the Kiagas.

It was under this opportunity that the Uighurs and Dashi were getting closer and closer. Last year, the Dashi and the Uighurs exchanged protons. At the same time, under the dual influence of Sogdian merchants and Manichaeism, the traditional Uighur nobles began to lose their power, and the national policy of advancing westward had quietly given up.

Now that the Uighurs propose marriage, this must be a sign that the Uighurs want to repair their relationship with the Tang Dynasty. A typical double-headed eagle strategy, Cui Yuan pondered for a long time and finally wrote his own opinion on the copy of the memorial: "I think that if you reject the Tang Dynasty, Hui marriage will completely push the Uighurs to the Great Food, causing me to be attacked from both sides and the back, which is not conducive to the national policy of expanding the west of the Tang Dynasty. It is really unwise. There is also a pro-Tang group in the Uighurs. The princess of the Tang Dynasty went north and would definitely make the Uighurs pro-Tang group deeply inspired, and then expand the influence on the Uighurs' national policy. As for the matter of Li Ke Dun, the medicine Luo Ge Ling must not speak falsely. I infer that the loyal Khan had the intention of establishing two-Tang group. If so, I think that the benefits of marriage outweigh the disadvantages, Your Majesty can agree, but at the same time, the marriage must also increase troops in Beiting. The use of both soft and hard can make the Uighurs dare not underestimate the Tang Dynasty.'

Cui Yuan put down his pen, blew the ink marks dry, and read them carefully. Although the writing was simple, he believed that His Majesty the Emperor could understand his meaning. Even if the Uighurs could not completely turn to the Tang Dynasty, he would still keep it neutral, so that the Tang Dynasty could win time to accelerate the pace of western expansion.

"Master," a burst of rapid footsteps sounded, and the old butler's excited voice came from outside the door: "Young Master Yao is back!"

"Ah!" Cui Yuan was surprised and his Changsun went to Thunder Ye to investigate the silver mine seven months ago. It is said that he was attacked by the Geluo people on his way back, which really made him very worried. Cui Yuan's eldest son Cui Xian is currently the governor of Guangzhou, and Changsun was raised by him since childhood. The relationship between the grandparents and grandchildren was very deep. The mediocrity of his son made Cui Yuan put almost all his hopes on Changsun.

"Take him here to see me!"

As soon as Cui Yuan finished speaking, Cui Yao ran in like a gust of wind, "Grandfather!" Cui Yao fell into the house and knelt down, his voice choked and said, "The child is unfilial and he has been away from home for seven months before returning."

Cui Yuan's nose was also a little sore, and he waved his hand and smiled: "Silly child, a man is determined to be in all directions. You can go to Thunder Leaf for inspection. It's too late to be happy! How could you blame you? Get up quickly."

Cui Yao stood up, and Cui Yuan saw that his grandson grew taller. Although his skin became dark, his body became much stronger. His former weakness disappeared and he added a bit of resoluteness and courage to his eyebrows. He was very pleased that this was his grandson, much better than his father back then.

"Sit down, grandfather has something to ask you." Cui Yuan asked Changsun to sit down, and he immediately asked, "Your strategy is ready."

"Report to my grandfather, my grandson has written it. I will give it to my grandfather tomorrow after making some modifications tonight."

"You don't have to give it to me, just leave it to the Imperial College." Cui Yuan pondered for a while, and the topic turned to the Geluo people, "I heard that you encountered a sneak attack by Geluo people when you came back. What's going on?"

Cui Yao remembered the terrifying massacre that night. It was the first time he had ever seen such a bloody scene since he grew up. He still felt scared. He sighed and said, "The Geluo people were just a robber-like attack, not the migration of their entire tribe. However, I am worried that this incident would become an excuse for the Geluo people to move south. When the child heard that the climate in the north became colder, he reminded him of the Five Barbarians' Invasion of China."

Cui Yuan nodded, "It's good that you can have this vision, but my grandfather hopes that your vision will be more and more widespread. The discovery of the Da Silver Mine of Zaoye has made it a place of strategic interests related to the Tang Dynasty. Similarly, the Dazhe people will not tolerate the Dazhe being inserted into the Zhaowu area. Therefore, whether it is the Geluo people moving south or the Uighur people's national policy, these are all appearances. In fact, the fundamental point is the battle between the Tang Empire and the Dazhe Empire west of the Pamir Mountains. Perhaps in five years, or ten years, when the interests of the two countries cannot be reconciled, there will be a war between the two empires."

Speaking of this, Cui Yuan took a book and handed it to Changsun and said, "This is a scripture and writing written by Du Huan, which records the situation of the country of Dashi in detail. This is an empire no less than that of the Tang Dynasty. It has a vast territory and a large population. We cannot underestimate it. You can read it carefully to better understand this Western power. My grandfather hopes that you can do your best to the Tang Dynasty's westward strategy like Shi Yang in the future."

"The baby won't let his grandfather down."

Cui Yao understood his grandfather’s expectations for him. He respectfully took the book, pondered for a moment, and said to his grandfather: “There is one thing that the child has to report to his grandfather.”

"What do you think?"

Cui Yao then explained in detail the incident of Shi Muhua and his sister being chased by the Uighurs in Xianyang County, and finally said: "The child believes that the people of the Kiagas and the Uighurs have a hundred-year-old feud. Our Tang Dynasty can use it to restrain the Uighurs. This is a wonderful chess piece, so the child took his own initiative and brought their brothers and sisters, asking his grandfather to consider this matter."

Cui Yuan frowned slightly. He found another clue from his grandson's narrative. Could the Uighurs who chased Shi Muhua and his sister be the Uighurs who suddenly disappeared three years ago? This matter is a clue.

However, the grandson's idea of ​​using the Kiagas people to restrain the Uighurs is indeed feasible. In this way, the Tang Dynasty can take multiple measures against the Uighurs. Marriage is a kind of gentleness, food aid is a temptation, and the increase in troops in Beiting is a military threat, while supporting the Kiagas people is a stab in the back of the Uighurs.
Chapter completed!