Thousands of miles of rivers and mountains, thousands of miles of distance, vast mountains and rivers at the border. Winding paths light into lines, dark mountains and dark bridges. Without seeing the galaxy, the wind is not warm, how can the moon and leaves wither? Before leaving the border, the boats of the Jinchuan branch await.
In the dark night, there were no stars and no moon. After the rain stopped, the cloudy day seemed colder than before.
Guo Tu led the team to light torches and walk down the path that could easily slide into the deep stream at any time. Knowing that he had been delayed, he wanted to grow wings and fly across this distance.
The only thing that satisfied him these days was the logistics camp. They always waited in front of him to arrange everything. If he wanted to rest at night, there was a special place. When it was time to eat, there was also hot food. If he didn't know that he had a mission, he would think that he was traveling in the Yaowang Mountain of Yaozhou.
It gave him the feeling that this was not marching. It was too comfortable. Even before walking this path, there were people who prepared ropes and connected them one by one to prevent them from falling into the stream.
But the speed of the march was still slow. If this continued, they might not even see the border, let alone reach the Jinchuan in ten days.
If it was another time, they might find a reason to blame the logistics camp, saying that the food supply was not in time. But facing the logistics camp of Yizhou, even the most shameless general did not dare to do so. If they all thought that the logistics camp was not doing a good job, how could they expect the logistics camp to carry them through? It was better to withdraw the army and let the logistics camp fight.
"If only the logistics camp could let us grow wings." Thinking of the magical logistics camp, Guo Tu could not help muttering to himself.
*****
Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan were still leading the troops and following behind the soldiers in front of them for half a day. Their progress was very relaxed, and the troops had expanded a little. The guards that Old Man Bi and Old Man Yao had sent to look for them were persuaded to stay behind. They were prepared to complete a logistics mission together.
"It is estimated that Guo Tu's team will reach a suitable place to board the ship in another two hours. This is the last journey in the border to see them off. I hope they can complete the mission successfully and try to let as many people come back alive. The people who transported food and cooked along the way can be paid to go home."
Zhang Xiaobao looked through his binoculars at the long line of torches on the winding road ahead and gave his blessing.
Wang Juan also knew that people had to die in war, whether it was actively or passively. There was no such thing as zero casualties. Many of the soldiers in the front line had not yet married and had children. Who knew how many of them would come back alive and how many of them would be buried in a foreign land?
After changing into a pair of short spiked shoes, she held a stick in her hand to prevent herself from accidentally falling down. She looked at the dark night sky and said, "The grain should have already been transported to the border. The follow-up grain is also being gathered. By the time we arrive, they should have entered Tubo's territory. It will be difficult to transport the subsequent grain. We can only wait for Guo Tu to send a message back to know where to send the grain.
What was this? He didn't reveal the battle plan in advance and had to wait until after the border. Even now, I still don't know what his intentions are. "
"I think it's not that he doesn't want to tell us in advance, but that he himself doesn't know how to fight this battle. Perhaps there will be changes at any time. If he tells us his plan now, what if it doesn't work when the time comes? That would be a scam. Let's follow him. This is why logistics is difficult. "
Zhang Xiaobao took a bite of the compressed biscuit and chewed it in his mouth, speaking in a muffled voice.
After two hours, the vanguard of the army led by Guo Tu saw a path that led downwards diagonally. If they didn't take this downwards path and walked directly, they would have to continue on the small path.
However, there was a sign erected at this place. Looking at it with the light of the torch, there was an arrow on it, and below it was a row of small words.
'Go down, you can take a boat. Once you pass the border.'
The news quickly reached Guo Tu. He led the army forward and looked at the sign before looking at the downwards path. Just as he was hesitating, the river below lit up. Under the illumination of the light, countless boats stopped on the river and moved up and down with the waves.
This scene gave Guo Tu a fright. Fortunately, they didn't pass the border. Otherwise, he would really think that Tubo wanted to launch a sneak attack on him. Of course, this was just a sudden thought. He didn't think that anyone in Tubo would be stupid enough to launch a sneak attack from below. If they wanted to launch a sneak attack, they would lay in ambush on the mountain and throw down a rock.
"General, look at that flag. It belongs to the logistics camp. Should we take a boat?" The army asked softly. He admired the logistics camp even more. They even prepared a transport boat. Along the way, they received a lot of care from the logistics camp. It seemed that Zhang Zhong lived up to his reputation.
Did Guo Tu have a choice? If they didn't take a boat and continued on the mountain path, it would really delay them. Now, it seemed that if they took a boat and followed the river, they could even shorten the time by one or two days to reach Tubo's Jinchuan.
He didn't hesitate and ordered, "All soldiers, pay attention to your feet. Get on the boat."
Following the order, the vanguard began to walk down. As they walked, they realized that there was no danger. There was actually a railing on the side of the road. Even if they accidentally slipped, they would hit the railing first. There was also a place for a torch on the railing. If they stuck it up, they wouldn't have to worry about suddenly falling.
Guo Tu looked at the railing carefully and said, "It's newly built. It seems that Zhang Zhong didn't have enough time to prepare it. Otherwise, he might have built railings on both sides of the road. I just don't know if they can still deliver the provisions in time after we pass the border."
"General, they don't even know how we are going to move. How would they know where to send the provisions? Moreover, the imperial court only asked them to gather the provisions. Once we pass the border, our army will receive the provisions. Do we still need them to continue sending the provisions? "
Liu Jun didn't think that Zhang Zhong would do anything more. What he did now was already good. As long as they didn't lack provisions when they passed the border, then Zhang Zhong's mission would be considered complete.
Of course, this would depend on how the imperial court arranged it. If Zhang Zhong continued to take the opportunity to provide support, then the logistics camp would have to wait at the border. At the very least, they would have to transport more provisions to the border cities so that they could provide enough provisions when the army in front needed them.
Guo Tu also knew that he was thinking too much. How could the logistics camp follow to the front? Even if they did, they wouldn't go too far. Zhang Zhong was a civil official and didn't have an army. The consequences of going deep into Tubo were obvious.
It was just that the logistics camp did too well, making people reluctant to leave. Unfortunately, once they passed the border, it wasn't the logistics camp's world anymore.
He raised his hand and rubbed his face that was a little uncomfortable from the cold night air. He also followed the group and walked down. Every time they walked to a place that they thought was dangerous, they would realize that not only were the railings beside them higher, there were even steps under their feet.
Just like that, 15,000 people were separated into hundreds of boats and went down the river. By the time Zhang Xiaobao and Wang Juan arrived, the fleet in front of them was already nowhere to be seen.
"Now, we don't have to continue making arrangements for the matters in front. There's no way to arrange them anyway. It's good now that we don't have to worry anymore. I haven't seen what the border here looks like, so I'll go over and take a look."
Wang Juan stood at the temporarily built pier by the river and waited for the boats prepared for them to arrive.
Zhang Xiaobao's mind wasn't on the battlefield at this time. He was thinking about how to recoup his losses.
"This time, we paid 120,000 strings of cash in advance. Li Longji is a black-hearted guy, so it's impossible to expect him to pay us back. I'm wondering if we can ask him to give us a piece of grassland and raise some good horses there. When the time comes, we can ship them to various places and find rich people to participate in horse gambling. It's a very interesting activity."
"That's a good idea. Even if it's further away and the conditions are more difficult, it's good to have a piece of land in Fengzhou, which is also Inner Mongolia. There are grasslands and deserts there, and we can raise more cattle there. If the climate isn't good, we can plant some cash crops like jujube trees or grapes. Those things will be more expensive if we ship them back."
Wang Juan couldn't do anything about this. Even if Li Longji didn't do anything and gave her and Zhang Xiaobao a chance to avenge the people of Wangjiang, she would have to think of a way to take revenge on her own.
However, it was different now. Li Longji was the one who suggested it first. If they couldn't pay back the money, they could use the land in exchange. She believed that Li Longji would agree very quickly. That place wasn't a good place to go now. The winds in the desert were strong, the weather in the grasslands changed frequently, and there were many wolves in the wild.
The population was pitifully small, and they were all nomads. Ordinary people wouldn't go even if you gave them money. If they asked for a piece of land there, wouldn't Li Longji go crazy with joy?
Thinking of this, Wang Juan said to Zhang Xiaobao, "Do we need to send someone back to tell Grandpa Bi and the others? We can only be at ease after we get the land."
"Don't say it, we definitely can't say it. If we say it now, with those shrewd people in the imperial court, and Li Longji, this Emperor, who is not stupid, they will definitely tell us a lot of difficulties. They will also talk about how good Feng Province is and make us take out new things to exchange. In the end, the land they give us won't be big.
Don't we have an account of the money spent this time? When it's over, we'll send the account book to Grandpa Bi. He'll naturally know what to do. According to my analysis, the biggest possibility is that they'll come and ask us what we want. We can't count on money. When the time comes, it'll be easy to handle. "
Zhang Xiaobao didn't want to be so proactive. At this time, it wasn't as simple as a confrontation with a local official. None of the people in the imperial court were easy to deal with. It wasn't just a matter of economics anymore. It involved political exchanges.
Political exchanges required wisdom. Unless there was a real falling out, whoever exposed their intentions first would be unlucky. The so-called exchange was carried out when both parties thought that they had taken advantage of the other party and made a compromise. The simplest explanation was that the other party had achieved their goals, but they were still pretending to be innocent after taking advantage of the other party.
If the bear understood politics, it would want to eat honey in the monkey's territory, but let the monkey bring it up himself. It would also say that there were too many bees and that it needed to be compensated. The moment it ate the sweet honey, it would make the monkey feel that it had gained an advantage.
Wang Juan nodded to show that she understood. She was even more puzzled. "Then what do you say?"
"Say that you want all the management rights of the Tea Horse Path," Zhang Xiaobao replied.
"Impossible, unless you think that the people in the imperial court are all fools." Wang Juan didn't have any hope in this.
Zhang Xiaobao looked upstream and said, "I also know that it's impossible. In psychology, this is called an inch when given an inch. Sometimes, it's better to use this method. In layman's terms, it can be said that we're asking for sky-high prices and waiting for them to sit on the ground and pay us back.
As long as they refuse, we'll ask for a good place. The area has to be large. If it's not a good place, then the area has to be larger. If it's a place that's too difficult, then it's also fine. However, we need to waive ten years of taxes and rent. Where do you think that guy Li Longji will arrange for the place? "
"He'll arrange for it to be in Inner Mongolia or the northeast. Lingnan definitely won't let us go. Then how can you guarantee that you'll get the grassland?"
Wang Juan immediately understood. Even if it was her, she would also arrange for it. Wasn't the Zhang family very powerful? Then let's see how powerful they are. If you want the land, then I'll give it to you. In any case, no one is willing to go to a bad place. If I give it to you, then I'll make it difficult for you.
Zhang Xiaobao also thought the same. In fact, it wasn't referring to Li Longji. Many people wanted to see the Zhang family make a fool of themselves in business. This was a common flaw in human nature. It wasn't that they had to do anything to the Zhang family, but they subconsciously wanted to suppress the Zhang family. Otherwise, wouldn't the Zhang family become a legend? Wouldn't it be difficult for you?
After hearing Wang Juan's question, Zhang Xiaobao said, "When it's about time, I'll give others instructions. For example, I'll vigorously develop hot pot and say that this method is very good in the northeast. At the same time, I'll use glass to make greenhouses to increase the output of vegetables in the off-season. I'll buy a lot of furs and use them to make beautiful winter warm clothes for our clothing store.
I'll build ships at the estuary of the Yellow River and go to Liaodong Bay to hire local fishermen to understand the marine environment there. I'll also send people to open a new restaurant Between the Clouds and the Water there. What do you think I'm going to do? "
"What else can you do? Of course, you're going to wait until there's land there to develop. You're too evil, Xiao Bao. I know you're doing this on purpose. You're letting people watch, but you don't want the land there. The only place left is Inner Mongolia. Are you trying to deceive us? "
Wang Juan knew Zhang Xiaobao's character. Since he wanted to get a piece of land in Inner Mongolia, he would definitely fill in the details and lead others step by step to get the land there. Although there were times when he failed, it also depended on whether Zhang Xiaobao was persistent. If he insisted, he would find a way to achieve his goal.
Zhang Xiaobao had been thinking about this matter along the way. In an era of power, unless one was prepared to be the Emperor and overthrow the original regime, it was impossible to face it head-on. However, it was not so easy to be the Emperor, especially for someone like himself. After becoming the Emperor, he would definitely do his best to do everything well. That would be exhausting.
More importantly, it was very difficult to overthrow the current regime. Even if one spent more than a decade to prepare, they would first have to go to a remote place to be the Regional Historian. Otherwise, they would not be able to get soldiers and would have to learn from An Lushan.
After that, they would have to launch a coup, and the consequences would be even more severe than the An Lushan Rebellion. They would weaken the Great Tang's strength and give the surrounding countries a chance to see whether they would settle their internal affairs first or the other countries would make a move first. Even if they won in the end, they would be old. They might be in their forties or fifties, and they would not be able to enjoy anything. In terms of enjoyment, it would be the excitement of war.
However, there was no Regional Historian now. It was better to play games and enjoy life. Sometimes, it was more comfortable to influence an era in the dark than to stand on the stage personally.
"What are you thinking about? Get on the boat. The boat is here. " Wang Juan waited until the boat arrived. Zhang Xiaobao still had a contemplative look on his face. She nudged him and stepped forward.
"Nothing much. I'll immediately send a letter back. Some things have to be planned in advance. Write a letter to Grandpa Bi and ask him to help find people who are not afraid of the cold while skiing in the mountains. At the same time, help train the guards who will be joining my family to resist the cold.
At the same time, get the people in charge of business in my family to purchase aged black tea. Get the cloth merchants in the capital to send silk here. Get Grandpa Yao to take the lead and get in touch with the local officials close to the Tea Horse Path. Hire a team that frequently walks the Tea Horse Path at a high price. That's all. I'll add more when I think of something in the future. "
Zhang Xiaobao came back to his senses and immediately got on the boat to write the letter.
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