Chapter 168 Grape Wine
From Anding County, follow the river into Wuwei County, cross the river, and you can see that the Great Wall, which was originally built along the north bank of the river, suddenly turns north and points directly to the direction of Guzang, the capital of Wuwei County.
The boundary of the Great Wall is set in the middle of the county and is built based on rivers and mountains. Most of it was a historical necessity at the time of its construction. However, this does not mean that this is the dividing line of the Han territory.
The borders of the territory are still further away.
For example, another famous Han land outside the Great Wall is the Juyan Lake at the end of the Ruoshui River, which is the Juyan vassal state of Zhangye.
The border defense responsibilities undertaken by Juyan Pass and Guyang Pass are very similar.
Probably because the Northern Huns fled north and the Silk Road had not been prosperous for many years, the border defense pressure in Juyan was smaller than that in Guyang. However, during the reign of Emperor Ling, there were still records of Xianbei invading and looting Jiuquan.
After Qiao Yan's expedition to the border in the past two years, the situation here has become much better than in the early years.
Now that the rebellion in Jincheng and Longxi had been quelled, Qiao Yan looked around and saw many Han people traveling on the official road.
Although this scene was far from as prosperous as what later generations called "Golden Zhangye, Silver Wuwei, Jade Jiuquan", it also made her appreciate her surroundings more.
This kind of slightly leisurely mood would probably have been impossible before Han Sui's death and Ma Teng's surrender.
And now... since she had told Xu Shu that this journey of thousands of miles could broaden her horizons, it might as well be a good opportunity for her to relax.
More than three months have passed since we sent troops to Liangzhou in April.
Even though the grain storage in Gaoping City was stagnant for some time, there was still little chance to breathe due to the various orders issued.
Whether to kill to intimidate or to win over and surrender requires her to keep her mind tense to make a judgment.
If anything goes wrong with Longxi Jincheng's group, the Bingzhou army she brought from Liangzhou will most likely face heavy losses.
Even the tug-of-war between Dong Zhuo and Yuan Shao had to be done in a cautious and lawful manner, taking advantage of the situation.
Fortunately——
All the preparations she had made in Bingzhou ahead of time had allowed her to successfully achieve the current situation, and she could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
But the journey to vacation is not a smooth one.
The entrance to the Hexi Corridor is Wushaoling. If you want to enter Wuwei, you have to cross Wushaoling.
When they reached the mountains, Qiao Yan subconsciously pulled the cloak he was wearing closer.
The terrain of Wushaoling is not particularly high on this plateau, but even in late summer, the temperature on Wushaoling is still frighteningly low.
No wonder it is repeatedly recorded in ancient books that even in the midsummer on Wushaoling Mountain, there was often flying snow.
There was no snow today.
But when Qiao Yan, Xu Shu and others arrived at Wushaoling, it was almost dusk. Looking west from here, the mountains were particularly high, and the snow almost reached the clouds, covering the sunset glow early. Only a little afterglow on the horizon was left, shining on the meadow.
The chill that comes with the transition between sun and moon has silently spread over the place.
The meadows were only scattered here and there, and most of the places were completely bare, which further exacerbated the sense of desolation.
But this is the norm on the border.
The Great Wall of Han Dynasty, which was built along the mountain, has collapsed in many places due to lack of care in recent years. When you look along this undulating line toward the high mountains ahead, you can feel a peculiar sense of grandeur and magnificence as well as the trajectory of historical evolution.
But when the last ray of sunlight on the edge of the mountain was swallowed up by the night, the cold wind blowing in my face became even more bone-chilling, which was still a little unbearable.
Qiao Yan did not plan to travel at night, but instead found a merchant camp on Wushaoling to rest for a while.
The subordinate who followed her lit the stove he was carrying, heated a bowl of soup and handed it to her.
"How does it feel to leave Wushaoling?" Qiao Yan asked Xu Shu.
Compared to a "normal person" like Xu Shu, Qiao Yan felt that the points he added to his physical fitness were a bit shameless.
She is not very afraid of the cold, but her subordinates are not as cold-resistant as her.
Although people have brought warm clothes, it is still not fun to be "wrapped in furs and drinking wine, but still feel cold" at the boundary of the terrain steps.
But Xu Shu calmed down after drinking a mouthful of hot soup, and replied: "If you insist on listening, I can only say that I thought of two lines of poetry - Losing my Yanzhi Mountain makes my women lose face. Losing my Qilian Mountain makes my livestock unable to reproduce. 1"
Qiao Yan laughed immediately.
This is the integrity of the Han people today!
In the second year of Yuanshou, Huo Qubing crossed the Wushaoling Ridge from Longyou and attacked the Xiongnu. He beheaded and captured tens of thousands of people, and killed the Xiongnu King Zhelan and King Luhou, which led to the Xiongnu singing a sad song written by an unknown person.
Yanzhi Mountain is located in Zhangye, and Qilian Mountain is located on the border of Wuwei County, which is where the Huns grazed their horses and sheep.
This is a true portrayal of the Huns who were killed and fled in all directions.
At this moment, under the stars and the moon, the Great Wall ahead is hidden in the night. In this bitter cold weather, people can't help but imagine what the scene was like in the Battle of Hexi back then.
Xu Shu's answer was quite courageous.
Qiao Yan continued, "Yes, if I hadn't taken this trip, how could I have seen with my own eyes such a magnificent and hard-to-reach place."
She drank the hot soup in her hand, stood up and looked into the distance.
The mountains and rivers are vast, and people should have the ambition to swallow the world.
If you only live in the temple and indulge in this small space, how can you imagine that even the barren land can have such scenery.
People need to look further ahead.
As she looked around, the northern mountains were reduced to winding silhouettes in the night.
On the second day, after she climbed over the highest point of Wushaoling, the higher snow-capped mountains behind the silhouette appeared in her sight in the sunlight.
That is the Qilian Mountains.
It is said that there are six rivers flowing eastward from the valleys in the Qilian Mountains, irrigating the land with abundant water and grass, which later became the Six Valleys Tubo.
However, the most famous thing about this place today is the Lu River.
The barrenness of the surface of Wushaoling did not have any impact. When she led the group to the core area of Wuwei County, all she saw were lush vegetation.
This piece of land irrigated by running water would not be just a scene of mulberry trees and sesame on the road, if it had not been sparsely populated due to war.
But looking from the green ground towards the northwest, it was all this color. After she had previously formulated a plan to develop Liangzhou's military farming business, one of the "belts" was here, which made people feel extremely happy.
This is indeed a land particularly suitable for planting and grazing.
If there are not enough people, just recruit them from other places!
Moreover, if this place is developed properly, it should not only attract people who originally lived in Liangzhou, but also people coming from outside the Great Wall and the Central Plains, so that a sufficient population can be gathered here.
Jia Xu once mentioned to her that when Wuwei Guzang was at its most prosperous, there was even a night market, which led to the saying of "Liangzhou is the city that never sleeps".
It’s a pity that to this day, the Han Dynasty’s order and authority are becoming less and less as they move toward the border areas, not to mention places like the Four Hexi Counties, which are isolated by the Wushaoling Ridge.
It is precisely because of the existence of Wushaoling that the situation of powerful families ruling the four counties of Hexi is much more serious than the situation of numerous powerful families in Liangzhou.
How serious is it?
The principle of the Three Mutuals Law sometimes did not even need to be implemented in the four counties of Hexi.
Just like the current prefect of Jiuquan is from the Huang family of Jiuquan.
The prefect of Wuwei was originally from the Yan family of Wuwei. Unfortunately, he also wanted to get a piece of the pie during the Han Sui and Ma Teng Rebellion, but ended up dying an untimely death, so the position remained vacant.
Because of this, Qiao Yan did not rashly go deep into the Wuwei County government to take a look. Instead, she waited until the troop mobilization order she and Xu Shu sent before setting out to cross the river arrived. She asked Zhao Yun to lead the troops and cross the Yanyin Ferry to bring Lu Bu, Qu Yi and others who were there. Only then did she end her visit to the surrounding areas and lead the troops towards Guzang.
In a place like the Four Counties of Hexi, there are two things that are useful.
One is the reputation of the elders.
Zhang Meng, the prefect of Wuwei during the Jian'an period, was able to govern Liangzhou for seventeen years because of his father, Zhang Huan, one of the three famous officials in Liangzhou.
But after the influence of his father was completely exhausted by his dissolute behavior, he was left with only death.
The other is real military force.
Qiao Yan possesses the latter condition.
We have to thank the ancestors of the Han Dynasty. The conditions in Wushaoling were indeed harsh, but the Great Wall built on it not only hindered the invasion of the Hu people, but also provided guidance for the Han army to gather and cross the mountain.
Because of this, it was not difficult for Lu Bu, Qu Yi and Zhao Yun to lead the team over the mountain.
They are coming quite fast.
Earlier, Qiao Yan had given Lu Bu and Qu Yi the order to clear the surrounding area with Awei City as the center. Zuli, located in Wuwei County south of the Yellow River, fell under their control during this expansion, and the second step was to complete the garrison at Yanyin Ferry.
In addition, when Cheng Yu was sent to Jincheng by her, Zhao Yun received an order from Qiao Yan asking him to lead his troops to set off at any time.
So he completed the reorganization of his army early on.
Zhao Yun did not ask Qiao Yan whether there was something wrong with his troop movement.
After all, as the troops under his control withdrew from Gaoping City, that place was nominally handed over by Qiao Yan to Liu Yu and Huangfu Song.
But if Qiao Yan were to explain, this nominal transfer did not mean that Qiao Yan had completely lost control of this place.
On the contrary, this concession undoubtedly seems particularly important compared to her eagerness to attack Liangzhou.
This was to show that she would never rashly launch an attack on the Three Auxiliary Prefectures and disregard the safety of His Majesty and Lu Zhi, Xun Shuang and others. This showed that she, a loyal minister of the Han Dynasty, was dedicated to pacifying the border and rescuing the emperor.
Secondly, the scholars who came to Liangzhou with Liu Yu should do something practical in such an environment to repay her as the master who gave up their land. At the same time, Huangfu Song himself and his family's influence in Chaona and Gaoping areas should also play a role.
However, these people who were being exploited felt that Qiao Yan, who was forced to stop the offensive, was a bit pitiful.
However, they had no idea how much pressure Qiao Yan from Wuwei County in the northern border would bring to the country with such a strong army, which would be a huge pressure for the wealthy families in Wuwei County.
Some of them even began to wonder whether they should also learn from the Jiuquan Yang family.
However, based on the idea that gift-giving should not be done carelessly, the descendants of the Wuwei Yan family, as representatives, first brought food and drinks to reward the soldiers.
Qiao Yan sat on the horse and looked behind Yan Jun who was coming towards him.
The appearance of the city of Guzang was unlike any city she had seen in Liang and Bing states before.
Because this was originally a city built by the Huns, its earliest name was Gaizang. The city was not built according to the Han rules, but was built in a long shape in accordance with the terrain. It also has another name called Wolong City.
After Huo Qubing successfully defeated the Huns in the north, the city fell into the hands of the Han Dynasty. However, the city was not completely dismantled and rebuilt, but was modified on the spot to ensure that it could meet the defense needs of the Han garrison. But in terms of overall shape, it does have a special style.
It is no wonder that the Zhang family, who later established Former Liang and made this their capital, would build it into a small city with seven sections.
Qiao Yan collected his thoughts and looked at the face of the noble family's son. He saw a trace of uneasiness on his face, but he still maintained an unfathomable calmness and said lightly: "Wuwei is the throat of the five counties. It was built by the Han Dynasty to show military merit. Now that the position of prefect is vacant, I will lead the troops to station here to prevent any unjust incidents in the county."
Something unfair?
What kind of injustice could there be in Wuwei County!
Yan Jun, who was appointed as the representative, racked his brains but could only think of that among the wealthy families in Wuwei County, Duan Wei, a descendant of the Duan family, and Zhang Ji, a descendant of the Zhang family, were both serving under Dong Zhuo at that time.
It is hard to say whether this situation made Qiao Yan somewhat dissatisfied with them and also implicated other places in Wuwei County.
Thinking about the fact that Qiao Yan had a title of General of Cavalry that he had not yet accepted but whose existence could not be denied, and which echoed the origin of the founding of Wuwei County, Yan Jun looked at him from all angles and felt that under Qiao Yan's cold expression, there was an indescribable solemnity.
Upon hearing that Qiao Yan was going to station troops in the city and later to establish farming in the Lushui River Basin, the smile on Yan Jun's face became a little stiff.
What is this? Is the guillotine placed directly on top of your head?
He turned around and saw that the generals brought by Qiao Yan seemed to be more capable in fighting than each other, and the army behind her looked full of energy, as if they were not affected by any environment in the battle of Liangzhou.
Such behavior made Yan Jun wonder whether his family would be in calamity if he did something that did not meet her expectations.
He quickly swallowed back his words about asking the other side to station troops outside the city.
After a quick discussion with the people in the clan, they even decided to give the other party a better welcoming treatment to show their goodwill.
But this treatment does not seem to be welcomed by some people.
Lu Bu took a sip of the wine that was offered to him and frowned.
He was once knocked out by Qiao Yan's celebratory wine, but that was two years ago.
Having gotten used to the strong liquor in Bingzhou, he felt that the liquor he had drunk in his early years had become tasteless, not to mention the liquor he was drinking now.
He muttered, "This wine is neither sour nor sweet. It doesn't match the flavor of the borderland. It's too bland!"
Qiao Yan looked at the jade cup in front of him and replied, "Fengxian, don't underestimate this wine. More than ten years ago, there was a man named Meng Bolang in Fufeng who gave a hectoliter of this wine to Zhang Rang, the eunuch. Because of this wine, he was given the title of Governor of Liangzhou. What do you think this thing is worth?"
The sweet and sour wine in the glass is actually wine.
The jade cup used to hold wine is a luminous cup made of Jiuquan Hetian jade.
As today's banquet is an all-night banquet, it just fits the saying "fine wine in the luminous cup".
Seeing Qiao Yan looking at him after he finished speaking, Yan Jun, the host of this place, quickly replied: "Yes, this is exactly the rare and fine wine that Governor Meng used to buy an official position in the past."
Considering the value of a hectoliter of wine, the amount of wine he served at this dinner was already a huge expense.
However, in order to please the Marquis of Leping, who held the military power, he had no choice but to lose money to avoid disaster.
He pointed at the plate in front of Qiao Yan and said flatteringly, "How about you try this meat again, my lord?"
While they were talking, the lamb was roasted, cut into pieces and served in front of them. The mutton smell had been almost eliminated when it was seasoned with scallions, ginger, garlic and black bean sauce.
Because the pasture conditions at the foot of the Qilian Mountains are of such excellent quality, and the mutton has been carefully selected by local nobles to be a banquet item worthy of fine grape wine, the quality of this mutton is also far superior to that of mutton raised locally in Bingzhou or looted from the Xianbei people.
This is really first-rate meat.
Qiao Yan enjoyed his dinner leisurely. While he felt that the trip was worthwhile, he began to ponder another question in his mind.
She originally planned to suppress the most prominent member of the powerful families in Wuwei County. It was for this reason that she brought along Zhao Yun, who was to stay here to manage the military farms, as well as Qu Yi, who also came from a powerful family, and Lu Bu, who was most suitable to be used as a sword.
But the things at today's dinner reminded her of something.
In today's era, the preservation of wine is not as easy as it was in the past, and the brewing of wine is not systematic.
Otherwise, during the reign of Emperor Ling of Han, a hectoliter of wine would not be worth thousands of rare treasures and could be used to buy the position of Governor of Liangzhou.
Therefore, the wine that Yan Jun took out as a treat for guests was most likely not brewed locally, but brought in from outside.
These local tyrants may indeed retain personnel who travel along the Silk Road.
That must be--
Let’s dig out these caravans first, and then we can kill them after they have done their work.
Thinking of this, Qiao Yan raised his eyes and gave Yan Jun a satisfied smile.
But in Yan Jun's opinion, this change in expression undoubtedly represented that this was a dinner party where both the host and the guests enjoyed themselves.
He finally got through the first crisis!
In August, Xi Zhicai, who was in Bingzhou, received the second letter sent by Qiao Yan to Liangzhou after he made the decision of "one city and two belts".
In addition to the busy farming season in Bingzhou, he had some free time because he did not have to prepare military rations to be sent to Liangzhou for the time being, and there were already rules and regulations for various affairs in Bingzhou.
In August last year, Qiao Yan made it his mission to drink medicinal wine to maintain his health, so he asked Wu Pu to develop several special wines. One of them was called Songling Wine, which was made by adding pine, Poria cocos and Cordyceps sinensis to white wine, burying it under an ancient pine tree in the mountains and taking it out after a year.
Since Qiao Yan was not here at the moment, Xi Zhicai dug a jar first, refrigerated it in the shade of Lingyin in the provincial capital for half a day, and then took it out and placed it in front of the porcelain bowl.
"You really know how to enjoy yourself." Guo Jia muttered, but he was not slow in pouring the wine.
He had just made a trip to Yanmen to discuss with Zhang Liao about admitting the Xianbei people this autumn and winter. On the way there and back, he felt a little dizzy from the heat at the turn of autumn and winter. Now he finally had some free time and happened to have some afternoon tea.
Guo Jia looked around the room.
If you ignore the neatly arranged but highly piled documents on the desk at the other end, outside the study are the shadows of green pines and bamboos, the rolled-up bamboo curtains, water pouring from the eaves, and the cool breeze brought into the room that passes through an ice basin. It is simply a first-class summer resort.
In addition to the wine and drinks, there was also a pot of weak-branched jujubes on the tea table in front of him.
Xi Zhicai replied as he poured wine: "Now, we have to work hard in just two states. Liangzhou even has three counties outside the jurisdiction of the state government. We must always have a balance between work and rest. I can't compare to Zhongde's good physical strength, so I can only take a day off secretly."
Songling wine was poured into a celadon bowl. A layer of cool air floated on the clear amber color, which contrasted with the cool breeze from the furnishings in the room. Although the wine had not yet been drunk, just smelling the aroma of the wine in the room made people feel refreshed.
Thinking about the few people who were still fighting in Liangzhou, and who could still enjoy the results of Bingzhou's development as they stayed behind, he couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority.
As he thought about it, he opened the letter at hand.
As there was no official document mark on it and it belonged to the type used for casual conversation, Xi Zhicai did not rush to open it. He took the opportunity to open it and take a look while drinking and tasting the wine.
Guo Jia raised his eyes and glanced at him, and suddenly saw that the smile on Xi Zhicai's face froze on the spot.
He couldn't help but look tense and asked, "What's the matter?"
"See for yourself."
Xi Zhicai handed the letter in his hand to Guo Jia speechlessly. It read:
[I heard that there was a night market in the northwest, and Guzang had added a quadrangle with bright lights and merchants coming and going. It was a wonderful sight of trade, so I went to take a look. However, during the New Year holidays, there was no longer any singing and dancing all night long. All we could do was buy the official wine of the governor, and have the rich and powerful offer it to us for tasting. It tasted sweet but not astringent, cold but not freezing, and had no equal. It was far superior to the wine brewed from kudzu vines in the mountains in the past. At night, we lit candles, which reflected the purple color of jade. We also selected fresh lambs, soaked them in black bean sauce, and roasted them, garnished them with onions, ginger, and garlic. It tasted very good. Unfortunately, there was little wine left, so I drank it all myself. 】
"...Cough!" Guo Jia almost choked when he was halfway through drinking the wine.
This letter...
This letter is really asking for a beating!
She wrote that she didn’t see it when she visited Guzang Night Market, but fortunately there were local wealthy people eating roasted lamb there. But then she added, “It’s a pity that there was not enough wine and I drank it all myself.” What’s going on?
He glanced at Xi Zhicai, who had secretly opened a jar of pine wine, and it was hard not to feel that—
This may be a kind of harmonious relationship between the monarch and his subjects in some sense.
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