It was midsummer, and the weather in Longyou was already quite hot, so when dozens of unprocessed Tyuhun heads were placed densely next to the Yamen of Xiangwu County, Weizhou, there was already a wave of disturbing

A nauseating rotten smell.

But for many people in Weizhou, it was like bees smelling the fragrance, and they were scrambling to get closer to see clearly the hideous faces covered in blood and dust, showing signs of pain.

Those who cried loudly, those who snatched heads, those who raised their heads and screamed, those who stood still and muttered to themselves... Although these people had different behaviors, they had the only thing in common, that is, their loved ones died tragically at the hands of these Tuyuhun people with their swords, guns and iron hoofs.

under.

Due to the tight war situation, most of the imperial troops and military resources in Weizhou were transferred to Tao and Minzhou. Therefore, the two Tuyuhun light cavalry led by Tuoba Chici and Murong Cheligui were able to run rampant in a short period of time.

Within half a month, the number of victims reached nearly 10,000, and it was not uncommon to hear of entire households, entire villages, or even entire townships being massacred.

As a result, many soldiers who died in the front were not even able to receive their coffins. Instead, it was the turn of many soldiers who were lucky enough to return alive and had to prepare to wear sackcloth and mourn.

It can be imagined how serious the situation would be if the Tuyuhun prisoners, headed by Murong Cheligui, the youngest son of King Tianzhu, appeared in front of the common people and soldiers who harbored deep blood feud and became angry.

Therefore, for the sake of safety, the Weizhou governor secretly imprisoned the prisoners delivered by the caravan leader He Panyi. At the same time, in order to show merit to the caravan guards who annihilated the two Tuyuhun light cavalry, according to the relevant facts and details stated by He Panyi, the report was

The 800-mile express was rushed to Chang'an, where the imperial court would arrange the handling of the prisoners and reward them based on their merits.

Due to the strong efforts of local officials and people in Weizhou to stay, the caravan of He Panyi and others had to stay in Xiangwu City for a while to wait for a response from the court.

However, He Panyi's caravan did not wait long. After receiving the report, the imperial court also sent a reply to the Weizhou governor at an urgent speed of 800 miles, ordering the Weizhou government to send someone to bring Murong Che, the son of King Tianzhu of Tuyuhun, directly to Ligui.

They were escorted to Sinong Temple in Chang'an, and all the other prisoners were beheaded in public display. The heads of all Tuyuhun people were hung on the heads of counties in Weizhou as a warning. The imperial court also paid for the purchase of all the horses and horses captured by He Panyi's caravan, as well as armor, spears and other private property.

Forbidden weapons.

In addition, the imperial court verified the fact that Hu merchants from Zhaowu, He Panyi, and others destroyed the bandits. Based on their merits, He Panyi, the leader of Shazhou merchants, was granted the title of Zhaowu Colonel of the sixth rank, and Luo Renjun, the leader of the caravan guard, a native of Chang'an, was granted the title of the seventh rank of Lieutenant.

Guo Xiaowei, the caravan convoy Zhenghe Pan Zhi, and others received different amounts of financial rewards, and the dead and injured also received generous pensions.

As for Taoist Master Mingzhen, who was the greatest contributor to the annihilation of Tuyuhun Qingqi, he naturally had no choice but to "go away and hide his body and name".

Because Li Yao deliberately allocated all her achievements to the names of He Panyi and Luo Renjun, she became the only one among all the participants who did not receive a reward from the court.

Luo Renjun and others expressed their incomprehension and felt that they deserved it, but Li Yao explained that in the future they would formally establish a bodyguard agency, and it would be easier to have an official status of neither high nor low, and she was just a female Taoist priest.

Great achievements can only be exchanged for land and wealth, but cannot improve one's actual status. Only then did the knights, who valued their faith very much, feel at ease.

However, they did not know that this was actually Li Yao's cover-up. Only the He brothers who regarded her as Princess Pingyang could understand the real reason.

Under the warm greetings of Weizhou officials and people, He Panyi and others, who had received the reward and dealt with various related matters, continued with the caravan in the direction of Lanzhou, passing through the Dalai Valley at the westernmost end of Weizhou territory.

, it was a flat river, and there was no safety risk on this section of the road, so the caravan moved significantly faster. Within a few days, Li Yao's first majestic city since his westward journey appeared in the distance in front of him -

—Jincheng.

Jincheng is close to the Yellow River, surrounded by mountains like a barrier, and the city gates are as solid as gold. Since the opening of the city by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, it has been a battleground for military strategists. There is no place without historical traces left by the war.

When the caravan arrived less than a hundred steps away from the South City Gate, several people walked out of the city to greet them.

Li Yao took a quick look and recognized that these people were all officials of the Tang Dynasty. He saw He Panyi hurriedly urged his horse to rush over. Then he dismounted and bowed to the leader, an old man about 18 years old wearing a purple robe and jade belt, and said respectfully: "

He Panyi, a grassroots man, has seen the Duke of Liang in his presence."

Duke Liang smiled heartily and said: "He Erlang has done a great thing, and I already know it. You can't call yourself a commoner now. You should change your words."

He Panyi didn't expect that the Duke of Liang had such good ears and eyes, so he couldn't help being stunned. Then he smiled and said: "He is not used to it yet, making the Duke laugh."

While the two were talking, a man dressed as a guard had already led a horse over. Then the guard knelt on the ground in front of the horse. Duke Liang naturally stepped on the guard's back, supported the saddle and mounted the horse, and pulled the reins.

He said proudly: "Let's go, I will lead you into the city myself!"

He Panyi and Liang Guogong were walking side by side, chatting as they walked, followed by a long dragon, which attracted special attention for a while.

Everyone could see that the Hu leader of this huge caravan was obviously an old acquaintance of Liang Guogong who was guarding Lanzhou. However, many people were surprised that the merchant was not riding a camel, but a horse.

An extraordinary horse.

This is because Li Yao liked this "Qinghai Cong" very much and wanted to keep it with her. However, she was a Taoist priest after all and could not ride a horse openly, so she asked He Panyi to negotiate with Weizhou officials.

, it happened that the Weizhou governor was more pragmatic and didn't care much about the red tape in the officialdom. When He Panyi said this, he quickly agreed and had the horse marked out as a trophy and returned to He Panyi's name.

As he was passing through the main road in the city, a clear voice suddenly asked Li Yao innocently: "Sister, this city is so big. Is it as big as Chang'an?"

Sister, you are so big! Li Yao secretly rolled his eyes. The owner of this voice was none other than the girl Li Yao saved from the party member Tuoba Chici.

Since all the people in this little girl's family were dead, the local government established a female household for her. However, she said that she wanted to become a monk and become a Taoist priest, and she wanted to become a disciple of Li Yao. Li Yao had to tell her that he would only officially become a monk this year.

After entering Taoism, she was not qualified to accept a disciple. As a result, this little girl immediately changed her name to "Sister" and even signed a "career" contract with the caravan. She transformed from a pitiful and helpless yellow-haired girl into a neat and tidy girl.
Chapter completed!