In such an environment, some people will feel particularly small.
There are also some people who feel arrogant because of the same scene. After all, everything in front of them is dead, and only they are alive, as if they have become the master of this world.
Pang De led his troops and marched silently on the Gobi desert.
Several horse thieves serving as scouts in front came back.
"Have you discovered anything?" Pound asked.
The horse thief serving as a scout shook his head.
Pound was silent for a moment, then waved for them to leave.
The horse thieves also have scouts. After all, they also have to chase the merchant's convoy, check for traces of the carriages and horses, etc., but after all, they are in the next door, covered by the wind and sand, and basically lose their meaning after two or three hours.
.
It is said that some old shepherds can distinguish marks that are more than one day old, but at least there is no such person under Pound.
Horse thieves are a high-risk profession. There are no five insurances, one housing fund, or two insurances. Whether you have a headache, fever, tears, or bleeding, you are responsible for it. Although there are big bowls of wine and big pieces of meat, most of the time they only happen in dreams, so they are
Most people are not willing to engage in this profession.
Anyone who comes to be a horse thief is unlikely to be a good bird.
If Pound wanted to pick out some good birds among such a group of horse thieves, he basically had to find the bad ones among the dwarfs.
Matthew had benefited from the forward camp, so he wanted to repeat his old tricks. After all, at the beginning, Matthew's plan was to lure some people from the forward camp, and then run away after achieving some results, but he didn't
Thinking that the forward camp is so "cooperative", why can't we find some weaknesses of the Han army in Xihai City and "cooperate" again?
If you can't get "cooperation", you can also lure the Han army and the Kushan people...
As a first-level target, Ma Xiu can establish his reputation, then use the hands of the Han people to attack his disobedient subordinates, and then recruit some troops, just like what Mao Dun did in the grassland desert.
Even if this goal is still not achieved, Matthew can still gain some fame.
After all, at the moment, anyone who dares to challenge the "Tiger", whether it's just pretending or doing it for real, is enough to attract attention.
Matthew's plan sounds beautiful, but it also has many problems.
At least Pang De felt that there seemed to be some problems inside, but he just had this feeling and couldn't find it. After all, there are many plans in this world. If you don't wear safety underwear, you will be accidentally caught and pressed.
ravaged on the ground...
It seems like luring and teasing a tabby cat. A piece of dogtail grass is enough. But if you want to lure a tiger, even if the tiger is already a little old and its claws are a little weak, it is beyond the scope of the ability of a piece of dogtail grass.
.
But the problem is that under Matthew, only the "broken wheels" among the short men directly under Pound can be said to be capable and tough, and the rest are just fools.
Pound frowned. He suddenly felt his heart beating wildly, and subconsciously stood up on his horse and scanned the distance.
Unfortunately he didn't see anything.
In front of us is still the desolate and vast Gobi.
It's like it has been dead for millions of years.
Only a goshawk in the distant sky seemed to be a living thing.
The goshawk is in the sky, spreading its wings and flying smoothly.
In its eyes, there were not only Pound and others who were moving, but also Gao Shun standing in a remote place in the distance.
Gao Shun was also looking at the smoke and dust rising in the distance.
After watching for a moment, he bent down, grabbed a handful of yellow sand, and then let go. The yellow sand fell down, shifting slightly.
"The wind is not strong." Gao Shun snorted and said, "These thieves are really..."
"This must be thieves marching," the leader of the scout team beside Gao Shun nodded and said, "However, judging from the smoke and dust, these thieves are not many in number. General, do you want to send someone to get closer and investigate?"
Gao Shun frowned, thinking, but did not answer immediately.
There are not enough shelters in the Gobi Desert, so if you want to hide your whereabouts, you can only rely on distance.
By being far away and traveling in a dispersed manner, the smoke raised by the queue is not large and it is not easy to be spotted. In this way, you can spot the target without being noticed by the target.
This is what Lu Bu taught Gao Shun.
At that time, Lu Bu relied on this method to defeat the barbarian tribes in the desert. Those barbarians had no idea where Lu Bu came from and where he disappeared...
Gao Shun admired Lu Bu very much at first, because in Lu Bu, Gao Shun saw his martial prowess that was beyond ordinary people, as well as his determination and bravery in the battle formation, and his keenness to grasp the fatal blow.
But now, Gao Shun seemed to have some other answers in his mind.
"Force...cannot represent everything..." Gao Shun murmured. Looking back now, Gao Shun suddenly felt that force was not the most important thing in troubled times, at least not everything.
"General?" The scout team leader beside Gao Shun couldn't hear clearly, so he couldn't help but ask, "General, what did you say?"
"Oh," Gao Shun came to his senses, shook his head and said, "No need to step forward, let them pass. Looking at the number, they are only two or three hundred people. They must be just the vanguard of the horse thieves. Most of the horse thieves should be
At the back... we don't need to alert the enemy...send someone to sneak around and ventilate the back, so that they can prepare."
No matter how ineffective Chang Cheng is, he won't be able to stop the vanguard of two or three hundred horse thieves?
The leader of the scout team nodded and retreated.
What determines the outcome of a battle may be martial courage.
But the outcome of a battle is determined by more than just bravery.
Lu Bu can obviously decide a battle, but it is difficult to decide a battle.
And in the Western Region, is it a battle or a battle?
Gao Shun knew the answer very well, but he was also trapped, like an insect stuck in amber, he could see but couldn't move.
Gao Shun didn't take the incoming horse thieves seriously. He was still more worried about Lu Bu or the future.
If Lu Bu is ambitious enough, wants to expand the territory, and wants to lead everyone to conquer a country and establish his own country, maybe it is a good thing. If Lu Bu has no ambition, he just wants to protect the country and protect it conscientiously.
It is also a good thing to guard the border defense line and guard the country for the Han Dynasty.
But now Gao Shun feels that the bad thing is that Lu Bu is ambitious but has no ambition, which is very helpless. Gao Shun even feels that Lu Bu doesn't know what he wants at all.
So what do you want?
Gao Shun was suddenly startled, and then he couldn't help but laugh.
If he sees others as such, isn't he also the same?
Forget it, let’s focus on the matter in front of us first!
"Get the map!"
Gao Shun said loudly, and the guard not far behind him quickly stepped forward, opened a bamboo tube in his arms, took out the map in it, and handed it to Gao Shun.
"Forward camp..." Gao Shun slid his fingers on the map and quickly found his destination.
Whether they are horse thieves or Han soldiers, they all need to eat and drink water, so the marching route will not be too far away from the water source. Generally, three days is the limit. If new water supplies cannot be obtained in three days, many problems will arise.
If it lasts longer than five days, you should consider killing animals to drink their blood.
If it exceeds seven days, then there is no need to think about anything and just wait until death...
Moreover, water has a very strange characteristic. When it is carried, it seems to be heavier than any other object, but when it is drunk in the stomach, it feels lighter than anything else to eat, so even if you carry a spare water bag and other items,
Normally you don't bring a lot.
In the past, the Han army was in the light and the horse thieves were in the dark. Now that the horse thieves have gathered together, the situation has been reversed.
If horse thieves want to take action, especially large-scale assembly operations, they must rely on water. However, small-scale troops like Gao Shun are much more flexible.
This is an opportunity!
There is a chance of a direct fatal blow.
Just like when Lu Bu was...
never mind.
Gao Shun put away the map and said, "Send the order! Divide into small teams and follow the water source to detect with all your strength! Find the location of the horse thief general!"
Gao Shun's men agreed in unison, and a murderous aura erupted.
The leader of the horse thieves, Ma Xiu, who was currently being cared about by Gao Shun, was still bragging and did not feel at all that the danger was coming.
Although Matthew promised Pound that he would never brag again, Matthew felt that bragging after drinking and bragging when sober were not the same thing, so naturally it could not be regarded as a violation of Pound's rules.
Promise of.
Ma Xiu is now making nonsense of the Kushan envoys. Anyway, this is what people here in the Western Regions mean when money comes quickly. The most important thing is that the Kushan people have to give money, weapons and equipment, war horses, etc.
How can we get more benefits if we can't give it a good blow?
"Dear Ma! Congratulations on your outstanding achievements!" The Kushan envoy's Chinese is still good, but his expression is a bit exaggerated, which makes people feel that it is staged rather than coming from the heart, "I give it to you
Brought fine wine! Bacon! They are the best wine and the best meat!』
Matthew laughed and seemed to be happy for the food and wine, but soon he dragged the Kushan envoy into the tent.
Of course, Ma Xiu went into the tent not to get gay, but because Ma Xiu came to the Kushan envoy to ask for benefits other than food and wine.
Those benefits promised by the Kushan messengers before.
"To the east, there is the best land, the best wealth, and the most suitable weather..." Matthew pointed, as if not only Xihai City but also Chang'an Sanfu were within easy reach, "Believe me, as long as you
Once the things and war horses are in place, I can fight all the way to Chang'an! You can fight wherever you want! As long as you have enough money and war horses..."
Are you bragging? It's not like there will be a tax bureau in later generations, so you don't have to pay taxes.
The Kushan envoy narrowed his eyes and watched Ma Xiu jumping up and down, his eyebrows dancing with joy, as if he were looking at a monkey, and even his tone was like treating a monkey, "No, no no, my dear Ma, this is not enough, not enough."
...Dear Ma, although you have achieved these things now, you are still a little short, just a little short... Dear Ma, you just need to work harder... At least now you have to prove yourself, you need to defeat the strongest in the Western Region
Only with a big opponent can you prove that you are the most powerful in the Western Region..."
The Kushan man was smiling on his face, but he was despising in his heart. He despised Matthew and thought that Matthew was actually a traitor. No one would like a traitor, even if the traitor might still be useful at the moment.
Matthew was also laughing, feeling the same contempt in his heart.
Really beat Lu Bu?
Do you think I'm stupid?
Ma Xiu saw the perfunctory behavior of the Kushan envoy, and his smile became a bit colder, "Then don't talk about the future, just talk about the present! Now that I have laid down the camp, you must give money and war horses as agreed! Fight against Xihai City
It’s a matter for the next stage. I’m just asking when the money and war horses for this camp will arrive?!』
The Kushan envoy's smile also became stiffer, "Dear Ma, you know, these are all on the road, and they will be there soon... You know, this road is far away and difficult to walk..."
"That's your business! If you don't have money or horses, let alone your dear horse, even your dear mother is of no use!" Matthew sneered, "You don't want the Kushan people to be so poor that they can only pay debts.
Let the news spread throughout the Western Region!"
"..." The Kushan envoy glared at Matthew, "I said, I will give it to you!"
"Then take it out!" Matthew stared back.
The two men glared at each other.
After a while, the Kushan envoy said, "Give me half first. The other half is on the way. If you want it now, I can't change it."
Matthew was silent for a moment and nodded, "Okay, give me half first, then half!"
The two stared at each other for a moment, and then laughed again a moment later, as if they were not the two of them who had just argued. They walked out of the tent arm-in-arm, and then announced that they were good friends and had a harmonious relationship.
, everyone shares wine and meat together, eats and drinks to compete with the gods.
Sai gods are, after all, just "races", not real gods.
The true gods and immortals are all busy practicing, fighting with the heaven and earth, and dealing with the disasters of life and death. Who has time to care about the mortal world?
Therefore, the so-called gods in the mortal world are often not true gods.
At most, they are similar or dissimilar.
Wei Xu felt that these "high monks" in front of him didn't look like gods at all!
How could this be possible?!
The Dharma conference is about to begin. What will these "eminent monks" look like in the end?
Is this what it looks like?
"Don't you have some Dharma?" Wei Xu's eyes widened, and he cursed and called these eminent monks' subordinates, "Look at you like this, all of you are shriveled and thin, ah? All of them have dark faces, ah? Are you still an eminent monk?"
Is it taller over there? He’s not tall!』
These eminent monks who were found or captured looked at each other and could only chant the Buddha's name.
At this moment, Wei Xu suddenly missed Chang Cheng. With this guy here, there was no way he would be in trouble.
Wei Xu's men were also a little aggrieved, "General, these are all the people I can find around..."
For a Buddhist Dharma gathering, of course you need someone who can recite Buddhist scriptures.
But now in the Western Regions, and it’s not like the immortals in movies and TV shows of later generations, where can we find fat and white people?
Those who came to the Western Regions to preach Buddhist scriptures were basically ascetics. Not to mention skinny and skinny, their faces were not good-looking. They had plateau red skin, chapped and raised skin, and were as rough as the rocks on the Gobi Desert.
Of course, this appearance is actually the advantage of these ascetics, because when they preach doctrines to the people in the Western Regions, they will be more like members of the people in the Western Regions, and it is easier to blend in. They look like ordinary Western Regions people.
The people are the same, dark and thin, with rough skin.
But the problem is that this Dharma Conference is not held for ordinary people in the Western Regions, but mainly for Lu Bu!
Look at the appearance of these "eminent monks", with sad faces and dark complexions. Is this the embodiment of the "merits" of Buddhism? Even the dogs in the governor's office don't like this look. They think they are beggars when they see them. They grin and bark, and even
What's more, Lu Bu?
Although it is indeed disrespectful to compare Lu Bu with a dog, this is also the true thought in Wei Xu's heart.
If these people were really allowed to go to the altar of the Dharma Assembly, and Lu Bu saw that they were so "meritful", how could they be "cultivating"? Looking at the appearance of these eminent monks, wouldn't it be that the more they practice, the weaker they become, and the more merit they have, the more miserable they become?
How can this be done?
Wei Xu has actually fallen into a vicious cycle now. The more things he hides from Lu Bu, the more he dares not let Lu Bu know. It's like lying habitually, just for a small lie, and then use more
He used lies to cover up, and even used lies to blind himself, making himself feel that as long as Lu Bu was happy, the world would be peaceful.
"Look again!" Wei Xu was dissatisfied with the image of these eminent monks, "At least they look like the same Luo from before! What are these people now?"
The subordinate made a sad face and said, "General, I really looked for it, but I can't find any more... Why don't you let these guys wash themselves and change their clothes?"
Wei Xu had no choice but to wave his hand.
After a while, his subordinates came in with the newly dressed monks.
After the monk bathed and washed, he took off his ragged clothes and put on brand new robes.
This robe is extraordinary. It is not only made of silk and satin, but also has gold and silver threads inlaid on it. Under the reflection of sufficient sunlight, the whole person seems to be glowing with every move!
"Hey! That's interesting!" Wei Xu clapped his hands and looked around, "That's interesting! By the way, come here, bring some powder, put some on your face and let me see!"
Soon, the appearance of the monk who wore new clothes and powdered his face finally reached Wei Xu's "standard".
Wei Xu nodded with satisfaction, "This is how he looks like a god!"
Wei Xu was happy. He smiled, hoping that what he had done would make Lu Bu happy. As long as Lu Bu was happy to practice merit and pursue the path of immortality, then he would definitely not care about mundane things. In order not to disturb Lu Bu
In such a mood, Wei Xu even concealed the news that the horse thieves were going to attack Xihai City. On the one hand, Wei Xu felt that it was impossible for the horse thieves to attack Xihai City. On the other hand, he also wondered whether Chang Cheng had lost his courage halfway and did something like this.
He came up with such news to make excuses.
How could a horse thief have such courage?
Wei Xu not only issued the order through the Governor's Palace, but also sent people privately to reprimand Chang Cheng and make Chang Cheng calm down.
To do things, you have to behave like you are doing them!
Ami tofu!
Wei Xu said something like a monk, looking forward to a perfect and grand ceremony...
