Guo Xiaoke's eyes were full of maps, and he never blinked, for fear of disappearing. He secretly made up his mind that no matter what Qin Huaidao asked, as long as he could get it without any ambiguity, this map was really too important.
As long as we can get it, it will be better than thousands of troops, and the pressure of defending Xizhou can be reduced by half. Seeing that Qin Huaidao only wanted dry food, he was overjoyed and promised: "Give me one day, and prepare ten days of dry food tomorrow morning. If you can't do it,
I hope military law will be dealt with. As for the money, the prince, please stop joking. How can I ask for your money?"
"One code equals one code. The map was dictated by you in detail. It is reasonable to write a copy for you. There should not be much food in Jiaohe City. If you give it to me, the Jiaohe defenders will lose one ration. You must give money so that
The governor's office will take it and find local people to slowly buy it up to make up for the shortfall, so the morale of the army cannot be shaken."
When it comes to this matter, Guo Xiaoke can no longer insist on it.
What's more, what Qin Huaidao said is reasonable. The food in Jiaohe City was shipped by people from the imperial court. There was a quota. If it was given to Qin Huaidao, the defenders would have nothing to eat. They could only find places where the people could buy it slowly. This would require silver, a thousand dollars.
Ten days of rations for a person is not a small amount.
Qin Huaidao picked up the paper and drew a new copy with a brush.
Holding the map, Guo Xiaoke's hands were shaking and he said excitedly: "I thank the king of the county for the map for the soldiers of Xizhou. This map is comparable to an army of 50,000. With this map, Xizhou is impregnable and the soldiers can sacrifice a lot less. This map
I will keep this great kindness in my heart, but if I have an assignment, I will never be vague about it."
"I'm serious. Since the dry food will not be ready until tomorrow, please arrange a place to stay and find at least three interpreters who are familiar with Turkic language. You should be in good health."
"There is no problem with the interpretation. The residence has been prepared. Please come with me."
The group went out and were led by Guo Xiaoke to a large courtyard. The courtyard was independent and had only one door for entry and exit. There were many rooms inside, which looked like a military camp. The rooms were all equipped with daily necessities.
After the team settled down, Guo Xiaoke hurriedly went to prepare dry food.
Although no useful clues were obtained, it was good to get a detailed map and ten days of dry food. Qin Huaidao summoned Luo Tong, Li Yixie and Luo Ying to study the map and analyze various possibilities.
Not long after, a team member protecting the village hurried in: "Young Master, there is someone outside asking to see you, and he calls himself Li Jingren."
"Li Jingren?"
Qin Huaidao was surprised. Isn't that the second eldest son of Li Daozong, his brother-in-law? He was originally asked to be in charge of the Longyou Road trade route, but he didn't expect to hide in Jiaohe City and said quickly: "Quick, please come in."
Soon, a handsome and handsome man came in and had a portrait with Li Xueyan. It was Li Jingren. Qin Huaidao was a little moved and said with a smile: "Why is the second brother here?"
"You are really your sister-in-law, that's great." Li Jingren was overjoyed. He bowed solemnly and extended his hands to the others as a greeting. The etiquette was very thorough, and then he explained: "There was news of lurking in Chang'an, so my younger brother took the caravan incognito and went to
I stayed in Jiaohe and waited for the situation to change. When I saw someone coming, I bribed a soldier to inquire. I learned that it was my sister-in-law who was coming. I couldn't believe it, so I looked for him. How is everything in Chang'an?"
"How long has it been since you received news from Chang'an?" Qin Huaidao asked in surprise.
"When my younger brother led the caravan to Suzhou, he received news of lurking. Considering that Suzhou was not safe, he led the caravan all the way to the west and arrived at Jiaohe City. So far, he has not received any other news, and the people sent to Chang'an have not returned.
."
"I see, everything is fine in Chang'an, don't worry." Qin Huaidao was full of emotion.
"That's good, that's good." Li Jingren was relieved.
"To be more specific, how many people around you can sell all the supplies?"
Li Jingren hurriedly said: "One hundred cart drivers, one hundred guards, two hundred people in total. They are all veterans who have followed my father for many years. They are family generals who are loyal and have good combat effectiveness. All the goods transported have been sold out, leaving only a hundred jars."
Considering that I don’t know when I will return, I kept the liquor for my own use. After all, liquor can heal wounds.”
"One hundred altars...that's great, give them all to me. In addition, you can take people back to Chang'an and continue to sell goods, or you can stay and follow me, but it will be very dangerous. You can think about it overnight and reply tomorrow."
"Don't think about it. If I follow you, will there be a war?" Li Jingren asked curiously.
Seeing that the other party agreed first and then asked the reason, Qin Huaidao showed his sincerity and was moved in his heart. He explained: "Five hundred Turkic cavalry infiltrated into Chang'an and kidnapped He'er. This trip was only to save people."
"What?"
Li Jingren was shocked. As Li Xueyan's second brother, he naturally knew He'er. He suddenly thought of something and said quickly: "Sister-in-law, I was having a drink with a caravan steward a few days ago. I heard him mention that he encountered a special force when passing by the sandbank.
There are more than a hundred people in the caravan, with a Turkic accent. They say they have returned from selling goods in Liangzhou, but the people in charge are not like businessmen, but more like killing talents in the army. Especially their eyes are as cold as wolves. Businessmen pay attention to everything, and value peace.
, how could he look so fiercely again, but the caravan manager didn’t want to cause trouble, so he didn’t dare to inquire.”
"Is there any problem with a vicious man doing business?"
Qin Huaidao asked in reply, he pondered, and his eyes fell on the sandbank on the ground. From Suzhou to Yumen Pass, and further to the west is the sandbank. It is not surprising that there are strong people doing business. After all, the road is not peaceful.
Li Jingren explained: "My sister-in-law may not know much about the Turks. The Turks like to plunder. The daily goods they need are exchanged with their tribes in caravans, and they do not do business themselves."
His words were like thunder, and Qin Huaidao woke up immediately.
The Turks are a nation on horseback. They are illiterate, uneducated, unable to do business, and have no interest in doing business. They just grab whatever they want, or they wait for caravans to come and trade things, barter, and have no money.
Conceptually, it is impossible for a caravan to go to Suzhou to sell goods.
"Only a hundred people?" Qin Huaidao asked. According to the evidence he had, two hundred of the five hundred Turkic cavalry were killed when they were kidnapped. Xue Rengui led his men to hunt down and killed more than a hundred, so two hundred were left.
Li Jingren thought about it carefully and said, "The caravan steward is indeed talking about more than a hundred people."
"What else did you say? Is the manager still in Jiaohe City?" Qin Huaidao asked, doubts rising in his heart. Could it be that Xue Rengui killed about a hundred more people along the way?
Li Jingren felt Qin Huaidao's urgency, thought about it carefully, and then said: "After leaving Shazhou, the caravan manager went north to Xizhou. When he came to the customs, he saw that the other party was heading south to Yangguan."
"Yangguan?" Qin Huaidao's eyes instantly fell on the location of Yangguan on the map.
Yangguan is to the south of the sandbar, at the foot of Kunlun Mountain. All the way to the west from Yangguan is Lop Nur, Puchang Sea, and beyond is the Teklamakan Desert. It is uninhabited and inaccessible. Whoever goes there will die, so it is impossible to go directly to the west.
Going southwest is also a desert, but as long as you go along the Kunlun Mountains, you will find mountains and water to survive. Across the desert is a grassland with four major tribes: Qitun, Putao, Dianhe, and Nuzhi, as well as countless small tribes. Continue to the west
This is Tulum Qi, Bisha, Khotan, and further west you can reach Congling, Shule, Hepantuo, Xiaolubo and other places.
In other words, starting from the sandbank and entering the Turkic territory, it is divided into two lines, north and south, with the Tianshan Mountains in between. Xizhou is the north line, Yangguan is the south line, and the Kunlun Mountains are the south line.
After understanding the reason, Qin Huaidao was a little shaken. He came all the way and took the northern route to Jiaohe City in the west. There were no clues. Maybe the murderer took the southern route.
The next moment, Qin Huaidao's eyes followed Xizhou to the south. After a few days' walk, he would reach the Tarim River, cross the Puchang Sea and reach Qitun City. Once he reached the southern line, he could trace all the way west.
"Go or not? What if I make a mistake?"
Qin Huaidao frowned, unable to make a decision for a moment.
Everyone looked at the map and looked at the map in silence, not speaking. This decision was not easy to make. If a mistake was made, it would be a waste of time or, secondarily, the rescue time would be delayed.
After a while, Qin Huaidao's eyes fell on Li Jingren and warned: "You have been in Jiaohe City for a while and have many acquaintances. Don't worry about spending money. Send all your people out to inquire and investigate all the people who have left Jiaohe City and gone to Jiaohe City in the past two months."
The caravan identity of the West."
"There is no need to check this at all. Every caravan that leaves Jiaohe City and goes west must be registered at the Governor's Mansion. Just ask Lord Guo." Li Jingren reminded.
Luo Ying couldn't help but remind: "What uncle wants to investigate is the caravan that left secretly."
Li Jingren reacted, nodded quickly and said: "I understand, go check it out right away."
"Luo Ying, please bring some people to help." Luo Ying clasped her fists and hurried away.
Qin Huaidao's eyes fell on the map again, his thoughts uncertain.
"Are you worried that you will miss out if you go south?"
Luo Tong suddenly asked, and when Qin Huaidao nodded, he continued: "If there is no suspicious team going west from Jiaohe City, then the possibility of the murderer going south is very high. I don't know how powerful Xue Rengui you are talking about, but
I know very well that Cheng Chubi, the general behind the gate, cannot possibly know how to leave clues along the way. There are no clues along the way. The defenders of the major passes and the city have not found it. There is a possibility that the murderer walked through the uninhabited Kunlun Mountains. Naturally no one watched.
Even if Cheng Chubi left a clue, he was still on the mountain. We missed the official road we took in a hurry. As for the accidental discovery of the sandbank, maybe the murderer went down the mountain to replenish food and water."
Qin Huaidao's eyes lit up and his gaze once again fell on the Kunlun Mountains on the map.