The first destination of this flight beyond the Western Regions is still exactly the same as the original one on the historical line, which is the Kingdom of Khotan.
Therefore, the route along the way is basically the same as last time. It is nothing more than taking a short rest after arriving at Shanshan Kingdom, and then continuing forward to reach the West City of Khotan Kingdom.
Therefore, on this road, for Hu Biao and others who are already somewhat familiar with the road, there is really not much that can be said.
If there was anything unusual, it was that their journey there was a little too calm.
Those horse bandits and sand bandits who usually grazed and farmed on the Silk Road and made trouble when they encountered suitable targets seemed to have completely disappeared in one night.
It really made Hu Biao and the others who were ready for a battle, vent their feelings of being idle to the core some time ago, and grab some more war horses at the same time.
I was a little unaccustomed to the peaceful journey.
That is to say, after crossing the desert and the next door, the group came to the edge of the big lake in Lop Nur, and the situation changed somewhat.
At that time, the AT, which was regarded as a scout, met some migrating Shanshan herdsmen by the lake during the reconnaissance process of two or three miles ahead.
This is what they heard from their mouths. In the past month or two, a group of horse bandits called "Bald Bandits" have arisen in Khotan.
This group of horse bandits is very strange. It is said that they all have shiny bald heads.
On weekdays, they were not seen plundering the surrounding small tribes. Instead, they were looking for the famous horse bandits and sand bandits in the surrounding area. In just a month or two, all the bandits in the surrounding area that had been around for many years were wiped out.
After each bandit was eliminated, the bald thief only took part of the loot, and the rest was given to members of the surrounding small tribes.
Nowadays, in addition to being deeply loved by some small tribes, the momentum is also quite amazing.
So much so that these herdsmen also look forward to the day when the bald bandits come to Shanshan Country, because they can also follow suit.
Such a news was later secretly told to Hu Biao and others by AT.
"Damn it! Lao Yang and the others have really bad taste. The name 'Bald Thief' doesn't have any momentum at all."
From what the herdsmen said, it was basically certain that those 'bald bandits' were Hu Biao and others whom Yang Dongli and the others had toiled.
After looking at each other for a long time, they murmured something in a low voice.
Miraculously, when Hu Biao complained like this, Yang Dongli, who had just returned with his men in the Baishan base nearly 2,000 miles away, sneezed loudly.
"No! I caught a cold last night, and that Hu girl kept kicking my blanket~"
Thinking of Comrade Lao Yang in his mind, he tightened his sheepskin robe; now his appearance and temperament made him look like a serious Hu man.
As for being called a ‘bald thief’? What can he do if someone else calls him that in private? He is also very powerless...
*****
In the following time, because nothing happened along the way, the Shanshan Kingdom got closer and closer under Hu Biao's and others' galloping.
A day or two later, the capital of Shanshan Kingdom defended Ni City.
The low city wall loomed in everyone's sight.
Just like last time, Ban Chao asked everyone to pause for a while before entering the city and tidied up his clothes. He must not lose his demeanor as a Han envoy in front of the barbarians from the Western Regions.
But after everything was prepared, Ban Chao got on his horse and prepared to move forward again.
Hu Biao walked to the horse's head position, grabbed the reins of Ban Chao's horse, and said:
"Ban Sima, I wonder if my subordinate is worthy of Sima's trust?"
"Yi Tong, how do you say this? You and I have been through life and death many times, so Ban naturally trusts you absolutely." After hearing this, Ban Chao immediately said this.
The tone of the answer was very sure, without even the slightest hesitation in the process.
Seeing this, Hu Biao also let go of the last worry in his heart.
The main reason was that they were about to enter the Shanshan Kingdom's capital, Defiant City. As soon as Ban Chao came in and contacted everyone in the Shanshan Kingdom, Yang Dongli and others would have to run away long ago. Naturally, they couldn't hide the fact.
Even with Ban Chao's mind, he could easily think of the so-called "bald thief".
In fact, it's a gang created by Yang Dongli and those guys.
In a sense, this is also a serious crime of deceiving a superior, and can even be regarded as a serious crime of rebellion; because this is a private recruitment of troops, in the eyes of some superiors, do you want to rebel?
If Ban Chao wants to march out of anger, it will really be a huge trouble.
Fortunately, Ban Chao himself is not a pedantic person, and he has a lot of trust in Hu Biao.
This made Hu Biao think for a while and then he took the initiative to explain: "Ban Sima, since the last battle with the Huns envoys, my subordinates feel that I can't wait for more than thirty people in the Western Regions, and I am still alone. Some.
If we have to take risks like taking chestnuts out of the fire every time, it will not be an option in the long run.
So before leaving, I withstood Yang Shichang and others. After recovering from my injuries, I didn't have to rush back. Instead, I secretly recruited some people in the Western Regions for future use.
Please rest assured, Commander-in-Chief, we have no intention of being independent in the Western Region, so these men will naturally be handed over to Commander-in-Chief for his command."
After hearing this, Ban Chao's expression was very exciting, and he looked at Hu Biao with an annoyed look.
Finally, after sighing, he said dejectedly:
"When things are urgent, this is all. But Yitong, you must remember that you must not act like this in the future, so as to avoid suspicion by your majesty and superior officials.
I will try my best to cover up this matter for you.
Remember to use the manpower recruited this time secretly from now on, and try not to get involved with us; Gan Ying, Tian Lu, Ma San, etc., please remember this and not spread it around."
In the past few months, I had already gotten very close to Hu Biao and others, and they all agreed.
Having said this, after Ban Chao thought of something, he asked again:
"The Western Region is huge, how can we contact Yang Shichang and others in the future? In addition, in just a few months, how many people can Yang Shichang and others recruit? Is it a hundred people?"
Just kidding! If there were only a hundred people, how could the ‘Bald Bandit’ have such a huge momentum?
Based on Hu Biao's understanding of Yang Dongli and others, after these guys worked hard, their team, including cannon fodder, would have at least three to five hundred people.
But in order not to over-stimulate Ban Chao, he spoke half-truthfully:
"There is no need to worry, Ban Sima. I believe that after we appear in the capital of Shanshan Kingdom, they will come to contact you. Yang Shichang is a good general, and he should have a hundred people under his command.
Moreover, the combat power he possesses, among the barbarians, can be considered an elite manpower."
After hearing such a statement, Ban Chao no longer had any doubts.
After taking everyone with him, they headed towards the capital of Shanshan Kingdom.
It's just that even Hu Biao didn't know how much he looked down on the ability of Yang Dongli and others to pull the team based on the evaluation of a mere three to five hundred people.
Soon after, he realized how naive his thoughts were...
