The old man is over fifty years old, but he is still nimble in his movements, can walk as fast as flying, has a strong body, is very energetic, has a full beard, and has an extraordinary air. He seems to be a man of knowledge. No wonder he is respected by his tribe and regarded as a leader.【r />
No introduction is needed to know that the old man is An Tian.
His clothes and headscarf are all indigo, and his expression is serious with a hint of incomprehensible nervousness such as Dragon Eagle. This kind of emotion should have nothing to do with An Tian's peaceful life.
An Tian finally came to the crowd, looked at the three of them up and down with sharp eyes, and then, unexpectedly by the three of them, said in fluent Chinese: "Say your names!"
Long Ying suppressed the surprise in his heart and reported the names one by one on behalf of the three people.
What they didn't expect was that An Tian let out an earth-shattering cheer, raised his palms to the sky, and said excitedly: "Thank God, they are finally here."
He also gave some instructions to the boy next to him, but the boy went away without knowing what orders he received.
The three of you looked at me, not knowing how to respond.
An Tian suddenly stepped forward, first hugged Long Ying, and then hugged Wan Renyu and Feng Guoting.
After the hug ceremony, An Tian announced a few words in public, and the more than 100 people present cheered and shouted, creating a warm atmosphere.
Bada explained to the three of them in a low voice: "An Tian said that you are my friends." Then he said excitedly: "You have made me look good, and we will be friends and brothers from now on. Ha!"
An Tian's expression changed, he became happy and peaceful, and he said kindly: "Three gentlemen, please come with me."
The three of them and Bada followed him, leading their horses to the top of the hill.
When they arrived outside a very large square tent, several young women came up to them and took care of their horses.
An Tian entered the account by himself and gestured for them to go in.
Long Ying and others first took off the saddle and load of the horse, and Wan Renyu easily obtained two pieces of silk. Under Bada's instructions, the three of them entered the square tent.
The square tent is very spacious, with a square foot and a half, and is supported by eight pillars and four beams. It seems to be very strong. The floor is covered with thick carpets with beautiful patterns, which is a masterpiece of skilled craftsmen.
Wan Renyu respectfully presented two pieces of silk to An Tian. After An Tian took them, he praised them and shouted loudly like two names. Then two women like colorful clouds walked into the tent, each one I took a piece of silk and went away happily.
All three of them felt their eyes light up. Look at their expressions. They must be two of An Tian's wives. They are by no means the wizened old women they imagined. Instead, they are surprisingly beautiful women. They are only thirty years old. They have a sultry figure but dignified expressions and eyes. He didn't squint. It was as if the three of them didn't exist. They only looked at An Tian and spoke in a dialect they didn't understand.
An Tian said cheerfully: "When I was young, except for selling women, I did everything. I was more ruthless in business than anyone else, and I was an outstanding warrior. No one can beat me in riding skills. I don't know how many women there are. My son immediately threw himself into my arms when he saw me, and it took him nearly ten years to settle down. Ha!"
Long Ying's heart moved and he asked: "Is there still a business of trafficking in women now?"
He glanced at Bada beside him. The guy showed admiration and envy in his eyes. He obviously felt honored by An Tian's words.
An Tian's eyes flashed with a wary look, and he said: "We won't talk about this matter today." Then he touched the carpets and said: "These carpets were bought from Khotan in the southwest corner of the Great Sand Sea. Speaking of making carpets, , no one can compare with the Khotanese.”
Then he said: "Let us drink tea first."
The three of them thought that he would loudly call his wife to bring tea for them to drink. Little did they know that An Tian personally took the tea-making tools from a corner and lit a fire in the center to make tea. He moved slowly and murmured to himself, "This is the time."
After thanking a certain deity he believed in, the three of them were filled with questions but were intimidated by his focused demeanor and waited patiently for the right opportunity.
Bada had no intention of helping and just stared blankly like them.
When An Tian poured the goat's milk into the tea, he was finally done. The large porcelain bowl holding the goat's milk tea was quite exquisite and should have come from China.
The goat milk tea was passed around among the five people. After each person took two sips, Wan Renyu couldn't help but asked: "Does An Tian know the situation on the southern plateau?"
An Tian patted his chest and said: "I am a friend of the Tubo people. Of course I know their situation. The Tubo people are extraordinary people. I have been to their plateau. It's really weird. It's hard to breathe there. I walked for more than ten hours.
Bu Ben is too tired to move. Ha! But I am not the most qualified person to tell you about them, but don't worry, I have sent someone to ask for the most qualified person, and he should be here soon."
Darkness fell outside the tent, and the weather suddenly turned cold.
Although the three people were puzzled, they had figured out the way they talked and knew that persistent questioning would offend them.
Feng Guoting asked instead: "Does An Tian know the situation in the surrounding countries?"
An Tian leisurely said: "Since you were still a man and became the emperor, a long time ago, the nobles built two major passes in the north and south to the east of us. Since then, the situation around the Great Sand Sea has gradually stabilized. It is not like before.
The country will be established today and destroyed tomorrow.”
The "long, long time ago when men ruled the country" he was referring to was Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty in the Western Han Dynasty. He set up Yumen Pass and Yang Pass in this throat area. The two passes faced each other from north to south, like the guardian gods of the western gates of China.
To this day, it still plays an important role in the military.
Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty established four counties: Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan and Dunhuang. Dunhuang was located within the two passes.
Wan Renyu asked: "How to go to Qiuci?"
An Tian said: "It is easy to go to Qiuci at this time, because the river has not disappeared. As long as you find the Kongque River at the northern end of our Divine Sea, go north along the river, and then follow the river to the west, you will reach Yanqi and Gaochang Kingdom in the northeast.
After passing Yanqi without entering, walk along the river to reach the Tarim River, the largest river. From Yanqi to Qiuci in the west, it can be reached by horseback in eight days."
Long Ying praised: "An Tian is well-informed and knows the roads both far and near. I wonder where the country of Tuqi Shiren is?"
An Tian said: "The Tuqi Shi people are further to the northwest. The tooth tent of Suoge, the king of Tuqi Shi, is in the broken leaves northwest of Qiuci. It is six or seven hundred miles away from Qiuci, but the small teeth of Suoge
Gongyue City is located in the north of Qiuci, nearly half the distance away."
Wan Renyu smiled bitterly and said, "A few casual words from An Tian are better than me asking around for more than ten days."
An Tian started chatting, and the conversation was very lively. After taking a sip of tea, he slowly said: "The river is the best road, but you must distinguish between the main stream and the tributaries. The southwest corner of our Shenhai is where the Qiemo River pours in. Along the river
Going southwest, crossing the big sand sea, you will find oases like a string of pearls, which are also the locations of Putao City, Dianhe City and Qiemo City. From there, go west and cross two large rivers, you will reach the Hotan River.
The capital of the Khotanese people is the city of Khotan. Khotan is the most prosperous place south of the Great Sand Sea. It is a place where businessmen and travelers from all over the world gather, dragons and snakes are mixed together, and there are all kinds of things for us men to enjoy."
Long Ying's eyes immediately shone and he said: "There are such interesting cities in the Western Region."
An Tian said earnestly: "For outsiders like you, the biggest disaster is not horse thieves, but getting lost. In the past twenty years alone, there have been countless camel teams with more than a hundred people suddenly missing, and they will never disappear again in the future."
It didn't appear again. In fact, it's not difficult to find the way. As long as you figure out the distribution of rivers in this land of dense deserts, you will feel like you are back home. How could you not know how to unveil the account and find your own woman's body? Haha
!”
The three people quickly asked for advice humbly.
An Tiandao: "Let's talk about the source first. The main source originates from the glaciers on the snowy mountains. It pours down from the southeastern foot of Telimukanli Peak in the Karakoram Mountains. After reaching the foot of the mountain, it divides into three rivers and flows into the Great Sand Sea.
They are the Yarkand River, the Aksu River and the Hotan River. These three rivers are the three main sources of the Tarim River across the northern border of the Great Sandy Sea. Among them, the Hotan River runs through the Great Sandy Sea from south to north when the water flow is sufficient.
The sea flows into the Tarim River. The Tarim River meanders along the northern edge of the Great Sand Sea from west to east, then turns to the southeast, passes through the eastern part of the Great Sand Sea, and finally flows into our Divine Sea. The Kongque River is only about
The name of the section of river from Qiuci to our place is still the Tarim River."
Feng Guoting was most interested in the Khotan River that ran through the "Sea of Death" and asked for details.
An Tiandao: "The Khotan River comes from two water sources, so it is full of power and becomes the only river that can defeat the Great Sand Sea. The two sources are the Karakash River and the Yulongkash River. The former comes from the north of the Karakoram Mountains, and the latter comes from the
When the Kunlun Mountains reach the plains, they merge into a river, which was originally called the Khotan River. After crossing the Great Sand Sea, it joins the Aksu River and the Yarkand River to form the Tarim River, the largest river here."
Long Ying listened with great interest, and for a moment he forgot that he came here to find out about the road to the plateau. Just as he was about to ask more about the situation in various countries, the sound of hoofbeats came closer and closer, and then stopped suddenly. Then there was the sound of footsteps, and a man opened his tent and rushed towards the plateau.
He came in, knelt down in front of Long Ying, and said excitedly in Tubo: "Thank God, the long-awaited Lord Ying is finally here."
Long Ying took a closer look and said, "Lin Zhuang!"
Lin Zhuang was one of the masters who came to China with Hengkong Muye. Dragon Eagle first met Hengkong Muye and competed with him. Since he was unarmed, Hengkong Muye ordered his subordinates to lend him a spear, and the person who borrowed the spear was Lin Zhuang.
After Lin Zhuang sat down, he shed tears and said in Tubo: "The prince sent me here to wait for Lord Ying. I have been waiting for more than two months, and finally I am looking forward to Lord Ying. The prince was indeed right about Lord Ying. He said that as long as I
When Lord Ying receives the news that he is in trouble, he will drop everything and rush to help him."
An Tian stroked his beard and said happily: "The prince is our friend, and my two young wives are the birthday gifts the prince gave me. So after Lin Zhuang came, I have been paying attention to you."
Long Ying and the other three were relieved to hear that Hengkong Muye was still safe and sound, and they understood why Bada and the others changed their attitude drastically after knowing that they were Hengkong Muye's brothers.
Fengguotingdai Longying asked: "Is Meixiu Nafu beside the prince?"
Lin Zhuang said: "Mexiunafu and we protected the prince and fought our way out of the enemy's siege. Although everyone was injured, they were still able to escape into the mountains, but many people were killed." After saying this, he shed tears again.