The weather in the Western Regions cooled down early, and autumn has only entered a few days. The shrubs and weeds high and low in the mountains and down the mountains have been blown by the wind into a layered landscape. Light green, goose yellow, light gold, fiery red, from
From bottom to top, the order is clear. If it were twenty years ago, the sword head would have been stretched out with a big mouth, and he would have stretched out his neck and crazily chanted a Tang rhyme secretly learned in the Shule City wine shop. In the circle of swordsmen in the northwest,
He is one of the few "scholars" who have attended county school for several years and can write beautiful Wei stele. Otherwise, there is no way to show that he is outstanding. But now, Qi Dazui just wants to keep his mouth shut tighter.
The better. The ancient Silk Road has become more and more dangerous, especially after leaving the area controlled by the Tang Army. It is simply a trap every step. If you are not careful, the entire caravan will suffer a disaster. Qi Dazui is already forty-seven this year.
After a few walks, you can go home and take care of yourself, so it’s better to attract less attention.
"Damn Tianfang Cult!" Chu Duyan rode his horse and walked beside Qi Dazui, looking around and cursing. He is Qi Dazui's old partner. Because he helped people pledge goods in the early years, one of his eyes was fermented by a horse thief.
He was blinded by a crossbow arrow made of feces, which is why he got such a nickname. However, swordsmen have spread rumors that Chu Duyan was not only shot out of his eyes, but also something representing a man's identity underneath was shot out. Otherwise, he would not be able to
After returning from hell, his whole temperament changed drastically. He drove his virtuous and beautiful wife back to her parents' home without any reason, and compensated her father-in-law nearly half of the family property. Later, his wife remarried out of anger.
A widower in a restaurant gave birth to a baby boy less than seven months after getting married. According to fellow swordsmen who visited secretly, the boy's features looked very similar to Chu Duyan. After the news spread, Chu Duyan just looked for him quietly.
I cried for a while in a deserted place, and then continued to draw blood with the knife, and never came within fifty steps of my wife's new home.
However, since then, this man's temper has become worse and worse. He will draw his sword at every turn and fight with others. Fortunately, when he encounters danger, he is always the first one to rush in with his sword. Therefore, all over the Western Regions
The old and new swordsmen disliked Chu Duyan no matter what. Whenever they took on a big job, they always remembered to ask him to work with them.
There is a saying that people don’t care about their lives, but ghosts are also afraid. After more than ten years, the swordsmen who walked the Silk Road with Qi Dazui were dead and disabled, and there are not many left who are still alive! Chu
The one-eyed one happened to be one of them! After rolling around in the mountain of corpses and the sea of blood for too long, this man developed a strong murderous aura. A slight sweep of the one-eyed eye can make nearby companions shudder. When encountering someone who needs to fight for his life,
At any given moment, the light emitted from the one-eye can make the gangsters slow down their hands and feet by half a beat. For the swordsmen, this half-beat is the difference between life and death. When everyone swarms behind Chu's one-eye, they can often force the gangsters to slow down.
He had to tear a bloody path through the bandits for the caravan behind him!
More than two months ago, the Tang army and the Tianfang forces fought fiercely in the Jiantuoluo area, causing merchants to stop. In Lingxi, Hezhong, ancient Persia and even further west than ancient Persia, the prices of silk and tea have been soaring. Now
, the war finally came to a temporary halt, and businessmen who had been red-eyed by the profits came out one after another. At the same time, the green forest heroes who had been "starved" for half a year also smelled the smell of meat, and they all picked up the food hidden in the animals.
The weapons in the shed once again gathered in groups like hungry wolves. When they saw prey, they pounced on it without hesitation and "ate" it until no bones were left.
The more this happens, the higher the price for the swordsmen's sacrifices. Therefore, Qi Dazui, the swordsman, has obviously made enough to last for a long time, but he still cannot resist the temptation of copper coins and continues to lead the team on the Silk Road.
Up. With the reputation and appeal he had gained on the road for many years, he ignored the ugly look on the caravan leader's face and forced the caravan leader to pay four times the price of hiring an ordinary swordsman, and also roped in his old partner Chu Duoyan.
The purpose is to use the latter's evil spirit to increase the chances of the entire caravan traveling back and forth safely.
An extra sum of money means a reduction in profits. Naturally, the businessmen will not be too happy. Chu Duyan's ugly face and quick-tempered personality also made the businessmen and fellow swordsmen feel dissatisfied.
He kept a respectful distance. Therefore, Qi Dazui became Chu Duyan's only listener along the way. His ears were filled with the latter's vulgar curses, from morning to night, from Shule to Tulukarte Pass.
After passing the Tulukart Pass, they were completely out of the control area of the Anxi Army. Chu Duyan's eyes became more and more gloomy, and his curses became more hoarse and unpleasant. It's not to blame for his anger, if it weren't for the Tianfang Teach's gang of grandchildren who were fighting
In case of defeat, if you block the valley from Jiantuoluo to Kabulo, everyone can take the southern route. In that case, although the caravan will inevitably have a layer of skin pulled off when passing through the area controlled by the big cannibal. But in any case
It is slightly safer than taking the northern route. And through bribery, the loss can be minimized.
However, the generals of the Tianfang Sect were too timid. In order to avoid the battle with the Tang army, they destroyed the most convenient and safest road to the west. Therefore, the caravan had to go north, passing through Xiuxun Prefecture (today's Fergana).
), lived in Kangxi (today's Samarkand), rested in peace, and then traveled to Persia. On this road, there were more than a dozen governors who were canonized by the Great Cannibal, and all of them were as greedy as mosquitoes. But these governors, under their command
There were not many soldiers, and they could not control the entire northern route of the Silk Road. As a result, there were countless gangs along the way. Some local nobles were themselves bandit leaders. They usually collected poll taxes and harmed the people. Once greed suddenly arises,
He immediately gathered his soldiers, changed his clothes, and went to fight on other people's territory.
"Grandma, damn Tianfang believers. They all deserve to die!" The front is almost to Andiyan, and the beacon tower built by Anxi soldiers in the Gaozong era is faintly visible. Chu Duyan looked around and continued to curse. If it weren't for the damn Tianfang people,
Taking advantage of the civil strife in the Tang Dynasty, they incited the various princes in this land to become independent. The Andiyan front line will be very peaceful. The Tang army is accustomed to establishing order, so no matter where they go, the first thing they do is to clear out the gangs and connect the post roads.
He is not like the people from Heaven who talk all about how merciful God is and how comfortable the Kingdom of Heaven is. But in reality, he is unwilling to do anything except scratch the ground.
"That's about it. Be careful that there are Tianfang cultists in the caravan!" Qi Dazui finally couldn't bear it anymore, turned his head and warned the old man. "This pimple is already considered the sphere of influence of the Tianfang people. He scolded the bald donkey at the gate of the temple.
, don’t you think you live a long life?”
"I just feel that I have lived too long, what's the matter?!" Chu Dueye frowned and shouted back. Although he was not convinced, he thought that for the sake of his partner for many years, he gave his old friend a face and stopped greeting Tian Fang.
The eighth generation of human ancestors, but he cursed in a general way: "Anyone who harms the people in the name of gods must die a good death. Otherwise, he will definitely not respect a good god!"
There is some truth in this statement. And no one likes to take the initiative to scold him. Qi Dazui smiled and said, "When I get to Xiuxun Prefecture, I want to find two good horses for myself. You
Hey, do you want to go to the horse market with me?!"
"Use the ball! There are so many bandits on this road that you can't get a good one!" Chu Duiyan squinted at him and struck him angrily. Suddenly, there was a rare trace of hope in his eyes.
Wenqing said, "Your little table is almost five years old, right? Buy a Dawan horse with a smaller mouth, just for him to raise slowly!"
"The little table will be six years old after the Chinese New Year. The little stool will be two years old after the Chinese New Year!" Qi Dazui nodded, his face as if it had been chopped with a knife or an ax filled with happiness. "I will buy a male and a female.
, I asked someone to bring it back to my unsatisfactory son. Let him help look after the small table first, and when the small stool becomes bigger, it’s time for the mare to give birth to her cubs!”
"This is a shrewd calculation! No wonder we have so many brothers, but you are the only one who has saved a family fortune!" Chu Duyan nodded, and his tone finally became normal. He has two grandsons of his old friend.
He hugged him. He was not afraid of him like other children at all. Instead, he clung to him and called him Grandpa. This reminded him of his son who was raised by others. He was already twenty-three after the New Year, and his adoptive father’s eyes
Li only recognized money, and was reluctant to prepare betrothal gifts for the children. However, the Tang family in Shule had few daughters, so they postponed the marriage until now.
"After this trip, let's go take a look!" Seeing a hint of sadness on his old friend's face, Qi Dazui immediately guessed what the other person was thinking, sighed, and put himself in his shoes and advised, "It's been so many years.
, what else can’t be let go?! The guy who runs the restaurant is a good character. Although he is a bit stingy, he always treats Xiaobao as his own."
"Bullshit, my biological son. How dare you not give him a good wife?!" He glanced back and saw that no one else was close to him. Chu Duyan frowned and complained. "It's not that I can't let go of this face, it's that I don't want to let Xiaobao
They two are so angry. Otherwise, they don’t care what the guy who owns the restaurant thinks!"
"Put me down, you!" Qi Da raised the corner of his mouth slightly, pretending that I don't know you yet. "You are a person who wants to save face and suffer. Let's do this. When we get back to Shule, I will be the host.
, please go over there and eat the lamb tail with garlic paste. By the way, let’s see Xiaobao and then arrange the wedding arrangements for him. The restaurant owner can’t afford the money, can’t we both contribute? I’ll pay half of it for you!”
"Nothing! Who cares about your three melons and two dates!" Chu Duyan glared at Qi Dazui again, and cursed angrily. "I haven't saved any money for so many years? I just won't give it, what's wrong? Old man
, just eat carrots and worry less!”
"Okay, okay, just call me a busybody, okay?" Qi Dazui smiled again, too lazy to be serious with this bastard. He could guess some of Chu Duyan's thoughts. Back then, curare poison entered his brain, and he could get it at any time.
It might happen again. He couldn't bear his wife to be a widow for him, so he broke off with her while he was awake. Unexpectedly, God played tricks on people. The doctor said that he could not live for five years at most, but Chu Duyan lived a miracle. So.
Wrong things done recklessly can only be regretted secretly when no one is around. The guy who opened the restaurant has no other descendants except Xiaobao. If Chu Duyan keeps hiding from Xiaobao's mother and son, it will happen.
Kissing is not as good as fostering, and I have never taken care of Xiaobao and her son in vain. If he went back with a quick sword at this moment and left a heavy fortune to arrange marriage for Xiaobao, what surname should you call your son?
What about Chu, or should you continue to use someone else’s surname Zhang?
So for some things, it is better to be confused than to understand. Being confused will only hurt one person, but understanding it will hurt a lot of people. Over the years, he has seen Chu Duyan lose his temper when he was drunk, and he has seen Chu Duyan lose his temper when he was drunk.
A man wiped his tears secretly, but never saw Chu Duyan visiting the residence of his ex-wife, mother and son. Although Shule City was only as big as a palm, the two families were only half a quarter of an hour away.
"It's just you who are troublesome!" Chu Duoyan continued uncompromisingly. "If you have that in mind, let's first think about how to bring the team back safely. In the past two days, I always feel that I am not at ease!"
"What an unreliable method?" Qi Dazui was stunned, and immediately lowered his voice and asked. With the intuition developed from many years of traveling in the world, he has also felt numb in the past few days. He always seemed to be being stared at by a pair of eyes.
It's amazing, but I can't find where the eyes are.
"I can't find it! But I'm just not sure!" Although Chu Duyan looks rude, his thoughts are very delicate. "What do you think of the waves of bandits we encountered on the road? When did the bandits in the Western Regions become like this?
Without a fight, they were dispersed by us in a casual rush, without even knocking down a single hair from the caravan?"
"Well -" Qi Dazui frowned and murmured. He looked back to see that no one was eavesdropping around him, and lowered his voice to discuss with Chu Duyan, "Don't say this to others, so as not to shake the morale of the team. In the past few days,
God, I feel like my eyelids are twitching too. But thinking about it carefully, maybe the bandits heard the news about the Anxi Army's westward march. They were afraid that the general would settle the score in the future, so the ruthless ones stayed away from this area, leaving only a group of
Little rookie!”
Hearing this, Chu Duyan couldn't help but sneer slightly, "What a beautiful thought! The imperial army will stand up for you and a bunch of traders? We don't believe this ourselves, let alone the habitual bandits along the way. I guess,
The previous waves of bandits were all just trying to test our strength. After all, it’s difficult to swallow up a team with so many companies.”
Qi Dazui took a breath and responded sternly, "So you just guessed that the other party is going to hide somewhere and give us a hard blow! You one-eyed dragon, why don't you die?!"
"That's not all." Chu Duyan smiled and ignored the second half of the curse. "I guess the gangsters are also gathering their troops. First, we will test our strength clearly, and then we will find that no matter who it is, it will be difficult for us to take a bite."
Swallowing such a large caravan. So several people got together, started the fight together, and then sat on the ground to share the spoils!"
He spoke nonchalantly, but Qi Dazui's face became paler and paler as he listened. He gritted his teeth and thought for a long time before lowering his voice and said, "If this happens, the caravan will be in danger. I guess you can pay the protection fee."
What?"
"It's difficult!" Chu Duyan touched the knife in his hand and denied in a low voice. "They are all horse bandits. No one can control such a long way. And many of them are private soldiers of noble gentlemen. They will change places after just one vote.
Unlike those in Tianshan, they still pay attention to the smooth flow of water and don’t drive all the vendors to death!”
"That would be really troublesome!" Qi Dazui's heart became heavier as he listened. He chewed his teeth and muttered. He was old and cherished his life. He was not willing to bury his grandson in a foreign country without seeing the day when he got his wife. However,
All the swordsmen are the only one who obeys him. If he suddenly wants to retreat at this moment, the caravan will be completely destroyed on the road. The reputation of the entire Shule swordsman shop will be completely ruined because of his actions. In that case
, not only the traders' backstage could not spare him, but all the swordsmen from the northwest region would also come together to destroy his entire family.
"What's the trouble? Isn't it the same as in the past?!" Chu Duyan could see clearly, grinning and explaining with a smile. "Don't follow me all the time. Find a few smarter people and come and listen to me.
The commander is responsible for leading the way for everyone. Find a few brave people and let them be responsible for breaking up the rear. You sit in the middle and are responsible for commanding the team to break out. Over the years, when we encounter big troubles, don't we all
Is this what they do? At that time, everyone will be at peace with their destiny, and those who rush out will continue to make a fortune and make a lot of money. Those who fall into the hands of bandits will consider themselves unlucky. This is the rule on the road, and it’s not like they don’t understand it!"
The rules on the road are like this, bloody, but very fair. Swordsmen exchange their lives for money, and traders risk their bodies to go to the West to earn a hundredfold profit. The farther west, the higher the price of tea and silk.
Especially tea. In the Central Plains, a pennies of money could buy hundreds of kilograms of inferior goods. When it was shipped to ancient Persia, it was equivalent to silver. When it was shipped to Flynn, it is said that when local merchants sold it, the outside of the tea balls would be wrapped in gold.
That layer of gold foil is just an added bonus, and what is hidden inside is the real treasure. As for how many swordsmen on the road have their bodies buried in a foreign land, and how many vendors have their heads removed, all of which are the subject of conversation while wearing silk clothes and drinking afternoon tea, that's not the case.
It will not reflect the noble status of the owner.
"I have already arranged it. There is someone else in charge! You don't have to worry!" Qi Dazui nodded, pretending to be calm, "I'm used to working with you, and it will definitely be better to do pathfinding work together.
Others are strong. Just widen your one eye and show me where the danger is hidden. The two of us have been working together for half our lives. If you don’t believe it, we will be lying on the road this time!"
"Get out of here, you crow mouth. If you want to die, go on your own. Don't count me out!" Chu Duyan smiled and cursed in a low voice. It is definitely safer to maneuver in the middle than to open the way from the front. Even a new swordsman understands this.
It makes sense. But although Qi Dazui is cautious, he is not an unloyal guy. That's why he gave up the benefits of the sword head and would rather accompany him in the lead.
"No one is pulling you! The rest are younger than you." Qi Dazui replied with a smile, straightened his waist, and pressed the hilt of the knife tightly in his hand. "Brothers, cheer up.
.The blue-eyed girls of Xiuxunzhou are waiting for you after being cleaned!"
Xiuxunzhou is the name of the city of Kesai in the Tang Dynasty. Vendors from other areas have forgotten this name and call it the newly changed name of the food, Bahanna. Similarly, Kangju was renamed Samarkand.
, changed to the rest of Ayaumi. Only the Tang people, who are proud of their Chinese blood, always insist on the name they used a hundred years ago, as if calling them like this can shorten the distance between them.
"Okay!" came a neat response from behind. Many faces blackened by the wind and sand, with smiles, a desire for happiness, and sweat from the rush, the autumn sunshine reflected between their brows.