"Captain Gongsun, do we want to go back and report? The Kushan people are coming!"
Si Ta Li looked around cautiously and asked quickly. In his opinion, these things could prove that Kushan was coming. However, Gongsun Zan ignored him. He held a long knife and looked at it seriously for a moment, shaking He shook his head and said: "I'm not sure yet whether the long knife belongs to Kushan. However, Kushan has been doing foreign trade with the Han Dynasty for more than ten years. Many Kushan items should have been spread to the Western Regions..."
"What's more, even if they are Kushan people, we have to be able to determine their number, identity, etc., whether they are Kushan soldiers or rogue bandits over there..." Gongsun Zan looked into the distance and said: "We Still have to search..."
"Captain, this place is so vast, how can we search?"
"We have been traveling for such a long time, and many small countries have not said that they have been invaded or plundered. It seems that our enemies...are still ahead and have not been able to reach the heart..." He turned aside Citali pulled him over and said: "Next, I will ask Chen Jun to accompany you. You take a few people and go back to the Western Region Protector's Mansion and ask him to give an order to all countries to be on alert and check if there are any people coming from around. Bandits outside the Great Wall!"
"Here you go!"
"The rest of you, follow me and continue searching!"
After Gongsun Zan's army passed through the desert, they finally saw the mountains and forests. This made Gongsun Zan extremely happy. The happiest people were the Dongyao people. They had never thought that there was such a strange place in the world. There are grasslands and deserts here. There are wastelands, mountains and rivers, and mountains and forests. People in Donghao may not be happy, but it is different when there is water.
Seeing the lush green mountains in the distance and the tall and majestic green mountains, Xiaoyong camp couldn't help but let out an exclamation. Gongsun Zan left some people behind to keep an eye on the camel supplies, while the rest went into battle lightly and headed into the mountains and forests. There were still no people here, and occasionally they could be heard. When Wolf Howl came, the soldiers searched everywhere, and as a result, they found a lot of traces here.
There are traces left by carriages and horses passing by, and there are fallen goods. Even these goods are brand new and have not suffered any damage. The more things are found, the more careful everyone becomes. Gongsun Zan does not want to spend too much. Time immediately ordered the soldiers to disperse and search, but ordered them not to go too far and not to lose contact.
Speaking of which, Mireyi, a Kangju man who had been following Gongsun Zan, was the most shocked. He had never seen such a military force. They all seemed to be able to endure hardships. In the desert just now, these people could withstand the heavy rain during the day. The blazing heat, the cold night, the non-stop march, and the fact that he crossed the desert in just five days were too much for him as a local!
After arriving in the forest, these soldiers lowered their bodies and searched everywhere, like skilled hunters. Some soldiers could not see the boundaries of the distance clearly, so they climbed to the tall trees in two or three times. If they did not move, they would I don't even know where he is, his figure is completely covered by the leaves, and their contact information is amazing.
They learned the calls of various birds and informed each other of the situation. Gongsun Zan often reacted in various ways by listening to the calls. Mireyi was still confused after listening to them for several days. However, At least he understood a kind of bird sound. It was a sharp cry, three times in a row, which meant there was a wild beast ahead. This was something he had experienced personally.
Thinking about the bear that almost tore him apart just now, he remembered the cry firmly in his heart.
After hearing a crisp sound, Gongsun Zan stood up suddenly. This move shocked Mireyi beside him. Gongsun Zan quickly rushed forward, and the soldiers behind him also quickly followed. Gongsun Zan
Frowning, he took off the strong bow behind him and looked through the bushes. In the distance, there were about seven or eight carriages and horses, and some people were standing on the carriages, looking around cautiously.
Gongsun Zan looked at his appearance carefully, and suddenly shouted: "The brave captain Gongsun Zan of the great Han Dynasty is here, who is in front of him?!"
Hearing Gongsun Zan's call, those people were startled. Then they reacted and shouted: "We are foreign trade merchants!!" Gongsun Zan then walked out of the forest with his bow and arrow. When he heard Gongsun Zan
After the cry, these people got up early and looked around with some fear. When they saw Gongsun Zan walking over, they almost cried.
With the support of the two men, an old man walked up to Gongsun Zan.
"General! Thank you so much, general!" He trembled and bowed to Gongsun Zan.
Gongsun Zan quickly helped him up and asked, "What's wrong with you?"
"Kushan people! They attacked the merchants and followed them all the way. They also cut off Liule's communication with the outside world and surrounded Liule. We fled all the way and each of us escaped. Many people were caught. We hid in
Here, I pray every day..." As he was talking, many birds suddenly flew up in the mountains and forests in the distance, shouting hurriedly, and dispersed around.
When the old man saw it, he immediately panicked, and everyone was also extremely frightened.
"Follow us. We don't need horses and chariots. The mountains and forests here are not suitable for riding horses. We have extra horses!" Gongsun Zan ordered, and the surrounding Dongyao soldiers also appeared one after another, leading the people forward.
Rushing in the direction from which they came, Gongsun Zan walked at the end, leading everyone, walking carefully. The situation was very bad. If they were just Donghao people who escaped, it would not be difficult to leave here!
However, with these merchants, Gongsun Zan didn't know whether he could escape.
Simply, in this mountain forest, the enemy could not catch up with their horses. They galloped all the way without taking much rest. When they walked out of the mountain, the soldiers outside the mountain had long noticed the sound in the distance. Some of them were already riding camels and leading them.
With the supplies away from here, the rest of the people were waiting for Gongsun Zan's arrival. Gongsun Zan and others rushed over and got on the horse without saying much. The merchants who came also got on the horse one after another. Several people had no choice but to
Take a ride together.
Gongsun Zan gave the order, and the soldiers ran away quickly!
Just after leaving the mountain forest, a group of people rushed out of the mountain forest. After they realized that the other party had fled here on horseback, they roared angrily. Gongsun Zan did not pay attention to the situation here, and led the group of merchants towards the original road.
On the way back, Gongsun Zan finally understood that the Kushan people were also divided into many cavalry teams, constantly searching for merchants.
Under the guidance of the merchants, Gongsun Zan also found many merchants who had strayed away, and occasionally encountered Kushan soldiers. However, this army could always avoid it, rushing left and right, and was more flexible than a rabbit.
Sometimes they closed together and sometimes they dispersed, which made the chasing bandits extremely frustrated. They rushed all the way to the vicinity of Qiuci Kingdom before stopping to rest.
Of course, it wasn't because the soldiers of the Heroic Battalion couldn't run anymore, it was because the merchants couldn't bear it anymore. After riding for many days, their thighs were worn out, their legs suffered severe pain, and they also lost water due to the intense heat.
For some reason, they couldn't stand it anymore, so Gongsun Zan asked Mireyi to take these merchants back to Qiuci, and informed the local king that the city gates were not allowed to be opened if bandits were invading.
After arranging the merchants, he sent someone to get in touch with Dong Zhuo, inform him of the situation here, and let Dong Zhuo quickly lead his army. While he himself repaired the surroundings, and after two days of repairs, he led the army again
Rushing to the Liule area, he must always be aware of the enemy's movements, entangle them when necessary, and not let them escape easily.
The envoy sent by Gongsun Zan, with the help of kings from various places, found Dong Zhuo's army half a month later, and hurriedly handed over Gongsun Zan's letter. Dong Zhuo had already led his troops to station in Luntai, and after seeing Gongsun Zan's
In the letter, he immediately ordered his soldiers to send troops. In the letter, Gongsun Zan explained everything in detail.
First of all, this group of troops is not the official Kushan army. According to what the merchants said, the current Kushan King Vesudev, who is the only son of the former Kushan King Husakaseka, is not very... shrewd.
However, he was very supportive of foreign trade with the Han Dynasty and did not oppose it. However, because of his stupidity, several princes from Malakanda, Lanshi City, and Minnagala jointly opposed his rule.
.
What is ridiculous is that this Vesuthiva did not suppress it. Instead, he allowed them to act on the grounds that these areas were backward and a waste of national power. Originally, this was in line with the wishes of the princes, and they no longer paid attention to this king.
, however, only in Malakanda, the king here seems to have a similar understanding to Vesutheva. He proposed that Vesudeva cannot be the king, and the king should be King Huseka's younger brother, Nisaka.
In the name of supporting Nishaka, he launched a war against Vesudeva. Vesudeva hated his uncle Nishka the most in his life, so he could not sit still. The two groups gathered in Hindu Mash.
There was a battle near the mountain, and Vasudeva had the upper hand.
Originally, these had nothing to do with business travel. However, after the Malakanda army was defeated and the king was captured alive, Vesudeva did not forgive his soldiers. Instead, he threatened to kill all the participants. This made
Malacanda's troops fled in the direction of Dawan and Liule, and the Han merchants were also attacked by them.
Dawan had long been at war with them, and Liule was no exception. However, because there were a large number of exiled rebels plundering outside the Great Wall, the two countries had no way to convey the news to the Western Region Protectorate, and they seemed unwilling to invite them.
The Han army's attacks were therefore only active in Dawan, Liule, and Yarkand, that is, the Congling area.
Dong Zhuo then sent the letter to the captain of the garrison station and asked him to submit it to the temple, and then he quickly led the army to Congling.
The army marched out in great force. Dong Zhuo urged him all the way, but the marching speed was not very fast. It was really strange here. A few days ago, it was extremely hot and unbearable. But now, it has quickly become cold, and the cold wind is biting.
, the snow was heavy, and the wind and snow here were very strong. Marching suddenly became very difficult, and it was even difficult to see the road clearly.
Although this was a bad thing for Dong Zhuo, it was a great joy for Gongsun Zan in the distance.
In these days, he led the brave battalion to move back and forth around Congling, constantly harassing the Kushan rebels. The Kushan rebels were also furious and sent a large number of cavalry to search for them and ambush them. However, this was of no use. They even
Not a single soldier of the heroic battalion was captured, and these Kushan rebels were led back and forth in the Congling area.
The sudden snowstorm really frightened Gongsun Zan and made their escape difficult. However, the people who were more frightened were the Kushan people.
I saw those Kushan people, looking at the continuous snow and wind, kneeling on the ground, crying, and fleeing frantically out of fear.
Gongsun Zan, who was observing them from a distance, had a kind smile on his face.