There were only a few people left in the horse bandits' stronghold. In line with the principle of saving firearms, Wang Shunchen and his team sneaked in quietly and killed them.
It is said to be a stronghold, but in fact it is still in the wilderness. The camp is very solid. It has been there for several years and has a style that Wang Shunchen has never seen before.
There is a water source, but unfortunately it is not large and there is no possibility of it being used as a military depot or transfer point.
Wang Shunchen commanded his soldiers to collect the horse bandits' inventory, along with pack horses, camels, and war horses.
This is good. Wang Shunchen didn't understand at first that the officials asked them to act as a caravan but did not bring any goods. Now they understood that it turned out that the officials asked them to touch the goods themselves.
"Colonel Lieutenant, why do you need to bury part of the goods? We have livestock, and it doesn't affect our actions. If we encounter horse bandits, we will just throw them away at worst. Besides, I can't wait for more horse bandits to come, and there will be spare supplies along the way.
No need. There is food and drink.”
"Leave some for the brothers behind you. Bury it, mark it, and mark the water source."
They were the first team, and Wang Shunchen was ready to sweep them all the way... The brothers behind him had no credit. If there was no more spoils to share, he would definitely be beaten by the four of them.
Although everyone regards the guide as a dead person, they don't realize it at all and are very excited. How come there are so many goods and they meet such a powerful team of people. He can prosper on this road for a few more years.
He yelled and gave directions to everyone, and even took the initiative to contact the next bandit he was familiar with...
Zhao Xi understood that compared with horse bandits, the army was more professional. Therefore, he was not worried about this group of soldiers equipped with gunpowder bombs. He was more worried that his obscure orders would cause the people in that area to become extinct.
The existence of this road is no surprise to Zhao Xi.
It's just that he couldn't determine how long ago the market towns and cities in later generations along this road began to gather crowds. In other words, he wasn't sure whether there were concentrated settlements of people and the formation of market towns at this time.
If so, his order will turn this place back to ancient times again.
In fact, according to Zhao Xi's inference, this should be inevitable.
From the information he learned from the Imperial City Division, combined with some records and materials he read, there are definitely traces of human existence somewhere.
The information was sent over by Sima Guang. It is estimated that Sima Guang was well aware of this action of the imperial court and was disgusted with it. Even the officials did not want to see it.
From reading between the lines of these materials, Zhao Xi saw some records. There were indeed people there.
The earliest one is from the Han Dynasty, and later there are sporadic records from the Sui Dynasty.
During the previous dynasty, that area was mostly under Tubo rule, and no one in the previous dynasty recorded it.
However, trade has never been interrupted.
Zhao Xi's understanding of the Silk Road has always been the Hexi Corridor, which starts from Qinzhou (later Tianshui City), along Lanzhou, Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang, and leads directly to the countries in the Western Regions. It also connects Persia with Great Britain.
Food.
I can’t tell. The names for the west are also very confusing at this time. Seljuk Turks, Byzantium, Roman Empire, cannibals, Persians. It’s very confusing, and these guides also call them confusingly...~ The guide’s
The name is probably based on the customs of the country and dynasty.
In the late period of the previous dynasty, due to the decline of the Central Plains Dynasty's control over the Hexi Corridor, the Silk Road was severed, or it was no longer directly connected.
In the middle, because the Uighurs and Dangxiang people in Xizhou blocked the way to make money, the merchants in Xizhou had to find another way and found another way to the south.
This is what Zhao Xi originally thought, but judging from the data, this road has always existed for a long time.
This indicates that humans have been living in this area for a long time.
Zhao Xi's order is to clean up all living creatures that are not part of the imperial army...~
I really don’t know what these murderers will do!
It is impossible to say that Zhao Xi did not feel the reflection of Sima Guang criticizing Sang and Huai at all. It is even more impossible to say that he has a woman's benevolence.
Military orders are not changed overnight!
Besides, Zhao Xi still has some excuses for doing things cheaply, so they can do a good job accordingly.
"The officials, in fact, when they first sent out the pathfinder team, they could have sent additional scouts from the Imperial City Department to let them deliver information to the court in sequence. In this way, the officials don't have to worry so much."
After several discussions, Fu Bi saw that the officials were worried. He knew they were worried about the pathfinder team.
Also, more than two months later, according to the original plan, the last team of pathfinders had already entered the unknown environment.
"Fu Xiang, I'm not worried about them...~Nuo, take a look."
Zhao Xi handed the information sent by Sima Guang to Fu Bi, and he had highlighted some of the contents.
Fu Bi looked at it very seriously.
"So what? The officials are the kings of our Song Dynasty, not those kings of Seljuk, Persia or Dashi. There is no need for the officials to worry about their lives!"
"This exploration is crucial for the country! It is irreplaceable for the country to annihilate Xixia! Officials must not be benevolent to women!"
There are just sporadic records, and the records also indicate that they are just signs of human survival, or maybe they refer to caravans?
Even if there are settlers, from Fubi's point of view, they are nothing more than a transit point for merchants or a stronghold for horse bandits.
There's no reason to think too much about this.
Fu Bi didn't want his king to be bloodthirsty, and he also didn't want his king to suffer from the sorrow of spring and autumn, and the kindness of women.
"Fu Xiang, that is a record from the Han Dynasty or the Sui Dynasty. It has been a trade route that has not been abandoned for hundreds of years. I am worried that there are no longer scattered residents."
"I hope that Operation Xia will be kept absolutely secret this time, and I also hope that when the partial troops pass through, there will no longer be any possibility of leaking information. Therefore, pathfinders are not just pathfinders!"
This was a chat-like atmosphere, and Fu Bi was the only one. Zhao Xi didn't mind speaking clearly.
Since Sima Guang can guess his own thoughts, none of the cabinet ministers in the government can't understand it.
As for these materials that record human activities, Zhao Xi really cannot guarantee that Sima Guang will keep them secret. This is not within the scope of the confidentiality law.
"Official..."
Fu Bi was a little unsure for a moment...
"Officials, this road exploration operation is not made by anyone but the officials. It is our Song Dynasty court, and it is a cabinet decision!"
Fu Bi figured it out! Generally speaking, the official family has maintained the reputation of a holy king since they came to the throne.
Such an order is really expensive and worries the officials.
There is really no need to worry about such a major matter. Cabinet ministers can just share it!
"Prime Minister, I am not a benevolent king, so I won't worry about irrelevant people! So what if I have a reputation of being murderous?"
"What the officials did for the resurgence of the Song Dynasty is seen by the ministers, workers and people! It is a matter within the ministers' duty to keep tabs on the honorable minister! Sima Junshi, I, the old minister, go and talk about it!"
Fu Bi quickly understood the official's intentions. This is understandable.
Doing so is not only related to the reputation of the official family, but also related to the confidentiality of this march.