Whether heading west or north, Dundo City needed the Anxi Army to lead the way, so the Longwu Army had to reluctantly retreat to the rear.
Khan Shixin was not unhappy either, and the Anxi Army marched in armor with great momentum. Although there was a slight rust on the staggered armor plates, there was still a faint smell of iron and blood.
He followed the team for a long time, and he also saw some clues. After the long journey on the Gobi Desert, the advantages and disadvantages of the two armies have been revealed. What did the Anxi Army look like when it set off, and what it looks like now.
There was no looseness. No matter whether it was on flat ground or over a ridge, the soldiers were always sandwiched between the flags carried by the leader and the deputy. Even if there was a moment of dispersion, in the end they remained as orderly as ever.
The Longwu Army was already showing signs of fatigue. As powerful cavalry, all of them were carrying flags on their backs. The team of 500 people turned into a long snake, and the fluttering flags actually spread for more than two miles.
The farther west we go, the more desolate it becomes. There are no inns to rest, and it is all pastures and hills. The Longwu army began to complain, claiming that it took them a few months to complete the journey of a lifetime. Khan Shixin thought about it. He sometimes rode a horse.
Sometimes I was exhausted by driving, and it was more than 10,000 miles from Chang'an to the Western Regions.
Fan Zhonghou caught up from behind on horseback, put his hands on his hips and angrily asked Teng Mu: "What kind of road did your Anxi Army lead? Why didn't you even see a market town along the way?"
Fujimaki raised his head and glanced at him: "Of course there is no market town, because we are not taking a business road."
"Why don't you take the business route?"
"There is a tribe of Tuqishi people near the commercial road. Who knows whether they are yellow or black. If they report the whereabouts of Khan to the Hemo tribe, I am afraid that Huang will take risks. Although this road is a little longer, it is very safe.
, can go directly to Talas City.”
"Humph." Fan Shao had no way to refute, so he turned his horse back angrily.
The soldiers scouting the road ahead rode back on their fast horses. They dismounted and crossed their arms to report to Fujimaki: "Report! Twenty miles to the northwest from here is Qianquan Mountain. We go around the foot of the mountain and we will reach Ashi City."
The soldiers stretched out their palms to point them in the direction, and Fujimu shouted loudly toward the rear: "Hurry up, Longwu Army, the trade route you want is almost here!"
Fan Zhonghou snorted angrily on his horse and followed closely behind Shi Xin's horse.
Qianquan Mountain stretches for more than a hundred miles, with the peak at the west foot being the tallest. The soldiers at the foot of the mountain could see the ice and snow on the mountainside in the distance. Snow water flowed down from the mountain stream and formed a river beside the mountain road.
The team temporarily rested by the river. The soldiers drank from the river, filled their water bags, took out their dry food bags, broke up the hard cakes and kneaded them in their mouths. They felt that it was really hard to swallow.
At night they set up a bonfire and camped in the open air with their horses in formation. There was a lot of snoring in the camp at night.
In the early morning of the next day, the team slanted out from the valley of Qianquan Mountain and began to march along the trade road. On this road that the business travelers had used their camels and horses to traverse all year round, the brown soil was hard and there was no grass.
Ashbulai City appeared in sight, and the Longwu Army cheered. After setting off from Dunduo City, not to mention people for more than half a month, not even a ewe was seen, and suddenly the town appeared.
, how can it not surprise people.
"There must be a wine shop in the city, and it would be even better if there is a Hu Ji! Even if there is no wine or Ji, it would be great to stay in the city for one night."
Fujimaki immediately stood up to stop him: "You can't go!"
A bunch of filthy words were thrown at him: "Who are you! I can control the military in Anxi, but I can control it."
Tengmu was extremely well-educated and turned a blind eye to the scolding of Long Wujun. He came straight to Shi Xin, leaned forward slightly and crossed his hands and said: "Khan, the Suiye City occupied by the Tuqi Shimohe tribe is nearly 200 miles away from here.
This Ashi City is probably also under the control of the opponent. Khan must not throw himself into it, but hurry up and hurry up. As long as we reach Talas City safely, we can rest easy."
Shi Xin thought for a while, while temporary comfort was important, life was more important. Of course, he had to seek Fan Shao's opinion. After all, the Longwu Army was in his hands, and he was just a polished khan.
"Look, Fan Zhonghou."
Fan Shao took off his helmet and tugged on the two thin strands of beard on his chin. The city in the distance was like a swaggering and seductive Hu Ji waving. His resistance was resolute. He gritted his teeth and said, "Keep on going!"
The Longwu Army sighed like eggplants beaten by frost, but they could not disobey the military orders, so they had no choice but to ride unsteadily on their horses and bypass the head of Ashi City far away, and the mottled jagged city walls disappeared from sight.
But the same temptation would appear twice. At noon on the second day, another city on the northern route of the Silk Trade Road appeared in the sight of the Tang army. This was Julan City. This town was larger and more sophisticated than Ashi City.
Filling travelers in the wilderness with excitement.
At the same time, on the top of the city of Julan City, a soldier with a sudden cavalry ran down the steps of the city wall, quickly ran into the mud house with wine flags hanging, knelt down in front of the armored man who was drinking on the ground and hugged him.
Cheong said eagerly: "Ye Hu, the Tang army is here!"
Ye Hu threw down the wine bowl, leaned over and asked loudly: "Have you seen clearly, how many people are there?"
"A lot! I'm afraid there are two thousand!" Ye Hu raised his fist and put it against his chin, suppressing the excitement at the corner of his mouth and whispered: "Ashi City's detective report was indeed correct. The Anxi Protectorate finally got rid of the troublesome Ashi
That Xin was sent over."
"Send my military order! All flags fall down, ambush the archers on the city wall, and open the city gate! Place a few camels at the city gate to lure the enemy. In the words of the Han people, it is like closing the door to beat the jackals!"
"yes!"
Ye Hu opened the door of the wine shop and walked out. He pressed the hilt of his knife and looked at the surrounding city walls. The flags had quickly fallen down and rolled up. Soldiers wearing cowhide armor were squatting behind the wall stacks with their bows.
He lowered his head and tugged his chin in thought, what if the other party refused to come in, but if they intercepted two thousand Tang troops in the wild, they would not be able to surround them without twenty thousand people. This place is not far from Talas City, if they were allowed to rush to Talas
Rus will be supported by the pro-Tang Bahanna army.
"Take my token! Go to the three beacons in the southwest of the city and send a message to my dear brother Quechu Teqin. The prey is approaching and I need many, many manpower!"
Ye Hu untied the leopard tail from his wrist, and the soldiers behind him knelt down to catch it with both hands, turned around and ran to the stable to lead the horse.
If Tang Jun didn't fall for the trick today, he would have no choice but to watch Shi Xin slip away from his lips.
…
A smile bloomed on Long Wujun's face that was blown dry by the wind and sand. They thought that no one would stop them now. They spent another day walking sixty miles away. Moreover, Julan City was far away from Suiye.
Talas City is less than a hundred miles away.
But the ghost officer of the Anxi Army stood up bravely.
"can not go!"
And it stopped me, why don’t you die?
In the excitement of the crowd, they wanted to cut this man in half with a knife. If so, we can only run around like wild beasts in the wilderness. Can't we have a moment of ease?
"Why are you so annoying! Our Dragon Warrior Army is brave and elite. Let alone the fact that there are no cavalry in the city to send troops, even if it does, we can kill him without leaving a single piece of armor behind."
Fujimu stepped forward to advise Shi Xin: "Khan, Talas City is very close at hand, and the Julan City in front of us is unknown. It is really not suitable to take risks. In the opinion of my subordinates, we should hurry up as soon as possible."
"This" hesitant Shi Xin turned his attention to Fan Shao again.
Fan Zhonghou glanced at Teng Mu coldly on his horse, crossed his hands and said to Shi Xin: "Khan, since Julan City does not know the truth, we will send people to explore the truth. If there is a surprise attack, we will withdraw. No
, how about we go into the city?”
Fujimaki once again crossed his arms and admonished: "How can we detect the reality in the city? If the Tuqishi people intend to ambush us in the city..."
Fan Shao laughed coldly and said: "What General Teng said, is it possible that our Longwu Army are all fools? We can't even tell whether there are sudden cavalry or soldiers in the city?"
Fujimaki: "Khan..."
"Stop talking." Shi Xin raised his arm: "What Fan Zhonghou said makes sense. You can tell whether he is an enemy or a friend at a glance."
The young man Chui Lu whispered from the side: "I think what Inspector Fujimaki said makes sense."
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