Li Siye vaguely felt that the Anxi Protectorate's expedition against the Tuqi Shi Huang seemed to be ahead of schedule. His feeling was not wrong. The fluttering wings of a traveler's butterfly would always produce some changes and waves. Naturally, he knew very little about history.
What a big change.
According to the original historical trajectory, in the first year of Tianbao, Ashina Xin was ambushed by troops sent by Hemo Dagan. After three years of Tianbao, Fu Meng Lingcha led his troops to pacify the Tuqi Shi Huang. There was a gap of two years.
However, in the spring of the second year of Tianbao, the recruitment order was indeed issued. I don’t know what caused the Duhu Mansion to prepare money and food so quickly and make preparations. It may be due to the success of his business to repair the post station, or it may be
Is it because of the effective removal of bandits that the trade between the north and the south has become more developed, leading to a much higher commercial tax revenue this year?
Although it was only a long journey of more than 10,000 people, it was also quite expensive. They needed to set up a grain and grass transfer station in the middle of the expedition in advance and use a large amount of manpower and animal power to transport the grain and grass. The safety of the grain and grass location was the key to this expedition.
Fumeng Lingcha recruited a total of more than 12,000 soldiers from the three towns of Qiuci, Shule and Yanqi, which was a complete military formation of Liuhua Formation. Jiedushi Fumeng Lingcha personally led the army, and Gao Xianzhi served as the general manager of the Chinese army.
, Li Siye was the commander-in-chief of the left and right Yuhou armies, Ma Fu and Li Qiyun were the commander-in-chiefs of the left and right Xiang armies respectively, and the deputy capital guard Cheng Qianli was in charge of the rear. Bi Sishen, Kang Huaishun, Chen Fengzhong and others served as Jiedu envoys and Yamen.
It was the end of March when the recruitment order was issued, and Fumeng Lingcha required Li Siye to lead his troops to the front line of Dundo City before the third day of May.
It's Dunduo City again. When Li Siye heard about this land, he couldn't help but want to complain. This place has become the royal advance base of the Anxi Army. Can't it be changed to another place?
If nothing else happens, food and grass will be stored in this place, and the vanguard troops from Dialhuang City and Dashi City will arrive early to guard the food and grass.
After Li Siye received the military order, he immediately prepared and ordered the cavalry army to gather from the spring forage. The Tiaodang camp and the front line were ready. He also ordered three veterinarians from each state to join the army. The military camp began to fry compressed biscuits and cut bacon.
, ordered those with private horses to carry dry food for a month, and those with selfless horses to carry half a month.
…
In the early morning of mid-April, this border city in Xichui was awakened by the morning light. Li Siye, wearing a brown-copper mountain armor with a horizontal sword hanging on his waist, walked out of the side door of the mansion accompanied by Mei'er and Twelve Niangs.
A few days before Li Lang was preparing to leave, Twelve Niang was so worried that she could not sleep. At night, she rubbed the scars on her husband's back with her hands. During the day, she calmly ordered Madam Wu and the kitchen to improve the food and cook more mutton.
She was very determined to make her husband gain a few more kilograms of meat in the past few days, just like the fat can block swords and guns. Even Li Lang's horse Hei Pang was fed with highland barley for a few days, and Twelve Niang stroked it.
I hope it can fulfill the responsibility of a mount and bring its owner back safely.
She held the phoenix-winged bag in her hand and stood on tiptoes to put it on her husband's head, but he was too short to reach it, so Li Siye had to bend his knees and lower his waist, allowing his wife to fasten the bag on her head and raise her neck to make it easier for her to tie it.
The way she squints her eyes and concentrates is as beautiful as a blur.
Pei Guoliang, the governor of Shule, also came to see Li Zhenshi off, but he only stood at a distance and waited until he and his wife had said their farewells before going forward to see him off.
"I am willing to lend a helping hand to Li Zhen with two thousand Tibetan troops. I wish you success and a speedy return with victory!"
He ordered his subordinates to bring the wine cup, bring up the jars of good wine accumulated in the wine cellar, and fill it up for General Li himself. Li Siye picked up the wine cup with both hands, raised his head and drank it down.
He tasted it carefully and found that this wine seemed to be Sanlejing, but the taste seemed to be sweeter. He had never drank this variety, so it must be very rare.
"This jar of wine is good, save it for now, and I'll drink it with you when I come back."
Zhao Zhengyi, the master of Jinglei Temple, was standing not far away holding a square box. Seeing that Li Siye was free, he quickly came forward and bowed to offer a gift: "General Li, this is a gift given to you by a poor Taoist.
You are victorious."
Li Siye glanced at the box and asked, "Isn't there some powerful pill or diamond pill in this?"
"Absolutely not. How can I offer something that the general doesn't like? Open it and see for yourself."
He reached out and took the box and pulled out the cover. Inside were three black cast iron balls with twists on the tops. Zhao Zhengyi also cast the two seal characters "Thunder" on the surface of the iron balls.
Three thunder bombs, let's call them that for now. What effect can they do if they are few in number? But after all, it was Zhao Laodao's intention. He put it under his arm and bowed his hand to him to say goodbye.
"The more of these things, the better. I hope you can cast hundreds or thousands of them when I come back."
As the sun gradually rose, Yan Xiaosi brought Hei Pang from the stable, and Li Siye reached out to take the reins and climbed onto the horse.
Li Meier helped Twelve Niang to walk forward. The two important women in her life raised their heads, and the worry could not be concealed in the black crystal eyes under their eyelashes.
He said to the two of them on horseback: "Madam, Mei'er, don't worry, this expedition will use the strong to attack the weak, so there won't be much suspense."
Yan Xiaosi followed him, and the two horses headed towards the street. Li Meier suddenly shouted: "Brother, come back soon!"
Li Siye turned around and nodded, and the clear sound of horse hooves sounded on the hard soil.
Many of the Shule Army soldiers had families in the city. When they were marching out of the camp gate and walking to the street, women came with their children and stood on both sides of the street to see them off. They picked up the children and asked them to stretch out their little fingers.
Among the identical armors, which one is his father?
What surprised Li Siye was that such a farewell was not mixed with much worry and sadness. Maybe they were already used to farewells during battles, or maybe they, like Twelve Niangs, hid their worries deep in their hearts and smiled with lively and even jumping smiles.
to cover up.
The queue moved forward slowly among the crowds. A woman wearing a kudzu jacket stood on tiptoe in the crowd, holding a cloth package in her hand and wandering away from the crowd. She kept asking the onlookers: "Who is Mr. Liu?"
, have you seen my Kuro?"
"No, you two didn't talk enough about love last night, and now you can't let it go?"
"No, I boiled some eggs for him last night, but he didn't take them away."
It was a cold spring morning in Shule City, and the temperature difference between day and night was also large. White breath could still be seen in the mouths of the woman talking to the onlookers. She hurriedly staggered through the crowd and searched until she was approaching the city gate and saw more than a dozen people.
The back of the soldier with overlapping fish scales and armor was vaguely similar to her Kurang. The lady blushed and opened her mouth, but she was afraid that others would laugh and did not say anything. But they were walking away. In desperation, she finally broke the woman's reserve.
, shouted loudly: "Jiulang"
The entire queue of soldiers turned around, and the man known as Jiulang was indeed among them. First, his cheeks burst into joy, and then he tightened his lips, showing the majesty of a husband: "What's the matter?"
"Kuroro, why didn't you take the boiled eggs I asked you to get yesterday?"
"The army has preserved meat and dry food. You can keep the eggs to replenish your body. You don't have to give them to me."
Several old soldiers were shouting at the side: "Why do you need to replenish your body? Are you tired last night?"
"Get out of here"
The crowd of soldiers pushed them forward. The wife thought that she could not wait any longer. She made up her mind and squeezed through the crowd. She rushed to her husband's side in two quick steps and forced the eggs in the cloth bag in her arms into her. "
"Give it to you" and then escape back like flying.
Jiulang turned around and waved while walking, but his face was blocked by his jagged head, and the lady could only hear a vague voice: "Wait until I come back."
The team had already flowed into the city gate, and the lady was still waving to Jiulang. All kinds of people began to follow the team towards the gate. Most of them were women, children and herdsmen. They faced the rising sun under the city wall and followed the direction of the team's departure.