At the time of Yan Xue, the sun outside the house was like fire, and the yellow sand was burning.
Li Zhongqian wore a brown robe with narrow sleeves and a double-pearl with a sash and a neckline, his long messy hair was tied up, and his head was wrapped in a scarf. He sat in the cool cave room and read the battle report.
Shacheng has harsh winters and harsh summers, and the wind is raging. When local people build houses, they will dig down and build caves to live in, which not only warms and cools in winter, but also protects against sandstorms.
From the morning to the afternoon, he frowned and only ate a few pieces of dry naan.
The servant brought him a plate of crystal clear ice cream frozen in the shape of snowy peaks and mountains, and said earnestly: "Alang, this is a good product to relieve the heat, sweet and sour, and it is called Princess Drunk. Please Alang to taste it."
Hearing the word "Drunk", Li Zhongqian's eyelids twitched, and he glanced at the snow-white, bright red, and turquoise mountains on the plate, put down the battle report, and tapped the book with his fingers.
"What's the point?"
The servant put down the tray and said with a smile: "I heard people say that the princess' drunkenness came from the palace. It is said that in the heat of the summer, the Buddha had no appetite and did not eat well. He taught scriptures for half a month and fell ill. She couldn't eat anything. When Princess Wen Zhao saw it, she was distressed and anxious. She searched the market for melons and fruits, and tried her best to make this soft, sweet and cold ice cream. After the Buddha ate it. , Sure enough, the appetite improved a lot. Later, when the dignitaries in the Holy City held a banquet, they would make a large plate of ice cream. Because the redness in the ice cream looked like a drunken beauty, so they called it the princess drunk. "
Li Zhongqian's expression darkened.
Did Wang Tingren ever see Li Yaoying drunk
The waiter brought out a colorful and fragrant pilaf, each grain of rice shimmered with golden oil, "Princess Wenzhao learned from the vegetarian pilaf from the monks in Tianzhu to make pilaf, the gravy is fragrant, hot and sour. Sweet, I also put a kind of raisins only in Lao Qi and their manor, it tastes refreshing and tender when the weather is hot, Alang uses some."
Li Zhongqian's mouth twitched.
He has heard a lot of such legends along the way, such as the rich fashion of women, exquisite silk and satin, the wine that men flock to, the scripture paper that monks, painters and scholars have praised, a kind of softness and warmth that quickly emerged in the folk fashion. The cotton robes, the new and ingenious agricultural irrigation equipment... There is a story behind "Princess Wenzhao of the Han Dynasty tried her best to please and seduce the Buddha's son".
Many of them are far-fetched and gimmicks of Hu Shang, but the common people are so convincing, as if they have seen it with their own eyes and heard a lot, Li Zhongqian sometimes can't help but wonder if it is true.
He asked Yaoying, she always reported good news but not bad news, she only picked up some small things to tell him. All the personal soldiers listened to her and would not tell him the whole truth.
Li Zhongqian glanced at the servants. The servants were members of the caravan. They traveled between Wangting and Gaochang with Lao Qi and the others.
He took out a few silver coins and patted the long sword next to the desk, his arm muscles stretched and his eyes gloomy.
"I ask you a few things, you answer honestly and don't hide it."
The servant hurriedly said, "The little one will never dare to deceive Alang."
Li Zhongqian's phoenix eyes slanted, his eyes sharper than the scorching sun outside the house, and asked, "How does Wang Tingren view the princess?"
The servant was in a cold sweat.
…
Half an hour later, the servant went out with a mouthful of untouched ice cream, sweating profusely.
Li Zhongqian closed his eyes at the stacked battle reports.
In the royal court, the Buddha is the respect of all the people, and the people here regard Yaoying as a complete joke.
There was a light footstep on the stairs, Yaoying walked down the cave to sort out the letters, saw the dried naan cakes next to the desk, and said, "Brother, you can eat something and read it later."
Li Zhongqian restrained his gloomy expression and waved his hand, indicating that there was nothing wrong.
Last night Yaoying talked to him about the formation of the Western Army and the involvement of various families. This morning, he began to read the battle reports sent by all parties here. Only after seeing more than half of it did he understand what the big circle she drew on the sand yesterday represented.
Gaochang was just a small stronghold, and the families of Shazhou and Guazhou also began to revolt during the chaos in Beirong. Li Xuanzhen's Liangzhou army cooperated with the western army, and Wang Ting pursued Beirong Khan. This huge net runs from east to west. , from south to north, spanning thousands of miles, involving countless large and small oasis.
If the war goes well, then they can join forces with Wang Ting to attack Beirong and completely destroy the strong enemy of Beirong.
At that time, the Helong area will be able to return to their homeland, the displaced people will fulfill their long-cherished wish to return to the east, and the Western Regions, which have lost contact with the Central Plains dynasty for decades, will also end the chaos and division that has been in chaos for many years, and reunification will bring peace and stability.
And the Wei Kingdom in the Central Plains once again gained a vast horse farm and a stable source of excellent military horses, which solved the hidden dangers in the north. Why can't he dominate the world
In a few years, the Central Plains will be stable and prosperous, several roads in the Western Regions will be smooth, and the ancient post roads in the desert will be restored to prosperity.
All the people, regardless of Hu and Han, can stay away from the war and live in peace.
Li Zhongqian sat in the cool cave house, holding the battle report, unable to calm down for a long time.
He could see the long-term intention behind the alliance between Yaoying, Li Xuanzhen and Wang Tingfozi, and knew what great changes this alliance would bring.
Because of this, he hoped that Yaoying could leave as soon as possible.
The Beirong tribe is bound to counterattack in the future, the complicated intrigue between the families in the Western Regions, the hatred of the Han people by the Wang Ting people, and the ruthless Li De in the state of Wei... It's all troublesome.
The Xie family served the country and the people, and by the time of his uncle Xie Wuliang's generation, he almost died.
The world praised Xie Wuliang, and when they mentioned the Xie family, they sighed endlessly, but in the face of the anger of Li De and Li Xuanzhen, the world did not care about the lives of their mother and son.
This is the world.
Li Zhongqian has long recognized the warmth and coldness of the world. He only has a younger sister like Li Yaoying.
But Yaoying had already made up her mind, and he couldn't persuade her.
It can only be drawn slowly.
Li Zhongqian put down the battle report and looked up at Yaoying, who was sitting on the side writing a letter.
"Before I go to the holy city, I want to write a letter to the Buddha."
Yaoying raised her head: "I'm writing a letter to the Buddha..."
Li Zhongqian shook his head, walked to her side, took away the paper she wrote, and crumpled it into a ball, "This letter has to be written by me to be sincere. The Buddha can understand Chinese?"
Yaoying snorted, "His Chinese is very good."
Li Zhongqian picked up the pen and spread the paper, and said, "I have heard a lot about you."
Yao Ying hurriedly said: "Brother, those legends are all rumors, and it's all because of me that the reputation of the Buddha is implicated."
"I understand, I will apologize to the Buddha on your behalf." Li Zhongqian wrote a few words, "Is the one-year period coming?"
Yaoying thought for a while and nodded.
She had tried to talk about this with Tamara, but he didn't seem to care, thinking that he didn't care about such trivial matters, so he didn't urge her.
Li Zhongqian asked, "What's your plan?"
Yaoying looked solemn, pondered for a while, and said softly, "I don't want to cause any more trouble to the Buddha."
Li Zhongqian nodded: "Don't worry about it, this matter will be handled by Brother A."
He wrote a good letter and invited Bai, the knight of the guard.
"Please pass it on to the Buddha."
Bai immediately returned to the Holy City with the letter.
Not long after he left, a few eagle chirps came into the cave, and General Black Eagle Jin returned with a military intelligence report.
Yaoying couldn't wait, and ran out of the cave with the corners of her skirt, took the copper pipe handed over by her personal soldiers, read the letter, and let out a long sigh.
"Brother, you asked me where Ah Qing went yesterday..."
She handed the letter to Li Zhongqian, who came over.
"She helped me guard Baicheng."
Li Zhongqian unfolded the paper roll, and on it was a row of big characters: Qing has repelled the enemy army, but luckily not humiliated.
…
a few days ago.
Thousands of miles away, Baicheng.
Clouds surged and the sun was scorching hot.
In the desert, the cliffs that have been eroded by the wind and sand over the years stand under the bright sun, row upon row, with dragons and tigers.
Large blazing beams poured down from the clouds, the light and shadow were scattered, and the shadows under the cover of the strangely shaped hills slowly floated, like a living thing.
The wind was blowing, and strange whistling sounds filled it.
In the ferocious shadow of the drift, a huge team of thousands of knights and 10,000 infantrymen ran wildly on the rugged road under the hills, like a rushing black flood.
Each of them carried two bows, a machete, a lasso, and a leather bag. They were fierce, composed, chill, and brave.
This is an elite team made of blood. The soldiers are all brave. The generals at the head have a pair of light yellow eagle eyes. When they glance around, the golden light flashes and shines in all directions. It is the Beirong Prince Hai who escaped from the royal court not long ago. All Aling.
Beirong was torn apart, and Haidu Aling could not find food and grass supplies. They burned and looted all the way, fighting to support the war. They gathered the remnants of various tribes, and gathered a team of 20,000 people, heading towards Gaochang.
He had previously sent spies to Gaochang to investigate the military situation. In Gaochang, everything was as usual. Mrs. Yina was still the wife of the lord of the country. He promised that the lord of Yuchi would help him kill Mrs. Yina, and the lord of Yuchi immediately sent him a batch of horse weapons.
Haidu Aling sneered, Mrs. Yina he wanted to kill, Gao Chang he wanted too.
The wolf will not let the sheep go, even if the sheep are faithful and obedient.
He first cautiously wiped out a few tribes without encountering any strong resistance along the way. During the period, the fleeing Wakhan Khan issued an order to the various tribes, asking them to lead all troops eastward to help him get rid of the royal court's pursuit, so that he could lead the remnants to return to the grassland, and he also promoted Haidu Aling as the capital.
Haidu Aling weighed it up. Although the remnants he gathered together had 20,000 horses, they could not quench their thirst from afar. Leading these people on a long journey to save Wakhan Khan would probably end up in a situation of isolation and helplessness. Gaochang was occupied first, and then the nearby tribes were called together to form a coalition to attack the royal court and relieve the pressure of Wakhan Khan.
Before that, Baicheng must be captured.
They appeared in another oasis not long ago, besieging the city, and the momentum was so great that people thought that he was going to take the city.
The dust was flying in front, and several scouts rushed over, "Dutong, Baicheng's defense is lax, there are no bows and ballistas in the city, and their bows and arrows are probably only enough to shoot seven or eight rounds!"
Haidu Aling Lema stopped and ordered all the soldiers to stop and rest, drink a lot of water, and prepare a wooden shield that can be assembled.
The weather is sultry, they are about to start a big battle, and now they must replenish their moisture.
When the soldiers were full of water, Haidu Aling drew his sword: "No one can stop us!"
The soldiers cheered and responded loudly, roars resounding through the sky.
The team continued to advance, and soon, a fortress city surrounded by an earth wall several feet high at the foot of the mountain appeared in front of everyone.
The blue sky is cloudless, the hills are towering and undulating, Haidu Aling rushed up the hillside on horseback, waving his arms, the rumbling drums of war sounded in unison, the mountains were overwhelming, and the thunder was overwhelming.
When the black torrent turned over the hillside, the defenders of Baicheng panicked, and the defenders from the outer city who had no time to retreat to the city quickly fell in groups.
Blood stained the scimitars in the hands of the soldiers.
The archers of Baicheng rushed to the tower and hurriedly shot arrows.
Before the Beirong soldiers approached, the first round of arrow rain had already fallen.
Haidu Aling sneered, they hadn't reached the range of the defenders, and the defenders had already started firing arrows.
The army continued to advance, and the horns and battle drums sounded hurriedly and mournfully in Baicheng. Several men who looked like generals climbed the tower and waved their flags. The archers slowly calmed down and waited for the flag of the general to fall, and then they all fired arrows together.
Thousands of arrows fired.
The Beirong soldiers took their time, raised their wooden shields, and advanced in a neat pace. Gradually, some people were shot by arrows that got in through the gaps in the shields, but more people were approaching Baicheng.
Haidu Aling waited patiently for a while, the shields in the soldiers' hands were densely filled with arrows, the sound of arrows turning from dense rain to sparse, and the archers on the city wall roared anxiously.
"They're running out of arrows."
"charge!"
The drums rumbled, and the Beirong soldiers shouted and galloped, like a sharp knife, tearing the air, and going straight to Baicheng, to tear the fort to pieces.
The dust was flying all over the sky, the earth trembled, and Baicheng shivered under the unstoppable offensive of the Beirong soldiers.
Suddenly, there was a loud noise, the land collapsed, the earth trembled, and the rapidly charging cavalry fell into the big pit one by one, the gravel splashed, the soil flew, and the sky was covered.
The huge change suddenly occurred, half of the mountain collapsed, and the loud rumbling sound shook the sky, and countless Beirong soldiers had no time to react, and they were already involved in the overwhelming torrent of rocks.
The Beirong soldiers in the rear were crying and howling, and the soldiers in the front sieging the city didn't know what was going on and looked around blankly.
The battlefield seemed to stagnate for a moment.
Haidu Aling was full of blood, and his eyes were about to split. He rushed forward on his horse and watched helplessly as his rear army was swallowed by the collapsed boulder.
How could a mountain suddenly collapse
The explosion continued, the ground shook and the mountains shook, the war horses were frightened, neighed in unison, fled with their hoofs, and threw the rider on the horse's back fiercely.
At the same time, with a strange whistling sound, a huge fireball fell from the sky and fell into the Beirong battle formation.
There were screams, and the battle formation collapsed immediately.
"Tianlei! Tianlei!"
The soldiers screamed in fear.
Haidu Aling's hair stood on end, his fists were clenched, and a gust of wind blew past him. He was drenched in cold sweat, and suddenly recovered from shock.
The morale has been lost, and they can't capture Baicheng today.
"All retreat! Gather the defeated troops!"
The personal soldiers blew their horns, and the Beirong soldiers screamed and retreated. When they passed the collapsed gravel, everyone was frightened and fled.
His subordinates threw away their armor and fled back to Haidu Aling, persuading him to leave quickly.
Haidu Aling gritted his teeth, opened his pupils, and stared coldly at the city wall of Baicheng.
He had heard of the weapons that the defenders of Baicheng had just used.
When Princess Wenzhao Li Yaoying escaped from the Yelu tribe, "a thunderstorm fell from the sky", attracting punishment from the sky, so she could escape during the chaos.
He never believed in any kind of punishment, Li Yaoying must have used some kind of weapon known to the Han people, the people of the grassland tribe had never seen it before, and mistakenly thought it was a punishment.
The rocks were splashed, and the loud bang had not stopped, the wind was blowing, and the sand was flying.
In the distance on the city wall of Baicheng, several military flags stand between the yellow sand and gravel in the sky and the vast sky, flying in the wind.
Haidu Aling narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the unfamiliar military flags.
Which small tribe dares to stand in his footsteps
On the city wall, a tall general bent a bow and mounted an arrow, pulled the bow of his feet, and shot an arrow.
A scream suddenly sounded, and immediately, a military flag in the Beirong battle formation was hit by an arrow and fell to the ground.
Beirong soldiers screamed.
The general drew the bow again, and another arrow shot out, imposing like a rainbow.
The soldier was frightened, took down the letter tied to the arrow, and sent it to Haidu Aling.
Haidu Aling opened the letter and glared angrily.
Gaochang has been attached to the Great Wei, and all the states in the Western Regions have been restored.
From today onwards, he is not facing the resistance of each small tribe, but the entire Western army, the Central Plains Wei State.
Haidu Aling stared at the inscription at the end, his anger was agitated, his blood boiled, and his knuckles spasmed with force.
It was the West Army who stopped him.
During this period, the Western Army has recovered Gaochang! King Yuchi indulged Mrs. Yina and gave him weapons. He did not encounter resistance along the way. It was Li Yaoying who was confusing him!
it is good!
What a Li Yaoying!
His subordinates were covered in blood and rushed to Haidu Aling's side, shouting, "Dutong, where are we going?"
Haidu Aling's face twitched a few times, his expression grim.
The states in the Western Regions have always been shrewd, and whichever country is powerful, they will rely on whomever they turn to. The local nobles have always been dissatisfied with the heavy taxation and miscellaneous taxes. What the letter said, even if it is not true, it is almost the same. Wang Ting and the princess of the Han Dynasty joined forces to keep him out of Baicheng, and the east road for the Wakhan Khan to escape to the grassland must have been cut off. into the final trap.
When the Western Army and the Wang Ting Army closed the net at the same time, the old khan would surely die.
Most of his people were killed and injured, and he was completely powerless to turn the tide, and the Beirong nobles hated him and would not listen to his orders.
Haidu Aling lifted the reins and turned the horse decisively.
"Finish your troops and horses, recharge your batteries, and wait for the opportunity."
"The Great Khan is running away, the nobles are in charge of their own affairs, and the enemy is well prepared. I don't know how many traps are hidden. We are the only support for the Great Khan.
The morale that had just slumped was lifted up again, and the chaotic soldiers surrounded Haidu Aling and quickly withdrew from the battlefield.
Baicheng city wall, the generals watched Haidu Aling retreat, Qi Qi breathed a sigh of relief, ordered the soldiers to clean the battlefield, treat the wounded and sick, looked at each other, couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Only the young general who just bent the bow and the arrow had a straight face, and there was no smile on his face.
Yang Nianxiang took off his helmet and looked at the stern-faced general beside him: "Xie Qing, your two arrows are very powerful, how long have you been practicing?"
Xie Qing said expressionlessly: "Twelve years."
Yang Nianxiang sighed, and the soldiers rushed up to report the military situation.
When Wang Ting's army and the main force of Bei Rong faced off in Samu Valley, Yang Nianxiang and several people rushed back to Gaochang with Li Yaoying's secret letter, joined with Yang Qian, and helped the country's lord Yuchi to replace Mrs. Yina, and solve the problems stationed in Gaochang City. Northern Rong Army.
The lord of Gaochang immediately wrote to Wei State, asking Wei State to formally confer Li Yaoying and the Western Army, and give the Western Army military support.
At the same time, Yang Nianxiang and Xie Qing rushed to Baicheng to gather troops and horses, set up equipment, and scrupulously fight horses.
Li Yaoying and them have analyzed that Haidu Aling will definitely attack the tribes near Gaochang first and then capture Gaochang after accumulating strength. Released fake news to lure Beirong scouts, just waiting for Haidu Aling to take the bait.
Today was just the first confrontation. They temporarily scared off Haidu Aling and weakened his troops, but they could not take it lightly. Their task was to hold the western defense line so that Haidu Aling could not advance eastward.
During this period, the Western Army will unite with various places to launch an uprising and gradually recover the states in the Western Regions.
Xie Qing held a long bow and led a team of personal soldiers out of the city to patrol.
The princess once told her over and over that she must not be neglected on the battlefield, and she must be careful not to be arrogant and impetuous.
Her current strength is not enough to kill Haidu Aling in front of the battle, she can't be restless, she can defend Baicheng for the princess, so that Haidu Aling can't go further east.
Xie Qing put away the long bow.
She has practiced arrows for twelve years, and she and the princess have known each other for almost twelve years.
Long wind hunting.
Xie Qing was dressed in armor and immediately looked down at the messy battlefield under the horse's hooves.
A scholar dies for a confidant.
The princess is the leader of the Western Army, and she is about to become the bravest general under the princess' account.
…
sand city.
After reading the densely detailed battle report on the paper, Yaoying confirmed that Xie Qing and the others had defeated Haidu Aling, and planned the previous layout one by one.
She was in the royal court, so she didn't have anyone with her. The main force of the Western Army was fighting the enemy on the battlefield and regaining lost ground. She and the caravan deployed food and forage weapons in the rear to guide them, so that they could avoid the northern army and reduce casualties.
During the days when Wang Ting was with the army, she dealt with rear military affairs and sorted out information all day long. Now she is very skilled at doing these things.
Li Zhongqian looked at Yaoying with mixed feelings.
All his ambitions and aspirations vanished after Xie Wuliang died, and now he would rather blame the world than let the world blame him.
Yaoying is different from him.
In the Central Plains, because of Li De and Li Xuanzhen's suppression, she did not dare to touch these things.
In the past three years, he has not been by her side, and she has gone through a lot of hardships. In front of him, she is still a well-behaved sister. In the eyes of others, she is no longer what she used to be.
Li Zhongqian's face darkened.
Yaoying knew his heart disease, shook his arm, and said coquettishly: "Brother, you are the champion of the three armies, and the soldiers and generals admire you very much. I will ask them to ask you for more advice in the future. You can teach them to arrange their troops. ?"
He still wants to take her back now, she has to let him take over these things slowly.
Li Zhongqian restrained his thoughts and nodded: "They have been following you for the past few years. They are all loyal and brave people, and they are also good seedlings. If you want to ask anything, just come and ask."
Yaoying smiled and hummed.
After talking for a while, Li Zhongqian supervised Yaoying to go back to the house to take medicine.
That night, the two packed their bags and prepared to leave for the Holy City the next day.
The next morning, Yaoying and Li Zhongqian rode out of the inn, and the refugees who were waiting outside the inn immediately surrounded them.
"Strong man! Accept us!"
"Boss, you can't leave us alone!"
Li Zhongqian straightened the reins and glanced coldly at the refugees who rushed up, his phoenix eyes full of hostility: "Go away."
The refugees backed away in fright.
Yaoying and Li Zhongqian walked side by side and glanced at the refugees behind them.
"Don't pay attention to them." Li Zhongqian said, "What does their life and death have to do with me?"
Yaoying thought for a while, "Brother, now we are hiring people, why don't we find out the identities of these people, if they were herdsmen and didn't do anything bad, it's better to keep them for now. People from these tribes have grown up since childhood. Those who grew up on horseback are skilled at bowing."
Li Zhongqian frowned, but after all, he couldn't beat Yaoying, "It's okay, listen to you."
…
When the two brothers and sisters were still on the road, Bai has already rushed back to the Holy City.
Soon, Li Zhongqian's handwritten letter was delivered to Wang Temple.
Tamara has just finished a sermon.
After the war, he held a puja for half a month in the temple as usual. The swelling of his legs recurred. He used hot springs every night to relieve the pain.
This time, no one will break into the secret passage.
The letter was sent directly to his meditation room. He was wearing a bare-shouldered cassock, sweating all over his body and holding a Buddhist bead. He sat down slowly with Prajna's support, and opened the letter sent back from Shacheng.
Bi Su, who was standing by the door, couldn't help but look back, staring nervously at the letter in his hand.
After reading the letter, Tanmaraga put it aside, lightly twisting the Buddha beads with her fingers, her face was expressionless, and her eyes were cold.
The gilt incense burner is filled with blue smoke, and the fragrance bursts.
After a while, Prajna asked curiously, "Wang, what did Princess Wenzhao say in the letter?"
Tan Moraga said indifferently: "The letter says that the modern girl has figured it out."
When the year expires, it's time to officially end.
Prajna clapped his hands and chuckled, reciting the Buddha's words endlessly: "This is good, the princess has found her brother, and the one-year period is over, everyone is very happy."
Tanmaraka lowered his eyes and opened a scroll of Buddhist scriptures.
Yes, everyone is happy.
She must be very happy.
There was a lot of wind, and the jujube flowers blooming in the front of the courtyard swayed in the wind, falling down in front of the steps.
Light and shadow floating in front of the corridor.
He sat in the dark Zen room without saying a word.
Bi Su sighed secretly.