There are about 200 caravans walking on the avenue.
The one who beat the horse and walked in the front was Hu Shang, who was wearing a leather jacket and a felt hat. There were two neat rows of horses and carts in the middle, followed by a camel caravan. , Several fast horses interspersed back and forth at the head and tail of the queue to guard.
When they found that there was a sudden rise of dust in the south, the guards immediately responded, whistled loudly, pulled out their machetes, and formed a defensive formation.
They have been walking on the dangerous Gobi for many years, and have long been accustomed to fighting on horseback at any time. Unfortunately, they are not facing ordinary bandits this time, but the most fierce knights of the Yelu tribe.
Yaoying got off the carriage and rode to the top of the hillside, witnessing a bloody massacre on the plain.
The eldest prince directly tore through the defense line of the caravan, and with his knife fell, killing people was like cutting melons and vegetables.
In less than half an hour, Ye Lu's team ended the battle.
The caravan was smashed into pieces, and the guards fell one by one under the swords of the Yelu Department knights. .
There was a desperate roar and scream in the wind.
The eldest prince chopped off a head, covered in blood, galloped back to the hillside, turned over and dismounted, wiped the sticky blood on his face, carried a few bloody heads, and strode to the front of the carriage.
"Princess, this is what I gave you..."
He laughed loudly, raised his head, found that the carriage was empty, and was stunned for a moment.
The sound of hoofs came from behind.
The prince turned back.
The wind whistled beside the ramp, Yaoying was sitting on the back of a horse, still dressed in the attire of the Great Wei Princess in the tine hairpin dress and the golden Cuihua Dian. Brilliant, splendid and splendid, shining with fresh brilliance, in the vast wilderness, it becomes more and more beautiful.
The thin sunlight poured down through the gloomy sky and caught Yaoying's face. She held the reins and glanced at the eldest prince and the head he was holding, with a calm face.
Noble and graceful, like a goddess descended from the Nine Heavens.
It seems that the fight just now did not frighten this delicate Han princess.
The eldest prince squinted his eyes, threw the human head aside, and shouted at his followers, "Encamp on the spot!"
After saying that, he got on the saddle and galloped back to the road.
The guards of the caravan were all beheaded, and Hu Shang was also dead. The teenage boy and the gray-haired old man could not escape the knight's sword. Only more than 20 beautiful Hu girls survived. Kneeling before the knight's hooves and shivering.
The eldest prince rode around in a circle, randomly picked a beard girl, and pulled on the horse's back.
The other dozen knights, like him, also picked a beard girl, ready to enjoy their spoils.
Yaoying looked back.
Hu Tali, the maid, stood beside Wusun Ma, her eyes were red and her whole body trembled slightly.
Yaoying said softly, "If you are afraid, go and sit in the car."
Tully wiped the corners of her eyes, shook her head, and a bleak smile appeared on her pale face: "Princess, the slave was sold to a merchant by his uncle when he was twelve years old. At that time, the slave was like them..."
She pointed to the maids who were kneeling in the cold wind.
"The merchant took us across the desert to Helong, and wanted to sell us to a wealthy family in Liangzhou. We encountered robbers on the road, many people died in the caravan, and the slaves were resold three or four times, and finally ended up in the Central Plains. ."
Whether in the Central Plains or the Gobi, in troubled times, ordinary people can only be slaughtered.
Yaoying felt in her heart and asked, "Where is your hometown?"
Tali pointed to the west: "The slave has gone too far, and I can't remember it. The slave only remembers that the merchant took us across the 800-mile sea."
Yaoying: "Your hometown is in the Western Regions?"
The 800-mile Hanhai is the Moheyan Moraine located between Lop Nur and Yumenguan. It is a quicksand moraine that stretches across Izhou and Guazhou. The climate is arid and harsh, strong winds roar in all seasons, and no grass grows on the ground. Sand River".
In the eyes of the Han people, Liusha River is the starting point of the Western Regions.
Yaoying said, "Tali, Ye Lu's tribe will not cross the 800-mile vast sea. If you follow me, you may not be able to return to your hometown."
The Yelu tribe roams around Guazhou all the year round. Now the powerful Tubo and Beirong are eyeing the Western Regions, and the Western Regions are powerless to compete. There is only one legendary Buddhist country that is still struggling to support. That monk and monarch will not live for a few years. , Ye Lu will not rashly continue to the west through the Liusha River.
Tali smiled: "Princess, the slave's home country is only a small city-state. The slave has been away from the homeland for so many years, and the motherland may have perished long ago. The slave is willing to follow the princess, not to go to the Western Regions, but just to break away from the slave status and leave the hometown. If you get closer, you might be able to find the lost tribesmen."
She let out a long breath, turned around, touched the Wusun horse, and whispered: "Princess, Yelu people are different from the people from the Central Plains who pay attention to the etiquette of poetry and books. They snatch everything that can be snatched. When they looted caravans or tribes, they would kill all the men, not even the children, and in the end only women, cattle and sheep were left. In their eyes, women, like livestock and gold and silver treasures, are their property ... You must not stop the eldest prince just because you sympathize with those caravans, in the Yelu Department, women can never stop men!"
Yaoying smiled lightly: "Tali, thank you for your advice, I understand my situation, and when I arrive at Yelu, I am no longer Princess Dawei, but Ketun from Yelu."
Now she is walking on thin ice and has no ability to save people.
And once she asks the eldest prince, not only will the eldest prince not be merciful, but he will intensify his efforts and kill those poor women in front of her.
Tully's face was slightly red, she was a lowly hu girl, and no one had ever thanked her.
"Princess, you don't need to worry too much. You are beautiful as a flower, and your country is fragrant. Yelu Khan will definitely obey you."
Yaoying remembered Ye Lu Khan's gray braided hair and old face, and closed her eyes.
She can't be afraid.
While they were talking, the entourage had already set up the tent.
Yaoying knew the intention of the eldest prince to arrange this on purpose, without showing any fear, she went back to the tent to rest.
That night, terrifying wolf howls echoed from the hillside.
When we set off the next day, the road was littered with corpses that had been devoured by wild beasts.
The looted Hu Nu followed at the end of the team, and when she saw the corpses, she covered her face and wept.
Yesterday, they sat on camel backs and sang a cheerful Liangzhou ditty.
Overnight, the world turned upside down.
Sitting in the carriage, Yaoying thought to herself: When Ye Lu's clan is destroyed, her fate will not be any better than these Hu girls.
Li De would not send troops to rescue her.
When he needed the Ye Lu Department, he could send his daughter to marry him. When he regained Liangzhou, the Ye Lu Department would be insignificant to him. He has not been arrogant enough to think that with the current national strength of the Great Wei, the Western Regions can be recaptured. The situation in Liangzhou is complicated. He is busy cleaning up the remaining forces in Liangzhou and preparing to concentrate his forces south to attack Southern Chu in the future. Helong sent troops.
Without foreign aid, she only had Xie Qing, attendants and personal soldiers by her side. When Ye Lu's clan perished, there were only a few dozen people in this area. How could they escape the disaster
Yaoying doesn't know how Ye Lu's tribe declined.
Tribes on the grasslands can rise and become strong like Beirong. In just a few years, their forces can span east and west, or they can be destroyed overnight and disappear into smoke.
She can only adapt.
During the next trip, the eldest prince still showed his coveted greed in front of Yaoying from time to time.
He was brutal and savage, and whenever he encountered a caravan or a migrating tribe, his eyes lit up immediately, and he summoned a group of people to loot.
Sometimes he even spared a few of the shepherd's sheep.
Tali and Ayi can speak Turkic, and they quickly got acquainted with the Yelu people, and inquired a lot about them.
Yelu Khan had a total of seven sons, three of whom were adults and six adopted sons.
"The eldest prince is brave and good at fighting, and is highly valued by Yelu Khan. He is very greedy and often has disputes with other princes for grabbing the spoils."
"The second prince is dissatisfied that the eldest prince will inherit Yelu's clan, and secretly unites with the clansmen to ask Yelu Khan to expel the eldest prince."
"The third prince was cruel and cruel, and killed one of his younger brothers with his own hands."
"What Yelu Khan likes most now is his adopted son Biemutie. When Yeluhan went to Chang'an to meet the emperor, Biemutie followed him."
When Yaoying heard this, her heart moved, thinking of the alien man she saw at the banquet that night.
The man's eyes that looked at his prey made her uneasy for a long time.
"Are the eyes of Bumu Tie pale yellow?"
Tali nodded: "People from Yelu said that Biemutie's eyes are like eagles. He has no father and no mother, so he is the son of an eagle."
Yaoying's heart suddenly tightened and her whole body stiffened.
Golden eyes, no father and no mother, the son of the eagle... Is it a coincidence
Yaoying is calm.
Maybe she was over-hearted, that person could not have appeared in the Yelu tribe.
A few days later, with the arrival of Yaoying's subordinates sent by Yelu Khan, the eldest prince gradually calmed down a little and did not dare to tease Yaoying with reckless words.
Yaoying proposed to let the looted Hu women help her guard the dowry brought from Chang'an.
"The cloth and silk I brought are the most precious and precious Jinluo in the Central Plains. A piece is worth a thousand gold, and it cannot be exposed to rain or wind."
Silk from the Central Plains sells well in the Western Regions and further afield in Dashi and Fulin. Now that the trade routes are cut off, a piece of fine silk material can even be exchanged for a small tribe from the lord of the Western Regions.
The eyes of his subordinates and the eldest prince were bright, and they thought that Yaoying's dowry would belong to Ye Lu's department, and it must not be destroyed.
The next day, Hu Nu all sat in the silk carriage, covered with thick blankets, and no longer had to walk on foot in thin clothes.
They were instructed to guard the silk, and the knights of the Yelu tribe could no longer arbitrarily pull them aside to vent their lust.
When the team stopped to rest, Yaoying's attendants would bring food to their stomachs.
The Hu girls were grateful, and when they saw Yaoying getting off the carriage, they saluted her, and said in an unskilled tone, "You are the kindest Ketun we have ever met."
Yaoying sighed.
She can only do so much.
The weather was getting colder, and soon it was snowing, and they had to travel in snow.
The eldest prince was famous for his fierce reputation, and the geese plucked his hair, and the caravan tribes above the Gobi were terrified.
So whenever they saw the Yelu tribe appear from a distance, whether they were caravans, herdsmen or tribes, they immediately turned around and fled.
Several times the eldest prince had not had time to charge, and the other party had already fled to the hillside where the mountain road was rough and not conducive to the cavalry attack.
The eldest prince was furious.
It was a rare sunny day. They rested in a sheltered place by the river, and let the horses and camels drink enough water. Suddenly, they heard a passionate sound of pipa in the snow.
In the distance, there were many figures, and a caravan composed of camels and horses approached the river from west to east.
Several Hushang wearing felt hats in the team embraced the pipa, chatting and laughing loudly, and playing music at the same time.
The eldest prince raised his ears excitedly and greeted the people and horses. These days, he only grabbed a few old horses and a few female slaves, and finally saw a huge caravan again!
Dozens of warriors roared loudly and mounted their horses, followed behind the eldest prince, and galloped towards the caravan.
The snow splashed and the hoofs thumped like thunder.
Xie Qing immediately escorted Yaoying away from the avenue.
Yaoying rode up a small hill, looked back at the snow-capped plain, and frowned: The snow is full of traces left by the Ye Lu Department, how can there be any caravans that dare to approach
She looked far into the distance, and the eldest prince and the warriors had skillfully opened their battles, like a beast full of strength, opening its bloody mouth toward the caravan.
The caravan seemed a little flustered, the frightened horses neighed, and Hu Shang, who played the pipa, turned their horses around.
The guards on both sides of the flank came forward and slowly raised a flag.
Yaoying was stunned: Why didn't the caravan's guards draw their swords, but raised their flags
Could it be that they knew that they were no match for the eldest prince, so they simply surrendered
It was too far away, and Yaoying couldn't see the words embroidered on the flag. She was about to ask Tali when Yelu Khan's subordinates suddenly gasped and screamed in horror.
"Stop!"
His subordinates were pale and shouted at the eldest prince, and immediately realized that the eldest prince could not hear, and hurriedly galloped down the hillside.
"Fuman, stop!"
Roaring, he urged the knight to blow the horn.
The honking horn sounded, the dust rolled in front, the hoofs sounded like a shower, the eldest prince and warriors were still charging, their swords gleaming.
The caravan guards in the distance seemed to be completely unafraid of the big prince. Facing the vicious Yelu knights who were rushing towards the caravan from all directions, they still held their heads high, held their flags high, and remained motionless.
The bright sunlight at the beginning of the snow fell on the flag that fluttered in the wind. It was a snow-white flag with intricate patterns embroidered on it.
The escort held the flag, and the sword was drawn immediately, calm and composure.
It seems that this flag is enough to withstand thousands of troops.
The subordinate was so frightened that he flew forward, grabbed the horn and blew it himself.
The horn blared, resounding through the sky.
The warriors were well-trained, and when they heard the sound of the horn full of warning, they immediately reined in their horses, and the eldest prince, who was at the forefront, also pulled the reins and frowned.
The subordinates drove their horses and shouted at the eldest prince in Turkic language: "Fuman, that is the caravan of the royal court! It is a subject of the Buddha!"
The eldest prince's face sank.
On the hillside, Yaoying raised her eyebrows in surprise.
The eldest prince, who robbed the caravan and plundered the tribe when he saw the caravan, actually let go of the fat sheep he was slaughtering and turned back.
He spit at the caravan, as if he scolded a few words angrily. Under the advice of his subordinates, he turned his head and led the warriors back.
The caravan holding the flag quickly restored order, Hu Shang returned to the front of the team, and the sound of the pipa sounded again.
They seemed to ignore the tyrannical prince at all and continued to gallop towards the river.
As if nothing happened.
There is some arrogance like condescension in the calmness.
Yaoying went down the hillside and returned to the Yelu Department.
The subordinates whispered to the eldest prince in front of the tent.
The eldest prince looked gloomy.
The subordinates couldn't help raising their voices: "Fuman, did you forget Khan's warning?"
The eldest prince gloomily glanced at the caravan in the distance and walked away.
After a while, the screams of the horses came, and the eldest prince flogged the horses by the river to vent his hatred.
Wusun Ma was frightened and let out an uneasy snort.
Yaoying stroked Aiju's neck to reassure it, raised her head, and looked at the arrogant caravan not far away.
The caravan was not large in number, except for a dozen or so Hu Shang who wore brocade robes and felt hats, the remaining 30 people were guards in light armor and with scimitar quivers around their waists.
Different from the light riding suits worn by the warriors of the Yelu tribe, the silver light armor worn by the caravan guards is exquisite in workmanship and gorgeous in style, not like armor, but more like a formal dress. Silver scallops embroidered at the hem.
In Liangzhou, the only people who can afford this kind of clothing are the leaders of various tribes.
Obviously, it was a wealthy caravan.
No wonder the eldest prince was so excited when he saw them.
The eldest prince is tyrannical, cruel, and insatiable, why did he suddenly stop
Yaoying looked around for a week, and saw the flag that frightened the eldest prince. The snow-white flag was covered with gorgeous golden lines with gold and silver embroidery threads.
Many people in the Yelu tribe believe in Zoroastrianism, and the battle flag is black and red, with extraordinary momentum.
The guard's flag turned out to be white.
Yaoying returned to the carriage and asked Tali, "What did the eldest prince say? Who is that caravan?"
The subordinates speak with the prince in their tribe's language.
Tali whispered: "I heard them say that the caravan is the private soldiers of several major clans in the royal court of the Western Regions."
Afraid that Yaoying could not understand, she paused, and then explained, "Wang Ting is far away in the Western Regions, farther than Gaochang. It is an ancient holy city. Because noble Buddhas live there, the countries in the Western Regions call the holy city the Royal Court. , Buddha is the monarch, who leads all small countries and tribes, and four powerful clans are loyal to him. The tribes in the Western Regions all believe in Buddhism, and as long as the Buddha gives an order, everyone from the lord to the subjects must obey him.”
Yaoying didn't expect to hear Wang Ting's two words: "Why did Wang Ting's private soldiers appear here?"
The two places are so far apart, and there is a Liusha River 800 li in the middle, why did Wang Ting's private soldiers travel thousands of miles to Helong
Tali replied: "This slave is not clear. When the slave was in his home country, the royal court had declined. At that time, the Buddha was still under house arrest in a Buddhist temple, and no one obeyed the royal court's orders..."
"The eldest prince and the others said that Wang Ting's private soldiers traveled between Helong and the Western Regions in the past two years, as if they were doing business with the grassland tribes in the north. They carried the banner of the Buddha, and the tribes of Helong did not dare to rob them."
"They all said that the Buddha's son is the incarnation of Ananda, who has boundless supernatural powers. Whoever dares to rob and kill the subjects of the Buddha's son will surely be punished by heaven."
Yaoying was a little surprised.
The monarch of the Buddhist kingdom in the Western Regions is naturally the Tan Moraka who has always been deeply jealous of Beirong. It is not surprising that half of the countries in the Western Regions believe in Buddhism and are willing to follow the Buddha, but the tribes of the Hu tribes are barbaric and their beliefs are disordered.
A flag scare Yelu Khan's subordinates into the sky, making the eldest prince swallow his voice and watch the fat sheep slowly swaying back and forth in front of him, unable to start...
Yaoying couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the monk really has supernatural powers
Regardless of whether Tamoraka had true magical powers or not, the caravan under his banner escaped the eldest prince's claws unharmed, and after replenishing his drinking water, he left slowly.
The cheerful sound of the pipa echoed over the barren Gobi.
The eldest prince turned gloomy, turned around abruptly, pulled out the saber on his entourage's waist, and chopped it down.
The steed that had been beaten to the brink by him let out a final cry, and the horse's head rolled down, and blood sprayed out, staining the riverbank red.
The Yelu Department continued to advance.
At night, they stopped to stay overnight, Yaoying was sleeping in the tent, and suddenly heard a rush of hooves.
She immediately got up and put on her clothes, holding the dagger hidden in her boot.
Xie Qing lifted the curtain and entered the tent, whispering, "Princess, it's the sound from the eldest prince."
He was afraid that the eldest prince would bully the princess, so he kept an eye on the eldest prince's movements at night.
Yaoying frowned.
Xie Qing sat cross-legged in front of Yaoying: "It's almost time for Ye Lu's department. The eldest prince should not dare to act rashly. I'll stay here today, and the princess should go to sleep."
Yaoying was exhausted, she didn't think much, she hummed, lay down and went to sleep.
The next morning, they hurriedly used some dry food and set off on their way, but the eldest prince was not seen for a long time.
The eldest prince's subordinate said that he thought the dry food was poor and went hunting last night.
When Yelu Khan's subordinates heard the words, they jumped furiously and were about to chase after them on horseback. There was a hoof sound like raindrops from the east, and the eldest prince and the warriors came back.
One by one they were drunk, with freshly slaughtered meat and blankets snatched from nowhere near their saddles.
The subordinates sighed helplessly, did not dare to accuse the eldest prince in public, and ordered the team to set off.
Two days later, they finally arrived at Yelu's tooth tent.
Yaoying got off the carriage, and was surrounded by the drum music to the front of the tooth tent. Before she could look at the tribe she was going to live in, a familiar tall and tall figure suddenly appeared in front of her.
She widened her eyes in astonishment.
Li Xuanzhen stood in front of the tooth curtain with a haggard face and unshaven beard.
The author has something to say: Happy Lantern Festival everyone~~