Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Mobei Kingdoms

Hengkong Muye personally saw them off, and after saying good-bye, Lin Zhuang led a team of 500 fine cavalry to escort them.It was just after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and the weather was cold, but when the sun was shining, it was still terribly hot.They have long been accustomed to seeing all four seasons in one day, and the climate changes from hot to cold. Compared with the desert, the prairie on the plateau is like a fairyland.What's more, there are dense rivers and lakes along the way, with endless beautiful scenery, and you don't have to worry about enemies. The journey is easy and freehand.

Fearing that the heavy snow would come early, they rushed at full speed. Eighteen days after leaving Bowo, they finally crossed the Karakoram Pass and set foot on the mountain road up and down the plateau. They encountered two light snowfalls on the way, but they were still worried about how Lin Zhuang and his people would go back.That night they camped by a small lake, Long Ying asked about Lin Zhuang's situation. The four of them and the other two lieutenants gathered around the bonfire and ate the game they had brought. Lin Zhuang said: "Our mission this time is to send the three of you to Khotan. If we encounter an enemy, no matter if the opponent is the Heavenly King Lao Tzu, we will come in with a white knife and go with a red knife. The other task is to go to Khotan Wang, convey the words of the prince to him, and take the opportunity to receive Master Xun to return to the plateau. I will also go to Puchanghai to give a gift to An Tian, ​​and thank him for helping us in this matter. How can so many things be done properly in just a few months? ? We will not go back to the plateau until the early spring of next year."

Wan Renyu said: "Going to Khotan in such a mighty way, don't you tell the enemy clearly that we are coming?" Feng Guoting explained Lin Zhuang's embarrassment: "No matter how many people there are, if the other party intends to monitor us, we will still be unable to escape the enemy's eyes and ears." Longying said: "We can come up with a strategy of 'clearly repairing the plank road and secretly crossing the Chencang'. Due to our large number of people, the enemy spies cannot observe at close range. We only need to find three people to put on our clothes and mix in the team. He could have been tricked into going with the team for us, when in fact he had slipped away."

Lin Zhuang praised the good plan and said: "I will make another move and use the plan. On the one hand, I will send people to inform Master Xixun, and he will relay the prince's words to the King of Khotan. On the other hand, the whole team is too hot to enter, so they will go to Puchanghai See An Tian. This kind of itinerary is reasonable. Although it is a long way, the enemy can't figure out whether the three elder brothers will return to the middle land or go to other places. .If there is an enemy operating in Puchanghai, it will be difficult to hide it from Antin." The three of them exclaimed at the same time, only wondering why they hadn't thought about it, this is the so-called "one person counts the short, two counts the long".If you are not eager to travel, it will be easier to avoid the enemy by taking this route.

Their current enemies are mainly Turks and Turks. Both countries have reasons to kill them, and they are not afraid of Wu Zhao's revenge. Lin Zhuang said: "There is one thing that must be mentioned, that is, the Tie Le tribes of Huihe, since your Sui Dynasty, Huihe rose up. Tejian is the Qijin of Huihe, and Qijin means leader. His son Bodhisattva is even more brave and extraordinary. , but was not pleased by Tejian, and was expelled from the country. When he was wandering with his followers, he met the "Young Commander" Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling and Ba Fenghan, and they stood side by side in the abandoned castle near Helian Castle. Resisting the tens of thousands of troops led by Jieli himself. This incident caused a sensation on the prairie, and then Kou Zhong defeated Jieli in Benlangyuan." (Author's note: see my work for details)

The three of them couldn't help their blood boiling when they thought back to those days.The Bodhisattva dared to fight against the brave Turkic people with Kou Zhong and others, of course he was an extraordinary generation. The more Lin Zhuang talked, the more excited he said: "Because of his relationship with Kou Zhong, the Bodhisattva got the support of another Turkic Khan, returned to Hehe, and took the position of Jinjin. Huihe was more prosperous under his rule, and finally The famous battle was in the early years of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty. The Bodhisattva defeated the Turkic 100,000 cavalry with 5,000 elite cavalry in Malu Mountain, and the power shocked the northern part of the Great Wall. Since then, Huihe and Xue Yantuo, the neighboring country, have become mutual lips and teeth, and they have joined hands to fight against the Turks. Khanate. Because Bodhisattva and Kou Zhong are brothers, they have always maintained a good relationship with your country. It was the Tiele tribes of Huihe who took the initiative to call the emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty "Heavenly Khan". The leader of the Twelve Tribes of Tie Le went to Chang'an for a pilgrimage. Li Shimin appointed Tu Midu as the governor of Hanhai."

Wan Renyu said: "Your knowledge of Huihe makes us ashamed." Lin Zhuang said: "Because the ancestors were Huihe people, they moved to the plateau during their grandfather's generation, where they fell leaves and returned to their roots." Feng Guoting asked, "Where is Huihe? Who is in charge? What is the current relationship with us?" Lin Zhuang said: "Huihe is located in the north of Kucha, east of Tuqishi, and northwest of Turks. Most of this area is mountains and fields, and the boundaries are not clear. It changes with the strength of the country. Now the lord of Huihe is the only one. However, due to the great power of the Turks, they have occupied a lot of their land, but Huihe and its Tiele tribes are still a force that cannot be underestimated."

Long Ying asked: "What is the relationship between Huihe and Tie Le?" Lin Zhuang said: "Huihe is equal to the boss, and the Tiele tribes have more than ten tribes, but the boss is the leader. Of course! They are of the same origin and family, but have different surnames." Longying smiled and said: "Listen to what you say for one night. It's better than sending spies to inquire for ten years. Night! Let's go back to the tent and rest, and go on our way tomorrow morning." After three days, they left the mountains and reached the plains.Lin Zhuang sent out scouts first, and a group of ten searched far and near, but not only did not find any, the merchants also did not see a single person.At the end of autumn and winter, no one dares to take the risk of climbing the mountain.

Before I knew it, it had been almost a year since I left Chang'an. Long Ying and others first followed the group to the east, and they camped and rested until they arrived at a place only one day away from Khotan, waiting for the night to come. Lin Zhuang sent people to watch around, and with Longying's telepathy, or the Condor's high-altitude eyes, even if it was a secret warrior, it was impossible to avoid their eyes and ears. Lin Zhuang went with them to a high slope near the camp to have a secret conversation.Said: "This time the army leader Kuixin was frustrated and returned, and he paid for Dajiang Lian's treacherous scheme to overthrow our Tubo. He should be in a slump and return home sadly. It depends on whether Mochuu will kill him to vent his anger, or whether he is in Ningyan. For the sake of it, spare his life. In addition, he never thought of you giving up the middle land to take Qiucha, so it is reasonable not to wait here."

Feng Guoting said: "The secret warrior we are most concerned about. Why is there still no one?" Wan Renyu said: "Even if we miscalculated our route at the beginning, thinking that we would go directly to the plateau via Qinghai Lake, then we also know that we need to adjust our strategy!" Long Ying said to Lin Zhuang: "Kui Xin and Lin Buya were able to cut us straight in front of the ghosts. Is it beyond your expectation?" Lin Zhuang nodded and said: "It can be said that I never dreamed about it, and there are more than 20,000 people, so deep into the desert, as long as there is a huge sandstorm. It is not unusual for more than half of the people to be killed."

The three thought of the desert, and the lingering fear still persisted.Both feel that Lin Zhuang is not exaggerating.No matter how many soldiers and horses you have, compared to the vast and boundless desert, it is still very small and can be swallowed by the desert. Longying said: "We have met the mysterious man long ago! Just like the Turkic army led by the mysterious man, crossed the desert, sneaked into the territory of Khitan, and launched a surprise attack on the new city of Khitan. This time the enemy can accurately intercept us in Kumtag , also because there is a mysterious person leading them, weaving needles and threads. It’s just that we haven’t had the chance to fight with them. The mysterious person may be hiding in the army’s Kuixin team.” Wan Renyu took a deep breath and said, "Fortunately, our Ying Ye is wise and powerful. Instead of fleeing, he broke through and escaped under the best location. If he turned around and fled to the desert, he would definitely not be able to return to Khotan alive today." Lin Zhuang said gratefully: "Thanks to Master Ying, I, Lin Zhuang, was able to recover my life. Now, let's make great contributions and be promoted by the prince to a position that I never dared to ask for in my dreams." Long Ying smiled wryly and said: "Brothers, you don't need to flatter me, you should flatter Xueer's real flattery. If you were to compete with the mysterious man in the desert for foot strength, I would have lost a lot, all thanks to Xueer's strength of life, Get me out of the desert, or I'll almost die." The four of them thought of the situation that there was death but no life at that time, and they all thought it was a fluke. Wan Renyu looked at the setting sun and said, "There is still some time, General Lin Zhuangda, can you tell us which ethnic groups are still capable of fighting near the Turkic people?" Lin Zhuang said: "In addition to Tuqishi and Huihe, there are Xueyantuo and Xiajiasi, and the others are relatively small ethnic groups. It is difficult to do anything, and they are suitable for relying on other powerful ethnic groups." After a short pause, he continued: "As for Huihe, I have something to add. That is, Huihe is not like its strong neighbors. It can only be regarded as a big alliance of tribes of different races. The tribes usually operate independently. Huihe was originally a part of Tiele. There are also tribes such as Pugu, Tongluo, and Bayegu. After Huihe's founding of the country, all the land of Tiele in Mobei was acquired. Luo Ge, Hu Duo Ge, Ye Luo Wu, Yan Ge Xi Qi, A Wu Di, Ge Sa, Hu Ke Su, Yao Wu Ge, and Xi Ye Wu. In recent years, the Turkic people have become more powerful, and the nine surnames have migrated to avoid disasters. Take Pugu as the most powerful tribe in Huihe, and his Qijin Gelanbayan was named the Great General of Youwuwei by your country, and concurrently served as the governor of Jinwei." Feng Guoting had a headache and said: "The situation in Mobei is so complicated. When we set off in Chang'an, I thought there were only Turks and Tuqishi. It seems that Huihe's strength is not inferior to that of Tuqishi, otherwise it would have been wiped out by Turks. " Long Ying asked: "Who is Xue Yantuo?" Lin Zhuang said: "The things about the tribes in Mobei are mostly passed down from my grandfather. In addition, I pay special attention and ask those who come back from the north for relevant information from time to time, so I know more than others." Wan Renyu smiled and said, "It's not that you know a lot, but that you know everything well. Just a lot of names, it's very deceiving." Lin Zhuang said: "As for Xue Yantuo, he was originally the strongest of all the tribes of Tie Le, but because of Khan Domi's tyranny and injustice, he provoked the tribes of Huihe to attack him, and Li Shiji was sent by your country to conquer him. Xue Yantuo's tribes, big and small, scattered and fled in all directions, unable to gather strength any longer, and survived in name only. In recent years, there has been no one who can revive Xue Yantuo." The sky turned dark, and the night sky was filled with stars. Lin Zhuang said: "Xiaojiasi was originally one of the tribes of Tiele. Because it is located in the extreme north, the geographical environment is special, the climate is very cold, and the big rivers are frozen for half a year. It has developed a country with a unique style. Everyone is tall and red. White face and green eyes, there are many boys and girls, brave and good at fighting. The men have tattoos on their hands, and the women have tattoos on the back of their necks. Regardless of men and women, they all wear earrings, which are very recognizable. They are most famous. ’, the Kirgiz people picked this kind of strange iron that fell from the sky, cast it into extremely sharp weapons, and sold it to the leaders of various tribes at a high price, and some of them became the most famous magical weapons outside the Great Wall. However, In recent years, the Turkic people have become powerful, silently forced the Shygasi people to pay him nine pieces of "Rain Iron Artifact" every year, which made the Shygsh people very dissatisfied, and of course they dared not speak out. , there were only Tuqishi, Huihe, and Xiajiasi in the north. Now Tuqishi can't expand, and its forces are exploring to the south of the four towns of Anxi. Suiye City is the big tooth, and Gongyue City is the small tooth. The Turks and the Tuqishi’s battle for hegemony is in a tense situation. If Suoge hadn’t been at odds with General Zhongjie, Suoge might have taken advantage of the setbacks of the Turkic people in Dongsai and launched a war.” Long Ying said happily: "Finally figure out the situation in the north of the Turkic people, almost! It's time for us to leave." The three of them hid in a dense forest, silently observing the distance in the dark, to see if there were any enemies secretly following behind Lin Zhuang and the others.The dense forest is located at the southern foot of the Kunlun Mountains, bordering on the Khotan Oasis. It is the intersection of mountains and grasslands, with complex and changeable terrain. Wan Renyu asserted: "This time we really got rid of the enemy, the reason is that the enemy can no longer grasp our next destination." Feng Guoting looked at the eagle circling high above the sky, and asked Wan Renyu, "The other day when you found out the way to Kucha, who did you ask?" Wan Renyu said: "They are all arranged by the elders for me, and I promise to keep my mouth shut. At that time, I understood that as long as no one knows where we are going, half the battle will be achieved." When they came to the Western Regions beyond the Great Wall, the three of them were world-class in martial arts. Compared with the enemies on either side, they were still disproportionately isolated and weak. them. Everyone understands that the key point is to arrive in Kucha without anyone noticing, and find the wasteland dance and Hua Xiumei, and then they can make a big difference.Otherwise, you're just stuck in a situation where you can't protect yourself. Longying's eyes glowed and he said: "Since even Wu Chengsi doesn't know that we are going to Qiuci, there is no danger of the news being leaked. Let's make a thorough disguise and go to Qiuci through the shortcut. " Wan Renyu discouraged: "Turkic spies are everywhere, and there are mysterious people who are eyeing them. We just rode horses instead of camels to ostentatiously cross the desert. Our origins are unknown, and there are three of us. It's strange that we don't attract people's attention." Longying said: "Didn't we walk north along the oasis? What's so special about riding a horse?" Wan Renyu said: "You kid is still dreaming, and I am the only one who is awake. That night in Bowo, when you two went to Merry and Happy, I went to ask someone who had been to the green shortcut for advice." People. When the water is high in spring and summer, it is exactly as you imagined. A green walkway with a width of more than ten to thirty miles, with yellow sand on both sides, passes through the sea of ​​death from south to north. It is a spectacle. But in autumn and winter When the flow is cut off, the river disappears, and there may still be intermittent small oases, but it is not so easy to find, and it is easy to miss. You'd better have a plan in mind, in this dry season when pedestrians stop, few people follow this route to cross the desert. Only slightly better than the rest of the Dead Sea." Longying smiled wryly and said, "Aren't we going to take another adventure in the desert? Compared to Taklamakan, other deserts are just child's play." Wan Renyu said: "This is not the biggest problem. With your brother's sharpness, he will not miss the water source of the oasis on the way. The problem is that we are too intrusive. It is equivalent to sending us to the door to be hunted down by the enemy. It can be said that if There’s no way to sneak into Kucha without anyone noticing, it’s better not to go.” Feng Guoting said: "There is another way, that is to arrive at Puchang Sea first, according to what An Tian said, go up the Kongque River. Due to the vast territory, it is not easy to follow us." Longying recalled the promise that Meixiu Nafu would return to the plateau before giving birth, and said: "It takes too much time. Ha! If you are poor, you will change, and if you change, you will succeed. I have a proposal, I'm afraid you will not bear it." Wan Renyu said: "As long as you don't cut off your own foot and pretend to be a lame person, what's there to be reluctant about?" Longying said: "You really know how to joke. I said I was reluctant, it's our horse." Wan and Feng had heard the funny story about him leaving Xue'er to soak up mares in the wilderness area of ​​the grassland, their eyes lit up, but they were a little worried. Feng Guoting said: "Your Xue'er is the king of horses, of course you are not afraid of heaven and earth. Although the horses of me and Wan Ye can be regarded as master horses, they have been tamed long ago. I'm afraid they won't get used to it." Longying said: "How can such a thing happen? After you have carefully modified them, they are all extraordinary horses, highly alert, and can handle wolves. What's more, like us, they form a party and take care of each other. As long as we join the herd of wild horses again, we will definitely enjoy traveling and spend years like the sun. Ha! Then we can go buy three-humped camels, pretend to be traveling merchants, and swagger to Kucha.” Feng Guoting said: "It is indeed inappropriate to let them suffer in the most terrifying desert. I have another proposal, that is to let the eagles enjoy a good time here with them and take care of each other." Long Ying remembered the scene where Shen Ying landed on Xue'er's back by the Tuotuo River and played with Xue'er again, and shouted: "Good idea." Xuan was puzzled and said: "How can Shen Ying leave you?" Wan Renyu also showed curiosity, watching how Feng Guoting would answer. Feng Guoting looked up at the twilight sky, as if he didn't want them to see his expression, and replied in a hoarse voice with a bit of sadness: "I have a trick. It can make the condor stay here forever." Both felt that he had something on his mind that he didn't want to reveal, so they wisely stopped asking. Longying walked towards Xue'er, whispered something in its ear, and gestured for the whole oasis.After a while, Xue'er seemed to understand what he meant, and jumped for joy. The three of them hurriedly took off the reins and saddles for them, Xue'er snorted and touched the wind with her head to the two mounts, they sniffed each other with their noses, neighing at the same time after a while.Xueer led the way out of the dense forest, and then the other two horses followed Xueer while turning their heads. They ran faster and faster, turning into three small black spots. The eagle in the sky screamed, chasing them, and hovering in the sky. Feng Guoting smiled and said: "Ying'er knows that they have been free for a period of time, and is very envious. I'm doing tricks." He unfolded his footwork and chased in the direction of Xueer's three horses. Long Ying said: "I still want to find a place to hide Jietianbang. I only carry a black knife, and then pretend to be an ugly doctor, and go to Khotan to explore the way first. After you and the young master are all settled, come to Khotan City to meet me immediately." Wan Renyu readily agreed. Impossible to fix things.All of a sudden it was done.