Qinghai long clouds dark snowy mountains,

Looking at Yumen Pass in the lonely city.

Yellow sand is wearing golden armor for hundreds of battles,

I will never return until I have lost Loulan.

In late September of the first year of Yong'an, a lonely Tang army was walking through hundreds of miles of desolate Gobi and mountains. Guan Ying opened her tired and red eyes and looked at the continuous mountains ahead with difficulty. They were already lost. When the guide Aming passed through the last ridge of the Tuoyun Pass, he unfortunately fell off the cliff and was crushed to pieces.

Losing the guide did not stop the Tang army from advancing. They rely on the remains of the Silk Road and the bones on the roadside along the way, and walked north without fear. However, they did not know that they could not go straight from Tuoyun Mountain Pass to Shayeye, and they had to go along the arc of the Gobi Desert on the edge to avoid the obstruction of the mountains. However, the sketches drawn by Amin during his lifetime did not mark this point, which eventually led the Tang army to the wrong path.

They had been walking for six days and had only walked more than 300 miles. The terrain here was not the endless Gobi Desert they imagined, but the rolling mountains. The climate here was dry, there were no forests and rivers. Most of the basins in the mountains were covered with gravel, and the mountains were bare, without big trees or green.

Guan Ying fell ill due to stress and anxiety. A string of big bubbles on his lips, his eye sockets were deep and his cheekbones were raised, making his already thin face almost turn into a skull.

The other Tang army soldiers were also tired. Although the march was extremely difficult and they could not see the way forward, there was no fear in the tired eyes of the Tang army, and no one complained that they wanted to regain the Suiye Army Town that the Tang Dynasty had lost for nearly forty years. A spirit of serving the country supported their will.

The army went down the ridge and came to a flat ground. Guan Ying stopped the war horse and looked into the distance. There were still gray mountains and mist shrouding the mountains. The sky was about to dark. A gust of cold wind blew the dust all over the sky and attacked the Tang army.

Guan Ying sighed, "Everyone will stay on the spot! Let's go tomorrow."

The Tang army dismounted one after another, and the army set up hundreds of camp tents in the basin between the two ridges. Guan Ying sat on a big rock and wrapped his body tightly with a blanket. The most serious thing now was not to get lost, but they were about to cut off water. They had not seen a river for three days. He had been trying hard to save money, but he still had only half a bag of water left. Other brothers could imagine it.

"General Guan, don't worry. At worst, we can drink horse blood. It's always a dead end." A captain named Yan Yun walked up and patted his shoulder and smiled.

Guan Ying shook her head, and he said worriedly: "What I am really worried about is not this. I am worried that I will not be able to get out of Thunder Ye for a long time and have missed the governor's military plane!"

Yan Yun was silent. They had been marching for six days. According to the original plan, they should be close to Shuye City, but now they have not even found the way to Shuye.

"Firelight!" A soldier suddenly pointed to the distance and shouted, and then many soldiers shouted, "It's the fire, my god! We have hope."

Guan Ying stood up, and the blanket slipped down to the ground and didn't care to pick it up. He also saw a ball of fire burning on the ridges several miles away in the distance. It was so bright and so full of hope in the darkness.

"I'll go and take a look!" Yan Yun was very surprised. The other party should have seen them camping, but was not afraid. Why is this?

"General Yan, don't scare them!" Guan Ying shouted behind him.

"Don't worry! I have a clear idea." Yan Yun led a team of soldiers to run towards the fire.

About half an hour later, the soldiers rushed over with an injured man, carried him into the camp, and asked the military doctor to treat him. At this time, Yan Yun smiled at Guan Ying who was coming quickly and said, "No wonder he wanted to light the fire. He was surrounded by a wolf and was asking for help from us!"

"Is he seriously injured?" This is what Guan Ying cares most about, and this person is their only hope.

"Fortunately! He jumped off the stone and seemed to have only broken one leg." Yan Yun smiled and added: "He is speaking Turkic, and I can understand it."

"I can understand it too!" Guan Ying hurriedly defended, fearing that others would not know that he would have a little Turkic word. His anxious expression caused a knowing laugh from the Tang army around him.

Guan Ying scratched her head and scolded, "His grandma, how dare you laugh at the coach?"

The laughter became louder, and the marching was difficult for six days. It was not until this time that the Tang soldiers finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The next day, the rescued man finally woke up. His name was Turke, the man from Helicheng City next to Rehai. He heard that someone had found gold here, so he came with several other gold-seekers. Unexpectedly, he encountered a pack of wolves. The other companions were all eaten by the pack of wolves. He was trapped in a lonely cliff and was lucky to be rescued by the Tang army.

From his mouth, he learned that although the route the Tang army is currently taking is difficult, it is a straight line, more than 200 miles closer than the arc. The Zhenzhu River is actually less than a hundred miles away. After passing the canyon on the right, and walking for more than twenty miles forward, there will be a river. As long as you walk along the river, you can reach the Zhenzhu River.

The Tang army was excited and set off at noon that day. Under the guidance of the guide Turke, he passed through a narrow valley. Sure enough, after walking for more than twenty miles, he saw a shimmering river, coming from the west and winding to the north. The banks of the river were covered with towering birch trees, and groups of antelope and sika deer were drinking water by the river. Although it was already a bleak early winter and the river flow was much smaller, the wet and fertile land on both sides of the river can imagine the charm and splendor here in spring.

After ten days of difficult and boring march, I finally saw the gurgling water and lush forests. The Tang army cheered for a moment. Guan Ying gave the order. The Tang army jumped off their horses regardless of the coldness of the river, lying on the riverside to drink and wash their hands, washing away the fatigue of the march.

After resting by the river for a day, the army lined up along the river and finally walked out of the mountain area two days later. In front of it was a wide river with clear and deep water. This was the Zhenzhu River, the mother river of Yaosha River in Zhaowu Jiuguo east of the Pamir Mountains. After crossing the river, there were flat grasslands, and in the distance were snow-capped mountains. Behind the mountains was the mysterious ancient city of Saiye.

On September 20, when the first snow fell on the earth, the 4,000 Tang Dynasty Expeditionary Forces crossed the Zhenzhu River and rushed towards the ancient city of the Tang Dynasty full of challenges and honors.

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Shule, Prince Agush and Governor Aros of Tocharia's competition for command of the Great Food Army have entered the third day. Aros never dreamed that Agush would be released by the Tang army, and he did not expect that Agush would be determined to compete with him for command of the army. Before the war, the consequences were extremely serious. Aros, who had been through many battles, knew this more than anyone else. For this reason, he had no hesitation to tear apart with Agu.

In Shule Palace, Aros, who was invited to negotiate, had his face flushed red. He slapped the table and the roar echoed in the palace, "I am ordered by the great Caliph to command the army of the East. You are just an envoy, and you have no right to control the army. Without the Caliph's order, I will never hand over the power of the military to you!"

Agush had a pale and cold face. He sat obliquely on a chair, looking at the rude old man with contempt. He would not lose his demeanor like him, just like a rooster in heat.

"What should I call you? The respected Governor of Tochar or Governor Shule." His voice was sharp and full of mockery, as if he was teasing a clown on the stage. "Please take a look at my mission again. The mission assigned to me by the Caliph is very clear. If the full authority to deal with the relationship between the Great Food and Tubo and the Tang Dynasty should include the war with the Tang Dynasty?"

"His Majesty the Caliph asked you to deal with diplomacy, because you can't fight and lead troops. He cannot give you the power of commanding the army to fight. You, you will ruin my army."

Agush suddenly smiled at the sky, "Hmph! You finally showed your foot. This is your army, so you don't want to hand it over to me."

He stood up, looked at the general who had spoken up and down, and sneered, "I finally understand why you attack Anxi, so that you can have an excuse to transfer Samo Kin, Tuozhe City, and Bahanna's army. You are obviously the Governor of Tochar, but why should you keep the Tochar's army in your lair? That's because you want to borrow the hands of the Tang army and fight all the uncontrollable troops, so that the entire East will belong to you, Aros. I'm right, His Majesty Aros?"

With a loud bang, Aros, who was so angry that he lost his mind, kicked the chair over. He strode out of the palace, waved his arms while walking, shouting: "Think whatever you want! You will also be yours to sue me in front of the Caliph, but if you want to seize my military power, that's a dream!"

Agush didn't stop him. He looked at his tall back coldly, and a cruel smile gradually appeared on the corner of his mouth. Aros strode to the door and waved his hand to his guard officer and said, "Let's go!"

"Yes! General." The guard came forward to open the door for him, but just as Aros walked out of the door, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist. When he turned around, he saw his guard's face full of grin and the sword in his hand had already penetrated the waist between his upper and lower armor.

"You!" Aros roared and reached out to pinch his neck, "You dare to betray me..."

"General, Your Highness has a gold medal for the Caliph." The guard's feet were already off the ground, his tongue and eyes were about to be squeezed out.

"Go to die!" Aros' powerful hand crushed the guard's neck bone with a "crack!" and threw it on the ground. He turned around and ran outward.

"Kill him! Kill him!" Agush shouted loudly from behind, and the guards hiding around the palace rushed out one after another. Although Aros was seriously injured, he was once known as the number one general in the Great Food when he was young, and his power was still there. He rushed to a corridor, drew his sword and killed more than 30 surrounding soldiers, and fought out a bloody path. At this moment, a large group of soldiers suddenly surged out of the end of the corridor, blocking Aros' way. The leader was also a burly general. He held a shield in one hand and a spear in the other.

When Aros saw that it was his deputy who blocked the way, his eyes turned red and he shouted loudly: "Merali, do you even want to betray me?"

Without saying a word, Moyali raised his hand and threw the spear in his hand straight towards Aros. The spear was as fast as lightning and shot through Aros' breastplate. The tip of the spear came out from his back, nailing him to the ground.

Mealy let out a light breath, and he walked forward, stared at Aros's eyes uneasily closed, and whispered: "Sorry! The prince has a gold medal for the Caliph, you should not violate the Caliph's will."

Agush slowly walked to Meyali, patted his burly shoulder, and smiled slightly, "From now on, you are the Governor of Tocharo!"

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At the westernmost end of the vast Tulun Desert, a river that had just broken down ten days ago lies quietly in the sea of ​​sand. This river is called the Miduo River, originating from the Karakoram Mountain, crossing the Tulun Desert, and finally pouring into the Chi River in the north of the desert. But at this time it is like a frozen long snake, and you can occasionally see a shallow pond on the dry riverbed.

At this time, a black line ran far along the riverbed. When he ran near, there was a Tang army of about 3,000 people. The general led by him was Cao Hanchen. He was ordered by Zhang Huan to go south to investigate the defense of the return of Dashi and allowed him to act according to the opportunity. He lived in Shule for many years and was extremely familiar with the geographical environment in this area. He went south from Kashi City on the edge of the desert and ran along the Miduo River. After five days of march, he finally arrived at Shache City, south of the Tulun Desert.

The Shache Kingdom was also one of the ancient Anxi countries. Zhang Qian had twice been on mission here. In the 16th year of Yongping, the Han envoy Ban Chao used troops from the Han Dynasty to kill the King of Shache, who was established by the Huns, and then established a new king. Later, as the water volume of the immigrant river gradually decreased, the Shache Kingdom slowly declined and was eventually annexed by the Shule Kingdom and became a side city. It was about 300 miles away from Shule, and there was no large food army stationed.

Cao Hanchen held down his war horse and looked into the distance with his hands curtain. In the distance, under the shade of a poplar forest, Shache City was already faintly visible. Perhaps it was just a phantom. There were many such phantoms in the desert! But when the riverbed came here and went south, Miduo River began to have shallow river water. By chance, you can see a few old red willows by the river.

"General, it seems that someone is coming." A lieutenant pointed at a dozen black dots in the distance and said.

It was indeed a dozen knights. They stopped on a sand dune two miles away and watched the strange army vigilantly. Cao Hanchen looked for a while and suddenly ordered: "Display the military flag!"

The yellow Tang army flag shook open in the desert, facing the west wind, and was extremely energetic in the sun. The military situation of the Tang Dynasty really had an effect. More than a dozen knights rushed down the sand dunes and rushed towards this side.

Cao Hanchen smiled, and he urged the horse to meet him, waved his arms and shouted, "Pei Guangguang, is it you?"

The knight led the opposite side galloped over. Before the horse could stop, he jumped off the horse and opened his arms to welcome Cao Hanchen. Cao Hanchen also dismounted, and the two hugged each other tightly.

It turned out that Pei Guangguang, who had a strange name, was actually Prince Shule, and Cao Hanchen was the son of Cao Lingzhong, the governor of Anxi. The two had a very strong relationship.

"Didn't you go to Yutian? Why are you in Shache?" Cao Hanchen asked with a smile.

Pei Guangguang was about thirty years old, similar to Cao Hanchen. He was dark-skinned and not tall, but very strong. He had lived in Chang'an for a while and could speak fluent Chinese. He rode on his horse and walked slowly with Cao Hanchen. When he heard the other party ask him, he sighed and said, "The great cannibals are coming in a fierce manner. We are not their opponents. We were defeated by their attack. We originally wanted to go to Yutian, but our father was a little unwilling, so he waited in Shache for a few days. A few days ago, hundreds of Tubo remnants retreated one after another. We realized that it was the Tang army brigade that came. My father decided not to go to Yutian and wait for you here."

Cao Hanchen nodded and asked again: "How many troops do you have?"

"There are more than 5,000 people. When we withdraw from Shule, we will take away a large amount of food reserves. It's okay for you to come." Pei Guangguang turned around and looked at the dark Tang cavalry, and then asked Cao Hanchen with a smile: "What, maybe you want to encircle Shule, this is not enough!"

"We have an army of 80,000, led by my governor himself. My mission is to explore the retreat route of the cannibal."

Speaking of this, Cao Hanchen pondered for a moment. He knew that if he could get the help of Shule people, his task would be much easier. He simply said frankly: "Tell you this way! My task is to seize the Pamirs and capture the great cannibals, and cut off the retreat of the great cannibals. I wonder if you can help me?"

"You shouldn't ask that."
Chapter completed!