Linzhi

Lu Ji looked curiously at the few people in front of him, especially He Rong.

He Rong was also observing Lu Ji without any trace.

Lu Ji is the son of the former Khan of the Western Turks. Although he is younger than Princess Zhending, his face does not look much younger. The wind and sand here made his face weathered prematurely, but his eyes are obviously gentler than Jia Luo Many of them did not show any offensive words to He Rong or others.

Turkic people like aggressive and domineering leaders, such as Lu Ji, are indeed very difficult to be welcomed by Turkic people.

The Turks are different from the Central Plains. The death of father and son is not a rule for them. Only the strong can secure the highest position. Therefore, after the death of the previous Khan, Moli took the position of Great Khan. Too young, a toddler, to pose no threat to Molly, so he was not put to death.

Moli Khan has no son, so he prefers his nephew Jia Luo to succeed the Great Khan. Although Lu Ji is a bit weak in the eyes of many people, it is not that no one supports him, such as Princess Zhending, and some of the former Great Khan's courtiers and soldiers .

Lu Ji: "Are you the grandson of the emperor of China?"

He Rong: "That's right, I'm He Rong, according to the habits of our Central Plains people, the prince can call me He San, or San Lang."

Lu Ji smiled and said, "Then you don't have to call me Prince, just call me Lu Ji."

Seeing that the other party's eyes fell on his broken leg and crutches, He Rong did not hide it: "My leg fell off a horse when I was young."

Lu Ji regretted: "The jade jade is slightly flawed, and it is a fly in the ointment, which is really regrettable."

This elegant sentence is not unusual for any Central Plains literati, but it came from a Turkic man with a full face and beard. He Rong wanted to laugh a little.

His eyes fell on the half-read book on the chair next to Lu Ji, and he asked, "The prince likes Buddhist classics?"

Lu Ji smiled slightly, and said melancholy: "It's not like I like it, I just read it in my spare time. In fact, I prefer Taoist classics. It's a pity that it is so difficult to find such a book in the bitter cold of Turkic."

He Rong suddenly understood why Princess Zhending chose to support him.

If such a person wants to become the leader of the wolf pack, the wolves will naturally find it difficult to convince them, but for Princess Zhending, he is a good candidate to control.

Not to mention that there has never been a precedent for a woman to be a khan in Turkic. Even if there was, Princess Zhending would not be able to do it, because she is completely Han and has no Turkic blood in her body. Therefore, she can only rule Turkic through support. agent to achieve.

Now it seems that Rouge is indeed a good candidate.

Even for the imperial court, a Turkic Khan who is pro-Han is much better than a Turkic Khan who thinks about invading the Central Plains all day long.

There are only four people in the tent, Princess Zhending, He Rong, Lu Ji, and Xue Tan. After a brief exchange of greetings, they can get straight to the point.

Xue Tan saw that none of the other three had any intention of speaking, so he asked first, "Dare to ask the princess, how long can the sweat last?"

Princess Zhending frowned slightly: "The doctor can't tell, I'm afraid it's only a month or so."

Xue Tan: "Once Moli Khan dies, Jia Luo will definitely be impatient to take power. What countermeasures do you two have now?"

Princess Zhending: "Gara has 2 troops, while Luji and I only have [-] troops."

Xue Tan smiled bitterly: "The disparity is too great."

Princess Zhending: "These people are only people who can be used by us, not including those tribal leaders who will wait and see neutrally. Jia Luo claims to have a force of [-], but in fact there are about [-] of them in Yanqi City. Those who can be used Not more than eighty thousand."

Seeing that other people were looking at him, Lu Ji said: "These days, I have lobbied a lot of tribal leaders in private, and three of them had relatives who died at Jia Luo's hands, and they have promised to stand by my side."

Xue Tan: "How many tribal leaders are there in Western Turkic?"

Lu Ji: "Turks have large and small tribes. Khan is actually the honorific title for the leader of a large tribe, and Ye Hu is below him. Jia Luo and I both hold the position of Ye Hu. There are ten large-scale tribes in Western Turks. indivual."

Xue Tan: "Then there are seven more on Jia Luo's side."

Lu Ji shook his head: "There are two other people who were my father's confidants and trusted ministers. They are currently vacillating and are still waiting to see. If I can not lose the wind, they will not easily run to support Jia Luo."

Princess Zhending pondered and said: "Moli gave me 3 people before, but the 3 people are now stationed in Yanqi City, and they haven't had time to transfer them here, so they can't be transferred all at once, but you can try to come in batches."

He Rong: "No, Jia Luo also has people in Yanqi City. Your 3 people should stay in Yanqi City to watch over them, and if there is any trouble, Jia Luo will definitely know. He will act first when the time comes. Ten thousand people, being useful also becomes useless.”

Princess Zhending frowned, thinking hard about countermeasures.Lu Ji sighed: "It's all because I'm useless, and I'm so tired!"

"What's the use of talking about it now? You and I are in the same boat, so naturally we have to advance and retreat together. At worst, we will die and fight with our backs." Princess Zhending's answer was a bit more iron-blooded than Lu Ji.

Xue Tan: "As long as Moli Khan is alive, Jia Luo still dare not do it easily?"

Princess Zhending: "That's right, but we can't bet all our hopes on Molly, he won't last long."

Xue Tan: "Since head-to-head is not enough, we can only win by surprise. I have a plan now, and I don't know if it will work or not."

Everyone's eyes focused on him instantly, and Xue Tan coughed lightly: "Falsely spread the news of Moli Khan's death, lured Jialuo into the trap, took advantage of his unpreparedness, and took him down with a knife and axe. First catch the thief To capture the king, with Jia Luo in hand, the rest of them are naturally no problem."

Lu Ji's eyes lit up: "This method is not bad!"

Princess Zhending shook her head: "Gara is not so easy to be fooled. We are on guard against him, and he is also guarding against us. If he insists on bringing people into the account to meet Khan, then the sneak attack will turn into a melee. Our side If there is no one who can guarantee that one hit will hit the elite, I am afraid that they will suffer."

Her worry was not unreasonable, Xue Tan frowned, and fell into deep thought again.

He Rong suddenly said: "Khan's condition alone is not enough to make Jia Luo relax his vigilance. We still lack an opportunity."

During this period of time, Xue Tan had a tacit understanding with him, and when he heard the words, he had a flash of inspiration and blurted out: "Wulang!"

He Rong nodded, and said to Princess Zhending: "To tell the truth, I came here with a hundred soldiers, all of whom are the elite of the imperial army, but because the number is too small, and I am afraid of scaring the snake, so I left them in Zhangye. , we can let them come to meet the Khan in the name of imperial envoys. Now that Galo is claiming to be the successor of the Khan, he will definitely want to intervene in it and participate in the meeting. At that time, we can take the opportunity to deploy manpower, and we should cooperate internally and externally to win Galo. .”

Princess Zhending was overjoyed at first, and then shook her head: "Our every move is under the surveillance of Jialuo, how do you pass the news to them?"

Xue Tan said: "The caravan, the caravan travels between the Turks and the Han, and the restrictions are relatively small. You can use the caravan to pass the news back. Let those of us who stay in Zhangye formally ask for an envoy's visit."

Princess Zhending: "Even so, the content of the news must be concealed. When caravans come and go, Jia Luo will send people to search them. If one is not careful, all previous efforts will be wasted."

He Rong murmured: "I'll prepare for this matter, Princess, Prince Luji, and Moli Khan's arrangement depends on the two of you."

Rouge looked worried and frowning.

Princess Zhending was much more indifferent: "It's about life and future, we will naturally go all out, but it's up to people to plan things, and it's up to God to make things happen. I only hope that God will take care of you, and everything will go well."

……

No matter how good a place is, if you live for ten days and a half months, with nothing to do all day long, you will soon be able to understand the streets and alleys, every plant and every tree here, and you will become bored even if you are full of joy. He Rong left Zhangye That was the case with the hundred soldiers.

At least in the capital, they don't have to be on duty, and they have parents and friends who can reunite and play together, but when they come here, besides practicing, they can only stroll around the city in their spare time. Spend time in the prepared post house.

It was better at first, but after a long time, when He Rong was gone and never returned, and he didn't know when he would return, everyone's ambitions gradually became blank, even though He Zhan told them that they had a more important mission to stay here, It is also difficult for everyone to avoid having other thoughts in their hearts, which may even affect morale a little.

On this day, three soldiers went out to gamble privately. After being discovered, they were arrested and brought back. They were tied up and knelt below.

"Do you know what mistake you made?" He Zhan looked indifferent and his eyes were cold.

The three of them were dejected and did not dare to say anything.

He Zhan stopped drinking: "Speak!"

The three trembled slightly, and even Chen Qian who was standing next to him was startled, thinking that Goro was becoming more and more majestic.

He Zhan: "Lin Miao, tell me!"

The soldier who was named looked up at He Zhan and Chen Qian secretly, and faltered: "Reporting to the commander, we thought that we didn't practice in the morning, we were resting anyway, and we were too busy, so we made an appointment to go out. ..."

Hearing He Zhan's sneer, Lin Miao immediately shut up, not daring to continue.

He Zhan: "Every five days of practice, I will give you a half-day rest. This is to show sympathy for you. It's good for you, and you said that you are in a hurry."

Glancing over the other soldiers, he said coolly: "It seems that other people think so too? If so, the half-day rest will be canceled in the future. Practice on time every day, and you must not ask for leave to escape for any reason. "

Everyone hurriedly lowered their heads, scolding Lin Miao and the other three in their hearts.

He Zhan looked at the three people again: "The rules of the forbidden army, do you remember the three?"

Seeing that they didn't answer, He Zhan sneered: "It seems that I don't remember, Chen Qian, tell them."

Chen Qian backed away expressionlessly: "It is forbidden to disobey orders and act recklessly. It is forbidden to rape and rob, disturb the people, and it is forbidden to spend time with prostitutes and linger in gambling houses."

Every time he said a word, the heads of those three people were lowered by one point.

He Zhan said coldly: "What will happen to the violators?"

Chen Qian spat out every single word: "Offenders will be punished with a stick if they are light, and beheaded if they are serious."

The three of them were startled, and hurriedly begged for mercy: "Commander, we know we are wrong, this is not the capital, we have nothing to do except training every day, Shaoqing is not here, we don't know what to do in the future, when will we return to Beijing , feeling depressed, just wanted to vent..."

He Zhan smiled: "I don't know when I will be able to return to Beijing, and I'm also depressed, so I can go to rape and rob? Huh?!"

He stood up abruptly, and walked over step by step: "You bear the grace of the emperor and have traveled all the way here. Could it be that you came here to hang around? Shaoqing and the others have no force, but they dare to risk themselves. Life and death are still unknown, and what about you, what are you doing?!"

"You stay here, but you think it's too comfortable, and you say you are too busy to go to gamble. You are worthy of the court, your parents and relatives who have high expectations for you, are you worthy of Shaoqing!"

His expression was stern, and he said one sentence after another, making everyone feel so ashamed that they couldn't lift their heads.

He Zhan suddenly drew out the light sword that was placed on the table. The blade of the sword was sharp and chilly.

"You know that you have violated the law, and your crime is unforgivable. Today, I will use this sword bestowed by Your Majesty to end your lives. I don't think you will cry for injustice, right?" .

The three of them wept and said: "We violated the prohibition order, and the crime should be punished. Now that we know our mistake, please let the commander forgive us, and let us pay the crime..."

He Zhan sneered: "I'll be lenient to you, but who will be lenient to those people who were ruined by the Turks?"

Chen Qian did not intercede for them. He knew that He Zhan was determined to show his prestige today. These people are used to living a comfortable life in the capital. sword.

The three of them didn't dare to speak any more, they could only lie on the ground and tremble, the onlookers were even more terrified, and they didn't dare to violate military discipline again.

He Zhan raised his wrist slightly, and the sword flashed, just when everyone thought that Lin Miao and the others were doomed, He Zhan put the sword back into its sheath.

The buns of the three of them fell down, and a few strands of hair fell to the ground lightly.

He Zhan said coldly: "It's your first offense. This time, you will be the head of the hair, and you will be punished with a staff of thirty. Next time, whoever commits the crime again will be killed."

The three of them were still in shock, and they collapsed to the ground.

Chen Qian watched coldly, knowing that He Zhan had completely conquered everyone since then.

At this moment, a small post official came to report, saying that several big food merchants had just visited the envoy, and heard that He Langjun was from Chang'an, and they yearned for him, and wanted to see He Langjun.

He Zhan frowned slightly, he was concerned about his third brother's safety now, so he didn't have the heart to meet some big food caravan.

"Chen Qian, you go to see them, just say me..." Halfway through the words, He Zhan's heart moved, and he suddenly asked, "Are they coming from Dashi?"

The little official at the post station hurriedly said, "Exactly."

He Zhan: "Which road did they take, and where did they pass by when they came here?"

Little official: "It seems that they came from Yanqi City."

He Zhan thought for a while, then changed his mind: "Let them wait, I'll go right away."

After sending off the soldiers to practice, Chen Qian and He Zhan went to the side hall.

"The commander thinks that this was sent by Shaoqing and the others?"

He Zhan: "The third brother knows that we are worried, so he will definitely try his best to send the news. The caravans in the Han area are too sensitive. If it is a big food merchant, the Turkic people may not be so vigilant. I hope my guess is right. "

The two of them had nothing to say all the way, when they arrived at the side hall, two blond and blue-eyed big cannibals were already waiting there. The other party was fluent in Chinese, but the tone was a bit weird, not as good as the people from the Central Plains.

"May I ask who is He Zhan He Langjun?"

He Zhan cupped his hands: "I am, I don't know why you two are here?"

One of the big food merchants said: "Before entering the customs, I passed by Yanqi City and met a friend who was entrusted by someone to send us two gifts for He Langjun."

He Zhan: "Excuse me, is your friend Han Chinese?"

The food merchant shook his head: "It's a Turkic man named He Tu."

The name was very unfamiliar, and He Zhan was a little disappointed: "Then what did he ask Your Excellency to send?"

Another person took out two small boxes from the bag and put them on the case.

The two boxes are exactly the same, the difference lies in the color of the lock, one copper and one silver.

"The other party said that when He Langjun opened it, the copper should be first and then the silver. The order should not be confused. When you see the contents of the box, you will naturally understand."

He Zhan became more and more strange, and couldn't help asking a few more questions, but the two of them were just messengers, and they didn't know anything other than delivering things, let alone knew He Rong.

After sending them away, Chen Qian looked at the box and guessed: "Could it be that the Turks hinted that Shaoqing is in their hands and wanted to use him as a hostage to blackmail us?"

He Zhan: "Then they have already publicized it, so there is no need to make such a fuss. I always feel that this box is indeed related to the third brother."

He touched the box with the copper lock, and with a little force, the lock broke.

Inside the box is a fragrant pear.

This kind of pear is very common in the border. He Zhan picked it up and looked around, while Chen Qian turned the box over and over again, but found no secret words.

He Zhan had no choice but to open another box.

There is no fragrant pear in it, but a mustache.

Hu biscuits are hard and hard, and you can tell they don't taste good at first glance. When you break them with your hands, they are full of white dough. Chen Qian took another bite and couldn't help spitting it out: "Bah bah bah! It's really unpalatable, this cake is poisonous Bar!"

He Zhan: "..."

It seems that it was undoubtedly given by the third brother, and only the third brother is keen on playing this kind of riddle.

Then again, they must have encountered some difficulties in Turkic, otherwise they would not have used this roundabout way to pass the news.

The problem is pears and cakes, what exactly do you want to express?

He Zhan paced back and forth, his eyebrows almost knotted.

Chen Qian was also caught in the entanglement in his mind and couldn't extricate himself: "Pear is Li? Do you want us to leave Zhangye quickly? What is that cake? Let us save people?"

Without waiting for He Zhan to refute, he also felt that his guess was too groundless: "Wu Lang, there may be some allusions to these two things. I haven't read any books, so I don't understand them. Why don't you send two staff members over here?" Help us think about it?"

He Zhan was upset: "It's not that complicated, the third brother won't go around such a big detour, just to make things difficult for us, he must use pears and cakes to refer to something!"

Chen Qian: "Just now that person said that you need to open the copper ones first, then the silver ones, copper first and then silver?"

First copper and then silver...

He Zhan had a flash of inspiration: "First the pears and then the cakes, and the first rituals and then the soldiers!"

Chen Qian was at a loss: "What does Shaoqing mean by telling us to be courteous before fighting?"

He Zhan frowned: "I once made an appointment with the third brother. If he needs help there, just pass me the word 'bing', or bring me a weapon, and I will understand. Now he should just let me We'll bring troops over there."

Chen Qian: "But if we take people to Turkic like this, we will definitely be caught. Even if we disguise ourselves as businessmen, we will be easily exposed."

He Zhan nodded: "Yes, it's not feasible to pretend to be a businessman, but what if we appear in the name of imperial envoys?"

Chen Qian was taken aback.

The more He Zhan said, the more he felt that his guess was very reliable: "The ceremonies, banquets and examinations, and even the foreign affairs concierge, all belong to the Ministry of Rites. Although the imperial court has fought with the Western Turks, it is not a war time after all. If we come out in the name of the Ministry of Rites So, there will definitely be someone to receive it, no matter whether it is negotiating or making a move, you have to see the third brother first, since he will send such a news, it must be a success."

Chen Qian: "Would it be too risky? How about I take people there first, and you stay in the city so that it is convenient for you to respond if you have something to do?"

He Zhan: "We only have 100 people in total, and it won't do much to divide them up. Don't forget, the imperial court sent these [-] people just to let us solve this matter by ourselves. Even if we encounter any danger there, the imperial court will It is also impossible to mobilize a large army to rescue us, rather than dispersing the troops, it is better to bring them all over, and there will be a support."

Chen Qian was silent for a moment, then cupped his hands and said: "This subordinate has never thought of stinging his life since he followed Shaoqing and the commander out of Chang'an. The commander has an order, and the subordinate will go through fire and water and will not hesitate to do so."

He Zhan held his shoulders: "Share the blessings, share the difficulties!"

Looking directly at the other party's firm eyes, Chen Qian's heart warmed slightly: "Share the blessings and share the difficulties."

……

The lights were brightly lit, and more than a hundred soldiers stood in the martial arts hall, with their heads lined up, but there was no sound.

He Zhan stood with his hands behind his back, and said to them: "Everyone has been dormant for a long time, and the opportunity to perform meritorious service has finally come. Shaoqing sent a message and asked us to go to the Western Turks as envoys of the imperial court. It may be calm, or we may meet each other in battle. If you have any timidity and worry that you will never return, you don’t have to go with me! If you want to make contributions and benefit your wives and children, just pick up your sword and set off with me!”

Everyone had been in Zhangye for a long time, and the strength they had practiced every day was nowhere to be used. Hearing the words, they were full of enthusiasm, and they promised: "But send by the commander!"

Even the grandsons of the dignified heavenly family are not afraid of death, so what reason do they have to shrink back?

He Zhan yelled: "Okay! This is the good son of my Han family!"

He looked at the three of Lin Miao who had just been reprimanded today: "The three of you stay here. If we can't come back, you can take our suicide note back to Chang'an, present it to His Majesty, and give it to our respective families!"

Lin Miao and others hurriedly said, "I'm young and strong, and my injuries will recover in a few days. I don't want to be greedy for life and fear death, and I want to follow the leader!"

He Zhan originally disagreed, but they begged again and again, and said that everyone can send the suicide note. If all the comrades go to death to make contributions, they are the only ones left behind, and they will have no face to go back to see their parents and villagers. Only then did I agree.

After everyone dispersed, Chen Qian said to He Zhan: "Congratulations Commander, you can use people's hearts and morale."

He Zhan looked up at the moon.

The moon is as round as a disk, and it has not changed since ancient times.

All the moon-watchers in the world share a piece of the moon.

He thought of what his third brother said to him before he left, and the ambition he had made when he left Chang'an. Peace and serenity.

The texture on the scabbard of the lightsaber was clearly palpable in the palm of his hand, but he clenched it tighter.

Third brother, wait for me.Chang'an, wait for me.

……

He Rong stood outside the tent, raised his head with his hands behind his back.

"Today is the fifteenth day, the moon is really round." Xue Tan sighed.

He Rong: "The moon is sixteen on the fifteenth day, and it is sixteen today."

Xue Tan laughed: "Look at me, I don't know what day and night it is, so we have been here for two months, your reminder is so vague, I don't know if Wulang and the others can receive it, and if Wulang can understand it. "

He Rong casually said, "Goro is smart, but he doesn't show it on weekdays. I have a tacit understanding with him, and the reminder is not difficult to understand."

Xue Tan: "I'm afraid that old Khan won't make it to that time..."

Before he finished speaking, he saw Hongyan rushing over with a nervous expression: "It's not good to sweat a lot, the princess tells you to go back to the tent quickly and don't wander around!"

Xue Tan quickly covered his mouth.

He speaks childishly, God don't take it seriously!

The author has something to say:

He Rong looked at the moon and sneezed: Who keeps talking bad about me behind my back?

another place,

He Zhan said to himself: I don't know if he will return the pocket money that was taken away by the third brother.

Yang Jun: Well, I promised Saburo that I will show him to see each other before we get married. If he doesn't come back, won't I be unable to get married for the rest of my life?

He Tai: Saburo, come back quickly, dad is waiting for your idea, err.

He Rong sneezed one after another all night long.

Xue Tan: He Zhenguan, how much debt do you owe to others?