Although she tried her best to hide it, the trace of sadness that flashed between her eyebrows betrayed Ni Xin.
He got married! He actually got married.
Yes, unlike the children in the world, how many of the men of Chang'an at his age are not enjoying their beauty by leaning on the red and the green?
She was so stupid to expect him to marry her... He was so shameless. Why would he ask for his hair since he already had a family?
Bah! How could I fall in love with such a deceitful person?
Commander Ni's attitude toward the young man suddenly turned cold, which was directly reflected in his leadership of the Shule Army. In the past, Ni Xin would be at the forefront of the team, judging the general direction from the long smoke rising from the beacon tower in the distance, so that he could
Everyone tried to avoid detours as much as possible. But now, Ni Xin was hiding alone in the middle of the cavalry, only making a few perfunctory remarks when the general asked.
The general and escort Ni had an quarrel, and everyone naturally kept silent and would not join in the fun. Although they didn't know the reason for their quarrel, they knew one thing - don't meddle in things that you shouldn't.
.This is the tacit acceptance of every man who grew up in Chang'an City and Guanzhong.
If you don't go to Mobei, you don't know how vast the territory of the Tang Dynasty is. If you don't go to the Western Regions, you don't know the wonders of the world's scenery.
I don’t know which scholar or poet said this. At this moment, Li Kuo understood this very well.
If the beauty of Guanzhong lies in its majesty, and the beauty of Jianghuai lies in its prosperity, then the beauty of the Western Regions lies in its magnificence.
All you can see is a vast expanse of khaki, endless flying sand, and gravel dancing, swaying, and falling with the cold wind in early spring... Occasionally, one or two plain white bones appear, reminding people that this journey is not.
Not safe.
Yumen Pass, which cannot be reached by the spring breeze, is located deep in the sand dunes a few miles away.
After leaving Chang'an, passing through Weizhou, Lanzhou, Ganzhou, and Suzhou, they traveled westward for more than 2,000 miles, and finally arrived at Yumen Pass.
"Hurry!" Li Kuo reined in the horse lightly and waved to signal the troops to stop.
"Your Majesty the General has ordered that the entire army be stationed and stationed at rest!"
"Your Majesty the General has ordered us to stay where we are!"
The flag bearer was ordered to ride on a fast horse and gallop through the empty space reserved for him in the middle of the team, conveying Li Kuo's general order.
Along the way, they had avoided passing through the passes along the way, but Yumen Pass was the only way to go to Anxi. They had to pass through the city gate no matter what. Li Kuo gently picked up the crossbow that Ni Xin had given him, and Li Kuo shook his head and smiled bitterly.
, this thing is good for self-defense. However, if it is really in front of the two armies, such a gadget is not enough to stop the teeth, right?
A scout team of dozens of people has been sent by Xian Yuyucheng to investigate the front. He is not familiar with the garrison of Yumen Pass. Although he once belonged to the Longyou Military Department, he cannot be regarded as Ge Shuhan's confidant. Not to mention the imperial decree.
, now that he has been classified into the Anxi Army system, everything should be done in accordance with the rules.
Just imagine, if you were a guard at Yumen Pass and suddenly saw nearly 3,000 cavalry rushing towards the pass, would you order the soldiers to string their bows?
"what are you waiting for?"
This was the first time Ni Xin took the initiative to speak to the boy in the past few days, and Li Kuo was naturally very happy.
"I'm waiting for the signal to guard Yumen Pass." Li Kuo controlled the reins with one hand and said with a smile: "It is a common practice in the military that if one of our own people passes the pass, they will light colorful smoke. When we see the colorful smoke, we can march towards Yumen Pass safely.
.”
"What if we encounter enemy troops?"
"When encountering an enemy army, if the number of intruders is less than 1,000, a single smoke will be burned. For every 1,000 enemy soldiers, an additional firework will be added!" Li Kuo pointed to the city wall in the distance and said. In the past six months,
Later, he studied military books and tactics in Chang'an, and also learned a lot about the rules and practices of the army.
"After entering Yumen Pass, take a good rest." Ni Xin sighed and turned the horse away.
"It's colorful smoke!" A sharp-eyed soldier saw the fireworks ignited a few miles away and shouted excitedly: "General, it's colorful smoke."
"Send my order to the general and march slowly!" Li Kuo nodded and issued the military order.
...
...
"The city of Yumenguan is far away and isolated, with thousands of miles of yellow sand and white grass drying up. To the south is the Quanrong army and to the north is the Hu army. The general's arrival is unprepared. The five thousand armored soldiers are brave and courageous. There is nothing to do in the army but they are having fun."
The permanent military strength at Yumen Pass actually reached 5,000!
Even so, after welcoming three thousand Shule troops, Yumen Pass did not show any sign of crowding.
In fact, Yumenguan is not a pure military fortress. As soon as you enter the city, you can see the streets and shops lined up in rows. Although it lacks the grandeur and grandeur of Chang'an City, it has a bit more vitality and human touch. The streets are full of vitality and humanity.
They were business travelers and residents coming and going. Although their faces were carved by the wind and sand, they looked so kind and sunny...
When we climbed up to the city gate and looked from a distance, we saw swamps all over the city, crisscrossing ravines, the winding Great Wall, and towering beacons. Poplars were tall and straight, the springs were green, and the red willows were red, all full of spring.
Who said that the spring breeze will not pass through Yumen Pass? This is just a favor!
At this moment, Li Kuo finally understood why more merchants and troops chose to go through Yumen Pass on the north side, and gave up the more reasonable Yangguan Pass for collecting city gate taxes. Yangguang is a must-pass place on the southern route of the Silk Road, because it is located in
Outside a large river where snow melts, an oasis is nourished. But because of this, sand thieves from the depths of the desert often come here to enjoy the autumn breeze.
In addition, there were not as many troops stationed at Yangguan as there were at Yumenguan, which could not guarantee the safety of traders. Over time, business travelers would rather spend more on customs duties than take the risk of losing their heads by taking the southern route to cross Yangguan.
The safety of life is always the top concern of business travelers.
"General Li, General Li, Zhang has been waiting for you for a long time!" Outside the guard's office, a middle-aged man in his forties gently stroked his beard and greeted Li Kuo.
"It turns out it's Zhang Shoubei, I've been looking up for a long time, I've been looking up for a long time!" Li Kuo tightened the reins, threw off the stirrups, and jumped off the horse lightly. The guards of the garrison came forward to lead Qingfeng, and took him to the stable to rest and eat.
Looking at his eyebrows...he vaguely remembered an old friend in the Hexi Army that Uncle Gao Shi told him about, Zhang Ziqian!
Since he was Uncle Gao's friend, the young man naturally felt friendly to him.
"Well, General Li is indeed a talented person. I thought Dafu's words were exaggerated. When I saw him today, he really lived up to his reputation!"
Zhang Ziqian nodded and said: "Let your army be stationed in the camp in the southeast of the city. There is enough room for three thousand people to live there. If more people come, I'm afraid there will be nothing I can do."
"Thank you Zhang Shoubei!" Li Kuo felt warm in his heart and expressed his thanks.
"Why are you so polite to me? I think back then, when Dafu and I met, we were at your age. Life flies by so fast. In the blink of an eye, I have long hair... Dafu's nephew
You are my nephew, and you will live in this townhouse today and have a good chat with me!"