"You also know poetry?"
"I don't understand."
The centurion shook his head.
"The village head Wang Ergou also likes to mutter a few words when he has nothing to do. What your Highness does is infinitely better than him."
Li Ke laughed dumbly.
He doesn't even know how to flatter someone. No wonder he has been in the army for so many years and needs to be competent and capable, but he is still a centurion now.
If you become an official, you will probably be tricked to the point where you won’t even have your pants left.
But Li Ke was not a petty person, so he smiled and put the matter behind him.
On the contrary, he felt that the more such a person was, the more trustworthy he was.
Not far after leaving Chang'an City, the road became rugged.
The scenery along the way also changed from lush green plants to endless wasteland.
This made Li Ke glad that he had added bearings to the carriage early, but he also began to miss the Chinese infrastructure in later generations.
You know, what he is traveling on now is the famous Silk Road.
This kind of road, which is ranked among the best in the country, is in such a state of ruin.
Needless to say about other unknown trails.
After swaying around in the carriage for a few days, Li Ke felt that he couldn't stand it anymore.
Not to mention that my body was about to fall apart, the main reason was that the journey was so boring.
From Chang'an to Hexi, the distance is more than a thousand kilometers.
In later generations, you can get there in half a day by plane or high-speed rail.
But in this era of extremely inconvenient transportation, it takes half a month.
This half month has been an unbearable torture for Li Ke, who is used to mobile phones and computers.
Before coming out of the palace, he took a few books with him.
But they are all obscure and difficult to understand scripture annotations, which make my head feel heavy after just two glances.
What? You ask why you don’t bring a novel?
Not to mention whether the novel appeared in a period like the Tang Dynasty.
Even if it has a prototype, it is mostly spread among the people.
You know, before engraving and printing became popular.
Things like books are real luxuries.
Except for Confucian masterpieces such as the Four Books and Five Classics, or religious works such as the Tao Te Ching and the Diamond Sutra.
Anything else, if printed casually on books, will be despised by scholars all over the world.
On this day, Li Ke was really depressed.
"How much longer?"
Li Ke stuck his head out of the car.
"Go back to Your Highness. We can arrive in Lanzhou before sunset today."
The same centurion.
"...Isn't this only half the journey?"
Li Ke collapsed a little.
Huo Qubing had nothing to do, he just rode around all day long.
Li Ke told him before setting off that there was no need to hide his clumsiness.
After all, in a place like the military, strength speaks for itself.
Huo Qubing has no official title, so if he wants to win the respect of others, he can only use his fists.
However, he did not disappoint Li Ke. On the day of departure, he knocked over a six-man team with his bare hands during the break, and he was still unscathed.
You know, these are all elite soldiers, not new recruits who just joined the army and don't know anything, nor are they old soldiers who are just waiting to die.
Huo Qubing's own strength, coupled with Li Ke's acquiescence, made him quickly become a leader-like existence among these eight hundred people.
"Your Highness, there is a small group of people in front of us."
Huo Qubing suddenly rode over and said to Li Ke.
"Is there anyone? Where?"
Li Ke stood up with a start.
"Your Majesty, there is no need to worry."
Centurion said with a smile.
"We have entered the territory of Lanzhou. The people in front must be here to greet His Highness."
Li Ke was stunned for a moment, then let out a sigh of relief.
He was indeed a little too sensitive, but he forgot that he was still in the realm of Guan.
Lanzhou is an important transportation thoroughfare. If this place is captured, I am afraid that the city of Chang'an will be destroyed, which will not be far away.
Sure enough, it didn't take long for the visitor's face to become clear.
"His Royal Highness King Wu."
A middle-aged man with a big belly stood up and said to the carriage.
"I am Xiao Cheng'an, the governor of Lanzhou. I heard that Your Highness was here, so I came out of the city to greet you."
"The governor is interested."
Li Ke said lightly.
The governor of a state and the fourth rank official.
The difference in status between the two was huge, and it was not worth taking him to heart.
However, this is not the main reason.
Li Ke had heard some rumors that the governor had a close personal relationship with the East Palace.
So he came here to greet him, obviously with some ulterior motives.
It’s better to be cautious when going out.
"His Royal Highness King Wu, I have prepared a small amount of wine at my house, but I don't know that Your Highness..."
Xiao Chengan said tentatively.
"I have official duties and it is not convenient for me to drink. I appreciate the kindness of the governor."
Li Ke shook his head and rejected him without hesitation.
"In this case, the lower official is being rude."
After being rejected, Xiao Chengan was not angry.
He bowed slightly and stepped back.
Li Ke said nothing more and ordered the army to continue marching.
Watching the carriage gradually go away, Xiao Chengan also gradually put away the smile on his face.
"Tell the people over there that the target has arrived in Lanzhou and will arrive at the destination in about seven days."
"yes."
One of his men immediately mounted a fast horse and rushed westward.
"Sir, when we do this, are we..."
Another subordinate said hesitantly.
"His Royal Highness King Wu is also a prince after all. If the plan fails, I'm afraid we..."
"Are you questioning my decision?"
Xiao Chengan said expressionlessly.
"My subordinates dare not."
The subordinate quickly knelt down.
"His Royal Highness King Wu is indeed a prince."
Xiao Chengan snorted coldly.
"But there is still a difference between a prince and a prince. He is just a barbarian. Death in the hands of the Turks is considered the best destination for him."
"My subordinates know."
…
"Lao Huo, move quickly and go to the city to get me some saltpeter."
In the carriage, Li Ke ordered.
"There's also charcoal and sulfur. Get some of them too."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Huo Qubing didn't say much and simply turned around and left.
At nightfall, three boxes appeared next to the carriage in time.
"Your Highness, what are you doing with these things?"
The centurion was a little confused.
"I'll do a magic trick for you."
Li Ke smiled mysteriously.
"Go get two basins, one big and one small."
"yes."
After a while, looking at a few pieces of broken ice emerging from the basin, the centurion opened his mouth as wide as if he could hold an egg.
"Is this...a trick?"
"Whether it's a trick or not, you won't know until you try it?"
Li Ke threw him a piece of ice.
The centurion threw it into his mouth without hesitation and chewed it loudly.
"It's really ice!"
At the entrance of the ice block, the centurion's face was slightly distorted by the cold.
But he was still reluctant to spit out the ice cubes in his mouth, and instead chewed harder.
Marching in the summer is indeed a torturous thing.
Especially in the Western Regions, there were not even trees on the Silk Road.
The sun shines straight down, tanning people's skin.
Li Ke was better, after all, he was in the carriage.
The soldiers are different, they wear armor.
