The clouds hang in the northeastern border, Yumu County.
This is a cold place. Often after autumn, the trees freeze into jade sculptures, so it is called Tamaki County.
Beihai Customs.
Zhongyong Bo Xiao was in a good mood, standing at the top of the city and looking east.
More than ten miles away is the vast North Sea, with endless blue waves.
However, at the end of last year, when Xiao Zheng led the Donghai garrison from Pinghai County to the north, he realized that the Beihai in front of him was actually not that big.
Across the North Sea is the Baekje Peninsula, and further east is the base camp of Japanese pirates.
And continuing to the north, that is the territory of the Beixiong Empire.
"General, battle report from the south! Good news, good news!" Xiao Yong ran over happily waving a stack of paper.
His family has been the guard of Uncle Zhongyong's Mansion or the former Duke Xiao's Mansion for generations. Now Xiao Zheng is leading his troops northward, and he has become one of his personal guards.
"News has come from Xingji City. Nanfeng has destroyed the country, and the Xingluo Legion and Zhennanguan officers and soldiers are escorting hundreds of Nanfeng civilian and military generals to the north."
"Hold!"
Xiao Zheng cursed happily and depressed at the same time, and quickly took the battle report and read it carefully.
They were all legions. When Yan Hui was stationed in the south, he did nothing except being bullied. As soon as the star falls, Nan Feng becomes a dead one.
It just so happened that the ones stationed with him at Beihaiguan now were the Yanhui Legion.
"General, look!" Xiao Yong pointed to somewhere in the military newspaper and said cheerfully: "The second young master is on the list of prisoners taken north in triumph."
Xiao Zheng also just saw Er Zi's name and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
The master and servant looked at each other and couldn't help but feel happy.
The presence of Xiao Gang's name in the battle report not only meant that he survived on the battlefield, but also won real military merits; it also meant that Zhongyong's residence could temporarily hold on to his ancestral title.
"Let's go!" Xiao Zheng waved his hand in a refreshing manner: "Inspect the various city gates carefully again. See if there are any omissions."
As a father, he cannot lose to his second son.
As he walked, Xiao Zheng raised his head and looked north.
It is almost May, and the severe cold in Tamaki County has disappeared, and there is a vibrant scene of spring flowers blooming everywhere inside and outside Beiquan.
When the news of the last breach of Huchou Pass reached here, the originally aggressive steps of the Beixiong people slowed down a lot.
Presumably, the news of Nanfeng's demise spread to the surrounding neighboring countries, and the royal families of various countries must carefully weigh it in their hearts again.
In an instant, Xiao Zheng gained a little more confidence in guarding the Beichuan Pass and stopping the Beixiong people who were preparing to invade south.
Report!
However, just after taking a few steps, a loud and urgent sound came from behind.
"General, Baekje is asking for help. The Japanese pirates are attacking Baekje in a big way. It seems that they may move west along the peninsula or cross the North Sea at any time!"
Xiao Zheng suddenly stopped, turned around and looked up coldly towards the vast North Sea to the east.
Beixiong's feet slowed down, but the pace of the Japanese pirates in the east accelerated?
Snapped!
He punched his palm hard.
Most of Xiao Zheng's current subordinates are the East China Sea garrison stationed in Pinghai County. They have been fighting bloody battles with Japanese pirates on the eastern coast for generations.
It can be said that almost every soldier has a father or ancestor who was killed or injured at the hands of Japanese pirates.
When it comes to fighting the unfamiliar Beixiong people, they may be a little reluctant, but they have to go north due to the emperor's order. But when it comes to fighting Japanese pirates, everyone wants to eat their flesh and drink their blood.
After taking the military information and looking at it, Xiao Zheng didn't say a word, and strode towards the Chinese army's tent while holding on to his sword.
In the west, deep in the Xiliang prairie.
Wang Ting learned the news of Nanfeng's subjugation immediately.
"This Ruan Tianshou..." King Xiliang was speechless for a while.
"Your Majesty, although the prince of Nanfeng has not been captured yet, Nanfeng has actually perished. The Starfall Army can withdraw to support other directions at any time. Shouldn't we in the grassland be cautious?"
"Your Majesty, from what I have seen, it is best to wait for Beixiong to launch the attack first and attract most of the attention and military strength of the Yunchui Empire. It will not be too late for us to advance eastwards."
…
The King of Xiliang glanced at them silently.
brush!
In front of the anxious ministers, he directly tore the military report from Nanfeng to pieces.
"For the survival and future of the grassland people, I will only say three things."
"First, block the news of Nanfeng's destruction of the country."
"Second, here's the order. All tribes must speed up the recruitment of soldiers, equipment and food. They must raise enough shares before early May. Those who delay will be punished by military law!"
"Third, the army will march eastward. Anyone who dissents will be killed!"
As soon as this order came out, the entire grassland tribes, large and small, went into a stir.
It's okay to say that the soldiers are recruited according to the head of the tribe. However, grassland food and equipment are scarce, so it is not easy to get enough share.
Many tribal leaders have turned their attention to the caravans on the east and west lines.
Now that the Royal Court has decided to attack Yunchui at all costs, the east-west trade routes will no longer exist for a long time in the future.
Instead of letting the caravan go back quietly, it would be better to "borrow" it for your own use.
For a time, the prohibition "not to harm the traveling caravans" agreed between Xiliang and Yunchui no longer existed, and more than ten caravans heading west or returning east were killed in an instant and their blood flowed like rivers.
Ling Yunsheng, the leader of the Ling family caravan in Sulan County, was sweating profusely and looking around.
Some time ago, he was heading east with a caravan full of goods.
However, when passing by a tribe with whom they were familiar, the tribe that was friendly in the past refused the caravan's approach this time and even did not allow them to stay on the grassland.
Ling Yunsheng was confused.
Fortunately, the tribal leader secretly sent someone over to report the situation for the sake of past friendship.
The entire caravan suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
The road to the east could no longer be walked, so Ling Yunsheng hurriedly led the caravan all the way to the north to hide. While hiding, the sky filled with gods and Buddhas prayed to Amitabha for blessing.
His caravan was born in Sulan County, which was the economic center of Yunchui. Therefore, it is a large caravan, with more than 800 vehicles carrying goods alone. It is not comparable to the small and medium-sized caravans of the Gu family.
The grassland is vast and boundless. Even though the Ling family is a large caravan, it is like a grain of sand in the sea. Throw it out and you will never find it again.
So they are safe so far.
"Uncle Mo, where are we now?" he asked the old guide.
"Sir," Ling Mo said with a confused look on his face while holding the map, "According to our speed and direction these days, we should be about 2,300 miles northwest of Yanchi Fortress."
well.
Ling Yunsheng sighed. He also saw Ling Mo's dilemma, "Are there any signs around?"
Only by finding the mark can you truly know the specific location of the caravan and determine its direction.
Ling Mo stared at the map carefully: "There are no tribes around here anymore. There should be a desert of no return a hundred miles to the north."
Not returning to the desert?
Hearing this name, Ling Yunsheng took a breath.
He quickly asked people to check the water carried by the convoy, and then sent guards to search for this desert of no return.
The Gu family caravan had only about forty guards, while the Ling family caravan had a full two hundred guards. The business leader gave the order, and the guards, in groups of five, mounted their horses and dispersed in a hurry.
The next day, the guards returned to the team one after another, but they did not find the Desert of No Return. On the other hand, the guard heading east ran back with a strange look on his face.
"Master's house," the five people looked at each other and said hesitantly: "There are people from Xiliang grazing about two hundred miles to the east. The five of us did not dare to get too close, so we changed several directions and took a few glances from a distance. Eye."
"Their family emblem looks a lot like Kelun."
Ling Yunsheng frowned: "That Kailun tribe near the Yunchui border?"
"should be."
