Several capable Pegasus scouts followed Li Jiangyao closely and quietly approached the enemy's team.
There was a beautiful ambush in the forest last night. Almost all the two hundred horse bandits were strangled. Only a dozen lucky guys escaped from death and returned to the main group of horse bandits.
Li Jiangyao was hanging behind them and touched the current place.
Obviously, the entire army of horse bandits became very vigilant because of the unexpected attack on the team. They sent out horse patrol posts in all directions from a distance, so that Li Jiangyao and the others did not dare to get too close.
A cursory observation shows that these horse bandits are quite extraordinary.
The first is the size of the population. Ordinary horse bandits usually only have a dozen or so people. Dozens or hundreds of people are enough to attract the attention of the local government. However, the gang in front of them actually has as many as five or six thousand people, and they are completely like an army.
Secondly, the weapons and equipment of these horse bandits should not be underestimated. Although they wear a variety of clothing, some wear full armor, some wear half armor, and some don't wear armor at all, and their helmets and hats are also all kinds of. All styles are available. However, the weapons in their hands are all standard of the regular army.
Whether it is a short-handled narrow-body sword or a long spear, bow and arrow, they are all common in the armies of the Western Border countries, and they are by no means suitable for ordinary bandits and horse thieves.
In other words, the origins of these horse bandits are also worth pondering.
The large army of horse bandits arrived at the small oasis where a fierce battle broke out last night. After a brief inspection of the messy battlefield, they hurriedly left and followed the footsteps of Lin Feng and others.
Li Jiangyao knew that the other party was coming for him, so he quickly called to his men, followed the path and ran fast, and finally caught up with the Pegasus scouts outside Metasequoia City.
As soon as everyone entered the city, they hurried straight to the city guard's house, submitted official documents to officials Chechi, and met with Ma Mu, the guard of Metasequoia City.
Ma Mu is a native of Chechi. He is in his forties and his face is full of vicissitudes of life.
Here, he has a dual identity. He is the city guard of Metasequoia City under the command of the King of Chechi Kingdom, and he is also the seventh-grade Metasequoia County magistrate specially entrusted by the Shengtang Dynasty.
This was an ingenious measure created by the imperial court in order to maintain the stability of Western Xinjiang: some Xijiang people who yearned for the Holy Tang were specially selected and trained to become important local officials, maximizing the reconciliation between the people of Western Xinjiang and the Holy Tang. relations and safeguard China’s interests here.
Regarding the arrival of Li Jiangyao and other soldiers, Ma Mu showed the characteristic cheerful temperament of a Che Chi man. When Li Jiangyao came into contact with Ma Mu, he also recognized him and felt that they were very compatible with each other.
However, at this time, he had no time to exchange polite greetings and went straight to the point: "Master Mamu, how much combat power is currently available in the city?"
Hearing his question, Ma Mu knew that something was unusual, and quickly replied: "Metasequoia City is an important trade town. There are at least thousands of merchants and travelers coming and going on weekdays, and the permanent population in the city is nearly 40,000. To say that you have some boxing skills , the young man who made a few gestures, there were originally more than two thousand people, but they lost a lot due to resisting the invasion of the Turkic Blood Wolf Army a while ago, and now there are only one thousand two hundred left."
Li Jiangyao showed an apologetic look on his face: "To tell you the truth, on our way here before, we encountered a large number of horse bandits, and accidentally killed about two hundred of them. These bastards wanted revenge, so they gathered four Five thousand people are chasing us all the way, and Metasequoia City may become the target of attack.”
"Master Captain, if we talk about this seriously, I have to thank you on behalf of the people in the city." Ma Mu waved his hand: "A few days ago, Metasequoia City received an ultimatum from the horse bandits, specifying that we should be ready to attack within three days. Ten thousand taels of gold and silver and a hundred beautiful women were offered to them for their enjoyment, otherwise they would kill all the chickens and dogs here. For a moment, people in the city were panicked. If it weren't for the large amount of goods that could not be transported in time, there would be I am afraid that not even a single merchant can be seen in Metasequoia City. At the same time, everyone is also worried about blindly escaping out of the city and accidentally being blocked by horse bandits. It is better to stay in the city for a little peace of mind. The people of Metasequoia City are all I feel uneasy every day, and rumors are spreading in the city. I don’t know what to do. Now that the army from Zhenjiang Protectorate has finally arrived, Metasequoia City can be saved! Tell me, can we not be grateful? "
Ma Mu's words immediately confused Li Jiangyao, and it took him a long time to realize: "Damn! Didn't I bring these guys together? I just said, he shouldn't be so unlucky!" "
He turned his head and said to his subordinates with a playful smile: "Look, we are the heroes who rescued us in time, not the brooms who caused trouble. Hahahaha..."
Lin Feng ignored him and asked Ma Mu: "Master City Guard, are horse bandits so rampant? They can actually threaten a large town the size of Metasequoia, and you are really worried about this all day long."
"This brother doesn't know something," Ma Mu patiently explained: "These horse bandits are not ordinary sand bandits, but insurgents who kill without blinking an eye."
"Rebellious army?" Li Jiangyao was a little confused when he heard this. He had been in Western Xinjiang for a long time, and he had never heard of horse bandits called "rebellious army".
Like him, the Pegasus scouts who had been stationed in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang for a long time also did not understand the meaning of Ma Mu's words.
Ma Mu continued: "The ones who are harassing Metasequoia City this time are the Ghost Alliance who have been hiding in the deep northwest of Ghost Desert. Their leader is the Geerhan brothers known as the 'Two Heroes of Ghost Desert'. That Geerhan Han was originally the prince of our Chechi Kingdom. Because he failed to fight for the kingship, he led his soldiers to rebel against Chechi and became a sand horse bandit. The two brothers were highly skilled in martial arts and continued to recruit and annex various countries in the ghost desert. A gang of road bandits eventually formed a ghost alliance, which is said to have tens of thousands of people."
"So exaggerated?" Du Jian frowned: "Why haven't you heard of it before?"
Ma Mu: "Brother Geerhan did disturb Western Xinjiang for a period of time at the beginning. However, because they were afraid of the Zhenjiang Protectorate and were afraid of being annihilated by the army, they voluntarily withdrew to Balkunlun Lake as soon as they got better. It is located at the northwest end of the Ghost Desert, sparsely populated, and close to the Eastern Wilderness of Persia. Therefore, in recent years, the Ghost Alliance has mainly gone to plunder Persia, and you have rarely heard of it."
Another Chechi official continued: "Gerhan was once our royal family, and nearly half of the Ghost League are Chechi people, so we occasionally receive some news about them."
Li Jiangyao nodded slightly: "It seems that they are seeing that the Turks have just invaded here this time, and the power of the Protectorate has been weakened, so they are ready to make a move."
"Eighty percent so." Ma Mu agreed: "Gerhan has always been worried about the throne of Chechi, and his large-scale march eastward is definitely not just for the wealth and women. I think he wants to use Metasequoia City to establish his power and plot It’s too late to seize the car again!”
Li Jiangyao: "Regardless of whether he wants to rob or seize power, he will not be able to use it against our Xinjiang Army! Master Mamu, we were ordered to garrison at the Sequoia this time and brought more than 500 brothers, plus your subordinates, There are nearly two thousand troops in the city, and relying on the city wall fortifications, I think it shouldn’t be a problem to resist the horse bandits. I just wonder how the city’s reserves of grain, grass, and bows and arrows are?"
Ma Mu patted his chest and said, "Sir, please feel free to worry about this. Metasequoia City is an important town on the trade road. The food stored in our official warehouses and various shops is enough to feed the whole city for more than a year. In addition, the horses here are There are the most dealers. There are sixteen large and small stables in the city, and there are about 3,000 high-quality war horses. There are also as many as two dozen arms dealers and blacksmiths, with at least 100,000 bows and arrows gathered. In addition, what kind of wood , stones, kerosene, and skilled craftsmen, you can have whatever you want, and it will definitely be enough!”
"That's it!" Li Jiangyao rubbed his hands excitedly: "Speaking of it, I have never been so generous. This time, we have to entertain the guests well."
Metasequoia City is a very typical trading town in the Ghost Desert of Western Xinjiang. The entire city lies on the trade road, with a long and narrow distance from east to west and a short distance from north to south.
This place was originally a deserted place.
I don’t know what year it was, but the nearby underground river accidentally changed its course, and a living spring appeared here like a miraculous work.
Over time, under the nourishment of spring water, an oasis was slowly nurtured. The herdsmen live in the water and regard this small oasis as a place to stay.
Since Shengtang opened up the western frontier and business travel and trade gradually flourished, travelers on the trade routes also regard this place as a treasure and are used to gathering here to rest during their hard journeys.
As the saying goes, where there are people, there is a market.
Everyone saw that the Metasequoia Oasis was becoming more and more lively day by day, so they built shacks and houses along both sides of the business road. Not only did they rest by themselves, but they also started various businesses, such as restaurants, inns, tea shops, and brothels. Everything you need.
As time went by, a lively and bustling commercial street began to take shape. This was the predecessor of Tianquan Street, the main road that runs east to west in Metasequoia City.
In the short time that followed, many markets were built around Tianquan Street, and the corresponding population gathered. Within a few years, a sizable small town was formed here.
Under this circumstance, in order to protect the safety of the trade routes and to facilitate the trade and life of people of all ethnic groups, Shengtang and Chechi negotiated and worked together to build walls and cities. After two years, they finally built a city that is famous far and near. Metasequoia City.
Because Metasequoia City is located on a trade road, large numbers of caravans rarely pass through the north and south city gates. They are only used as backup options for entering and exiting the city, so the regulations are slightly narrow. In addition to the wooden gates, there are also iron gates that can be activated up and down. gate to enhance defense capabilities.
In contrast, the east and west gates are completely different.
Because these two gates connect Tianquan Street in the city and the commercial roads outside the city, they are very prosperous on weekdays, so they were designed to be extremely open when they were built.
The two city gates imitate the style of the Holy Tang Dynasty, with high gate towers and cornices and brackets on them. The doorway is arched as a whole, more than three feet high, two feet wide, and more than thirty steps deep. In order to facilitate the entry and exit of caravans, there are no iron gates like the north and south gates. Instead, there are two heavy copper-nailed gates that open and close on the left and right.
Outside the east and west city gates, a small square was set up each with a rammed earth foundation and covered with bluestones. It was specially used for large caravans to gather and rest.
Above the doorway of the east city gate, there is a huge bluestone slab inlaid with four sacred Tang characters "Xijiang Yongzhen" engraved on it; while at the same position of the west gate, there is also a stone slab of exactly the same size and shape, with the words "Brothers and sisters of one mind".
Not far from the east and west city gates, there are also separate small gates.
Usually, the main entrance is used for camel teams and horses, while the small entrance is used for oxcarts and sheep.
Such special arrangements are mainly for the convenience of traffic diversion. Because the camel bells hanging on the camels ring very slowly and have a dull sound, while the bells on the cows' necks are loud and brisk. If the two bells are mixed together, the animals are often easily disturbed by each other and lose their pace. .
Such unique and interesting scenery can be regarded as unique to the Xijiang trade route. In the days without the intrusion of sand and horse bandits, this place would always be a lively scene of well-organized camels and horses and bustling business travelers.
But at this moment, the people in Metasequoia City no longer had the joy and peace they had in the past.
As the sun gradually turns westward, the ferocious ghost alliance horse bandits may appear outside the city at any time, roaring towards them.
There is not much time left for the defenders.
With Makmu's help, a large number of young and middle-aged men and women of all ethnic groups gradually arrived at the site of the city's fortifications to help the Governor's Palace strengthen its defenses. In addition, there is a steady stream of supplies being rapidly transported to various forward positions.
