The next day, dusk.
Tread.
A defeated remnant army, only about 20,000 people, was slowly marching feebly in the west direction.
"My lord... the scouts sent out said that Lingju Pass has been captured. If we want to return to Liangzhou City, we can only take an extra five hundred miles of detour."
Dong Wen shook his hands and brushed the ends of his messy hair. By now, he no longer looked like King Liang. The golden lion helmet fell off and the golden armor on his body was also dedicated to the Tu people.
The wolf tendon bow was broken into pieces, and the gilded spear was thrown into Shelang Qiu at some unknown time.
"My lord, General Asa said...if he doesn't get any more money, he will get angry and lead his army back to the Western Regions."
General Asa is the red-armored general of the Tu people.
"Damn it, I gave you all my gold armor!" Dong Wen gritted his teeth.
Many of the soldiers beside him were silent. In this battle, from the initial number of nearly 100,000 people, to now, there are no more than 10,000 people left.
"Tell Asa that when we return to Liangzhou City, I will increase it to three hundred thousand taels of silver."
"Lord, if not, please, please surrender——"
"What did you say!" Before a general could finish his words, Dong Wen grabbed his hair with a cold face.
"How can I, Dong Wen and Dong Yixiao, ask for surrender from Shuzhou!"
"My lord, I said the wrong thing at some point."
"Next time, I'll chop you!" Dong Wen gasped and let go of his hand. Looking at the scenery of Liangzhou in the distance, my heart is filled with sadness.
"Don't be anxious, don't be anxious at all. When we return to Liangzhou City, as long as we guard the city gates, the common thieves won't take long -"
"Lord, there are Shuzhou cavalry in the north and they are already coming this way!" At this time, a cavalry scout hurried back.
"Damn it, hurry up, tell Asa and change direction immediately. The Shu people are powerful and invincible!"
"Lord, if we go further... we will enter the desert."
"There is still a chance, don't worry, I said, there is still a chance. As you all know, I, Dong Yixiao, am the one who wants to dominate the world. Hurry, avoid the Shu army first!"
…
After closing the door, Xu Mu frowned.
"Into the desert? If we go further, we have to reach Yumen Pass."
"Dong Wen knows that the area around Lingju Pass is composed of our Shu army. With his current remnant army, he certainly doesn't dare to fight hard. Therefore, he must find a way to circle back to Liangzhou City first."
"There's no way around it. On the Chai Zong side, two more counties have been defeated. Some of the stationed soldiers have already surrendered following Dong Wen's defeat at Shelangqiu."
"On the Xiqiang side, Chao Yi withstood the offensive for several days. After learning that Dong Wen was defeated, the Xiqiang people had no intention of rushing to help."
"Fan Lu, Dou Tong, and Yu Wen have all led their troops deep into Liangdi, preparing to attack the city and plunder the territory."
Xu Mu stopped talking and looked at the scenery of Liangzhou in the distance.
"Without Sima Xiu, this Dong Wen is like having his arms cut off. He just waits for his neck to be pulled and killed. However, that damn Tu Ren, when I calm down, he may launch an army to hold him accountable."
This wave of sudden cavalry attacks caused at least five thousand casualties to the Shu army that had previously shot at Langqiu. He also helped Dong Wen break out, which was considered a huge grudge.
"Wenlong, do you want to send troops to pursue us in depth?"
Jia Zhou shook his head and said, "Lord, you can wait a few more days. If you guessed correctly, the sudden cavalry coming to help should be due to interests. Dong Wen will not be able to realize his interests unless he returns to Liangzhou City. Sooner or later, these two armies will meet There’s a problem.”
"What if Dong Wen enters the Western Regions?"
To the south are the two border cities. Chen Zhong is there. Dong Wen's remnant army and lack of food, grass and baggage will definitely not be able to capture it. To the north is Lingju Pass. There are many sentinels along the way, and Dong Wen can't get through.
The only way is to go straight to the west.
"He will not go to the Western Regions. For some people, hiding their clumsiness once in their life is the limit. You let him lie dormant for ten or eight years and make a comeback. There is no such possibility."
"Wenlong has a sharp eye."
Jia Zhou smiled and said, "Even if he enters the Western Regions, I don't think my lord will worry. After all, after taking Liangzhou, my lord is also planning to put some thought into the Western Regions."
Xu Mu was a little stunned, "Wenlong, can you guess this?"
"Of course, the rushing cavalrymen caused heavy losses to Shuzhou and helped Dong Wen escape. In this way, there will be a chance to become an opening for the lord to open up the Western Region."
Xu Mu was deeply impressed and bowed to Jia Zhou with his fists clasped.
…
Dong Wen, who was hiding in the desert stone forest under the wind and sand, was shivering constantly.
"Lord, those Tu people are leaving. In addition, many of the people who followed us have deserted and entered Liang and surrendered to the Shu army."
Dong Wen remained silent, holding his hands and sitting weakly.
The red-armored general rode on his horse, glanced at Dong Wen, hesitated, and then dismounted.
"King of Liangzhou, I will give you a chance. How about you enter the Western Region first? You have also seen that the Shu people have blocked all your retreat routes, and the Liangzhou army has been defeated like a mountain——"
"I'm not defeated, I'm not defeated, it's just a stalemate!" Dong Wen raised his head and gritted his teeth coldly.
The red-armored general laughed and said, "There is a saying in the Central Plains that it's hard to persuade a damned person with good words. Since you are like this, I will not persuade you."
"Wait a minute." Dong Wen raised his face and suddenly laughed.
"Changed your mind?"
"I remember that I owed you five hundred thousand taels of silver."
The red-armored general frowned, "I know you have no ability, so I don't even bother to mention it. If you can really return to Liangzhou City, I will definitely come to collect the debt."
"Repaying debts is a matter of course!" Dong Wen stood up, swaying with laughter.
"What's the meaning."
"You draw up a debt document. I, the King of Liangzhou, Dongwen, will cede and mortgage the Zhaowu County of Liangzhou in order to offset the five hundred thousand taels of silver."
"Are you...serious?"
"Draw it immediately." Dong Wen smiled even more crazily.
"good!"
The red-armored general was ecstatic. If he had known there was such a method, he should have proposed it himself and asked for one more county in Liangzhou.
You know, it has always been the long-cherished wish of the people from the Western Regions to set foot in the Central Plains of the Epoch.
Only after he had drafted the arrears and drawn the pledges did Dong Wen throw his head back and laugh again, until his eyes filled with tears.
"King Liangzhou, do you really not want to go to the Western Regions?"
He folded the debt and put it into his arms with satisfaction.
"You also know that there are less than 10,000 men and horses left that I brought here, and they can't do anything big. It's better to--"
Dong Wen was still laughing, "Do you think that Dong Yixiao, the majestic king of Liangzhou, will go to the Western Regions and become a barbarian?"
"It doesn't make sense." The red-armored general nodded, fisted at Dong Wen, and prepared to mount his horse and leave. But after taking a few steps, he suddenly thought of something. He took out a few fruits from the trousers under the horse and stuffed them into Dong Wen's arms.
"When I entered Liang, I met a group of horse dealers and took some."
"There is no such fruit in Liangdi. It is called tangerine."
"Goodbye, Prince Liang."
The red-armored general got on his horse, led the remaining soldiers of less than ten thousand people, roared twice, and began to rush westward.
…
Dong Wen sat slumped on the ground, holding a few tangerines in his hands, and suddenly stopped smiling.
"That year, my father didn't like me, and my mother and queen didn't give me any tangerines to eat."
In the cold wind, Dong Wen grabbed the fruit, was silent for a while, and then bit it directly in his mouth. After only taking a few bites, the young King of Liangzhou began to look up at the sky blankly, becoming distracted for a moment.
