Zhenlan City.
A bearded general had just dismounted outside the city and couldn't wait to run towards the city.
"Cui, my Zhang Da Cui'er!"
The general finally ran up to the pavilion. When he saw a dignified girl from the Western Regions, he opened his hands with joy and made the girl run like crazy, rushing into the house.
"Put it down, put it down first!" The girl from the Western Region blushed.
"Tui'er, what's wrong?"
"Ahem, um." At this time, a cough came from the side.
When Wei Feng looked up, he realized that Yin Hu and Zhao Dun were already waiting here.
"Brother Wei, how about we finish talking and then get busy?"
Wei Feng laughed dryly and hurriedly put down his wife.
"No matter what, we all came here together."
"Brother Wei, my lord is coming to the Western Region. He is already halfway there." Yin Hu raised his head and spoke seriously.
Hearing this sentence, Wei Feng was startled at first, and then he became ecstatic.
In the Western Region for more than a year, although I have a wife here, if I say I miss my home, Shuzhou and my lord, that is definitely a lie.
"As you know, my lord has conquered the land south of the Yangtze River. Now, it's time to resolve the affairs of the Western Region." Zhao Dun frowned at the side.
"Brother Yin, Military Advisor Zhao, you also said that there is a pair of hands in the Western Region that has been stopping us. Have you found those hands?"
Yin Hu and Zhao Dun looked at each other and shook their heads. Even if we know that there is such a person, so what, among the countries in the Western Region, there are many big countries that are very repulsive to Xi Shu and are unwilling to cooperate. Those who are willing to negotiate peace are mostly just outsiders. It is true to trade with them, but they are only a few Hu merchants, and they carry very few goods to the Central Plains.
"Brother Yin, do as I say and destroy two more countries to see if they accept it?"
Yin Hu smiled bitterly.
"When we first entered the Western Region, it was necessary to kill the chickens to scare the monkeys, but now, we have established a firm footing. What we need to consider, as the Lord said, is the long-term development plan."
"I have discussed it with Military Advisor Zhao. We will discuss it with some countries in the next few days and make a fuss about my lord's entry into the Western Regions."
"I would also like to trouble Princess Naguli and summon more respected old people to discuss matters together." Yin Hu continued to speak.
Zhenlan Princess Naguli nodded.
"Brother Yin, what about me?"
"Wei Feng, you are bringing five thousand cavalry troops to meet my lord. I'm worried that those black hands will do everything possible to obstruct my lord's arrival in the Western Regions if they know about it."
"This relationship is great!" Wei Feng laughed, "When I meet my lord, I will hug you for a few rounds. By the way, Silly Tiger is coming too?"
"It seems they came together."
"Then let's stop hugging each other." Wei Feng's voice trembled slightly.
…
puff.
After spitting out the sand in his mouth, Xu Mu wiped his face several times. Si Hu, who was next to him, even cursed her repeatedly. Along the way, I didn’t eat any meat, only sand.
"Brother Sheng, tell the guides to come and drink with me when we set up camp." Xu Mu said with a smile.
If it weren't for these few guides who kept teaching them to avoid the sand and dust, they might have really suffered a disaster.
"My lord, we have already walked more than half way. I estimate that it will take another four or five days before we can see the oasis." Chao Yi walked over, his face covered with dust.
"When you reach the oasis, you don't have to eat sand."
In the sea of sand, the significance of oasis is extraordinary. Even a small oasis can support vegetation and small animals for dozens of miles around, and can also suppress the outbreak of sand dust in the nearby area.
"Chao Yi, let people set up camp first."
Starting from Zhaowu County, out of more than 2,000 camels, only three were lost. But more than a hundred war horses died along the way.
It can be seen how harsh the climate of this sand sea is.
According to Xu Mu's vision, the Silk Road must be perfect and smooth, starting from the Western Regions and following the direction of the oasis. But a large section in the middle is a deserted and dead place.
Even if there is a small oasis, Xu Mu is willing to send a battalion to expand the garrison and serve as a rest stop for both parties.
"My lord, the guide is here."
Xu Mu looked up and found that Chen Sheng had led four guides to Xu Mu.
"You're welcome, please sit down." Xu Mu smiled.
Although these guides are all barbarians, you can definitely rest assured that they are all good ones selected from Zhenlan City by Naguli.
"The night is dark and windy, and you guys have worked hard all the way. I, Xu Mu, can't thank you enough." Without any pretense, Xu Mu raised the wine bowl in his hand and started to drink as a sign of respect.
Seeing Xu Mu's boldness, the several Hu guides suddenly stopped being cautious and drank, feeling comfortable.
"One more question, how far is this place from the Western Region?"
Although I heard Chao Yi's answer, no matter what, it was still a few guides who were more familiar with it.
"King Shu, it will take about four days to reach the next oasis. Once we get to the oasis, the road will be easier." One of the older guides said seriously.
"Everyone, please take a look at this map." After hesitating, Xu Mu took out a parchment scroll from his arms.
As long as there is an oasis, there won't be much of a problem. But this section in the middle of the sand sea will take at least ten days to walk through.
Hu merchants from the Western Regions may not have much of a problem. But when the time comes, if merchants from the Central Plains are selling goods, it is very likely that many people will die on this road.
Don't underestimate this kind of thing. As long as a few more people die, Xu Mu guesses that the merchants selling goods in the Central Plains may die out and no longer dare to go to the Western Regions at will.
"The king of Shu is so serious about his work, the four of me admire him."
"A few of you are laughing."
On the parchment scroll, what Xu Mu drew was the route along the way, as well as various landmarks. But just now, he suddenly thought that there should be a transfer station as a resting place on the road to death.
Xu Mu spoke out his thoughts seriously.
"King Shu, there is no oasis nearby... On this stretch of road, not to mention the ones in the Central Plains, there are many barbarians from the Western Regions who often get lost and die."
Xu Mu sighed. Without oases and water sources, it was simply unrealistic to build a transit station. We couldn't always transport water over a long distance from Liangzhou.
"King of Shu." At this time, the older guide suddenly thought of something and spoke hesitantly.
"Has the King of Shu ever heard of Qiu Haiguo?"
"Qiu Haiguo?" Xu Mu thought for a while, "If I remember correctly, the country was destroyed by the Daji more than two hundred years ago."
"Exactly. I want to tell the King of Shu that according to the reference of the sun's refraction, the ruins of Qiuhai Kingdom are more than two hundred miles north of here. I grew up in the Western Regions and often heard people say that underneath the Qiuhai Kingdom, There is a large hidden oasis. Otherwise, it would be impossible for the people of Qiuhai to build a country in such a place."
Xu Mu didn't believe it about the underground oasis. Without sunlight, there is no way to support an oasis. But the words of the old guide do contain great information.
Although the country is not big, Qiu Hai Kingdom existed for nearly seventy years before the provocation era was destroyed.
Xu Mu rubbed his forehead and thought about going to Qiu Haiguo's hometown. He came here this time to completely resolve the Silk Road matter.
And this dead end, which will take more than ten days, is the top priority. As long as there is a transit post house, whether it is a merchant from the Central Plains or a merchant from the Western Regions, the survival rate can be greatly increased.
Regardless of Xi Shu's reputation or the benefits that can be gathered, this matter must be done after all.
…
