Jiang Shuo was pleasantly surprised to hear Zhang Shouyu's words. It was the first time in so many days that he heard that Ye Qingyao's exact whereabouts might be his. He and Xiang'er couldn't help but feel refreshed and immediately asked for details.
Zhang Shouyu said: "The Tang and Tibetan armies have been fighting back and forth these days. This place is between Linfan City and Shibao City. The Huangshui River turns to the northwest here, while Shibao City is to the southwest. Here It’s a fork in the road.”
Only then did Jiang Shuo realize that the Tang army had not randomly chosen its garrison location. This place was surrounded by mountains and was blocked by the Huangshui River in the north, forming a triangular valley. The Tang army occupied the eastern corner and the Tubo army could not outflank it. Instead, the Tang army could take advantage of the surrounding mountains. , taking advantage of the Tubo army's carelessness and annihilating the Tibetan army.
Zhang Shouyu said: "The locals call this place Huangyuan. Our army formed a formation here five days ago. When the Tibetan army ran into the trap, it must have been three days ago. I saw a group of strange people passing by here."
He tried to recall, pointed to the mountain to the south, and said, "That day, a sergeant saw a group of people walking on the ridge over there."
Shuo and Xiang looked to the south and saw that the ridge pointed by Zhang Shouyu was very steep and difficult for ordinary soldiers and civilians to climb. However, it would not be difficult for martial arts masters like Xie Yanchang and Nan Ba to walk on this ridge.
Zhang Shouyu said: "Those people are as agile as apes and move very fast on the mountain. We thought it was a trick of Tubo, lest they find a trail in the mountain, bypass Linfan City, and attack Shancheng. So we sent people to check. On one side, we sent cavalry scouts to follow along the mountain road. However, the sergeants sent searched for several days in the mountains and could not find a path to the ridge. The scout who went to follow up was none other than Gao Bingcao."
Gao Xiuyan had already finished cleaning the battlefield. When he came back, he heard Zhang Shouyu talking about this matter, and said: "Hey... I went to track that team of strange people that day. I said I was tracking. In fact, they had already discovered me. I followed the mountain road to I was chasing me down, but those people were still pointing at me on the ridge.”
Jiang Shuo asked, "Can you clearly see the faces of that group of people?"
Gao Xiuyan said: "They are on the mountain, and I am at the bottom of the mountain. At the moment, they are a hundred steps away. I can't see clearly. I can only see clearly that one of them is the old man Haoshou."
Jiang Shuo said to Dugu Xiang, "Maybe it's Brother Xie Yanchang."
Gao Xiuyan said: "There are still a few people carrying hunting bows..."
Jiang Shuo said: "The one carrying the bow and arrow should be Nan Ba, but how come there are so many people?"
Dugu Xiang said: "That's not surprising. There are many ferocious beasts in the mountains. It is possible that they brought more bows and arrows for defense." Then he turned to Gao Xiuyan and said: "Are they carrying someone on their back? Or are they putting on airs?"
Dugu Xiang asked the key point. If it was really Quan Xingjian, Xie Yanchang and his group, they had to carry Ye Qingyao on their backs or carry them. If they didn't carry people with mobility difficulties, then it was definitely not them.
Gao Xiuyan said: "Yes! They are all!"
Dugu Xiang asked curiously: "Do you have everything?"
Gao Xiuyan said: "There are also people who carry it, and there are people who carry it."
Jiang Shuo and Dugu Xiang looked at each other in confusion, as if they didn't agree with each other.
Gao Xiuyan said: "I remember very clearly that there was a strong man carrying a person on his back. This person was not small, probably not a child. There were also two people with gray heads in black clothes, carrying a soft frame. At that time, I was still I find it very strange that people with difficulty in walking would have to walk on such a difficult mountain. But whether they are carrying people on their backs or carrying soft frames, they all walk very steadily, and climbing over mountains and ridges is like walking on flat ground."
Dugu Xiang suddenly clapped his hands and said, "I know, the person on his back is Quan Daxian!"
Jiang Shuo suddenly realized: "That's right! Quan Daxian doesn't know martial arts. He will definitely not be able to walk on such a steep ridge. Xiao Dayou is probably carrying him on his back."
Dugu Xiang nodded and asked Gao Xiuyan: "Gao Bingcao, where did you track them? How did they come back? Did they lose them?"
Gao Xiuyan said: "I chased them for a day, but the group of people on the mountain ignored me, but they didn't deliberately dodge. Otherwise, if they got into the mountains to the south, I wouldn't be able to chase them on horseback."
It is really strange to say that they walked to the southern mountainous area to avoid the patrolling troops of the Tang and Tibetan armies. However, walking on the ridge like this seems to be deliberately being seen. What is the purpose of such inconsistent behavior? ?
Gao Xiuyan continued: "However, when I met Shen You, there was a man with a bow on the mountain. He suddenly drew an arrow and shot me. But he obviously didn't want to kill me. The arrow fell in front of the horse, obviously. A warning. It was a white-feathered arrow. Most of the arrows we have here are brown goose-feathered arrows, but white-feathered arrows are very rare."
Dugu Xiang said: "That must be Nan Ba! His arrows are all Bai Yu's!"
Gao Xiuyan said: "After the man shot an arrow, I was horrified. I drew my horse and retreated a hundred steps. Unexpectedly, when I went back, the group of people had disappeared. They must have climbed to the other side of the mountain ridge. I was still there. I wanted to pursue him, but I found that I was almost at the foot of Shibao City. There were many Tibetan cavalry there, so I was afraid of being discovered, so I hurried back."
Judging from Gao Xiuyan's account, the possibility of this group of people being Quan Xingjian, Xie Yanchang, Nan Ba and others is very high. Jiang Shuo suddenly said: "It's still wrong. Nan Ba and the others have lost their internal strength, how can they still be like this?" Can you walk like flying while carrying someone on your back?"
Dugu Xiang said: "Maybe they have another adventure, and there is no guarantee that they have detoxified from the bright salt."
Jiang Shuo didn't really believe that a strange poison like bright salt could be solved by explaining it, but at the moment there was no more reasonable explanation. I'm afraid only those who catch up with them would know the truth.
Moreover, Meng Lu also said that the way to enter Dafeichuan was through Shibao City, which was consistent with the route Gao Xiuyan said. The two decided to go to Shibao City to find the people and say goodbye to the Tang army.
When Li Guangbi heard that they were going to Shibao City, he was surprised and said: "Looking back, don't think that all the Tibetan troops in Shibao City are hiding in the city. Shibao City is very small and can only hide five thousand troops at most. People, a large number of Tibetan troops are camped outside the city, and you three riding in two, I'm afraid it will be difficult to pass their camp."
Dugu Xiang smiled and said: "Hey, we won't fight them. We will just pass through the camp. Ordinary cavalry should not be able to catch up with these two horse brothers."
Zhang Shouyu had seen the two-horse horse, especially the dragon and horse under Jiang Shuo's crotch. He also smiled and said: "Ms. Xiang'er is right. Just remember not to confront the Tubo army head-on. If you sneak through, It’s not impossible.”
Li Guangbi said, "That's nonsense. Looking back, you have great martial arts skills and want to serve the country with a useful body. How can you risk yourself?"
Gao Xiuyan said: "Yes, I would say it is better to go up the Huangshui River. There is a pass in the mountains on the east coast of the West Sea. The mountain road there is narrow and it is difficult for the army to pass. However, you three and two horses can pass without any hindrance."
Jiang Shuo was unwilling to go around, saying: "It's been three days since Quan Daxian and Brother Xie. If we go around again, we don't know where to look for them. For the current plan, we have to catch up with them quickly." !"m.
Jiang Shuo was determined. No matter how much Zhang Shouyu and Gao Xiuyan tried to persuade him, he would not change his mind. He crossed his arms and said to everyone: "Brothers Li Junshi, Zhang and Gao, thank you very much for your kindness, but Xiang'er and I are in debt." There are too many people, and I have made up my mind to catch up with the group of people from two days ago as soon as possible!"
Everyone in the Tang army knew that it was useless to persuade them, so they had no choice but to say goodbye to the three of them. Jiang Shuo suddenly thought that Dugu Wen, Ge Ruliang and his wife had not arrived yet, so he asked Li Guangbi: "There are still many people behind us who have not arrived. If Li Jun envoys If they hit me, please ask the military envoy not to embarrass them and let them pass."
Li Guangbi glanced at the third person besides Jiang Shuo and Dugu Xiang, Tuoba Qimei, and said slowly: "They are from Xihai Dangxiang, right? Their ability to drill mountains is better than ours. I'm afraid our army just wants to keep them. Dangxiang The Qiang people can also bypass Shibao City.”
Gao Xiuyan also said: "Yes, the trails and passes in the northwest of Huangshui that I mentioned earlier were the secret passages for the Dangxiang Qiang people to enter and leave the territory of Tang and Tibet."
Zhang Shouyu also said: "With the Dangxiang Qiang people as guides, you don't have to worry about not being able to pass through Shibao City. I heard that the Xihai Dangxiang Qiang people are very good at finding roads in the mountains, and are especially familiar with the roads and trails in the meandering land. .”
Upon hearing this, Tuoba Qimei also saluted Gao and Zhang with folded hands, as if to thank them for their praise of the Dangxiang Qiang people. Everyone bid farewell to the Tang Army and headed southwest, following the mountains. However, they saw that the mountain road leading south to Shibao City was indeed very steep. In several places, the mountain roads were so narrow that everyone had to dismount and move close to the cliff.
After the three of them walked out of Li Xu, Tuoba Qimei said to Jiang Shuo, "Follow me."
As he said that, he spurred his horse off the road and ran towards the mountains. Jiang Shuo caught up with him and said curiously: "Brother Tuoba, I see these cliffs are steep. Not to mention ordinary horses, even yellow horses and peach blossom horses, they may not be able to do it." Rush to the top of the mountain.”
Tuoba Qimei laughed loudly and said: "What do they know? The Dangxiang Qiang people have been walking in the Tuyuhun land for hundreds of years. Naturally they have their own paths. The so-called Di has Di Dao, Qiang has Qiang Dao. There is no place in the meander that we cannot go. .”
Dugu Xiang said: "But Zhang Shouyu said that the Tang army searched for a long time but could not find a way into the mountains to the south."
Tuoba Qimei said: "That's because they don't know how to do it. In fact, walking on the ridge is not because they intentionally reveal their whereabouts. It's because these people are walking on the ancient Qiang road in the mountains. They are most afraid of getting lost when walking in the mountains. Walking along the ridgeline is a straight line. Pointing to the target, you won’t lose your way, but I usually walk low down at night, so I won’t show off to them like this.”
Shuo and Xiang were doubtful, so they followed Tuoba Qimei into the mountain forest. After twisting and turning for a while, they found the way up the ridge. However, only Longxiang and Yanzhi were able to climb the mountain. Tang Jun The most used Dawan horse looks strong, but is not good at walking in the mountains.
When they climbed the ridge, it was already dark. It was so dark all around that they couldn't see anything clearly. There must have been patrols at the bottom of the mountain but they couldn't find them. After walking nearly fifty miles to the southwest, they saw a brightly lit place. The mountain road here was slightly brighter. It opens up to form a small plain and then to the west is a broad road entering the West Sea.
The end of the plain suddenly arched high and connected with the vast mountains. On this steeply rising mountain platform, there sat a stone castle.
The castle is actually not very high. The stone walls are only two feet high, but with the cliff below, it is already twenty feet high. At this height, no matter how many siege equipment you use, it will not be able to break through.
Looking at the plains and hillsides opposite the small town, they are covered with yurts and tents. The continuous camps extend all the way back. Although they cannot fill up Liu Bei's ten-mile company camp, they occupy an area of several miles.
The lights in the camp illuminated the camp, and the army formations could be seen clearly. Jiang Shuo mentally confirmed this with the chapter on the art of war in the "Long and Short Classics" given by Zhao Rui. However, he felt that the camp's strict laws were not consistent with the Shibao Castle. It looks like it is easy to defend but difficult to attack.
It seems that the general here is also a general who is good at arranging troops. It is hard to imagine that the commander of the defenders is actually the seemingly rough and powerful Iron Blade Xenoro.
Some people died, but not completely...
