Chen Xizhi pointed to a small town in front and said, "That is the town at the foot of Mazong Mountain, the important road for merchants to travel east and west. After passing here, the next stop is Xingxing Gorge. After passing Xingxing Gorge, you will enter Yizhou."

Zhao Zi pulled his horse and looked at the town with only a few families in front of him, saying, "After walking for nearly a thousand miles, this town with less than ten families is actually the most lively and prosperous place. It's really a ghost! Where should this town be taken care of?"

Chen Xizhi said: "It is said that it should be under the jurisdiction of Guazhou. However, since Dangxiang captured Guazhou, no one has visited this town and he has not even collected taxes."

Zhao Zi said: "Guazhou is still hundreds of miles away. When I come here to collect taxes, the tax money is not enough for the tax collector's travel expenses."

After saying that, he raised the reins of the horse and said, "Let's go to the town for the night! Have a good rest here, and the next stop is Xingxing Gorge!"

Everyone agreed and drove the horse to go quickly, following Zhao Zi and heading towards the town ahead.

The vanguard of the Song army had already controlled Xingxing Gorge. Within hundreds of miles, there were people stationed in this town. When Zhao Zi arrived, the officers stationed here came out early to greet him, and brought Zhao Zi, Chen Xizhi and others into the best houses, and a large group of people camped outside.

This time, Zhao Zi and Chen Xizhi and others brought 3,000 troops to Yizhou. More than 2,000 people stationed along the road, more than 5,000 people transported supplies from Juyan to Yizhou. The remaining troops were led by Zhang Sheng and were still stationed in Juyan County.

From Juyan to Yizhou, there are already commercial roads that have been opened all the way. There are water springs on the road, but there are no residents. Business travelers who take this road need to bring their own dry food. It is extremely difficult to walk this nearly a thousand miles away.

Zhao Zi went to the residence to clean up, walked to the yard, looked at the continuous mountains to the west, and said to Chen Xizhi: "Is that Mazong Mountain?"

Chen Xizhi said: "The general is right, that is Mazong Mountain. In fact, you can also walk from the north of the mountain, but there is no trace of people in this area, so you can go south of the mountain. When you reach Xingxing Gorge, it coincides with the road to the Western Regions of several counties in Hexi. The important place of Mazong Mountain is Xingxing Gorge."

Zhao Zi nodded and said in his heart, what else do you need for such a place? Without railways, the Song army would not be able to take the northern route at all, and could only enter the Western Regions from several counties in Hexi. The railway changed many things and also changed the geographical environment.

The guard officer came in and crossed his hands to Zhao Zi and said, "I have prepared a small wine to welcome the general tonight."

Zhao Zi said: "Just simple, let's hold a dinner party in this courtyard tonight. I have been walking for nearly a thousand miles and there is no place to rest. It's really unlucky. Although your place is simple, there are still people, so it's a place to be considered a place."

The officer said: "There is a road here to go south, leading directly to Guazhou. The subordinates are stationed here to prepare for the Dangxiang."

Zhao Zi turned his head and looked at the yellow sand in the south, saying disdainfully: "The army of Dangxiang across the country, one stationed in Shanhe Pass and the other stationed in Lingzhou, is in a precautionary manner to attack them. When we arrive in Yizhou, several counties in Dangxiang's Hexi will not be at peace, and they still have the courage to tease them!"

This area is vast and sparsely populated, and cannot support the garrison of the army. There are not many troops in the Guaxiang and Sha Prefectures, so they do not have the courage to fight against Zhao Zi's tens of thousands of troops. Although this place is nominally under the jurisdiction of Guazhou, after Zhao Zi occupied it, Dangxiang did not even send a document, just pretending it was invisible.

Zhao Zi was not very interested in entering the Western Regions, but he wanted to go south from Juyan to attack Suzhou and Guazhou in Dangxiang. However, the Song army on Qinfeng Road has not yet completed the training. It is not the time to attack Dangxiang, so he can only advance westward first and occupy the Western Regions.

Seeing that the sun in the west was about to set, the garrison officer ordered the soldiers to set up tables in the yard, set up charcoal stoves, and prepare dinner. He said to Zhao Zi: "General, it is cold here at night, which is better than the time of the resident time. It is September now, and it is extremely cold after the sun sets."

Zhao Zi said: "I have been here for nearly a thousand miles from Juyan to this place. I have already known it after walking for so long. Don't worry, as long as the wind doesn't blow, the soldiers can withstand it. You can place more bonfires by the table, which will be lively and warmer at that time."

The officer promised to take his soldiers to clean up.

Zhao Zi said goodbye to Chen Xizhi, took his entourage, left the yard, rode on horseback, inspected the military camp. Three thousand soldiers, including avant-garde, a central army, and a rear guard, all the entire team drove more than ten miles. Zhao Zi rode his horse and inspected the barracks of various departments. Seeing that nothing was wrong, he came back.

At this time, the sun had already set, and Chen Xizhi and several members were on fire outside and roasting the fire. When they saw Zhao Zi, they hurriedly saluted.

When he sat down at the table, Zhao Zi said, "Where is the wine? Come on the wine first! If you can walk on the road, drink a glass of wine first to get rid of bad luck."

When the soldiers came to drink, Zhao Zi raised his glass to Chen Xizhi and said, "Entertain, drink a drink! When you go to Yizhou, the city lord is not here, it depends on you to talk about the necessity!"

Chen Xizhi said, "Don't dare, raised his glass and drank it all with Zhao Zi."

Putting the cup on the table, Zhao Zi said: "At the beginning of last year, outside Hezhou City, I brought 10,000 troops and horses to sweep tens of thousands of people behind the White Horse Military Supervisor Office, and went to Lou Bobei. But the one who fought head-on for that battle was Yang Wenguang, and I just chose him to take advantage of it. I trained troops in Suizhou, and that battle was the biggest battle I fought. Later, I stationed in Juyan, and there was no trace of people around for hundreds of miles, which was very difficult to bear. This time I went to Yizhou, which was an important place in the Western Regions, and it was considered the place where this Dingyuan army really fought."

Chen Xizhi said: "General, Yizhou is not a big place. He ruled one state and two counties, with only a few thousand households."

Zhao Zi said: "Although there are few people, it is the gateway to the Western Regions, which is not comparable to ordinary places. The envoy returned to Yizhou and handled the property for the city lord. Should he live in Yizhou or go to the capital?"

Chen Xizhi said: "The city lord has gone to the capital city. What else do I mean in Yizhou? Of course, I am going to the capital city to find the city lord."

Zhao Zi nodded: "What the envoy said is right. How can a remote place like Yizhou compare to the prosperity of the capital? Now in the capital, there are all kinds of treasures in the world, and all kinds of benefits. Only where can you truly live."

While speaking, a sheep was roasted there. The soldiers unloaded the meat, put it on a plate, and brought it to the table.

Zhao Zi pointed to the mutton and said, "Although this place is remote, there is no shortage of cattle and sheep! Come on, let's drink and eat meat together while the meat is hot!"

After eating for a while, Zhao Zi said, "Entertain, I wonder how many forces there are in Yizhou City? How will these families do in the army enter? Although the city lord's family has been in charge of Yizhou for nearly a hundred years, I wonder if the families under their jurisdiction will obey his instructions?"

Chen Xizhi said: "The lonely city of Yizhou has been blocked since the destruction of the Kingdom of Khotan and Shazhou fell, and merchants have been blocked. The big business families have moved away long ago, and now the rest are small families. The generals led their troops in, and it happened that everyone was happy except for their military service."

Zhao Zi smiled and said, "The envoy said that everyone is happy, it would be better if it is true. Don't let the army arrive at the city of Yizhou, but the city gates are hanging high and you can't enter the city. That's not good. I'm not ready to fight in Yizhou this time."

Chen Xizhi waved his hands repeatedly: "General, don't worry, I will carry the city lord's handwriting with me. When I arrive in Yizhou, I will definitely welcome you into the city."

Zhao Zi nodded: "It's best if this is the result. If you are blocked outside the city, the army's firearms will not have eyes. Since last year, they have not fought wars for more than a year. You people are afraid that they don't know that the firearms are powerful."
Chapter completed!