Chapter 4 Tianma River
On the river beach, a little girl of four or five years old was running towards the blizzard excitedly on the sand.
A few dozen steps away, a man in white robe looked crazy and chased him quickly.
Blizzard was angry. This was a provocation, an unscrupulous provocation. Its eyes suddenly became cold, its huge head was raised high, and its long neck hair was rolling in the wind, with a fierce murderous aura.
The little girl not only did not notice the danger, but ran faster, and even stretched her arms forward, as if she wanted to caress Blizzard and embrace Blizzard.
Blizzard suddenly lowered his head, grabbed the ground with four claws, ready to go.
The little girl was about to touch its bottom line of patience. A roar of thunder sounded on the river beach, and the snowstorm issued its final warning.
Shi Penglai's soul was scattered, and a cold chill rushed to his head, and his mind suddenly became blank.
"Blizzard..." Galan roared, threw away his brush, and ran to the river beach with all his strength, "Don't move..."
"Xue'er..." The man in white robe's frightened and shrill screamed almost at the same time.
The little girl seemed to have never heard of it, her arms were completely stretched out, and she ran happily while making an intimate hug.
The blizzard growled lowly, like a lightning bolt, and roared out loud.
"Blizzard..." Galan roared again, his legs suddenly exerted force, and his tall and mighty body flew up in the air.
The little girl seemed not to see the changes in front of her eyes, and she still ran like a happy bird with her arms spread out.
The snowstorm rushed over, but it heard Galan's roar and heard the intention of stopping it from the roar, so it subconsciously put away its front paws and tried to use its body to hit the other party, driving this lifeless thing out of its sight.
At the critical moment, Galan flew into the air, and used his body to rush into the Blizzard while pushing the little girl away with all his strength.
Blizzard and Galan collided and landed with a bang.
The little girl flew back several steps under Galan's push and fell on the river beach.
Shocking moment.
Shi Penglai felt that his eyes were dark, and he flew with Venus, his legs were even more powerless to support him, and he couldn't help but collapse on the ground.
The man in white robe ran over and picked up the little girl, shouting, "Xue'er, Xue'er..." His voice was terrible, with a bit of despair and sorrow, and his emotions seemed to be completely out of control at this moment.
Blizzard turned over and remembered to continue attacking and defend his territory. Galan flew over, hugged Blizzard's big head with one hand, pressed its body with one hand, gently stroked Blizzard's hair with the other hand, and comforted her in a low voice.
The little girl was not frightened at all. Her eyes were always looking at Blizzard. When she saw Blizzard being stuck in her neck and pressed to the ground by a naked man, she suddenly uttered two words with difficulty, "Snow...er..."
The man in white robe cried abruptly. He looked at the little girl in surprise, moved his mouth a few times, as if he wanted to speak, but seemed to be afraid of scaring the little girl, so he stayed there for a moment.
The little girl pushed away the man in white robe, stood up, and walked to Blizzard with her hands and feet.
Blizzard was furious, roaring with thunder, and struggling.
While trying his best to suppress it, Galan pressed his face to Blizzard's cheek to convey a message of safety and calm Blizzard's anger.
The man in white robe followed her, full of vigilance, with a very complicated expression. He was afraid of the ferocity of the Blizzard and worried about the little girl's safety. But something incredible happened just now, which made him temporarily give up the idea of taking the little girl out of danger immediately, but even accused the little girl of continuing her adventure.
Liehuo ran over, lowered his big head, rubbed Blizzard's body with his thick lips and tongue. Scar also shook his long neck, shook his little head, and looked at Blizzard curiously underneath him. Blizzard was still struggling, and his saliva suddenly sneezed loudly, and his saliva sprayed on both sides. Blizzard turned his head and stared at Scar, and a mastiff and a camel stared at each other, not giving in to each other. A wonderful thing happened, and Blizzard's anger was actually lost by Scar's sneezing. Galan felt that Blizzard's tense muscles were quickly relaxing, and his nervous mood suddenly soothed. At this time, he looked up at the little girl standing in front of him.
The little girl is very beautiful, with a black hair and yellow dress, ice-skinned and jade-like skin, elegant and refined, her eyes are bright and charming, but her eyes are very dull, and she always stares at Blizzard, as if in her world, there is nothing else except Blizzard.
Galan's eyes turned to the man in his white robe. He was in his twenties, with a medium figure, white face and short beard, a pair of sharp eyes and a calm expression, with a strong sense of alertness.
The little girl stretched out her hand and wanted to caress Blizzard.
Blizzard growled again, his muscles tensed again, and although the hostility in his eyes was reduced, it would never allow strangers to touch their bodies.
"Take her away." Galan shouted angrily at the man in white. The little girl was obviously abnormal, and the man in white was very close to her, but strangely, he actually stood there stupidly and let the girl continue to irritate Blizzard. He really didn't know how to live or die.
The man in white robe no longer hesitated and leaned over to pick up the little girl, "Xue'er, come with your elder brother, this is not your Xue'er, your Xue'er has already returned to the Great Snow Mountain."
The little girl didn't struggle and let her brother hold her, but her eyes were always looking at Blizzard, and her hands were stretched out, with joy and desire in her dull eyes.
The brother and sister took four or five steps, and the little girl suddenly uttered two words again, "Snow...er..."
The man in the white robe paused for a moment, but then left like a flying one.
Galan let go of Blizzard and jumped up. Blizzard raised his head and let out a smug roar towards the gradually distant back. Galan couldn't help but pat his head, "Go to the river and wash it again." Then he gave the scar a heavy blow, "Next time you sneeze, stay away from me, have you heard?"
Bali ignored him, walked away with a small square step, and walked to the edge of a bunch of camel thorns, and started eating with great pleasure.
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Shi Penglai stood up staggeringly, looking at Blizzard who was having fun in the river, feeling scared. After hesitating for a while, he shouted to Galan, "I didn't mean to hide you."
Jialan was washing her face. Hearing this, he straightened his waist, wiping the water on his face, and shook his hand at Shi Penglai, signaling him not to say anything. I wouldn't ask, nor did I want to know the true identity of the brother and sister. But Shi Penglai was determined to tell Jialan the truth about the matter. He had a bad premonition that this trip to the east would be in danger.
"He is Zhaowu Qushuzhi, the third prince of Kang State." Shi Penglai said, "A few years ago, the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty summoned the kings of the Western Regions in Hexi. The elder of Kang State Zhaowu Shibis was visiting Yanqi at that time. He also received an invitation from the emperor of the Sui Dynasty and considered being invited to leave again and again. This incident angered the Khan of the Western Turks, who believed that the old king of Kang State and the nine kingdoms of Zhaowu betrayed him, so he lured Lao Wang to the royal court and imprisoned him in the black Turkic crossbow of Yaoshui (Sir River)."
"Kang State was the leader of the nine kingdoms of Zhaowu. Lao Wang was detained by the Turks. The sons fought for power, and the leader of the nine kingdoms was no longer the leader. The nine kingdoms immediately split. This was a trick of the Turks controlling the nine kingdoms of Zhaowu and seeking the interests of the Silk Road in the Uhu River (Amu River). Therefore, after the Shekui Khan defeated Nijuechuluo Khan, he continued to implement this strategy. While detaining Lao Wang of Kang, he tried his best to provoke a fight between Kang and the nine kingdoms of Zhaowu in order to further weaken the power of the Lite people."
"I was ordered by the King of Shi Kingdom Zhaowule, and rescued Lao Wang of Kang Kingdom, but failed and only rescued the third prince Zhaowu Qushuzhi who served by Lao Wang."
"The third prince decided to go to Chang'an, Dongtu, and beg the Emperor of Sui to take help, so all this happened."
Jialan walked to Shi Penglai and teased, "Why do you want to wade into this muddy water? Are you short of money or think that your life is too long?"
Shi Penglai replied sternly, "I am a Li Te, a citizen of Shi Kingdom, and a descendant of the King of the Nine Clans of Zhaowu. Whether for public or private purposes, I will never hesitate to do so, even if I am torn to pieces."
As if it was the first time he met Shi Penglai, he looked at him suspiciously. Shi Penglai held his head and his chest up, his eyes were bright, and he looked generous in his death.
"Why are there two people in Mili?" asked Galan, "At first I saw Mili being fat, I thought she was a fat man, but there was a little princess hidden inside. The purpose of your trip has been exposed. It may be very dangerous to go to Chang'an. Why should I take a little princess? Is it going to Chang'an for medical treatment?"
Shi Penglai nodded, "Last year, the eldest prince and the second prince of Kang State were crippled with each other. The palace was blood flowing into a river. The queen was killed. The little princess was frightened and lost her soul. Since then, she has been foolish. After hearing the news, Lao Wang sent someone to take her to her and ask the Turkic shaman to summon her soul, but it was not successful. This time the third prince was going to Dongtu Da Sui for help. Lao Wang thought about it again and again and decided to let her take the little princess with him. Even if there is no hope of restoring the country, if the little princess' soul can be recalled, it will be fine if Lao Wang's wish."
"Soul-conjuring?" Galan shook his head and smiled, "Where is the way to summon the soul? It's just autism. If you are well recuperated and with appropriate psychological treatment, you still have hope of recovery."
Shi Penglai was quite surprised, "Can you conjure the soul?"
"This is a mental illness." Galan poked Shi Penglai's chest, "The root of the disease is here. I told you not to believe in shamans, witchcraft, etc. If you are sick, you will find a doctor, otherwise you will die."
"Can you heal?"
Shi Penglai has seen many of Jialan's talents and is no longer surprised by this kind of thing. For a while, he even suspected that Jialan was the reincarnation of the guardian god of Jialan, or simply the guardian god who came down to earth to possess it.
Galan shook his head, "I am not a doctor and I can't cure diseases, but I know this disease is difficult to treat, and the treatment time is usually very long, maybe ten years, maybe a lifetime."
Shi Penglai had no intention of entangling in this matter, and then went straight to the point, "Galan, you will help me no matter what, this time, it is related to the life and death of the entire Lite people. You are a child of the Buddhist family. The Buddha said that saving a life is better than building a seven-level pagoda..."
"Don't talk about the Buddha." Jialan immediately interrupted Shi Penglai's words, "Whether you still trust me like in the past, I will help you. After all, my Great Sui Dynasty is the co-lord of the twenty-seven countries in the Western Regions, and the nine Kingdoms of Zhaowu are my Great Sui Dynasty. Now Zhaowu is in trouble, and I am the Great Sui Dynasty. I have no choice but to support me. But the current situation is tense, and I cannot guarantee that I will send you safely to Dunhuang. You should pray for the Buddha's blessing."
Shi Penglai was overjoyed. Jialan was so arrogant and brave enough to take responsibility, which finally made his heart fall a little bit. With this promise, he believed that the camel caravan could at least arrive in Shanshan safely.
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It was past noon, and Shi Yu and his Lite Jingqi still did not appear.
Shi Penglai was anxious and uneasy. He was secretly nervous when wearing Mili Zhaowu Qu Shuzhi. Only Jialan was calm and calm, and calm. He sat under a poplar tree, placed a chess scale and black and white chess pieces, held a dilapidated chess record, and focused on studying the endgame.
Suddenly, a long horn sound came from the north bank, and the Li Te people patrolling in front finally sent the news that Shi Yu had arrived.
Soon, the sound of hooves rumbled, and a team of Li Te Jing rode out of the poplar forest on the opposite bank like lightning. Then they rode their horses into the Tianma River, crossed the waist-deep river, and reached the beacon tower.
As the man shouted and the horses were neighing, Shi Penglai hurriedly ran to the poplar tree with a group of white-clothed brave men. A strong black-mouthed man in his thirties ran in front, panting and sweating profusely. He stopped when he was five or six steps away from Galan and gave a deep salute, "Galan, Achaelu are attacking Tianmashu."
Then a large group of people followed closely behind and saluted respectfully, shouting "Galan..."
Galan is a Dharma name to Dunhuang himself, but in the hearts of these Lite people, he is as brave as Galan's guardian god. Calling his Dharma name is actually a kind of respect for him.
Jialan glanced at them lightly, then stopped on the face of the black-mouthed man in his thirties, "Shi Yu, have you gone to Tianmashu? Where are there four more people? Have you broken?"
"This morning we vaguely saw wolf smoke igniting in the direction of Tianmashu, so we searched for it." Shi Yu said anxiously, "On the way, we met a garrison who came out of Tianmashu, who was seriously injured. Before he fell into a coma, he told us that Ah Chailu was attacking Tianmashu and he was going to Tulunchuan for help. I left four people to take care of him, and the others followed my Pegasus to report to the beacon tower." After that, he took out a golden wooden sign from his arms and handed it to Shi Penglai standing beside him.
Shi Penglai took it and sent it to Jialan's hand. Jialan put down the chess record, put the wooden card between his hands and gently rub it. The wooden card immediately split, with one side engraved with handwriting, and the other side was concave, and a folded piece of paper was placed inside. Jialan opened the paper and looked carefully. Shi Penglai went to the side and took a look quietly. There was a poem on the paper. Although he understood Chinese a little, he was still confused. Obviously, if he wanted to understand, he had to know the secret code of the command.
After reading the secret letter, Galan looked calm and had no emotional changes.
Everyone looked at him nervously, and even the Zhaowu Qu Shuzhi who arrived later showed panic. This place is six or seven thousand miles away from Chang'an. Once it is blocked, the prospect will be really dark.
"How many Chailu are there?" Shi Penglai couldn't help asking.
"Two centurions." Galan said lightly, very casually, and seemed to not take it seriously.
The two centurions are two hundred cavalry, and if the servants are added, the number may reach four hundred. This attacking force is an invasion of large soldiers for Tianma Shu.
Tianma Shu is a border checkpoint between the Great Sui Dynasty and the Kingdom of Khotan, and is a must-pass place for the northern Silk Road. The Tuyuhun people besieged Qiemo City with their main force, attracted the garrison troops from various Qiemo to the Qiemo capital, and then attacked Tianma Shu with partial troops to cut off the Silk Road. In this way, they can not only complete the attack on the outer periphery of Qiemo, but also occupy the key Silk Road to gain great benefits, killing two birds with one stone.
Li Teren walked the Silk Road for a long time, and he could immediately guess the situation. Everyone was in danger and secretly frightened.
"How many people are there in Tianmashu?" Shi Penglai asked again.
"Even if all the beacon guards on the Tianma River line return to the garrison, there are only twenty people."
Galan's slow and slightly hoarse voice seemed particularly sad when he heard Li Teren's ears.
Even if all twenty people returned to the garrison, they would be 10 to 1 in comparison with the Tuyuhun people. There was no way to fight this battle. Perhaps now Tianma Shu has been lost and Tuyuhun people have occupied the garrison pass.
Shi Penglai's face was a little stiff. He forced a smile and asked in a low voice, "It's the border county, Yingyang Mansion should be the upper mansion, with at least six regiments of 1,200 people. The Tianma garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garrison garri
Jialan didn't say anything. He must use the power of these Lite people to rescue Tianmashu. From the current situation, the hope of rushing to Qiemo City is actually very slim, but whether there is hope or not, he will rush to Qiemo City. This also requires the help of Lite people, so the two sides must now cooperate closely, and cooperation requires trust, so some things must be explained clearly.
"It's okay to tell you, it's not a secret. Last year, when the Khan of Nijue-kuro went east to Chang'an, the Western Regions garrison troops also returned to Zhenhexi in large numbers. According to the news I received, the reason why Chang'an adjusted its deployment on a large scale was because the Sui Dynasty was going to expedition to Liaodong and Goryeo." Galan said quietly, "There is no sufficient force in Qiemo Yingyang Mansion, so the main force must be concentrated in Qiemo City to guard the capital, so the troops of various counties, towns and garrisons were naturally reduced to the limit."
Galan turned his eyes and looked at the Zhaowu Qushu Branch, saying a double talk, "My Great Sui conquered Goryeo, and the main army will inevitably return to the northwest and strive to survive the Western territory. Although the Achaelu counterattack fiercely today, what if Fu Yun occupied Qiemu? When the main force of our Great Sui returns to the Western Regions, these Achaelu will definitely die without a burial place. My Great Sui is the common ruler of the Western Regions. Even the nine Zhaowu Kingdoms far west of the Pamir Mountains will be protected by our Great Sui. This is the case now and in the future, there is no doubt about this."
Shi Penglai and Zhaowu Qu Shuzhi looked at each other and smiled bitterly. The situation was overturned overnight. It was not Li Te who asked for help from Jialan, but Jia Lan asked for help from Li Te. Li Te wanted to go to Chang'an safely, while Jia Lan wanted to rescue Tianmashu and rush to Qiemo City. Both sides walked the same path, so they were naturally working together.
Shi Penglai did not hesitate. He did not turn back. He only walked one road to the dark. "When will we set out?"
"At midnight," said Galan, "We rushed to Tianmashu at dawn and launched an attack."
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Zhaowu Jiushang:
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Sui and Tang dynasties, the Sui and Tang dynasties, the Sogdians or their descendants from the Sogdian region of Central Asia, were widely known as the Sogdians or their descendants in more than 10 small countries. The kings all took Zhaowu as their surname.
According to the "Book of Sui", the nine surnames of Zhaowu were originally from Yuezhi. They lived in Zhaowu City, north of Qilian Mountains (now Linze, Gansu). Because they were destroyed by the Xiongnu, they went west to the Pamir Mountains. The branches all divided into kings, and Zhaowu was the surname. The residents mainly engaged in agriculture and also engaged in animal husbandry.
According to Chinese and historical records, he originally lived in Zhaowu City, north of Qilian Mountains, and was attacked by the Xiongnu. He moved westward to the Hezhong area of Central Asia. Zhishu divided into kings, including Kang, An, Cao, Shi, Mi, Shi, He, Mu, etc., all of which were Zhaowu, so he was called Zhaowu's nine surnames.
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Chapter completed!