The people immediately calmed down, only to hear Ban Chao introduce Li Tong first, and said: "This little brother is the descendant of the flying general Li Guang, and he is the elite of the army sent by Geng Gong Sima of the Dunhuang Army to help us." “

"Don't dare to be! Li is young, please take care of your seniors in the future! Li Tong quickly stood up and waved at everyone, and his humble words attracted a round of applause.

After everyone quieted down, Ban Chao continued: "We just received news that the envoy from the Northern Xiongnu faction has been here for several days. The first one is called Wu Lai, and the deputy envoy is called Bi Lizhi, and they have a total of more than 130 people, which is several times the number of us. ”

This news was like a thunderbolt, and the people in the hall couldn't help but be surprised, put down the dishes and chopsticks, and listened attentively to Ban Chao's continued preaching, "Brothers! I think you have also noticed that these days, Shanshan Wang Guang's attitude towards us has changed a lot, he is very likely to hand us over to the Northern Huns, who are numerous, and at that time, none of us will inevitably die without a place to be buried, even if the Huns do not kill us, the best result is to become a slave like Su Wu to go to Beihai to herd sheep, I don't know when I can return to my hometown. ”

Ban Chao saw that everyone was listening attentively and fearfully to his speech, so he suddenly paused, raised his voice and said word by word, "Brothers! We're all in a desperate situation, let's see what to do, shall we? Ban Chao's speech made everyone immediately angry, and people could no longer control their excitement, their blood boiled, and they shouted loudly: "Desperately, we can't let King Shanshan hand us over to the Northern Huns!" ”

"Let's go out, desperately one is enough, desperately two to earn one!"

"The subordinates are with Sima in life, and they must be with Sima in death!"

"Yes, let's listen to Sima!"

In just a few words, everyone was stirred, and Li Tong and Mo Bode were so impressed that they fell to the ground.

Seeing the anger of the crowd, Ban Chao waved his big hand and said, "Okay! The brothers here are all loud men! As the saying goes, if you don't enter the tiger's den, how can you get the tiger? I have planned on the way here, and the only way to do this is to break the cauldron and attack the camp tonight. They don't know how many of us there are, let's surprise him, a big killing, they will inevitably panic, let's take this opportunity to annihilate the Northern Huns in one fell swoop. With this move, Shanshan Wang Guang will definitely be frightened and stand with us with all his heart, and our coming to Shanshan will be done. ”

Everyone supports Ban Chao's proposition. There are also serious people who have some scruples, and kindly reminded Ban Chao and said: "Ban Sima, Guo Zhi is not here, he is a close staff member under the command of Captain Fengche, do you have to discuss this matter with him?" In case ......" Ban Chao waved his hand and said categorically: "No need! Guo Sui was a civil official, indecisive, and consulting with him would inevitably delay time. Success or failure depends on tonight, this matter is big, if it is delayed and the news leaks, it will be a big deal. ”

"Yes, just do it, Ban Sima will command! I'm willing to die! Everyone said in unison.

Seeing that everyone was working together, Ban Chao issued an order: "Yao Guang! You led ten people to hide behind the Northern Hun camp with big drums, and used fire as a trumpet, and when you saw that there was fire, you beat the drum violently, bluffing, so that the enemy did not know how many men and horses we had. ”

"Yes!"

"Tian Xi! You lead ten men to carry oil drums, prepare more dry firewood, and set fire to the wind! ”

"Whoa!"

"Gan Ying! The rest of the men and horses are all under you, with bows and arrows ready, and they are fully armed and ambushed in front of the northern captive camp. ”

"Resolutely do it!"

"Li Tong and Mo Bode, the two of you are new here, and you are not familiar with the situation of the brothers, so you two will temporarily stay with Wang Qiang by my side as personal guards, act with this official, and listen to the command of Ban Mou!"

"Whoa!"

"Okay, brothers quickly divide up and prepare, and gather and set off at the right time!"

"Whoa!"

Yao Guang and Gan Ying quickly gathered the people they brought with them to leave, but Tian Wei hesitated and stood in front of Ban Chao in confusion, opening his mouth several times and refusing to leave. Ban Chaoqi said: "Tian Xi, why are you staying here slowly, why don't you take someone to prepare soon?" ”

"Under ...... I'm afraid I won't be able to complete the task. Tian Yu said with some hesitation.

"Why?" Ban Chao asked.

Tian Shu gritted his teeth and said the doubts in his heart: "Ban Sima, you seem to have forgotten a key condition. Fire attack relies on the power of the wind, do you see where the wind is now? ”

Ban Chao smiled, put one hand on Tian Wei's shoulder, and said, "Mountain people have their own clever plans, so you can go with confidence!" The responsibility for not completing the task lies with the official, and he will not ask you. ”

Although Tian Yu was uneasy in his heart, he couldn't say anything, so he had no choice but to take people and prepare according to Ban Chao's instructions. By this time, night had already fallen.

Unknowingly, a group of centaurs quietly touched the surroundings of the camp of the Northern Huns. Before leaving, Tian Xi was very worried that he would not be able to complete the fire attack mission, and at that time, the starry sky was brilliant and there was not a trace of wind. Out of the city, the breeze is blowing; As he walked on the Gobi Desert, the wind blew stronger and stronger, and his heart relaxed slightly, but he still had no bottom in his mind about whether he could complete the task well.

As soon as they arrived at the camp of the Northern Xiongnu, Tian Xike was happy. At this time, a strong wind suddenly rose, blowing sand and rocks. The flying sand hit the face, spicy and spicy, and the pain was unbearable. The dust chokes people's lungs, and even if you cover your mouth and nose with clothing, it is very difficult to breathe. Tian Xi was tortured by the wind like everyone else, but his heart was happy. He was 12 points sure that he would be able to complete this fire attack mission well.

How did he know that before making a plan today, Li Tong provided the weather situation here at night, so Ban Chao was so sure. This strong wind brought a guarantee to Banchao's plan to deploy troops. Before the wind, there are sentry posts at the gate of the Northern Xiongnu camp and all around, the wind blows together, the wind blows the stones, and even the station is unstable, who does not hide in the camp tent and sleep peacefully! They never imagined that death would come to them with a strong wind.

The wind was howling. Just after the child, Ban Chao already knew that the Northern Huns were sleeping and their guards were lax, and he was suddenly overjoyed.

"God help me!" Thinking like this, under the escort of Li Tong, Wang Qiang and Mo Bode, he quickly came to Tian Xi and his group, pointed to the dry firewood poured with oil, and ordered the fire. Tian Xi immediately led his gang into action. You take my bundle and throw the lit dry wood into the tents. There was originally a lot of firewood and grass piled up around each tent of the Northern Xiongnu, and when the fire was a little bit, it immediately ignited in the strong wind and turned into a sea of fire.

Yao Guang and others, who were ambushed on both sides of the walled gate, saw the fire and immediately led people to beat the war drums. For a time, the drums of the entire Peacock River were loud, the war horses neighed, the sound of killing was repeated, and life was boiling, like thousands of troops and horses attacking, and the momentum was huge. In front of the tent of the Northern Xiongnu camp, Gan Ying's men and horses were already waiting for the door. At the beginning of the fire, they took advantage of the fire to see some Northern Hun officers and soldiers rolling out of the tent in horror and rushing in a panic.

"Shoot the arrows!"

Gan Ying gave an order, and the strings of "swishing ......" rang out, and dense arrows rained down on the panicked crowd. The shouts, screams, and scolding of the Northern Huns came from time to time. Accompanied by the sound of drums everywhere, the sound of killing was in the sky, and the sound shook all over the world. The burning fire, and the howling wind, burst into the sky in an instant, and the entire Peacock River was as bright as day.

In the firelight, Li Tong and Mo Bode were particularly conspicuous, different from the weapons and equipment of the rest of the mission, Li Tong's master and servant wore armor, each holding a large bow, with iron feather arrows, stepping off the war horse Victory Hook hung a long lance up to eight feet long, and was riding on the horse to rush forward, around the entire camp towards the Huns inside.

As soon as the connoisseur stretches out his hand, he will know if there is one! Unlike the rangers, Li Tong's master and servant were both very good condor archers in the army, and the two of them rode wildly on horseback, and there were no arrows from a hundred paces away. I saw them stretch out their bows and arrows, and every time the bowstring sounded, one of them would fall to the ground in the firelight, and in a few breaths, more than 20 Huns fell under their arrows.

This scene made Ban Chao and the others dumbfounded, and everyone who was about to charge was also enthusiastic. Ban Chao applauded loudly: "Good archery!" The magic arrow of the flying general Li Guangzhi reappeared on the battlefield, and when I saw it today, it really deserved its name. ”

After a rain of arrows, I saw that nearly half of the officers and soldiers of the Northern Huns had fallen, and the rest were still colliding with each other and fleeing for their lives.

"Rush!" Gan Ying held a halberd in his hand and led the men and horses to kill the generals.

"Kill!" Yao Guang and Tian Wei also surrounded them from both sides, killing and slashing.

"Kill!"

Ban Chao held a long sword, and under the escort of Li Tong and Mo Bode, one left and one right, formed a triangular formation, like a sharp knife invincible, extremely powerful. Ban Chao and others rode into the enemy group, like the bow of the ship breaking through the water, and took the lead in breaking away the Hun iron cavalry that tried to gather a group, Li Tong and Mo Bode took the lead, waving the long horse lance in their hands, and in a breath, more than 20 Huns fell under the horse lance, and even Ban Chao behind him also cut three people. Wang Qiang followed closely behind Ban Chao and the three, brandishing a big knife, and also slashed two people in a row.

Ban Chao's various groups of people saw that the main general Ban Chao practiced it, and the two new generals were especially like killing gods and charging into battle, that was really a god blocking and killing God, and a Buddha blocking and killing Buddha! The chaotic Huns were in the face of the charging battle with these three people as the sharp arrows, and the Huns did not have a single general at all. Seeing this situation, the people who were catching and fighting against each other were greatly boosted. So everyone scrambled to be the first, all of them were brave, you slashed, he shot, this halberd, that lance, and killed the Northern Huns ghosts crying wolves, and fell to the ground again and again.

The battle came suddenly and ended quickly, from ignition, impact to total annihilation of the enemy, it took less than half an hour. All the members of the Xiongnu mission were annihilated, and none of them escaped. What is surprising is that Ban Chao checked the people by the light of the fire in the camp, and he was suddenly in a good mood. Although more than a dozen of the thirty-seven people were injured, all of them were alive, and this battle was truly a complete victory!

At this moment, except for the groans of wounded soldiers, the battlefield gradually fell silent. The fire is still burning. Under the light of the fire, the Northern Huns were killed by random arrows and killed by various weapons, lying all over the ground.

At this time, Li Tong and Mo Bode each dragged a corpse to report, and the two corpses wore tiger fur hats and fur coats, just like the leaders of the Huns. Li Tong stepped forward to report: "Sima, none of the enemy chieftains have escaped!" These two people were the leader of the house, and the deputy envoy Bi Lizhi asked Sima to cut off their heads with his own hands and bring them back to give a gift to King Shanshan. ”

Ban Chao was overjoyed, patted Li Tong and praised: "Li Shaolangjun is worthy of being General Fei, you and your servant are invincible!" Riding Excellence! I saw it just now, just your master and servant joined forces to kill the sixty-third level of the enemy, and the Hun mission collapsed so quickly, and the two of you contributed a lot. Brothers, Before the war, Li Tong provided detailed information, which allowed our Han mission to gain an advantage in this battle and prevent us from being controlled by the enemy. Today's first merit should be Li Tong's master and servant first! Brothers, Is there any doubt about it? ”

"That's right! We are convinced. ”

As soon as this statement came out, everyone expressed their approval. The Han Dynasty was an era of hero worship, and heroes were the objects of everyone's admiration in this era. Just now, the two of them rushed to the front like killing gods, and everyone saw it. Nearly half of the Huns here died at the hands of these two people, and the combat effectiveness of the two people was indeed outstanding, and everyone admired it from the heart.

At the same time, in addition to the two people's magical arrows, especially the unique weapons used by the two people on horseback, the lethality is too great, especially the outstanding riding skills of the two, which is breathtaking.

Anyone in the know knows that it is not easy to make such a long lance (which everyone thinks is a spear). You must know that the main reason for this is that the use of the lance must be equipped with a high bridge saddle, which was not born until the Sui Dynasty, which made the lance cavalry a powerful type of troops. The horse lance cavalry was able to appear in advance, which was of course the handiwork of the traverser Li Tong. And the outstanding performance of these two people made Ban Chao love talents even more, and he secretly planned to collect the two of them as his henchmen. With the help of these two people, Ban Chao has more confidence in completing the mission on this trip.

The wind, from big to small, is still blowing; The sky-high fire has also turned from fierce to weak, and it is still burning. Tian Yu jumped in front of Ban Chao, gave a thumbs up and praised: "Master Sima is clever, this wind can help a lot tonight." When you arranged the fire attack, there was no wind at all, how did you know that there would be a strong wind? ”

"This official is not a god, where can he be clever?" Ban Chao smiled humorously, patted Li Tong on the shoulder again and replied, "Actually, Li Xiaolangjun was careful and did an investigation in advance. There are more than 100 winds a year, and the wind season is concentrated in April and May. ”

After hearing this, everyone was even more convinced by Li Tongxinyue, and came over to express their affection. Li Tong still behaved very humbly, only saying that it was Ban Sima's proper command that he could break the enemy in one fell swoop, and he did not dare to take credit.

Ban Chao is very satisfied with Li Tong's performance, how can such a capable and humble subordinate not be loved? At this moment, he was full of contentment, and his heart was extremely happy. In the firelight, he could see that everyone was showing the joy of victory, and everyone showed a happy smile......

With a "tom", two bloody human heads rolled to the ground, startling Guo Sui, who was engaged in Dou Gu's army. It was already dawn when Ban Chao led the men back to the city, and the deputy envoy Guo Sui just got up. Guo Sui saw that the two strange young men behind Ban Chao threw out two heads, and asked in shock: "Ban Sima, yesterday...... You didn't come back all night last night and went to kill someone? ”

"Hehe, Guo Zhen, you can't say that, killing people, it depends on who you kill, you can't just say that you want to kill people." Wang Qiang, the chief of the guard, replied with a grin.

"Who did you kill?" Guo Sui pointed to the head of the person on the ground and asked himself.

"It's a messenger sent by the Northern Huns." The fast-talking Wang Qiang replied first.

Guo Sui originally saw that Ban Chao and Wang Qiang did not return overnight, and he had already muttered in his heart, but after listening to Wang Qiang's reply, he saw several people with red eyes and blood stains on their bodies, obviously just experienced a big battle. Although Guo Sui is not very close to these people on weekdays, there is no contradiction, but as soon as this matter came out, he couldn't help but be a little unhappy, he turned to Ban Chao and said angrily: "Ban Sima, although you are the main envoy, but I am the deputy envoy appointed by the commander of the Che Du, why don't you tell the lower officials about such a big matter and discuss it with me?" ”

When Ban Chao asked, he told the original story of how urgent the situation was yesterday when Geng Gong's scout Li Tong's master and servant came to report the news. Guo Sui didn't listen, but after hearing this, his face changed greatly, and he felt uncomfortable.

Ban Chao was born in a family of eunuchs, and he knows Guo Sui well, and knows that he cares about fame, how can he not understand his thoughts? This matter was not discussed with him, and he achieved such a big result, if he didn't give some benefits, Guo Sui would definitely complain.

Thinking of this, Ban Chao laughed and explained: "Hehe, Brother Guo, the younger brother has no intention of taking the big credit alone and annihilating the northern captives, although you didn't go last night, it was to confuse Shanshan people and isolate the news." You deserve a share of this great work. Besides, the situation was really urgent last night, and it was not good, and today you and I are likely to be eaten by jackals! ”

Guo Sui heard Ban Chao say this, and his heart was overjoyed. The Han Dynasty paid attention to military merits, and the dispersion was especially advantageous, thinking of the military merits at his fingertips, he also showed a smile on his face, and he was in a happy mood, and immediately offered advice: "Ban Sima, without further ado." With such a big movement last night, there will definitely be leaks, and it must be dealt with as soon as possible. Brother Ban, you did a good job, except for a big scourge for our big man, the lower officials are happy. ”

"That's exactly how it should be! Please rest assured that Brother Guo will definitely have a strong and colorful stroke on the paperwork of Ban Mou's meritorious service. Ban Chao deliberately repeated such a sentence, and then said, "Brother Guo, don't worry, what you have done is also a great achievement." After a while, you and I will meet Shanshan Wang Guang together and give him a generous gift. ”

"Gift-giving? What ceremony? Guo Sui asked puzzled.

Ban Chao pointed to the ground with his hand and smiled slyly: "Of course it's the head of the Northern Hun envoy!" ”

Guo Sui rolled his eyes, understood Ban Chao's intentions, and said again and again: "Yes, yes, knock on the mountain and shake the tiger!" If he does this well, he doesn't look for us, we look for him, but we have to give him gifts. ”

"No, no, no, it's not for us to send it, we're going to summon him here." Ban Chao corrected.

"Okay, okay, that's it." Guo Xian said in response.

While speaking, Yao Guang, Tian Wei, and Gan Ying walked in. Yao Guang asked on behalf of the three of them, "Ban Sima, when are we going to see King Shanshan?" ”

"That's a mistake! The Great Han is the Heavenly Empire. It's not that we're going to see King Shanshan, but that we're calling him to us. Guo Sui replied first.

Guo is reasonable. When I met King Shanshan, I have the official, Guo Zhan and Wang Qiang, plus Li Tong's master and servant, the two invincible warriors, you go back and make arrangements, let everyone wash well, change clothes, and sleep well. After sleeping, send people to the street to buy wine, this time buy twenty jars, let everyone let go of drinking, it doesn't matter if you are drunk, we will celebrate the victory today. ”

"Whoa!" All should be reconciled.

Ban Chao was in a good mood, and commanded arrogantly, "Wait a while, you first release the Shanshan Post House officials we detained last night, and explain to them why they did this, so as not to cause misunderstandings." ”

"Oh, resolutely carry out the order!" Yao Guang, Tian Xi, and Gan Ying responded in unison.

"Wang Qiang, if you change your clothes and call Shanshan Wang Guang, you will say that you have a gift for him." Ban Chao instructed Wang Qiang, the leader of the guards, again.

"Oh, the humble duty must be done!" Wang Qiang replied.

After Ban Chao arranged all this, his whole body seemed to be scattered, exhausted, he really wanted to fall on the bed and cover his head and sleep, but when he thought of meeting Shanshan Wang Guang with Guo Sui for a while, he had to beat his spirits, supported his tired body to change clothes and wash his face, and tried his best to cheer himself up. However, Li Tong's master and servant were still not tired, and dutifully served as his escort. This not only moved him, but also amazed the two of them.

As soon as the envoy of the Northern Xiongnu arrived in Shanshan, Wang Guang of Shanshan was very frightened. The head of the envoy Ya Rai and the deputy envoy Bi Lizhi. Both of them were arrogant and domineering in front of him.

These days, the voice of the Ya Lai belt has been haunting his mind: "Although our Great Huns lost twice in the battle with the Han army, their spirit has not diminished, and hundreds of thousands of troops can still gallop freely over a vast area. The Western Regions is our sphere of influence, and our intentions are clear: first, to make it clear that our army is waiting for an opportunity to launch an attack on the Han army; The second is to let the countries of the Western Regions not be tempted by the Han people and fight with us against the Han army, otherwise, it will be very disadvantageous to you......"

"The Northern Huns can't be offended!" Shanshan Wang Guang secretly thought, "But the Han army has won successive victories recently, and it has been stationed in Yiwulu, so it is not against it. He turned around and thought again, "What should I do if both countries have sent messengers, and no one can be offended?" They are close to each other, how to deal with it? ”

When Shanshan Wang Guang was in a dilemma, his enthusiasm for the Han envoy cooled down, and he was no longer as polite as when Ban Chao first arrived. He didn't dare to meet and talk with Ban Chao and keep in close contact, so he put Ban Chao and his group in a forgotten corner.

A thought turned in his heart: "The envoys of the Northern Xiongnu are numerous and domineering, and they are very difficult to provoke. But the Han envoys had little strength, and it was easy to deal with it, otherwise ...... "Intimidated by the high-pressure policy of the Northern Xiongnu envoys, he once had such a flash: hand over Ban Chao and other thirty-six people to the Northern Xiongnu, anyway, the Han Dynasty doesn't know what's going on." In this way, the Northern Huns will be easy to dismiss.

Shanshan Wang Guang wanted to betray Ban Chao and his gang like this several times, but he thought about it: No, once the Han army arrives, he will be destroyed. He also thought that Huo Guang, the former Han general, sent Fu Jiezi, the supervisor of Pingle, to assassinate the then King of Loulan, because the King of Loulan (the former king of Shanshan) was instructed by the Xiongnu to repeatedly kill Han envoys. Besides, Shanshan and the Han Dynasty have been friendly for generations and have a long history, and betraying the Han envoy is not a big rebellion, but also a sabotage of the relationship between the two countries. Therefore, on the issue of how to deal with the envoys of the Northern Xiongnu and Ban Chao and his group, he was always indecisive and hesitant.

Today, as soon as he arrives at the DPRK, he is ready to convene the ministers to once again take a long-term view and come up with a decision on how to deal with the envoys of the two countries. But he never expected that Wang Qiang, the leader of the guards of the Han Mission, would come to the door early in the morning.

"Tell the king, Ban Sima has invited the king, and there is something important to discuss." Wang Qiang entered the hall and said.

To go or not to go? Just as he was hesitating, he heard Wang Qiang clench his fists and say, "Your Majesty! Ban Sima has also prepared a generous gift for you! Let the king take it back himself. ”

Shanshan Wang Guang didn't want to meet with Ban Chao, but when he heard Wang Qiang, looking at this posture, he felt that it was very promising, so he had to agree to go with Wang Qiang. As soon as he and Wang Qiang arrived at Ban Chao's residence, Ban Chao greeted him politely.

"I can't wait for the king's coming, and I have a special gift." Ban Chao hugged his fists and bowed down.

Shanshan Wang Guang knew that he was at a loss, and he snubbed Ban Chao and his group during this time, and hurriedly said apologetically: "Lord Messenger, we have really taken good care of you these days, please forgive me." ”

Ban Chao didn't seem to hear this, and said to Wang Qiang: "Bow! ”

Wang Qiang waved his hand when he heard this, and Li Tong's master and servant each brought a burden and went straight to Shanshan Wang Guang. I saw them throw their burdens on the ground, and immediately two human heads rolled out. King Shanshan was so shocked that he almost fell to the ground in fright.

"This is the head of the Northern Hun envoy Wu Lai and the deputy envoy Bi Lizhi, their men and horses have been annihilated by us last night." Ban Chao said coldly to Shanshan Wang Guang.

Shanshan Wang Guang was terrified. He has always been timid, and the two big men Li Tong and Mo Bode looked at him with fierce faces, as if they were about to attack if they didn't agree with each other, and they were even more frightened. For a long time, Shanshan Wang Guangfang relieved himself a little, strengthened his spirits, and hurriedly bowed his hand and said: "Ambassador Ban, please have something to say, something to say." ”

Ban Chao Zhengse said: "The Northern Huns have always been tyrannical and tyrannical, and they are invincible. I know that when he comes, he will make things difficult for the king in every way. We know very well that if I don't eat him, he will eat me, and it is better to strike first than to be eaten. Let the king be frightened, and forgive me. ”

Shanshan Wang Guang had gradually calmed down from his state of panic and said, "Ban Sima, you have eliminated the Northern Xiongnu envoy and eliminated the root cause for us, and I am also happy. Ban Sima has anything else to say, and what we can do, we must do our best. ”

Ban Chao saw that Shanshan Wang Guang's attitude had changed, so he met with sincerity and further explained: "Your Majesty, we are not only considering our own safety when we get rid of the envoys of the Northern Xiongnu, but also for the interests of Shanshan and the countries of the Western Regions. This envoy would like to ask the king to announce to the public the news of our extermination of the northern captives, to show the whole country, and to express the desire of our Han Dynasty to establish eternal friendship with Shanshan and the countries of the Western Regions. ”

"The king agreed!"

Shanshan Wang Guang immediately agreed to Ban Chao's request and said: "Your victory is also our victory, I will entertain all your members with a grander banquet to celebrate the victory of the Northern Xiongnu envoys." Ban Chao smiled. He stepped forward and held King Shanshan's hand tightly, and King Shanshan also felt his sincerity, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

(To be continued)