Li Tong didn't know what Ban Chao was thinking, and when he returned to Hami City, he summoned Rahman, a merchant from Jerusalem, as soon as possible.

In the lobby, Rahman was prostrate on the ground in fear, and said cautiously: "Dear General, I won't tell you, I have traveled tens of thousands of miles, and it is the first time I have seen a city like Hami in the Western Regions, and the dazzling array of goods here has opened my eyes. Seriously, your taxes aren't harsh either, and I think you're a benevolent city lord. If you allow me, I would love to open a shop here, a great kind, as a storehouse for our caravans to and from Chang'an, and if you agree, what price does your humble servant have to pay? ”

"Get up," Li Tong tapped his fingers on the table and said softly: "Rahman, you are a businessman, and we welcome any legitimate businessman who comes to Hami as long as you abide by the local laws, do not evade taxes, and operate in good faith." Therefore, you bought land in Hami City to start a trading station, and the official agreed to this matter, and you and my assistant will discuss the specific details. “

"Thank you for your kindness!"

Rahman didn't expect it to go so smoothly and was overjoyed.

"By the way, you're supposed to be a Jew, right?" Li Tong asked suddenly, seeing that Rahman nodded, he asked again, "You said that you are from Jerusalem, as far as I know, four years ago, the Roman general Titus led the Roman legions to capture Jerusalem and destroy your temple. Rahman, tell me, where did you come from, did you come from rest? ”

"You...... How do you know? After listening to the translation, Rahman trembled, his eyes suddenly turned red, and his face turned pale. He never imagined that there would be people in the far East who knew Jerusalem so well and the situation of the Jews at this time.

Li Tong was indeed well aware of this period of Jewish history: in the fourth year of B.C., the former Jewish kingdom of Judah was placed under direct Roman rule, but the Jews maintained a strong sense of religious identity and were never assimilated by the Roman Empire. In 66 C.E., a Jewish rebellion broke out; In 69 C.E., the newly enthroned Emperor Vespasian put down a rebellion in northern Judah and sent his son Titus to suppress the revolt in Jerusalem. On September 7, 70 C.E., nearly five months after the Roman army had besieged the city, Jerusalem surrendered. But peace did not come, and while the temple was still burning, the Roman army began to loot everything they could get their hands on, and then slaughtered all the Jews around them, without any mercy, whether they were young or old, whether they were of high or low status, whether they were commoners or priests. The war involved all sorts of people and ended up with destruction, as did those who begged for their lives......

The temple was located on a hill, and because the fire was so fierce that it seemed as if the whole city was burning, one could not imagine a greater and more terrible sound: the shouts of the victors and the howls of the rebels were mixed together, and the corpses covered the ground, and the Roman soldiers had to cross the corpses to chase the fleeing crowd.

After the destruction of the Temple, the Roman army continued to hunt down the rebels and soon occupied the entire Jerusalem area, proud of their achievements. To celebrate their victory, the Romans planted their flags on the walls, and Roman soldiers swarmed into the neighborhood and went on a slaughtering spree, killing anyone they could see, and burning homes and those hiding inside. Jerusalem was flooded with blood, drowned in flames, and countless rebels were crucified.

However, the Jews' resentment against the Roman Empire grew, and their determination to fight grew stronger, and it was not long before a larger anti-Roman uprising took place. This revolt went on intermittently for a century. The cruel Roman rulers, in order to completely destroy the Jews spiritually and completely in order to eliminate their will to resist, pursued a brutal and inhumane scorched earth policy.

It is recorded that 985 villages were destroyed, more than 50 cities were scorched, and 580,000 people were killed. In several Jewish anti-Roman struggles, more than a million people were killed, hundreds of thousands were taken captive to Rome as slaves or gladiatorial soils, and most Jews were expelled from Palestine. In order to completely destroy the hopes of the Jews, the Roman emperor ordered the destruction of all buildings, razed Jerusalem to the ground, and ploughed the city.

It is said that the ruins of the Temple Mount were sprinkled with salt, and the Romans guarded them so badly that Jews were not allowed to go to pray. The only vestige of the glorious temple is a western façade, which the Jews call the "Western Wall." The Roman emperor forbade the people to practice Judaism, and anyone who kept the Sabbath, was circumcised, conferred the position of rabbin, or accepted the title of rabbi was put to death. However, there were still many Jews who defied the Roman emperor's ban on Christianity and willingly became martyrs of Judaism, from which many legends about the Jewish saints were born.

Seeing Rahman's panicked appearance, Li Tong smiled and waved his hand, comforting: "Rahman, you don't have to be nervous!" In the Han Empire, faith was free. We don't discriminate against Judaism, and we don't care about your war with the Roman Empire, just ask. But I have one condition, I hope that when your caravan departs, you can help me bring some plant seeds that I have not seen before, such as seeds of various vegetables or flowers, cattle, horses, sheep, dromedaries and other livestock that are not available here, well, by the way, if you want, you can also help me collect books on astronomy, architecture, medicine, mathematics, music, poetry, and even navigation technology that you can find from the heavenly side (Arabia), etc., which you can trade directly with the official. We guarantee you a very good price. ”

The apprehensive Rahman then calmed down, and he hastened to bow respectfully and replied, "As you wish!" Your servant, Rahman, will do his best to meet your requests. Li Tong smiled and nodded, ending today's meeting.

Seeing Rahman walk out of the castle guard mansion, Li Tong fell into deep thought.

——————

Dig up two flowers, one for each branch.

Let's turn the clock back to Khotan a month ago. When Ban Chao and his party were at a loss, suddenly the peak turned around, and things took a turn for the better. Su Yule, the old auxiliary marquis of Khotan, came to the door early the next morning and asked to see Ban Chao by name.

As soon as the two met, Su Yule bluntly introduced to Ban Chao the current predicament that Khotan was facing, hoping that the Han Dynasty's army could help Khotan. This is the scene where Ban Chao secretly entered the palace with Su Yule, the old auxiliary marquis.

The name Ban Chao has long been heard by Khotanese King Guangde, in Shanshan (Loulan), Ban Chao once attacked and killed the Xiongnu envoy group, and the battle of Pu Shihai also made the enemy frightened. In Guangde's imagination, Ban Chao must be a majestic strong man, and when Ban Chao walked in front of him, Guangde was surprised to find that he was so different from what he imagined.

The Ban Chao in front of him is not so much like a general as a scholar. He was of medium height, with a fair face, a square face, and a somewhat thin man, and it was hard to imagine that he was a warrior in the Battle of the Pu Shihai. Rushed to the doctor in a hurry, Guangde still told what had happened recently. A confident smile appeared on Ban Chao's face. Ban Chao asked unhurriedly: "King, if Khotan raises the whole country's troops to fight Qiuci, what will be the result?" Ban Chao's voice was unexpectedly loud, which was very incommensurate with his somewhat weak body, which surprised Guangde.

"The widow wants to ...... The president of the Qiuzi army will drive the great advance, and the people of our country will be poisoned, and the society will not be able to protect it......" Guangde said very difficult, but this is a fact, and he can't avoid it.

"King, why don't you ask Chang'an for help?" Ban Chao asked.

Guangde was a little angry, and he sneered at Ban Chao: "Messenger, are you telling a joke?" Although the widow is stubborn, it is not impossible to see through this. But have you ever thought about it, your Han army does not have too many troops in the Western Regions, and they are all troops from Tuntian, and their combat effectiveness is really limited. With the soldiers of Chang'an to rescue Khotan, this comes and goes, I am afraid it will be next year. That is, the boots are tickling, and the distant water does not quench the thirst! ”

Ban Chao was not angry, but asked rhetorically: "So, what can the prospect of the king marrying the princess to Qiuzi?" ”

"This ......" Ban Chao's words touched Guangde's hidden pain, Guangde groaned, and before he raised his head, he said in a worried voice: "The ministers of the court and the central government say that Qiuci is like a country of marriage in Khotan, although Qiuci is a big country, no matter what, it will not bully its uncle's country......"

Hearing this, Queen Nabihan thought to herself, "It seems that this Han man is also a rice bucket ......", and just wanted to open her mouth to refute it, when she heard Ban Chao's unbridled laughter, which startled everyone present. At the end, Ban Chao said loudly: "The king is wrong! ”

Guangde and Queen Nabihan were a little angry, and Guangde said coldly: "Han envoy, you should tell me, what is wrong with the widow?" ”

"Prince Qiuci is asking for marriage, this is not for marriage at all, the minister thinks that Qiuci is asking for marriage in the name of marriage, but in fact, Qiuci is asking for hostages from Khotan." Ban Chao said categorically.

Guangde's heart trembled.

"Qing Ke is lonely." Guangde said that at this moment, Guangde and Queen Nabihan's eyes were all on Ban Chao.

"The king thought, carving Tao Mo Gao is not a person who pities incense and cherishes jade, this guy can kill his wife for no reason, how can he love the king's daughter alone? This guy knew that Oridai was the king's beloved daughter, and if he could marry him back, he would be able to demand everything he needed from the king. Once the king does not obey, this brutal guy will definitely torture and coerce the princess, and when the time comes, will you agree or not? And the Qiuzi aristocracy is difficult to fill, and if this goes on for a long time, there is still peace in Khotan? Besides, the princess is married to a turtle, if she is a prisoner, can the king bear it in his heart? ”

Ban Chao's words suddenly touched the weakness of Guangde and his wife, and aroused the sorrow in his heart.

"However, if the army of Qiuzi drives straight in, what can it do?" Guangde still asked with some hesitation.

"The king, the foreign minister has recently passed through the North Road of the Western Regions, and he knows a little bit about the truth of Qiuzi." Ban Chao paused, organized the wording, and continued, "In the early years, the Han Dynasty set up a capital protectorate in the Western Regions, and the countries of the Western Regions met to join the Han version, abandon the old system, and learn the etiquette of the Han family. The year before last, the king of Nanhuyan was newly defeated and retreated to the desert, and recently Qiuzi raised troops, nominally to oppose the Han and restore his ancestral system, but in fact to conquer the entire Western Regions and impose the old system on the countries of the Western Regions. The people of all ethnic groups in the Western Regions regard the people as slaves, and the old system of captivizing the people has long been hated to the bone marrow. Therefore, Qiuzi's move is really unpopular. This time, it attacked and destroyed the army of Shule, nominally the army of Qiuzi Gumo, but in fact it was only the army of Qiuzi. Gu Mo was afraid of the strength of the turtle, so he had to send a small number of troops, but in fact, he was not willing to restore the old system, nor did he want to fight. The army of the Turtles was tired from afar, and experienced several bloody battles. Now it is at the end of the strong crossbow and cannot wear the reckless. In addition, there is a section of our Han army stationed in Shule City, and there are only more than 1,000 Han troops, but Qiuzi does not dare to commit it, what does this mean? It shows that they don't dare to openly tear their faces with my big man. He was afraid that the Han soldiers would march out of Yumen Pass, and he was afraid of the spread of slave rebellion in China, but in fact, he had no power to sweep the Western Regions. This time, the prince of Qiuzi carved Tao Mo Gao sent an envoy to Khotan to ask for marriage, in fact, this guy wanted to surrender without a fight, and the soldiers did not blood to achieve his personal goals, this is just a blackmail! ”

Ban Chao's incisive analysis suddenly made Guangde and his wife suddenly brightened, and their hearts lit up. The husband and wife glanced at each other, Nabihan nodded, Guangde got up, and asked humbly: "Ban Qing's family, what should the widow do now?" ”

"The king can quickly send an envoy to Chang'an for help, and at the same time mobilize the domestic army capable of fighting to the east bank of the Dali River to build fortifications. The army of Qiuzi is coming, and your army can first fortify the walls and clear the wilderness, and fight against the city. When the time comes, the Han army goes out of the Yumen, Yangguan to attack its tail, and the king and the queen's maiden family detain the army hit its head, then the tens of thousands of elite soldiers in Qiuzi can be broken with a drum, and I immediately wrote a letter, asking Li Tong, the city guard of Hami, to lead the cavalry to come and assist in the defense of Khotan, General Li Tong is a descendant of Li Guang, is a rare peerless general. His arrival will definitely relieve the pressure on the king......"

Hearing this, the dark clouds in Guangde's heart suddenly dispersed, and he jumped up and said, "Okay, good!" If it weren't for the general's words, the widow would have almost broken a big thing today! Resolute has been decided, and the turtle asks for a kiss, but it is impossible to respond. If Qiuzi really dares to invade the territory, the widow should personally lead a large army to fight a decisive battle with him. ”

Su Yule interjected at this moment: "Great King, the left horseman Habiken, who went to Weng Ge Mountain to exterminate the horse bandits, has returned to the dynasty today. Habiken was the first warrior in Khotan, so why didn't the king order him to lead his troops to the Dali water wall to wait for the enemy? ”

"Qing's words are very lonely. Allow! Guangde said.

Queen Nabiham, who had been listening to them, let go of her heart, and was a little overjoyed at this time. She didn't expect that the white-faced young man in front of her would change her mind about what her old man said in just a few words, and at this moment, she simply regarded Ban Chao as a god. Although rejecting Qiuzi's courtship means war and bloodshed, and even Khotan may lose the country, which is what anyone would think; But Nabihan didn't care at all, her mind was focused on one point, that is, she must not marry her daughter to the murderous demon of Carved Tao Mogao.

Therefore, when Ban Chao said goodbye, Nabihan, who was in a happy mood, did not let him go. She held a banquet on the order of the queen, and only after staying on duty for a banquet and drinking did she let people send him out of the palace. Ban Chao returned to the camp and immediately wrote a report to the imperial court, hoping that the imperial court would make a decision as soon as possible. Because there was no tiger talisman, Ban Chao could not mobilize the army. Ban Chao thought about it, and simply wrote to Li Tong in his personal name to ask for help, asking him to bring the army here.

Just when Ban Chao and his gang were anxiously waiting for the reply of the imperial court and Hami in Khotan, the situation in the Western Regions changed abruptly, and a sudden war broke out between Han and Hungary......

——————

Emperor Yongping of the Han Ming Dynasty in the sixteenth year (73 AD), one year earlier than the original time and space, the Han Dynasty army broke through the south to recover the Cheshi (now Turpan, Xinjiang), restored the Western Regions Protectorate, at the end of the same year, the emperor appointed Chen Mu as the capital protector, Geng Gong as the captain of Wuji, and the garrison of Jinpucheng (now Jimusar, Xinjiang), appointed Guan Zhong as the captain of Wuji, stationed in Liuzhongcheng (now Ayding Lake, Xinjiang), and appointed Li Tong as the same captain of Wuji, stationed in the new Hami City. Thousands of soldiers were stationed in each place, and at the same time, they emigrated from the earthquake-stricken areas in Shandong and Henan.

In March of the eighteenth year of Yongping, the Northern Xiongnu were unwilling to lose the Western Regions, and the troops were divided into three routes and launched an attack on Chen Mu, Guan Chong, and Geng Gong. A great battle that will go down in history began.

The first to be attacked was Geng Gongbu, in March of the eighteenth year of Yongping (75 AD), the Northern Xiongnu Zuolu Li Wang led 20,000 cavalry to attack the car division. Geng Gong sent Sima to engage in Liu Fang's 300 rescue car division, but encountered the main force of the Northern Xiongnu on the way, and the whole army was wiped out after the desperate battle. After the Northern Xiongnu captured Cheshi, they immediately attacked Jinpucheng (present-day Jimusar, Xinjiang), where Geng Gong was stationed. At this time, there were only a few hundred officers and soldiers in Jinpu City, and the situation was critical, so Geng Gong personally went to the city to command the battle.

Geng Gong smeared poison on the arrows and sent a message to the Northern Huns: "The Han arrow god, among which the sores must be different", so he shot the Huns with a hard crossbow. After the Huns were hit by arrows, they were shocked to see the wounds gushing like boiling water, and "those who were captured by the arrows were boiling". At that time, the wind was strong and the rain was pouring in, Geng Gong took the opportunity to attack, and the Huns suffered heavy casualties. The Huns were very frightened, and rumors spread, "The Han soldier god is really terrifying!" The Huns panicked, so they broke the siege and left.

In May of the eighteenth year of Yongping (75 years), Geng Gong estimated that the Northern Xiongnu would make a comeback, and the walls of Shule City were stronger, and there was a moat under the city as a water source, so he decided to retreat to Shule. At the same time, he asked for help from Chen Mu, the protector of the Western Regions.

After preparing to attack Jinpucheng again, the Xiongnu's Zuoluli King received information that all the Han troops in Jinpucheng had withdrawn, which made Zuoluli King a little confused. The Han army obviously won the battle and took advantage, how could it retreat? This doesn't look like what the Han army did! King Zuo Luli was a little unconvinced, and personally led his men and horses to Jinpu City, until he rushed into the open city gate and saw the lively street market where people were still coming and going, and he determined the authenticity of the information.

So, King Zuolu Li led an army of 20,000 to follow the footprints left by Geng Gong and rushed to Shule City. It's the same city, and this city is a small city compared to Hami. However, the town is only small in size, and as a fortress for fighting, it is not small at all. Hundreds of war horses, standing in the open space in the middle, did not look crowded. The remaining piece of space can also accommodate thousands of people for drills and gatherings. All kinds of facilities are lined up along the interior walls, and all the institutions necessary for life and combat are available.

The main building material of the castle wall was bluestone, which was built by borrowing the terrain. Its sturdiness can make fire and water, as well as knives and arrows, helpless. The cliffs to the east and the mountain walls to the north have become guardians arranged by God. You can't get into the city through them unless you put in a pair of wings. The rest of the south and west were the directions in which the attackers had no choice. Then on the city walls on both sides, as long as there are a hundred soldiers, they can occupy each battlement and corner tower, which is also the main reason why Geng Gong did not requisition the militia. As long as the sword is sharp and the bow has enough arrows, it will become a defender's paradise and an attacker's hell.

As for how to use this city, Geng Gong thought about it more than once. And now he can put all his thoughts into action. A squad of twenty people, a total of twenty-five squads, divided into five battalions. The lieutenants of the five battalions formed the high-level command, including Fan Qiang and Zhang Qing, and the core figure of the high-level was Geng Gong. All he had to do was gather these five people around him, and then he would be able to gather all the soldiers.

Every one of his instructions will be implemented on the soldiers who have names and surnames. In this way, he united five hundred people into an indivisible whole. Calculated that the Huns would soon follow, the first thing he did when he entered Shule City was to arrange how to welcome the arrival of the Huns. Geng Gong must let the Huns know that this Shule City will be more difficult to attack than Jinpu City. They also inflicted a large number of casualties, and finally forced them to abandon their original plans and retreat to the Altai Mountains again.

Standing on the head of Shule City, seeing the smoke and dust raised by the Huns in the distance, Geng Gong looked calm and down-to-earth, his Shule City and his soldiers gave him courage and self-confidence that he had never had.

Seeing Shule City for the first time, King Zuoluli's heart couldn't help but tremble. The stone fort, which is almost integrated with the cliff, makes it no longer look like a city, but a mountain completely. The corner towers and newly built city walls, with their obvious Han Dynasty architecture, were telling him that it had indeed just been built. The Han army came to the country after the Cheshi, and in less than half a year, a military fortress was built, and it seems that they are ready to be stationed for a long time. This castle built by borrowing the mountain, reminded King Zuolu Li of a saying of the Han people, called a husband as a pass, ten thousand people do not open. He had to admire this general named Geng Gong, although he had an enemy with him, but he had to admit that his move from Jinpu City to Shule City was a wise move.

However, even if it is a thousand people, the king of Zuo Lu Li will not stop there. In the battle of the world, no matter how strong the city is, there is nothing that cannot be attacked, it is just the length of time and the price paid. The pioneers of all walks of life were summoned to study countermeasures, and everyone agreed to launch a strong attack immediately. Anyway, there are many people from the Huns, and they are not afraid of dying again.

The Huns learned the lesson of the siege of Jinpucheng, and this time the soldiers all disembarked from their horses and formed a square formation, armed with a scimitar in one hand and a shield in the other, and moved towards the castle.

(To be continued)