One hundred and fifty miles away from Shattered Leaf City, in the Dargan Valley, a huge military camp rises from the ground.

"Woo woo, woo woo, woo woo woo ————" The twilight is getting thicker, and the horn is constantly sounding.

Several Shi country scouts, surrounded by a camel, quickly rushed into the depths of the barracks. On the back of a camel, a bloodied "trader" held a cowhide bag in his hand, crying without tears.

"Stop, don't trespass. Sehu, have you even forgotten the rules? A large group of Shiguo warriors hurriedly caught up, blocking the camel's path and shouting loudly.

"Urgent military situation, Deng Meilu was killed by the Tang people. His retinue Heru brought back his head! The leader of the scouts, who had been named, turned over and dismounted, and explained in a loud voice. Immediately after, the scouts jumped off their mounts, lifted the "trader" from the camel's back, and then, together with the samurai who stood in the way, dragged him to the cowhide tent in the center of the camp.

Ji Lu, the leader of the samurai who had previously led the team to reprimand the scouts, rushed into the tent, bowed down, and reported loudly to Yihu, the special agent of the Shiguo and the lord of Talas, who was checking the map: "Report to the special service, Deng Meilu's personal soldier Helu was released back by the Tang people, with his head. ”

"What?" The lord of Talas City, Shi Guo's special service officer raised his head from the map in surprise, and immediately, dark clouds surged all over his face, "What did you say?" Tang General Zhang Qian of Shattered Leaf City killed Deng Meilu? How bold is he? Didn't he know that Dunmeru was my man? Someone came, blew the horn of the generals, and ordered the generals to assemble in the Chinese army immediately, stop resting, and pull out the camp ......",

"Special service, the generals have just been on the road for a whole day, so it is not advisable to overwork." A high-nosed, deep-eyed man with a white cloth wrapped around his head, and a bearded face raised his head from behind the table next to him and interrupted in a deep voice.

His voice was not high, but it was like a bucket of ice water, which instantly made Yihu regain his composure. The latter was flustered and quickly changed his words? "Someone? Bring Heru in to me. I want to ask why, why did Dun Melo die? ”

"Yes!" The samurai leader Giroud promised to step down? Not much? He Lu, a bloodied "trader", was brought into the tent of the Chinese army.

"Deng Meilu was killed by Zhang Qian? Did he indicate the identity of the messenger? What about Zhou Yiyi's agreement with Shi Guo, can he tell Zhang Qian about it? Yihu frowned? Asked sharply. How do you look at it, how do you think that the vendor is dressed up as Helu is awkward.

"Special service? Revenge-" Deng Guanghua's confidant He Lu immediately couldn't suppress the grievances in his heart? Kneeling on the ground, he cried loudly, "Avenge Deng Meilu!" Dun Meru has already identified himself as an emissary. However, he was just brought in to see Zhang Qian? was killed by Zhang Qian's own hands. Come with me? The brothers who went with them were also killed by the Tang army. The villain, the villain is because Zhang Qian needs someone to send Deng Meilu's head and his reply back, so he only cut off the villain's ears. And then send scouts to escort the villain all the way? Woooooooo

"What about the scouts of the Tang Army? What about the Tang Army scouts who escorted you back? Someone, take down all the scouts of the Tang Army for me? Five horses split into corpses! Shi Guo's special service officer took the case, and his two eyes were full of fierce light.

"Enlightenment? Scouts of the Tang Army? He left Heru and fled. Subordinates are hunting them down? The exact results are not yet known. Outside the cowhide tent, there was the voice of the leader of the scouts of the Shi Kingdom, obviously nervous.

"You go after it yourself! Even if I chase them outside Broken Leaf City, I must catch a few Tang Army scouts back, and I will light them in the sky lanterns. The special service Yihu raised his hand and slapped the handsome case in front of him.

"Yes!" The leader of the scouts, Sehu, bowed to the door of the cowhide tent, and then hurried towards his mount. Several scouts surrounded him and jumped on his horse, and disappeared into the twilight like a whirlwind.

"Savage! Rude! Inhumane! In the cowhide tent, Yihu's voice continued to sound, quickly reaching the ears of everyone around, "The two countries are at war, and the envoy must not be harmed, this is the rule!" He is the town guard of Datang, how can he not talk about the rules at all! ”

Around the cowhide tent, a group of Shiguo soldiers were silent. In the cowhide tent, several Burkes on duty frowned and acted indignantly. However, deep down, no one felt that Yihu had any reason for accusing Tang Jiang.

Datang has always regarded himself as the suzerain of Zhaowu Jiu, and the neighboring Kang and Mi countries encountered by Shi Guo in the past joined forces to attack, and Datang has sent envoys many times to reprimand the lords of Kang and Mi countries, supporting Shi Guo, and even threatening to send troops, which allowed Shi Guo to escape a catastrophe. And this time, Shi Guo's special service actually fought without declaring war and led troops into the territory of Datang, what qualifications do you have to ask the generals of Datang to pay attention to the rules? !

"I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill him, I'm going to kill him, I'm going to tie him to a horse, I'm going to drag him to pieces. Revenge for Dunmero, revenge! Avenge! Inside the cowhide tent, Shi Guo's special service officer Hu was like an angry lion, circling around the handsome case, and the roar continued to erupt from his mouth, shaking everyone's ears.

"Revenge, revenge!" The Burkes around them continued to wave their arms in indignation. However, there is no sincerity in the voice.

Deep down, they actually didn't feel the need to avenge Deng Guanghua. This kind of guy who leads the way for foreign enemies because he is not living well in his own country, whether according to the ethics of the Tang Dynasty, Turks or Sogdians, is a cheap breed! When you are alive, you still have some use value, but when you die, it is too much to use it as fertilizer to dirty the crops.

"Agents, anger, anger can't kill your enemies. It will only make you lose your mind. The high-nosed and deep-eyed old man raised his head from the side table again and reminded in a low voice.

Immediately, he quickly turned his gaze to He Lu, who was kneeling on the ground and crying, and scolded in a low voice: "Okay, isn't it just two ears?" It doesn't affect you to listen to the sound and get on the horse to kill the enemy. Quickly wipe away your tears and answer the secret service's questions, he needs to make the right decision based on your report. ”

Deng Guanghua's entourage He Lu Jiling shuddered, and the howl immediately became quieter. However, he couldn't remember what Yihu had asked him just now, so he had to lie on the ground and cry.

"Special agent, you can continue to ask him." The old man glanced at Yihu and urged with a smile.

"Huh?" Shi Guo's special service was so angry that his chest rose and fell, but he forced himself to calm down again, glanced at He Lu with a frown, and asked in a low voice: "Zhou Yiyi's agreement with Shi Guo, can Deng Meilu tell Zhang Qian about it?" ”

"The subordinates don't know, the subordinates don't know anything." He Lu wiped away a handful of tears, sobbed and shook his head, "Zhang Qian's personal soldiers, don't allow his subordinates to follow Deng Meilu in to meet Zhang Qian." Then, after only a dozen breaths, Deng Meilu's screams came from inside. Immediately after, Zhang Qian's personal soldiers will hold horizontal knives and surround their subordinates and others, and hack them to death one after another. ”

"I don't know, I don't know what you're coming back for? What do you do with your mouth? Wouldn't you have shouted it out at the time? Deng Guanghua is dead, what's the use of you bringing his head back?! Yihu was furious again, bypassed the handsome case, and picked He Lu up from the ground with one hand, which was a loud slap in the face.

Heru wrapped himself in white kudzu around his head, and blood immediately flowed out. looked at Yihu in a daze, at a loss.

He was Mei Lu Deng Guanghua's personal soldier, Deng Guanghua was killed, and he came back with a corpse or head, which was his duty. And telling Zhang Qian that the agreement between Zhou Yiyi and Shi Guo was known to Zhang Qian was the duty of the envoy, and it had nothing to do with his little personal soldier.

"You idiot, why don't you die?!" Seeing this, Yihu became more and more embarrassed, grabbed He Lu by the collar and punched and kicked him.

At this moment, he finally understood why he looked at He Lu just now, and how it was not pleasing to the eye. It turned out that Helu had his ears cut off by the Tang Army. And killing the envoy, cutting off the ears of the envoy's entourage, and letting him return with the envoy's head is undoubtedly wantonly humiliating everyone in the stone country. The stupid He Lu actually acted as a tool for the Tang General to humiliate Shi Guo!

"Spare your life, spare your life!" He Lu couldn't bear the pain, and while dodging, he begged loudly for mercy, "Villain, villain is not greedy for life and afraid of death. The villain, the villain, in addition to Deng Meilu's head, there is also a reply from Tang General Zhang Qian. A reply to you! ”

"There's a reply, you idiot, why didn't you take it out just now?" Yihu's raised arms froze in mid-air, and then, with greater strength, they slapped into Helu's face. "Damn, show it to me right away!"

The unlucky Helu was staggered, but he didn't dare to hide anymore, and shuddered and took out a blood-stained sheepskin from his arms. "Here, here. Special service, the villain doesn't know how to read, and he doesn't know what is written on it. ”

"Get out of here and wait!" The special service snatched the sheepskin with his hand and watched intently. It's still the letter he sent to Zhang Qian before, but it was criticized with a big red character on it, "Get out!" ”

It was as if he saw the Broken Leaf Town Guard Zhang Qianqian in the twilight, sneering triumphantly at himself. In an instant, Yihu's face became as black as ink. Without hesitation, he drew his waist knife and raised it high above his head, and he was ready to chop He Lu, who humiliated him for Tang General, into two with one sword. At this moment, there was a crutch, but it was firmly under the blade.

"Special service, there's no need to get angry with a pro-soldier. It was already rare for him to be able to bring back Deng Meilu's head. "The old man of the Great Food doesn't know when, he has come to his side. Blocking his waist knife with a cane, he whispered an admonition.

"Ali, what do you mean?" Yihu immediately turned his gaze to the old man and roared hoarsely.

"Special Service, anger won't solve anything. It's the same with killing your own subordinates! The old man was not afraid, and shook his head at Shi Guo's special service with a smile. And Helu is the only person who has seen Zhang Qian and knows the latest situation in Shattered Leaf City. It's a pity that you killed him! ”

"He deliberately came here to humiliate me for the Tang people! He has already become an accomplice of General Tang! In front of so many cronies, being advised by this person again and again, even if Yihu knew that this person was well-intentioned, he was a little unable to fall down. Pressing down the waist knife in his hand, he continued to roar loudly, "Deng Meilu is dead, he came back with a head, what use can he do except humiliate me?!" If he really didn't know what was written in the reply, why didn't he take it out earlier? He ......"

"Special service spare, special service spare, the villain is illiterate, really illiterate!" Heru did not dare to flee, and knelt on the ground, holding his head in his hands, and pleaded bitterly.

"It's Zhang Qian who humiliates you, not him. And he, since he is back, it is impossible for him to run for nothing. The old man sighed again, and the cane in his hand did not move. At the same time, it is supplemented with a very calm voice. "If the agent doesn't believe me, and let me ask him, I'm sure there's a surprise. If not, if you kill him again, I will not stop him. ”

Yihu was an embarrassed fool, and he knew it for a long time. However, only a fool like Yihu would take advantage of the fire of the Great Cannibal because of supplies worth thousands of gold coins and a few vague promises. If he had been replaced by other clever agents, he would have been driven out of Bahanna a long time ago, how could he have allowed him to preach casually, and still treat him as a teacher?

"Since the wise man Ali said so, I will spare his life first!" Sure enough, when he heard that the old man said that he could ask about the Broken Leaf defenders from Helu's mouth, Yihu's anger immediately decreased a lot. Frowning, he glanced at the old man, and quickly put away his waist knife.

The appearance of the old man pointing fingers is very annoying, however, the Crescent Sect behind the old man is a first-class force in the world. From Persia, the Yueshi to the United States, all those who have the support of the Crescent Sect, even the last prince, have successfully turned over and become kings. And all the kings who clashed with the Crescent Sect either fled to the Tang Dynasty with their whole family and died unexpectedly.

"Helu, when you arrived in Shattered Leaf City, had the Tang Army already closed the city gates? Will the fleeing Turgish be taken in? Ali, the old man of the Great Eater, didn't have time to think about Yihu's thoughts, so he turned his head to Helu with his cane, and asked with a pleasant face.

"It's closed, no, it's not all closed, it's not half left for people to enter, it's just that no one is allowed to carry weapons." Heru escaped death. He kowtowed to the old man gratefully and responded cautiously.

"What about the Turgish, have you ever been taken in by Zhang Qian?" Ali, the old man of the big food, did not have a bad memory, and repeated it very patiently.

"None? No, no, no, only partially! He Lu shook his head slightly, and then quickly overturned his statement, "The Tang army defending the city, when we arrive, let the Turgish people bypass Broken Leaf City and go to the frozen city to find their own way out." However, after we entered the city, it seemed that some people came out again, saying that the old people, children, and pregnant women should be allowed to enter the city, and that the young and strong Turgish men and women should take refuge in the frozen city. ”

"Who's gathering the Turquoise Rider Shi Qingzhuang, can you see clearly?" The eyes of the old man Ali suddenly flashed, and his voice suddenly turned urgent.

"No, I didn't see it clearly. Tang Jun, Tang Jun had already learned Deng Meilu's identity at that time, and was taking us to see Zhang Qian. Helu was so frightened that he shivered again, and hurriedly replenished it. I only vaguely heard someone shouting, but I didn't have a chance to see who it was. Ali Wise, it's not that I don't care, I'm just a pro-soldier, and I definitely don't know it when I see it. ”

"Hmm!" Satisfied with Helu's explanation, Ali, the old man of the Great Eater, smiled and nodded, "That's true, you're just a personal soldier. Can you see what the atmosphere is like in the city? Can the Don Army already prepare for battle? ”

"Atmosphere?" He Lu closed his eyes and tried to recall, finally living up to the expectations of the old man, "The atmosphere is very tense, and the Tang Army must have begun to prepare for battle." But the shops in the city are still open, and no one seems to be ready to flee. ”

"What do you see the Tang Army? I mean, how many Tang troops did you see at the city gate and on the way to see Zhang Qian? Don't be too precise, just give me an approximate number. ”

"Not much. There were only a few dozen people at the door. There are also not many on the city walls. On the road, there were Tang troops walking around in a hurry on the road, and the specific number is difficult to estimate, but, but the Tang army in the brigade only encountered two waves. There were about 300 people in each wave. ”

"How is the city defense of Shattered Leaf City?"

"The walls are about three feet high, made of earth, and there are no stones. The fortifications at the head of the city are not visible to the villain. ”

"What is the morale of the Tang army, how is the equipment? Just say what you see? ”

"Morale is high and it's a bit of a disdain. The weapons are all horizontal knives and spears, and they look very well made. Among the Tang Army, there are not many people wearing iron armor. But everyone has leather armor, and ......" hesitated, and Helu's face suddenly showed a little envy, "And many of the Tang troops at the door and on the enemy tower were carrying crossbows. At least, I've seen at least twenty of them. ”

"There is time to open a crossbow, and our athletes can shoot three arrows!" Yihu couldn't hear his subordinates envy outsiders, so he frowned and interjected.

He Lu didn't dare to refute, and slowly lowered his head. At the base of the ear wrapped in kudzu, blood was seeping out. Half of his face and the clothes around his neck were dyed red.

"The Tang army allowed the old and weak women and children to enter the city, which is buying people's hearts, and at the same time, it also shows that they will not give up the broken leaves easily!" Ignoring the blood on Helu's face, Ali, the old man of the Great Eater, turned his gaze to Yihu again and concluded with a smile.

"I know that Xizuo told me a long time ago that the surname Zhang opened many workshops and shops in the city. At this time, the capital has not been recovered, and I am definitely reluctant to leave! Yihu shrugged his shoulders and replied nonchalantly, "It's better if he doesn't leave, and when I catch him, I'll just let him taste what it's like to be tied to the back of a horse and dragged to pieces." ”

"The number of Tang troops is not large, which is in line with the previous report of the detailed work. But it was well equipped and morale was high. Zhang Qian's refusal to let the Tuqi Shi Qingzhuang enter, indicating that this person is cautious and even suspicious. On the other hand, he can't trust the Turgish, so we don't have to worry that he will mobilize the Turgish troops to help in the war. Ali, the preacher of the Great Food, smiled and continued to add slowly.

I didn't expect the old man to ask so much content in a few casual words. Shi Guo's special service was stunned, and the contemptuous expression on his face instantly turned into admiration, "Ali Wise Man is really smart, if it weren't for you today, Deng Meilu would definitely die in vain, and He Lu would have lost two ears in vain." ”

"The Tang army is well-prepared, the morale is not bad, and the walls of Broken Leaf City are tall, so it is very likely that Zhang Qian will choose to hold on. Even if our army walks a little slower, there is no need to worry about him abandoning the city and fleeing. Therefore, there is no need for the special service to rush to lead troops to kill him. Just in case you make a mistake in the rush and be taken advantage of by this person! The old man waved his hand lightly and said his suggestion with a smile.

"The wise man is right, I was almost dizzy just now." Yihu hesitated for a moment and solemnly agreed.

"If he refuses to fight, defend the broken leaves! Have the agents ever thought about how to breach this city? Nodding towards Yihu, Ali, the old man of the big food, asked with a smile.

"Assault, I'm afraid it's a little difficult." Yihu thought for a moment and replied very seriously, "If according to the wise man's previous analysis, our army wants to forcibly attack Broken Leaf, the loss will be great. He must be forced out to fight in the field, so that he can rely on his numerical superiority to annihilate his people in one fell swoop. So ......"

"According to the detailed report, Zhang Qianqian has opened up a lot of farmland outside the city. And his grain is now all transported from 3,000 miles away by the Tang Dynasty. "Ali, the old man, is like a teacher, and he is kind and persuasive.

"The horses trampled the fields and ruined his crops. Then, attack the Turgish tribes in all directions, capture the slaves and go to the stone country. Yihu instantly opened his mind, gritted his teeth and responded loudly.

"Spy wise!" Ali, the old man, gave a thumbs up in admiration. Immediately, he added with a smile, "Although Broken Leaf City is tall, it is made of dirt. And the city is next to the Broken Leaf River. I've heard that every summer, when the snow melts on the mountains, the flow of the River doubles. ”

"Build a dike, pour water into the city, and drown him alive in the city!" Yihu suddenly realized and threw his fist excitedly.

"Spy wise!" Ali, the old man of the big eater, once again raised his thumb high.

A good plan is half the battle. What's more, the purpose of his instigation of Yihu to come and attack Broken Leaf was not originally to break the city, let alone to strengthen the Stone Kingdom.

His gaze was very far, as far as the east of the Ili River, the north of the desert.

That was where the Turkic royal court was located, and now, the Turkic Khan Mosi was suffering from Zhang Renyuan's crazy attack. According to the news sent back by the big food in Chang'an City, Zhang Renyuan actually prepared to unite with the Anxi Army to give Mo Si the final blow after the autumn.

Mobei is a long way away, and the Great Food Country can't give Mo Si more support except for a little supplies and money. With the current situation of the Great Food Country, it is also unable to send troops to fight the Tang Army head-on. However, as the preacher of the Great Food, Ali and his accomplices had a way to make Zhang Renyuan's plan fail.

Khotan is close to Tibet, and this summer, a group of Tibetans will disobey the orders of the Tibetan Empress Dowager, fight out of the plateau, and go straight to Khotan.

Shule was close to the Great Boru, and the Great Borud King had recently converted to Crescent Crescentism. It should not be difficult for him to send troops to go around Shule.

The combat effectiveness of the Broken Leaf Tang Army is amazing, however, the number of the Broken Leaf Tang Army is very thin, and it is not self-sufficient in food. And the broken leaves and Talas are only a few hundred miles apart. The lord of Talas, Yihu, is ambitious.

When Yihu suddenly crossed Qianquan Mountain with tens of thousands of soldiers and horses and killed under Broken Leaf City, it was difficult for Zhang Qian to gather the Broken Leaf Tang Army scattered all over the place and fight Yihu to the death.

His most likely choice is to stick to it.

And Yihu, on the other hand, can do whatever he wants outside Shattered Leaf City with his absolute superiority in strength.

Even if Yihu can't attack Broken Leaf, the damage brought to Broken Leaf is enough to drag Zhang Qian and Broken Leaf Tang Jun.

When autumn came, the Tang army in the three towns of Khotan, Shule, and Xiaye could not assemble to Qiuci, and the Niu Shi Award could not fulfill the original promise to Zhang Renyuan, and led the Anxi army and the Shuofang army to flank the Turkic Khan Mosi.

And Mo Si, even if he can't beat Zhang Renyuan, he can wave his army to the west, and take advantage of the exhaustion of the Broken Leaf Tang Army to repeat the story of last spring!

"Whoa, whoop——————" night fell completely, and in the four fields, the wolf howl continued.