"It was very windy that day, and the sun was dazzling...... many, many years later, Wang Zhilian, who was known as one of the two sides of the Tang Dynasty, lay on a rocking chair under the grape trellis, and recalled his children and grandchildren with his eyes closed.

As the third product of the same Zhongshu door, the envoy of the five states of melon, Sha, Yi, Xi and Ting, and the book of the military department of the inspection school, his military exploits are as dazzling as his poems. However, what he likes to mention most in front of his children and grandchildren in his life is the battle on the road to Shule.

It was the first time in his life that he went to the battlefield, and his performance could only be regarded as decent, and his credit was only a third-class. However, it completely ignited the dream in his heart. Let him put pen to paper from Rong from now on, and never go back on the road of Confucian generals!

What he will never admit in his life is that he was actually very nervous that day, his legs were trembling all the time, and his arms were far less flexible than they were when he was writing poetry. And peeking around, the surrounding soldiers were also nervous, their faces were pale, and beads of sweat slowly slid down their sideburns.

Even though he was so nervous that he couldn't breathe, Wang Zhihuan gritted his teeth and helped Ren Wu and Ren Liu and others to drag a few simple trebuchets off the carriage, and then helped everyone to erect the trebuchets as quickly as possible. Immediately, he accompanied everyone on the side, and with the cooperation of rocking oars, ropes and pulleys, he quietly pulled the throwing arm to the waiting position and adjusted the ruler.

The surrounding brethren also cooperated with each other, unloading the dragon chariot from the horseback as quickly as possible, and forming two movable walls facing the front and rear of the dovetail formation. Everyone's face turned pale with nervousness, and their breathing was as heavy as that of a ploughing ox.

The vast majority of them are not on the battlefield for the first time. However, the first few times, they had the support of experienced Shuo Fangjun by their side, and they were not too far from the city. At this moment, they are a lone army, three hundred miles away from Khotan, and three hundred miles away from Shule, the shortest road.

In stark contrast to the tension of the group. The Turks who came over to intercept and kill Zhang Qian's cavalry soldiers were all in good time. Taking advantage of the time when the main commander Sha Yu extended an invitation to his opponent, they automatically split the team into three. More than 900 men continued to show off their might in the front, and the other two teams of 300 men each made a detour from the two wings like flowing water towards the rear of the chariot formation. made up his mind and did not let Tang Jun survive alone.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak, squeak......" In the car formation, a low gear bite sounded. Some of the brothers used the crank to pull the crossbow in advance.

This kind of crossbow arrow, with an arm strength of up to three stones, originally required a strong man to step on it with his feet to wind, so it was called Qingzhang. However, in the half month before departure, Zhang Qian used a simple crank gear set to change the foot winding to a hand crank.

Although the improved Qingzhang crossbow is more than a pound heavier than the original, it is quite difficult to lift. But the winding speed has increased by at least three times. And the brawn of the crossbow bearer is no longer as strict as it used to be. Any normal adult man, as long as he can hold a flat crossbow, can use it.

"Ding, ding, ding......" Directly near the carriage in front of him, there was another crisp sound of metal crashing. quickly attracted Wang Zhilian's attention.

It was eighty carefully selected brothers, dressed in the Bright Star Armor, carrying Mo knives and regrouping the team. The handle of the Mo knife is two and a half feet long, and the blade is three feet long. A blade made of iron, sharp enough to cut off a live pig. This kind of weapon, Wang Zhihuan had only heard of it in rumors before, but today, he saw it in front of him with his own eyes, reflecting the sun and the cold.

If the cavalry can't run at speed, they will encounter the ...... of Modao. A bloody picture flashed quickly in front of him, and Wang Zhilian shivered, and then, a sense of confidence arose spontaneously from the bottom of his heart.

Zhang Yongzhao is a man who is good at creating miracles, and he has not only heard of it before, but also seen it several times. Hopefully, this time will be no exception.

Looking through the sword, he looked at the front of the group again. I just saw that Zhang Qian, Luo Huaizu, and Wang Han were blocking in front of the war horses on foot.

The three of them are not short, especially Zhang Qian, who is a typical eight-foot man among the Tang people. However, compared to the shadow sitting on the good horse of the horse, he looks short and humble at this moment.

He obviously likes this feeling of being on top, and he thinks he is sure of victory, and he behaves very gracefully. More than thirty steps away, he stroked his chest with one hand on horseback, and bowed his head deeply again, "I have admired the name of the young eunuch for a long time, and it is really a blessing to see it today." My brother put down the wine and meat in the Broken Leaf City, and asked the young eunuch to talk about the misfortune in his busy schedule! ”

Because it was located downwind and facing northwest, Wang Zhilian could clearly hear the greetings of the sha. However, Zhang Qian's response was not like covering up, deliberately speaking so loudly. So it sounds intermittent, vaguely it should be a refusal, and persuade the other brothers to know that they are lost and not to make mistakes again and again.

"My brothers, how can you ever lose anything to Datang?! Zhou Yiyi was a guy, but he bullied him again and again! Anger immediately took on in his voice, and his arms waved in mid-air, like pincers raised high by a crab. My brother had no choice but to raise troops and seize the broken leaves. But then he had already made a statement to the Shenlong Emperor and stated his grievances. And Datang, but there has been no response so far, and he sent Niu Shi Award to lead the army to force him! ”

"Sha Yu is a smart person, so don't say such boring things, right?" Zhang Qian's voice finally improved a little, so that Wang Zhilian could hear it clearly. But in terms of momentum, it is still much worse than the other party. "The Turkic Khan's court is probably no less than three thousand miles away from the broken leaves! Your brothers are loyal to the Tang Dynasty, and the front foot clashed with Zhou Yiyi, and the Turkic cavalry on the back foot rushed over to help, could it be that they can't fly? ”

"Yes, it's a coincidence!" His movements froze, and his voice became stammering, "The Turks also wanted to sneak attack Broken Leaf, but when they saw that our army took Broken Leaf first, they immediately retreated. ”

"Didn't the Turks take any benefit from their help in vain?" Zhang Qian's head tilted, and the voice of the question became a little higher again. Let all your own people after a hundred steps be able to hear clearly. "A Shi Na Mo Si has betrayed Datang for a long time, and your two brothers have lived up to Datang, why didn't they follow him at that time?!"

"This, this, they, they're going too fast! My brother and I are busy chasing Zhou Yiyi and Ashinazhongjie! "It's also a shame that he is thick-skinned and gets caught hurting his feet, but he can still insist on making up lies.

"Yes, and then you two brothers came and went to attack Qiuzi, and the Turks happened to coincide with Brother Ling?" Zhang Qian's hand didn't make any movements, and his voice was not as high as the other party's, but the whole person suddenly became full of momentum.

"Yes, it's a coincidence. Anyway, it was Datang who failed our brothers first. We...... Only fight Zhou Yiyi and Niu Shi Award, no, there is no anti-Datang! The words of the cover have become intermittent, and even if it is a tailwind, it can no longer be heard clearly by everyone.

"The young eunuch should ride his sassy purple!" Wang Zhilian nodded at Zhang Qian's back, and then sighed in a low voice.

Sa Lu Purple is a well-bred horse, no less beautiful than the carmine under the crotch, and the coat color is even brighter. If Zhang Qian was riding on a horse and talking to Sha Yu, he would definitely be condescending. Coupled with Zhang Qian's sharp words, the other party may have lost seven points before he could fight!

"The young eunuch only learned to ride a horse last year, once the two sides can't talk about it and start fighting, they will definitely suffer!" Someone whispered behind Wang Zhilian to explain, revealing a little regret in his words.

Wang Zhihuan suddenly realized, and then a wry smile appeared on his face. The Turgish people live in the Western Regions in pursuit of water and grass, migrate at least twice a year, and both men and women begin to learn to ride horses before the age of eight, so they are all skilled in riding. And Zhang Qian has been learning riding for less than a year, and it is no problem to travel on horseback, once he fights with the other party, his skills will definitely be greatly affected.

"That shayu didn't have the sincerity to talk to the young eunuch at all, he was stalling for time so that his minions would have a chance to surround us!" Another low voice sounded in the convoy, making Wang Zhilian frightened.

Quickly looking around, he found that when Zhang Qian and Sha Yu were fighting verbally, the Turks and warriors who were divided into three ways had formed a complete triangle. And the car formation of everyone was surrounded by the center of the triangle, and they were in a dilemma.

"Don't talk nonsense, get ready for battle!" Another voice rang out, instantly suppressing all whispers. It is Guo Jing, a pro-soldier lieutenant, who has been ordered to lead his family to protect Zhang Qian since last winter. He is most trusted by Zhang Qian, and he is also the most confident in Zhang Qian.

Wang Zhilian's face was slightly red, put away his thoughts, and turned his gaze straight ahead again. He saw that the arms of the shading were waving anxiously, like an angry praying mantis. And Zhang Qian is still the same as before, with his hands hanging down by his side, calm and relaxed.

Suddenly, Sha Xiao pulled out a knife from his waist, and pointed condescendingly at the bridge of Zhang Qian's nose, his voice was thick and urgent, like the roar of a wild dog, "The surname Zhang, don't toast and don't eat and drink." Now come with me honestly, these brothers under your command, cover up and ensure that none of them are harmed. If you push it back, you come and see ......."

The scimitar was raised high above his head, and in an instant, all the Turquoise soldiers raised their weapons at the same time, and the roar resounded through the field, "Whoa, whoa, whoa......

The Turgish people have been outflanked and regained their strength! Wang Zhihuan immediately realized that the decisive battle was coming, and his heart instantly rose to his throat again.

There were only more than 250 pro-soldiers in the chariot formation, while the opposing team was 15 hundred-man teams. The soldiers lacked combat experience, while the other side was the elite of the Tirish warriors. There were not many arrows and gunpowder in the hands of the pro-soldiers, but the opponents came prepared and had high morale......

In a piercing roar, Zhang Qian's right arm suddenly rose high. There was still no weapon in hand, and the sound was completely drowned out by the roar.

Taken aback, he cautiously grabbed the reins of his horse. The twenty attendants at his side bowed their backs at the same time, like jackals about to hunt their prey. However, when Sha Yu and his relatives around him saw Zhang Qian's empty palm, they immediately laughed arrogantly again, as if the hunt was over, and they were laughing at a dying yellow sheep.

They laughed and slowly moved their mounts, preparing to capture Zhang Qiansheng alive. The two sides were separated by thirty paces, and Zhang Qian was a full hundred steps away from the car wall. They had enough time to capture Zhang alive before he could abscond back into the protective range of the feather arrows.

"Yongzhao, come back quickly!" Wang Zhilian couldn't help but remind loudly, however, his voice couldn't reach Zhang Qian's ears at all because of the headwind.

He anxiously wanted to rush out to answer, but his body was blocked by the Mo Dao hand in front of him, and he couldn't move forward a bit. He watched as the war horse began to accelerate, and then saw Zhang Qian swing his arm down with force.

It was only seven or eight snaps of his fingers, but he felt as if a hundred years had passed. His breathing had long since stopped, and his gaze was almost frozen. Behind him, there were two trigger sounds, which clearly reached his ears.

Time became slower and slower, and in his field of vision, Zhang Qian still did not escape, but put the copper rod in his left hand in front of him. Luo Huaizu and Wang Han, on the other hand, held a knife in one hand and a shield in the other, forming a solid triangle with him back to back.

He was still accelerating, and he was only fifteen or sixteen steps away from Zhang Qian. Two hundred paces behind him, all the Trolls began to move, and the yellow dust from the horses' hooves swayed up like smoke.

Two balls emitting black smoke suddenly fell from mid-air, landing exactly where the shaman had stayed before. "Fire Meteor!" A legendary name quickly flashed through Wang Zhilian's mind, his body shook, his hands and feet were weak at the same time, but his eyes didn't blink!

Last year, the students rumored that Zhang Qian summoned a fire meteor and smashed the monks' altars. He is a Confucian student, and he does not believe in strange powers. After that, he didn't look for Zhang Qian to get to the bottom of it. However, today, at this moment, he saw with his own eyes that with a wave of Zhang Qian's big hand, the fire meteor fell from the sky again.

"Boom!" "Boom!" The fire meteor exploded, and under the scorching sun of the Western Regions, two dazzling peonies bloomed.

The guards on the side of the shield fell off their horses one after another, and they didn't know whether they were alive or dead. And the rouge horse under the crotch of the man himself was also so frightened that he jumped forward and backwards, and refused to accept his control anymore.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh......" The crossbow began to fire, and the crossbow bolts were pressed against the horse's back, shooting the remaining cronies on the side of the shasher one by one into hedgehogs.

When the sound of crossbow arrows breaking through the air had just stopped, Luo Huaizu suddenly dropped his horizontal sword and shield and rose into the air. With one kick, he kicked the cover who was still struggling with the rouge horse and kicked it to the ground. Then he took the man by the collar and turned around and ran.

Zhang Qian and Wang Han protected Luo Huaizu and retreated quickly. More fire meteors continued to fall from the sky, and the rushing Turkic cavalry exploded one after another gorgeous peonies.

The horses and horses in the chariot formation were frightened and tried to flee with a scream. But he was tied to the wheel, unable to escape a bit. The mounts of the Turks, on the other hand, were not controlled at all, or raised their front hooves high and hissed loudly, or turned their heads and slammed into the middle of the road.

The team of Turkic warriors who rushed from the front completely collapsed after only two rounds of "Fire Meteor". Most samurai were not injured by the Fireball, but were thrown to the ground by their mounts or knocked off their horses by their companions. The frightened horse, ignoring the screams of its master, opened its hooves and stepped on the samurai's bodies, trampling them to the point of breaking their tendons.

The Tirish warriors, who attacked the chariot formation from the flanks and from behind, had much better luck than their accomplices in the front. Because of the limited number of trebuchets in the car array, there were not a few "fire meteors" lost on the side and rear. Therefore, although the cavalry and the team on both sides and behind the chariot formation were scattered because of the frightened horses, there were not many samurai who fell off their horses. Moreover, there were a full three hundred-man team, brave the resistance of crossbow arrows, and insisted on killing within ten steps of the car wall.

However, their good fortune also ended there. Inside the car wall, the soldiers who were ready to stand by skillfully pressed the crossbar and sprayed the "gunpowder" in the wheelbarrow on their heads. Alcohol with sulfur, vegetable oil, flour, and other substances turned into a rain of fire in mid-air, setting fire to the fastest Turgish warrior along with his mount. The samurai who followed behind either continued to rush towards the flames of death because they were unable to regain their momentum, or they were carried away by their frightened mounts and fled!

The front of the car formation opened, and Ren Qi took the Mo knife men to bring Zhang Qian, Luo Huaizu and Wang Han into the formation. All around, there were not many enemy troops left on horseback, and the Turgish warriors who fell off their horses but were lucky but not trampled to death stood beside the corpses of their comrades one by one, lost and depressed.

The Turgish people believe in shamanism, and the legends they have heard since childhood are too many to count. And the legendary ghosts and gods rarely leave a fire meteor from mid-air, blowing people and horses to pieces!

The kind of power that does not belong to human beings, falling on their heads, means that God has punished them. In the face of God's wrath, the more they resist, the more miserable they will die, so it is better to bear it obediently.

In the car formation, there are also many pro-soldiers who have lost their souls. Every day when they were resting, they had witnessed Ren 5, Ren 6 and others practicing firing fist-sized iron projectiles with trebuchets. They had also been sleeping when they faintly heard thunder in the nearby valley. However, they never expected that Ren Wu and Ren Liu, with those more than 50 brothers, were practicing the killer trick of meteors falling from the sky!

"Chase, the enemy army has collapsed!" Wang Zhilian's reaction was much faster than that of his own soldiers. When the pressure of death was gone, he quickly glanced towards the trebuchet and immediately understood where the fire meteor was coming from. Immediately, he grabbed an iron projectile with a twist and grabbed it in his left hand, waved a horizontal knife in his right hand, and strode out of the car wall.

Guo Jing and Ren Jiu, who were protecting Zhang Qian's retreat according to the plan, were both taken aback by Wang Zhilian's actions. Immediately, the two took the lead and stopped, looked at Zhang Qian and laughed.

In order to prepare for the unexpected, Zhang Qianqian formulated a complete battle plan before leaving Chang'an City. Using a fire meteor to scare the enemy's war horse was originally just one of the most advanced moves in the battle plan. However, no one expected that the Fire Meteor did not kill a few enemies, and the Tirish Cavalry was directly frightened and collapsed.

Now that the Turks had collapsed, there was no need for everyone to continue to carry out the original battle plan step by step. Hurry up and chase the north to expand the results of the battle is the right thing! Therefore, after laughing, Zhang Qian gave an order, and the whole army of the Modao team launched a counterattack!

Wang Zhilian only wore an iron vest, so he left the Modao team far behind. A stunned Tusher warrior standing in front of his companion's corpse heard his footsteps and shouted to raise his weapon. He rushed over with an arrow step, swept the knife diagonally, and cleanly swept the man in half.

Another Thirshi warrior turned and fled, but he caught up from behind and slashed him to the ground. Not far away, there was a frightened mount screaming loudly, and Wang Zhihuan approached quickly, turned over and jumped on horseback. Shove the iron pimple into the iron vest, shake the reins with your left hand, and slash your knife with your right hand to pounce on an enemy soldier.

The enemy troops surrendered on their knees along the way, but he was too lazy to cut and continued to chase farther away. No enemy on horseback would stop and engage him, even if he caught up with him and cut off his mount from behind. The iron lump that he carried in his arms like a treasure did not find any opportunity to exert power. On the contrary, he had to use his left hand to pull the reins of the war horse from time to time to adjust the position, so as not to lose this thing because of the bumps on the horse's back, and he could not explain to Zhang Qian after he returned.

At this moment, it also has no effect, but it has become a burden, as well as the Shining Star Armor and the Mo Knife.

The Shining Star Armor can ignore any feathered arrow twenty steps away, and the Mo Knife is unstoppable. However, after the counterattack, the Mo knife fighters couldn't cry or laugh one by one.

Around the car formation, there were at least three or four hundred Tuqi warriors, however, the Modao team could not find a decent opponent.

The Turkey warriors, who were lucky enough not to fall off their mounts, all fled faster than the rabbits. The Turgish warriors, who fell off their horses but were lucky not to be trampled to death by their horses, refused to fight. Either turn around and run away, or get down on your knees again and close your eyes tightly!

Those who escaped, the Mo Knife team couldn't catch up. Kneeling on the ground and closing his eyes and waiting for the deceased, the Modao team disdained to kill. As a result, everyone rushed hundreds of paces on the battlefield with sonorous sounds, but they did not even kill twenty enemy soldiers. I was so tired that I was sweating profusely, shaking my head and panting.

"Disarm all those who surrendered, and escort them to collect their horses." Zhang Qian was not interested in slashing and killing those enemies who had voluntarily laid down their weapons. With a few words, he turned and returned to the wall again.

It was too coincidental to cover the family, not too early or too late, and he happened to be stuck on the way from Khotan to Shule City. And the time when he arrived and left Khotan, apart from the brothers around him, only a handful of people know about it.

"You're back just in time, hurry up and go over the lookout car to have a look! That kid, that kid seems to be scared silly! Luo Huaizu stepped forward, his face full of schadenfreude. Compared with the days before Zhang Qian left Chang'an, the "yin qi" on this person's face has decreased significantly, and there is occasionally a bit of human temperature in his eyes.

"I'm stupid, it's not pretending, is it?" Zhang Qian didn't need to ask, he knew who Luo Huaizu was talking about. Pick up speed and come to the lookout car in the middle of the formation.

Wang Han pressed the handle of the knife with his hand and looked at the trembling Sha Yu who was kneeling on the ground with suspicion. Sensing Zhang Qian's arrival, he immediately shook his head with a wry smile, "This guy seems to be really scared into a fool." Whatever you ask him, he just begs for mercy. ”

As soon as the words fell, Sha Yu had already raised his head, and looked at Zhang Qian with his eyes, "Spare your life, Grandpa Fairy." Don't hack me, don't hack me, I changed, I really changed! I don't wet the bed anymore, I never wet the bed again, I change, I'll change it now! Fairy grandpa spare his life, don't use thunder to hit me, I really changed! ”

"Since I'm already scared stupid, there's no use in keeping it. Give him a good idea! Zhang Qian took a few steps back, his face full of disgust.

"It's good!" Wang Han sighed, bent down, picked up the collar covering his clothes with one hand, and walked away.

Just dragged out five or six steps away, Sha Yu suddenly stretched out his hands and hugged a chariot tightly, "Spare your life, Young Eunuch Zhang spare your life!" I'm not stupid, I'm not stupid! I swear to God! Spare your life, spare your life—"