In early April, An Chong's caravan with Sogdian Huja returned to Dingxi.

Not long after, a rumor began to spread in Wangcheng Guyin.

The rumor is that Song Fang bought an assassin and waited for an opportunity to assassinate Xin Er.

But in the end, the assassin was influenced by Xiner.

He admired Xin Er's noble character of the royal family and worked all night for the public, so he took the initiative to confess to Xin Er and planned to commit suicide to apologize.

Xin Er stopped him in time, and instead of punishing him, he trusted the Assassin because of his appreciation for his bravery and righteousness, and kept him by his side as one of his courtiers.

Some people say that this rumor first came from Fu Qiao and Zhang Gui.

However, when the two of them were asked for evidence, they said in unison that the matter did not come from the two of them.

There is no way to verify where the rumors came from; Whether the rumors are true or false cannot be confirmed.

As for who the "assassin" is, there are even more opinions.

Some people say that it is Shi Liang, because it is said that one morning, Shi Liang knelt down in the hall of the Auxiliary General's Mansion and kowtowed, which was obviously a guilty gesture, and seemed to be intentionally trying to judge himself. Some people say that it is and Qu Yuanguang, because after Song Fang's death, Yuanguang looked anxious and panicked for several days. Some people also say that it is An Chong, because only An Chong has been reused recently.

But like Fu Qiao and Zhang Gui, Shi Liang and others, without exception, did not admit that this "reformed" assassin was him.

For a while, this matter became a big mystery.

And there were those who believed and those who did not.

It doesn't matter if you believe it or not.

Xin Er's image in the minds of ordinary people and the people has been improved anyway.

Some of the criticisms caused by the execution of Song Fang and the expulsion of Song Hong have gradually fallen out of people's attention because of this.

The complete loss of power of the Song family and the fact that the new post of "recording the affairs of the three governments" caused by the turmoil of the Dingxi Dynasty will probably last for a while, and at the same time that the courtiers and scholars are still digesting this matter, another news came out that Gao Chong was ordered to send Jiang Zuo.

Xin Er, Sun Yan and other important ministers, and Yang Chao, who had just been appointed as a "record to join the army", as well as Huang Rong, a regular servant of the palace in the same county as Gao Chong, Zhang Gui, Shi Liang, etc., and two children of the Gao family who were only cited by Xin Er as the governor of the mansion, saw off Gao Chong together.

The riverside willows on the side of the road are still in the sun, under the bright sunshine, Xin Er is full of high handles, earnestly instructed, and repeatedly explained, he must pay attention to safety on the road, if he encounters danger and cannot continue to go south, he must not be reckless, and must turn back immediately.

There were a total of twenty-four people who accompanied Gao Chong to the south.

Two of them were erudite and elegant men carefully selected by the imperial court, the other two were Sogdian merchants who had just returned from Puqin, and the rest were tiger warriors in the Xin Er army.

In order to facilitate their journey, they made up caravans, nominally led by the two Sogdian merchants.

Bidding farewell to Xin Er and others, Gao Chong and his entourage traveled south from Guyin, basically along the road from Wang Shuwang to Longxi County before, traveled for several days, crossed the Yellow River, turned east, passed through the defense area of Kojiqiu, and entered the territory of Puqin.

When Fang arrived in Puqin, he didn't have any special feelings.

As it gradually deepened, Gao Chong felt more and more different customs from Longzhou.

On the topography, it is very different from the desert and Gobi of Longzhou, where Gao Chong and others pass through, it is mostly an endless plain, the land is very fertile, they often see a special landform, that is, the four sides are steep, the top is wide and flat, and the local people call it "Yuan".

In terms of race, there are a lot of Hu people in Longzhou, but most of the Hu people in Longzhou are nomadic in the grasslands and mountains, and in the cities of counties and counties, except for the Tang nobles, rich families as apprentices, and slaves, there are not many Hu people, and Pu Qinguo is a country where the Rong people are in power.

In the territory of Longzhou, most of the people in the brocade clothes and jade belt are Tang people, a small number are Sogdian Hu, and there are few nomadic Hu people.

In the territory of Puqin, most of the gorgeous clothes are Rong people, there are many Xiongnu and other species, and the Tang people have become a minority.

In terms of language, there are Rong dialects everywhere, and Gao Chong does not understand the words of the Rong people, but fortunately, the two Sogdian Hu merchants have been merchants for a long time, and they often travel back and forth between Longzhou and Guanzhong, but they can speak the words of the Rong people, and they have not encountered any big problems along the way.

Follow Weishui to the east, pass Fufeng County, and arrive at Shiping County.

Further on, it is the current capital of Puqin, the old capital of the Tang people for several generations.

At this point, a choice is placed in front of Gao Chong.

It is to continue to go east, after passing Xianyang, and then turn south, edge Danshui and other rivers, and enter the left of the river; Or do you want to go south, cross the Qinling Mountains, and enter Jiangzuo?

Gao Chong chose the latter.

Xianyang is the capital of Puqin, and it must be strictly investigated, and they went deep into the enemy country for six or seven hundred miles, and finally got here, and they can't give up their efforts. Because of this, although it is obviously much more difficult to cross the Qinling Mountains than boating on the Yuanhe River, this can only be chosen.

The plan was agreed, and everyone rested for the night.

The next day, as soon as Gao Chong and the others left the city, they saw seven or eight Rong people galloping from the direction of Xianyang on horseback.

They quickly took refuge in the grass beyond the road and gave way to them.

The leader of the Rong cavalry is a small colonel.

He wore two thick braids, which were wrapped around his neck, and wore the scarf of the beast's head, and his armor and sword, and a long lance on his horse, and when he passed by the side of Gao Chong and others, he did not even glance at them, but led his men and galloped straight over.

Gao Chong was suspicious, watched them go away, and said: "Since entering the Qin soil, the Hulu soldiers we have met have all blackmailed us. Why is this Rongqi Colonel so blind to me? After twisting his beard for a long time, he pondered and guessed, and said, "Looking at its hurried appearance, could it be that something happened in the country of Qin?" Remembering what Xin Er had said to him, many princes and nobles of Pu Qin had always been hostile to Meng Lang, a Tang man who was now in power in their country, and he said in his heart, "Could it be the civil strife between the court and China of Qin Yu?" ”

Gao Chong's bold speculation is undeniably closely related to the political struggle in Dingxi in recent months.

However, the political struggle in Dingxi does not mean that there will definitely be civil strife in Puqin.

The rush of the Rongren Colonel had nothing to do with Meng Lang.

It is because: in the early years, the Rong people who surrendered to the Jiangzuo court and lived in Huainan, under the leadership of their current leader Yao Guo, turned against Jiangzuo a month ago, called himself the general and the great Danyu, gathered more than 70,000 troops, defeated Jiangzuo's crusade, and then attacked Jiangzuo, but the result was not defeated, and the defeat was frustrated, so he gathered the rout, and under the advice of his adviser Wang Cheng, the Tang man, turned westward, and now has reached the border of Puqin.

Pu Mao and Meng Lang got the news and immediately made arrangements to deal with it.

That small colonel was ordered to rush to Shiping, Fufeng and other counties to transfer troops.

This sudden outbreak of crisis, not to mention that it will inevitably be beneficial to Gao Chong's southward Jiangzuo, only Pu Mao and Meng Lang.

In the spacious palace of Xianyang.

Although Pu Mao, who was sitting on the throne, tried his best to make a calm appearance, looking at his right hand on his lap, he could see that the thumb of his right hand was constantly rubbing his index finger, and this small action of involuntary emotion still revealed his slightly nervous state of mind.

Meng Lang, Gou Xiong and other civil and military ministers in the Pu Qin Dynasty, as well as Zhao Yanli, about dozens of people lined up in two rows, opposite each other under the throne.

Meng Lang didn't show any nervousness, and even said that he was still a little relaxed.

Meng Lang said with a smile: "King, a few days ago, the king also said that it is difficult to become an elite soldier if he is not on the battlefield, and there is no suitable opportunity to let the newly trained foot riders fight a few battles on the battlefield with real swords and guns." I know that Yao Guo sent himself to the door, which is really sensible and interesting. ”