The horse thieves attacked at night, making the caravan really nervous for a while.

In the remaining days, the mercenaries also lifted their spirits and carried knives on night patrol. The torches are lit for a long time, and they greet each other constantly. Growing momentum can also strengthen courage.

However, there was no trace of the horse thief. After a few days and nights of nervousness, the defense gradually became looser.

Human.

On the ground in the Western Regions, the temperature difference between day and night is extremely large. During the day, he wears only a light shirt, but at night he is wrapped tightly in a thick coat. Thirty degrees of jade elixir, one bag per person. When it's cold, I take a sip and my whole body warms up.

Ten days later, the team arrived outside Quli City, which is located at the source of the Peacock River.

This city was originally the capital of the Quli country.

"(Canal) plough the country, the king governs the canal and ploughs the city. There is one lieutenant, one hundred and thirty households, and one thousand four hundred and eighty mouths. One hundred and fifty victorious soldiers, northeast and ditch plow...... There is a river in the west, and it is five hundred and eighty miles to Qiuzi. ”

In the fourth year of Taichu (101 years ago), the general Li Guangli attacked Dawan for the second time, destroyed the ditch plough country, no longer placed the king, and only set up the city to accept state affairs, so it was called "the ditch plough city". During the Jianwu period of the Han Dynasty, Shache dominated southern Xinjiang and divided the Wulei country in its place. In the third year of Yongping, the Xiongnu invaded southern Xinjiang, and the ditch plough land belonged to the Xiongnu. In the sixth year of Yongyuan, Ban Chao led the soldiers of Qiuzi and Shanshan to attack Yanqi and Qu Li, and then the Qu Plough returned to the Han Court.

After the Xianbei rebellion. The beggar tribe rebelled into the Western Regions. The city of Qu Plough lost its news. Now it seems that everything is business as usual.

Liu Bei, dressed in a Western Regions costume and incarnated as a Silk Road merchant, was in the middle of the team, looking up at the seemingly intact city.

One thing to keep in mind. The border defense in the Qin and Han dynasties was a three-dimensional defense network composed of beacons, flints, barriers, fortresses, and cities.

Quli City is no exception. As the former capital of the canal plough country, the canal plough city is in the middle and guards. The surrounding oases are scattered with beacons, barriers, and horns of each other. Early warning in peacetime, defense against the enemy in wartime. The ditches in the oasis are vertical and horizontal, and the fertile fields are full. Self-sufficient. If necessary, it can also support the Cypriot army. Look around. The fields are lined with freshly cut wheat straw. The smoke curls in the city, and there seem to be people guarding it.

"My lord. An Xuan came to ask if he wanted to enter the city. "Koji Yi came to report.

"Into the city." Liu Bei nodded lightly.

The mercenary stepped forward and shouted. Someone agreed to the city's head. Hearing that the caravan was from Dunhuang, he stretched out a long pole from the wall, threw it hard, and threw the basket that fell under the pole over the moat steadily. Someone in the caravan put the pass in the basket. The long pole was thrown back again and the bamboo basket was lifted to the top of the city. After the inspection of the caravan's customs clearance certificate, the drawbridge slowly fell, allowing the caravan to enter the city.

A few veterans of the Han army in military uniforms opened the city gates, opened the antlers, and went out of the city to greet the caravan.

Although several people have white hair and white heads, their skin is like a portrayal. But he is radiant, old and strong. In particular, the back is straight and very imposing. At first glance, he is a veteran of a hundred battles. Although there has been no news from Hanting for a long time, he has been loyal to his duties throughout his life. People are in the city. If the city is there, so is the Han.

"Since Xianbei entered indiscriminately, there has been no caravan for a long time. Dare to ask, can my army go out? The old pawn rushed to An Xuan, who rushed to meet him, and asked.

"Yes, yes." An Xuan replied with a smile: "I heard halfway: General Fuhan, the chief historian of the Western Regions, and the Marquis of Linxiang have led tens of thousands of horsemen to shoulder the Shuijin Pass, reopen the Western Regions Changshi Mansion, and reorganize the troops in Tuntian to prepare for a decisive battle with Xianbei." ”

"Oooh! Dare to ask, who is the new king? The pawn asked again.

"The new Chang Shi is the Marquis of the Han Dynasty, and he is called the General of the Auxiliary Han. Young hero, heavenly unicorn. Those who defeat the humble and humble are the princes. An Xuan replied.

"It's actually the person who defeated Xianbei Tanshi Huai!" The old pawns were overjoyed, so they gave way: "Honor the guest and enter the city." ”

"There is labor." An Xuan then led the caravan inside.

There are also homes in the city.

As it was said, there were 'one hundred and thirty households, and four hundred and eighty mouths.' Victory over one hundred and fifty men'.

See a large group of people enter the city. Everyone opened their windows and watched. An Xuan asked, "I don't know where the captain is?" ”

"Since Captain Feng died in the city, no new Captain has been sent." The old man replied.

"Are there any descendants?" An Xuan asked again.

"How can you make a big man have no queen!" The old man replied with a smile: "Settle here, and you should spread out and stay in my Han territory." ”

"Why are there all women and children all the way, and I haven't seen the young and strong?" An Xuan asked again.

"Either they are hired by caravans, or they are servant by the nations. The imperial court has been in the future for a long time, and there has been no military order to convey it, so how can the younger generations be willing to stay here with old soldiers like us. They all went out to beg for a living. The old man smiled. It is expected that even if there is no longer a long history in the Western Regions, the power of the Hanting Tiger is still there. The surrounding nations did not dare to attack lightly.

Those who commit crimes against strong men will be punished even if they are far away. The translation is: don't mess with me, provoke me to kill you sooner or later.

In the past, King Qiuzi killed the captain Lai Dan, and seven years later, the Han Dynasty raised troops to attack. Although the old king is dead, the blood feud is not over. Ordered the current King of Qiuzi to hand over the noble Gu Yi who killed Lai Dan and behead him as a sacrifice to Lai Dan.

This is my big man. It's always been so neat.

"I see." An Xuan nodded slightly.

And when he led the caravan into the camp and gave an account of all things, the old man departed.

Although it is tedious to enter the city, it is surrounded by high walls. Compared to camping in the wilderness, both mentally and physically, it is a hundred times easier. I slept soundly.

When the caravan set up camp, the inhabitants of the city rushed to barter.

This is also one of the benefits of being in town. Not only can you get sufficient supplies, but you can also make a small profit. An Xuan's trip was a "big business", it didn't matter. The traveling merchants in the Western Regions who formed a temporary team were not tired of it. It didn't take long for the tents of several traveling merchants to be filled with people.

This is also the meaning of the existence of traveling merchants. The creation of civilization was sown along the Silk Road. A caravan is not only about the exchange and exchange of goods. There is also the exchange of different ethnic cultures.

The lively mutual market will not be closed until it closes.

Shi Jian brought a hundred embroidered clothes to guard Liu Bei's camp. Koji Yi led a hundred koji clans under his command to ascend first and circumnavigate the entire camp. Koji has been in Xiliang for a long time. Slightly familiar with Hu language, dressed as Hu people are also quite similar. Pretending to be a mercenary, no one suspects.

"My lord, beware of night attacks." Xi Zhicai spoke.

"Peng Shi is reasonable." Liu Bei nodded lightly: "There are only old women, women and children in the city, but there are no young and strong." And the women were generous in their hands, and had great wealth in their pockets. But they did not see any money-making industry in the city. Presumably, the family's belongings were all looted by men. ”

"What the lord said is very true." Xi Zhicai sighed: "The missing young man in the city must be a horse thief." But I don't know what is going on, but the women and children in the city have ever known. ”

"I don't know." Thinking of the veteran of a hundred battles who had been on the border for half his life and had white hair, Liu Bei couldn't help but sigh. The older generation is loyal to their duties, but the younger generation goes out to be thieves. This is evidence of the Han court's inability to control the Western Regions.

"What now?" Xi Zhicai has long been confident.

A strategist of the level of Xi Zhicai is really a person who is close to a demon. Many seemingly secret and unknown internal information to outsiders have been seen through by him. The way to deal with it is even more convenient. The same is true of horse thieves who crisscross the Western Regions and come and go without a trace. The slightest flaw will be peeped through by it. Such a character is really terrifying.

Saying. Who would have thought that the horse thief was actually a descendant of the old pawn on the border. and also secretly quarreled with the countries of the Western Regions.

"Is there a good way to do it?" Liu Bei asked.

"The lord only needs to do this and so ......"