As soon as the news of the young monarch marquis came out, it caused a sensation in the city. Especially the Hu merchants in Fandi, each has its own honor. Wulian even went in and out of the mansion and had a secret conversation with Hu Shang. The assassination reported the news, Geng Yong weighed it again and again, and reported it to Liu Bei.

Liu Bei called Wu Lian to ask. Wu Lian replied: Recruit troops.

Liu Bei immediately asked: What is your intention?

Wulian is confident: go north with you.

Liu Bei couldn't help but stagnate: This is outside the border, and there are many crises. You're still at home.

Wu Lian shook his head: With me, you and Brother Wang will be less suspicious.

From Liu Bei and Hu Cai's captain, Wulian knows. If you go to the outside of the pass, you will go with Wuyan, the king of Wuhuan in Beiping. With her, the relationship between Liu Bei and Wuyan will not be too stiff.

Sure enough, I know the general situation. What else can Liu Bei say. This then asks: Who are you looking for?

Wulian replied: Most of them are Wuhuan, Ding Ling, Xiongnu, and Xiqiang warriors. It was hired by Hu merchants in the Western Regions along the way, crossed the Gobi Desert, and arrived in the Central Plains. All the deeds signed were death deeds, and after arriving in Lousang, they served as guards. See the tranquility in the city, and the harmony between Han and Hu. Assassinate traitors and enforce the law impartially. The guards are useless, but they have become a burden. I spent money to buy it, and Hu merchants were willing.

Liu Bei nodded: How many?

Ulian replied: "I plan to gather 900 men."

Liu Bei was stunned: How can the Fan Mansion hold nine hundred guards.

Wu Lian said with a smile: Hu merchants are in the border county market, and there are shops everywhere. Do you think it's only in Lou Sang? I heard that they also have an independent camp outside the Guan. Even if the Silk Road merchants are Xianbei, they will not do harm.

Liu Bei understood.

In other words, among these merchants, there will not be any one who makes a profit by selling samurai.

Liu Bei didn't believe how much loyalty he could have to these mercenary weapons. But Ulian said it was okay. Once the money and goods are settled, the contract is delivered. The Hu warriors will serve loyally until death.

Really?

How can the Hu people have such a spirit of contract? Liu Bei will be skeptical.

Seeing that Liu Bei's face was quite suspicious. Wu Lian said again: You recruited 4,000 troops in Jiujiang. Isn't it also a mercenary? Why not suspect him?

Liu Bei was relieved when he thought about it. As Uren said. When he was in Jiujiang, Liu Bei erected a flag at the entrance of the city to recruit troops. Pile up the cash box and take it yourself. Isn't it the same as Wulian's recruitment of Hu people and samurai? The main reason why I am convinced is that the soldiers recruited are all my people.

Hu is narrow-minded and suspicious. But he did not hear about it, and he did not believe it. Just negotiate the price and sign the contract. will gallop left and right, loyal to the two.

There are more and more Hu warriors in Xilinyi. The equipment is even more varied.

Nowadays, the green ridge Xihu. The more famous ones are: Shanshan, Cheshi, Qiuzi, Khotan, Wuyi, Shule, Gumo, Dawan, Pu, Guhu, Wusun, Xiaoyuezhi and so on. All of them are along the Silk Road, making a living from nomadism.

The reason why Wu Lian trusts them is precisely because they are all Xihu. It is not the same as Xianbei, which belongs to Donghu.

"Those who are not of my race will have different hearts."

Liu Bei didn't dare to take it lightly. Then he ordered his subordinates to assassinate and investigate carefully.

These Xihu warriors, traveling to and from the Silk Road, were fluent in various Chinese. Even the official dialect of Youzhou is seven or eight points similar. It's not difficult to communicate.

There is Qiuzi in the Book of Han, and the national capital is Yancheng. Its country is connected to Yanqi (Wuyi) in the east, Gumo in the west, and Wusun in the north. There are records of more than 80,000 people and more than 20,000 mercenaries. It was the most powerful among the countries of the Western Regions. "Jin Shu Xirong": "Guizi country west to Luoyang 8,280 miles, there are common cities, its city is threefold, there are thousands of pagodas and temples. People are engaged in farming and animal husbandry, and both men and women are in the field. The palace is magnificent, and it looks like a god's dwelling".

A turtle with a population of more than 80,000 people has 20,000 mercenaries!

The countries of the Western Regions must be like this.

This also means that the mercenaries of the Western Regions are a huge organization. Or a group. They were employed by the king's lord to protect his people. The kingdoms of the Western Regions are more like city-states. Rather than a tribal confederation similar to Donghu.

This is the most significant difference from Donghu.

In other words, the level of civilization of the countries of the Western Regions is higher than that of Donghu.

Since all the countries of the Western Regions have recruited mercenaries to protect the country. This also proves that the loyalty of mercenaries is still credible.

Liu Bei asked the assassin to investigate carefully, and the main purpose was to prevent Donghu Xianbei from getting involved.

Qiuzi iron ware is well-known at home and abroad. Mercenaries from the Western Regions, well-armoured. Dawan horse under the crotch, wearing chain armor and holding a turtle scimitar.

The typical style of the turtle knife is that the upper tip of the knife body is tilted backward and curved, and the handle is made of copper, silver, jade, bone, precious stones, horns and other parquet rivets. The handle is shaped like a bird's head, the upper tip of the knife body is tilted back, and the lower end of the handle is tilted forward to form a crescent-shaped scimitar. The knife is forged from black steel (tungsten steel), and the blade is inlaid with a 'copper badamu' pattern, which is sharp and exquisite. For the copper bada wood pattern, you need to chisel the pattern on the blade first, and pour high-temperature copper water into it. Then grinding and polishing, these links require superb skills and cannot be completed by non-good craftsmen.

The most famous turtle "peacock knife". The handle is crafted from selected brass, yak horn and precious stones. The blade is unusually sharp, the blood groove is opened on both sides, and the blade is water-milled and lettered. The scabbard is made of cow and sheepskin, and it is the best thing in the sword.

I want to hire a mercenary with a big horse under his crotch, wearing chain armor and holding a peacock knife. It's a lot of money.

Wu Lian came to find Liu Bei. said, there are more than 300 Guizi rangers, and they are just for their use. However, the price is very high, and he is unwilling to break it up, so he can't afford to pay.

Liu Bei sighed. Then he said, "Let's make an appointment."

Ulian went away overjoyed.

A few days later, a mercenary leader dressed in a bearded robe was led into the study by Wu Lian.

Liu Bei was very surprised to see that he was quite polite and proficient in Chinese. This asks, "Who are you?"

The leader of the mercenaries replied: "In Xia is a descendant of the king of Qiuzi, whose surname is Bai Zhuo. In the face of great disaster, he led his henchmen to go to the imperial court, wanting to ask for help to return to the country. coincided with the rebellion in Xiqiang, and the Silk Road was not leading to Chang'an. In the name of a mercenary, he traveled eastward with the caravan and arrived in the Central Plains a few months ago. I also heard that the young monarch Hou Jianfan Mansion was in the market. This came to Lousang together with the Hu Shang he protected.

It turned out to be Bai Zhuo, a descendant of the King of Qiuzi.

It is found in the recorded surname of Qiuzi Bai, starting with Baiba.

Bai Ba, the king of Qiuzi in the Eastern Han Dynasty, was originally a servant of the Han Dynasty. In the third year of Yongyuan, he and the Emperor of the Western Regions proposed to seal Baiba as the king of Qiuzi. Send Sima Yao Guang to escort him back to China. Ban Chao and Yao Guang worked together to coerce Qiuzi and abolish the former king Yuli Duoli Baiba.

It has been nearly 100 years now. The descendants of the Bai family still learn Chinese and practice Chinese etiquette. In the face of great difficulties, he went thousands of miles to invite soldiers to return to the country. It can be seen that the great Han Tianwei is still there.

No wonder Ulian said it was a lot of money. The great cause of restoring the country, how can it be cheap!

Liu Bei then asked: Do you want to go to Luoyang?

Bai Zhuo shook his head: I don't want to anymore.

Liu Bei asked again: Why?

Bai Zhuoyan said: Xiqiang, Xianbei, Nanban, Shanyue. Dahan was too busy to take care of himself. How can they rule over a state thousands of miles away?

Liu Bei sighed: The current situation is indeed like this.

Bai Zhuo said again: If you become a naturalized Han in the next year, you will become a young prince. Can it be treated equally like Hu Shang in Fandi? The rewards and punishments for merit are all the same as those of the Han Dynasty.

Liu Bei understood: the curve saves the country. Could it be that you have taken a fancy to the position of captain Hu Qi.

Bai Zhuo nodded solemnly: At that time, I will lead an army by myself to restore the old country!