Chapter 4: Loulan (Part 4)

When he woke up in the middle of the night, Wang Xun felt that his head hurt as if it had cracked.

He actually drank too much. He hadn't tasted drunkenness for many years, and he was actually let go by a half-grown child who was younger than himself!

But there's nothing to be ashamed of. It was a real pleasure to drink. How exactly he returned to his tent, Wang Xun couldn't remember it at all. However, he remembered that he talked a lot to Shi Huaiyi, from when he was a child, he was hanging his butt by a tree branch when he climbed over the wall of his house, to getting lost on the street and going home crying alone; From liking a certain girl so much that she can't speak, to being chased out of more than half a mile by a vicious dog, you and I say a word, all kinds of ridiculous things happened when I was a teenager.

They are all young, and their hearts have not yet been filled with the filth of the world. So they can easily smile at that silly shadow of their past, full of pity. They may make mistakes in the future, and what they did today may still be a joke in retrospect. But they are really young, and they have no regrets.

It's late winter, and the moon has only one small tooth left. The stars are getting brighter and brighter. The icy starlight pierced through the fog in the valley and through the cracks in the edge of the window, illuminating the human eye.

When drinking in the evening, Shi Huaiyi's eyes were as clear as starlight. Wang Xun remembered that he happened to mention his hometown Chang'an at that time,

Shi Huaiyi's eyes were immediately full of yearning. He had never seen a more prosperous place than Yumen Pass, and he really couldn't imagine what a giant city that was nineteen and a half miles long from east to west and seventeen miles wide from north to south would become. It is also impossible to imagine how prosperous a large city with a population of more than 500,000 will be. The most unbelievable thing is that in this city, Ahura Mazda, the god of fire believed by the Loulan people, the Buddha believed by the Tianzhu people, and Allah, believed by the great cannibals, can actually enjoy the worship of believers at the same time and be safe with each other. You must know that in any tribe in the Western Regions, if two gods appear at the same time, the result will inevitably be a bloody battle until the believers on one side are completely dead.

When Shi Huaiyi told the story of Loulan, Wang Xun's eyes lit up when he heard it. The history of this tribe can be pushed up to the pre-Qin, which was once destroyed by the Yue clan, broken by the Xiongnu, and defeated by the Han Dynasty, but it has never been submerged by the long years like other tribes in the Western Regions. From the Han Dynasty to the Tang Dynasty, for hundreds of years, as soon as they found an opportunity, the Loulan people would try to establish their own kingdom. Even if all the power accumulated over more than 100 years is exhausted for the sake of a momentary brilliance, it will not hesitate.

According to Shi Huaiyi, the last time the people of Loulan almost made their dreams come true was more than 100 years ago. At that time, Hou Junji led the troops to attack Gaochang, and the Loulan people sent 1,500 troops as the forerunner, leading ** through the desert and reaching the city of Gaochang. Later, Hou Jun collected the reward for meritorious deeds, once played the Tang Dynasty Emperor, and asked the court to give the Loulan patriarch Wang Jue at that time. But for some unknown reason, this reward has never been implemented. Subsequently, the Turks in the Western Regions rebelled, cutting off the communication between the Western Regions and the Central Plains, and the Loulan people also suffered from the pond fish, which was regarded as a capricious outlier by the Tang Dynasty. Until now, he has not been able to regain contact with the imperial court.

"Presumably because General Hou killed too much! So the court rejected all the requests for rewards! Although he was very disappointed with the current imperial court, Wang Xun instinctively defended the Tang Dynasty.

"Killing too much? When the Gaochang people found that ** suddenly appeared outside the city, they were so frightened that they surrendered without daring to resist at all, how could they kill too much? Regarding Wang Xun's explanation, Shi Huaiyi couldn't believe it at all.

"I'm not talking about the time, I'm talking about the aftermath. When he was in the class, Hou Junji buried more than one million Gaochang prisoners alive in the desert! Wang Xun thought about it and added loudly.

"More than a million?" Shi Huaiyi's nose was almost twisted together with his eyebrows, "Who are you listening to?" If there are a million people in Gaochang State, can they be wiped out by General Hou so easily? ”

"This?" Thinking of the embarrassment at that time, Wang Xun felt blushing. Since you have to go through the desert, the number of people cannot be too large. And if Gaochang is a big country with a population of one million, how can it get together 30,000 or 40,000 defenders. 3. Forty thousand defenders are coming from afar, and the exhausted enemy will surrender without a fight? It seems that there is no such precedent in the past!

The legend about the killing of prisoners was actually fabricated out of thin air. Lying on top of the felt, facing the unique starlight of the Western Wilderness, Wang Xun felt ashamed of his ignorance. He knew that this couldn't be completely blamed on the guide Lao Yue. When he was in Chang'an City, the stories he heard about Hou Junji were also related to greed, cruelty, and not knowing how to advance or retreat. There are even rumors that long before Hou Junji became the boss of the previous party, Li Jing expected that this person would rebel in the future. And warn His Majesty Taizong. It's a pity that His Majesty Taizong didn't believe in Li Jing's foresight. (Note 1)

How did these absurd legends come about? If it had been a year ago, Wang Xun would not have hesitated to attribute the blame to "the ignorance of the world and the spread of falsehood". Now, based on what he's seen and heard in the past year, he's come to the conclusion that many things aren't as simple as they seem. As the saying goes, since many rumors can be widely spread, there will definitely be an invisible hand behind them that is secretly pushing. Is it because Hou Junji's military exploits are too prominent, which arouses the jealousy of his colleagues? Is it because Hou Junji is on the wrong side in the battle for the prince? Or is it because Hou Junji accidentally offended a big person? It's all possible. Anyway, Gu Wang Xun knew that Hou Junji was convicted and imprisoned in a daze after he was a teacher in the Western Regions, and he didn't get any reward at all. A few years later, he was killed for "treason" and was completely ruined. (Note 2)

Fortunately, Shi Huaiyi also drank too much at that time, and did not take the opportunity to get to the bottom of it. Instead, he put himself in Wang Xun's shoes and worried about his future. He believes that if there is no reward for merit, and if there is no fault but you want to be killed, such a court will not be guaranteed. Wang Xun insisted on emphasizing that the manly husband is a man, and it is difficult to chase the horse. Since he promised to take his brothers back to Chang'an in an upright manner, he must do it, otherwise, his soul will not be able to live in peace after death.

"Once the word is spoken, the horse is hard to chase!" Under the starlight, Wang Xun turned over, with a bit of drunken aftertaste. Shi Huaiyi can give up everything for his tribe, and he can do the same. As a Tang boy, he can't be compared to a Loulan hairy child no matter what.

"But the elders thought you'd stay! If you rush to go, they will be shocked! Shi Huaiyi's words at that time echoed in Wang Xun's ears again. This Loulan boy is very simple, as simple as the thousand-year-old ice peak on Altun Mountain, he can see the shadow in people's hearts. Seeing that Wang Xun insisted on choosing, he was not angry. Instead, he began to think about how to pass the tribal elder's level for the other party.

"Aren't there rules in your tribe? After intercepting the caravan, only 20% of the goods were left! No harm to human life? As for how to get out safely, Wang Xun is not too sure. simply probe the bottom of Shi Huaiyi here to see what the reaction of the Loulan people will be.

Shi Huaiyi's face was very interesting at that time, he was reluctant to accept the ordnance he had already obtained, and he did not want his people to be ashamed of breaking their promises. He frowned and pondered for a long time before stammering and arguing: "That's the rule for vendors." You, you are officers and soldiers! ”

"Did we fight each other at that time?" With a little drunkenness, Wang Xun first rehearsed on Shi Huaiyi's words to face the Loulan patriarch in the future. "This batch of baggage belongs to the Anxi Army. We are just in charge of the escorts. Therefore, it cannot be counted as an officer and army. It can only be counted as a group of delivery dart masters. If it weren't for the credibility of your tribe, we would have resisted and resisted to the end! ”

"You didn't have the strength to fight anymore!"

"If you hadn't waited until we were defeated by the Hexi thieves, how would we have lost our strength?"

In terms of eloquence, Shi Huaiyi is not Wang Xun's opponent anyway. After only a few words, he was defeated. Knowing that Loulan people's calculations at that time had been seen through by Wang Xun, this straightforward young man's face was a little unbearable. After hesitating for a moment, he promised in a low voice, "If you say something, I can help you deliver it to Kang Laona." As for the patriarch, if he promises to let you leave with your baggage, I can't take care of it! ”

"It would be great if you could tell me a few words in front of Kang Lao!" Although he drank a lot of wine, Wang Xun remembered to knock on bricks and nails at that time. "This favor will never be forgotten by being an elder brother for the rest of my life!"

"You don't have to remember it for a lifetime. Just promise to do one thing for me! In his memory, Xiao Shi's eyes seemed to be a little sad again. This sentimental little guy is far less mentally mature than his face.

"Okay!" It is rare to climb such a strong reinforcement in the Loulan tribe, and Wang Xun has no mouth to agree.

"It's all in one word!" Shi Huaiyi stretched out his hand and said in the words he had just learned.

"It's hard to chase a horse!" Wang Xun smiled and raised his hand to strike. There was a crisp "pop" sound in mid-air.

"It's hard to chase a horse!" Repeating a sentence gently, through the starlight that came in from outside the curtain, Wang Xun looked at his palm again. He knew that he had taken advantage of the innocence of the little stone at that time, and he felt a little guilty in his heart. The little guy learned to drink booze, but he didn't learn the ability of adults to "make a fuss" at the wine table. Suddenly, he felt that something was wrong? Why did Little Stone pull himself to drink today? Isn't it for Xiao Luo? But he took the initiative to announce that he was leaving, wouldn't it be in line with the kid surnamed Shi?!

Grandma's, I might have fallen for that kid!

More starlight seeped in from outside the curtain and shone on Wang Xun's young face. In an instant, a smile welled up on his face.

Note 1: See New Tang Dynasty Book. Tang Taizong asked Li Jing to teach Hou Junji the art of war, and Hou Junji said to Taizong: "Jing is the opposite, the soldiers are subtle, and they do not show their ministers." Tang Taizong asked Li Jing again, and Li Jing said: "Fang Zhongyuan has nothing to do, and what the ministers teach is enough to control the four yi, and seek all the ministers' skills, this gentleman wants to turn his ears." ”

Note 2 In history, Hou Junji broke Gaochang, and was impeached for embezzlement, embezzlement, and arbitrary assignment of officials without waiting for the class teacher. Imprisonment followed. Later, although he was released, he was deducted. There is no reward for destroying a nation.