Chapter 5: The Purple Robe (Five Up)

When the news came out, the warriors of the Mukun tribe were also jubilant. None of them expected that they would regain their freedom less than two hours after becoming captives. What I didn't expect was that the Tang general, who was protected by the White Wolf God, not only no longer pursued everyone's offense, but also distributed the spoils to everyone.

In the past, I worked for other heroes, but I didn't have such a rich harvest. When he arrived, the warrior of the Wood Kunbu looked at Wang Xun with gratitude in his eyes. Seeing this scene, Wang Xun simply did it to the end. The dozen or so prisoners of the bones who had been temporarily pulled into the team were also called to the front. Through Shi Huaiyi's mouth, he announced to them in Turkic, "You guys did well just now. General Don was very satisfied and decided to release you. In addition, each person was rewarded with three camels, a bag of flour, and they could go home early tomorrow morning! (Note 1)

Hearing this, the warrior of the Bone Tribes immediately knelt on the ground and bowed his head in thanks. The original owner of the camel, Urqi and Secharo, could not complain. The rules of the Western Regions have always been like this, and everything of the loser, including his net worth and life, is at the mercy of the winner. At the moment when they decided to surrender, the livestock and baggage in the ranks had already changed owners.

Subsequently, with the help of Shi Huaiyi and Kang Zhongxin, Wang Xun began to command the brothers and captives to clean up the battlefield together. The battle just now was won cleanly, and none of the twenty-six Wyvern Guards, including himself, were killed, only six were slightly injured to varying degrees, and Miss Xiao Luo casually put a plaster on the wound, and they jumped alive again. However, the Loulan warriors who followed Shi Huaiyi to pretend to be a warrior of the Mukunbu and mixed behind the enemy army to wreak havoc, suffered heavy losses. There were thirty-four people when they went, and only twelve survived in the end, and almost all of them hung the lottery. But compared to the brilliant results of this battle and the benefits that Loulan received afterwards, these sacrifices were also worth it.

The losses of the Kibe samurai who followed behind the Wyvern Praetorian Guard were also very small, only a dozen or so. The losses of the Loulan warriors who followed the Mukun tribe to expand their gains were lighter, and the casualties were almost negligible. Among all the participants, the lightest loss was the Minzhuang led by Wei Feng and Zhu Wuyi, and because he was not worried about the combat effectiveness of the Minzhuang, Wang Xun arranged it at the end of the attack sequence. As a result, they served as the last straw that crushed the enemy army. Basically, there was no action, and the two divisions of Urqi and Secharo surrendered, and of course there was no loss.

In contrast, the casualties of Urqi and Secharo were somewhat disastrous. Especially those patriarch guards who stood in the way of the Wyvern Guard's charge, none of them were swept off the camel's back by the lance, and none of them could escape for their lives. And because they were caught off guard, in the fight with the warriors of Chu Mukun and Loulan, the camel cavalry did not show their due strength. It is almost necessary to pay four or five lives in exchange for one of the other party's falls. And there were also many cavalrymen who were knocked off their camels by their own robes, stepped on tendons and broke bones.

The casualties were heavy and heavy, but the two camel cavalry did not have the slightest hatred in their hearts. If the Turks or the Uighurs were in the same perspective as the Tang generals, they would not have been redeemed at such a small price. Maybe you have to go to other people's tribes and be a herding slave for the rest of your life. He may be executed on the spot and offered as a sacrifice to the white wolf god. Even if other Tang people were in the position of General Wang, their results might not be so easy. Back then, Xue Rengui defeated Tiele Jiu, but he buried more than 100,000 captives alive overnight, and even the old people and children were not spared!

The days are short in winter. When the bodies of the war dead were collected, the sky became dark. Not daring to rush on the desert at night, Wang Xun followed the advice of a few Etin Jin to find a large sand dune to block the wind, and ordered his brothers and a group of captives to camp and rest.

At that moment, the gang leader Zhou Deshu led several flying dragon guards and commanded the captives of all departments to move together and set up a huge camp behind the sand dunes. Wei Feng led Minzhuang to take out dry firewood, fresh water, and flour from the captured supplies, and distributed one to each of the captives. With food to feed their stomachs and a fire to keep them warm, the minds of the warriors of all tribes became more and more stable. Some of the people who had just been rewarded actually sang loudly while eating the dough.

The peoples of the steppe rose rapidly and disappeared suddenly. From the Qin and Han dynasties to the Sui and Tang dynasties, the ups and downs of many ethnic groups in the past thousand years have had a tremendous influence on each other. Some up-and-comers have been slaves or vassals of the vanished. And some of the current weak ethnic groups happened to be the masters of the entire Western Regions hundreds of years ago. Therefore, together with the singing of the people of Chumukun, the warriors of other tribes immediately echoed in low voices, and gradually, hundreds of people participated, and the singing was desolate and grand, and the night wind resounded throughout the desert.

"What do they sing?" Vaguely, Wang Xun felt that he was also familiar with this tune, smiled at Shi Huaiyi, who was sitting next to him, and asked in a low voice.

"This .......," Shi Huaiyi's smile was a little embarrassed, "they didn't mean to sing." I guess I'm used to singing, so I shouted it out casually! ”

"What the hell is it? How do you go around the bend! Fang Ziling listened impatiently and pushed Shi Huaiyi hard. It's not you who sang it, hurry up and translate, in case those guys are dissatisfied, let's be prepared! ”

"I don't think they meant to sing it to you!" Shi Huaiyi smiled and explained in a low voice. "The lyrics are to the effect that the Han people robbed the Rouge Mountain, and the women of our tribe lost their beautiful faces. The Han people robbed Qilian Mountain, and our tribe's livestock will no longer be able to give birth to cubs......."

"His grandmother's, these white-eyed wolves who can't be raised!" Before he could finish translating the lyrics, Fang Ziling had already grown up. Draw out the horizontal sword, and prepare to kill and stand up.

Seeing this, Shi Huaiyi hurriedly stretched out his hand and grabbed him. "I said they weren't necessarily intended. All the water bags and weapons are under our control. Even if they wanted to rebel, they couldn't find any way to survive! ”

This explanation is also powerful. The most important thing in the desert is fresh water. Without a water bag, even if you escape under the cover of darkness, you will die of thirst. Fang Ziling thought for a while and stomped his feet angrily, "His grandmother's, she knew that they forgot to be so gracious, she shouldn't have agreed to let them go in the first place." As the saying goes, it's not my ......"

The second half of the sentence was directly interrupted by Wang Xun with a white eye. Shaking his head, he whispered: "I'm afraid this song existed in the Han Dynasty." It should be, 'Kill my Qilian Mountain, so that my six animals will not rest.'" Destroy my mountains and make my women colorless! It was an elegy made by the Huns after Huo Quai's Northern Expedition. However, when the Han Dynasty hit the grassland, it just made the Hun women have no rouge on their faces. After the Han Dynasty, Wuhu entered the Central Plains, but he took the people of the Central Plains as two-legged sheep and cooked them casually! ”

Shi Huaiyi smiled, unable to express his position. As a native of Loulan, he should belong to a part of the Hu people. But deep down, he agreed with Wang Xun's words very much. In various parts of the Western Regions, there have always been disputes. However, whether the Turks, the Tibetans, or the Uighurs are in control of this place, they will not be as lenient as the Tang Dynasty in treating the local tribes. Although when the Tang Dynasty conquered the Western Regions, there were also massacres. But after all, there are only a few or two cases, and the local tribes are still mainly treated with Huairou in general. Unlike the other major tribes, all the men, women, and children of the conquered tribes, and those who were taller than the chariot, were executed at every turn.

"I'm going to drink them!" Intentionally narrowing the distance with Wang Xun and the others, the old fox Kang Zhongxin stood up and said loudly. Within a month, he had witnessed three battles in which the Wyvern Praetorian Guard had participated, and in the first battle, as the commander, Wang Xun's performance was full of mistakes. Today's two games are fundamentally different. It is as if an ancient sword that has been buried in the sand for thousands of years will emit a cold light once it is worn off the rust on the surface.

"No need. Let them sing. Even if you plug people's mouths, they may hum in their hearts! It's better to let them sing it directly, so as not to hold back the discomfort! Waving his hand, Wang Xun smiled to stop him, not at all embarrassed by the captives' singing.

"Hmmm! You say no, you don't have to! The old fox hesitated, and then slowly sat back down by the fire. No wonder Feng Changqing values you so much. You are truly different. Different. You Tang people are inherently different. Stirring up the fire in front of him, he added with a smile, "Maybe it's because it's strong, so it's forgiving." Maybe it's because it's tolerant, so strong. Anyway, the land of the Western Regions is best managed by you Tang people! ”

"You're getting too old!" Wang Xun blushed a little when he was praised, arched his hand, and smiled modestly.

"My old man never bends flattery!" The old fox smiled and shook his head, "You are indeed very capable. More capable than any young man I've ever met. In the future, in the Western Regions, there will definitely be a piece of sky that belongs to you. ”

"Indeed, Brother Wang's horse lance envoy, that, that, it's absolutely amazing!" didn't give Wang Xun a chance to continue to be modest, Shi Huaiyi smiled and gave a thumbs up. "I've never seen anyone put a horse in such a situation. It's like life. Can you teach me? I'll repay you with two horses! ”

"It's not a problem to teach you. But if you practice now, I'm afraid it's a little late! Zheng was worried that he couldn't find a chance to divert the topic, so Wang Xun hurriedly responded to Shi Huaiyi's tone. There are more than a dozen moves in total, but you have to start practicing from a young age, and you can't see any effect after three or five years of hard work! ”

"They've been practicing for years, too? It's not like you've all worked hard for more than ten years on the horse, right!?" Shi Huaiyi was afraid that Wang Xun was perfunctory, so he pointed to Fang Ziling and several other flying dragon guards sitting in front of the fire to keep warm, and asked loudly.

"I'm afraid so!" Fang Ziling, Zhou Deshu and others smiled, their faces full of pride, "New Year Knife, Moon Stick, Lance ....... for a lifetime"

"Then you guys, just use the horse lance!" Shi Huaiyi was deflated, kicked the sand, and said stupidly. "I don't let people live. Pull one out at random, and I've practiced for more than ten years. And let no one live......."

"That's hard, too!" Zhou Deshu, the leader of the gang, sincerely teased the young people, and added with a smile, "Not everyone can practice horse lance." There is a saying in our hometown that it is enough to see whether a martial artist has been instructed by a famous teacher since he was a child, or whether he is a monk halfway through the family and looks at weapons. Those who make lances must have been practiced since childhood. Those who hold knives are basically wild people! ”

"Hehehehehe!" The Wyvern Praetorian Guards all laughed, their voices filled with pride. This afternoon's battle has completely established their confidence in themselves. I am afraid that in the next many years, no matter how strong the enemy is on the battlefield, they will dare to fight with them.

"These guys used to be forbidden soldiers. That is, the personal guard of the Central Plains Da Aijin. So, it's all carefully selected! Seeing that Shi Huaiyi's eyes were full of curiosity, Wang Xun smiled and explained the other party's doubts.

There is a saying in Datang that it is called poor literature and rich martial arts. As long as those from poor families have the heart to study, they can also learn calligraphy on the sand by breaking branches of trees. When he grows up, he can eat the state supply when he enters the county school, and at the same time let the family save a ration. Once you have learned something, whether it is through any of the subjects of Xiucai, Mingjing, Jinshi, Mingfa, Mingshu, or Mingsuan, you will immediately have an iron rice bowl. Even if you don't have the opportunity to become a local official, you can become a private staff member of an official, and you will never have to worry about food and clothing in your life. (Note 2)

Compared with Xiwen, the conditions for learning martial arts are much higher. If the family is not wealthy, they cannot afford to ask the Master for guidance, nor can they afford to buy a composite pole lance that costs more than a dozen or even dozens of times. Even if you learn the simplest knives, spears, fists and kicks, after a long period of heavy activities, the sudden explosion of appetite of martial arts practitioners is not something that ordinary people can afford. Therefore, it was the Flying Dragon Guard, which was composed of all the children of the Liang family who lived near the Jingshi, that is, they could find a random person, that is, they could mount the horse and hold the lance. Transferred to any other military brigade in the Tang Dynasty, including the border army, which is known for its elite. Those who are good at using horses may not be able to make up a thousand.

It's just that he couldn't explain this clearly for a while, and Wang Xun didn't want to explain the truth of Datang to everyone. Therefore, it is only perfunctory to take the identity of the Wyvern Guard.

"Oh!" Shi Huaiyi listened as if he understood it. The personal guards of the tribe must have the best skills in the tribe. The same is true for the Loulan Department. But this only explains why Wang Xun and others are all skilled, and it does not solve another question in his mind. After thinking about it, he recklessly asked, "Since you are so capable?" That, that elder surnamed Yang, why did he have to kill you? Could it be that he is not a Tang man? ”

"Him!" The eyes of Wang Xun and the others immediately dimmed. That night of blood and fire more than half a month ago was almost an eternal thorn in everyone's hearts. As soon as someone mentions it, the pain in the heart is like a knife.

"I'm going to make a round!" Fang Ziling stood up and walked away.

"I'll find a place to get rid of it!" Zhou Deshu, the leader of the gang who has always been kind to others, followed behind Fang Ziling with a black face. One by one, the Wyvern guards stood up one after another. Or make excuses, or don't say a word, and slowly walk away. Next to the fire that was still lively before, in an instant, only Wang Xun, Xiaoshi and the old fox were left, with embarrassed faces.

"I, did I say the wrong thing. I don't mean it! Shi Huaiyi also realized that he had caused trouble, pulled down Wang Xun's cloak, and explained timidly.

"You're telling the truth!" Wang Xun let out a long sigh, a wry smile on his face. "But sometimes the truth doesn't sound good. Yang Guozhong is indeed the great elder of our Tang people. It's just that they, the Great Elders, put the interests of the family above the entire Datang! ”

Note 1: Wheat flour is a common food of grassland peoples. You can soak it in boiling water and knead it into a dough to eat as dry food.

Note 2: The imperial examinations in the Tang Dynasty were not the same as those in later generations. The scope of the test is wide, and the names are relatively complicated.