Chapter 5: The Purple Robe (Part I)

At noon the next day, the elders of the Loulan tribe held a banquet in the valley to practice for the guests from Chang'an. Subsequently, the patriarch Kang Zhongxin personally led 500 tribal warriors to escort the guests to Yanqi, the most eastern town of the four towns of Anxi.

According to the agreement reached yesterday between Wang Xun and the old fox Kang Zhongxin, the Loulan people left 20% of the burden as a reward for saving their lives. And the training minutes written by Wang Xun overnight were also solemnly put away by the old fox and offered in front of the statue of the god of fire like a treasure.

In order to show that he had faith in the family's long words, the Loulan Department only left two of the twenty-seven Flying Dragon guards who had not recovered from their serious injuries. One lost his right arm forever in the bloody battle that night, and the other was crushed by his horse, and his lower leg shin was crushed. It is impossible for the two of them to return to the battlefield in their lives. So he voluntarily accepted the employment of the Loulan Ministry and served as the head of the training in the tribe.

Of the 134 people who survived, the Loulan Department only accepted the four most skilled among them. returned the other 130 people, along with the remaining 25 guards, to Wang Xun. They were not asked if they wanted to stay.

The procession stretched for miles.

After the source of the dispute has disappeared. The Loulan herdsmen are reluctant to give up on the distinguished guests of Chang'an who have left countless surprises for themselves during this time.

And those Loulan girls who have already had a skin-to-skin relationship with Minzhuang even grabbed the corners of their lover's clothes and cried so much that their hearts and intestines were broken.

The Minzhuang and the guards who were pulled out of the gentle township were also red-eyed one by one. Looking at Wang Xun's gaze, there was inevitably a trace of hostility.

But Wang Xun couldn't explain that he was ready to leave all the people who had plans to stay. Because if he announced this decision in public, the entire baggage team would probably fall apart immediately. Under the tearful offensive of the Loulan girl, there will be no more than one-third of the brothers who are willing to continue to follow him to Shule to fight for their lives.

At the critical moment, it was the old fox who ran out and promised everyone that once Captain Wang led the brothers to have a fixed foothold in Anxi. As long as he sent a letter back to the Loulan Ministry, he immediately sent someone to reunite the Loulan girls who had already had the grace of husband and wife with the guards these days. No matter how far apart the two sides are at that time, the commitment of the Loulan people will not make any changes. This was made into an oath and was supervised by Lord Ahura Mazda, the god of fire. If you disobey, you will not be able to cross the bridge of judgment after death, and you will fall into darkness forever.

Regarding the way the old fox keeps his promise, Wang Xun has already learned it yesterday. Therefore, the heart was alerted. "Don't you want to take the opportunity to blackmail me again! I can tell you in advance that a lieutenant like me is a big one in the Anxi army. It is simply impossible to give you any more benefits! ”

"Look at what you said. It's hurtful, isn't it?! Do you think the old man is like you, and he likes to beat mandarin ducks when he has nothing to do? The old fox smiled and narrowed his eyes, and his gray beard fluttered up and down with laughter. The old man couldn't bear to watch the young people live up to the good marriage. That's why I am willing to fulfill them. If you are willing to read the old man's favor, when you develop in the future, you will take more care of the Loulan Department. ”

"I knew you never suffered!" Wang Xun was so angry that he pulled the hammer handle in his hand, and he couldn't wait to follow the old fox's head immediately. The other party's trick is called all over the underground clips, no matter how big or small, the clip is counted as one. With the old fox's scheming, according to the information obtained from everyone's mouths in the recent period, it is definitely not difficult to deduce that in a short period of time, whether it is the Flying Dragon Guards or the Minzhuang, if they want to survive, they can only honestly stay in the Anxi Army to serve. And the easiest in the army is to surrender to the ground, one hundred and fifty-five guards and people, as long as one can gain a firm foothold in front of Feng Changqing in the future, it is equivalent to setting up a line for the Loulan Department and the core class of the Anxi Metropolitan Protectorate.

The Tang Dynasty's strategy towards the nomadic tribes in the Western Regions was very lenient. The ministries are only required to show their deference to the center, but they do not collect any taxes from the tribes. Every time a big celebration comes, such as the new emperor ascending the throne, the crown prince, and winning decisive victories in foreign wars, there are also precious items such as silk and tea. And in the event of a fight between the various nomadic tribes, the Tang court was also impartial and rarely openly cared for either side of the conflict.

However, due to the fact that the Western Regions are too far away from Chang'an, the battles between the various tribes are continuous every year. Therefore, most of the battles, the process and the results could not reach the ears of the imperial court. Even a few battles attracted the attention of the imperial court because of their huge scale. Often, the mediation envoys sent by the imperial court did not arrive, and the victory or defeat between the two tribes had already been decided. The winner swallowed up the pastures, livestock, and even a large part of the population of the losing side. The loser either dies of his own accord or flees to join his kindred. Even if the imperial envoy was full of sympathy for the weak, for the sake of local tranquility, he could only acquiesce in the interests of the winner.

However, it was not easy for the imperial court to intervene. It does not mean that the local festival envoys will let the behavior of the tribes under their rule go unchecked. According to their preferences, the Jiedu envoys will always support one tribe and suppress another tribe more or less, either explicitly or covertly. The most obvious example is in Hexi, where since Geshuhan replaced Wang Zhongji as the envoy of Hexi, the Turkic tribes have gained the upper hand in the struggle with the Tiele and Hui tribes. Before that, it was Tiele and the Hui who had been pressing the Turkic tribes from turning over.

As a result, there is a strange phenomenon in various parts of the Western Regions. All the tribes that were on good terms with the military towns had the upper hand in the battles with other tribes for pastures and water. There is no need for the envoys of various regions to come forward in person, as long as they secretly fund some ordnance that the Western Regions departments cannot make by themselves, such as the cavalry crossbow intercepted by the Loulan Department this time, the battle situation that has already been clear can be turned around in an instant.

Thinking of this, the actions of the Loulan people before were even more obvious to Wang Xun. The reason why they treated the Flying Dragon Guards and Minzhuang as guests was not only because the capabilities shown by the Janissaries and Minzhuang were impressive, but also because of the Anxi Protectorate behind them. And the reason why Elder Loulan let himself be tossed by his temperament, but ignored it, was not because they were busy with official business, but because they were at the two people standing behind him, Feng Changqing and Gao Shi!

As if seeing the depression in Wang Xun's eyes, the old fox Kang Zhongxin smiled again and said in a low voice: "When friends interact with each other, who suffers and who takes advantage, how can it be calculated clearly for a while?" Thanks to you for leaving so many crossbows, the old man is very grateful. In order not to make you unable to explain to your superiors, a few of our elders gathered a gift for you overnight. Look at! ”

After that, he opened his mouth wide and yawned, as if he really hadn't closed his eyes all night. The Loulan herdsman, who had been waiting on the side, stepped forward and presented Wang Xun with both hands a parchment roll wrapped with a red rope. Under the curious eyes of Fang Ziling and others, Wang Xun removed the red rope from the sheepskin, and a gift slip scalded on the sheepskin by a soldering iron was immediately displayed in front of everyone.

One thousand three hundred and twelve horses, two thousand sheep, and forty white-haired camels. Even though he knew that the cattle in the Western Regions were far less valuable than they were near Gyeonggi, Wang Xun was still taken aback by the Tang characters on the gift list. "The white-haired camel and a thousand of its horses are counted as the twenty percent of the weapons and the crossbows. If you hand them in, no one will blame you for failing to protect your baggage. As for the remaining horses and sheep, they can be regarded as the dowry given to our daughter by the Loulan people. The old fox wiped the snort from his beard and added with a grin, "Of course, the dowry is also indispensable." According to the rules of your Central Plains, your mother's family will give a copy, and your mother-in-law will give double! ”

"Whew!" Wang Xun spat heavily on the ground, but the loss in his eyes was completely melted by the smile. No matter what calculations the old fox had in his heart, at least, so far, everyone has really felt his kindness. Perhaps this is the way of survival that the people of Loulan have adhered to for hundreds of years, taking advantage of all opportunities that can be self-reliant, and making careful calculations to the point where they must compare. At the same time, he did not hesitate to give everything to the distinguished guests he recognized.

"Let's go, sons-in-law, hurry up and get out of here. If you don't leave, you'll cut off your father-in-law's family! The old fox smiled and turned his head away, and shouted at the other lovers.

The sentimental atmosphere was instantly shattered by good-natured laughter. A pair of young men and women blushed, let go of their hands, slowly widened the distance between each other, and turned back in three steps.

"Alright, alright. It's really a woman who can't stay! Why don't you go back and weave blankets? When you come to your husband's house, will you bring nothing empty-handed? The old fox laughed and shouted again, and his voice was full of the kindness of the elder.

The girls immediately turned away in shame, and the colorful veils fluttered in the sun. This place is only 1,000 miles away from Shule, and it is not too far for two hearts that promise each other in any case.

The Janissaries and the Men also jumped on their mounts. Suddenly, everyone's eyes were full of smiles. has a good boss who has lived and died together, has sufficient settlement expenses, and has an unwavering gaze behind him, the border of the Western Regions may not be desolate.

"Gone, gone!" Boss Kang laughed and urged his crotch mount, and as he walked forward, he assigned tasks to the warriors under his command, "An Maha, you take eighty people and be responsible for the four guards. Each of them had three horses, and they were scattered fifteen miles from the front and back, and one from two miles, and they were in contact with each other at any time with the sound of horns. He Heizi, you lead a hundred people to explore the way. Hu clown, you take a hundred people to protect the end of the line. The others joined the brothers from Chang'an to protect the carriage. Keep your eyes open, sharpen your knives quickly, and be ready for the unexpected! ”

"Unexpected?" Wang Xun was startled by the old fox's half-truthful expression. "Didn't you always say that the Anxi Army's response has already arrived in Yanqi?"

"yes!" The old fox narrowed his eyes, his nostrils twitching in the air, "But I smell blood again." And Yanqi is still more than 600 miles away from here. Along the way, there may be a thief who doesn't have eyes! ”