The wind and sand outside the Yumen Pass hindered the spread of the news. The great changes that have taken place in the Western Regions have not yet flown over Guanshan for the time being. Whether it's shock or ecstasy, it will take some time.

And in this slightly hot weather, a team of people and horses from Chang'an traveled up the river to the Western Regions under the starry night.

The wind on the river crosses the water, bringing the smell of flowers and plants on both sides. It is a good scenery of the year, and if it is in the daytime, it must be splendid between the mountains on both sides of the river. But now it's night, and what I see in my eyes is the stars hanging down the plains, and the moon surging into the river!

Liu Ju, the prince of the Han Dynasty, was lying on the side of the boat, looking at the moonlight on the river spread far and near, with a lot of emotion and slight melancholy in his heart.

Until now, he didn't know what his mission was in the Western Regions. The will given to him by his father was very simple, just to let him serve in the Western Regions Army, and clearly stated that this was the meaning expressed by Yuan Zhaolin when he set off.

Brother Yuan'er...... When he thought of the figure that had a profound impact on him, the prince touched a letter he was carrying, even if he didn't do anything this time, he must not lose this letter! Otherwise, if you go back, you won't have the face to see the eldest sister again.

When she set off from Chang'an, the worried look on Princess Suxi's face made the prince feel a little sad. They have a deep relationship between sisters and brothers, from childhood to adulthood, Su Xi shared a lot of responsibilities for his mother to take care of him and Yunxi, in his mind, Sister Su Xi may be the most important person in the world besides the queen mother.

Although the crown prince Liu Ju has never really been on the battlefield, he understands very well that in the fierce battle between swords and arrows without eyes and life and death, everyone has the possibility of losing their lives. No matter how powerful Yuan Zhao is, it is a fight of thousands of troops...... Any accident is possible!

In fact, in the deepest part of his heart, he has some complaints about his father. Whether it is the court or the army, there are so many ministers and generals, why send Yuan Zhao to lead the troops to battle! Brother Yuan and Sister A have just signed a marriage, and their future has not yet begun, so they have to endure the pain of missing each other. What's more, I have to be deeply concerned about his life and death...... safety.

It's just that this kind of emotion of his naturally didn't dare to show it in front of the emperor. But Emperor Liu Che seemed to have already seen what he was thinking, and when he told him to get up and go to the Western Regions, he once said something to him earnestly, which made him ponder in his heart repeatedly along the way, as if he understood a lot of responsibilities.

"Ju'er...... Blessed are you! There is a friend like Yuan Zhao, who wants to help you all the time, but it seems that he is afraid that you will have something wrong in the future. Hehe! Since he offered to let you go to the Western Regions Army, he must have already made up his mind. Father is looking forward to it, what kind of surprise will he create this time? ”

"Father, the son still doesn't understand a little...... What will happen if I go to the Western Regions? ”

"If you don't understand it now, your father won't tell you. You need to understand the truth for yourself...... Then you will understand. If you're really confused, think about what you gained from the last time you crossed the sea with the army...... ”

Actually, don't think too much about it, in the night of this big river, Liu Ju has already figured it out. Everything that Brother Yuan did was done by the Han Dynasty and the people...... If there is any selfishness in this, it should be that he is sparing no effort to use every opportunity to cultivate his reputation as a prince!

Thinking of this, his heart was naturally full of emotion. Although Sister A is married to Yuan Zhao, they can be regarded as a family, but there are still few people in the world who can do such a kind of friendship.

"Mr. Dongfang, do you mean...... Will Dahan's westward expedition really achieve great results? ”

When he heard the report from the guards that he would abandon the ship and land in the Western Regions in one hour at most, the prince finally asked the doubts in his heart with some hesitation.

The prince's exit from the palace is not trivial. Although the information is confidential, tight protection and elite guards are naturally essential. On the largest ship, there was a large crowd of people around him.

It was Feng Jiu who led a large number of Xi Fengwei to protect him. In Weiyang Palace, the most powerful master, except for the Grand Commander Feng Yan, is him. This time, he took someone to take charge of the prince's safety, so naturally he never left an inch, and he did not dare to slack off in the slightest.

And the object of the prince's questioning was none other than the emperor's cronies, scholars, and the erudite and wealthy Dongfang Manqian.

Dongfang Shuo once taught in Bowangyuan, so the crown prince Liu Ju was very polite to him. This time, he was ordered by the emperor to personally accompany the crown prince to the Western Regions, and he was also very excited and excited.

With the dual protection of a thousand Royal Feather Forest Army and Xifengwei, there is naturally no problem with safety. As a participant in the Western Regions Project, Dongfang Shuo needed to consider how to make the crown prince fully understand Yuan Zhao's deployment in the Western Regions, so as to achieve twice the result with half the effort and achieve the best results.

"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince does not need to be suspicious. Since Yuanhou proposed to let the prince come to the Western Regions, then whether it is with my Han or with the prince himself, there will definitely be great benefits! Hehe! ”

Dongfang Shuo, who has a peaceful face and deep wisdom, has not been very eye-catching in the court over the years. Compared with the sharp-edged servant Yan Suke, he chose to be clumsy and avoid. In some power struggles that have nothing to do with him, he just treats them indifferently and looks at them coldly.

However, he paid special attention to everything related to Yuan Zhao. Seeing Yuan Zhao come to this point with his own eyes, Dongfang Shuo secretly thought about every step he took, and in addition to being amazed, he was deeply admired.

As for the crown prince...... Dongfang Shuo's inscrutable eyes looked at it again. After several years of observation, in fact, it has long been understood that the character of this prince of the country does not have a general inheritance of the great talent of today. If nothing has changed much, he will be a benevolent monarch in the future.

And Yuan Zhao spared no effort to help him consolidate his position, he should have his own reasons. In this case, Dongfang Shuo, as a staunch ally and supporter of Yuan Zhao in the court, should do his best to help him.

"Hopefully, he'll surprise us all! And also...... Let's hope that our Han warriors will not have too many casualties. ”

As he was about to reach the source of the river, thinking that he would soon see Yuan Zhao and the soldiers of the Western Expedition, although the prince's heart gradually settled down, he still whispered his wishes.

With solemn faces, everyone faced the strong wind of the Western Regions that began to be mixed with quicksand, and together with the crown prince Liu Ju, they set foot on the land of the Western Regions and began the journey they were looking forward to.

The wind outside the plug, whether it is outside the Yumen Pass or the Yanmen Pass, is almost the same. If you don't eat a little sand in your mouth every day, it's an abnormal thing.

Stationed in the camp of the Black Eagle Army not far away from the three cities of Shuofang, the soldiers have been eating such a meal with sand in their mouths for some time.

There's no way! That's the condition. In this season at the turn of spring and summer, it is especially diligent to plug the wind and sand. If you don't scrape it three or five times a day, it's not over. In such weather, even if you try to protect yourself as much as possible, it will not help. After a few days, if there is not a few taels of sand in the stomach, it is not considered to have come to the three cities of Saishang to fight.

After these days, the Black Hawks have long been accustomed to it. Since there is no way to change God's meaning, then you can only have fun in the bitterness, which can be regarded as an experience.

The mood of wanting to defeat the Huns as soon as possible has naturally been brewing in everyone's hearts for a long time. Just to return to Chang'an, eat a few comfortable meals, and look forward to a decisive battle as soon as possible!

However, this time they went on the expedition, and the battle did not go well. Through several encounters, it can be known that the Huns are very determined this time, and the strength they have gathered should be the bravest and warlike men selected among the various tribes on the steppe.

Whatever the reason, the defeat in the first battle and the death of nearly 8,000 Han troops once cast a shadow on the confrontation with the Huns. In particular, the ambush and annihilation of the 3,000 Black Eagle Army under General Su Jian made the army's heart suffer some blows after all. The most direct manifestation is that in the next few operations, the Black Hawk Army's always fierce attack has become somewhat conservative. In the situation that the enemy was outnumbered, although the general who led the troops defeated the Huns several times, he did not dare to pursue the Huns alone, for fear that he would be ambushed by the Huns when the terrain was not familiar.

However, the Hun cavalry was still a little afraid of the sharp weapons in the hands of the Black Hawk Army and their prestige. In addition, the three cities of Shuofang were horns of each other, blocking their passage forward. The Huns also gradually reduced the number of attacks, and the stalemate with the Black Hawk Army began.

This situation of confrontation between the two armies has been going on for some time. Both sides seem to be waiting for something to happen. The break of the deadlock may take a long time, maybe it will happen in the next moment!

In the past few days, all the officers and men of the Black Eagle Army have finally begun to cheer up again. Because they have all received stern orders, from now on they will enter a state of first-level readiness, and they will be ready to charge and break the enemy at any time!

The change of events, to be exact, began three days ago. Hou Weiqing, who is also the chief general of the Black Eagle Army, first got the news that the Red Fire Army of the Western Expedition burned the Xiqiang White Horse Tengjia Army and destroyed the tens of thousands of cavalry of the King of Xiqiang under the Xiqiang King City.

When he suddenly heard the news from the Meteor Scout Horse, Wei Qing suddenly got up, and the emotions in his heart couldn't be expressed. This is not only for the sake of the girl who once leaned on his shoulder and called him uncle, but also for the long-awaited opportunity to break the game finally appeared!

Then, he got a letter from Yuan Zhao who sent him an urgent letter of 800 li when he left Chang'an. There are only a few concise sentences on it.

"Keep an eye on the warplanes. At that time, when he joined hands with the general, he broke the Huns on two roads, chased the dead and chased the north, and completed his work in one battle......! ”