The Xuanwu Gate of the Ming Imperial Palace suddenly opened, and the Thousand Cavalry Department of the Northern Ya Forbidden Army was ordered to go on an expedition for the first time since its establishment.

Cheng Wuting stood on the city tower, and watched with a slight gloom as the thousand horsemen galloped out of the doorway, gradually moving away. When Xue Shao walked out of the city gate, he glanced at the city tower, and happened to meet his eyes.

The wind was so strong that they couldn't speak to each other. Cheng Wuting solemnly hugged Xue Shao, Xue Shao nodded in return and then galloped away.

"The afterlife is terrible." Cheng Wuting whispered to himself, "In the next few decades of the Tang Army, the Xue family will definitely be the leader!" ”

Fan Yunxian, the deputy general next to him, Zuo Yu Linwei, was a little unimpressed, and said, "General, is Xue Yuma really so capable?" According to his subordinates, this time he was just using the pretext of going out to fight and relying on the governor of Xiazhou, Wang Fangyi, to get some military merits! Who in the DPRK and the Central Committee is not well aware of this? ”

"As you say, during the Northern Expedition in the middle of the year, my old Cheng relied on a military exploit from Xue Yuma to get the position of a general!" Cheng Wuting said.

"Ugh!" Fan Yunxian was stunned on the spot.

Cheng Wuting smiled indifferently, "Xue Zi should be the hero of the world...... Let's wait and see! ”

Everyone in the world knows that marching is hard, but the most painful thing about marching is to go on an expedition in a snowy day.

The heavier the snow, the colder the wind is like a knife. Xue Shao and his party rode forward with more than 800 horses in the wind and snow, and half of them froze in less than a dozen miles, and the beards of those with heavy hair were frozen and had to be cut off with a knife. Although the equipment of the Thousand Cavalry is the best in the Tang Army, and there are military supplies from head to toe to keep out the cold, it still cannot compete with the cold power of nature. Coupled with the snow on the road, the horses were not strong enough, and Xue Shao had to order a rest as soon as he left Chang'an City.

The soldiers thought that they had almost arrived at their destination. It must be very hard to conduct a field drill in this icy and snowy land.

But after resting for less than half an hour, Xue Shao ordered to set off again, looking straight to the northwest.

In this way, he walked and stopped, and after a whole day, he walked out for more than 100 miles, and at night he set up camp in the military palace of Gyeonggi Linxian County.

All the soldiers were almost exhausted and frozen, and they had to fall asleep after a hasty supper. Xue Shao ordered everyone in the army to burn their feet before they were allowed to sleep, and all horses to be fed at night and set on fire to ward off the cold.

At this time, the soldiers of the Thousand Horsemen realized that we were going farther away. Could it be an expedition?

Xue Shao controlled the news very strictly, and there were some things that only the general could know.

After nightfall, Xue Shao took Wu Ming and Yuenu to visit Sima Chengzhen and Xuan Yunzi, and found that the two of them were full of energy and showed no signs of fatigue at all, and the cold wind and snow did not freeze them out of any illness in thin clothes.

What a strange person!

Xue Shao's heart was faintly amazed. He began to believe a little bit what Wu Ming said, the Taoist priests of the Songshan Maoshan Sect probably practiced some Taoist qigong martial arts and the like, and their cultivation was not low!

Later, Xue Shao discussed with Xue Chuyu, Guo Yuanzhen and others, according to today's marching progress, it would take ten days to arrive in Suizhou, which was too slow. In this regard, Xue Chuyu, who is the most experienced in marching, said that Qianqi is definitely not used to the first expedition, and he is not used to expeditions on snowy days. On the first day, I was able to run more than 120 miles, which is actually quite good. In the future, increase the distance every day, if it can be increased to 300 miles a day, it will be very good!

Xue Shao asked, when you followed the command of Hei Zhi Chang to fight against Tubo, how much was the march on a snowy day?

Xue Chuyu replied, Yue rode five hundred miles a day! -- The field armies on the border were accustomed to arduous marches in the face of wind and snow, and their horses were much more resistant to the cold than the imperial horses of Chang'an!

"In this way, Datang's Western Army can indeed be called an elite division!" Xue Shao couldn't help but sigh.

"Pei Gong has been operating in the Western Regions for more than ten years, and he has brought out many hard-working tiger and wolf divisions who are accustomed to fighting." Xue Chuyu replied, "The Heyuan Army led by Heiya Changzhi and Lou Shide, and the Anxi Army led by Wang Fangyi, the Governor of Xiazhou, can be called the mainstay and elite representative of the Western Army of the Tang Dynasty. ”

"This time, the imperial court ordered Wang Fangyi to be my deputy to discuss Bai Tieyu, I don't think Wang Fangyi will be convinced." Xue Shao smiled faintly and said: "Five years ago, he was appointed by the imperial court to inspect the school of Anxi, and assisted Pei Gong to quell the rebellion launched by the traitor Li Shalu in collusion with the Western Turkic nobles, and presided over the construction of one of the four towns of Anxi, 'Broken Leaf Town', since then he has been solely responsible for all the military affairs of the Tang Dynasty Western Regions, which can be said to be the pillar of this half of the country. Now, he, the pillar of the lord and the head of the army, has to be used under my subordinates, even if Wang Fangyi himself is humble and does not care, I estimate that his subordinates will be aggrieved and have grievances. ”

"The general was very worried. In fact, I have been thinking about this matter for a long time. Xue Chuyu replied: "After Pei Gong retired, Wang Fangyi, Cheng Wuting and Li Jinxing were the oldest and most famous in the Tang Dynasty's army. Especially in a place like the Western Regions, unless it was Pei Gong who came in person, no one dared to disobey Wang Fangyi, including Heizhi Changzhi and Lou Shide, who guarded the source of the river, and even Cheng Wuting and Li Jinxing, who were born in the Northern Army. ”

Xue Shao smiled, "Then do you know Wang Fangyi's temperament, how should I, a fledgling young master, get along with him, a meritorious veteran?" ”

Xue Chuyu shook his head and replied very simply-"I don't know." ”

"What about you?" Xue Shao asked Guo Yuanzhen and Xiao Zhizhong again.

Xiao Zhizhong and the others shook their heads, but Guo Yuanzhen was smirking silently.

"Speak!" Boss Xue Shao kicked Guo Yuanzhen unceremoniously.

"Ahem, I say, I say!" Guo Yuanzhen hurriedly said, "I should first find out if Wang Fangyi has a daughter and granddaughter in the boudoir...... Something like that! ”

Li Xianyuan immediately nodded seriously, "I second!" ”

"You two, get out of here together!"

The thousand horsemen continued to advance against the wind and snow, and the farther they went northwest, the colder the weather became. Especially after crossing Luoshui, he faced the cold north wind blowing from the side of the Great Wall overhead, and it really poured water into ice.

But the thousand riders are increasing their trips every day. It is true that some people have fallen behind because of illness or frostbite or unbearable weather, but most have survived the test. After a four-day march, Xue Shao led his troops to complete a snowy journey of nearly 800 miles, leaving the splendid and prosperous Beijing Chang'an, and stepping into the desolate and majestic northwest frontier.

Finally arrived in Yanzhou, a state adjacent to Suizhou, which was rebellious against Bai Tieyu, and one of the three states where Xue Shao, the deposed envoy, was able to exercise the privileges of the Qincha.

Xue Shao ordered the brigade to rectify a little, and ordered Guo Yuanzhen to lead a team of people to go forward to pass through the prefecture and county first, and do a good job of responding. Generally speaking, the imperial decree will be one step ahead of the newly appointed officials, so that the local state and county can prepare in advance. But this time, Xue Shao's emergency expedition was obviously much faster than the imperial court's envoy stagecoach, and the several states and counties that passed through before didn't know who Xue Shao was, or Xue Shao showed the official disc and the holy decree to be able to pass unhindered and enjoy the supplies and reception along the way.

Along the way, Guo Yuanzhen is already familiar with this kind of "communication", and today he took a team of 50 soldiers and horses as usual to Yanchang County under the rule of Yanzhou to do a communication.

When the soldiers and horses arrived in Yanzhou, they should be able to take a rest, and Guo Yuanzhen and the others were in a relaxed mood. Yanzhou is desolate and sandy, and Guo Yuanzhen and others did not see a few populated villages when they passed all the way, but they encountered many displaced people who had fled. After inquiry, I learned that they were all people who fled from Suizhou, and Yanchang County refused to take them in and let them flee to Guanzhong, and many people had frozen to death and starved to death along the way.

Guo Yuanzhen was very angry when he heard this, "Dare to drive refugees out of the city in such a cold and snowy place, isn't it clear that people are taking their lives?" What kind of bullshit prefectural order is that! - Brothers, go into the city with me, first take the dog official of Yanchang County, and hand it over to General Xue to punish the crime! ”

"Yes!"

The soldiers of the thousand horsemen were all in good spirits, and they were only concerned with the bitter and boring march along the way, and now they finally had something to do. When it comes to his own "territory", it is time for the prestige of the minister to shake up!

Guo Yuanzhen led fifty horsemen straight to Yanchang County, and found many corpses along the way, including fleeing civilians and sergeants with knives and guns, and there seemed to have been fierce battles in several places, covered with traces of blood.

"Everyone, be on guard!" Guo Yuanzhen raised his vigilance, could it be that Bai Tieyu's rebels have already spread to Yanchang County?

Before they reached a hilly mountain, Guo Yuanzhen and the others were stopped by a makeshift military pass. The military flag of the Tang Dynasty is planted on the level, and the level is built of civil sandbags and a tower sentry is erected, and there are many arrow box shooters hidden behind.

"Although this makeshift earthen pass is grassy, it also occupies a dangerous place and has the art of war." Guo Yuanzhen glanced at it from a distance and was a little surprised, "Yanchang County is still two or three hundred miles away from Suizhou, so it is so well guarded, it seems that Bai Tieyu's movement is really not small!" ”

"Stop—who's coming ahead!!"

Before Guo Yuanzhen and the others stepped forward to talk, someone on the pass was roaring loudly. Soon a gong sounded, and one or two hundred bows and crossbows suddenly appeared up and down the pass, all of which were tightened and aimed at Guo Yuanzhen and the others coldly.

"It's very fast, and it's well-trained!" Guo Yuanzhen couldn't help but be nervous at all, but laughed.

The thousand horsemen next to him also laughed, because most of the people on the pass were dressed in tattered clothes and yellow muscles, compared to their heroic and handsome thousand horses, they were like thin black monkeys released from the mountains and forests. Along the way, Guo Yuanzhen and others saw many such "guards". To say that they are guards is actually a kind of politeness. Because they were only hired by the local yamen to be responsible for local security and all kinds of civil engineering construction, they received a little reward for doing a little work, and occasionally participated in public security activities and would be issued some bows and arrows, swords and guns, but they were not even given military uniforms.

"Stop stepping forward or shoot you!" The men at the gate shouted again, accompanied by a smack of bows and arrows.

Guo Yuanzhen smiled again, "Come on!" The royal rate was blocked by a group of black monkeys in the mountains! ”