After removing 300 elite men from the Yanyun Iron Cavalry, Li Yu appointed Xiao Daoyan of the Prince's Tent as the head of the northward expedition, with two deputy directors. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo

The northward expedition team was divided into three teams, left, center and right, and marched in three directions, with exactly 100 guards on each road, plus 10 mountain and river topographic mappers on each road. The chief and the two deputy directors each led the way to explore three directions, set at the confluence of the Heishui estuary.

The left route was led by the deputy governor of the left, led by Long Zhi, who had been promoted to lieutenant in military merit, and set off from Fuyu City, the governor's office of the Northern Fuzhou Prefecture, and went north to explore the Wei Zhubu, and his first stop was the southernmost Huangtou.

The middle road was led by the governor Xiao Daoyan, starting from the Governor of North Buyeo Prefecture located in the upper reaches of Sumoshui (the upper reaches of the Songhua River), and the important military fortress of the northern defense of the Tatar people in the Goguryeo era, Dova Yuecheng (later Huadian City), along the Sumoshui, and then along the Nahe River (the lower reaches of the Songhua River) to the Heishui estuary.

The right route was led by Liu Ji (Liu Eryang), who had been tired of military achievements to the rank of lieutenant, and set off north along the Yalu River to the east of Zhacheng, the seat of the East Zhazhou Prefecture, to explore the Primorsky Krai of Russia in later generations.

In addition to the areas explored on the left and the Murowei tribes, the areas explored on the middle and right roads are all inhabited areas of the Heishui Ya tribes, and they are also the areas that are least understood among the tribes bordering the Tang Dynasty and have not come to pay tribute so far. (Historically, it was not until the Kaiyuan period of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty that Heishui was deceived by the Bohai State to establish the Heishui Governor's Mansion to the Tang Dynasty)

Under the farewell of Shi Yang Xuanji, the principal of the Dongzha Prefecture Governor's Office, Liu Ji led the Heishui expedition to leave the Zhacheng on the right side, which had stayed for several days, and headed towards an unknown area in the northeast.

Zhang Cai, a fellow villager and friend of Liu Ji's life and death and deputy on this trip, took a cowhide map and said: "According to the information provided by Yang Changshi, we are heading in the northeast direction, and it is expected that we will enter the nearest Heishui Pier in more than 400 miles. Just to go to Funibe, you have to go through the mountain road with many mountains and dense forests. After Tongken Mountain, it is equivalent to leaving the Tang Realm, and we will have to find our own way to supply along the way. ”

"We don't have to cross the Tongken Mountain, let's go south over the southern mountains and go along the coast!" Liu Ji said.

"Eryang, if we go along the coast, we won't have a place to get supplies at once."

Liu Ji shook his head and said: "Nuo is advancing along the valley to the north, although we can still get a few supplies on the way, but the valley behind is difficult and dangerous, and the people are scattered in the mountains and forests, we are not familiar with the place, and the possibility of distress is very high." ”

"I agree with Manager Liu's opinion!" Yu Feng, who was in charge of terrain exploration and mapping along the line, said with a smile: "We are all cavalry, and it is extremely disadvantageous for us to advance along the valley, while the coastal zone has always been relatively flat and open, even if we encounter an ambush by the treacherous Tatar people, we can deal with it calmly." ”

Seeing that the two principals both meant this, Zhang Cai had nothing to say.

In terms of official rank, Zhang Cai is the brigade commander, and he is only below Liu Ji in the right expedition team, and Yu Feng is sent by King Yan to lead the leader of the ten-person topographic surveying and mapping team, and half of the task of the expedition team is to assist their surveying and mapping team. It can be said that Yu Feng, the leader of the surveying and mapping team, is the second person in the expedition team on the right, and Liu Ji, as the chief manager, has to listen to the suggestions of the leader of the surveying and mapping team.

After all, they are all from the Surveying and Mapping Department of the Yanwang Mansion, and their status is much higher than that of these big soldiers, and the same is true in the middle and left lanes.

Under Liu Ji's order, the team turned around and headed due south, crossed the mountain pass in the south of the sea, and traveled more than 30 miles to the sea, heading northeast along the coast.

"If you build a city in this place, it will be a strong city, and it will be difficult for foreign enemies to conquer it." Yu Feng pointed to the peninsula in the sea in his sight and said.

Zhang Cai didn't know why he said: "I don't see any shape and beauty in the terrain here?" ”

Yu Feng shook his head with a smile and said, "This kind of terrain has a special name in our Surveying and Mapping Division, calling it the peninsula. If the peninsula is too narrow to connect with the mainland, it can be easy to defend and difficult to attack. The junction between the peninsula and the land in front of you is only about 70 zhang wide, and the middle of the peninsula is more than 4 miles wide, and there is a hill more than 30 zhang high in the middle. The northwest of this place is the Zha City, which is just stuck on the road that the people of the Evil Tatar must pass to the Zha City, and it is really the best place to build the city. ”

"I didn't expect Brother Yu to know how to build a city and choose a location." Liu Ji said with a smile.

"The purpose of building a city is to explore the terrain, which is a compulsory subject for our Surveying and Mapping Division!"

What Yu Feng didn't say was that the three surveying and mapping team leaders who accompanied the Blackwater expedition this time were also tasked with selecting sites along the way for future city construction.

Liu Ji looked at the sky, the sun was in the West Mountain, and it would be night in an hour, and said, "I'll camp here tonight!" ”

Yu Feng took a look at the surrounding terrain, shook his head at Liu Ji's camping choice, and suggested: "I think we might as well walk a few more miles and camp directly in the narrow part of the peninsula in front, which is conducive to defense." ”

"That's fine!"

Liu Ji ordered the party to go west to the middle of the peninsula, camped under a hill in the middle of the peninsula, where there was a stream to draw water, and arranged thirty guards at the entrance.

Zhang Cai took more than a dozen people out to hunt three deer in the mountains and forests, and they were still very big, each with more than 400 catties.

"Zhang Wuyang, where did you fight this deer? That's two hundred pounds of meat. Yu Feng stepped forward and looked at Zhang Cai, and the deer they were carrying said in surprise.

"I found it in the jungle, and I didn't expect the deer in this wild place to be so big." Zhang Cai said with a smile.

Liu Ji walked over and looked at it and laughed, "Brothers, I have taken it tonight!" He turned around and shouted at the soldiers who were encamped: "Tonight, let me eat meat with my belly, and I am not allowed to sleep if I can't finish eating." ”

"Hahaha! Captain Xie ...... "More than 100 people smiled, and more than a dozen soldiers ran to carry the three deer to clean up, and after a while, the two whole deer were roasted on the fire, and the smell of meat came out.

Zhang Cai is playing the Northeast red deer, and they are all big bucks, weighing between 460~640 catties, with more than 1,000 catties of meat on the three heads, and the 113th person can eat it at a meal.

Zhang Cai took a big bite of venison, chewed it with relish, took out the wine jug he brought with him, took a sip and shouted, "Cool!" ”

"It's a pity that you can't drink this wine to your heart's content!" Zhang Cai sighed.

Liu Ji's expression twisted, and he summoned his own soldiers, "Pass the order, everyone is only allowed to drink ten sips of wine, and the offender will be whipped twenty times, and I will personally check everyone later." ”

"No!"

The soldiers went to give the order, and the soldiers who were happily eating barbecue and drinking wine, lamenting that the life of the expedition was so beautiful, suddenly there was a wail.

Each of the expedition teams is equipped with a large wine jug, which contains no less than ten catties of wine, and it is all liquor produced by Yanwangfu, 20 degrees of Biluochun.

Even if it is a strong man like Liu Ji, he will be drunk after drinking a pound, and there is a delicious barbecue to help the fun, if the soldiers take advantage of the fun to drink more, then they may not know that they were touched by the Ya people tonight and wiped their necks.

"Eryang, you're really disappointed!" As an alcoholic, Zhang Cai is not happy without alcohol, and he was already lamenting that he couldn't drink more in the wild and was depressed, but Liu Ji could only drink ten sips after this order, and he was directly depressed.

"If you are not afraid of death, even if you drink, I will throw you into the mountain when you are drunk, and tomorrow if you live intact, I will not only not punish you, but also reward you?" Liu Jiyin said with a smile.

Zhang Cai shuddered, waved his hand and said helplessly: "Then forget it, this tiger is very big, estimated to weigh more than 600 catties." There are a lot of mountains and forests nearby, and I heard the roars of no less than ten tigers in a day today, and I am still distressed about this little life! ”

The taste of venison is definitely the best one among the wild things, more than 100 people all eat greasy mouths, bulging bellies, helplessly looking at the whole deer placed there plus a roasted roast deer that has not moved much.

"If only there was a lot of salt! You can pickle it and take it with you. ”

"There's seawater on the side, you can boil salt!" Yu Feng pointed to the sea on the side and smiled.

"We are here to investigate the situation of the Black Water Turtle on the orders of His Royal Highness, how can we mislead the business because of our burdens?" Zhang Cai said seriously.

"It doesn't have to be so troublesome, it's not very hot now, and the meat is cut into large pieces, and it won't rot in a short time under a simple smoke. Each person can take some with him, and he can manage it for two or three days. Liu Ji said.

The well-fed and well-fed soldiers cut meat non-stop and smoked their share around the fire.

Zhang Cai looked away, Liu Ji and Yu Feng were lying in the camp, looking up at the sky.

"Brother Yu, you are a person from the Yan Palace, do you know that His Royal Highness will send us thousands of miles to investigate the situation of the Black Water Sect? I also sent you to draw down the geography of the mountains and rivers along the way, today I see that you attach great importance to this peninsula, and after observing for a long time, you say that this place is suitable for building a city, easy to defend and difficult to attack, I am afraid that it has a deep meaning, right? Liu Ji asked with a smile.

In fact, the Andong Metropolitan Protectorate's understanding of the Heishui Turquoise was only a little bit from the written records of the former Goguryeo, and then some information was not very clear from the Governors of Dongzha Prefecture and Buyeo Prefecture.

The Black Water Hair Sect is too far away, and there are other six tribes distributed in the south, such as the Millet Hair and the White Mountain Spirit, and even the former Goguryeo does not know much about the Black Water Spirit, and only heard some information about the Black Water Hair from the other six tribes.

The Yan King sent them to break into the territory of the Black Water Sect so rashly, and they would inevitably be attacked by hostility, and there were no supplies along the way, which was full of dangers.

Yu Feng avoided the seriousness and said lightly: "Your Highness's considerations, how can we get a glimpse of them?" We just need to complete the task ordered by His Highness! ”

The exact reason, even Yu Feng doesn't know, his identity is just a small official in the Yan Wang's Mansion, and he learned the technology in the Surveying and Mapping Department and was reused by the Yan King. Just before leaving, Yu Feng and the leaders of the surveying and mapping teams of the other two roads privately speculated.

Liu Ji saw that the other party didn't want to say more and didn't ask, and the first night of the expedition on the right side was spent so peacefully.

Early the next morning, the expedition set out again along the coast in a northeasterly direction, but because the coast ahead was steep and steep, it had to drive eastward along the mountain valley and cross a mountain pass, and the flat coast reappeared.

After several days of arduous trekking, I came to a vast plain crisscrossed by rivers before I saw people, but the other party was not friendly.

As soon as they came up, there were hundreds of armed men, with a small braid on the back of their heads, small eyes and round faces, dressed in leather clothes made of unknown animal skins and confronting Liu Ji and them.