The city of Heborao, in fact, is a gathering place located in the valley of the Sigar River, and about 30 years ago, it was the capital of the Great Bolu Kingdom, and after the Tibetans conquered it, the original city walls were demolished to make it easier to rule, and instead made commerce more prosperous.

The Sgar River, a tributary of the Indus River, flows into the direction of the river, a road that is not very smooth stretches into the distance, and after crossing the mountains and forests, there are more pedestrians, these people wear various colors of clothing, and have different identities, but most of them are merchants, they lead camels and horses, and send goods to distant places.

This road, in fact, is part of the Silk Road, connecting the Western Regions, Tianzhu, Tubo, and of course, the Tang Dynasty.

Shi Chongzhi was one of the trade routes, and unlike other Sogdian merchants, his family not only sold goods to make a profit from the difference, but also operated some real estate, such as a foot horse shop in the city.

As the name suggests, the foot horse shop is actually a comprehensive large-scale ...... that integrates catering, accommodation, entertainment, leasing, pledge, warehousing, and even credit The inn, which has been open for two generations since it opened more than 30 years ago, has a well-known reputation in the city.

In other words, this is an old shop, it happens to be located at the entrance of the city, whether it is going to Tianzhu or Tubo direction, it is indispensable to pass through, not to mention the full number of customers, and the guest room is also hard to find.

A shop like this, twelve hours a day without a break, the shopkeeper who had been guarding all night was replaced by Shi Chongzhi, who got up early, and he just took out an abacus to close yesterday's account, when he saw a figure hurrying down from upstairs.

"Erlang, are you going out?"

Yang Yu looked a little anxious, he just wanted to nod and say hello, but when he saw that it was Shi Langjun who was in charge, his heart moved.

"Any news from last night?" Walking to the counter, he lowered his voice and asked in Sogdian.

"Yesterday, there was some news, but I don't know what you want to inquire about?" Shi Chongzhi was also replaced with Sogdian.

Yang Yu was stunned, seeing that he didn't seem to be joking, he couldn't help urging: "Hurry up, don't sell Guanzi." ”

At this time, there were already some early risers coming and going in the store, Shi Chongzhi made a gesture of dialing the plate, lowered his head, didn't even look at him, and said in a tone that only the two of them could hear clearly.

"Yesterday, there was an accident at that end of the mountain forest, I heard that there were dead people, and the mountain was sealed by the Tubo people, and the merchants in the past strengthened the investigation, but they didn't know who they were investigating." After speaking, he raised his eyes, looked at Yang Yu intentionally or unintentionally, and lowered his head again.

As soon as Yang Zhen heard this, his face changed suddenly, he had no doubt about the authenticity of the news, in this era, the most concentrated sources of news are wine shops, inns and green buildings, as an old shop that has been open for more than 30 years, the words that come out of his mouth are only afraid that they are more reliable than the official documents of the government.

"Is there a ......" In any case, things have to be clarified, and he opened his mouth with some difficulty.

"Tang people?" Shi Chongzhi shook his head: "No one knows who died, and no one knows who the Tubo people are looking for." ”

Without waiting for the other party to breathe a sigh of relief, he continued: "Erlang, I don't care what you want to do, but now it's not as good as in the past, so it's better to be careful." ”

This was said a little vaguely, but Yang Yu heard a little bit of extraneous meaning: "How do you say it?" ”

"The Tubo people have changed their officials, and they also arrived yesterday, this He Bolao City, I'm afraid it won't be peaceful." Shi Chongzhi told him calmly.

This is the reason why Yang Pre chose to settle here, he has been in business for more than 30 years, he can be described as a local snake, he can get some news if he has any trouble, if it is not for the old relationship, and he is asked for elsewhere, people will not reveal half a word at all.

"Lao Shi, if you thank you, I won't say anything, I will definitely repay you if you have the opportunity."

Seeing that he was still going out, Shi Chongzhi grabbed his arm across the counter: "Who are you waiting for, why don't you talk to a certain person and let a certain help you find it?" With your face, you can tell at a glance that you are a Tang person, how can it be convenient for a local. ”

In a hurry, he actually used Chinese, Yang Yu smiled bitterly to get rid of his pull, and arched his hand: "You are a Hu businessman, you have a family and a business, some things don't have to be mixed, in short, Yang is full of hospitality." ”

Saying this, what else did not understand, Shi Chongzhi did not persuade again, just looked at the back in the distance, and sighed silently.

In private, he was also a little curious, what kind of great man could be the second son of the Yang family in Hexi who could sacrifice his life to save him?

Speaking of which, the reason why the Shijia foot horse shop is famous in the city, in addition to operating for a long time, there is also a reason that the location is excellent, the store site is located at the exit of the city, not far from the remains of the rammed earth layer that forms the foundation of the city wall, after the Tubo people demolished the city wall, the original city gate became a wide avenue, and the vacant place became a bazaar, camels, horses, cattle and sheep, utensils, and even the trade of the population were concentrated in this area, and the Tubo people were also happy to see it, because it was convenient to collect taxes.

Therefore, as a key place to guard the entrance and exit of the city, the old store of the Shijia family has become a very conspicuous place, and any flow of people out of the city or into the city cannot be bypassed.

As noon approached, the traffic in the store gradually increased, Shi Chongzhi had to cheer up to deal with it, and the fat on his fat face shrugged off with a smile, until a black shadow walked in and immediately blocked half of the light.

"Shopkeeper, the room booked by Lao Yang, please lead the way." As soon as the words fell, a long scroll with raw edges was handed to him.

With a "snap", the ink pen in Shi Chongzhi's hand fell to the counter at once, and in the shadows, he could only see a body wrapped in iron armor.

But if this person, speaking fluent Sogdian dialect, took the place issued by the Tang people, and said the agreed code language, would it be simple?

Shi Chongzhi didn't dare to look at the other party's eyes, he felt his legs trembling, and he had an urge to escape.

No wonder Yang Yu didn't tell him the truth, the more he knew, the faster he died, he was just a businessman, and he couldn't wade into this kind of troubled water.

Shi Chongzhi took a deep breath, collected his thoughts, and forced himself to show a smile: "Since you are a distinguished guest, I will lead you there." ”

He didn't take the piece of paper, bowed his head and made a gesture of please, led the man upstairs to a guest room, and personally pushed the door open for him.

"This is it, please take a look, if there is anything you are not satisfied with, I will immediately ask someone to change it."

"No need, take care of my horse, and get some food......," the man stepped into the room, paused, and continued, "and the needle and thread." ”

Without waiting for him to answer, the door was closed all of a sudden, Shi Chongzhi stayed for a moment, turned around and walked downstairs quickly, for this kind of strange guest, he said whatever he wanted.

Plugging in the door, Liu Ji took off the heavy iron helmet, took off the mask on his head, and showed a relieved expression.

In addition to tiredness, there is more unbearable pain!