"Shichiro, are you okay all the way? Are you still comfortable with the climate of the Northwest?" Lin Zhao and Xin Wenzhe rode side by side and asked softly.

Xin Wenzhe was always so polite, and said with a smile: "Thank you Lin Langzhong for taking care of me, everything is fine." As for the climate in the northwest, although I haven't been involved in it many times, because I grew up in Guanzhong and is close to the northwest, I am more accustomed to it! ”

"It's good to get used to it, you traveled to the Western Regions at a young age to work for the family business, it's not easy!" Xin Wenzhe's appearance is really immature, and he looks no more than seventeen or eighteen years old. Although it was considered an adult in ancient times, there were still a few people who went out to do big business.

Test! Xin Wenzhe's first reaction was like this! Walking with the unity of the envoy so abruptly will inevitably arouse suspicion, and it is normal for Lin Zhao to have such a reaction. Xin Wenzhe is not strange at all, but because he has no malicious intent, he is calm in his heart, and there is nothing to worry about.

Xin Wenzhe said: "There are only two men in the long room, me and my eldest brother, who are not prosperous, and the other rooms covet the power of the long house, and this matter is very important to my long room." The eldest brother needs to stay in Chang'an to preside over the overall situation, and the westward transportation can only be carried out by me. ”

Within large families, it is not uncommon for the houses to fight each other. Especially when the people are not prosperous, and the prestige and control of the family are insufficient, such problems are more likely to occur. From Xin Wenzhe's words, it can be known that they may be in such a situation now.

If so, then it is completely understandable that he was young and ventured to the Western Regions alone. Xin Wenzhe's words are very reasonable, both true and false, and Lin Zhao will be skeptical.

The seemingly very reasonable explanation is first of all based on the fact that the person in front of him is indeed the Chang'an Xin family.

Lin Zhao looked back at Xin Wenzhe, dressed in men's clothes, very handsome, if it was a woman, she would not be able to be a little more pretty. Out of the Great Scattered Pass, into the northwest, the wind and sand are getting bigger, and many people are discouraged.

Xin Wenzhe seems to be an exception, his clothes are clean, his head and face are even cleaner, he looks very clean and neat, and he is full of energy. The cleanliness is no different from that of a woman, and when you see her pair of red phoenix eyes and fair skin, she really looks like a woman.

It's just that there seems to be a special kind of fortitude in her appearance and expression, and it doesn't look like a woman's style. The most important thing is that the team of hundreds of people is full of big men. If a woman gets involved, there will be a lot of problems in life that cannot be solved. Xin Wenzhe can be so relaxed, he has been living normally for more than ten years, and he really can't find a flaw!

"Qilang is good, he took on a big responsibility at a young age and shared his brother's worries. Dare to go into the Western Regions alone, and the courage is extraordinary. Lin Zhao praised casually.

Xin Wenzhe said with a smile: "Lin Langzhong praised falsely, in front of you, this little trick is really not worth mentioning." In the year of my weak crown in the Great Song Dynasty, I am afraid that the driver is the first, right? The deeds of Venerable before this are even more famous and extraordinary......"

"You know me?" Lin Zhao was suddenly a little curious, and hurriedly asked.

Belch...... Xin Wenzhe's expression froze slightly, but in an instant, he returned to his previous lightness, and said easily: "Because of the relationship between the family business, I have a lot of connections with the Ouchi court, so I have heard of Lin Langzhong's deeds. And Lin Langzhong, you are also a businessman, you can have such an achievement, it is really admirable, it can be said to be a model in the next! ”

Once upon a time, you could become someone else's idol? Lin Zhao was slightly arrogant in an instant! Xin Wenzhe's explanation seems to be very well-reasoned. During the Song Dynasty, although commerce was prosperous, the social status of merchants was not very high, and there were few strangers like Lin Zhao in the world, and they were also talked about by merchants all over the world, and the envy and worship of the sons of merchants was also reasonable, which can be said.

"Shichiro is a little embarrassed to say that!" Lin Zhao smiled.

Xin Wenzhe also smiled: "Lin Langzhong is too modest, you deserve it, you live up to your name!" ”

"Haha, thank you for the praise!"

"By the way, is there something going on in Lin Langzhong?" Xin Wenzhe felt that Lin Zhao couldn't come over to him just to chat.

"Oh, yes!" Lin Zhao seemed to suddenly realize and said, "Does Qilang have to go to Lanzhou?" ”

Xin Wenzhe's expression suddenly tightened, and he asked, "But what happened?" ”

Lin Zhao said: "It's not a secret, the autumn rain in Lanzhou is continuous, and the roads are muddy and difficult to walk. Moreover, the Western Xia people also seem to be at peace, and General Li Fugui of Huanqing Road is confronting them, and if they make a detour to the north, they are afraid that they will delay their trip. As you know, Hehuang is located on a plateau, and the further back you go, the colder the weather will become, so you have to go back quickly! ”

"What does Lin Lang mean?" When he heard a few key words such as Huanqing Road, Li Fugui, Xixia, and Lanzhou, a strange look appeared in Xin Wenzhe's eyes, but it was only a flash. The meaning of Lin Zhao's words, he already understood a rough idea, and now he wanted to know Lin Zhao's next arrangements, which was also related to his own itinerary......

Lin Zhao said: "Diversion, in order to save time, we decided to divert directly to the west, through Hezhou, and then along the Minshui to the northwest, directly to the Huangshui coast!" ”

After some careful consideration and consideration, Lin Zhao carefully discussed with Su An, as well as the accompanying officials and guides, and decided to pass through Hezhou. The straight-line distance is close, not to mention that it is also a helpless choice.

As for the blind felt in River State, they are not very worried.

Although it is said that he is an envoy to Hehuang Qingtang City, Blind Felt may be dissatisfied, unwelcome or even uncooperative, but he may not dare to do anything to the envoy of the Great Song Dynasty!

After all, he is an angel of the kingdom, and there is a powerful Song Dynasty behind him, and he should know what the consequences of offending this powerful neighbor will be!

What's more, he also paid tribute to the Song Dynasty, and the Song Dynasty also recognized his status, and even canonized him as the Chengzhou regiment training envoy. Nominally, Blind Felt was a courtier of the Song Dynasty. Then he didn't dare to do anything to the Song Dynasty mission easily? Otherwise, it is a blatant rebellion and an enemy of the Great Song Dynasty, and the consequences are self-evident.

Blind felt will definitely not be so confused, dare to take the territory of Hezhou, and joke with the surname of his whole family. Therefore, it is possible to use the territory of Hezhou, and Lin Zhao has already sent people to inquire about the news first.

It is precisely because of this that Lin Zhao found Xin Wenzhe.

First, he fulfilled his obligation to inform that he was going to change his route, so that Xin Wenzhe and others could make other plans earlier. Second, it can be regarded as a temptation! Although Xin Wenzhe and others are well-behaved, their identities always make people can't help but have some doubts. However, the other party's performance was not leaky, or he had a clear conscience, so he didn't find the slightest problem.

"Diversion to River State?" Xin Wenzhe was obviously a little surprised, which he did not expect.

Lin Zhao nodded and said, "Yes, I heard you mention it before, it seems that you want to go to Hehuang through Lanzhou, but now...... Hehuang is definitely going to go, but Lanzhou may not go. So, after thinking about it, I still have to tell you, you should also plan ahead to avoid delaying things! ”

Xin Wenzhe pondered: "I originally planned to try to contact the Tibetan merchants after arriving in Lanzhou, but if it didn't work, I would eventually go to Hehuang."

Since this is the case now, I think it is better to follow Lin Langzhong to Hehuang together! To be honest, without the protection of the mission, it may be difficult for us to reach Lanzhou safely! ”

In recent times, the Mission has been plagued by horse bandits. Fortunately, because the mission has 500 forbidden troops and strong combat effectiveness, it is not something that ordinary people dare to provoke easily, so they are safe.

If it is only a dozen people alone, it is really not easy to get to Lanzhou safe and sound, and the difficulty can be imagined.

Lin Zhao smiled: "Okay, since that's the case, then Qilang will reroute with us through Hezhou and go to Tubo!" ”

"Okay, so thank you Lin Langzhong!" Xin Wenzhe smiled and expressed his gratitude.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Childe, are they going to go to Hezhou with us?" Su An looked at Xin Wenzhe's distant back and couldn't help but worry.

"yes!" Regarding Xin Wenzhe's insistence, Lin Zhao was still a little confused. Although the reason for seeking asylum is sufficient, such insistence is somewhat suspicious.

"By the way, Childe, there is a reply from Hezhou, they agree to our transit, and they can also provide necessary material supplements!" Su An immediately handed over an official document.

When they decided to change the route, they sent scouts to Hezhou to inform the blind felt of the situation. Now there is news that has been transmitted back in time, and the blind felt has agreed to cross the border. This result is expected, after all, as the weak Tibetan leader who was canonized by the Great Song Dynasty. Blind felt, without the strength and courage to argue with the Song Dynasty, there is no other choice.

Lin Zhao nodded and said, "Very good, but even if the supplies are met, as long as we can pass through Hezhou smoothly, it would be good, as for the rest, there is no need to think about it." And you have to pass quickly, so that you don't have too many dreams at night. ”

"Yes!"

"Also, keep an eye on them, and if they don't leave, we'll have to be more vigilant!" Lin Zhao looked at Xin Wenzhe and the others at the back of the team, and couldn't help but sigh lightly: "Hospitality is a good thing, but sometimes it's troublesome!" ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What? Are they going to be diverted to Rivers State? After Ah Chang heard the news, he was also quite surprised.

Xin Wenzhe said: "That's right, it is said that it is because of the continuous autumn rain in Lanzhou, and Li Fugui seems to have made some moves over there, and is confronting the Xixia people." ”

"If you don't go to Lanzhou, you have to go directly to Hehuang...... "Ah Chang was really a little helpless, going west was already an adventure, and it was best to solve the problem in Lanzhou in the original plan, but now......

Xin Wenzhe knew what Hu Cong was thinking, shook his head and said: "With the current situation in Lanzhou, the Tubo people are unwilling to go, so we still have to go to Huangshui by ourselves." ”

"Okay!" Ah Chang was also helpless, worried: "Is it safe to just pass through Hezhou?" If you are fighting to the death between the two brothers, how can you easily let the mission cross? ”

"That's not what we can do!" Xin Wenzhe shook his head and said, "Since they dare to change their route, it proves that they must be completely sure!" ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hezhou, Niche Valley, here is the main station of the blind felt.

Tents are tied up one after another, connected together, and the prosperity of Hezhou can be vaguely seen.

Although Hezhou is sandwiched between Tibet, the Song Dynasty and the Western Xia, there is little room for development, but it also has unique conditions. The Song Dynasty and the Western Xia wanted to contain Dong Yu through blind felt, so they both acquiesced to his existence and even gave him some help.

And Dong Yu also took into account a little brotherhood, and never killed them all. At the same time, there were also some military and strategic considerations that could allow Hezhou to serve as a buffer zone between Hehuang and Tibet and the Song and Western Xia dynasties.

It is precisely because of this that all parties have acquiesced to the existence and gradual development of Hezhou, allowing the blind felt to gain a firm foothold here. But to say powerful, it's still far from it!

In fact, there was originally a city in Hezhou, but the blind felt seemed to be more accustomed to the previous life on the grassland, so he chose a wild camp. It's autumn, it's a good time for hunting, and the group has a lot of fun.

"Chief, we have received very important news from the Central Plains!" There must be more than a dozen strong men leaning over to stand in front of them, if Lin Zhao and Xin Wenzhe were present, they would definitely recognize that it was those rough men who drew their swords at the Anyuan Inn. But it's going to be very deferential, and it's a lot more polished to look at.

And in front of them, a tall and mighty man sat upright, about fifty or sixty years old. A beard occupies almost half of the face, and the appearance is rather rough. However, a pair of eyes are very bright, with a strong courage, the whole body is thick and fat, and the physique is relatively strong.

This person is the leader of the Tubo people in Hezhou, the eldest son of Jiaoluo!

At this point, a piece of roasted golden lamb shank had just been put down, and his mouth and beard were covered with grease. Dahan then wiped it off, and then asked, "What news did you bring back from the Central Plains?" ”

"Looking back, I'm afraid that the situation may be very unfavorable for us!"

"What's wrong? What happened? Blind felt asked, squinting his eyes.

A rough man said: "We got news from Fengxiang of the Song Dynasty that the emperor of the Song Dynasty sent envoys to Qingtang City this time. ”

"What's so strange, isn't it often the case?" Blind felt didn't seem to care.

"This time is different from the past, it is said that it is because Western Xia wants to marry Dong Yu's son, and Song Chao is anxious. Send an envoy to contact Dong Yu and win him over to stand on the side of the Song Dynasty and defend and contain the Western Xia together! ”

Blind felt knows this. The strategy of the Song Dynasty has always been like this, to win over the Tibetans, in order to contain the Western Xia from behind.

There is no fixed number of relations between the tribes of the northwestern states, and it is completely a combination and exchange of interests.

Western Xia only wrote to the Song Dynasty some time ago, continued to be a minister, restored the Han rites, and accepted the canonization of the Song Dynasty, which seemed to be very deferential. But now? turned his head, and began to contact with Hehuang and Tubo, and even with his relatives to win over. I just don't know, in what way will the Song Dynasty resolve it?

In addition to considering the situation and the pros and cons of one's own side, I am afraid that which side of the offer is more generous, which side Dong Yu will lean on! Alas, the original advantage of the left and right, and everything on the Hehuang Plateau belonged to him, but now he has all been taken away by Dong Yu.

Every time I think of this, my blind fist clenches tightly, and a heavy hatred swells up in my heart!

The rough man continued: "It is said that in order to win over Qingtang City, the Song Dynasty has promised Dong Yu to withdraw the canonization of you and send troops against us......"

"What?" When Blind felt heard this, he was immediately shocked and angry, the Song Dynasty actually wanted to send troops to deal with him?

It is said that it was a condition made by Dong Yu, and if the Song Dynasty did not agree, he would cooperate with Western Xia. If there is no Dong Yu's containment, the Western Xia will deal with the Song Dynasty wholeheartedly, which is the result of the Song people's reluctance to appear, so ......"

"So they agreed?"

"Yes......"

Blind felt suddenly felt a little uncomfortable in his heart, if so, the consequences would be quite terrible. It was already difficult to survive between three powerful forces, and it was only by virtue of the three ghosts that they survived, and now they ......

Regardless of which side actually wants to make a move, the pressure on River State is unprecedented. If you don't recognize the canonization, you will lose a layer of protection in the first place. If there is another large army to press the border, the consequences will be even more unimaginable. Blind Yu's heart suddenly became cold, this is definitely bad news, a bad news......

"Where did you get the news, is it reliable?" Before the blind felt could speak, the mighty man beside him, who was almost thirty years old, opened his mouth to ask.

This person's big eyes are blazing, and there seems to be a light of wisdom in the depth, and the whole person's bearing is as brave as the blind felt. Resourcefulness and grace are afraid to go to the next level. This man's name is Mu Zheng, and he is the eldest son of the blind felt!

Mu Zheng was also shocked by the news, but he cared more about the reliable surname of the news!

"It is said to be from Bianjing, the capital of the Song Dynasty, and the reliable surname is relatively strong!" Because it is located in a dangerous area, it attaches great importance to the convenience of collecting intelligence, and there are pro-secret posts in Fengxiang in the Great Song Dynasty, and even in Chang'an, which is responsible for collecting intelligence about the northwest.

"Son, what do you think?" Blind Felt's gaze fell on Mu Zheng, who valued and loved this clever son very much, and completely took his successor seriously.

Mu Zheng said: "Father may not know yet, I just received the news that the envoys of the Song Dynasty sent a letter saying that they want to transit from Hezhou!" ”

"Transit from River State?" The rude man who reported the news was immediately annoyed: "They are really too much! ”

"Hmph, they're killing themselves, since they're here, leave them behind!"

Mu Zheng shook his head and said: "Father, I always feel that there seems to be something strange in this, if the Song envoy really wants to collude with Dong Yu to deal with us, why do you still want to cross the border from Hezhou?" Aren't they worried about it themselves? ”

"It's not that I'm not worried, but I don't have a choice, it is said that the autumn rain in Lanzhou continues, the river has risen, and the road is difficult to navigate......"

"Now that they have passed from Hezhou, they can also confuse us, and then take advantage of our unpreparedness to launch a surprise attack!"

Will that be the case? Before there was definite news, Mu Zheng didn't dare to jump to conclusions casually.

Blind felt also frowned, and ordered: "Son, this matter will be handed over to you to be responsible, I hope you can handle it properly!" ”

"Father, don't worry!" Mu Zheng nodded slightly, he knew that this was a responsibility and a test for him. (To be continued.) )