Li Zaixing raised his eyebrows and did not speak.

The Zhongcheng in Bai Xiaode's mouth is Gao Xianzhi. After Gao Xianzhi broke the Xiao Bo Law, in addition to being promoted to the envoy of the four towns of Anxi for his merits, he also served as the honorary position of Hongluqing, and regented Shi Zhongcheng. Yushi Zhongcheng is the most noble of all his positions, so people call him Zhongcheng.

Gao Xianzhi is a native of Korea, and his father, Gao Sheji, was born as a slave, and although he has great military achievements, he has not been able to get rid of the pair of socks that represent slaves until he dies. Slaves are inherently inferior, so when he oversteps his ranks, Fumeng Lingjing will scold him for being a Goryeo slave. In his capacity, if it weren't for Li Linfu's policy of reusing Hu Jiang, he would never have been able to ascend to such a high position as the envoy of the Four Towns Festival.

Li Linfu's policy is full of hidden dangers for Datang, but for Gao Xianzhi, it is undoubtedly a blessing. Gao Xianzhi is grateful to Li Linfu and supports Li Linfu, which is expected. Otherwise, he would not have transferred seven masters from the Anxi army to protect Li Linfu, and there was almost no hesitation.

Now that Li Linfu has been killed by Li Zaixing, and four of the seven masters have been killed by him, can Gao Xianzhi have a good impression of him? The Yang family arranged for him to come to Anxi, and there was obviously a tendency to mix sand, and it was even more impossible for Gao Xianzhi to give up Anxi. He may not oppose it openly, but it is inevitable to make some shady tricks in secret.

Li Zaixing had already expected this, and before leaving, Li Mi couldn't help but worry, and took the initiative to analyze this point for him, so that he would not underestimate the difficulties of Anxi's trip and give his life in vain. It was precisely because of this that he rejected Yang Zhao's idea of seeking an official for him. If he came to Anxi with a very high grade, he would inevitably be regarded as a party of the Yang family and rejected by Gao Xianzhi and others. He understands the truth that the tree is suffering from the wind, and there is no need to cause unnecessary trouble for the sake of a false name. Keep a low profile, it will only be good for him, not bad.

"Do you have any good suggestions?"

"Don't stay in the turtles." Bai Xiaode said: "Go to Bahanna or Tuozhi City, even if you go to Samadgand, just don't stay in Qiuzi." ”

Li Zaixing laughed and patted Bai Xiaode's shoulder: "You are very sincere." Take care of your injuries, I don't want to take a waste with me to the river. ”

Bai Xiaode's suggestion is exactly the same as Li Mi's suggestion, and it is also Li Zaixing's plan. Although Li Zaixing was not going to Bahanna, nor Tuozhi City, but to Zhongcao, the reason was not to avoid Gao Xianzhi's blow, but to take the initiative to understand the situation in the Hezhong region and prepare for the next battle.

If his memory is good and history has not changed fundamentally, the conflict between Datang and Dashi will happen soon. They will have a big battle in Talas. Although it is an exaggeration to say that the Battle of Talas completely reversed the national policy of the Tang Dynasty and made the Han people change from openness to conservatism, it is a fact that this battle caused the elite of Anxi to be lost, and the Tang Dynasty lost its influence in Central Asia.

His aim was to reverse this outcome and keep the Nine Kingdoms of Zhaowu (i.e., Central Asia) firmly in the hands of the Tang Dynasty – or himself. In order to accomplish this goal, he naturally had to go to the river to gain a firm foothold first, instead of staying in Qiuzi and Gao Xianzhi's heart.

This is also one of the reasons why he decided to contain Bai Xiaode. Bai Xiaode is a Turkic people, and now the countries of Hezhong are greatly influenced by the Turks - Tuozhicheng, which is what the Tang people say about the Shiguo monarch Mohe Tutun is a Turkic - Turkic is a relatively common language. Ermadi is familiar with the language of Zhaowu Jiuhu and understands the religious beliefs and living habits of the Persians, but he knows very little about the Turkic language.

If you don't even know the language, how can you act? The Zhongcao people may be able to arrange for him two who are fluent in Turkic language, but he must have one of his own. Although Bai Xiaode has an enmity with him, they are both Tang people, and they have the possibility of cooperation on this issue. What's more, Bai Xiaode has been with him for so long, just stealing art, and has never considered such a means as a sneak attack, which is enough to see that this person is above board, not the kind of person who stabs him in the back, and in some things, he can be completely trusted.

The fire was lit, the water boiled, and the meat rolled in the water, gradually filling the meaty smell. Du Fu held his cheeks and looked at the iron pot hanging on the fire with a sad face.

Li Zaixing walked over, sat side by side with Du Fu, and quipped: "What's the matter, it's like going to the execution ground?" ”

"Isn't that just a punishment?" Du Fu sighed and patted his cheek: "The skin in his mouth is all broken, and every bite is the same as a punishment." ”

"You know the pain of getting out of the jam, right?" Li Zaixing patted him on the shoulder: "It's not easy to be a border soldier, and it's not as easy as shouting two empty words, it's really hard work." By the time this is over, your poem may be complete. A poet who has not endured hardship cannot write really good poems, but can only moan without illness. ”

Du Fu pursed his lips and stopped talking. He knew that Li Zaixing was talking about his satirical song "Soldier Chariot Travel" by Ge Shuhan. Ge Shuhan paid the lives of nearly 10,000 soldiers for the recovery of Shibao City, and for a time his reputation was mixed, some said that he was highly meritorious, and some said that he was greedy for merit because he did not sympathize with the soldiers. Du Fu is the latter, and there is a "Jun does not see the head of Qinghai, and no one collects the white bones in ancient times." The new ghost is annoyed and the old ghost is crying, and the sky is cloudy and rainy, and the wet voice is chirping", the meaning of the accusation is very clear.

Li Zaixing disagreed. This time, he pulled Du Fu out of the plug to find fame, and he did not lose much along the way. When passing through Shanzhou, Li Zaixing also made a special trip to Shibao City. Seeing the importance of Shibao City, and hearing the gratitude of the Hu and Han people in Jiuqu Land to Geshuhan for recovering Shibao City, Du Fu never said anything like that again.

After leaving Yangguan, their food level immediately dropped sharply, and they had a long way to go, so they could only bring some dried meat and dough cakes that were easy to preserve. The dough cake is very similar to the gluttony in Xinjiang in later generations, so hard that it can be used as a shield, and it has to be soaked in the broth for a long time before it can barely be swallowed. Not to mention Du Fu, even Pei Xuanqing and others couldn't bear it. The only ones who can really be willing to eat are Li Zaixing and Al Maidi.

Within a few days of eating, Du Fu had a mouthful of bubbles, whether it was eating cakes or drinking soup, it was the same as going to the punishment. He regretted Mo Die, but he was too embarrassed to ask to go back, so he could only hold on.

"When will I be able to go to the bigger towns and eat some wheat rice?" Du Fu said with a bitter face: "You are really, if you don't take a good road, you have to walk in this sea of sand?" ”

Li Zaixing smiled and didn't answer his words. He did have a better choice, from Guazhou to the north, via Yiwu and Gaochang, there were towns and garrisons along the way, whether it was accommodation or food, it was much more comfortable, and there was no need to suffer like now. But there was a reason why he chose to go straight through this moraine. First, although Pei Xuanqing and others have good skills, they grew up in the Central Plains and have not suffered any real hardships, if they don't first adapt to the harsh environment of the Western Regions and experience this kind of life, it will be difficult to quickly enter the role at that time. Second, he was stationed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in his previous life, and he did not know much about the environment like the desert, so he should take this opportunity to learn and adapt to the environment from Elmadi, who is familiar with this environment. To fight the Great Cannibal, the desert terrain is an unavoidable difficulty.

As for Du Fu, bringing him to the Western Regions was to force him to endure hardship. If you don't endure hardships when you are in the prime of life, do you have to wait until you are old to endure hardships and hide in the three thatched halls and groan? While you still have the physical strength to earn a point of fame, maybe you won't have to be so embarrassed in the future. From another point of view, although Du Fu is a famous poet in later generations, he has not achieved much in Biansai poetry, and let him go to the Western Regions for a trip, maybe there will be an unexpected gain.

From Shazhou to here, 800 miles of sand moraine, most of the month's trip, the wind and sand whistling at any time, have worn away the flashiness of Pei Xuanqing and others, their words are getting less and less day by day, but their eyes have become more fierce. It should be said that the effect was beyond Li Zaixing's expectations, and even Du Fu's situation was not bad, he was able to persist and not retreat, which already surprised him.

"When you get to the town ahead, please drink well." Al Medi walked over with a bowl of broth and said with a smile: "I didn't expect that Du Jun is a scholar who also has iron bones, the Tang Dynasty dominates the world, and the Tang people have no one in their eyes, and they have their own proud confidence." ”

"Of course." Du Fu suddenly got up, sat up straight, took the broth, broke off a piece of cake and put it in, frowning while eating: "The bitterness I have suffered this time, I may not have tasted it if I come to Brother Taibai." When I return to the Central Plains and meet him again, I will have the capital to brag. ”

"Hahaha......" Everyone was amused by Du Fu's words, and even the hard dough tasted much more delicious.

Al Maidi brought two more bowls of soup, one for Li Zaixing, and the other for himself. She took a big sip, looked at the Chihe River that stretched far away, and thought: "The real city of Chaldi is short of water, and we all dream of occupying the green state south of the dense water." However, when Xicao occupied that land, he would rather share it with He than with us, and only when there was a war would they let us get closer. ”

Li Zaixing's heart moved: "Who do you want to kill the most?" ”

"Dong Cao, Xi Cao." Al Maidi gritted his teeth and said, "If it weren't for their death, we wouldn't have fallen to this step." ”

Li Zaixing was taken aback, and his heart was indeed the most cannibalistic of his kind. The people that Al Maddie wanted to kill the most were actually Dong Cao and Xi Cao, who were also branches of Cao State, which was a big surprise to him.

"It's not good." Li Zaixing said unhurriedly: "Killing people will not solve the problem, it will only cause more trouble." Lao Tzu said that the weapon of a soldier is a last resort. Your enemy is not Dongcao, nor Xicao, or even Kangguo and Anguo, but the Great Cannibal. Don't make the wrong person, kill the wrong person in a fit of anger, it will ruin your great cause of restoring the country. ”

With a "grunt", Al Maidi swallowed the broth in his mouth, stretched out the tip of his tongue and licked his lips, and asked puzzledly: "Master, why do you talk like a high priest?" I think you're killing people a lot. ”

Li Zaixing smacked his lips in embarrassment: "At that time, it was a family revenge, and the courage of the husband was enough, but now it is different, we have to consider the national hatred." ”

Al Maidi pondered for a long time and nodded vigorously: "Master, although I don't understand very well, I believe in you, and I listen to you." ”