The Western Regions are the Western Regions of the Xia people.

How many Tang Dynasty people who can enjoy a comfortable life in the rich land, how many are willing to come to a place where birds don't and don't lay eggs? On the other hand, the people of Xia have lived in this barren wasteland for generations, and they are the people of the yellow sand and grasslands. The fact that the Hui were able to come first and occupy Pyeongchang first than the Zhan Lingyun troops who fled all the way north was enough to prove their familiarity with this land.

Leaving aside the Hui people, there are still large villages and towns in the north of the Western Regions that have fallen into the hands of the Xia people, and the main roads leading to all the cities of the Tang Army have long been strictly guarded by the beards, making Zhan Lingyun and his party become turtles in the urn of the loess.

Hide, where to hide?

Mo Lingtu's troops had all the resources at their disposal, while the remnants of the Tang Dynasty were exhausted and out of ammunition and food.

Drag, how to drag?

From 30,000 to 3,000, each and every one of them is the most valuable asset of this army. If you reduce one person, you will weaken one point of strength. Until it gets weaker and weaker, weak enough to be eaten by any Xia State army.

Can't afford to hurt!

Tang An's simple three sentences clarified the grim situation they are facing now. As Zhan Lingyun said, what else do they have besides a bad life?

Nothing!

Zhan Lingyun had already seen everything through, and what worried him even more was this damn injury. If he dies, this elite army he has built with all his heart will be ruthlessly turned into a white bone under the yellow sand.

Kill it!

Putting death and rebirth has become the only way in front of you. The people of Xia never imagined that this army, which was regarded as a lost dog, would kill a horse pistol, which was extremely dangerous, hurting both others and themselves.

It's done, escape, the sea is wide and jumps high and the birds fly; If you are defeated, even if you are dying, you have to pull a few mustaches on your back!

The sky was dark, and there were still stars hanging in the gray-blue night sky. Looking at the soldiers who were building fortifications above the valley by starlight, Zhan Lingyun sighed softly.

If it weren't for all the helplessness, who would choose this way of dying and living?

"Why is the old general sighing?" Tang An on the side asked.

Zhan Lingyun's face was gloomy, and he said, "This battle... I don't know how many more people will die. ”

Tang An said: "The general actually knows very well that if we don't die first and then live, we people are doomed to die." ”

Zhan Lingyun nodded, with a deep sadness in his eyes that had experienced vicissitudes: "The old man has fought all his life, what scene have you never seen?" As long as there is a war, there will be no immortal, even if these people are your relatives and friends. But Tang An - they are dying for the old man..."

Tang An was stunned for a moment and sighed softly.

The goal of the Xia people is very clear, that is, to capture Lingyun alive. The strategic significance of this old guy is far greater than that of this remnant army, even if it is a hundred thousand male divisions, I am afraid that in the eyes of Mo Lingtu, this old man is not as valuable.

Because he is the backbone of the entire Tang Dynasty.

Zhan Lingyun knew very well how important he was, even if he died, he couldn't fall into the hands of the Xia people. But he wants to desperately save his life, not for himself, but for the mountains and rivers of the Western Regions that are already crumbling.

The people of Xia will never let him leave safely, so they will find him at all costs. He knew this, but he had to watch the soldiers who were like his own children give their lives for this almost impossible escape plan, and this kind of contradiction and pain was by no means bearable for ordinary people.

"People die." Tang An was silent for a long time, "If you let them abandon you, they may be able to save their lives, but their lives will be ruined." Honor, blood, affection, ideals, kindness, these things are sometimes higher than your own life, just like your status in their hearts. ”

Zhan Lingyun listened silently and said, "I heard that you had a holiday with Wushuang?" ”

Hey, even knowing that there is such a thing as being jealous with his own grandson, this old man is really not covered.

Tang An smiled freely: "It's just a trivial matter, I have long forgotten it." ”

"Ignorance!" Zhan Lingyun shook his head and sighed that if his grandson could have half the heart of the young man in front of him, the Zhan family would be regarded as a successor. "Don't talk about that. Master Tang, in fact, what you said last night was okay to deceive those rabbit cubs, but the old man didn't believe a word. With the respect of the fairy Mu, will he obey the emperor's arrangement to come to this barren Western Regions? ”

Tang An smiled embarrassedly, he had long known that such a lie might not be able to blind the old man in front of him. Now that it has been exposed, he simply no longer hides it: "The old general is wise, if the kid denies it again, it will inevitably seem too hypocritical." Yes, Fairy Mu and I did come here for other purposes, but it involves secrets that cannot be told to others, please forgive the old general. ”

"Everyone has their own secrets, you don't want to say it, the old man will never force you." Zhan Lingyun said, "But even if I knew that you were lying, the old man didn't expose it in public, do you know why?" ”

It's a difficult question! Tang An scratched his head and said, "Is it because you see my good face?" ”

Familiar? Do these two words have anything to do with you?

"Because you are the emperor's man. Being able to arrange the important position of the reception envoy of the Great Snow Mountain to you shows the emperor's trust in you. As long as you are loyal to the emperor, you are your own person in the eyes of the old man. ”

Zhan Lingyun's eyes were scorching, and he said, "Tang An, you are still young, and you are at an age when it is easy to be blinded by external objects. The old man has a few words to remind you: The emperor is the destiny of heaven, we are courtiers, it is our duty to be loyal to the Son of Heaven, and we must keep our hearts at all times. If everyone has selfish intentions, the court is scattered, the country will not be the country, and the people will not be the people, then the officials will bear a thousand years of infamy. I hope you can remember the old man's words well, and live up to the emperor's trust in you. ”

The undercurrent of the imperial court is surging, and even Zhan Lingyun, who is at the border pass, knows very well. On the surface, these words were admonishing Tang An, but in fact they revealed that he did not want the country to be torn apart and become the fish and meat of foreign races. Such a mind is enough to serve as a big hero.

Tang An nodded with a serious face and said, "Don't worry, old general, Tang should do his best to assist the emperor!" ”

"I didn't expect that the old man would be able to meet an excellent young man like you in his twilight years, and God treats me well in the Tang Dynasty." Zhan Lingyun patted Tang An's shoulder with satisfaction, and then looked into the distance with his hands behind his back: "What do you think of this upcoming battle?" ”

Tang An smiled slightly and said, "I said that I am a layman in marching and fighting, but the sword is the kid's specialty. When I knew yesterday that this battle was inevitable, I thought about it all night, and thought of a plan that was not very mature, and I didn't know whether to talk about it or not. ”

Zhan Lingyun said unhappily: "What should not be said?" Tell the old man about it. ”

The corners of Tang An's mouth rolled up with a sinister smile, and he slowly leaned towards Zhan Lingyun's ear......

*****************************************************************************

At the end of the night, the sky is bright.

When the first rays of the morning sun shine, the valley that had been lively last night has returned to calm. Campfires, ruts, footprints, all the evidence left here has been erased, as if no one had set foot here for many years.

If you look down from the sky, you will see a dark shadow on the top of the cliff above the valley. All the 3,000 soldiers lay dormant here, like statues, not moving, not smiling, as if even the sound of breathing was hidden in the wind.

"Brother Tang, yesterday's incident... Thank you very much. ”

Lying beside Tang An was Ji Chen, who had the deepest prejudice against Tang An last night. These men in the army are like this, if you treat him well, he will treat you with sincerity. Tang An's sacrifice to block the military stick for him has completely moved this kid.

"It's a trivial matter, why worry about it!" Tang An smiled indifferently, "I see that Brother Ji, you are a good man who dares to be a hero, don't say that you can block ten military sticks for you, what if it is a hundred sticks?" ”

Hearing him pretend to be relaxed, Ji Chen was overmoved, patted Tang An on the shoulder and said, "You brother, I'm Ji Chen!" ”

Tang An laughed: "Okay, if you can be brothers with the border heroes, Tang An can be regarded as having a light on his face - Brother Chen, I don't know if you are married?" If you haven't liked someone yet, wait until the big brother in Beijing will introduce you to a few girls, and you will be satisfied! ”

Ji Chen has a black line, why didn't he ask his age, this guy was the self-proclaimed eldest brother? However, the dignified reception envoy of the Snow Mountain, being able to make friends with himself is already broad-minded, and Ji Chen doesn't mind, and says, "I haven't married yet." But eldest brother, sister-in-law is also from Xia Guo, if you come up with such a poisonous plan in front of her, won't your sister-in-law hold a grudge against you? ”

This guy really regards Su Meier as Lao Tzu's woman. Thinking about Su Meier's bewitching figure, Tang An's vanity was greatly satisfied, and he didn't explain much, so he simply acquiesced: "She dares to have an opinion!" Marrying Lao Tzu is the daughter-in-law of the Tang Dynasty, even if I hit the imperial capital of the Xia Kingdom, she is not allowed to say a word! ”

The eldest brother is really arrogant, such a beautiful woman is obedient, it seems that she will learn more from the eldest brother in the future. Ji Chen looked reverent, and wanted to say something more, but he heard the sound of "ticking" horses' hooves coming from far and near.

All the soldiers suddenly became nervous.

A few scouts looked down from the top of the cliff and saw two fast horses running at the end of the narrow valley. The two people on horseback were wearing Xia Guo battle uniforms, and they must have been scouts from the Xia army.

The two of them came to the center of the valley directly below everyone, suddenly stopped and looked around, and frightened the few Tang soldiers who poked their heads out and hurriedly retracted their necks.

The two of them looked around, and one of the bearded men suddenly said something, and the other replied in the same language.

The hollow valley was quiet, and the voices of the two of them spoke clearly into everyone's ears. They spoke Xia language, and Tang An couldn't understand a word, but looking at the faces of the people around them, they looked ugly, as if they had heard some terrifying news. Ji Chen, who was on the side, was tense and looked extremely nervous.

The two men in the valley talked for a while, and then rode forward on horseback, and the people breathed a sigh of relief.

"What did they say?" Tang An asked in a low voice.

Ji Chen wiped the cold sweat on his forehead: "I'm scared to death!" One of the bearded men felt that the terrain here was dangerous and wanted to come up to investigate, but the other bearded man said that the Tang army was like a lost dog, could he still dare to fight back? This was what made the previous man dispel his thoughts. If they do come up, our plans will be exposed. ”

Damn, it's good that I didn't understand, otherwise I would have to be scared to pee.

Tang An touched his chest and secretly said God blessed, and asked, "Brother Chen, can you actually understand Xia Guo's dialect?" ”

Ji Chen said proudly: "What is this!" We have fought with the Xia people for so many years, and sometimes we have to go to the villages and towns of the Xia country to find out information, and almost every soldier can speak Xia fluently. ”

"It seems that mastering a foreign language is really important, and today is really a big gesture - oh, it's a long knowledge." Tang An said sincerely.

(Thanks to Fangyang1, CMRR, Fanda, Mengcheng students, book friends 2739367, and yuhuhuan for their support~~)