The large and small streams source out of the Qilian Mountains, form many oases in the desert at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains, come and go to Xizhou since ancient times, all take this road, the world is called Hexi Road.

Zhongzhou once set up Guzang, Zhangye, Jinchang, Shazhou, Rouyuan and other towns in the meantime, out of Rouyuan, along the southern foot of the Luomanshan Mountain, passing through Yiwu, into Gaochang.

When Zhongzhou was strong, it was able to control this Hexi Road and infiltrate its forces into all parts of Xizhou; If Zhongzhou is weak, Hexi Road will be occupied by the nomadic tribes in the north. Xu Ruyu entered Zhongzhou, and the power of the Qingfeng Dynasty gradually flourished, and successively recovered Guzang, Zhangye, Jinchang, Shazhou, Rouyuan, Yiwu and other hometowns, pacified the Gaochang Kingdom, established Hexi County, and reopened Hexi Road.

Juyanze is located in the north of Zhangye City, "weak water quicksand returns to Juyan", weak water out of Zhangye City 400 miles, divided into the east and west of Juyan, only Juyan Xize has a radius of 200 miles. Before the rise of Hulan, Zhongzhou had set up a city on the south bank of Juyan Xize, and governed Juyan for 400 miles, between the east and west, and expanded thousands of hectares of fertile land. After the rise of the Great Hulan, the Baye tribe was one of the five clans of the Great Hulan, and the area between Ganjun Mountain, Jinwei Mountain, Yanran Mountain, and Juyanze was its nomadic place.

Juyanze is now the place where the three forces of the Chetu people, the Baye people, and Hexi County converge, although the Chetu people are attached to Zhongzhou in the name, they really don't want Ju Yanze to be included in the sphere of influence of Hexi County, and connive at the Baye people and Hexi County to compete for Yanze. Hexi County has not been able to rebuild the city on the bank of Juyanze and set up Yi County.

In recent years, in order to compete for this area, Hexi County and the Baye Department have frequently fought each other, the old man wants to go to Yanze to visit people, and the place he passes through, there are many battlefield relics of the two sides fighting, fortunately, the old man has five senses and psychic, and he can always avoid the place of bloody corpses, and he is not afraid of Yan Ran.

Yan Ran couldn't bear to be tired, and the old man rested on the road for a while before rushing to Juyanze.

The old man stood on the water's edge, looking at Ju Yanze, who was rippling with blue waves, abundant aquatic plants, and low flying water birds, and his chest was full of clouds. Yan Ran's eyes widened, and she saw a young yellow sheep drinking by the water's edge not far away, falling into the water, struggling out wet and burrowing into the dense bushes.

Yan Ran laughed out loud, and the old man looked over, only seeing the traces of water on the sandy bank. Yan Ran was about to go into the indoctrination forest to find the traces of the young yellow sheep, when the old man took her in his arms and said, "Someone is coming." ”

"Is it a Savage again?"

The sound of hooves came from the east, blocking the view of the low mountains, and there were only a few horses, not the rangers of the Wild Division, nor the armored horses of Hexi County. The old man shook his head slightly and said, "Maybe it's from Zhongzhou." ”

Out of Xijing, through Huanqing, along the Anle River to the north, to Lingzhou, across the river, over the Helan Pass, through the Tengger moraine, to the Baitingyi.

Baitingyi is located on the east bank of Baitingze, which is actually the first stop of Hexi Road. Out of the Baiting Station, go south along the Baiting River, you can go to Guzang, and then walk on the right road of Hexi Road.

When Zhongzhou is strong, out of the Baiting Station, you can also go straight to the west, cross the Yanzhi Mountain, along the northern foot of Ganjun Mountain, you can go to the weak water river. Along the weak water northward, you can go to the weak water of the tail lake Juyanze, along the weak water south, you can go to Zhangye City. It's just that Zhongzhou has just restored Hexi County, and this road is still in the competition with the Baye Department, along the way, the city is abandoned and the pavilion barrier is destroyed, the beacon is toppled, and the house is destroyed, forming ruins, and there is no road.

It won't be an ordinary business trip.

Yan Ran showed an excited look on his face, the old man entered Xizhou, and walked mostly in the wilderness and remote roads, but Yan Ran suffered from the surname of Xiao'er and suffered a lot of loneliness. I heard that it might be from Zhongzhou, but I didn't expect that there might be a crisis hidden in it, and I felt cordial in my heart. Looking up at the old man, his earnest feelings were overflowing.

The old man smiled slightly and said, "I haven't known the news of Zhongzhou's homeland for a long time, so I just asked the person who came." ”

As he spoke, Yan Ran also heard the clear sound of dysprosium bells, which came from the back of the high hill, snuggled in the old man's arms, and looked at the blue-black ridge with his eyes open, and after a while, four young knights galloped up the ridge, leading several horses with bags behind.

Riding a horse to the top of the mountain, the sparkling water waves are reflected in the eyes, this is the Ju Yanze of "weak water quicksand into Juyan", really his grandmother's blue, Yue Shi couldn't help but let out a long roar of pride in his heart. But let Jiang Yi, who was riding beside him, tighten his clothes, and as soon as the pride in his chest was released, the whistling stopped, and Yue Shi was about to complain about him, but he found the strangeness of his companion, and hurriedly looked down, but saw two people standing by the water at the foot of the mountain. The old man was dressed in a green shirt and had a slight beard under his chin, standing in the lake breeze, floating out of the dust. The girl was dressed in a white dress and snuggled in the arms of the old man.

More than 100 zhang away, Yue Shi took in the surprised look on the girl's face, smiled embarrassedly, gently pulled the reins, and the horse snorted and took a step back.

Jiang Yi looked at the old man and the girl at the bottom of the mountain, and said: "Shilang, Ju Yanze is far away from Zhangye City, Hu Cavalry is infested, horse thieves are rampant, this old man is alone with a female baby, it seems that we have met a stranger." ”

Shiro is the ranking of Yue Shi in the uncle and nephew, and he himself is the only son, the family is the Le'an Yue clan, and he lives in Zhongjing with his father, and grew up in Zhongjing since he was a child. This time, Jiang Yi, a disciple of the Jiang clan in Jiangning, each took a Hu Cong to study in various parts of Xizhou. The Hu slave brought by Yue Shi is named Yue Qinglong, and Jiang Yi's Hu Cong Jiang Sheng are both born to the family, and they are said to be Hu Cong, but they are actually playmates who grew up with Yue Shi and Jiang Yi.

Yue Shi hid the embarrassment on his face and said: "We have been out of Helan Pass for six hundred miles, and we haven't encountered any horse thieves. But I think this old man still has a little courage, and I want to go down and get acquainted. ”

"Shiro was wrong, the Beishuo army went out of the town of Jiuyuan and Gaoque, and built a deer Ming Fortress on the west side of the corner of the river and at the northern foot of Helan Mountain, blocking the barbarians outside Bai Tingze. This Juyanze is the place where the competition between the Baye Department and my Hexi County is the most fierce, Hexi County has built a city several times, and the Baye Department has invaded on a large scale, and the Minfu soldiers have been killed and injured countless times. The barbarians came here to herd, and Hexi County also sent troops to kill, so the land of abundant water and grass was uninhabited, and a large group of horse thieves mainly haunted the area west of Juyanze. ”

Yue Shi disdained his judgment and said: "The activity area of the horse thieves is located between the Jinchang Mansion and the Chetu Department, and the Chetu Department is not secretly attacked, and these horse thieves have already been extinguished a few times." Heran laughed twice, "But the horse thief has been extinguished early, what else do we do?" ”

When Jiang Yi heard what he said, he was angry in his heart, and even claimed that it was, and said: "Exactly, exactly, for the advanced examination in Ming Chun, I still plan to enter the Hexi Metropolitan Protectorate." ”

Yue Shi said: "Who is not? I and Qilang here, if you can't enter the Hexi Metropolitan Protectorate, even if you enter the Zhichong Mansion below as a pawn, no matter what, you must enter the Hexi Army. ”

Jiang Yi's subordinate Jiang Sheng said: "Prince Yue is a direct descendant of the Le'an Yue clan, how can he not be reduced to the Zhichong Mansion below as a small soldier. It's just that the center of gravity of the empire is not in Xizhou, and Yue Gongzi came to this Hexi County, but he was afraid that it would be difficult to do anything. ”

Yue Shi glanced at him and scolded with a smile: "It's because you like to say things that are disastrous, Qilang, reward him with two whips." Lightly clamped the horse's belly, drove the horse down the mountain, and sang in a long voice: "You don't see the horse river, the snow seaside, the flat sand is reckless and yellow into the sky." Luntai roared in September at night, and the gravel of a river was as big as a bucket, and the stones were all over the ground with the wind. The Huns grass and yellow horses are fat, Jinshan sees smoke and dust flying in the west, and the Han generals go west. The general's golden armor does not take off at night, and the army marches in the middle of the night, and the limelight is like a knife. Horsehair with snow and sweat steam, five flowers and money are swirled into ice, and the grass and inkstones in the curtain are condensed. When the captives heard this, they should be frightened, and they knew that the short soldiers did not dare to take it, and the chariot master Ximen offered a victory. The rhyme is flexible and flowing, the tone is agitated and heroic, and the old dynasty poet Cen Shen sings the majestic and magnificent song of "Walking Horses and Rivers to Send the Division to the West".

Jiang Yi knew that Jiang Sheng's remarks about "the center of gravity of the empire is not in Xizhou" were all seen from his father's desk, and scolded in a low voice: "Chew your tongue, the affairs of the empire are something you can discuss casually?" He whipped the whip twice as a warning, and followed Yue Shi down the horse.

Yue Shi was still about ten steps away from the old man, before he turned over and dismounted, hugged his hands, and said, "The old man is from Zhongzhou?" ”

The old man heard his proud singing, and sighed secretly: Zhuang, with a smile on his face, but Yan Ran in his arms rushed to say first: "We are from Zhongjing." ”

The capital of the dynasty was Bianzhou, renamed Zhongjing, and separated from Xijing, Qinzhou County.

Yue Shi asked: "Boy Yue Shi, I also grew up in Zhongjing since I was a child. He beckoned Jiang Yi and the others to come over quickly, and shouted loudly: "Jiang Yi, you never imagined that you would meet villagers here." Before Jiang Yi and the others approached, he told the old man their names one by one.

Jiang Yi saluted and asked, "This place is deserted, how can the old man walk here alone?" Although the etiquette is thorough, the indifference and suspicion vaguely revealed in the tone are far less than the enthusiasm revealed in Yue Shi's rough and uninhibited words and deeds.

The old man returned the salute and said indifferently: "The old man came to visit an old friend." The old man vaguely saw the shadow of the old man from their bodies, and he felt a little emotion in his heart.

Yan Ran snuggled into the old man's arms and stared at the two of them with wide eyes. Yue Shi has a long figure, a handsome face, a weak crown age, a delicate belt around his waist, a beautifully made saber, and a pair of eyes shining with brilliance; Jiang Yi had a sturdy body, a broad face and a beard, about twenty-two and three years old, and his face was gloomy, as if he was worried about something.

Yue Shi looked around at the vast water and sky, and asked in surprise: "My father-in-law's friend lives in Yanze?" ”

Crossing the golden sea of poplar forests, the old man's eyes fell on the blue-black gorge ridge in the north: "I haven't seen him for twenty years, and I don't know if he still lives here?" ”

Jiang Yi was shocked, although it was said that Xiakou Mountain was the boundary mountain between Hexi County and the Baye Department, in fact, it was completely the sphere of influence of the Baye people, could it be said that this old man's friend was a famous Hu person?

Yue Shi turned his head and asked Jiang Yi's opinion: "We are about to go west along Xiakou Mountain, why don't we go with my father-in-law?" ”

Jiang Yi was suspicious of the old man, but the old man's eyes were dim, and he did not have the brilliance that a cultivator should have. Secret Dao: This place is definitely not an old man and girl who are not familiar with martial arts, I think that the old man's cultivation is far-reaching above ordinary people, and he can't see through the reality and reality. Yue Shi rushed to say it with a big mouth, if he couldn't say it, he would inevitably have to entangle himself and ask why he couldn't. Dark road: It's only half a distance from here to Xiakou Mountain, and it's no big deal to walk together. Give up one horse and divide the bag among the other horses.

Jiang Yi was suspicious, Yue Qinglong and Jiang Sheng guarded their identities as sons and daughters in front of outsiders, so naturally they didn't have much to say. But it was Yue Shi who was full of curiosity about the old man who took the famous girl to Xizhou alone. The old man seems to be kind, but his bones reveal an aura that makes people fearful, Yue Shi asked a few words at first, and saw that the old man was a little indifferent, and it was inconvenient to speak again.

Yan Ran was born in Zhongjing, in fact, only lived in Zhongjing when she was a child, when she was ten years old, she lived with her grandfather, this time she went to Xizhou with her grandfather, and rarely met Zhongzhou people for more than a year. At this time, Jiang Yi and Yue Shi, who grew up in Zhongjing since childhood, naturally chattered about Zhongzhou.

Yue Shi saw that Yan Ran was twelve or thirteen years old, his eyes were like a streamer, and he was born bright and beautiful, and he had a cordial feeling in his heart, and he didn't care about Jiang Yi's frequent glances in secret, and walked to the foot of Xiakou Mountain, and told Yan Ran the purpose of the four people's trip early, so he had to directly reveal his true identity to Yan Ran.

"I'm going to take the advanced exam in late spring next year, why do you still come to Xizhou to play?"

"We went out of the deer and mingled, and all we walked was a haunted place for Hu Qi, how could it be for fun?" Yue Shi's eyes rolled up, revealing the whites of the boss's eyes, which made Yan Ran laugh for a while, "In the advanced examination of Ming Spring, Qilang and I chose to be the geography of Xizhou and the history of Xizhou, and the strategies written are also related to Xizhou. ”

Yan Ran chuckled and said, "Which of the triennial advanced exams is not attended by thousands of children of the family?" Geography is a compulsory course for the military rank, although the geography of Xizhou is a little biased, the number of people who take it every year is nearly 100 people, out of the Sai to study, why don't you see other people? ”

Yue Shi said: "Of course, there are not only the two of us who went out to study in August, but they followed the army and the business group to the business route at the northern foot of Qilian Mountain, and they were all stationed in Hexi County along the way. We deserted, slipped out when we crossed Helan Mountain, and walked this northern route to appreciate the magnificence of the mountains and deserts. ”

The children of the family want to enter the official career, mainly through the advanced examination, and then go to the government division, the county government and county as a probationary record, probation for several years, the beginning of the official rank, into the Qingfeng Dynasty bureaucratic system. Jiang Yi saw that Yan Ran was only twelve or thirteen years old, and he knew a lot about the advanced examination, so he couldn't help but figure out the identity of the old man.

The people of Zhongzhou know about the advanced examination, but they can know the detailed subjects and the approximate number of people in the advanced examination, but it is not something that ordinary children of the family can do. Jiang Yi and Yue Shi went out of Helan Pass, and carefully concealed the identities of the children of the family for the people they met.

Although Jiang Yi was more curious about the identity of the old man and Yan Ran, he was not as wary as he was at the beginning, and asked tentatively: "Yan Ran is at the age of entering school?" ”

Yan Ran's face changed, and when he looked at the old man, he was a little angry, and he pouted, and said, "I have to go to school when I go back to Zhongjing this time." ”

The old man smiled slightly and said, "I should go to school last year, but I can't let you come out with me, what kind of disappointment?" ”

Walking to Xiakou Mountain, it was dull at that time, and walked into a large canyon, with two walls steep, like a knife cut. This Grand Canyon is located at the eastern foot of Xiakou Mountain, and is a passage between Juyanze and the prairie to the north.

Jiang Yi was supposed to be separated from the old man when he walked to Xiakou Mountain, and walked west from the northern foot of Xiakou Mountain to the west. Yue Shi thought that his father-in-law's cultivation was unfathomable, but when he met Hu Qi, he was afraid that it would be difficult to maintain Yan Ran's thoughtfulness, so he wanted to accompany the old man to visit his friends, and then go back to the northern foot of Xiakou Mountain. After Jiang Yi guessed that the old man and Yan Ran were also from a Zhongzhou family, he no longer insisted on his own opinions.

After everyone walked for a while, there was the sound of hooves behind them, and the number of people was not too large, so there was no need to deliberately escape. In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen white-robed people rode away like a bright camel, raising a cloud of flying dust and rushing past them. The men were covered in white robes, with their heads and faces unobtrusive, with scimitars stuck at their waists, and one of the camel riders had a sack full of sacks in front of him.

Yue Shi was surprised: "These people are really strange to wear, the white robe is wide, but like wrapping a sheet around the body, covering the head, are you ashamed to see people?" ”

Yue Shi said this, but he laughed softly, those camel riders had passed more than ten zhang, and one of them suddenly looked back and glanced at Yue Shi. Yue Shi saw a face with a wide nose and blue eyes under the turban, and was shocked, and said secretly: What a keen ear! also felt a chill in his heart for the resentful light in that person's blue eyes.

The leader turned back and saw that someone had slowed down, and squeaked a few words in a rather stern tone, and the camel rider caught up with him.

Yue Shi turned his head and saw Jiang Yi and asked, "Have you ever understood what that person said?" ”

Jiang Yi frowned and said, "It's not Geluo......"

"The man said, 'Don't be troubled,' is this Abbasid?" Yan Ran had just put his head into the old man's arms to avoid the dust, when he propped up his hands and stretched out his delicate head to look at the camel rider who had gone away.

"Those people are evil-looking, they don't look like fuel-efficient lamps, and if they can say things like 'don't do much,' they must have something important to do. Hey, how do you understand Abbasid? Yue Shi stared at Yan Ran with wide eyes.

The old man said, "They must pass through the canyon before nightfall, and they will reach the city of Kedun by tomorrow, and there can be no delay on the way." ”

Yue Shi said in surprise: "It turns out that there is more than one sentence. ”

Yan Ran chuckled and said, "I can only understand this sentence, we have lived in Xilu for more than a month, and grandpa uses this sentence to discipline me every day." ”

Jiang Yi said: "It seems that there are people in the bag, and they want to send the people in the bag to Kedun City?" It was the custom of the Abbasids to drape the white robes, so what did the Abbasids do in the city of Kotun? ”

When the camel rider passed by, he deliberately covered the bag, Jiang Yi could see that the bag was full of people, his eyesight was not weak, and the old man secretly applauded, but his face was always indifferent.

"Not only are the Abbasids strange-looking, but their sabers are also quite strange, and I have never seen a scimitar with such a large bend, like the arc moon. ”

The old man said: "The Abbasids called this scimitar the moon-bladed knife, and there is a knife technique that is convenient for cavalry warfare in the Western Continent, and the moon-bladed knife can be used to the extreme. ”

"The Abbasids also had cavalry?"

The old man did not laugh at Yue Shi's ignorance, and said: "The Abbasids have excellent war horses that are far inferior to Zhongzhou. ”

Jiang Yizheng wondered why the Abbasids appeared here, and when he heard the conversation between Yue Shi and the old man, he said: "Destroy Gaochang, establish Hexi County, and make Hexi Road pass through Xizhou, so that I know a little about the Western Continent, of course, there are many people who think that rest is the boundary of the extreme west, and they don't know that there is a Western Continent beyond Xizhou." ”

Yue Shinen's face flushed, and he whispered: "I also know about Xilu. ”

Jiang Yi was not wary at the beginning, and he talked more, seeing that the old man had traveled to the Western Continent, he also became curious and asked about the Western Continent. The old man was not concerned because of his initial indifference, and as long as he asked, he explained them to him one by one. Yan Ran talked happily, and rushed to speak from time to time, Yue Shi also forgot the embarrassment at the beginning, and was very surprised that there was still a piece of land in the west of Xizhou that was wider than Zhongzhou.

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