Back in the study, Yang Hao took out the wide-faced gold ring that had been washed away from the bloodstains. Look at it again. This ring was stuffed into his hand by Master Huisheng before he sat down, the workmanship is average, but the huge pure gold ring looks very atmospheric on the hand, the front of the ring is not inlaid with gems, and the front and back are carved with a tadpole-like text.

He didn't recognize this kind of writing, but in his previous life, he often saw a plaque with similar words hanging in a certain type of restaurant. He had also seen such rings on Talib and his attendants. He knew that it was carved with scriptures or hadiths.

The location of the incident, the origin of Talib, and the ring, the three are connected, and who the murderer is has been revealed.

Yang Hao let out a long breath, he never thought that a businessman was so devout about his faith, he was not afraid of angering himself, and took a huge risk to kill people, the power of faith was really terrifying. Perhaps, Talib was so unscrupulous because he believed that he Yang Hao would not break with him for a few irrelevant outsiders?

When Master Huisheng settled in the "Poplar Pavilion", he had seen Linghu Shangshan negotiate with Talib, and politely asked Talib to give up an upper room for them to live in. Naturally, he understood that the relationship between the two of them was close, and Master Huisheng did not say who the murderer was in public until he died, but just quietly stuffed the physical evidence he grabbed into his own hands, I am afraid that it was also out of this kind of fear, he was afraid that there would be extraneous branches, which would increase the variable of Yang Hao sending troops to help.

Just as he was thinking, there was a sound of footsteps outside the door, Yang Hao put away the ring and raised his head slightly. The footsteps stopped at the door, and the guard said loudly: "Shazhou, don't order Lord Fox to arrive." ”

"Yes, please."

Ling Hu Shangshan stepped inside and saluted Yang Hao: "Taiwei, the subordinates have been properly disposed of, and the three envoys from Khotan have all been gathered, and the spices are stored to store the corpses, and they are now stored in the 'Desheng Temple'." ”

Yang Hao nodded, and said solemnly: "I asked you to transfer the garrison officers and soldiers to trap the Huyang Pavilion and investigate the murder case. ”

Linghu Shangshan said: "Yes, according to the orders of the Taiwei, the Hu Yang Pavilion has been surrounded by water, and this case is not closed, and no one is allowed to be let go." ”

Yang Hao smiled coldly and said, "Very good!" I'm going to see if he can hold his breath......"

……

A team of guards, all tall horses. Belt knife, shoulder bow, scarlet draped red, galloping from afar like a red cloud, the whole Dunhuang inside and outside, such a style of both pulling wind and burning bags, except for the horse bandit leader Ai Yihai there is no second.

Ai Yihai led a group of light horsemen into the city and went straight to the palace without stopping for a moment.

Ai Yihai was supervising the construction of fortifications and repairing the beacon at Yumen Pass, after getting Yang Hao's order, he immediately rushed back to Dunhuang non-stop, and when he arrived in front of the palace, he turned over and dismounted, and went straight to the middle hall in a hurry, and as soon as he entered Yang Hao's study, he couldn't wait to shout: "Dashuai, the last general will come back in a hurry, but is there a battle to fight?" ”

Yang Hao said with a smile: "Your xìng son is a thunderbolt, come, sit down first, how is the defense of Yumen Pass?" ”

Ai Yihai wiped his sweat and sat down on the chair. grinned and said: "There are many decays and collapses in Yumen Pass, and the ancient city of Fengsui is in disrepair, and it is currently being repaired and reinforced. Handsome, if you want Lao Ai to charge into battle, you don't have to say, this kind of work of girls is really boring. If you want to say that this is repairing the fortifications and strengthening the city defense, Lao Ke is still doing it, it is better to transfer him to the captain, if there is a battle to be fought, you will be happy to send me over. ”

Yang Hao laughed and said: "Okay, Ben Shuai is now, there is a vicious battle for you to fight!" ”

Ai Yihai jumped up and said excitedly: "Really? Really? Hahahaha, I finally don't have to stay in the Yumen Pass to drink the northwest wind, Taiwei is really my old Ai's bosom friend, hahaha, handsome, who are we going to fight? Where to hit? Please show the marshal, and Lao Ai will leave immediately. ”

Yang Hao smiled: "Don't worry, drink a cup of tea first and take a breath." ”

Ai Yihai grabbed the teacup and drank it dry, gasped twice, and couldn't wait to say, "Dashuai can talk now?" ”

Yang Hao couldn't help but laugh and said: "What's the hurry, when Mu En and Li Huating arrive, Ben Shuai will explain to you in detail." ”

After a pillar of incense, Mu En and Li Huating also arrived separately. Yang Hao just straightened his face, and told him what happened before and after the envoy of Khotan asked for help from Shazhou, as well as the four-point reason for sending troops that he analyzed for Zhu Yun yesterday, Mu En and Li Huating listened attentively, but Ai Yihai looked left and right, and didn't go to his heart at all, this kind of intrigue made him feel a headache when he thought about it for a while, he only knew that there was a battle, and his heart had already flown up, and he was just waiting for Yang Hao to give the order to send troops.

Mu En and Li Huating's xìng are much calmer than him, Yang Hao said, Li Huating frowned and pondered for a long time, and couldn't help but say: "Dashuai, now that the Shagua Prefectures of Lianggan and Gansu have just been annexed, our control over their army is still limited, if we transfer them to the eastern front at this time and let them face the imperial army, it is difficult to guarantee that no one will do anything to defect before the battle."

If they were left to the west of the river, it would not be appropriate. If the remnants of the opposition forces in the states take the opportunity of the imperial court's attack on our Lin Mansion to confuse the morale of the army and fan the flames, it is difficult to say that no one will mutiny and rebel. If we want to restrain them, we must keep a large number of troops before we go east. Now transfer them to Khotan, and on the other hand, we can raise the prestige of our army in the Western Regions. The second is also to draw wages from the bottom of the kettle, and with the help of Qarakhan's soldiers, those with ill intentions in the Hexi states will not be able to stir up any storms, which is indeed a clever plan......"

Yang Hao said with a smile: "You are a general, speak more happily, don't go around, what you want to say, just open your mouth." ”

Li Huating was slightly embarrassed, smiled, and then said: "What my subordinates are worried about is what the specific situation of the war between the Karakhanate and Khotan is now. How many troops to send? Who is the leader? How is the combat power? What is the deployment of troops? We don't know anything. And we don't know anything about the current situation in Khotan, can we afford the weight of grain and grass on the expedition of laborers? Since then, going to Khotan, the yellow sand is thousands of miles, the road is bumpy, can the transportation be guaranteed? It's all a problem. In case of defeat, it will weaken the prestige of the commander, and the countries of the Western Regions, which have just developed a sense of awe for the captain, will inevitably be snub again. ”

Yang Hao said: "I naturally thought about this. The Qarakhanate and Khotan have been at war for more than ten years, the number of troops of the Karakhanate state, what the combat strength is, and the famous generals, the officials of Shazhou are not ignorant, as for the specific deployment of troops and the current war situation, hehe, even if the Khotanese envoys give these explanations clearly, what is the use?

The situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, and when they arrived in our Shazhou, the situation in Khotan had already been turned upside down, and it was completely different from what they knew. If we are confined to the calculation and draw up a strategy and draw a formation map according to the situation we understand now before sending troops, and fight the war in the same way, will it not be just a matter of paper? With such a stubbornness, where is the chance of winning? ”

Mu En agreed: "What the marshal said is very true, we only need to estimate their approximate strength and understand the basic situation." The subordinates are worried that the queen of Khotanese King Li Shengtian is the daughter of the Cao family, and now the three envoys of Khotan have died in Shazhou. Let's rush to send troops, hot face and cold ass or second, if Khotan is hostile to us again......"

Yang Hao smiled and said, "Is it possible?" When Khotan was in danger, the army came from afar to help, could it be that the king of Khotan was crazy? Will you choose to refuse to help the country? ”

"This ......"

Yang Hao said again: "Ben Shuai has learned from Zhang Thorn Envoy about the situation of Khotan, Li Shengtian, the lord of Khotan, has been dead for more than ten years, and his son Li Congde just died last year, and now Khotan is Li Shengtian's eldest grandson, Yu Chi Dharma, reigning. A new monarch ascends the throne. The country was unstable, so he was defeated and had to ask Shazhou for help. The foundation of the country, and the little personal grievances with the empress dowager of the other country are light and serious, I think this Wei Chi Dharma can still be separated.

What's more, now the prime minister in Khotan is Li Congde, Wei Chi Dharma father and son of the old minister Zhang Jinshan, this Zhang Jinshan is the descendant of the Zhang family in Shazhou, in the past Li Shengtian and Shazhou Guiyi Army Zhang family married each other, when marrying a daughter-in-law, the Zhang family had a junior who did Khotanese horses, and stayed in Khotan, Zhang Jinshan is his descendant, in terms of generation, Shazhou assassin Zhang Yu Zhang is his uncle, what position do you say he will do? ”

Speaking of this, Yang Hao smiled lightly: "The king of Khotan had a good relationship with the Zhang family, and they were also in-laws. After Cao replaced Zhang as the leader of the Guiyi army, what did the king of Khotan do? Married to the Cao family, did he ever become hostile to the Cao family because the Cao family replaced Zhang? So, there's nothing to worry about. As for the assassination of the Khotanese envoys, if they were killed by me, it would be a blatant declaration of war against Khotan, but I, Yang Hao, sent reinforcements to relieve the siege of Khotan, and the king of Khotan is not an idiot, so I can't tell the difference? ”

Speaking of this, Yang Hao's god became serious: "There is actually only one thing that we really need to consider, and that is how to go on an expedition to fight." ”

Yang Hao turned around and pulled back the curtain on the wall, and a very simple map of the Western Regions hung on the wall. Yang Hao was still short at this time, and his understanding of the situation outside Yumen Pass was limited, and he had not yet made a sand table map that was clear at a glance.

"Three generals, you see, first of all, marching and logistics. If we want to go to Khotan, there are only two ways to go, one is to go out of Yangguan, along the Altyn Mountains to the city of Jochang in Khotan. The road is straight and the closest to it, but there are either mountains or deserts along the way, and supplies are very problematic. The second road is to go west out of Yumen Pass, first arrive at Lop Nur, take the Gaochang country, and go straight to Yochang City along the Ruoerchen River. This road is a little farther, but if you really want to walk, it is better than the first road, and after arriving at Lop Nur, the supply problem can be solved nearby. ”

Ai Yihai jumped up and said: "Okay, then let's take the second road, go west out of Yumen Pass, Wow, my army is in Yumen Pass, the marshal ordered, the last general will send troops immediately." ”

Yang Hao glared at him and said, "How do you replenish grain and grass?" ”

Ai Yihai said confidently: "Grab the fuck!" Lao Ai often does this, don't worry, my soldiers are very slippery, whistling in, whistling away, coming and going like the wind, unpredictable, Gao Changguo's people can't stop our way. ”

Yang Hao snorted angrily and said, "Do you think that this rescue of Khotan, only your five thousand rangers?" ”

Mu En frowned and said: "The last general heard that the Gaochang people and the Qarakhanid people are both Hui clans, is it feasible to use Gaochang to use it?" ”

Yang Hao said: "I belong to the same race, but I am also a different country. Gaochang worships the Buddha, while the Qarakhanate worships the rì moon god, and in order to implement the teachings, those who follow me prosper and those who oppose me perish, and they act very domineeringly. Now that they have sent troops to attack Khotan, it is true that they are expanding their territory, and the reason for faith is also one of them, how can Gaochang not be afraid?

Moreover, Gaochang is a small country surrounded by Khotan, Shazhou, and Qarakhani in the middle, and the country is small and weak, so it has always been safe and guarded, and did not dare to cause trouble, for Khotan, the Guiyi Army and the Kara Khan, Gaochang has always been based on friendship, and every time a new dynasty is established in the Central Plains, they will also try their best to send tribute, so they will not take the initiative to provoke trouble against us.

Of course, if it was under the coercion of the Karakhanat, Gaochang might not have had ill intentions towards us. If we take the Altun Mountain with our tails and quietly rush to Yochang, it is to strengthen their thief hearts and take advantage of Gaochang, but we can show off our military power and dispel their delusions, hey! The countries of the Western Regions, which one is not bullying the soft and afraid of the hard!

As soon as they borrowed the word from me, they took a step closer to me, and in an easy way, they would not throw themselves on the Karakhanid kingdom again. At the same time, I plan to send a trade mission with reinforcements, sticks and carrots, hehe, which means both soft and hard......"

Yang Hao has done enough work beforehand, Kan Kan said confidently: "Gaochang lives on animal husbandry, the king, queen, and prince of Gaochang all have their own territories and horse farms, in their place, a good horse is worth a silk and a positive, and the poor horse is only for meat, each horse is only worth a zhang of silk, the nobles eat horse meat, and the common people eat sheep and wild ducks, geese, etc., because the surrounding countries have their own horse farms, and their horses are sold less, so their lives are extremely poor."

Ben Shuai bought a large amount of silk cheaply from the Central Plains through Yixiaolou, which was originally intended to be used for military salaries, but this time it was just to be used, and I could send an embassy to trade with the silk, porcelain, tea, and salt that were scarce in Gaochang in exchange for their horses, cloth, mink, jade, amber, room knives, iron swords, medicinal materials, etc., on the one hand, to deter them with military might, and on the other hand, to restrain them with the sweetness of commerce, Gaochang can become the logistics supply base of our expeditionary force. After arriving in Khotan, the military burden naturally had to be borne by Khotan, and there was no need to worry about this. As for how to fight......"

Yang Hao turned to the three of them and smiled slightly: "The Karakhanid army is coming from the west, but Yochang is the easternmost city in Khotan, it is impossible for the Karakhanid people to hit Yochang, how can they have hit Yochang, then Khotan will also die, let's go back to the house directly." Therefore, the first foothold of the expeditionary force after entering Khotan, there will be no danger, and the next step is to get in touch with the Khotanese people, fight together, and meet the Qarakhanid army. ”

When Mu En heard this, he nodded slightly, took a step forward, and asked for his life: "The last general understands, and the last general is willing to lead the army to help Khotan......"

Ai Yihai monster shouted: "General Mu, you can't rob me, this messenger has already promised me." ”

"Oh?"

Mu En and Li Huating looked at Ai Yihai, and then looked at Yang Hao, their expressions were a little surprised, Ai Yihai is good at fighting fierce battles, and he is a very difficult horn on the battlefield, they naturally know this, but Ai Yihai is irritable, has a wild style, and has always had a front and a back, let him lead the army alone to thousands of miles, who can rest assured?

The two didn't believe that Yang Hao would appoint Ai Yihai as the commander of the three armies to rescue Khotan, so they all looked at him, Yang Hao smiled and said: "This time to Gaochang and Khotan, naturally we need a messenger, and this messenger is from the Zhang family." As for the commander-in-chief, yes, this commander does belong to General Ai. ”

Li Huating is a demoted general, with shallow qualifications, so it is difficult to express any attitude, but Mu En took a step forward and said: "Marshal, General Ai ......"

Yang Hao waved his hand and said: "Fighting alone, in a dangerous situation, and the opponent is the brave and warlike Qarakhanids, in this case, General Ai is the best candidate, my army is here, if it can become the nemesis of the Karakhanid people and threaten the Western Regions, then this general must be General Ai." ”

Ai Yihai was very proud when he heard this, and glanced at the two robes, his face full of smug expressions.

Yang Hao finished praising him, but turned his face and said to him: "General Ai, this expedition to Khotan, I have handed over the jīng soldiers of Liangzhou, Suzhou, and Guasha to you, a foreign land, people and land, it is not easy to win a battle, how to protect our soldiers as much as possible, it is even more difficult, you don't blindly think about how to fight a war can make war achievements, you have to think about how to win a big battle, and bring our army back completely, this commander will hand over this important task to you, give these soldiers to you, you don't want to let this commander down." ”

Ai Yihai clenched his fists and replied loudly: "Don't worry, Ai Yihai will never let the handsome down." ”

Mu En said blankly: "Marshal, General Ai is in Khotan, what will he do?" ”

Yang Hao said: "You, just guard Yangguan and Yumen Pass for Ben Shuai!" As soon as General Ai hit the road, Ben Shuai had to return to Ganzhou. If General Ai was defeated in Khotan and lost his life, maybe the flames of war would burn directly to Yumen Pass, and at that time...... Defend the two levels for me, prevent foreign enemies from invading a step, and prevent the fire in the backyard of the commander, and the heavy responsibility of taking care of both the beginning and the end will all depend on you. ”

Ai Yihai was very angry when he heard it, and just wanted to contradict a few words, but when the words came to his mouth, his heart suddenly turned over. He thought about Yang Hao's words carefully, the arrogant and arrogant expression on his face gradually disappeared, replaced with a cautious and dignified expression, and said in a deep voice: "Handsome, Ai Yihai will be cautious and cautious when he goes, and he will live up to his mission!" ”

Yang Hao smiled happily and said, "That's the best, if Ben Shuai can't trust you, he won't hand over this important task to you." You should go back and prepare for each of you now, after three rì, General Ai will go on an expedition to Khotan, and General Li will return to Xiazhou with his marshal, and see if the two fronts are fighting, compare with each other, who can win a beautiful battle! ”

※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※

In the court of the King of the Khan Horde in Ganzhou, the heated debate between the two sides has reached a white-hot level.

Prince Ali and Princess Aguli attacked each other and belittled each other, completely ignoring the identities of the mother and the prince. And the leaders of the major tribes of the Fuguhun clan, the Baye Gu clan, the Tongluo Sijie clan, and the Dongluo Ge clan also joined the battle group slightly, each supporting one side,-for-tat, and did not show weakness.

Princess Aguli's face flushed with excitement, and she said loudly: "Great Khan, it turns out that Ali's guess was completely wrong from the beginning. If we had been holding on to the city, the Xiazhou army would have retreated in despair, but what did Prince Ali say? He blindly abandoned the city and fled into the desert, urging our troops to forcibly break through the siege five times, if it weren't for his insistence, how could the Guhun Department and the Luo Ge Department suffer so heavy losses under the butcher's knife of the Xiazhou Army? ”

Princess Aguli said this, the patriarchs and leaders of the Guhun and Dongluoge tribes immediately echoed the voice, and the leader of Guhun Suerman was even more tearful, and his two sons died tragically under the Modao formation of the Xiazhou army when they forcibly broke through. Desert boys, horse leather shrouds are commonplace, but this sacrifice could have been avoided, how can you not tears of sadness when you lose your son when you are old.

The Great Khan sat cross-legged on the throne of the white bearskin, his eyes seemed to be closed, and he never said a word.

Over the years, Yeluosu has occupied Ganzhou, and has gradually accepted some of the living habits of the Han people, although he still has a felt tent in the city, but has already built a golden palace, which is naturally more comfortable than the felt tent, so the Yeluosu Khan usually lives in the palace, and the Khan's felt tent is just for show, and he has not stepped into it for several years.

This palace was built by Han craftsmen, not only magnificent, but also the sound effect is excellent, Princess Aguli stood in the court and spoke, the voice spread far away, and the people standing in every corner of the hall could hear it clearly. Some people spoke out in response, and naturally some people spoke out against it, and the leaders of the Baye Gu clan and the Tongluo Sijie clan, who were on the side of Prince Ali, immediately stood up to refute it.

Prince Ali said non-yangly: "Although the besieging army has retreated, but Yang Hao's main force is still on the side of Guasha, who knows that on the way back to the division, he will not easily copy my Ganzhou City?" Bet on the safety of my father Khan and the lives of 100,000 soldiers and civilians in my Ganzhou City, this bet is too big, the seventh princess can not care, as the son of my father Khan, I Ali can't not care. ”

Princess Aguli said angrily: "The safety of the Great Khan, the safety of the soldiers and civilians in Ganzhou, why don't I care?" ”

Prince Ali sneered, put up his hands, looked up at the top of the palace, and said leisurely: "Father Khan ordered you to enter Yang Hao's military camp to assassinate, they actually saw through our strategy, but instead planned to beat us in an ambush, can the main general in their camp pinch it?" And you...... Princess Aguli, since her identity has been recognized, she can still escape calmly from the army of ten thousand horses without hurting a single bit, this ability is even more amazing. ”

Aguli was so angry that her delicate body trembled, and she sneered at each other: "In Yang Hao's camp, no one can pinch and calculate, but if someone is clumsy, can't people see through it?" It is not uncommon for a woman to pretend to surrender and escape while in chaos, but it is unbelievable that you, Prince Ali, were injured and captured in the chaos of the army, and you can still take the horse alone and escape. ”

Prince Ali was furious and exclaimed, "What do you mean? I am the son of my father's Khan, will I betray my father's Khan? ”

Princess Aguli straightened up and retorted in a coquettish voice: "I am the princess of the Great Khan, will I take refuge in the Han people?" ”

"Okay, okay, it's so noisy, what kind of system!"

Ye Luo Su broke off, Huo Di stood up, he slowly paced a few steps in front of the throne, looked back and asked, "Agul, in your opinion, what should this king do now?" ”

Princess Aguli hurriedly said: "Great Khan, if the enemy has not yet arrived, we have abandoned the city and fled, and how can we dominate the Western Regions?" If Yang Hao is allowed to successfully obtain this empty city and send a team of soldiers and horses to garrison it, wouldn't it be difficult for us to get it back? Now that the Song Kingdom is crusading against Linfu, it is our God-given opportunity. Although Yang Hao has a heavy army in Guasha, but his foundation is under attack, how can he not rush back to Xiazhou in a hurry? How can I have time to beat me Ganzhou again.

In my opinion, we should order all departments in the region to raise more grain and grass in Ganzhou, and observe the situation in Hexi according to Ganzhou. When Yang Hao galloped to Xiazhou, we can send troops to copy his back road, if Yang Hao is well guarded and does not have a chance, we can after he retreats, we can get up and down his hands, on the west road, help Su, Gua, Sha, Liang states are unwilling to submit to Yang Hao's powerful families, incite them to rebel against Yang Hao, and reproduce the old situation in Hexi.

On the east road, you can wait and see the battle in Xiazhou, although Yang Hao is powerful, but compared with the powerful Song court, it is like a wolf fighting a lion, it is difficult to win, and when Yang Hao falls to the upper hand and is defeated, we can immediately march into the army, and annex Ling, Xing, Shun, and Ding states while he has no time to take care of himself, and at that time, the Great Khan can replace Xiazhou and become the overlord of Hexi. ”

Ye Luo's heart was pounding: from a great khan who was about to abandon the city and flee and live in the desert, he became the overlord of Hexi, is it possible? Can you seize this opportunity? This kind of thing has not happened before...... thinking about it, his heart gradually warmed up.

Prince Ali said angrily: "Most of your tribesmen practice business in Ganzhou, so naturally they don't want to stay away. What a stupid woman, for the sake of your altars and jars, you have to put your father Khan on endless dangers? ”

Princess Aguli said without showing weakness: "The prince is stationed in the land of Gongyong, and now he is blindly persuading the Great Khan to abandon the wealth of Ganzhou and move to the desert, what is his intention, could it be that you want to coerce the Great Khan and respect yourself?" ”

When Prince Ali heard this, he was furious, and he pulled out his scimitar sharply, pointed it at Princess Agul, and shouted: "You dare to provoke my relationship with my father Khan? ”

Nightfall shouted, "Enough! What kind of system is it that draws a sword in front of me, do you still have my father Khan in your eyes? ”

Prince Ali hurriedly put away his knife and pleaded guilty: "Father Khan, my son is ...... because of a moment of anger, Father Khan, you must not believe her words, the risk of staying in Ganzhou is ......"

Ye Luo's face sank like water, and he said coldly: "Before, I mistakenly believed you, this time, do you still want to believe you?" ”

Prince Ali looked up in a daze, and when he saw the cold eyes of Ye Luoxu, his heart suddenly sank into the abyss......