The send-off team set up camp in Shanzhou to repair, and Liu Ne, the assassin who was cleaning up the aftermath here, got a group of cattle and sheep from nowhere, and let the army eat and drink well. Liu Ne is also so concerned about Zhang Shuo, the secretary of the Ministry of War, after all, Zhang said that he was the prime minister of the dynasty and a person who could speak in the center.

So Xue Chongxun and the soldiers of the Flying Tiger Regiment raised a bonfire in the camp to roast mutton and get together. This trivial matter was also recorded in the later "Xinqianshu Emperor Wu Benji": the emperor sent his relatives, the army of Shanzhou, and the army was led to the west, and Liu Zhijun used cattle and sheep to gather in the east of the city.

At this time, Xue Chongxun felt like a storyteller, telling stories while everyone was eating and drinking. He didn't want to talk nonsense, he had a good meal, a good drink, and a rest, but as soon as he started, everyone didn't follow, so he had to finish speaking. He had no choice but to say, "Who is this Bangu? It's just a book-copying official, and he hopes to make meritorious contributions to a foreign land to win the marquis's seal, so he writes and sighs: An Neng has been writing for a long time, and the pen is ......"

The mutton creaked over the fire, and the oil was roasted, making it a mouthful. The eyes of all the soldiers were shining with the light of the bonfire, and they all listened attentively to Xue Chongxun's story. Perhaps it was the tragic situation of Shanzhou City that ignited the blood of everyone, and they especially loved to hear about the great achievements of the Han people.

The idea of admiring the glory of one's ancestors and longing to restore one's former hegemony is deeply buried in the hearts of many people.

I don't know when, the assassin Liu Ne also came, listening to Xue Chongxun flickering there, and when he finished speaking, Liu Ne couldn't help but sigh: "The martial arts of the early Han Dynasty were still successful, and then it wasn't a melee internal friction?" ”

Zhang Wulang was unconvinced after hearing this: "A certain person who reads history at home has never heard of the defeat of the Han army by foreign invaders. When the world is in turmoil, the world is divided into three parts, and a corner of the state is still so barbarian that it can't find the north. ”

Liu Ne smiled bitterly: "The Han Dynasty is also pro-Xiongnu. ”

Xue Chongxun groaned: "How about I send Liu Yuanjun a poem?" ”

Liu Ne hugged his fists and said, "I would like to hear the advice of the king of the county." ”

Xue Chongxun groaned: "Why don't the men take Wu Hook and collect Guanshan Fifty Prefectures?" Please go to Lingyan Pavilion temporarily, if you are a scholar and a marquis? ”

Li Kuiyong opened his mouth at the right time and praised: "Good poetry! Immediately, he was ridiculed by the generals again. He touched his head and said innocently, "I really understand!" ”

However, Liu Ne groaned and was quite puzzled by the "Guanshan Fifty Prefectures".

At this moment, a man in a long robe came over and saluted Xue Chongxun: "His Royal Highness Jincheng summoned the king of Hedong and asked the king to come with me." ”

Xue Chongxun picked up the helmet next to him and hugged it in his arms, stood up, and said to everyone: "I'll come when I go, everyone eats and drinks well." After that, he followed the man to the tent in Jincheng, and he first hugged his fists and said, "Xue, please see you." ”

Jin Cheng's voice said: "Please ask the king of Hedong to enter the account and speak." ”

As soon as the words fell, a maid opened the hanging door, and Xue Chongxun entered with a helmet in his arms. I saw a fire burning in the tent, and an iron pot hanging from it. Jincheng invited Xue Chongxun to sit down, and then made tea for him himself.

Seeing the gentle light on her face, and it was getting late, Xue Chongxun was a little nervous inexplicably, and couldn't help but sit up straight. Jin Cheng sighed faintly and said: "Out of Shanzhou, it is the territory of Tubo, why didn't Xue Lang return?" ”

Xue Chongxun said: "There is a prisoner in this place, and I am worried about the safety of His Highness, so I sent him off." ”

Jin Cheng's face suddenly turned cold: "You must have some intention to hide from me!" ”

Seeing that Xue Chongxun was silent, Jin Cheng said sadly: "Xue Lang, there is one thing I also hide from you, when I approached you, I had a trace of fantasy, and I just wanted Xue Lang to say a few words for me in front of Princess Taiping...... In fact, it's just too much. ”

Xue Chongxun said indifferently: "There is a person next to me (Yuwen Ji) who has said that His Royal Highness has a lot of scheming; And you went to the Sanqing Palace to see the emperor, and wanted to win the favor of your mother, and my mother also told me. I know all these things. ”

Jin Cheng's face turned red, and he lowered his head and said, "Since you can't hide it from Xue Lang, then why do you want to send it away?" ”

Xue Chongxun smiled: "I don't care. I think it is human nature that His Highness does not want to enter Tibet, and therefore strives to change his fate. Don't admit defeat or fate, I prefer this kind of thinking, but those women who are virtuous and talentless, obedient, and virtuous are too ignorant and a little pale. ”

Jin Cheng bit his lip lightly and said, "You really think so?" ”

Xue Chongxun nodded: "I am not a handsome and chic person, and I don't have any advantages that people will never remember at first sight, and I have never had the luxury of expecting His Highness, who has met a few times, to give me a heart for some reason." He smiled confidently, "But I believe that after a long time, His Highness will be impressed by me." It's a step forward to be honest with each other today...... It's just that why does Your Highness want to be honest with me? ”

Jin Cheng said: "I grew up in the court, I don't know the people's suffering, today I see the tragic situation of Shanzhou City, I know the disaster of the war, thousands of people are in dire straits...... What is the pain of mine alone compared to the suffering of thousands? Compared to those families whose families are ruined, I am just marrying a barbarian I don't know, and it is not something that cannot be tolerated. I don't want to do anything useless now, I just want to get to the city of Rosa as soon as possible, and try my best to persuade Zampu to stop the war and make the border peaceful...... That's what I'm supposed to do. ”

Xue Chongxun listened and said: Although Jincheng is not shallow in his scheming, and sometimes his thoughts are different from ordinary people, he still has a good heart after all. Compared with himself, in order to survive, he can completely ignore the upcoming "Kaiyuan Prosperous Era" and seek Li Longji by unscrupulous means, what did Jincheng's dim sum calculate?

Maybe there is something in the eyes of the lover, because of her kindness, Xue Chongxun feels more and more difficult to give up. He hurriedly said: "Tubo has long had an ancestral system, and women are forbidden to interfere in politics. The court's unilateral hope that marrying into a princess would have an impact on its national policy was nothing more than a dream. Just like this Shanzhou entry into the Kou, when is this? Our princess is on the way to Tibet, and they can't stop for a while? Therefore, it is absolutely impossible for His Highness to promote peace with his relatives, and peace can only be achieved through war! ”

Jin Cheng lowered his head and was silent for a long time before he sighed, "But what the imperial court has already decided, it's too late now, and Xue Lang shouldn't do something biased, it will hurt the whole body." ”

Xue Chongxun said: "Why did Your Highness say these words to me today? ”

Jin Cheng said in a low voice: "I went to your house that day, I haven't been so happy for a long time...... I don't want to deceive people like you anymore, and after I went back that day, I was nostalgic and sad in my heart, and I was hesitant to confess it to you. ”

Xue Chongxun smiled and teased: "I am lacking a capable virtuous helper, and the title of the county king is not important, the important thing is my people......"

Jin Cheng blushed and said, "Don't say that!" It's getting late, Xue Lang, please go back. I would never do anything that would be against the rules of propriety! ”

Xue Chongxun laughed: "Didn't you say last time that I was a gentleman who didn't sit still?" Your Highness, rest assured, I will take my leave. ”

When the group left Shanzhou, they entered the territory of Tubo control, passed through Shancheng and Linfan City to Suirong City, and then arrived at Shibao City along the Qiangshui. At this time, Qinghai Lake was not far away, and the climate in the plateau area made the Tang people not very adaptable, and the escort army was fine, and the accompanying Baigong Band was physically weak, which made the marching speed slower and slower.

The trail is sparsely populated, and you can see the white summit in the distance, with year-round snow on it. The environment of this place is relatively harsh, but the scenery is extraordinarily magnificent, with white clouds floating in the blue sky, clean air, aurora borealis, vast grasslands, majestic snow-capped mountains, and winding rivers in sight.

At this moment, a lonely castle appeared in front of everyone's eyes. On this desolate Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, between the winds and clouds, backed by Huashi Mountain, facing the Yaoshui River, and the top of the red cliffs, is a seemingly inconspicuous castle...... Stone Castle City!

Those musicians didn't pay attention to such a small city, but when Zhang Shuo pointed at it in a breezy tone, he said, "Stone Castle City has been lost for decades. ”

Such a sentence made the Tang soldiers look complicated, and they all looked up at the city. Stone Castle, the Tang Army and Tubo have repeatedly fought here six times before! Every time at the cost of tens of thousands of casualties, is the red cliff stained red with blood?

Since the last loss of the stone castle during the Gaozong period, it has been under the control of the Tibetan people for forty or fifty years. In recent years, Tubo has used this as a springboard to directly threaten the Longyou Plain and the Hexi Corridor, and frequently enter the country, and the losses of the Tang people can be described as heavy. Its strategic importance is very important.

A general sighed: "When will the stone castle city be recovered, it will definitely be famous all over the world." ”

Zhang Shuo said angrily: "This place is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the relationship is important, we know it, and the Tubo people also know it." There is no such thing as pie in the sky, and if you want it, you have to exchange human life! ”

After a sigh, everyone continued on their way. Two days later, they arrived at Chiling, thirty miles away, where the border between the Tang Dynasty and Tubo was originally located, and the area to the east, including Shibao City, Shancheng, Linfan City, and Suirong City, should have been the territory of the Tang Dynasty, but it has been controlled by Tubo for decades.

Zhang said that he sent people to exchange border seal letters, and at this time, a large group of people came from Chiling, and the Tang army hurriedly set up a formation. A moment later, a war horse galloped over with a Tibetan horse. I saw that the man's face was ochre, and he had many pigtails under his hat, and he was dressed in a fur coat and a fur belt.

Seeing this, Xue Chongxun thought of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and couldn't help but say in a deep voice: "Lao Tzu is the most annoying man who combs his braids. ”

The visitor said in jerky Chinese: "We are the tribe of the Tibetan nobleman Lang clan, I heard that the princess of Jincheng came from afar, and the master Lang Fu led the crowd to welcome her, and personally escorted the princess to Luosa City to fulfill the friendship of the landlord." ”

Zhang said that he immediately stepped forward and spoke to the envoy. And Xue Chongxun said to Zhang Wulang beside him: "Lang's ...... When we were in Guanzhong, we heard that the Tubo general who entered Koushanzhou was the Lang family? ”

Zhang Wulang frowned and said, "Yes, I'm afraid that the person who welcomed us is the barbarian who has just entered the customs and returned from robbery." ”G