From Loulan to Yanqi, you have to cross the edge of the Taklamakan Desert and follow the Peacock River; Walking in the southern foothills of the Kuruktag Mountain, which lacks human population, is arid in all seasons, and is full of Gobi and desert; During the day, the scorching sun hung high in the sky, radiating bursts of heat waves, illuminating everyone's hearts like fire; At night, the temperature plummeted, and the humble tents did not bring them warmth at all, and the Han soldiers could only huddle together in a trembling rope to resist the biting cold.

In the event of a great storm, it is even more desperate, the wind blows the sand and gravel to cover the sky and the sun, and the human power is extremely vulnerable in the face of the great force of nature, so they can only tightly gather together, hiding in the belly of the camel, praying that the great priest in charge of death will spare them for a while.

However, this is not the most terrible thing, walking between the desert and the Gobi, the most important thing is water! Since entering the desert, Li You has ordered all members of the mission to throw away everything they can discard and bring as much water as possible! But storms, desert thieves, and beast attacks make them less and less water!

What's even more terrifying is that the great storm also made them lose the trace of the Peacock River, and the group can only rely on the sun, Sinan and other tools to indicate the direction in the great desert, and go to the Yanqi country on the shore of Dunshushu (Bosten Lake) in the northwest according to the memory of Tangyi's father!

The desert is far more terrifying than the Great Snow Mountain, and the mission lost less than ten people when crossing the Wusheling Ridge, and in the days of the Great Desert, the Han Dynasty mission has lost no trace of twenty people! They died either from the heat of the day, from the freezing cold of the night, from fighting desert bandits, or more often from the sandstorm to lose a trace.

The scorching air entered his lungs down his nostrils, scorching Li You's internal organs like coals of fire, and every breath felt like torture! In such a situation, even the most active guys in the mission are too lazy to say a word! He reached out and touched the water bag around his waist, but finally put it back, sticking out his tongue and licking his chapped lips; How long will it take to get out of this damn desert!

"Envoy! There is a river ahead! Suddenly, at the front of the line, a hoarse voice shouted!

"What? There is a river? The lifeless mission was rejuvenated at this moment, and all cast longing eyes in the direction from which the voice came, and looked in the direction of the soldier's finger, a clear river flowing slowly from below the dunes, and the green trees on both sides of the river made the heart cool at the sight.

"It's not a mirage! It's a real river! Envoy, we are almost in the country of Yanqi! A smile also bloomed on the face of the cousin's father, and they had encountered mirages along the way, and even several soldiers died because of it! And now, they're finally back on the banks of the Peacock River!

"Wait! Release the probe horse and investigate whether there are any enemies in the upper and lower reaches of the ten miles! Resisting the urge to jump into the river and swim freely, Li You issued an order, "The others are ready to fight!" ”

"Yes, Envoy!" Although these soldiers were eager to bury their heads in the water right now, the trust they had built along the way made them obey Li You's orders without hesitation.

Seeing this, the second prince of Loulan, Hugh Mituo, couldn't help but praise, "Envoy, if the Han has 10,000 such soldiers, what are the Huns?" ”

"My big man has a million lions, and there are no less than 100,000 soldiers like this!" Li You replied proudly, but in fact, among all the armies of the Han Empire, there are not many people who are as disciplined as them, and Li Guang's subordinates can't reach such a level, maybe only the subordinates of the famous general Cheng Buzhi can do it.

Leaning slightly, Tanma brought back the news that it was safe and sound, and the group rushed to the Peacock River, leaving a few sentries to pay attention to the movements around them, and the others went up to Li You, Chen Qingzhi, and down to an ordinary soldier, all of whom threw themselves into the clear and cold river water at the same time, soaking their bodies in the water to enjoy this rare coolness.

"It's so comfortable! If I can lie down here all the time, even if it is the most popular girl in Chang'an City, I won't change it! Xu Yannian closed his eyes comfortably and said as he lay on his back in the water.

"Chang'an! How long have we been out? Four months or five months? The soldier beside him showed a nostalgic look in his eyes, "I miss Chang'an's wheat rice and Chang'an's millet wine!" ”

"There are also Chang'an's lively East and West markets, where business travelers gather, shoulder to shoulder; When I get back, I'll definitely go to the best restaurant there for a good drink! Xu Yannian opened his eyes slightly, his eyes were full of nostalgia and fascination for Chang'an.

"What kind of city is Chang'an?" Seeing the eyes of these soldiers, Prince Humil of Loulan couldn't help but ask curiously.

"That's a great city!" Chang'an is probably one of the greatest cities in the world, right? Looking at the East and the West, only the city of Rome can be compared, Li You proudly replied, "Chang'an City has the most majestic towers, the most gorgeous palaces, the most prosperous markets, you can find anything you want here."

"Uh." Hugh Mi scratched his head, with his knowledge, he couldn't imagine what Chang'an City in Li You's mouth looked like, he gave up his imagination after thinking for a while, and asked tentatively, "How does Chang'an City compare to Loulan City?" ”

"Hahaha!" All who heard this could not help laughing out loud, as if hearing the funniest joke, and laughed so that Hugh's head drooped lower and his face redder, and he realized that he had asked a very stupid question.

In the future, the idiom of Yelang's arrogance should not be changed to Loulan's arrogance, right? Li You relieved himself to stop the laughter of his subordinates, shook his head and said, "Second Prince, how big is Loulan City?" What is the population? How many houses are there in the palace? ”

Without waiting for him to answer, Li You continued, "Chang'an City is fifty miles long just by the city wall, with a population of nearly 500,000!" There are 12 city gates in the whole city and 8 streets (vertical streets) and 10 Mo (horizontal streets), the people walk in the meantime, they are in the shade, sweating like rain, and the people of the world all yearn for it; The fish and salt of the East China Sea, the horses of the Mobei, the silk tea of the south of the Yangtze River, the fur of the Western Regions, and the wealth of the four seas are all included, and the population of Loulan is more than ten times that of Loulan, regardless of size! ”

"Such a magnificent city, I really want to see it right away!" Hugh Mita's mouth grew and it took him a long time to recover from the shock.

"Second prince, don't worry, after reaching an alliance with the Otsuki Clan, this envoy will take you to this great city, I believe you will definitely like him!" Li You said firmly, believing that during this period, anyone who saw Chang'an would be conquered by its charm.