On September 25, the sky was clear and cloudless.

Days like this are best for long journeys.

In the Tiance Mansion school grounds, the knights have already been fully equipped. According to the instructions of the Ministry of War, today is the date to go to Liangzhou.

The original departure time was 3 o'clock, which happened to be the time of sunrise.

But the sun had risen for a while, and the team had not yet set out. Because before leaving, Qin Qiong still had something to explain to Jiang Shenzhou. They are now in Qin Qiong's study.

"Ginger sacrificial wine, can you guess what I want to say to you?" Qin Qiong said slowly.

Jiang Shenzhou said: "Could it be related to the task of patrolling?" ”

Qin Qiong shook his head and said lightly: "Patrolling is just ordinary military affairs, there is nothing to worry about." ”

Jiang Shenzhou said: "What is the general going to say?" "He's a little confused.

Qin Qiong said: "What I want to say is Sheng'er. ”

"Captain Qin? What's wrong with her? Jiang Shenzhou was stunned, he didn't expect him to suddenly mention Qin Sheng.

Qin Qiong said: "Sheng'er is cautious and arrogant, and she is also easy to be emotional, just like when I was young. However, this is not a good thing, and I suffered a lot from it when I was younger. As he spoke, he suddenly coughed violently, as if he had been reminded of something sad.

When Qin Qiong stopped coughing, Jiang Shenzhou asked, "What does the general mean ......?"

Qin Qiong sighed and said slowly: "I hope you help me take care of her, don't let her do stupid things, and of course, don't let her have anything to do." His tone was strange, as if there was something unspeakable.

Jiang Shenzhou had no choice but to reply: "Your subordinates should do their best. ”

Qin Qiong smiled and said, "You are a smart person, I hope you will not let me down." Go ahead, it's not too early. ”

After the words were finished, Jiang Shenzhou left the study.

"What do you think of this person?" Qin Qiong suddenly spoke, and he asked Qin Shandao, a heroic young general who had been standing silently behind his father.

Qin Shandao thought thoughtfully: "The child can't say it, but I always feel that he is a little mysterious." ”

"Mysterious ......" Qin Qiong groaned, and suddenly asked again, "Have you seen his horse?" ”

Qin Shandao thought of Jiang Shenzhou's horse, the mottled and thin horse, which looked like it was sick.

"Is there anything special about his horse?" Qin Shandao couldn't help but ask. He knew that his father was not only good at Soma, but also not a person who liked to talk nonsense.

"There are six horses by the emperor's side, which can be described as the world's god horses, but none of them can compare to it." Qin Qiong said leisurely: "What kind of horse matches what kind of person, a person may wear the wrong clothes, but a horse will never choose the wrong owner." ”

Qin Shan said: "It seems that this person is not simple. ”

Qin Qiong smiled meaningfully and said, "It's not just simple. ”

In the blink of an eye, the team had already set off.

Qin Qiong didn't go to see them off in person, he just stood on the tall building and watched them go away until the long line disappeared into the horizon.

This team was not large in number, in addition to Qin Sheng and Jiang Shenzhou, there were also twenty young Tiance Mansion soldiers accompanying them. The task of inspecting the Governor's Mansion did not require too many people, and these soldiers only served as escorts along the way, and of course, to show off the prestige of the imperial court.

Liangzhou is more than 1,400 miles away, and to get there, you have to travel west along the Silk Road, passing not only vast grasslands, but also a small desert along the way.

Although the journey was far away, Qin Sheng was excited. Since she was a child, she had heard her father say that Liangzhou is located on the border of Han and Hu, and the people are fierce and martial. Speaking of Liangzhou, there are two things that have to be mentioned, one is Liangzhou horses, and the other is Liangzhou warriors.

More than 300 years ago, Beigong Chun, a famous general of the Western Jin Dynasty, led a thousand Liangzhou cavalry and defeated 100,000 rebels in Luoyang. Since then, "Liangzhou Malaysia has been rampant all over the world." This sentence has been sung in the world to this day.

As soon as she thought of this, Qin Sheng felt inexplicably excited, she liked to pester her father to tell him stories when she was a child, and the stories told by her father never had children's love, only heroes and wars.

As a soldier, she has long wanted to go there to see it.

Now, it's time to taste her long-cherished wish, and it's no wonder she's excited.

Time flies, eight days have passed in the blink of an eye. The team had just left the boundary of Lingzhou, and when they left Lingzhou, there was a vast grassland in front of them. According to the distance, they can reach Liangzhou in two or three days, and everything seems to be going well.

But at this time, an accident happened, on the third day after the team left Lingzhou, a violent wind suddenly blew on the grassland. The wind was raging, and it took a whole day and a night to weaken.

The appearance of the strong wind not only delayed the time for the Tiance Mansion team to hurry, but also led to a troublesome problem - they were lost.

Qin Sheng had already sent a team of scouts to explore the way.

An hour later, the scouts reported that they could not find any trace of Liangzhou City. She sent a second team, and although the second team changed directions, the result was the same. Qin Sheng began to worry.

According to the quartermaster, the remaining dry food and water will last only another half day at most, and if there is no direction after half a day...... She didn't dare to think about it anymore. It's not fun to get lost in the vast grassland, and although the grassland always seems to be a vibrant scene, it is not known how many bones of passers-by are buried under this scene.

A few days ago, she had seen a few white bones, all of which were left behind by lost people.

"What should we do?" She looked at Jiang Shenzhou, hoping that he would come up with a solution.

"Don't worry, Liangzhou City must be nearby. I think the wind and sand will subside tomorrow, and then we will find our way. Jiang Shenzhou was very calm, without a little panic.

Qin Sheng asked rhetorically, "What if it can't be calmed down?" Are we going to be trapped here? "She's worried right now, and people are always irritated when they're worried.

Jiang Shenzhou said lightly: "I believe that there is no way to be endless. ”

Qin Sheng said coldly: "What if you're wrong? ”

Jiang Shenzhou smiled: "If I'm wrong, we will die here." Actually, it's not bad here, you see the blue sky, white clouds, and grass everywhere, it's good to be buried here. He deliberately talked nonsense to distract Qin Sheng.

"You ......" Qin Sheng bit his lip and said angrily: "You are still in the mood to laugh." ”

The two were fighting when they suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves. In the distance, a group of knights, seemingly numbering no less than a hundred, suddenly appeared on the horizon, and these knights were rushing towards them.

"The whole team is on alert!" Qin Sheng hurriedly ordered.

In an instant, the soldiers of Tiance Mansion had already adjusted their formation, and everyone was unsheathed with long knives, and their crossbows were wound, looking nervously ahead. This group of young soldiers is well-trained and ready to fight bloody battles at any time.

Unexpectedly, the knights in front suddenly stopped, and they stopped a stone's throw away, quietly looking at the people of Tiance Mansion. The leader was a middle-aged man with a large beard, his beard was long and curly, like a ball of curly hay.

"Mahaba!" The bearded man on the opposite side shouted, and he spoke as if it were Turkic. Qin Sheng didn't understand what he was talking about. Since I don't understand, of course, I can't answer. At this moment, Jiang Shenzhou suddenly replied to him, and Qin Sheng couldn't understand his words at all.

Hearing Jiang Shenzhou's voice, the leader on the opposite side suddenly looked happy, raised his arms and shouted: "Mass Philip!" ”

"Missalphile!" The hundreds of knights behind him also raised their arms and shouted, and they all seemed happy.

What's going on?

Qin Sheng's heart was full of questions, and just as she wanted to speak, Jiang Shenzhou had already preemptively said: "Don't be nervous, I know them, they have no malicious intent." ”

Qin Sheng asked, "Who are they?" ”

"They are the people of the Bayegu tribe of the former Turkic country, and since the four years of the Turkic fall of Zhenguan, the entire tribe has migrated here." He smiled and said to Qin Sheng, "I'll go say hello." ”

He said to go, and after a while he was in front of the bearded man.

Qin Sheng saw from a distance that the bearded man also got off the horse, and he patted Jiang Shenzhou's shoulder vigorously, looking very excited. The two of them laughed unscrupulously while talking, although Qin Sheng couldn't understand what they were saying, he could see that the relationship between the two was very good, like a friend who hadn't seen him for many years finally reunited.

After a while, Jiang Shenzhou came back, he didn't come back alone, the bearded man also came. This Jiang Shenzhou introduced: "This is the chief of the Baye Gu tribe, Baye Gu Yankui. ”

Baye Gu Yankui smiled at Qin Sheng and said, "This must be the Captain Qin in Jiang Gongzi's mouth, I heard that you are going to Liangzhou City?" "He doesn't speak fluent Chinese, and he has to pause every time he says a word, so his beard shakes like a weed in the wind.

Qin Sheng said with a guilty face: "We originally went to Liangzhou City, but now it seems that we are lost." ”

Baye Gu Yankui smiled and said: "This area is endless and windy and sandy, and there are often people who get lost, don't talk about you, even old herdsmen like us often can't find the direction." Of course he was joking, and Qin Sheng knew that he was just saying this to comfort himself.

He paused, and then said: "The Liangzhou City you are going to is more than seventy miles northwest, but it is about to get dark, and I don't think you can go today." ”

Jiang Shenzhou suggested: "I discussed with Uncle Yankui, his tribe is not far away, why don't we go there for the night first, and just replenish some food and water." Tomorrow, he will send someone to take us to Liangzhou City. ”

He looked at Qin Sheng, waiting for her reply.

Qin Sheng didn't have any reason to refuse, and for a team that was lost and lacked supplies, there was no better advice than this.

In this way, the people of Tiance Mansion set off again and followed Baye Gu Yankui to his tribe, which, according to his description, could be seen by climbing over a high slope. The high slope is in the direction of the east, and although it seems to be very close, it is actually very far away.

But with direction, no matter how far the road is, it will not be far away.

"What does 'mahaba' mean?" As he walked, Qin Sheng couldn't help but ask.

"It's a greeting to you." Jiang Shenzhou said.

And what about the "Massalphile"? Qin Sheng asked again.

"It means honored guests." This time it was Baye Gu Yankui who answered her, and he sighed: "Jiang Gongzi is a distinguished guest of our tribe. It must be the will of Eternal Heaven to meet you here. ”

"Distinguished guests? You? Qin Sheng couldn't believe it at all.

Jiang Shenzhou smiled mysteriously and said, "It's a long story, I'll tell you later." ”

Everyone walked for about half an hour, and finally came to the high slope, on the high slope stood a tall Ao Bao, and many small colorful flags were hung around the Ao Bao, which was very obvious from a distance.

Standing next to Ao Bao, you can see the other side of the high slope.

A river meanders under a high slope and passes through a green meadow full of herds of cattle and sheep. Since ancient times, the people on the grassland have lived in pursuit of water and grass, and where there is water, the grass will grow abundantly and reproduce more cattle and sheep. The more cattle and sheep a tribe has, the richer and more powerful it becomes.

There are not only cattle and sheep on the green pasture, but also thousands of white felt tents, which are the ancient tribes of Baye.

The people of the tribe seemed to see them too, waving and cheering towards the high slope.

"We're here." Jiang Shenzhou said with a smile.