"Yes, we are going back and forth to the Central Plains of the Western Regions once every two years, Xiao Lao'er, my family is in Dunhuang City, Shazhou, and has a shop in Chang'an, specializing in the business of Tianzhu spices."

Li Siye asked again: "Where is your end point, can you take a business to answer it?"

"Yes, yes, our family also has a shop in the city of Khotan, and we have regular Tianzhu customers, and their Tianzhu merchants sell pepper, dipterocarp and other spices from Orissa to Khotan, and exchange them for silk from my family's shop, and we transport the silk over, and then transport the spice camels to Chang'an."

The chief was a wealthy businessman.

Li Siye nodded thoughtfully, and asked seductively: "The desert is far away, and sand thieves are rampant, if the Anxi Protectorate has a plan to build a post station, the distance between the two stations can be reduced to thirty miles per post, does this reduce the hardship of business travel?" Improved safety?"

"Of course you can!" The leader said excitedly: "If the imperial court really has the intention to expand the post station, we merchants welcome it with both hands, and now most of the post stations on the Khotanese Road are 200 li or 100 li a post, if it can be expanded to 30 li, we merchants will not have to camp in the open air, so the danger of being attacked by sand bandits will be greatly reduced."

"Then let me ask you again, do you want to have a warehouse belonging to your firm in the desert post station?"

"Yes, I want to have, but guarding the warehouse requires manpower, although our family also has some swordsmen, but without the protection of the imperial army, I am afraid that we will not be able to guard the goods."

Li Siye clapped his hands and said: "What's so difficult about this, the warehouse is built in the post station area, and the capital protectorate sends post soldiers to protect it, isn't the safety of the warehouse protected?"

"It's good, but it's ......"

He let out a long sigh: "It's a pity that the Anxi Protectorate has no money left." He turned his head again and asked solemnly, "The Metropolitan Protectorate wants to do post station business with you big traders, I wonder if you are willing to do it?"

The leader was surprised and asked, "How should we do the business of this station?"

"The Duhufu is preparing to build thirty-two post stations in the desert to connect the original military posts, leading to the green mountains in the west and Yangguan in the east. It's just that the Duhufu is short of money, and wants to contract the post station to you merchants, and you will pay for the construction of it, and after it is completed, you can get the right to use it for ten years, except for the court officials and messengers, all other merchant caravans passing through the post station must pay you for food and lodging, and after ten years, the post station will be returned to the imperial court, and you will still be left with the right to use the warehouse, do you think this business can be done?"

The leader tugged at his beard and pondered, and he couldn't fully accept such a large amount of information for a while. Li Siye didn't urge after saying that, and waited for him to chew and ruminate slowly.

"Such a big thing, I can't do it for a while, I need to go back and discuss it carefully with the clan."

Li Siye smiled and said: "That's right, after you return to Dunhuang, bring this news back with you, inform the businessmen in Shazhou, and discuss with them whether this business can be done?" Don't worry, I came to Khotan this time to plan the post station, and I will arrange for the implementation when I go back. Perhaps by the time you embark on your way back, the four towns of Anxi will already be plastered with such notices, and you can take one back with you when the time comes. ”

The leader said solemnly: "Please rest assured General Li, whether it succeeds or not, I will return to Anxi Qiuzi and come to give you an explanation."

The two talked for a long time, and Li Siye hadn't asked the leader's name, so he remembered it at this time, and solemnly asked, "I don't know the leader's surname?"

"Bow Chang Zhang, Zhang Han."

"It turned out to be the Dunhuang Zhang family, disrespectful and disrespectful."

Zhang Han crossed his hands and said humbly: "Where, a certain is just a side branch, not Zhang's Zhengshuo."

"People only have the ability to be big and small, where do they come from."

"Thank you General for giving me the golden words, and I should talk about it for comfort."

"Haha."

……

The caravan arrived at Kancheng in the evening and set out for Khotan the next day after a night's rest. After entering Khotan, they parted ways with the caravan and hurried back to Qiuzi.

When we reached the banks of the White Horse River, we found that two pontoon bridges had been built on the riverbank, and thousands of soldiers were escorting nearly 100 carts across the river, all loaded with grain and horse grass.

He was taken aback, is this about to go to war again? He didn't even know if this battle was not prepared for him to participate. In this way, wouldn't it be necessary to cut himself off from the festival to make Tian Renwan?

Taking sides in politics is the last thing he wants to do, and although in the history he knows, Fumon Lingcha has indeed become the next envoy of the Four Towns of Anxi, but who knows if this parallel world will change.

It's not easy to be a little brother, but I don't know when I can become a real big brother.

He first went to the camp of the White Horse River, which was noisy and hectic, and the soldiers began to roll up and spread their covers, and to put on their armour, to distribute flags, and to fry and compress dry rations for the march. He couldn't help but wonder in his heart, and even more annoyed, who bypassed him, the detaine, to give them orders, otherwise why would they make their own decisions?

He entered the earthen fort and immediately ordered Duan Xiushi to call the three captains to the Leopard Hall, and took the opportunity to interrogate them to see how they responded.

Zhao Congfang, Qiu Luan, and Liu Long entered the hall, and when they saw that Li Siye's face was not good, they were panicked but didn't know why, they looked at each other and then bowed down and asked each other: "I don't know what the general ordered when he called us over."

Li Siye asked in a cold voice: "Let me ask you, did the general ever order you to rearm for war?"

"General, never."

"What do I see outside the door? How do you explain that they are all clothed in armor, and that their coats are covered with sheep blankets and tied up on their horses?"

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, each took out three military orders from their arms, stepped forward and handed them to Li Siye's case.

Li Siye picked up the military order and saw that this was an official document for the transfer of troops jointly signed by Tian Renwan, the envoy of Jiedu, and Meng Lingcha, the deputy protector of the capital, which directly bypassed him, the detained officer, and issued it to the three regiments of the jumping battalion. It was written on the paper that the Jumping Battalion was transferred as part of the Chinese army, and it was temporarily under the jurisdiction of Ma Phosphorus, presumably the same was true of the Battle Strikers.

In this way, he had no chance to participate in this expedition, and could only work for his husband Meng Lingcha. It doesn't seem to be so difficult to accept, Tian Renwan's first expedition to Xiao Bolu should have failed, otherwise there would be no Gao Xianzhi later. It doesn't seem like you'll miss out on any great credit.

He pursed his lips and stood up, handed back the military order to the three of them, and apologized euphemistically: "It's me who blames the three captains, don't worry about it." ”

"Where, General Li doesn't know the reason, and it is natural to be suspicious."

"Since the Metropolitan Protectorate has issued a military order to you, you will carry it out, and before there is no other military order, you will be temporarily dispatched by General Ma Fu and go out to prepare."

"Whoa!" The three of them were about to turn around, but Zhao Congfang seemed to feel that something was wrong, so he quickly turned around and said, "General Li, please rest assured, although we are temporarily under the jurisdiction of General Ma Fu, our hearts are unchanged, and we will never betray the general." ”

Qiu Luan and Liu Long said in unison: "That's right, you are the real detainee of the Qiuzi Jumping Camp, and no one else can replace it." ”

Li Siye waved his hand and smiled: "It's all far away, the Qiuzi Jumping Battalion, including the Anxi Army, is the army of the Tang Dynasty, not anyone's private army, and there is no need to be loyal to me." ”

The three of them nodded, and after the forked hands retreated, they withdrew from the Leopard Hall together, and as soon as they walked out of the earthen fort, Luan Qiu couldn't help but complain: "What kind of person is this!" I didn't see anyone for more than ten or twenty days, and when I came back, I asked the teacher with a black face. Talking about what is the army of the Tang Dynasty, in fact, he treats us as his own one-third of an acre. The heart is small, like something! ”

Zhao Congfang hurriedly looked back, waved his hand at him and said, "If you want to say this, you have to find a no-man's corner to say it, fall into his ears, and beware of giving you small shoes to wear." ”

Luan Qiu hurriedly shut his mouth, and after the three of them walked a few dozen steps, he couldn't help but speak again: "I think he may not be able to do a long job as a camp officer, and he will be placed in a secluded place to take up idle duties." ”