October 23, evening.

Kanegawabe, Asuka Pass.

The reason why Shazhou has been able to maintain a relatively transcendent status for hundreds of years is its unique geographical location.

There are Yunling Mountains in the east, and Shazhou and Daqi were close to each other 20 years ago, and Daqi has been taking care of itself for the past 20 years, so Shazhou has not suffered from the threat from the east, only a small area of attack caused by some Chengzhou border troops represented by Hou Yu.

The south is sheltered by mountains and dense forests, coupled with the weak national strength of Nanzhao and the slack of armament, so it is not capable of attacking Shazhou in the north.

To the west is a vast plateau, and there has only been one enemy in hundreds of years, and that time, with the help of Li Zhongjing, the Taizu of Qi, Shazhou has not suffered much loss.

Although there are many enemies in the north, the majestic Hengjiang River and the steep and towering 100,000 mountains are enough to discourage the most powerful elite army in the world, and the Asuka Pass between the two dangerous peaks is the only choke point connecting the north and the south.

This pass is the first of the Xiongguan in the world, the south side of the pass has a gentle slope, the road is relatively wide, the north side is a steep long slope, and the width of the trail between the two peaks is less than two zhang.

If the enemy from the north wanted to storm Asuka Pass, they had to force their way up from the bottom to the top of the pass by passing through a trail of less than two feet and following a steep and unobstructed slope without any equipment. Anyone who has been to the Asuka Pass and knows a little bit about the art of war knows that it only takes a few dozen soldiers to block hundreds of times more enemies, which can be called the ultimate in easy defense and difficult to attack.

In the face of such a majestic pass that has never been lost for hundreds of years, the strong Jing army can only find another way.

The Jinchuan Department relied on the only passage to the north of Shazhou, and even though its own strength was in the middle and lower of the seven, it has always been a force that the other departments could not ignore.

There are 200 soldiers stationed in Asuka Pass, and they rotate every ten days.

Today coincided with the rotation period, and I saw a thirty-year-old man named Haneng with two hundred native soldiers to the south side of Asuka Pass, say hello to the clansmen guarding the pass, and soon complete the handover.

It was getting dark.

Haneng spun around, then gathered the crowd and said, "Tonight I will take people to keep vigil, you will rest for the night first, and tomorrow you will take turns according to the order arranged before." ”

"Lao Ha is really righteous!"

Everyone applauded, touting this relative who was not so close to the head man Hardy.

Ha Neng laughed and scolded a few times, turned around and walked to the side of the wall, looking at the rolling 100,000 mountains in the north, his eyes were obscure.

After a while, it finally quieted down behind him, and the more than 100 clansmen brought by Haneng this time dispersed, leaving only the more than twenty people he trusted the most.

A young man came to Haneng's side and whispered, "Big brother, closing the door is already under our grasp. ”

Haneng looked at the misty sky, nodded and said, "When the signal is sent from the north, you will take someone to open and close the door." ”

The young man said excitedly and apprehensively, "Okay. ”

As night fell, the birds closed the torches everywhere, and the noise was heard everywhere, which became quiet as time passed, replaced by the snoring of tired people who had traveled for a long time.

When three not-so-bright fires appeared far away on the mountain road to the north, Haneng nodded to the young man, who then quietly walked with seven or eight men to the sturdy gate of Asuka Pass.

……

Push back the clock to a few hours ago.

Baozhu Village is the largest village in Jinchuan Province, where more than 8,000 ethnic groups live.

Hardy has not been in a good mood recently, because of the arrival of the young marquis of Qi State, the seven departments of Shazhou, which have always been very united, have been in trouble, and each department has been involved one after another, taking the initiative or being forced to stand in line.

The Huining and Huangbu became the right-hand men of the Tieyang Ministry, while the Daishi Bu and Shuixi were on the side of the Yalong Ministry, and only Hardy's Jinchuan Bu was still caught in the middle.

In all fairness, Hardy has no interest in those disputes, he just wants to do business and make money, whether it is the Qi State or the merchants from the north, whoever bids higher can take the goods of the Jinchuan Ministry, but at the moment, there is tension on both sides, Luo Yaozong and Shen Min don't seem to have any signs of giving in, and this infighting does not know when it will end.

Every time he thought about it, Hardy couldn't help but sigh.

"Abba, the Luo family sister is here!"

The eldest son, Ha Yun, walked quickly into the main hall.

Hardy was slightly stunned, and soon realized that Luo Jiujiu came here on purpose, probably with Luo Yaozong's message, maybe things had taken a turn for the better, so he hurriedly said, "Invite her in!" ”

After a while, Luo Jiujiu walked into the main hall with several people and arched his hand, "Uncle Ha." ”

Hardy smiled kindly, "Ninety-nine, what kind of wind blew you here?" ”

A look of shame appeared in Luo Jiujiu's eyes: "Uncle Ha, I'm offended." ”

Puzzled, Hardy asked, "When did you offend me?" ”

"Now."

Luo Jiujiu said two words in his mouth, and the next moment he saw several people behind her suddenly twist and shoot like lightning, Hardy's father and son and several henchmen did not react, and the bright waist knife was on their necks.

The door was then shut, and the view from the outside was completely cut off.

This change came so suddenly that Hardy didn't react yet, and said in a daze: "Jiujiu, this joke can't be made casually. ”

"Ha chief, Miss Luo is not joking."

The person who closed the door turned around and stepped aside, and Luo Jiujiu stepped aside, and his appearance appeared in the eyes of Hardy and the others.

Hardy looked at this young man who was dressed like no different from the Yalong tribesmen, watched him rub his face a few times, and then a very familiar face appeared, and he couldn't help but say in a panic and confusion: "Lu Hou, is it you?" ”

Lu Shen came to Hardy, motioned to Qin Zilong, who was also dressed in disguise, to put down his waist knife, and then took Hardy's arm and said, "It's me." ”

Hardy forcibly reined in his mind and said in great confusion: "Lu Hou, what are you doing here?" There has never been a dispute between the Jinchuan and Yalong tribes, and there is no grievance with you, you ......"

Ha Yun and the others were taken aside, Lu Shen asked Hardy to sit down, and said apologetically: "Leader Ha, please forgive me in a hurry." ”

Luo Jiujiu walked over and sat next to Lu Shen, and echoed: "Uncle Ha, my father has confirmed that Shen Min will not be limited to verbal disputes. During this time, he secretly said that he had moved the Huining Department and the Huang Department, intending to kill all of our Luo family, and then divide and annex the entire Yalong Department. ”

Hardy was startled and muttered, "This ...... That's impossible. ”

Lu Shen said slowly: "At first, we also thought that Shen Min would not do this, but the leader of Luoda received the exact news that Shen Min not only wanted to annex the Yalong Tribe, but also to solve the Shuixi and Dashi Tribes, and even the Jinchuan Department could not be spared. In other words, he wants to be the real lord of Shazhou. ”

Hardy shook his head abruptly and said, "Even if he has this ambition, he doesn't have the strength!" Tieyang and the other three departments combined, how can it be the opponent of our four divisions? ”

Lu Shen said coldly: "Because he can ask people from the north for help." ”

Hardy said, "You mean Jing Jun? ”

Lu Shen didn't answer, and asked rhetorically: "Leader Ha, I don't know who the leader is stationed at Flying Bird Pass now?" ”

Hardy looked at his eldest son, and Haryun immediately replied, "It's Harneng, he can't let outsiders in!" ”

Hardy also nodded and said: "Haneng, this kid is very honest, my grandfather and his grandfather are brothers, and he and I are also a family." ”

"Yes or no, it will soon be known."

Lu Shen said lightly, and then asked Qin Zilong to leave the main hall with two masters and a Hardy's henchman.

After about a quarter of an hour, the men came to the main hall again, and the henchman's face was extremely ugly, and he came to the front with a small wooden box in his hand, and said, "Chief, this is from Hanen's house. ”

He opened the box and saw that there were more than a dozen pieces of silver inside, and a rough estimate was at least two hundred taels.

Hardy's face became extremely ugly, but he still insisted: "This kid Haneng is not right-minded, it doesn't mean that he was bought by Shen Min. ”

Luo Jiujiu couldn't help but said anxiously: "Uncle Ha! ”

Lu Shen raised his hand to signal her to calm down, and then said to Hardy: "Leader Ha, we will soon find out if there is a problem with Harbour, if he really opens the Bird Pass and lets the Jing army enter Shazhou, you don't have to worry too much, because I have already sent a thousand elites to go to the Bird Pass with all their might, and it should be too late." As long as Jing Jun can be forced back to reoccupy the Flying Bird Pass, Shazhou will not become a devastated place. ”

"A Thousand Elites...... You actually entered the territory of Shazhou with the Qi army?! ”

Hardy changed color slightly, and there was a little anger at Luo Jiujiu's words.

Luo Jiujiu said: "Uncle Ha, why don't you understand until now, Qi State only wants to establish peaceful relations with Shazhou, and has no intention of getting involved in Shazhou at all, because they are now facing the powerful Jinglian people, how can they still come to provoke Shazhou!" The black hands who really want to kill everyone in Shazhou are Shen Min and Tieyang Ministry, once Jing Jun is allowed to enter Shazhou, no one can drive them away! When the time comes, Shazhou will become the current Yan Kingdom, and even the disappeared Zhao Kingdom, and the people of Shazhou will become the slaves of those Jinglian nobles! ”

Hardy was stunned and asked with a complicated expression, "So what do you want to do now?" ”

Lu Shen said in a slow tone: "Ha Chief, we need you to immediately organize the warriors of the Jinchuan Tribe, and rush to Asuka Pass with us. I'm not sure if the Asuka Pass has been lost now, and I'm not sure if the 1,000 elites can beat the Jing army back, in order to keep the pure land of Shazhou, we must prepare for the worst. ”

Hardy looked at the resolute face of this Marquis of Qi State, as if a string was fluctuating in the depths of his heart, and after a moment of silence, he said: "Except for the thousand elites, there are only seven or eight people around you?" ”

Lu Shen said frankly: "There are still five hundred people waiting in the east of Baozhu Village, if Leader Ha does not agree, Miss Luo and I will take them to Flying Bird Pass desperately." The leader of Ha may not go with me, but don't stop me. ”

Hardy looked up one by one, and saw that everyone brought by Lu Shen had that kind of indifference to life and death on their faces.

"Lu Hou is a Qi person, he has such a noble identity and status at a young age, he is willing to work hard for Shazhou, I have calculated my money all my life, and I can't be like a bad seed without a little blood."

He stood up, gritted his teeth, and said, "Okay, I'll immediately gather all the warriors of the Jinchuan Tribe, and go to Asuka Pass with you!" ”

Lu Shen and Luo Jiujiu glanced at each other, then looked at Hardy, and said very solemnly: "Thank you!" ”

The somewhat obese Jinchuan head spat out a sentence from between his teeth: "Anyway, I'm from Shazhou." ”

(End of chapter)