The mysterious bird of destiny, the beginning of China

Chapter 194

The black cloud was pressing down on the city and the city was about to be destroyed, and Jiaguang opened golden scales to the sun.

In the northwest, the desert is full of flying sand.

The land of the Western Regions has undergone earth-shaking changes. The Great Salt Lake a thousand years ago has completely dried up, and the countries in the Western Regions that relied on the Great Salt Lake for survival have also disappeared one after another, or have been trampled and burned by war.

Or maybe it is buried by the yellow sand in the sky, waiting for one day in the future to be excavated by future generations, and once again recreate the life of the ancients thousands of years ago.

The Tang troops all wore majestic armor and were armed with swords, spears, shields, or swords.

The mighty army marched on the Gobi Desert, and only the long line stretched to the horizon.

The flags are fluttering, looking doubly sad under the setting sun, and the wind and sand are whistling, seeming to tell the story of the business trip to the Western Regions.

Although it is on the Gobi Desert, it still belongs to the territory of the Tang Dynasty. In front, an isolated city stands on the Gobi Desert, with rugged undulating curves outlined by the setting sun.

Ahead is their destination.

The city in front was the last big city to go to the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. It was built in the yellow sand. Merchants traveling from east to west often made final preparations here before embarking on their journey to the west.

"There is a sandbank in front of you. During the Han Dynasty, the sandbank was the first stop for trade among the countries in the Western Regions. During the glorious period, merchants from hundreds of countries gathered together. A day's transactions could reach tens of millions of dollars and countless treasures. In the end, the meeting He was sent to the center of the Han Dynasty - Chang'an!"

Li Xinni was wearing armor at this time, but she was not wearing a helmet. Her black hair was tied into a man's bun, but she had a high ponytail at the end to show her identity as a female general.

At this time, her face was covered with a veil, exposing the area above the bridge of her nose.

But it also made her bright eyes more charming, and at the same time, there was a hint of heroism between her eyebrows.

"Sandbar..."

Li Xinni pondered for a moment, then looked at the woman beside him and asked, "What about this sandbank now?"

"How can it be?"

The woman sighed softly. Apparently, she had inquired about everything when she came. When Li Xinni asked, she naturally told them one by one, "The Shazhou City in front of us is an oasis. With Shazhou City as the boundary, there is an endless desert to the west." , but our side is the Gobi Desert."

"As for the north and south, there is Mingsha Mountain on one side and Tianshan Mountain on the other. Therefore, Shazhou City is the gateway to the Western Region."

"After the rise of the Turks, they often invaded the Tang Dynasty, and this Shazhou City is a line of defense against the Turks!"

"..."

While listening to the words in his ears, Li Xinni looked forward. She was in the middle of the army, and the long line stretched like a giant dragon.

There is a big city in front of us standing on the Gobi Desert. It is majestic and majestic. Against the background of the mountains in the distance, it also feels a bit lonely.

Looking to the rear again, flags were fluttering and war horses neighed.

After coming back to her senses, Li Xinni didn't say much. At this time, her status in the army was just that of a deputy general.

However, he was the deputy general of General Li Shimin.

When necessary, he can also lead troops to fight.

……

Li Shimin wore majestic armor, rode on a war horse, and walked at the forefront of the army.

At this time, there were two generals following him. One was burly, with a serious face, holding a pair of horseshoes, and was looking ahead warily.

On the other side, he is also a general, but his expression is somewhat elegant. He has a sword on his waist and is frowning in deep thought.

Li Shimin looked at the Shazhou City in front, and saw flags fluttering in front of the city gate, and at the same time, there were a large number of people moving. Apparently, the army stationed in Shazhou City had known that they were about to arrive, and had been waiting in front of the city gate.

"Li Jing, what do you think about the Turks?"

Upon hearing this, the elegant general known as Li Jing muttered: "The Turks are currently experiencing civil strife, and I heard that in the winter last year, many cattle and sheep in the Turks froze to death..."

"Perhaps, we in the Tang Dynasty can win over tribes that are not in harmony with the Turks and use them to lure them to help us defeat the Turks!"

But when Li Jing finished speaking, Yuchi Jingde, a burly man on the side, was unwilling and said angrily: "In my opinion, it is better to lead the army to kill them directly. They are just Turks. I think back when the Han army was chasing They fought against their ancestors, the Xiongnu, and today’s Turks are nothing more than paper tigers!”

Upon hearing Yuchi Jingde's reckless words, Li Jing and Li Shimin were silent.

The army advanced slowly, and then entered Shazhou City.

In Shazhou City, the prosperity of the past is no longer there, but a bit more desolate. No one was walking around on the streets of the city. Obviously, the people living in the city knew that a war was about to begin.

However, today is the day when the Tang army arrives, so there are still many people coming out to greet them.

Prince Li Shimin naturally declined the invitation from the generals in the city, and immediately began to take over the defense of the city and make plans.

……

Li Xinni followed the army to the military camp. Perhaps because she was a woman and Princess Yongan, she naturally received better treatment.

In this regard, Li Xinni did not refuse.

After all, sometimes, one's own safety is also a help to the army.

This is a room with a Western style, but it also has the style of a man. Li Xinni walked into the room, and the two women inside also walked out, "Princess, it has been tidied up. Do you want to take a rest first?"

"no need!"

Li Xinni shook her head, and then said to the woman beside her: "You go back and tidy up your place."

"Yes."

After watching several people leave, Li Xinni sat in the room, closed the door, and said to herself, "Is the divine bird here?"

"exist!"

Bai Zhi flew out immediately, a dazzling divine light burst out, and crimson feathers appeared in front of Li Xinni's eyes.

Seeing the divine bird appear, Li Xinni seemed to be relieved, and then couldn't help but ask: "The divine bird should have been here before, right?"

"Should have been here."

Bai Zhi showed a look of reminiscence, thinking that when he came here, it was still so prosperous. He didn't know which country it belonged to, or it was a land with lush water and grass.

However, at this time, the vicissitudes of life have completely changed.

Even when Zhang Qian was sent to the Western Regions, it was not all the Gobi Desert.

After all, the salt lake had not completely dried up at that time.

"Then what is the difference between Shazhou City now and before?"

Li Xinni was like a curious baby, asking questions non-stop.

"There are many differences. After all, there have been great changes in the past thousand years."

"Too!"

Li Xinni nodded.

……

Time passed, and three days had passed since Prince Li Shimin led the army to Shazhou City. During these three days, they naturally encountered Turkic cavalry, but they did not attack the city.

The Turks were originally people of the grasslands. Because the Tang Dynasty was very defensive on the front lines of the grasslands, they could only invade from the west.

Obviously, they also knew that there were a large number of Tang troops stationed in Shazhou City.

In a meeting hall in the city, Li Shimin and all the generals were there. At the same time, Princess Yong'an Li Xinni, who was wearing armor, was also there.

"The scouts have penetrated deep into the desert. At the same time, there is news from the grassland that the Turkic civil strife has not stopped. Therefore, the Turkic cattle and sheep have suffered serious losses. Therefore, they chose to attack the Tang Dynasty in order to plunder supplies!" Li Jing said so.

"Do you know where the Turkic army is?"

After all, although there is civil strife among the Turks on the grassland, the main force of the Turks is not in the grassland. Therefore, there is only one answer, and that is that the Turks want to open a gap from here, and then invade with their entire army and enter the Tang Dynasty!

Obviously, the desert is not suitable for hiding a large number of soldiers and horses, so the Turkic army should still be on the grassland.

However, the branches of Tianshan Mountain in the north are blocked, so how can the Turks come here quickly?

For a moment, everyone in the meeting hall couldn't help but be silent.

"For the current plan, we have to find the main Turkic force as soon as possible. Otherwise, one hundred thousand soldiers and horses will eat their horses and chew them, which will consume a lot of baggage!"

Li Jing said so.

"In this case, we can't just sit back and wait for death, so take the initiative!"

Prince Li Shimin said this.

After all, the order given to them by Emperor Li Yuan when they arrived was to try their best to annihilate the main Turkic forces in one fell swoop and make them unable to recover.

As for the back, it’s much easier.

Subsequently, Li Shimin began to make strategic arrangements.

"Li Jing, I will leave you [-] troops to guard Shazhou City. Beware of a sudden attack by the Turkic army on Shazhou City!"

"Yes!"

Li Jing immediately took the order.

Li Shimin looked at Yuchi Jingde on the side and ordered: "You will lead [-] cavalry and go north to find the main force of the Turks."

"Yes!"

At this time, the scouts had returned and received news that there were traces of a large number of military activities in the northern Gobi. Moreover, further north, they bordered the grassland, and the Turks were most likely stationed between the grassland and the Gobi.

"how about you?"

Princess Yongan Li Xinni on the side suddenly asked Li Shimin.

"I?"

Li Shimin said: "At this time, we need to have a strategy to lure the enemy!"

Li Shimin already had an idea, and when Princess Yongan Li Xinni heard the words, she immediately understood what Li Shimin meant, but she added:

"what about me?"

"Sister, please stay in Shazhou City!"

Li Shimin said this without even thinking about it.

"no!"

Li Xinni immediately shook his head, looked at Li Shimin, frowned slightly, and then said: "Shimin, you have a strategy to lure the enemy, but the enemy is not stupid. Even if you release the news, the Turks may not be fooled!"

"Why don't you let me go with you? They must be very curious about me!"

"This……"

Hearing this, Li Shimin suddenly felt moved.

But he shook his head without hesitation and said: "No!"

"What? Even your sister..."

Li Xinni frowned subconsciously, trying to suppress her as a sister, but suddenly she realized that this was a meeting hall, and there were many military generals in the hall.

She looked to the side, and sure enough, Li Jing seemed to notice her gaze and quickly lowered his head. The burly man Yuchi Jingde on the side looked curious and gossipy, watching Li Shimin and himself.

After a pause, Li Xinni quickly changed her voice, and then said: "Don't worry, I am protected by the divine bird. The divine bird has promised to protect me with all its strength after I go out!"

Li Xinni seemed to be afraid of Li Shimin's worries, she looked serious and nodded firmly.

When Li Shimin heard this, he also fell silent.

At this time, Bai Zhi in Li Xinni's body said: "???"

……

Indeed, it is indeed more attractive to let Princess Yongan go. A beautiful princess has no power to resist and is protected by a divine bird. Who can resist coveting her?

If the Turks hear this, they will definitely send troops to plunder.

"So...then just follow what my sister says!"

The generals in the meeting hall heard Princess Yong'an's words and began to think. Then they remembered that the strongest person in the army seemed to be Princess Yong'an!

After all, no one can threaten the safety of Princess Yong'an. With the presence of the divine bird, the world has been turned upside down. You don't know that the divine bird just said a word and asked the emperor to change the candidate for the crown prince.

……

A few days later, Yuchi Jingde has led the army to the north. His mission is to find the main Turkic force. If this is not possible, he can also annihilate the grassland people on the grassland.

On the grassland, anyone who has not surrendered to the Tang Dynasty is the enemy of the Tang Dynasty!

That's why Yuchi Jingde was so excited. No matter what, he would gain military merit!

In Shazhou City, although there are not many merchants, there are some merchants who risk their lives to walk around and sell goods.

So, there was another news for those who were taken out of Shazhou City by the merchants.

That is, both the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty and Princess Yong'an of the Tang Dynasty came to Shazhou City, and there were rumors that the Crown Prince of the Tang Dynasty did not know about military matters, was unruly and arrogant, and even disdained to attack the Turks.

After arriving at Shazhou City, he only cared about having fun and did not care about military affairs or political affairs.

Moreover, Princess Yong'an is now the favorite daughter of the Tang Emperor. She has an unparalleled appearance, just like a fairy from the heavenly palace descending to the earth.

And there are rumors that Princess Yongan is protected by a divine bird. As long as she can marry Princess Yongan, the divine bird will naturally protect the person she marries.

In this way, the news quickly spread within Shazhou City, and at the same time, it also spread to outside Shazhou City, and even further places.

For a time, people who didn't know the truth were naturally very unhappy with the prince.

At the same time, I am very curious about Princess Yongan. Some people even think that they can win the favor of Princess Yongan, and Princess Shang!

……

In the city, inside a hall.

Prince Li Shimin and Princess Yong'an Li Xinni were sitting in the hall. For a moment, Prince Li Shimin whispered: "It should be enough. The news has been spread for five or six days, which is enough for the Turks to get it."

"In that case, let's move on to the next step!"

Li Xinni on the side nodded, "The news is that you and I are going to hunt wolves deep in the Gobi. It will take one day and one night, and we only bring a dozen guards!"

"it is good!"

Li Shimin naturally knew the meaning of Li Xinni's words, and now that the news had been spread, the Turks should be very moved by him, the prince, and Princess Yong'an.

At this time, the news came out that he was going to hunt wolves late at night and not return to the city at night. I think the Turks would definitely not miss it.

Day two.

At noon, the weather was hot.

But on the Gobi desert, more than twenty figures appeared.

One by one, they rode on horseback and walked on the Gobi Desert.

It was Princess Li Xinni of Yongan, Prince Li Shimin and others!

(End of this chapter)