I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 970 The Reward of Bonding

The next evening, Jiaohe City.

Su Yao stood alone on the high platform of the palace, looking far to the west. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a layer of brilliant gold on the snow-capped Tianshan Mountains in the distance.

"Master, it's getting cold, put on more clothes."

Alyssa’s voice came from behind, and before she knew it, it was already early winter.

Su Yao turned around and saw the two sisters Alyssa, who were wearing palace dresses, holding a thick fur cloak in their hands, their eyes full of concern.

Su Yao smiled slightly and let the two sisters put on his cloak. Alice carefully tied the ribbon at his collar, and her fingertips accidentally touched his neck, bringing a slightly cool touch.

"How do you feel about your new identity? Now you are the princess of a country. There is no need to be like the past."

Before Su Yao finished speaking, Alyssa shook her head gently, with a firm light flashing in her eyes:
"Master, no matter how our identities change, we will always be your maids. This feeling will never change."

Alice also nodded vigorously, holding the corner of Su Yao's clothes tightly with her little hands: "It is the master who gave us a new life and allowed us to return home. We are willing to follow you forever."

"Follow forever?"

Su Yao chuckled and asked, "Then do you know where I'm going next?"

Alyssa and Alice looked at each other, paused, and said, “Is it Wusun?”

Su Yao raised his eyebrows in surprise, he didn't expect the news to spread so quickly. Then, he said that the journey there was long, and it might take a long time to come back. The two girls had just returned to their hometown, and the Cheshi Kingdom was in ruins, so it would be better for them to rest here first and assist their younger brother.
However, before Su Yao finished speaking, Alyssa shook her head and interrupted:
"No, Master."

Alyssa raised her eyes, and the afterglow of the sunset was reflected in her blue pupils:
"We have already sworn that no matter where you go, we will follow you. Whether it is Wusun or the more distant west, please allow us to continue to serve you."

Alice knelt on the ground and held Su Yao's sword in her hands:
"Cheshi is governed by my brother and the Han officials. We just want to stay with our master."

Su Yao looked at the stubborn sisters and suddenly remembered the figure of the old king who was shaking all over but insisted on feeding water to the old man with his own hands when they found him dying in the dungeon of Futu City. Perhaps for them, their real home is no longer this land, but
"Wherever you are is our home."

As she spoke, Alyssa's cheeks turned red:

"Besides, sister Hong'er will be coming with us, right? We can't let her work too hard."

This is of course not just about what happens in bed.

The Wusun Kingdom was adjacent to the Cheshi Kingdom. Although the royal families of the two countries did not have any close relations, their commercial exchanges were still quite close.

So, when they learned that Su Yao was coming down to prepare for the expedition to Wusun, the Alyssa sisters had already made preparations in advance.

They contacted a large number of caravans that had traveled to Wusun, as well as some experienced tribal elders, and collected a lot of information about the Wusun Kingdom for Su Yao.

"Master, please look."

Alyssa took out a sheepskin map from her arms and slowly unfolded it in front of Su Yao:

"This is the map of the entire Wusun territory that we got from the caravan. It shows all the important water sources and pastures."

Su Yao took the map, looked at it carefully, and his eyes became brighter and brighter.

There is no doubt that this map has extraordinary value. It is more detailed than the official map of Cheshi State. It even marks some small roads that only local people know. This directly helps his system dispel most of the fog of war. And then, Alice said: "Master, we have also found several guides who are familiar with the Tianshan Mountain Road. They are willing to lead the way and help the army find a route suitable for winter marching."

As the saying goes, knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles. Maps and guides are necessary preparations before going to war.

Su Yao didn't expect that before he could receive any report on the tasks he assigned to his subordinates at the end of the meeting yesterday, these two girls had given him a surprise.

This support from the local people is the reward for the good connections we made in the past.

"Good good!"

Su Yao clenched the map in his hand, pulled the two girls into his arms, and gave each of them a deep kiss:
"You have done a great job. This gift can save my army countless time!"

"Master, Master."

The two girls' cheeks blushed at Su Yao's sudden action, but their eyes were shining with joy.

The two girls looked charming and snuggled in Su Yao's arms. Feeling the breath of their master, they soon felt weak all over and could only let out some slightly rapid gasps.

Obviously, that's enough business for today.

Su Yao laughed and carried the two women on his shoulders, one in each hand, and took them straight back to the bedroom. He closed the door with his foot, and time passed in a flash.

The next day, all the civil and military officials gathered again. This time, the Alyssa sisters and the capable guides they invited also attended the meeting for the first time.

Today, these people will explain the latest intelligence from Wusun to everyone in order to prepare the army for the next campaign.

"Everyone, please look——"

Alyssa gently lifted her hair, picked up the parchment map on the table, and put it next to the large world map that Su Yao hung on the wall, pointing and saying:
"Wusun is the most powerful country in the Western Regions. Its territory occupies almost the entire grassland and valleys around the Ili River. It lives wherever there is water and grass. It has 500,000 to 600,000 people and hundreds of thousands of soldiers. It usually has 30,000 to 40,000 soldiers."

"Moreover, the geographical location of its capital, Chigu City, is even more favorable. It is not located on the vast and safe Ili River, but in the red valley of the Rehu (Issyk-Kul) Basin, southeast of the Ili River and northwest of the Tianshan Mountains. Therefore, the capital is named Chigu."

"This place is surrounded by mountains on three sides, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is said that the Wusun people benefited from the superior terrain of their capital and were able to defeat the sieges of their powerful enemies in the early days and eventually dominate the valley."

As soon as Alyssa finished speaking, a buzzing noise broke out at the scene.

"Hundreds of thousands of victorious soldiers?"

"How could the Wusun nation be so powerful?"

Cao Cao frowned first.

They had previously defeated Wusun and captured prisoners who said that the country had more than 30,000 soldiers. They thought that this battle had destroyed one-third of Wusun's military strength. They did not expect that the remote Wusun's national strength was so strong that it was not even on the same level as the surrounding countries.

Even the Western Xianbei, which they had just destroyed, was far from this scale.

At this moment, they immediately understood why Su Yao had set his sights on this area.

The primitive nomadic life in the Ili River Valley alone can support so many people. If they cultivate land and establish farmlands here, how many soldiers can the Han people support in this distant Western Region?

However, on the other hand, the Wusun were so powerful that their next move would not be easy.
(End of this chapter)