Great Han Arrow God

Chapter 373

Liang Xiao weighed and weighed repeatedly, and had no choice but to make a very helpless, even embarrassing choice.

Except for the Dawan mission and accompanying merchants, all the others were repatriated.He knew it would be embarrassing to do so, but the envoys were not ordinary caravans, and if there were any accidents, the damage might be greater than embarrassment.Especially Prince Che Yi, the only son of Che Shi, if he was killed or captured by the Huns, King Che Shi would definitely turn against him.

He can't afford the risk.

Liang Xiao wrote a letter asking Che Yi to bring it to Dongfang Shuo.The situation in the Hexi Corridor is far worse than expected, and it will be more difficult for them to gain a foothold in the Western Regions, so please be mentally prepared.

After streamlining, Liang Xiao only had two hundred people left, and five or six hundred camels and horses.He discussed with Ma Qi and asked Ma Qi to send cavalry to accompany him for protection and provide food.

March agreed.However, he made a suggestion that in order to avoid a direct encounter with the Huns, it is best to go south of the Qilian Mountains.There is also a road to Longyou from the south of Qilian Mountain. Although it is a bit difficult to walk, the local Qiang people are scattered and have a good relationship with the Xiaoyue clan, so it is relatively safe.Furthermore, many tribes participated in the looting of Hexi last year, and they all had a good impression of Liang Xiao.

After listening to Ma Qi's explanation, Liang Xiao guessed what road he was talking about.In the history of the Silk Road, in addition to the Hexi Road and the Grassland Road, there is also a Qinghai Road.Once the Hexi Corridor was occupied by foreigners, Qinghai Road became the main route of the Silk Road.When the Hexi Corridor became unimpeded, the status of Qinghai Road declined and became an auxiliary road.

However, the Western Regions have not yet been opened, the Silk Road is still in its infancy, and the Qinghai Road is only an ancient road between the Qiang tribes, far less famous than later generations.It is proof that so many Han merchants behind him do not know Qinghai Road.

Liang Xiao accepted Ma Qi's suggestion and went south along the Shule River and crossed the Qilian Mountains.

When he crossed the mountain pass, he reined in his mount and glanced back at the oasis in the distance, his eyes narrowed slightly and his eyes were cold.

-

In mid-October, Chang'an.

In the front hall of Weiyang Palace, the emperor was sitting on the throne, speaking impassionedly and vigorously, and the loud voice resounded through the hall and echoed in the ears of every minister.

The ministers headed by Prime Minister Wu'an Hou Tianfu held their breaths and listened respectfully to the hadith.

The emperor was in a good mood, his eyes became brighter and his voice became higher and higher, revealing an indescribable excitement.

In May, the aged Empress Dowager Dou finally passed away and collapsed in Changle Palace.Before the funeral was finished, the emperor issued an edict to dismiss the prime minister Xu Chang and the censor Zhuang Qingzhai, appointed Wu'an Hou Tianfu as the prime minister, and not only appointed Da Nong Ling Han Anguo as the censor, which opened the curtain of reforming the old.

It seems that in order to confirm the arrival of a new era, the Huns who had been harassing northern Xinjiang also stopped and sent envoys to Chang'an to ask for peace.

At this moment, the emperor summoned a group of ministers to discuss whether to agree to the request of the Huns.Before that, it was natural to talk about the scene, to express his hope of doing benevolence and righteousness, and comforting the people. Just as he was talking excitedly, a chuckle suddenly came from the silent courtiers.

The emperor's face sank, he closed his mouth, his majestic eyes swept across the officials, and finally fell on the face of the lord and captain, Wei Ji'an.

The officials were surprised, and they couldn't help turning their eyes to Ji An.

Ji An lowered his eyes, raised the corners of his mouth slightly, with a half-smile, disapproving of the gaze of the emperor and his officials.

The emperor hesitated.He knew that Ji An was not in a good mood recently.The imperial court reformed the system, recruited a large number of Confucian officials and scholars, and raised the idea of ​​advocating Confucianism again. However, Ji An was a believer in the Tao of Huang Lao and had quite objections to this policy.He is straightforward, even when facing the emperor, Ji An doesn't give face.At this time, Ji An put on such an expression, I am afraid that he will not have anything nice to say.

However, if you open one eye, close one eye, and pretend not to see it, it seems inappropriate.

"Jiqing, I want to caress the world with benevolence and righteousness, but Jiqing just smiled and said nothing. I don't know what it means? Do you agree or disagree?"

Ji An came out unhurriedly, bowed his hands and gave a salute. "Your Majesty sharpens his sword and wants to conquer the Xiongnu, so why bother to talk about benevolence and righteousness. If someone believes it, wouldn't Your Majesty be self-defeating?"

The emperor suddenly changed color.Although he was mentally prepared, he was still not prepared enough.Ji An actually said in front of so many ministers that he was not saying what he meant, and that the brilliant words in front of him were all lies to deceive people.He wanted to scold Ji An, but he opened his mouth a few times, but had to shut it again.

The reason is simple, he really thinks so.If he scolded Ji An and insisted that he really wanted to do benevolence and righteousness, then the courtiers really thought that he agreed to the marriage, and they shot themselves in the foot.

The emperor didn't know what to do for a while, his face turned blue and red, and his eloquence disappeared.He was stunned for a moment, stood up, and walked away, leaving the courtiers looking at each other in blank dismay.

Prime Minister Tian Fu came over and said haha. "Ji Jun, why are you doing this, how can you disregard the courtesy of the emperor and ministers in the court..."

Ji An flicked his sleeves, facing Tian Fu sideways. "The purpose of the emperor to set up ministers who are ministers and assistant ministers is to check and make up for the faults of Kuang Bi. If you have made mistakes, how can a minister pretend to be deaf and dumb? Could it be that I want to cover my ears and steal the bell and follow you to flatter me?"

Tian Fu froze, and just as he was about to say more, Ji An had already walked away.Tian Fu was furious: "This Ji An is really stupid and unreasonable."

Courtier, you look at me, I look at you, speechless.

-

The emperor returned to the greenhouse hall, and after blowing the wind for a while, his mood gradually calmed down.He thought about it, and regretted it a little, because he was angry with Ji An, and actually delayed the business.

"Invite the prime minister and doctor Yushi to come."

Not long after, Tian Fu and Han Anguo arrived one after another to salute the emperor.Tian Fu still had an angry expression on his face, but Han Anguo's expression was calm, showing no expression.The emperor glanced at them, especially when he saw that Tian Fu's anger was still there, he couldn't help laughing.

"Still angry about Ji An?"

"Ji'an is too much." Tian Fu said angrily: "The monarch and minister, above the court, are so rude, what should a minister do."

The emperor waved his hand. "Okay, Ji An is like this, don't worry about it. I invite you to come to discuss the matter of marriage. Han Gong, you have a lot of contact with the Huns in the town this time. In your opinion, should you Refuse their marriage as a punishment?"

Han Anguo's gray eyebrows trembled slightly, and he glanced at Tian Fu inadvertently.Tian Fu said first: "Your Majesty, marriage is a national policy. The Empress Dowager has always pursued the policy of marriage. It is precisely because of this that Li Guang, who went to war without authorization, was demoted to a commoner. Now the Huns take the initiative to ask for peace. It's time for His Majesty to show benevolence and righteousness. If you refuse, wouldn't it be a violation of filial piety to show the fault of the Empress Dowager?"

The emperor stared at Han Anguo intently.Han Anguo had no choice but to say: "Your Majesty, the Huns live on water and grass, and their whereabouts are erratic like birds and beasts. If our army takes the initiative to attack and travel thousands of miles, it may not be able to find the main force of the Huns. Then they will return without success, wasting people and money. Either forcefully go deep, there is the risk of annihilation of the whole army, the risk is too great. From the point of view of the minister, it is better to get married, the border is peaceful, and the court can be safe."

The corners of the emperor's eyes collapsed, he looked at Tian Fu, then at Han Anguo, turned around and entered the inner hall without saying anything.

Embarrassed, Tian Fu and Han Anguo glanced at each other, shook their heads, turned and left.

Hearing the sound of footsteps disappearing outside the hall, the emperor's face was clouded.Huo Yunbing walked in, staring at the emperor sympathetically with his big black eyes.The emperor called Huo Qubing, stroked his head, and sighed.

"Small Qubing, grow up quickly. These old people are old and can't be counted on."

"Your Majesty, why don't you replace Han Anguo with Li Guang?" King Wuqiu Shou walked in and said in a low voice, "Although Han Anguo is a famous general, he is not as good as Li Guang when it comes to his familiarity with the Huns. Li Guang is currently out of work." , Your Majesty has an order, how could he not gladly obey it."

The emperor thought about it. "Although Han Anguo is old, he is stable after all. Li Guang is good at fighting, but he can't tell the difference. Comparing the two, Han Anguo is better, at least he can't make mistakes."

King Wuqiu Shou was very puzzled, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions.Li Guang's deeds were not rewarded, but he was exempted from being a commoner. This matter has become a mystery. Even a close minister like him can't figure out what the emperor is thinking.Hearing the tone of the emperor, it seemed that Li Guang had made some serious mistake.

"Go to Daxing Temple to see if there is any news from the Western Regions." The emperor sighed. "I don't know how the war in the Western Regions is going."

King Wuqiu Shou replied, turned and left.The emperor raised his hand and rubbed his brows, feeling a little headache.Han Anguo didn't support him, which surprised him.However, compared to Tian Fu's opinion, Han Anguo is a veteran with actual combat experience after all, and the problem he mentioned is also a real problem. If it cannot be solved, the chances of winning the war against the Huns are indeed slim.

Is it possible to only get married and continue to be bullied by the Huns?The emperor sneered, clenched his fist, and slammed it on the case.

-

Liang Xiao rode his horse galloping, dashing from left to right, with a strong bow in his hand whistling, shooting sharp arrows one after another.

At the sound of the strings, the Huns fell from their horses one after another.

The mercenaries and young Greek knights followed closely behind, slaughtering mercilessly. Wherever they went, the Huns scattered like flies and gathered in the distance, staring closely at Liang Xiao and the missions and caravans behind Liang Xiao hold on.

The two sides have been fighting for more than an hour.

Under Ma Qi's protection, Liang Xiao went east along the Qinghai Road, and was warmly received by the Qiang people and the Xiaoyue clan along the way. Except for a few gangsters who didn't have eyesight, he basically encountered no danger.When he crossed the Yellow River and entered Longxi, thinking it was really safe, he encountered more than a dozen groups of Huns in a row.At first, there were only a dozen or so scouts, but later the number increased, and gradually more than a hundred cavalry appeared.

What is biting him now is a Hun cavalry of nearly 200 people.Fortunately, although there were a lot of them, they came here on a long-distance gallop. Their horsepower was insufficient, and they underestimated the strength of Liang Xiao and the others. Vigorousness, this is the stalemate.

Even so, it was difficult for Liang Xiao, who was dragged down by the missions and business groups, to get rid of the Huns. He could only patiently wrestle with them and accumulate advantages little by little.

He was very angry, this is already in the territory of the Han Dynasty, why are there so many Huns?What does this prefect surnamed Gongsun do to eat?
Just as Liang Xiao was guessing, the sound of war drums and horseshoes sounded in the distance.On the horizon, a black line is rapidly approaching, and a fiery red battle flag is fluttering in the wind.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the Huns pulled their horses away one after another, and they were all gone in an instant.

Not long after, a knight came up to Liang Xiao on horseback, and shouted loudly: "Grand servant Sun He, hello to your step, who is it?"
-
(End of this chapter)