"Today, all of you will be leaving for Longxi. In a while, hand over your fish talismans and go back to make preparations. After leaving the palace, you will head for Longxi in plain clothes."
Yang Fan, Zhang Xitong, Zhang Qi, Tian Yan, Yue Ziqing and a few dozen others stood in front of Wu Youyi, listening to his instructions.
Wu Youyi said: "The situation in Longyou is complicated and the various powers are intertwined. Is the 100 cavalry sending 50 men to Longyou to rely on you to fight the war? Not really! Even if all of you can fight 100 men, you will not be able to change the situation in Longyou. The Empress is sending you to infiltrate the Tibetan and Turkic controlled areas with the following tasks:
Firstly, to investigate the enemy's situation. The tribes of the grasslands often migrate but they also have a few places where they are often stationed. These places must be investigated and more importantly, the number of troops of the various powers must be ascertained. Tian Yan, you used to be Marquis Yu so you will be in charge of this.
Secondly, to test the geography. All of you must do your best to mark out the mountains, rivers, water sources, grasslands, ramparts, roads and other places to create a detailed military map. The Ministry of Works has already sent some cartographers and these people will be personally protected by Huang Xuchang.
Thirdly, it is to understand the conflicts and conflicts between the various powers in Longxi. Regardless of whether it is the Tubo or the Turks, they are all greedy for their own benefits. There are all sorts of conflicts between officials and soldiers, tribes and tribes. Understand these things and make good use of them. We will be able to break up the enemy and defeat them without a fight. "
Wu Youyi sighed and continued: "Hei Chi Changzhi has committed suicide to escape punishment for his treason. As for the various reports from the border army, the Holy Son of Heaven is suspicious. This time, I am sending 100 cavalry to Longxi to be the eyes and ears of the Holy Son of Heaven. The Holy Son of Heaven will definitely attack Longxi and victory or defeat will largely depend on the usefulness of the information you gather. Do you understand? "
When Yang Fan heard this, he was very surprised. He had thought that they would be sent to Longyou to follow Wang Xiaojie, Qiu Shenji and the other generals to fight against the Tubo and Turkic Khaganate. He did not expect that they would be sent to be spies. Wu Zetian did not even trust the military intelligence of the Western Region that the Ministry of War had gathered? He actually wanted to personally send scouts to understand the situation in the Western Region.
What he did not know was that first there was Hei Chi Chang Zhi's' rebellion ', and then Princess Taiping secretly intervened. She used the court ministers she recommended and the eunuchs and female officials in the inner palace such as Tuan' er to indirectly influence Wu Zetian, hinting that the Longyou generals had their own selfish motives and were trying to seize the military power of Longyou.
Di Renjie, on the other hand, led a group of courtiers to publicly oppose the war against the Western Regions, and bitterly complained to Empress Wu about the pros and cons of going to war. Wu Chengsi and his gang of thugs were doing their utmost to advocate the advantages of going to war, while Wu Sansi was secretly dragging Wu Chengsi down. He wanted to facilitate the war against the Western Region, but at the same time he did not want the military power to fall into Wu Chengsi's hands.
So many forces from all sides, through all kinds of channels, continuously instilled various opinions that were beneficial to Empress Wu. The result of all the forces competing together was that a large amount of contradictory intelligence was sent to Wu Zetian at once, causing Wu Zetian to have doubts about the opinions of each side.
Before this, Wu Zetian had once used troops against the Tubo, but in the end, she returned in defeat, causing her to be especially cautious about using troops in the Western Region this time. Therefore, she had no choice but to bypass the civil and military ministers surrounding her and send her most trusted aides directly to the Western Region to understand the situation there.
Yang Fan could not help but ask, "Great General, aren't we accompanying the two generals Qiu Shenji and Wang Xiaojie to the Western Region?"
Wu Youyi glanced at him and said, "Qiu Shenji and Wang Xiaojie have already left Luoyang. They will go directly to the Qingyuan Taoist camp to meet up with Lou Shidao. In Longyou, the Tubo and Turkic scouts are everywhere, so you must be extra careful this time. Disguise yourselves, form groups of three to five people, and groups of seven to eight people. In short, it is best to not attract attention. "
Hearing this, Yang Fan could not help but be greatly disappointed. He had originally thought that on this trip to Longyou, he could stay by Qiu Shenji's side and wait for an opportunity to strike. He did not expect that there would be no contact at all. Hearing Wu Youyi say that the hundred guards could form groups and disguise themselves to go to Longyou, he could not help but think of Miss Duoduo and the baby.
If that was the case, there was really no need for him to let Duoduo follow behind him. It would be better to directly escort Duoduo to Longyou, and then spy on the Tubo and Turkic military intelligence. If he wanted to do this, he could not travel with others. Yang Fan immediately said, "Great General, I like to travel alone. Can I disguise myself and go to Longyou to spy on the Tubo and Turkic troops?"
Hearing this, Wu Youyi felt as if a huge stone had been lifted from her heart, "So that's how it is! I really thought that you were full of courage and wanted to use your own abilities to earn a title. I was worried that if anything happened to you, I would not be able to explain it to Aunt. I was still worrying about how to protect you. From the looks of it, you do not want to go to Longyou at all. You can just find a place to hide, and when the time comes, you can bring some useful intelligence to your superiors. Aunt said that this intelligence is of great use, so naturally it will be of great use. Won't it be easy to bestow you a high official? "
"Hei! What a good plan! But … when Xue Huai Yi was bestowed the title of Great General, there was no such trouble. That's right, Aunt has just ascended to the throne, and now that she is the Son of Heaven, she cannot be as unscrupulous as before. If there is a reward, naturally it must be justifiable. "
Wu Youyi automatically thought of countless reasons for Yang Fan, and naturally agreed to all his requests. He nodded and said, "Of course you can! If you like to travel alone, you can naturally go alone. Alright, next, Xu Liang will explain to you the detailed arrangements for your trip to Longyou! "
…
When Wu Youyi gave them their tasks, Yang Fan thought that it was too simple. After listening to Xu Liang's description of the detailed arrangements for receiving, settling, collecting, and returning, he finally understood. So the real scouts of the Tang dynasty were still not these people.
They were sent to Longyou because Wu Zetian did not trust the intelligence obtained from other sources. But the main reason for their trip to Longyou was to be a witness, to see if the process of collecting the intelligence was true. After they arrived at Longyou, they would be assigned with local scouts with rich experience to help them collect intelligence.
Xu Liang's description lasted for a long time. When they rushed to Black Tortoise Gate to listen to the mission, the sky was still cloudy, and when they left, it was already drizzling.
Yang Fan put on his straw raincoat and quickly walked down from the top of Black Tortoise Gate.
The other guards who were sent to Longyou did not leave. They gathered together and were discussing who would go with who. Because they had already handed over their waist tokens, they had to leave the palace today to prepare for their journey. The choice of companions had to be decided immediately.
The ancient bluestone steps were shiny from the rain. Yang Fan quickly walked down and left Black Tortoise Gate, heading towards the History Library.
Yang Fan, who was wearing a straw cape, had just left the Black Tortoise Gate when two people hurriedly came from the direction of Jia City. These two people were Xie Xiaoman and Gao Ying. Both of them were also wearing straw raincoats. They saw the back of Yang Fan in the wind and rain, but did not recognize him as Yang Fan. The two of them walked straight towards Black Tortoise Gate.
Xie Xiaoman's little face was taut and she looked very nervous. Gao Ying looked at her and comforted her: "Don't be so nervous, you will see them in a while."
Xie Xiaoman suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her lips were pale as she nervously said, "Little Ying, Shopkeeper Yan sent a message saying that he brought back a total of four people. Among them, three of them must be fake. I'm afraid … I'm afraid … what if all four of them are fake? I have already rejoiced in vain many times. If this method still cannot find Elder Brother, I … "
As Xiaoman spoke, tears began to well up in her eyes.
When she heard that the people that Shopkeeper Yan had sent to Guangzhou Prefecture had already returned, and had even brought back four child beggars who claimed to be her elder brothers, the string that had been stretched taut in Xiaoman's mind for a long time finally snapped. She very much wanted to find someone to pour out the anxiety and fear in her heart, and wanted this person to accompany her to see Shopkeeper Yan on Yanlou Tower, because she no longer dared to bear the blow of disappointment alone.
The first person she thought of was Yang Fan. In the end, when she rushed to Yang Fan's camp, she heard that he had been summoned by Great General Wu Youyi. So she found her good sister Gao Ying and told her the things that she had suppressed in her heart for many years. At this time, Gao Ying already knew her pain.
Gao Ying saw her uneasy look and hurriedly comforted her: "Silly girl, you haven't seen them yet, but you are already scaring yourself. Maybe when you see them in a while, you will immediately find your Elder Brother. Think about it, finding four at once, even if there are swindlers, can they all be swindlers? This time, you will definitely find your Elder Brother! "
"Yes!"
Xiaoman's crying turned into a smile. Because of this smile, tears finally rolled down her cheeks.
Gao Ying wiped her tears and teased her: "Look at this pitiful look, even I feel sorry for you. Let's go quickly, your Elder Brother must be anxiously waiting for us. "
"Yes, let's go!"
Xiaoman continued to walk out, nervously hoping to eat another pill of reassurance: "My Elder Brother must have really found him this time, right?"
Gao Ying casually said: "Of course! Definitely! If all four of them are fake this time, you can put up notices all over the Tang dynasty. As long as your Elder Brother is not dead, he will definitely see it! "
Xiaoman glanced at her, her little mouth flattened, tears glistening, and she was about to cry again.
Gao Ying saw this and couldn't help but say awkwardly: "Ah, I was talking nonsense. You see, the weather is so good today, your Elder Brother must have found him. I can even hear the magpies singing, hahaha …"
The rain hit the flowers and plants outside the window, making a rustling sound.
Wan 'er sat alone by the window, looking at the flowers that were watered by the rain and became more and more beautiful.
She had rested for two days. The first day when Tuan 'er came to see her, she clearly saw that she was lying on the ground and didn't even have the strength to speak, but she insisted on sitting by the bed and chattering endlessly. Tuan' er almost saw the kiss mark on her neck. Later, when the stewards of the various departments in the palace, the scholars of Hongwen School, and the inner study came to visit, they only put down the gifts outside and greeted a few words through the screen, so there was no more risk.
Wan 'er lazily lay on the bed for a day, and finally got up today. She only felt that she had been reborn, and her whole person had changed. Looking at the radiant and beautiful appearance in the mirror, she was shocked. She thought that she might be very haggard.
What changed was not only the charm of her eyes, but also her state of mind. In the past, every time it rained like this, she always had an inexplicable melancholy in her heart. But now her state of mind suddenly changed. Looking at the rain, looking at the beautiful flowers, it seemed that the clear sound of the rain was like a cheerful music.
Wan 'er held her chin, quietly looking at the flowers in the rain. Sometimes there was a smile on her face, and sometimes there was a flash of shyness. Just like the flowers in the rain, she was as beautiful and beautiful.
At this time, Yang Fan had just stepped into the door of the History Library …
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