Wu Zhile raised his bowl of wine and said to Yang Fan, "Erlang truly has a good plan. You only went to the Tubo capital once and effortlessly blocked the Tubo army of one hundred thousand for me! Haha, now that the snow has sealed the mountains, even if negotiations fail, I have no need to fear him! When spring comes next year, the water and grass will be lush, and there will be homes everywhere. He won't be able to fight even if he wants to. The sky is high and the earth is wide, laozi can drag him to death, haha … "
Wu Zhile saw that there was only half a bowl of wine left in Yang Fan's bowl. He immediately grabbed the wine jug and filled it for him, enthusiastically urging, "Come, drink, drink!"
Shen Mu also raised his bowl and said with a smile, "This bowl of wine should indeed be a toast to you! Helping Wu Zhile survive this winter and allowing him to recover his strength is only one aspect. On the other hand, the conflict between the Tubo King and Lun Trinling will only become more intense because of this. Regardless of whether or not the Tubo King realizes that he has been tricked by us, the intense wariness he has shown toward Lun Trinling will make Lun Trinling feel danger. If he wants to avoid this danger, he can only continue to hold on to his military power. Only then will he feel at ease. But the more he holds on to his military power, the more the Tubo King will be afraid of him … "
At this point, Shen Mu cheerfully said, "It can be predicted that there will be a battle between the Tubo King and Lun Trinling, and in this battle, no matter who wins, our Tang dynasty will be the biggest winner. Erlang's plan will be meritorious to the country and beneficial to the world. We should drink to the fullest!"
Yang Fan repeatedly said that he did not dare. He raised his bowl and clinked it against theirs, and the three of them drank the wine together.
Leaning against the fire, eating hotpot and drinking strong wine, Yang Fan felt as if his body was on fire. He pulled his collar back a little and asked, "What do we plan to do after this?"
Shen Mu said, "The Tufan King and Lun Trinling are both wary of each other, but if they truly want to develop to the point where they are irreconcilable enemies, they still need time. We do not need to interfere on this side, we only need to quietly observe the changes. If they discover that someone is deliberately trying to sow discord, I'm afraid it will instead backfire on us. Wuzhile's tribe has already been able to survive this winter. That's enough. When spring comes next year, there will be no place in the world that they can't go. In a year's time, they should be able to find and establish a new pasture. I think it's time for us to go back. "
Yang Fan asked curiously, "Go back? Then the information I need … "
"Did you think that I didn't do anything while I was waiting for you here?" Shen Mu smiled. Hehe, I've already gathered all the information you need. "
Wu Zhile said, "The snow is so heavy. Why don't you all stay in my tribe for the time being, and then leave when we migrate in spring?"
Shen Mu said, "Forget it. Although the snow is heavy, we are light and few in number, so this won't be a problem. I still have people waiting by the Huang River, and I trust that Erlang will also have to return as soon as possible. Otherwise, if there is no news for a long time, the Imperial Court might mistakenly believe that he has died outside. That would be very inconvenient. "
Hearing this, Yang Fan also felt that it was very reasonable. Although Wu Zhile wanted to keep the guests, it was not good for him to continue persuading them, so he could only agree. The three of them agreed that once the storm stopped, they would prepare to return. The Wu Zhile tribe would provide a few sledges to help them transport food for the people and horses along the way.
After drinking for more than an hour, the three of them finally concluded their discussion. Yang Fan, somewhat tipsy, hurried back to his own residence. By the time he came out, the snow was still falling, but the wind had stopped. His body was hot from eating the hot pot, so he only wrapped himself in his leather robe and rushed back through the snow.
After passing through several large white mushroom-like yurts, Yang Fan finally recognized his own yurt. Just as he was about to walk over, a person suddenly appeared from one of the snowy mushroom-like yurts. His clothes were disheveled, and he was in the middle of fastening his belt. Behind him was a Turkic girl with a face full of spring. When she saw someone outside, she playfully stuck out her tongue and then shrank back.
When Zhang Yi saw that it was Yang Fan, he laughed and said, "Erlang, are you done drinking?"
Yang Fan stopped and said, "Yes, you … I was wondering why I couldn't find you when we were drinking. You brought us back safely. I have to thank you for your help. I even wanted to offer you a cup of wine."
Zhang Yi waved his hand. "It's nothing, it's nothing. This is all I can do. If not for Third Brother's explanation, I still wouldn't have known that your plan in the Tubo capital was so formidable that you defeated an army of one hundred thousand! The Tubo King and the Tubo Great Minister both fell for your trap, ha! Third Brother said that in the blink of an eye, you trapped the King and killed the Minister. Although I don't really understand, I know that this is an excellent plan! "
With a smile that was not a smile, Yang Fan said, "Brother Zhang overpraises me. This little brother's plan only worked on two people. But Brother Zhang … "
Yang Fan waved his hand at the countless yurts in the snow and sighed with deep reverence. "A thousand years from now, Brother Zhang, you will be able to create a nation!"
Even after Yang Fan had walked far away, Zhang Yi was still standing there in a daze. He rubbed his chin and blinked his eyes, muttering to himself in bewilderment, "A thousand years from now, I will be able to create a nation? How will I be able to create a nation? Will I be able to live that long? It's really hard to understand the words of a scheming person … "
… …
Northeast of Huangshui City, two military horses galloped with all their might in the heavy snow. The two of them, each on a horse, trudged through the heavy snow that made it impossible to tell whether it was a field or a road.
"Ye An, I … I can't walk …"
One of the soldiers, who was lying on his horse, pulled down his veil to block the wind and snow and shouted. As soon as he opened his mouth, the wind and snow poured into his mouth, choking him until he couldn't speak. This man was actually speaking Turkic.
The other man pulled on the reins, turned his head, and pulled down his mask. "Dianci, hold on. It's not easy for us to travel, and it's even harder for them to catch up!"
This man also spoke Turkic. He glanced at the end of the white road and laughed coldly. "In such a heavy snowstorm, we can't see any footprints. Even the hounds they raise can't smell us. It's impossible for them to find us!"
He patted his bosom and chuckled. "We've obtained such important intelligence from the Tang. When we return, the Khagan will definitely reward us handsomely. Perhaps we'll even be conferred the title of Dagan (Turkic official position, a relatively high-ranking military officer). Do you still remember our tribe's great beauty, Moqi Qingyuan? If you become a Dagan, she'll definitely be willing to be your woman. "
Dianci's spirits rose at Ye An's words. He pressed down on his ribs. There had originally been a knife wound there, but it had been wrapped tightly with a long belt. The blood that had seeped out had already frozen into ice.
His body felt cold, and he really couldn't hold on much longer. He didn't know if he could survive until he returned to the Turkic tribe, but when he thought of that enchanting and graceful woman, Dianci felt his heart heat up and his body fill with strength.
"Hyah!"
The two of them whipped their horses and sped up again.
Dianci and Ye An were cousins, and both of them were Turkic scouts. In fact, it wasn't only the Tubo scouts who ambushed the Hundred Cavalry. When they ambushed the Hundred Cavalry, one of their companions died. Because this person was perfectly fine the day before, it would be suspicious if they said that he died of a sudden illness. Therefore, they claimed to the public that this person was killed by horse bandits, but this time, he was also arrested by the government.
Because stolen goods were found in their house, they couldn't explain and had been detained in the military camp. Today, they were originally brought in for interrogation by Qiu Shenji. In the end, because they had already been interrogated several times, the security was too lax. After Qiu Shenji had something to do and left, only two people were left to guard the tent. They were attacked by them, and then they changed into the clothes of the guards, stole the warhorses, and sneaked out of the military camp.
They had the token on them, so they were able to leave calmly. Dianci's injury was sustained when the soldiers discovered them and chased after them. Due to the heavy snowstorm, they finally managed to shake off the pursuit of the soldiers.
As they ran, Dianci's vision darkened. He raised his hand and wanted to shout something, but he just plunged into the snow. The military horses of the air cavalry continued to chase Ye An in front of them.
Ye An didn't notice that Dianci had fallen off the horse. He lowered his head, and his face was covered with frost and snow. He only left a small gap in his eyes, staring at the direction in front of him.
The wind and snow became stronger and stronger. A man and two horses gradually disappeared in the vast snow …
In Qiu Shenji's tent, Lou Shide, Qiu Shenji, and Wang Xiaojie stood there with ugly expressions. On the ground were two corpses whose uniforms had been stripped, and at the entrance of the tent were the corpses of two guards. The ground was dyed red with blood. On the side, a brazier that had been kicked over during the fight was still burning, and it was still emitting a faint red light.
Qiu Shenji's face was livid. He said in a deep voice, "The two people at the entrance of the tent had their throats slit and were assassinated from behind. The two people in the tent had many scuffling scars on their bodies. Obviously, the reinforcements and the two scouts who were being interrogated worked together and killed them."
When Qiu Shenji said this, his two weed-like thick eyebrows emitted a cold murderous aura. He stared at Lou Shide and said, "There are their spies in your army!"
Lou Shide ignored Qiu Shenji's question. His eyes were constantly moving between the four corpses in the tent and at the entrance of the tent. He had a contemplative expression on his face.
Wang Xiaojie couldn't help saying, "This is Lord Lou's main tent. The possibility of Tufan spies sneaking in is not high."
Qiu Shenji sneered, "But how do you explain these four corpses? You can't possibly think that two bound criminals can kill four people so easily, right? "
Wang Xiaojie said, "General Qiu only placed two guards at the entrance of the tent?"
Qiu Shenji raised his eyebrows and said, "Isn't this enough? They are just two prisoners who have been held captive for many days and don't even have enough to eat. In such a heavy snow and such a cold day, and they are in General Lou's main army, do you want me to place all the guards outside as if facing a great enemy? "
Wang Xiaojie was speechless after hearing this.
Lou Shide slowly raised his head and looked at the empty tables. Then he looked at the snowflakes that were blown into the tent by the whistling wind. He said worriedly, "The two escaped criminals are not important. What is important is how many military secrets they stole … General Qiu, which pass' intelligence did you read today?"
…
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