Peng Lin grabbed the reins of the horse, stopped, and said to Tu Anping, the deputy commander beside him: "Ahead is the confluence of several major rivers, and the position is extremely important, and the commander has ordered us to stay here and wait for orders. Take twenty soldiers and go to the south to see if there is anyone else. It's overgrown with reeds and swamps, and it's hard to see what it's all about, so you have to look around. ”

Tu Anping crossed his hands and promised, ordered twenty soldiers, and rode his horse to the south. There is a large swamp on the road, and there are occasional traces of the road, and if you don't look closely, you can't see the traces at all.

Tong Erlang lifted the bucket from the well and was about to carry it home, when he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves. Feeling strange in his heart, he put down the bucket and looked at the place where the sound of horses' hooves came. The terrain here is remote, and few people have always come, so how can there be the sound of horses' hooves?

After a while, dozens of people were seen riding horses and turning out from behind a field of reeds. The red armor they wore was different from what they had seen before, which was strange. The men looked around, saw that there was someone here, and they came together.

Tong Erlang looked back at the residence, there was no one outside, and everyone went to the big blister next to them to fish, and they didn't know what to do for a while.

Tu Anping led the men and horses to see a well in front of him, and a boy was standing next to the well to draw water. He looked like he was seven or eight years old, and he was quietly looking at his own people. With the reins of his horse, he came down with his men.

When he arrived, Tu Anping got off his horse and said to Tong Erlang: "Little brother, which clan are you?" Do you speak Chinese? ”

Tong Erlang said: "I am Han, so I can naturally speak Chinese. There are very few people here, who are you? What are you here for? ”

Tu Anping was overjoyed when he heard this: "We are soldiers, are we wearing armor?" By the way, it was a soldier of the Great Song Dynasty who came to the Western Regions to recover his homeland. ”

Tong Erlang couldn't help frowning when he heard this: "What is Da Song?" Haven't heard of it. Over the years, I have heard about Black Khan and Gaochang, and even Khotan has been destroyed for decades. ”

Tu Anping said: "The Great Song Dynasty is the current Central Plains Imperial Court, just like the previous Tang Dynasty. ”

Tong Erlang was taken aback: "You are soldiers from the Central Plains, how did you get here?" This place is thousands of miles away from the Central Plains, and I haven't seen the Central Plains soldiers for hundreds of years. I tell you, from here to the south is the road to Khotan, but it has been abandoned for a long time. Several of our families here were stationed in the vicinity when the Tang Dynasty was strong, and later they were displaced and hid here. ”

Tu Anping said to the soldiers behind him: "I didn't expect us to be so lucky to meet the descendants of the Tang Army back then!" With them, the surrounding terrain is clear. Although this kid is not fluent in Chinese, he is correct and round, and he can't be wrong! ”

After speaking, Tu Anping said to Tong Erlang: "Which is your home?" Go to your house, and seek your lords out. ”

Tong Erlang said: "The adults in our family have gone out, and there are only women and children left in the house, but it is a little inconvenient. You're looking for someone, so you're waiting here. The area is sparsely populated, full of reed swamps, and it is difficult to move around. ”

Tu Anping smiled: "If I find you, everything will be fine." Okay, let's wait at the well, you go and tell the people here. ”

Tong Erlang made a promise, didn't lift water, ran home quickly, and reported to the woman at home.

After a while, several women came out and stood at the door of the house to watch Tu Anping and others. After looking at it for a while, two women in their forties and fifties came over and saluted, "I don't know where the officials came from?" What are you doing in this backwoods? ”

Tu Anping crossed his hands: "The subordinates are the imperial court sergeants, and they enter the Western Regions with the festival marshal." Ordered by the superior, check the garrison here, and wait for the army to come. Two sisters-in-law, I don't know what is here? ”

A woman said, "This is Ayig, and I don't know what it means, I just hear those people call it that." You are imperial court soldiers, let me ask you, who is the emperor of the Tang Dynasty today? ”

Tu Anping said with a smile: "Sister-in-law said that I laughed, the Tang Dynasty has been dead for two hundred years, and now the Central Plains is the Song Dynasty." ”

When the two women heard this, they whispered to each other, not knowing what to say. After a while, the woman in front said, "But I didn't know that Datang had already died." There is nothing, we have been hiding in this remote place for generations, what is the difference between dying and not dying. Dare to ask your brothers, what festival did you follow into the Western Regions, and what is the situation now? ”

Tu Anping said: "The imperial court has ordered Gaochang, defeated the Black Khan, and stationed in Shule. Now the Western Regions have re-entered the rule of the imperial court. ”

When these words came out, the two women were taken aback and said, "Since the Song Dynasty is so powerful, why haven't you heard of it before?" Why did you reclaim the Western Regions all of a sudden? Is what you say true? Although we are a remote family, it is not easy to deceive. ”

Tu Anping ordered to bring his own flag over, pointed to the words on it, and said, "This is not a 'Song' character?" We came here to garrison this area by military order, and we heard that it used to be a key road, but we don't know what it is. ”

The woman said: "We women are in the Taoist family, where can we recognize the words?" That being the case, you stay here for a while, and we'll find a parent to come over. ”

And when they had said this, the two women went back and brought some fruit and hot water, for the soldiers to enjoy. And he sent another man to find one of the men who had gone out fishing. Thinking about it, he was not at ease with Tu Anping and others, and he didn't dare to call everyone back.

After waiting for a long time, I saw a man coming back, combing his hair, but wearing a bearded clothes, dressed in a nondescript manner. However, from the party to the cities of the Western Regions, there are many people dressed like this, and Tu Anping is not surprised.

The man came to Tu Anping and arched his hand and said, "I heard from my family that a Central Plains sergeant has arrived here and come to see him." The little one is named Tong Chengle, who do you dare to ask? ”

Tu Anping endured his temperament and said: "We are the soldiers and horses under the Great Song River Qulu, and we will come to the Western Regions with the festival commander. A month ago, he defeated the army of the Black Khan in Burgur and arrived here along the Tarim River. I heard that the rivers converge here, which is an important place, so I brought troops to defend it. Who would have thought that this place is full of swamps, and even the river can't be distinguished, and they are exploring everywhere. ”

Tong Chengle nodded, looked at Tu Anping and the others carefully, and said after a while: "Looking at your appearance, it is different from the Black Khan soldiers, but there are some shadows of the Central Plains. To tell the truth, here in the Western Regions, there have been no Central Plains soldiers for nearly 300 years, which is a doubt. ”

Tu Anping said: "It's okay, since you are the descendants of the soldiers and horses of the Tang Dynasty, it's okay to be cautious." Let me ask below, where is the intersection from here to Khotan? Although the Black Khan's army has been defeated, the Khotanese court has not yet sent troops and horses, and we need to hold it to prevent their troops from escaping. ”

Tong Chengle lowered his head and thought for a while before he said: "Don't hide it, this is the intersection to Khotan." It's just that the river has been diverted, and the previous roads have been flooded, and it has become like this. As long as you cut down the reeds on the road, it will naturally reveal the appearance of the road. ”

Tu Anping was overjoyed when he heard this, and arched his hand and said: "Since this is the case, then thank you." Since this is the junction of the road to Khotan, our army can be stationed here. You don't need to panic, the imperial court has strict laws and regulations, and it will not beat you. ”

After speaking, he ordered a soldier to inform Peng Lin to bring the troops to come. As long as they hold this place, they will cut off the escape route of the Black Khan army in Khotan.