Two days later, the mountain hunting ground.

In the scorching sun, Xue Shao's 1,000 flying cavalry transferred from Yulinwei and the 2,000 Yue cavalry from the Luoshui battalion lined up together on the hunting ground. All the bright light armor and high-headed horses, the banner is bright, and the sword is bright.

Such a formation is not so much a hunting as a military parade.

Whether it is Li Dayu or Sun Wanrong, it is an eye-opener to see such a formation. The Khitan and Xi are both peoples on horseback, and they have never lacked good riders. But they definitely don't have so many bright light armors, and the military flag is far less bright and dazzling than the Tang Dynasty. Almost all of them are as tall as their heads and as long as their tails, and even their manes have been reduced to the same neatness, which makes Li Dayu and Sun Wanrong even more amazed.

"Xue Yuma, you really have a good way of governing the army!" Sun Wanrong sighed, "The Rumbling Army made the enemy fearful, and won a battle without a fight. Great! ”

"Sun Shuai praised it falsely." Xue Shao said, "Yulinwei is the royal guard, not a soldier I bringed. The other 2,000 cavalry were under the command of the right guard of the Luoshui battalion, and I was only the general of the right guard of the school. Their real leading generals are Dang Jinbi and Guo Dafeng. ”

Sun Wanrong also smiled indifferently, "In Sun's opinion, all the soldiers and horses in the Tang Dynasty are under the command of Xue Yuma. ”

"Why?"

"Xue Zi Zhenguo, who dares to offend?" Sun Wanrong smiled and said, "This word has long spread on the grassland, and everyone knows it!" ”

Xue Shao smiled bitterly, "Ashamed! ”

"Why did Xue Juma say this?" Sun Wanrong asked.

Xue Shao shook his head and said, "The four fields are restless, and no one in Xue Zizhenguo dares to make a mistake—can I not be ashamed?" ”

Sun Wanrong smiled, "Xue Yuma, that's not your fault. ”

Xue Shao was about to talk to Sun Wanrong a few more words, and on the other side, Li Dayu had already ridden his war horse and galloped back and forth, whistling while running, waving a lasso like galloping on the grassland to drive away prey, and shouted loudly: "Xue Yuma, when will you start hunting?" I can't wait! ”

"Start now!" Xue Shao shouted.

The war drums beat and the horns sounded, and the three thousand horsemen rushed left and right to form two arcs. As soon as these two groups of cavalry meet, a large circular hunting ground will be formed. Then they will continue to drive away the prey hiding in the forest and grass, and let Xue Shao and the others hunt separately. In the end, whoever fights the most prey will be the winner.

For the steppe people, hunting is an important means of survival. And the excellent hunter will enjoy a high status and honor. Therefore, they attach great importance to the competition of winning and losing in the hunt, which is no less than the competition.

Li Dayu was an impatient, and when he saw the cavalry in the encirclement of the hunting ground running away, he rushed out first, followed by a group of horsemen and his followers.

"Sun Shuai, please!" Xue Shao motioned for Sun Wanrong to take a step forward.

"Okay, then Sun Mou is welcome!" Sun Wanrong simply stepped on the horse, took his nine entourage, including himself, a total of ten people, and a team of people flew away with hounds and bows.

Xue Shaoxuan's nine riders were all his own scouts, led by Guo An.

At this time, Guo An came forward to ask for instructions, "Young marshal, let's go too, right?" ”

"What's going on?" Xue Shao said lightly, "The prey is ready, no need to shoot again." ”

"Oh?" Guo An was stunned.

Xue Shao smiled slightly and said, "I had already asked Dang Jinbi to shoot a few hares and put them here. Let them win, we will not fight. ”

"This ......" Guo An and the scouts were a little puzzled. When they heard that they were going to shoot and hunt, everyone was preparing for a long time, just waiting for a big fight to show their majesty.

"No more questions." Xue Shao said, "You go to the forest and run two laps casually and come back." Remember, don't fire a single arrow! ”

"Yes."

Although they were puzzled, Guo An and the others obediently took the promise and left.

Dang Jinbi scratched his head on the side, "Young marshal, shooting and hunting is like fighting martial arts, why should we let them?" If you lose, you will grow the morale of others and destroy your own prestige! ”

Xue Shao said lightly: "I just want to make them feel that our cavalry is useless." ”

"Huh?" Dang Jinbi's eyes widened.

Xue Shao smiled and said, "Beidi is proud of his cavalry and archery, and looks down on our cavalry and archery in the Central Plains. Then I will chase their wish - don't forget, the Khitan have never participated in any war, and we know nothing about their cavalry tactics and archery skills. Why should we show them our cavalry and archery skills first? ”

"Oh, hiding!" Dang Jinbi smiled, "I understand!" ”

"Actually, you can't hide it. Sun Wanrong is an expert, and his eyes are not ordinarily poisonous. Xue Shao smiled, "But I just want him to know that I have this meaning of 'hiding'." ”

"This ...... I don't understand! Dang Jin Bi shook his head, confused.

"Whoever leads an army is suspicious. When Sun Wanrong knew that I was deliberately hiding, he couldn't help but guess. In this way, even if he sees the real thing, he will be suspicious. In this way, he couldn't figure out the reality of the combat power of the Tang army. Xue Shao smiled, "I said that, do you understand?" ”

"I understand, I understand!" Dang Jinbi nodded like pounding garlic.

Xue Shao laughed, "Okay, you go roast sheep - you don't need to hide this craft, remember to roast a little fragrant, and the dinner at night will depend on you!" ”

"Okay, leave it to me!" Dang Jin Bi Lezi went to roast sheep.

Xue Shao asked the left and right guards to take off their heavy armor and cloaks, lay down on the couch in the tent, picked up a book and read it leisurely.

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

I don't know how long I slept, I was a little dazed, Xue Shao felt that his nose was very itchy, and he woke up with a sneez.

There was a burst of woman's laughter in his ears, and Xue Shao opened his eyes dimly, and actually saw Princess Taiping.

"Taiping, why are you here?" Xue Shao sat up, rubbed his eyes and looked at it, yes, it was her.

"Don't bring me with you when you're hunting, you're really getting more and more disagreeable!" Princess Taiping deliberately sat beside Xue Shao with a puffing appearance, and said curtly, "Do you remember, when was the last time I hunted?" ”

Xue Shao said with a smile: "I know you like hunting, and you haven't hunted for a long time." But aren't you pregnant? Moreover, this hunt is a major national event related to diplomatic relations, not purely for fun. So what about ......"

"Okay, I don't have to explain it repeatedly." Princess Taiping snorted lightly and said, "Mother called me." ”

Xue Shao was slightly stunned, "What did she call you for?" ”

"Of course, it's a message!" Princess Taiping said wistfully, "I don't know how to do it, my dignified princess has become an errand boy, specializing in passing words between you and your mother." ”

Xue Shao blinked thoughtfully, Wu Zetian had endless servings and attendants around him, what had to be said by Princess Taiping, who was pregnant with Liujia, to pass it on in person?

"Tell me, what's the matter?"

Princess Taiping said: "Yesterday I entered the palace to greet my mother, and she asked me to tell you that the Turkic envoys have entered the customs from Lingzhou and will soon arrive in the capital. ”

Xue Shao couldn't help but be stunned, "Lingzhou? - When did you receive the message? ”

"Yesterday afternoon." Princess Taiping said, "I was also present when I received the urgent report from the Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion. ”

Xue Shao smiled indifferently, "At that time, your mother, was she quite proud?" ”

Princess Taiping blinked, "How do you know?" - No, how can you say that about my mother? ”

"Oh, it's not smug, it's happy—happy, okay?" Xue Shao smiled and said, "Actually, this is the case, I entered the palace before and told your mother that the Turks did not send envoys to Tang because they had other plans, and they had to take military precautions in advance." Your mother disagreed, and I repeated the bitter admonitions, and finally she threw me out. Unexpectedly, she immediately received the news that the Turkic envoy had entered the customs—and she certainly had reason to be happy. ”

Princess Taiping frowned, "Xue Lang, why do I feel that you are ...... to my mother?"

"Don't worry too much, I respect and support your mother as always." Xue Shao said, "I'm just responsible, and I have to worry a little more." In a hurry, it is inevitable that there will be a little excess. ”

"No wonder my mother said that you were a little too sensitive and impatient this time." Princess Taiping pursed her lips and said, "She asked me to persuade you, in the judgment of military affairs, don't rely too much on your own intuition and speculation, or be stable based on facts." ”

"Minister, be taught." Xue Shao looked at Princess Taiping solemnly, bent down and bowed.

"you!" Princess Taiping slapped Xue Shao's hand angrily, "You are not allowed to pretend to be sneering in front of me." ”

Xue Shao laughed, "The minister never dare." ”

"Coming back?" Princess Taiping glared, "I'm pregnant, I'm the biggest." Provoke me and make you look good! ”

"I was wrong, I was wrong." Xue Shao hurriedly smiled and invited Princess Taiping to sit down, and said with a smile, "Since Mrs. Baby is here, then accompany me to hunt for a few days - but there is one condition, you are not allowed to participate in person, you can only watch from the sidelines!" ”

"Yay!" Princess Taiping cheered like a child, hugged Xue Shao's neck and kissed him fiercely on the face, "I know that my husband loves me the most!" ”

His face was kissed by Princess Taiping for a while, but Xue Shao's heart was already making another calculation - why did the Turkic envoys take such a long detour and choose to enter the customs from Lingzhou?

Lingzhou is located in the Helan Mountain area of Helong, adjacent to the Xiazhou Governor's Mansion, both of which are important military fortresses. Before Xue Shao became the governor of Xiazhou, Fengzhou, an extremely important front-line military town, was placed under the rule of the Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Office.

Moreover, under the rule of the Lingzhou Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, there are also "Lu, Li, Sai, Han, Yi, Qi" Liuhu Prefecture, when Emperor Taizong Li Shimin pacified the grassland after the Turkic surrender of the Turkic Descending Department, all settled in this area. In the following decades, all the Hu tribes who surrendered, the Tang Dynasty settled them in Liuhu Prefecture according to the custom, and many Hu people from the Western Regions also settled here.

The more Xue Shao thought about it, the more uneasy he became, the Turks' actions were quite strange, what did they want to do? …… Well, I have a lot of bad speculations again. However, I can't go and admonish Wu Zetian anymore.

"Amitabha, don't let my speculation come true!" Xue Shao couldn't help but mutter.

"Xue Lang, what are you muttering about?" Princess Taiping pouted dissatisfiedly, "I will never kiss you again in the future!" ”

Xue Shao hurriedly smiled, "I said, it's so cool to kiss me!" Don't stop, don't stop! ”