Time: Early November in the winter of the seventh year of the Tang Dynasty.

Location: A desert in the northwest frontier of the Tang Dynasty.

Character: A caravan of more than 100 people.

"I said shopkeeper, why is your batch of goods so heavy, I almost got rid of my hands when I moved the goods just now, and I almost smashed my feet, and now my hands are still sore, what the hell is this?" A lean man sat on a horse and complained to a middle-aged man in his forties with a goatee in front of him with a depressed expression.

The goatee was riding on a horse and was leisurely looking at the surrounding scenery, and when he heard this, he turned his head and smiled: "It's not a valuable thing, it's just some ordinary goods, of course, it's a little heavy, and it didn't hit you, and this salary is not less than yours, what are you complaining about?" ”

The lean man nodded helplessly, and then asked as if he had thought of something: "Shopkeeper, where are we going?" It doesn't seem like a route to the Western Turkic royal court, does it? Could it be to go to the Western Regions? That's a long way to go! You don't tell us, shopkeeper, is there enough food and water? Also, it seems that this place is very close to Tuyuhun, Datang has not traded with Tuyuhun, Tuyuhun came to Lanzhou a few days ago, we can't do business with them! ”

The goatee gave the lean man a white look, and said, "Why do you talk so much, kid?" Who said Lao Tzu was going to do business with Tuyuhun? Those barbarians fight against Datang every day, and they always don't deal with us, although Lao Tzu is a businessman, he also knows righteousness, isn't doing business with them hurting Datang? Lao Tzu has read books, do you think Lao Tzu is the same as you? ”

The lean man's eyes flashed. Approaching the goatee with a flattering smile, he smiled: "Ouch, the shopkeeper really can't see it, you still have a book?" How can a person who has read a book still be a businessman? I heard that the imperial court has already studied what kind of technique, saying that everyone will be able to read after the Tang Dynasty, ouch, hey, ......"

Goatee said angrily: "That's papermaking and movable type printing, what a merit, you have to remember, besides, who said that if you have read a book, you can't be a businessman?" In the future, more people will be able to read, and anyone will be able to read. The imperial court also had to build an official school. This reader will not be so rare, maybe your kid can study when he comes home, don't you live in Yongzhou? It's a place where you can study, and when you go back, you can study. ”

The lean man laughed: "Hey, hey, hey." That's right, too. Yesterday my wife brought me a letter from home. Said that he had already signed me up, and this time I could go back to study, hehehe. In the future, I will also be a reader, what a face-saving way to say this, hehehehe! The shopkeeper, if he reads and reads in the future, can he increase his salary or something? ”

The goatee fluttered out laughing, took out a hardcover thread-bound book from his arms, handed it to the lean man, and said, "If you kid can memorize this "Three Character Classic" within a year, I will give you double the salary!" ”

The lean man carefully held the book, and when he heard the goatee's words, his eyes immediately lit up and said, "Okay! Shopkeeper, just wait! Get ready for double your salary! Oh my boy, this is a book, I've never seen it before, oops, I'm the first person in our village to see a book, hehe......"

Goatee smiled and shook his head, didn't speak, then turned his head to look into the distance, his eyes flashed, and muttered in a low voice, "It should be almost there." ”

The lean man was very close, but his mind was on the book, and he didn't hear Goatee's self-talk, and neither did the others, Goatee looked quietly ahead, and from time to time he glanced around, and after a while, he suddenly raised his hand and shouted, "Listen, everyone, abandon the goods and retreat!" Run back the way you came! Don't stop! If you want to live, don't stop! Drive! ”

The shopkeeper turned the horse's head, patted the horse's buttocks and galloped back, the thin man did not come back to his senses, a group of people turned the horse's head one after another, beat the horse and galloped, seeing this, the thin man was also anxious, and suddenly put the book in his arms and galloped the horse, and galloped for a while before he saw the goatee in front of him stop, and he couldn't see the place just now, the thin man couldn't help but be puzzled, and didn't know what was going on, and finally chased after the goatee, and was just about to speak, but was stopped by the goatee's outstretched hand:" Don't talk! ”

Although the lean man was puzzled, he still closed his mouth, looked around at the escort partners around him, and saw that they had the same expression as the shopkeeper, and he couldn't help but have a thought in his heart, he probably got on the thief ship......

After a while, the goatee waved his hand: "Retreat!" ”

The horse team slowly began to move, and the lean man couldn't help but ask, "Shopkeeper, what the hell is going on?!" Why do you lose your goods and run away?! ”

The goatee looked at the lean man with a smile and said, "You're not happy to let you live?" Keep this life and go to school! If it weren't for the fact that you are the only child in the family, you would have been left there a long time ago, and you didn't know that you had picked up a life? Goatee didn't tell a lie, he was instructed to add realism and sacrifice some people if necessary, but the conversation on the road made him feel very good about this lean man, and he saved him with compassion.

Forget it, just go back and explain it, anyway, the goods have been lost, the matter has been done, it doesn't matter if the sacrifice is better than not to have, Datang is short of people, Mr. Du should be understandable, as for this lucky boy, hehe, I shouldn't know that there are all blood drops here except for him, right? Hehe, lucky boy......

"What do you mean, picked up a life?" The thin man looked confused and frightened, and the goatee smiled when he saw this: "Okay, don't worry, you can forget what happened today, don't talk to anyone, go home directly, go back to study, and when you can memorize this "Three Character Classic", take this waist card, and come to Chang'an Zonghengfu to find me, at that time you will know a qiē." ”

As he spoke, Goatee handed a delicate and small waist tag to the lean man, and instructed: "Don't let anyone see it, not even your mother, if it is seen." You'll be able to kill yourself! ”

The thin man didn't know what he said, looking at the waist card with these three big characters written on it but he didn't recognize any of them, he was quite puzzled......

Also puzzled is a team of about 1,000 people of different races, wearing fur clothes, holding scimitars, riding on the high-headed mountain, with a fierce atmosphere, at first glance it is an elite cavalry, but they all have a confused look on their faces, you look at me and I look at you. Quite confused. The first two sturdy men were even more puzzled, and one of them, a guy with an obscene face, asked the mighty man next to him, "General, didn't you say that there would be a Han caravan?" Now, this. There is such a thing. But. What about people? ”

Wei Wuzi, who was called a general, was also puzzled, and said, "I don't know, the Heavenly Pillar King obviously said that it was a caravan. It is also said that the goods are gold, by the way, gold! Open these boxes! Look if the gold is still there! ”

As soon as the mighty man gave the order, the surrounding alien cavalry dismounted and rushed to those boxes, and after prying it open, he was dumbfounded, and the obscene guy rode forward to take a look, and was also dumbfounded, and turned his head to Wei Wuzi and said: "General, it's not gold, it's all it, it's all stone!" ”

The mighty man was stunned for a moment, and personally went to take a look, and sure enough, hundreds of large boxes were all stones after prying them open, which made him quite stunned, but he couldn't think of a reason, I don't know what was going on, the king of Tianzhu was obviously very excited to tell him that the Han people had a batch of gold to pass through here, and then let himself lead the troops to ambush here, and when the Han people came, they were all killed, and the gold was robbed.

But the current situation is beyond his expectations, there is no one here, he waited for a while and did not see a Han man come before he led someone to slowly explore the front, and he saw such a scene, this situation made him quite puzzled, no one, a lot of stones, he fought bravely, he was the first brave general in Tuyuhun country, but when it came to playing tricks, he was really not a person.

"Forget it, retreat, take all these things away, go back and report to the Heavenly Pillar King, and then talk about the rest!" The mighty man gave the order, so the cavalry took all the carts away, and after everyone had disappeared for a while, a sneaky figure appeared from the sand, looked at the surrounding nothing, smiled, and then disappeared into the sand, without a trace.

The mighty man brought the cart to the designated place of the king of Tianzhu, and saw that the king of Tianzhu had already waited there with a group of people, and now it was getting late, and not many people knew, this matter was originally a very secret thing, the king of Tianzhu said that only the Khan and the king of Tianzhu himself knew, and now counting himself and the thousand soldiers, not many people know that these soldiers are the khan's personal guards, obviously this is also the meaning of Fuyun Khan.

As soon as the King of Tianzhu saw the mighty man coming, he immediately greeted him with a smile and asked, "General Chi Yun, can things go smoothly?" Have all the Han people been killed? Is the body disposed of? How many people did we lose? How much gold did you get? The Great Khan is in a hurry! ”

Chi Yun looked at the Heavenly Pillar King, with a tangled expression on his face, but this made the Heavenly Pillar King feel confused and worried, his smile disappeared, and he was replaced by a worried look: "What, what happened?" Was it escaped by the Han Chinese or did something else happen? Say it quickly! ”

Chi Yun gritted his teeth and said: "King Tianzhu, this matter, the last general thinks it is very strange, you said that there will be a Han caravan passing through our ambush place, but there is no caravan passing through our ambush circle, the last general felt that something was not right, so he asked people to go ahead and follow the road to investigate, and as a result, he saw hundreds of big cars parked there, and there were many horseshoe prints around, it should be someone who came, it should be that caravan."

But the last general didn't understand why all the Han people in that caravan were gone, and these carts were not taken away, and besides, King Tianzhu, there was no gold in it, it was all stones, not a single piece of gold, we didn't lose a single soldier, but not a single Han person saw it, only these carts and stones, the last general really didn't understand what the situation was? ”

The Heavenly Pillar King's face became more and more ugly, and when Chi Yun finished saying all the things that should be said, the Heavenly Pillar King gritted his teeth and asked, "Don't have a piece of gold?" Not a single Han person has seen it? ”

Chi Yun nodded: "That's it!" ”

The Heavenly Pillar King had a black face and shouted, "Go and call Mr. Liu to me!" ”

Immediately, a group of soldiers agreed to go, but soon they returned, and the leading officer said with a panicked face: "King Tianzhu, the big thing is not good, Mr. Liu's room is empty, and the two people guarding have been killed!" ”

The Heavenly Pillar King's eyes were round, and he almost didn't stand still, Chi Yun hurriedly stepped forward to support the Heavenly Pillar King and asked, "Heavenly Pillar King, what's wrong with you?" Also, who is that Mr. Liu? Is it a Han Chinese? What's going on? ”

King Tianzhu didn't say a word, but his face turned iron-blue, his teeth clucked, he shook off Chi Yun's support, turned over on his horse, and said to Chi Yun: "General Chi Yun, from now on, the whole country will prepare for war!" ”

As soon as the words fell, the King of Tianzhu whipped the horse's buttocks, and the horses were in pain, and galloped wildly, but they were nowhere to be seen for a while, leaving Chi Yun standing there stupidly, not knowing what was going on...... (To be continued......)