Sorry, editor-in-chief Ruili... I promised him to update the day before yesterday, but it was only coded until today, and I burst into tears...

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The victory of the Tiance Tang army in the battle of the horse-ridden land caused Chang'an to change from an aggressive offensive to a defensive moment. Shortly after the Tubo cavalry appeared in the northwest of Jiange, Meng Chang hurriedly withdrew to Chengdu. After An Shenqi received the order, he crossed the Wei River. The Tiance Tang army almost took over the Weinan territory in western Guanzhong and collected Fengzhou. What surprised An Shenqi even more was that Meng Chang did not burn the stored food that he could not take away. An Shenqi could not count it clearly at once, but the total number should be more than 100,000 stones, and now An Shenqi's troops could almost eat on the spot.

After Qinzhou received the news, Murong Chunhua smiled and said, "I heard that Meng Chang had some ambitions, but why did he become so obedient now?"

Zhang Mai smiled and said, "Ambitions that have not experienced the storm are the most fragile. Once setbacks occur, they will immediately turn to another extreme."

Fan Zhi said on the side: "Meng Chang was scared by our army, but the way of negotiations requires Zhang Chi to be honest. Now that they are surrendering, we should give them a step. It is better for us to comfort them and restore our friendship with Mengshu. If we can reopen the business road between Lanzhou and Bashu next year, it will be of great benefit to us."

Zhang Mai also received a letter from Zheng Wei at this time. Knowing that there was a secret agreement between Zhengshu and Shu Shang, he agreed and asked Fan Zhi to draft a letter to Meng Chang on his behalf. He also sent a message to Tubo, ordering them not to invade Hanzhong and western Sichuan - this order was explicitly sent to the Tubo tribes to repay Meng Chang's concessions, but in fact, it was to win the hearts of the people of the two Sichuan people.

The soldiers and civilians in Shu who were originally worried were relieved when they heard the news.

Since then, the Tang army of Tiance controlled the western front on the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains and directly threatened Chang'an. The entire army was eager to try, and even An Shenqi was thinking of Lian Dong besieging Chang'an City.

At this moment, Zhang Mai sent orders to the main generals, asking them to "prepare for the winter" while taking into account the morale of the soldiers.

"This time... it's really winter." Zhang Mai Ran said.

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Just as Lianglan Bashu moved into Ningding, Chang'an became more and more uneasy. It turned out that there was a bad news that was even greater than the news of the defeat of the Khitan in Huanma Gaodi. It is said that Yelu Deguang's big banner suddenly moved northward!

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At this time, Li Yiyin, who had returned to Xiazhou City, discovered that not only Yelu Deguang, but even Yelu Shuogu also tended to retreat north!

The generals of the Dingnan Army quickly gathered. Now the two elite elites of Tiance's striking cavalry have suffered heavy losses. The Khitan is in Shuofang and Taunan is not untenable, so why is it suddenly ready to retreat at this time?

Is this kind of retreat a real retreat or a trap of pretending retreat?

Several of Dangxiang's elders all tended to be a trap for the Khitan, but Li Yiyin believed that the Khitan was really retreating.

"The Khitan will retreat, which was a prophecy that Marshal Zhang gave me not long ago. Although I don't understand why he is so sure, since he will make such a prophecy, there will never be no cause. At present, we are still a barrier for Tiance," Li Yiyin said: "I can't find the reason why Marshal Zhang pushed us into the fire pit."

Li Yixiu said: "Then, we have to listen to Marshal Zhang and Lian Dong is chasing him?"

The elders were shocked and said, "No, no, no! That's too dangerous!"

Li Yiyin pondered: "If it is really a pursuit battle, it is indeed dangerous. But if the situation is as Marshal Zhang said, the Khitan will abandon the Taonan and Shuofang, it would be a pity for us not to pursue it." He immediately sent an order, ordering Li Yixiu to lead 3,000 cavalry to attack, and lead 5,000 cavalry as the queen, and conduct a tentative attack.

It is now severe winter. In this season, even if it is not a war, it is just riding a horse out of the city to resist the terrible cold wind in the northwest, it must be the elite among the Dangxiang tribe.

"If the Khitan counterattack is strong, retreat; if the Khitan counterattack is weak, then attack."

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In Chang'an City, the news about the Khitan was getting worse and worse. Sang Weihan sent someone to catch up with Yelu Wuzhi to question why the Khitan did not keep the alliance. Who knew that Yelu Wuzhi didn't know why. Not far after leaving Chang'an City, because a messenger of Yelu Deguang came to the north. After the two whispered a few words, Yelu Wuzhi's face changed drastically. He rushed back day and night, so that Sang Weihan's people could not catch up.

"What!" Shi Jingtang's face was not sure whether it was disappointment or anger.

Yelu Wuzhi had just returned, and the agreement between the two sides was still heard. Why did the Khitan betray the truth? Shi Jingtang knew that something must have happened to the Khitan!

Sang Weihan said: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, calm down your anger. Although the Khitan is a barbarian, Yelu Deguang is not a fool. He should not have agreed to us here and do something to harm the alliance there. If Tiance becomes a big shot, it will not be a good thing for them.

Shi Jingtang said angrily: "Then tell me what's going on with the Khitan!"

"This, this..." Sang Weihan couldn't answer, and he also felt that the Khitan shouldn't go back on his word at this time, but facts are better than words. The only explanation now is: Did Yelu Deguang encounter something bigger than the overall situation in Gansu and Shaanxi?

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In Liu Zhiyuan's camp, a monk stood aside with a smile.

After Yuan attacked Qinzhou that day, Liu Zhiyuan was successful and failed. By the way, he left his army and sneaked into Qinzhou by himself. In terms of success or failure, it was indeed criticized by others. However, the main generals sometimes should not be too rigid in their actions. When Cao Cao fought against Yuan Shao in a decisive battle, he led 5,000 elite troops to attack the enemy's rear. However, Cao Cao succeeded at the beginning, and Liu Zhiyuan failed.

After this incident, Liu Zhiyuan did not hate Zhang Mai and Guo Wei, but hated Meng Chang for not being able to be his strong support. He recalled the signs before these days, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that his expectations were correct. He only hated Meng Chang for refusing to help and even missed the opportunity.

When he returned to the camp, although the main force was lucky enough to protect the camp under the leadership of Murong Yanchao, Shi Jingtang's trust in him dropped to the lowest point. At present, Shi Jingtang did not replace him, just to avoid violating the taboo of "easy generals in front of the formation"!

Just yesterday, when news of a sudden major change in the Khitan came, a monk secretly came to Liu Zhiyuan's camp.

"You mean..." Liu Zhiyuan glared at the monk: "The Khitan retreated north, and it was all within Marshal Zhang's expectations?"

The monk smiled slightly: "Yes."

Liu Zhiyuan's pupils contracted and said, "So, all this is Zhang Maibu's plan. But I don't understand what you are here today for!"

The monk said: "I don't know much about military and national affairs. This is a sentence from the Marshal: I hope General Liu can still remember the original agreement."

Liu Zhiyuan could also see that the monk was not in the position of Tiance Army, so he did not continue to ask questions. He just leaned backwards on the chair, looked to the north suddenly, and murmured: "Wrong...wrong...we all guessed wrong! Could it be...Yang Yi is not in Guanlong...he is there?"

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Two flowers bloom, each with one branch. Not to mention the Guanzhong area, which has entered the cold winter, but when the weather gradually turns cooler this year, the passage between the northern desert and the Western Regions is in a busy season.

This summer is just over, autumn is in full swing, with wild grass in full bloom and horse herds fat. At this time, it is most suitable for rushing.

Although the Western Regions were under the rule of two regimes, this did not hinder the pace of merchants. The northern region produced fur and horses. The western region had better varieties of horses, while the horses in the northern region won by quantity. Therefore, both places produced horses, but there was room for trading. The western region produced various rare treasures - these were what the nobles and chiefs of Mobei needed, not to mention that since the rise of the Tiance regime, the cotton textile industry in Kucha, Shule and other places had great prosperity, and the price of cotton textile clothing was greatly reduced. Using this to trade with the northern region of Mobei, it is also one of the bulk transaction goods.

In addition to the Western Regions, Mobei itself also has transactions from the Northeast and the Western Regions. The Northeast region produces more abundantly than Mobei, where seafood, good wood, the best tonics - ginseng, the best among pearls - Dongzhu, and corals from India, the velvet blankets from Tianfang, etc. are the favorites of the rich masters in Northeast China.

Originally, transactions between the Northeast and the Western Regions could be carried out through caravans in the Central Plains, but the cost of crossing the Central Plains was very high, so there were smart Uighurs in the northern Mohe area to open up layers of joints, bribing all the tribes of all sizes on the northern Mohe road, and using horse teams to transport goods from the Northeast directly to Xiaojinshan.

The tribes of all the peoples and chiefs in the north of the Mobei region actually need these goods very much. Most of the tribes along the way cooperate, and many chiefs even secretly participated in this kind of transaction.

On the side of Xiaojinshan, Yang Yi followed Zhang Mai's political strategy and had not prepared to cut off the folk exchanges between the northern Mobei and the Western Regions from the beginning. As long as strategic materials such as copper and iron are not allowed, they will be allowed to pass through Xiaojinshan and pay a certain amount, and once the business travelers pass through Xiaojinshan and pay a certain amount, they can get the certificate of passing through Tianshan North Road. If they pay another sum of money at Saiye, they can go south to Ningyuan, or pay a sum of money at Luntai and pass through Anxi.

This kind of management under the Tiance regime is much lower than the bribery of all ethnic groups along the way in Mobei, regardless of time, labor and money costs, let alone safety. These have made merchants who have been here secretly sigh, hoping that Mobei can establish such an order.

Driven by such interests, as long as there is not a large-scale battle between the Tiance Tang Dynasty and the Khitan, there will be group of horses walking between the Western Regions and the Mobei region. Even the chaos of the four countries fighting on the ground of Gansu and Shaanxi did not affect the undercurrent of the business and travel in Mobei.

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The actions of the Uighur merchants not only brought goods to the northern desert, but also brought culture and religion.

The cultures of the Han area, such as Confucianism, Taoism, and even Han Buddhism, were actually not untouched to Mobei, but life in the Central Plains was relatively comfortable and comfortable. The cultures and religions brewed here, whether they are Confucian elegance and self-discipline, Taoism's leisure and comfort, or Zen's dialectics of thinking, are incompatible with the hard-earned Mobei. The herdsmen here need another kind of comfort, so whether they are Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism in Han culture, it is difficult to gain a foothold after being introduced to Mobei.

On the Tubo Plateau, the hardships of the people's lives are similar to those of the herdsmen in Mobei. Although the Fantasy Buddhism brewed on this basis has many mysterious and even superstitious colors than Han Buddhism, it is more in line with the knowledge level and thinking mode of the Mobei herdsmen. Therefore, Fantasy Buddhism became very popular as soon as it entered Mobei. The lives of the lower-class herdsmen in Mobei were actually much harder than those of the lower-class farmers in the Central Plains. It is difficult for them to appreciate the highly developed Tang poetry, and it is difficult to imagine the life of the herdsmen under the eastern fence of picking chrysanthemums. They are not interested in the Zen mages that are just a wake-up call, but they are easily resonant with Fantasy Buddhism.

Moreover, Buddhism is not rootless in Mobei. Since many years ago, the herdsmen in Mobei have known the existence of Buddha. With such a foundation, after the teachings of foreign Buddhism entered Mobei, they had a considerable impact in a short time. Even some wealthy masters traveled thousands of miles to seek some treasures consecrated by the living Buddha, and even sent their children to receive the blessings of the living Buddha.

These religious exchanges are also mixed with economic and trade.

Although the trade channels between the northern desert and the Western Regions cannot be compared with the main roads of the Silk Road in terms of scale, they can also be regarded as a branch of the Silk Road. Moreover, this private trade route only flourished after the Tiance Tang Dynasty precipitated Anxi.

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At this time, several caravans were starting from Zhenzhou, a military and political area in the northern part of the Khitan, and dealing with the Tubu and other tribes. Many tribes not only opened a door of convenience for them, but even asked them to buy various Western Regions goods.

These caravans expected that as long as they could come back safely, it would be no problem to make a profit of three to five times. They took the tokens of the leaders of various tribes, crossed the Wushan Mountains (now the Hangai Mountains), and walked again, looking more than 500 miles away from the Little Jinshan Mountain.

"When we walk through these five hundred miles and arrive at Xiaojinshan, we will be there." A caravan leader laughed. He was just a groom a few years ago. By chance, he walked the business road twice. Now he has already brought in a team of hundreds of horses and camels, the heroes of all races in the north of Mo. He was polite when he met him. Since he had walked several times, he was very familiar with this road.

His groom said, "Master, the little Jinshan is the territory of the Tang people. Although we have tokens given by the men of various tribes of the Bu and other tribes, we are safe all the way, but when we arrive at the Tang people, will they steal our things?"

The Uighur merchant master spat and said, "What do you know! It is safer to go to Xiaojinshan. I have also seen the guardian Murong Yang of Xiaojinshan. After passing Xiaojinshan, they can test our journey to Luntai without storing fine works. The market in Luntai is much more prosperous than Zhenzhou. At that time, you will be able to open your eyes!"

Although Luntai (now Urumqi) is becoming increasingly prosperous under the Tiance Army, it is fashionable and short-lived, and is still incomparable to Shule, Kucha, Liangzhou and Lanzhou. However, compared to Zhenzhou, the stronger one is not the same level.

The Uighur merchant master suddenly thought of something and said, "Boy, after passing the little Jinshan, you will call me Mr. Zhang."

"Mr. Zhang?"

"That's right." The Uighur merchant leader said: "Remember, your master is Zhang Cunren, which is my Chinese name. When doing business in Tang, you always have to register variously. There is a Chinese name much more smooth. Also, you should also learn Tang Yan. In this world, if you don't understand Tang Yan, let alone not be big in business, even if you are a groom, you can't do well in Tang Yan."

These three caravans met on the western foot of Wushan and were very popular. The entire caravan was composed of three big merchant owners including Zhang Cunren, and dozens of small vendors followed. In addition, most of the grooms, guards, etc. also brought some private goods themselves and prepared to sell them at the turn of Taiwan to do some business. These three merchant owners are actually not the big bosses of these three caravans, they can only be said to be the organizer or leader of the alliance.

As he was talking, Zhang Cunren suddenly saw a mountain in front of him, slapped his thigh and said, "Not good~! There is a bad star nearby! Be careful." He quickly sent someone to the message and informed the other two merchant owners.

The groom said, "Evil Star? The patriarchs of all tribes have a friendship with the master. Xiao Guojiu also asked the master to buy corals. We are not afraid of the generals of the Tang Dynasty, so why are we afraid of evil stars?"

"What do you know!" Zhang Cunren said: "Xiao Guojiu is our backer. Murong Yang will collect our tariffs. The patriarchs of all races also ask us to buy and sell things, so they all give face, but this evil star is a robber! A bunch of horse thieves!"

"robber?"

"That's right!" Zhang Cunren said: "That's a boy who suddenly appeared in the past few years. He was less than 20 years old. His methods were too cruel and he had been entangled with hundreds of people. He was right here, and he usually nomadic, and when he met past merchants, the tribe would rob him. The caravans that walked this way had never been exploited by him."

"There are only a few hundred people, so what are you afraid of..."

As soon as the words came to the ground, smoke suddenly rolled in the distance, and hundreds of knights rushed over. Seeing this, the guards in front of the caravan changed their faces and quickly changed their formation to prepare to face the enemy.

The groom shouted, "Oh, don't really meet that horse thief."

Zhang Cunren looked over and saw the knights rushing over, and some of them held a silk flag and embroidered a hungry wolf. The wolf opened its bloody mouth, and its two fangs were embroidered into two sharp knives. Zhang Cunren shouted: "That's right, it's him! It's the wolf with two teeth!"

There are thousands of people in this caravan, and the caravan in Mobei is different from the caravan in the Central Plains. Even the grooms and the merchant owners are all desperate people. Seeing this, they draw out their weapons. Zhang Cunren's groom was not afraid of seeing that the other party was less than his own.

Suddenly, a sound came from behind. The groom looked back and saw two more teams appearing behind, with hundreds of people surrounding him. He was surrounded by the caravan!

Suddenly someone pointed to the hillside in front of the left: "There are people on it!"

Zhang Cunren looked up and saw hundreds of people on the hillside, erecting a large double-toothed wolf flag. Everyone had horses, and each had a knife. The total number of these four groups of people was over 2,000.

Zhang Cunren's groom was then scared and shouted, "Master, they are more than a few hundred!"

Zhang Cunren was also a little surprised and said, "Baye! He has gathered so many people again after just one year!"

Although he was surprised, he was not panicked. The groom couldn't help but admire him when he saw his master was so calm.

At this time, the other two merchant owners had already rushed over and discussed with Zhang Cunren how to face the enemy.

Zhang Cunren said: "You can't fight, you can't fight! I recognize this double-toothed sword wolf, which is very powerful! They are entrenched in this Khitan and both sides of Tiance, and robbed past business travelers for a long time. Last year, they robbed the horses of a certain unit of Dadan, and the Dadan unit sent twice as many troops to siege and were defeated by them. Later, they went to attack near Xiaojinshan. The Tang army sent five hundred soldiers to force them back. Even if we have several times more people than them, we are not opponents. What's more, their troops are stronger than last year, and they can't beat them, but they can't beat them."
To be continued...