Page 93

Page 93

These hostile aliens will be imprisoned in the dark prison of Chang'an and squeezed dry of all their value.

They will also be used as sparring partners for the Han aliens, helping them gain experience in fighting with the aliens and become familiar with the methods of the Xiongnu aliens.

Sometimes even the emperor would come and watch. When Tang Yifu was pulled to practice with the martial artist for the first time, he almost dropped his jaw in shock.

Because the alien who was going to fight with him was only five or six years old, and was not even as tall as the longbow in Tang Yifu's hand.

But it was such a young child who crushed him safely, and Tang Yi's father had no power to fight back in his hands.

Originally Tang Yi Fu thought that he had underestimated his enemy, but when he fought with the nobleman again, this time it was not only him alone, but also five other Hun foreigners.

They still lost despite a six-to-one battle, and this time the defeat was more complete. At that time, Tang Yi Fu was lying in a pool of blood, covered in wounds, with Emperor Wu of Han's hearty laughter echoing in his ears.

From then on, Tang Yifu's belief was broken, and when Zhang Qian's father came to him and wanted him to protect his son, he agreed without thinking.

It wasn't because he was afraid of death, but because he didn't want to face that child again. He didn't want to be reminded that he was a loser who couldn't even beat a child.

Chapter 121 Attacked

The Gao family's caravan only had slow horses but no camels. The desertification on the road from Xiaoshipan City to Qiuci was not as serious as in later generations, and slow horses for pulling goods were much more useful than camels.

The horses in the team were tied together with ropes, and a bell was hung around the neck of each horse to prevent them from getting lost.

On the cargo on the horse's back, there is another kind of bell with a different sound hung. Once the cargo falls off the horse's back, the bell will make a low sound to alert the caravan members.

The rest of the people in the Gao family caravan were on horseback guarding the caravan on both sides. Only Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo were riding on the inner side of the caravan and did not join the guard team. Gao Gu never asked them for help with the usual matters in the caravan.

Along the way, Gao Gu led the way in front of the caravan and never hesitated when deciding the direction. It was obvious that he had memorized this route to the Western Regions by heart, and Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo had indeed not found the wrong person.

A month has passed since they left Xiaoshipan City, and Xiaofangpan City has been left far behind. If they had followed the speed of Hu Bayi and his men back then, they should have reached the capital of Qiuci by now. However, the caravan's speed was much slower than that of Hu Bayi and his men, so Hu Xiuwu didn't know how long it would take to reach Qiuci.

Gao Gu looked up at the sky and raised his hand. Gao Lu, who was following him, immediately understood his gesture, turned the horse around, and shouted at the top of his voice:

"It's getting late, rest here."

"It's getting late, rest here."

The people of the Gao family caravan quickly dismounted, sorted out supplies, calmed the horses, counted the goods, collected hay, lit a bonfire to prepare food, cleared the weeds and set up tents, while the rest rode horses and kept watch around.

Clear division of labor and tacit cooperation.

Everything went on smoothly, and Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo were unable to help even if they wanted to.

This was not the first time such a situation had occurred. The Gao family was very polite to the two of them and hardly asked them to help with anything. However, if Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo needed anything, they would do their best to satisfy them and treat them as distinguished guests.

However, Hu Xiuwu could also sense that beneath the Gao family's polite and kind attitude, they were wary and distant towards him and Chen Duo.

However, Hu Xiuwu didn't care. He was just taking a ride to Gumo anyway. As long as they could bring them to Gumo smoothly, nothing else mattered. He didn't come to the Han Dynasty to make friends.

Hu Xiuwu had the same idea. Chen Duo, with her quiet personality, would not care about such things. Hu Xiuwu even suspected that except for Gao Gu, who often came to talk to him, Chen Duo did not even remember the names of the other people in the caravan.

Standing aside and watching the Gao family members working efficiently, Hu Xiuwu felt a little emotional.

Sure enough, death is a better teacher than interest, but this teacher is stricter.

Almost every Zaklama child has seen the painful look on the elders’ faces before their death, so under the shadow of the red spot curse, the Zaklama people study more seriously and diligently.

"Xiugo, the master wants you to come over to discuss the next itinerary."

A boy of about sixteen or seventeen came to call Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo.

This young man, who is about the same age as Hu Xiuwu, is called Gao Ji, also from the Zaklama tribe. He is the same age as Hu Xiuwu, so unlike the other people in the caravan, he usually likes to come to find Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo.

It’s just that Chen Duo looked even more cold, so he didn’t dare to talk to her.

Gao Ji was obviously curious about and yearning for the aliens. Every time he talked to Hu Xiuwu, he liked to talk to him about the aliens, but he still knew his limits and only asked Hu Xiuwu to tell him some stories about the alien world.

"I understand, Aji, I'll go with you now."

Hu Xiuwu followed him to see Gao Gu, and Chen Duo followed him silently like a shadow.

There was a map spread out on Gao Gu's knees, and in the light of the campfire, he explained the contents of the map to Gao Lu.

The map of the Western Regions drawn by the Gao family themselves had a much smaller scope than the map Zhang Qian gave to Hu Xiuwu. It only covered the section from Xiaofangpan City to Qiuci, but it was much more detailed than that map.

Although Zhang Qian's map is large in scope, it is empty and only has a rough outline. If Hu Xiuwu really uses it to guide the way, he may not reach his destination even if he walks for half a year.

When Gao Gu saw Hu Xiuwu, he smiled and said, "Sir, come and warm yourself by the campfire. It will get colder here at night."

"Xiangsheng" is a respectful title for people with profound Taoist cultivation, similar to "Daoshi" and "Zhenren", but the titles of "Daoshi" and "Daoshi" only became popular during the Wei and Jin Dynasties.

How could Hu Xiuwu, a teenager of fourteen or fifteen, deserve the title of Mr.? Originally, he told Gao Gu that it would be enough to call him Xiuwu, but Gao Gu insisted and took the lead in calling him Mr. as a sign of respect.

Gao Lu, who was standing by, also brought mats and freshly cooked broth for Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo.

Hu Xiuwu took the broth and took a sip. It turned out that the soup tasted quite good.

Looking at Hu Xiuwu's slightly surprised expression, Gao Gu said jokingly:

"After so many years of traveling in the Western Regions, I have honed my skill in making soup."

Hu Xiuwu praised the broth highly, and then said to Gao Gu, "I wonder what Uncle Gao wants to talk to me about?"

"It's nothing serious. I just want to inform you that at this rate, we will reach the country closest to the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions, the Kingdom of Kucha, in seven days."

Gao Gu smiled and said, "Gao Yue has been to Qiuci with me many times. When the time comes, you can ask him to take you around Qiuci."

This is to get me and Chen Duo away.

Hu Xiuwu thought to himself but remained calm: "Alright, my sister and I have never been to Qiuci, so I'll have to trouble Uncle Gaoyue when the time comes."

Gao Yue remained silent and just nodded at Gao Gu, looking unhappy. Gao Yue was Gao Gu's deputy and the oldest member of the caravan besides Gao Gu, but like Gao Gu, he was about to die.

Not everyone can be like Gao Gu, who, knowing that he is about to die, still has the mood to make soup and pave the way for future generations.

Woo~

Just as Hu Xiuwu and Gao Gu were warming themselves by the campfire, a melodious horn sounded from the outskirts of the caravan.

It was the first time that Hu Xiuwu heard this noise, and after hearing the horn, Gao Gu, who had originally had a kind expression, instantly became solemn.

After the horn sounded, except for Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo, everyone else in the caravan threw away the food in their hands, stood up from the campfire, and drew out the ring-handled swords beside them. Some people even took out more than a dozen powerful bows and matching arrows from their horses.

They reacted quickly and acted decisively, even the Han army's elite soldiers were no better than them.

Seeing this scene, even if Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo did not know the Gao family's internal code, they understood that the horn sound just now should be a signal sent by the spies outside the caravan.

There is an enemy attack.

A group of Hun cavalry were attacking them aggressively from a distance. At this time, the Huns were very arrogant and regarded the Hexi Corridor as their back garden. They blocked the passage connecting the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty. This was also one of the reasons why there was little communication between the Western Regions and the Han Dynasty.

The Huns grew up on horseback and moved around the grasslands like the wind. It was difficult to deal with them without cavalry, so most caravans would avoid them.

Even if it means taking a long detour, he is unwilling to go through places frequented by the Huns. Gao Gu is a veteran and a cautious person, so he naturally would not take shortcuts to save trouble.

It was very strange to see a group of Xiongnu cavalry here. It was only seven days away from Qiuci, far away from the Xiongnu's sphere of influence.

It is difficult to obtain supplies in the Gobi Desert, and the Hun cavalry rarely run so far.

Hu Xiuwu looked at the cavalry coming aggressively from a distance and whispered:

"Here comes with bad intentions."

Chapter 122 Hun Cavalry

The horses' hooves stepped on the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust. Thousands of clouds of dust gathered into a tide of yellow sand and smoke, rushing towards where they were.

Looking at the terrifying scene in the distance, Gao Lu whispered to Gao Gu: "Uncle, this group of cavalry is not coming for us."

"A small caravan like ours doesn't need such a big show."

As he spoke, his eyes turned towards Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Gao Gu remained silent. He could naturally think of what Gao Lu could understand. He also knew that Gao Lu felt somewhat resentful towards Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo for bringing danger here.

But Gao Gu knew that now was not the time to complain about the internal strife. The most important thing was to find a way to resolve this crisis. Given the brutality of the Huns, even if they surrendered now they would only become their slaves.

"It seems that there are Hun spies in Xiaofangpan City, otherwise this cavalry wouldn't have blocked us here."

"We were too hasty and lost our caution. We should have kept the receipt of food and fodder from the delegation a secret."

A trace of regret for his careless behavior flashed through Gao's mind. He thought that he was not afraid of death and was not affected by death, but in fact, he still acted agitated in his daily life.

Just like practicing Dan Shi, no one knows how they really feel about death before actually trying it.

"Ayue, lead the brothers to prepare to fight the enemy."

"Here!"

Gao Yue's voice was full of fighting spirit and he was not panicked. In his opinion, dying in battle was better than dying painfully on a sickbed like his ancestors.

When the Zaklama people are approaching forty, as their death draws closer, they gradually lose confidence in breaking the curse, become mentally unbalanced, and eventually commit suicide in order to seek relief.

In fact, Gao Yue no longer had much confidence in lifting the curse. If Gao Gu hadn't insisted, he would have given up long ago.

So he admired Gao Gu very much. To be honest, not everyone has the courage to face the pain that is destined for them. It is also because of Gao Gu that there is this team that has been working hard to break the curse.

If there is no candlelight in the future, I will be the only light in this world.

Gao Gu is the light in the hearts of the Zaklama people.

hiss~

He heard the roar of a horse behind him and Gao Gu turned his head in surprise.

Hu Xiuwu and Chen Duo had mounted their horses at some point and were charging towards the powerful Huns.

If you cause trouble, you must solve it yourself.

After seeing the Xiongnu cavalry, Hu Xiuwu realized that it was he and Chen Duo who had brought trouble to the caravan. At the same time, because he knew more information, he also understood why the trouble was so big.

The Xiongnu people probably had already received the news that the Han Dynasty was going to send envoys to Dayuezhi.

The Dayuezhi were located to the north of the Xiongnu, and the Han Dynasty was located to the south. If the Han Dynasty and the Dayuezhi were to unite, the Xiongnu would be caught between the two forces.

How could the Huns allow such a thing to happen?

The leader of the Xiongnu, Junchen Chanyu, had already sent an elite cavalry unit to ambush in the Hexi Corridor.

They had also received the news that Zhang Qian had arrived at Xiaofangpan City a long time ago. The reason why the army had not taken any action during this period was because the Xiongnu general who commanded the army was somewhat hesitant.

Why is there only one alien captive in a delegation with such an important mission?

The Huns have always believed in strength. Zhang Qian's side was full of ordinary people, and most of the envoys were even rangers from Chang'an. Although the Huns received the news, they still had some doubts about the authenticity of this delegation.