C72

Suddenly, Hei Jun wanted to offer it to Zhang Zhou. However, Zhang Zhou didn't take it. Instead, he gave it to him as a reward, causing him to be overjoyed and the Huyan men to feel respect for him!

The Great Yan Mountain Pass was the first stronghold of the northwest border. It was built in a valley known for the high risk of mountains. The city was over sixty meters tall, and its east and west was about two miles wide. It was like an unshakeable giant lock attached to the only important road that connected the north to the south of the Shattered Flame Mountain. Before the founding of the Great Tang, this pass had already existed and had been renovated countless times in the past hundred years. However, it also displayed its unquestionable value. In a direct confrontation against an enemy, it had never been broken before. This record was not something that could be compared to the hundred year history of the city gate.

It was this pass that had completely cut off the idea of touching the Great Tang, despite the fact that the Western Tribes had once attempted to meddle in the affairs of the Southern Mountain and Sea. The army of nearly ten thousand soldiers stationed at this stage of the pass was one of the important things the Sima Family could rely on to firmly control the Southlevel State. The general stationed at this stage of the pass was Sima Jingyan's second son, Sima Guangye.

Sima Guangye personally led the group to welcome the princess' wedding procession! It was a huge place with a grand atmosphere. However, its attitude was very cold and one could not see the slightest bit of liveliness or joy in welcoming someone. There were a total of five thousand cavalrymen, divided into two rows, forming a path that led to the Great Yan Mountain Pass. Their armors were neat and tidy, and all of them held long spears in their hands. Their sabers were drawn!

The Ping Wang was at the front, with Zhang Zhou and Huo Xiaoyun at his side. They stood at the front of the line and watched the scene unfold without saying a word. He saw a tall and sturdy general, who was riding a horse alone and had a face full of dust. He stopped a hundred feet away and slowly jumped off the horse. He gave Zhao Qisheng a simple and casual one-knee salute before standing up and returning to his horse! The whole process was extremely frivolous and rude! This person was the famous general of the northwest — Sima Guangye!

His attitude and the heavy guard behind him, everyone could see that this wasn't a welcome, but a show of authority, expressing the dissatisfaction of the Sima family with certain decisions in the imperial court.

Huo Xiaoyun did not speak. With just a wave of his hand, the soldiers naturally understood the meaning of his order. The fire was the fastest way to gather the two thousand Imperial Guards and cavalry, starting to form a formation, taking on the stance of charging.

2,000 people. Although the numbers didn't seem to be too high, but if they were to really form a formation in front of them, it would definitely cause one's heart to surge. Looking at the excitement of waiting and waiting, Zhang Zhou really wanted to shout: "Follow me!" Of course, it was just thinking about it.

Sima Guangye, who saw all of this, showed disdain on his face. He didn't seem to care at all! Ignoring the Ping Wang present, he shouted at Huo Xiaoyun, "What's wrong? General Huo, you really want to lead those old soldiers behind you and spar with my Northwest Steel Cavalry! "Hahaha!"

He stretched out his finger and beckoned to Huo Xiaoyun. Huo Xiaoyun was pretty good at cultivating and had no expression on her face. He wasn't afraid, he was waiting for the Ping Wang to order him around! Zhao Qishui was extremely embarrassed and infuriated. He had yet to come up with a good plan to deal with this situation!

Zhang Zhou then grabbed his horse and slowly walked over. He stopped only when he was at the wrong position from the head of Sima Guang Ye's horse. He did not clasp his hands together, but instead said in a voice that the two of them could hear, "Sima Ye! Do you know what you're doing? "

The reason he called them this was because Sima Jingyan's eldest son, Sima Lie, was given the title of General Zhenxi.

"You're the Empress's adopted son, Zhang Zhou?"

Sima Guangye didn't answer, but asked Zhang Zhou in return. Zhang Zhou nodded, and continued with his own topic, "The Sima family guards the Great Tang Northwest for a hundred years, sacrificing so many warriors in exchange for today's status and glory! But do you know that it was because of this action of yours that your father was killed? He painstakingly managed the operations in the capital for nearly twenty years! "

Sima Guangye smiled faintly, answering his question, "The Northwest Wind Sand is too big, and is unable to grow any tender skin or flesh. Furthermore, it doesn't have the ability to seduce people, so we can only eat sand in the Northwest!"

These words were secretly mocking Zhang Zhou Feng, but he was just a clown in love with his mistress! Zhang Zhou turned a deaf ear and did not show any change in expression. Sima Guangye continued, "Everything that we have today is fought for by the Sima family's strength. My father once said that nothing mattered to the Sima family. The peace of the northwest was exchanged with the lives of the Sima family's soldiers. Now, they wanted the princess to marry into the Western Tribes in exchange for the peace between the two countries! Hehe, then after all these years, weren't those people who died in the battle of the Sima family too wronged? If I had known earlier, wouldn't I have ended up sending a few women over? Humph! We, the several hundred thousand soldiers of the northwest, cannot afford to lose this much face! Today, we want all of you who are living happily in the capital to see the attitude of our Northwest Army! "

Zhang Zhou was not the least bit shocked by his act of treason! On the contrary, he agreed, "General is right! I have seen your attitude. Since you think that playing with personality is more important than the family's interests, then we will respect the general's wishes and immediately return to the capital to report this to His Majesty. Perhaps, after all these years, His Majesty's temper has changed, and he will agree to what you have done! "

After a pause, he continued, "Or maybe not! Your majesty can tolerate your Sima family being the sole ruler of the Northwest, but this time … "

Zhang Zhou grew more and more confident in his words.

"Un, that's not right. That's not possible. His Majesty definitely cannot tolerate such an insult! I won't tolerate you humiliating him in front of the whole world! After that, you would imprison your father or simply kill him. Then, you would mobilize all the troops in the world to suppress the Sima family of Nanping Prefecture! At that time, you and your brother, if you're lucky and act fast, you will have the chance to spend a few days crowning yourself king! At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the nation was weak and weak. We had fought with you for ten years, but now your Sima family is strong, and your Tang Dynasty is flourishing. Right, I forgot to tell you. I really don't want to go to the Western Tribes, thank you so much for comforting me! Hahahaha! "Farewell!"

Then he galloped off. Sima Guangye had the audacity to act so arrogantly. He just thought that the imperial government wouldn't dare to do anything to the Sima family, so what if it was an equal king? Isn't it just trembling in front of us western troops? However, this did not mean that he would dare to publicly slap the emperor's face! Who wouldn't care about face? Once the wedding procession was sent back, the emperor's face would be smacked in public by the Sima family. Would the emperor tolerate it if he came to kill them? Even he himself did not believe this! Moreover, in these past few years, the Sima Family had continuously pressured other races. Although their territories had expanded a lot, their power had become increasingly weak. They were called an army of several hundred thousand. How could he not know?

After Zhang Zhou returned to the Ping Wang, he whispered a few words to Huo Xiaoyun with a sneer on his face. Huo Xiaoyun shouted with a wave of his hand, "Team, turn around and head towards the capital!"

This time, Sima Guangye was completely flustered!

Huo Xiaoyun, who had been maintaining his calmness since the start, abruptly pushed his horse forward and held his sword horizontally in the air. He stopped Sima Guangye and said angrily, "Sima Guangye, are you going to stab the King to kill him?!"

Sima Guangye had already lost his self-confidence from Zhang Zhou's words, and was no longer as confident as before. He quickly explained, "General Huo, don't misunderstand, that's not what I meant! Your highness, the Prince Ping, please wait, I have something to say! "

Zhao Qishui dismounted and ran towards the Ping Wang without even looking back. "General Sima, please return. The western troops are too powerful. This King truly has a grievance in his heart!"

Sima Guangye kneeled down and said, "Your Highness, please calm your anger. We are all lowly generals, no, it is all your fault! This sinful official will lose face for the Prince, and will definitely make up for it! "

"Hehe, General Sima is serious! This Great Yan Mountain Pass belongs to your Sima Family! This King does not dare to do so! "

Sima Guangye took off his helmet, his head almost buried in the sand.

"A thousand faults is the fault of this sinner! "Your Highness, I will evacuate the men and horses later!"

After he finished speaking, he didn't wear his helmet and turned around to ride his horse. It was unknown what he shouted to the team as the five thousand cavalrymen returned to their hooks and sheathed their sabers. They quickly formed up and left.

Only a few unarmed generals were left behind. They hurriedly ran over and kneeled in formation under Sima Guangye's lead, calling out in unison.

"The troops of Great Yan Mountain Pass have welcomed the King and Princess into the city!"

On the way to the city, Zhang Zhou told Zhao Qisheng about the conversation between the two, leaving out the sensitive part. Zhao Qisheng's mood was complicated.

"The Sima family's injustice is naturally not because of some so-called humiliation. It's because they are worried that royal father will cut down on their interests, that's why they deliberately sought to make us unhappy!"

"I feel like this wasn't Si Jingyan's doing, but Sima Guangye's doing!"

"Oh? "Why?"

"Because there is no actual meaning in doing so. First, you can't change the fact that the Great Tang and the Western Tribes are together. Second, you can only increase the domineering feeling of the court toward the Sima family! An old fox like Sima Jingyan would not be so impulsive! "

"Makes sense!"

"Well, Shardball, we'll have to be careful this time."

"What do you mean?"

"So I thought that even if the Sima family was dissatisfied, they could only do some small things and didn't dare to do anything on the surface!" If Sima Guangye didn't act like he did just now, we should have been more careful. His recklessness means that he wasn't prepared for anything else! Instead, you need not worry, he will do some small things at the Wild Goose Mountain Pass! "

"That's right, what other thoughts do you have? Tell me."

"He must have received information from the capital and knew of Sima Jingyan's attitude, which was why he expressed such dissatisfaction and even anger! However, I don't believe that Sima Jingyan would simply write a letter. He would simply complain about his own son's discontent with the imperial court! With Sima Jingyan's personality, he would have certainly taken action! The entire journey was relatively peaceful, because they were all within the borders of the Tang Dynasty. And after we came out, such a vast and empty wilderness would no longer be Big Tang's territory, nor would it be under the Sima family's jurisdiction! If something happens to the team, they don't have to take responsibility. "

"You mean they will choose to fight outside the pass?"

"I'm only speculating. After all, if they don't make a move now, they won't have a chance!"

Zhao Qisheng remained silent. Zhang Zhou said softly, "If there's any movement, then it's definitely not a small action …"

"Do they dare?" Although Zhao Qishui asked this, his tone clearly showed that he also believed that there was such a possibility!

First of all, according to Sima Jingyan's domineering personality and his style of dealing with matters in which revenge was inevitable, it was impossible for him to just swallow his anger like that! Secondly, if Sima Jingyan had made arrangements at the Wild Goose Mountain Pass, there was no way that Sima Guangye wouldn't know of it! There was no need to go out of their way to humiliate them! He would not dare to admit his mistakes outside the city, and he would not dare to cause any more trouble inside the city! The Great Yan Mountain Pass was the last barrier to Tang Dynasty, which meant that there was no arrangement within the Tang Dynasty! It had been a peaceful journey all this time, so what about now that he had stepped out of the realm? Logically speaking, Sima Jingyan should have made his move since he wasn't in the inner region. After leaving the Great Yan Mountain Pass and leaving the Tang Dynasty's territory, this should be the place he would make his move!

"We have to be prepared, just in case. Shardblade, you must refuse their escort! In addition, tell everyone to prepare more water and dry rations! "

Ever since Zhang Zhou had transmigrated, he had never changed his cautious and suspicious character. He had speculated about many things and also guessed many things, but he was preoccupied with prevention. If he wanted to do something, he would have to do it. He did not feel that it was unnecessary! The lesson of dealing with the rich and powerful was still fresh in his mind.

The Great Yan Mountain Pass not only had a single fortress, but also had a large military town below it. There were hundreds of families, most of which were family members of the army, because the Great Tang and the countries in the north were always in a state of hostility. For many years, the border trade could be regarded as non-existent. If one were to say that life in the capital was not easy to achieve due to the high prices, then life here was not. Due to the long years of poor materials and the sandstorm, the people here had neglected many things other than existence. Being able to survive was itself a very extraordinary thing. It wasn't without reason that Sima Guangye dared to look down on the Imperial Guard!

Even if Sima Guang Ye used all of his effort to arrange the accommodation of so many people, it was impossible for him to do so. Therefore, most of the people accompanying him could only temporarily squeeze into the closed town.

At Zhang Zhou's request, Sima Guangye personally led him to the city gate tower.

No matter what Sima Guangye did, what about choosing a team? Zhang Zhou didn't have any bad feelings towards him. After all, he was someone who was suffering at the border. In a sense, they were protecting the nation's border for the thousands of civilians in the Great Tang! Also, this Sima Guangye didn't seem to be liked by Sima Jingyan. Otherwise, he wouldn't be here for ten years, not even telling him about the secret plans. He only aroused his anger and allowed him to do whatever he wanted.

Zhang Zhou casually threw Sima Guangye a wineskin, which contained the best quality Hezhou Lie. Sima Guangye looked suspiciously at Zhang Zhou. He didn't know what to do when he saw him holding onto the female wall with his hands and looking toward the other side of the gate. Zhang Zhou didn't turn around, he just said softly, "Drink it, it's not poison!"

Sima Guangye smiled embarrassedly as he opened the cork. The aroma of the wine was very tempting, so he simply took a big gulp of it. Then, his throat moved in a straightforward manner.

"He Zhou Lie! This was the taste he loved the most. Unfortunately, it was a pity that the Great Yan Mountain Pass was so remote and one could hardly taste it! This wine is really suitable for men at the Great Yan Mountain Pass.

Zhang Zhou smiled.

"I brought some with me this time. I used a lot of them on the way out, but I can still leave a few jars for you!"

"Then this lowly general thanks the marquis!"

Sima Guangye was also a straightforward man.

"Does the general know anything about the West?"

Sima Guangye returned the empty wineskin to Zhang Zhou and also walked to the wall. He rested his elbows on the shoulder-high wall and looked out into the vast expanse beyond the pass with Zhang Zhou.

"There is no one in the Tang Dynasty who knows the West better than us! After all these years, who knows how many of our grudges and grudges could be brought to light! But you don't have to be afraid of a joke from the Marquis. When I was still young and did not participate in the final war with the Western Tribes, I didn't have any official dealings with the Western Tribes! "Most of my understanding of the Western Tribes came from the stories passed down by my seniors and from the stories told by the private merchants!"

"Yeah, I haven't fought with the Western Tribes for over ten years!" But the general can also talk about it, at least you have heard of it! "

There is a mountain range called Heaven's Realm Mountain. After passing Heaven's Realm Mountain, it would be the territory of the Western Tribes, and there is a shortage of water there, as well as a lack of rain and drought. Most of the places are barren desert, and the only river that is called the Walta River is a river that allows them to live on their own! Nanping Province was located on a plateau and its environment was vile. However, from the pass down to the Heaven Realm Mountain, it was an extremely fertile land. From the unification of the Tang Dynasty to twenty years ago, this land was the most intense place where both sides fought and fought. Both sides fought back and forth for many years. Frankly speaking, in a battle on the plains, the Tang Dynasty did not have any advantage, and the Western Tribes also did not gain any advantages. No one could truly own this place. Nearly twenty years ago, the Western Tribes mobilized over three hundred thousand people and invaded our Tang Dynasty. At that time, the battle at Lin Xi River in Dragon State had just ended, and the imperial government was simply unable to deploy enough army to fight against the Western Tribes, so they could only retreat to the Great Yan Mountain Pass and took advantage of the danger of the pass to fight against the Western Tribes for three months. The Western Tribes lost over two hundred thousand men before retreating.

"What about the business dealings between the two sides?"

"What kind of business dealings? Those guys from the merchant caravan outside the pass are bandits. The big merchants do not dare to violate the law of the forbidden merchants, so this little one will not be able to escape the robbing and killing of those bandits!" In the past few years, only these bandits have been tormenting themselves, after all, the pass needs a living, so I pretended to not see them, but those bandits might get killed someday. Once or twice a month, it's no different from a bandit selling his goods! "

"What's the situation in the West?"

"I don't know much about this. I heard from the horse bandits that after the great defeat of the Western Tribes, they started moving in a westerner direction. What are they teaching now? They have great influence in the Western Tribes!"

"What is the current situation of these plains?"

"There are no tigers in the mountains. Monkeys call them tyrants. After the Tang Dynasty and the Western Tribes quit, some tribes were developed. There are about a dozen tribes, all of which are small!"

Zhang Zhou didn't say anything. He had chatted with Tie He and the others many times and had gotten a rough idea of the situation. However, he had a feeling that the other party was hiding something from him! As a prince who would inherit the throne, coming all the way to the Tang Dynasty with less than forty people was really too shabby. If it weren't for the hundreds of thousands of people fighting with the Western Tribes many years ago, Zhang Zhou would even suspect that the Western Tribes only had a small tribe of eighteen thousand people! Tang Dynasty actually didn't have any official information about the West, so they didn't know the specifics. Tie He's visit was praised by some lackey as a powerful call to the empire, and it was in accord with the saying "Congratulations from all sides".

He was powerless to participate in the decisions of the imperial government and could only act according to the imperial edict. To him, the biggest motivation for this trip was his curiosity regarding the development of technology in the West, as well as the large number of rare gems produced by the West and the developed slave industry!

Sima Guangye didn't know what he was thinking and continued, "Although the tribes of various sizes around the Heaven Realm Mountain are not in a good climate, none of them would dare to go under this Great Yan Mountain Pass! "The danger is not great, but …"

Sima Guangye's hand pointed outside the city towards the northeast.

"The nomadic tribes in the Great Sea Prairie over there have shown signs of going south for the past few years. I heard that Bei Yan is pushing them too far!"

Zhang Zhou had heard Mei Changqing mention these things before. The northern part of the Great Tang Dynasty was divided into the Northern Yan, the Great Prairie, and the Western Tribes. Other than the serious dynasty rule of the Northern Yan, the influence on the grassland was more like scattered sand, with tribes as dense as the stars, varying in size. The tribes close to the Northern Yan were mostly restricted by the Northern Yan Dynasty.

"Last year, my army had a conflict with a nomad!"

"Oh, the general's men often come out of seclusion!"

Sima Guangye chuckled, "I won't hide it from sire, this Wild Goose Fortress is no different from other places. Life is boring, and there is no oil. Sometimes, I also send some people out to fight the autumn winds in the grassland!"

Zhang Zhou knew that it was basically a robbery! When the nomadic people flourished, the south had the autumn wind. Now the Tang Dynasty's border army had the autumn wind over there and was polite to each other. It was reasonable! Especially for those small tribes, they were either powerful or were annihilated in the process!