Chapter 1025

Of course, Xun You was no fool.

He naturally could also grasp this point.

As a member of the Yingchuan gentry, he appeared somewhat out of place in Liangzhou.

Nowadays, under Duan Yu's command, apart from the original foundation that started in Bingzhou, the rest were basically local Liangzhou forces.

It was not easy for a Central Plains gentry member to gain a firm foothold here.

As clever as Xun You was, he likely saw this, which was why he took the initiative to manage the Western Regions.

Duan Yu was also slow to realize this; it was only after Xun You had roughly explained the situation in the Western Regions that night that he reacted to this point.

This was a clever person's own choice, and also a way to demonstrate his own capability.

With three thousand troops and only a few days of rations, he bid farewell to Gai Xun and set off from Dunhuang.

Half a day later, which was the afternoon of the day they departed.

Duan Yu, who was not in a rush to gallop all the way, led his troops to the outside of Yumen Pass.

Outside Yumen Pass.

Astride his black tiger and clad in armor, Duan Yu saw the Western Regions desert outside the Great Han for the first time.

The setting sun was like blood, and the evening glow dyed the walls of Yumen Pass red.

Approaching the end of the tenth month, the whistling north wind rolled up yellow sand that filled the sky, swirling and echoing over the desert.

Behind Duan Yu, thousands of iron armors sporadically reflected the golden sunlight.

The warhorses stood in place, their front hooves occasionally pawing at the yellow sand beneath them; the sound of hooves striking the parched earth seemed to be urging the cavalrymen on their backs toward the journey ahead.

Duan Yu alone rode on the black tiger, standing at the very front of the military formation.

Behind him, Xun You and Xi Zhicai were both wearing thick black cloaks, wrapping their heads with silk to prevent the yellow sand from filling their mouths and noses.

Tie Shitou, Wang Hunu, Zhao Yun, Zhao Feng, Lu Bu, Zhang Xiu, Gao Shun, and others had sturdy warhorses beneath them, their nostrils slightly puffing out hot air, while the long weapons in their hands emitted waves of piercing cold light.

Duan Yu's gaze was profound, staring at the horizon in the west.

In his heart, there was suddenly a sense of heroic ambition that spanned thousands of years.

Standing in this position, he seemed to see the powerful Qin driving the Da Yuezhi out of Hexi hundreds of years ago.

He saw Zhang Qian, with dozens of riders, braving the sky-filling yellow sand to travel through the sea of sand in the Western Regions.

He also saw tens of thousands of Han troops, under the leadership of Li Guangli, marching majestically to conquer Dayuan, which was ten thousand miles away.

He also saw the Marquis of Ding Yuan, Ban Chao, and Ban Chao's son, Ban Yong, roaming the deserts of the Western Regions.

Before personally arriving outside Yumen Pass, Duan Yu had not had such feelings.

For a general to fight for the country and expand its territory was the highest honor.

The grand struggles of the Three Kingdoms were merely power games among the Han people.

But a western expedition!

A distant expedition!

Incorporating the territory of other nations into one's rule—this was the true achievement that would last for generations.

"Meng De, I have already done what you dreamed of doing."

The corners of Duan Yu's mouth beneath his cold mask lifted slightly, and then he raised one hand to point toward the west.

Following the order, the troop began to move forward slowly, leaving behind a trail of footprints of varying depths where the iron armor had trodden.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the cavalry, lengthening their shadows behind them, as if laying a golden blessing for these warriors about to embark on a distant journey.

Dust flew, and the troop gradually moved further and further away, until they disappeared behind the heavy gate of Yumen Pass, leaving only the afterglow of the sunset and the sky-filling yellow sand to witness this historical moment.

A day and a half later.

The tributaries gathered from the Tianshan Mountains, after passing through the canyon passages, gradually formed countless streams at the foot of the southern side of the Tianshan Mountains, eventually converging into a main stream flowing south, forming Puchanghai to the northwest of Lop Nur.

The "Book of Han: Records of the Western Regions" says it is "three hundred li in breadth and length."

The local people also call this place the Salt Marsh.

In later generations, it had many other names, such as "Furi Sea," "Laolan Sea," "Linhai," "Luopu Pool," "Buyuer Sea," "Lop Nur," and so on.

And the tributary flowing south from Puchanghai, after passing through the Lop Nur Desert (it was not called Lop Nur at this time, and the specific name cannot be verified), flowed south and then west.

Hundreds of miles away, this formed a city-state.

Loulan.

Nourished by water, this land was like a verdant pearl in the desert.

But it was already the end of the tenth month, and the yellow leaves on the treetops had been blown away by the whistling gale, no one knew where.

Coupled with the yellow dust obscuring the sky, it looked somewhat desolate.

And compared to the majestic cities of the Great Han, it was more like a low wall formed by the surrounding walls of a village or hamlet.

All the buildings within the city were also made of rammed earth.

Looking from afar, it was all a patch of earthy yellow.

Only in the direction closest to the north of the main city was there a complex of buildings covering dozens of mu, connected together; supported by the surrounding earth walls, the circular roofs were painted with colorful designs.

Around the building complex, there was a low wall about two meters high separating it from the area in the city, and a small number of soldiers holding long spears but without armor stood on the city wall.

Right within this complex of connected buildings, in the largest palace, the floor was covered with a gorgeous red carpet.

At this moment, a young girl dressed in colorful brocade robes, with a graceful figure and silver ornaments on her waist and forehead, who made a tinkling sound like bells as she walked, was heading toward the palace with hurried steps.

Beside her as she passed, some attendants and maids bowed to the girl one after another.

The bright red carpet extended from the front of the palace door into the hall.

The four walls and the dome around the hall were all painted with colorful designs, appearing extremely gorgeous, and added to this were several gold-lacquered decorations, which increased the sense of nobility.

And in the deepest part of the hall, on a wide seat, a middle-aged man wearing golden attire was resting his forehead on his hand, which was propped up on the armrest.

His expression appeared slightly anxious.

And the girl with brown pupils, after arriving in front of the red carpet at the foot of the steps before the middle-aged man, knelt on the ground and placed her right hand on her chest.

"Father King, do you really want to marry your daughter to that devil?"

The girl's eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and beneath her curved and long eyelashes, there seemed to be mist gathering in those lively eyes.

Hearing the girl's voice, the middle-aged man did not open his eyes.

He only said powerlessly: "My daughter, my dear Andiluoga, if it were possible, I would absolutely not do this."

"But the envoys and army of Yutian are right outside."

"If we do not agree to their request, they will slaughter our people."

"At that time, our country will cease to exist."

The middle-aged man slowly opened his eyes.

Tonggeluojia, the current King of Loulan.

And the girl kneeling before Tonggeluojia was named Andiluoga, Tonggeluojia's eldest daughter, the Princess of Loulan.

After hearing her father's words, Andiluoga slowly lowered her head and shed two lines of clear tears, as if she had accepted her fate.

However, just at this moment.

A soldier ran into the palace in a panic.

"King, it's bad, an army has come from outside, and they are fighting with the army of Yutian!" ===== CHAPTER 1027 =====