Chapter 1122

Inside the fortress.

Duan Yu is watching Liu Bian, who is sweating profusely while wielding a long sword on the training ground.

A simple chopping and thrusting movement—Liu Bian is practicing it over and over again.

The two black tigers are lying at Duan Yu's feet.

"My Lord."

Tie Shitou walks in from outside the training ground and bows to Duan Yu.

The two black tigers, hearing the sound, look back at Tie Shitou, then stretch and open their blood-red maws.

"What is it?" Duan Yu asks, his gaze fixed on the training Liu Bian.

"Mr. Wenhe has arrived," Tie Shitou says.

Hmm?

Duan Yu raises an eyebrow.

Jia Xu has arrived?

Why has he come?

Didn't I tell him to hold down the fort in Liangzhou?

Duan Yu frowns.

For Jia Xu to come at this time, there must be something of extreme importance.

"Bring him directly here," Duan Yu says.

Tie Shitou nods and turns back to welcome Jia Xu.

Before long, Jia Xu, dressed in a black robe and covered in the dust of travel, arrives from outside.

"My Lord."

Upon seeing Duan Yu, Jia Xu steps forward and bows in greeting.

Perhaps because he sees a stranger, Liu Bian stops his sword practice and fixes his gaze on Jia Xu.

Sensing Liu Bian's gaze, Jia Xu looks at the young Liu Bian.

"My Lord, this is..." Jia Xu turns his head to look at Duan Yu.

"Shi Hou, Liu Bian," Duan Yu says directly.

"Ah?"

Jia Xu is instantly struck as if by lightning.

"This... Shi Hou?"

Duan Yu nods.

Jia Xu's eyes widen, his brain spinning at high speed.

"Don't think about anything else for now. Tell me, what happened? Why have you come?" Duan Yu asks, looking at Jia Xu.

"Oh, actually, there is nothing too major."

"Your subordinate learned that you were blocked by Hangu Pass, and after occupying it, I felt that this strategic location might become a choke point for Liangzhou in the future, so I took the liberty of using the half-tally you gave me to lead a force and occupy Hangu Pass."

"Besides that, there is another piece of news."

"Just two days after you left Liangzhou, news came from the Loulan Kingdom that the Wusun and the Northern Xiongnu have decided to send troops to attack Loulan."

"The excuse is that Loulan killed the general sent by the General of Yutian."

"Currently, the Wusun and the Northern Xiongnu are uniting with the various states of the Western Regions."

"However, it seems the Wusun do not intend to send troops directly, but rather have the Western Regions states form a coalition army."

"Led by the Northern Xiongnu and the Wusun together to crusade against Loulan."

Upon hearing this news, Duan Yu is not surprised.

Because last year, when they were in Loulan, Jia Xu, Li Ru, Xun You, and others had already anticipated this.

The current overlords of the Western Regions, the Wusun and the Northern Xiongnu, would certainly not sit idly by and wait for death.

After the Western Regions broke free from the Great Han's control, the Wusun began to collect taxes from the Western Regions states in the name of the Protectorate of the Western Regions to strengthen themselves.

And the Northern Xiongnu have also gained quite a few benefits in the Western Regions over these years.

Neither the Wusun nor the Northern Xiongnu have any reason to easily give up the Western Regions to him.

A fight is inevitable.

It is precisely for this reason that he did not pull a large number of troops to Luoyang.

Now that spring is about to arrive, it is not strange for the Wusun and the Northern Xiongnu to take action.

Before Duan Yu can speak, Tie Shitou, who had just left, returns.

And he brings a piece of news that surprises Duan Yu.

Empress Dowager Dong has summoned him to the palace. ===== CHAPTER 1124 =====