As the saying goes, money can make a fool of himself. With such a large amount of "passing money" like 10,000 sets of equipment, Li Xiyu quickly prepared all the equipment and materials needed for the general's army, and sent his nephew as the crown prince.

He led the horse to the saddle and told them to guard the prince's side. If there was any slight mistake, military law would be dealt with.

The generals in the army have nothing to say about the prince leading the army to the expedition. After all, this man has already defeated Shi Yanran, not only surpassing many famous generals of the previous generation, but also surpassing them. As the saying goes, the eldest brother does not say anything.

As for my brother, his military achievements have not surpassed that of the prince, so naturally there is no room for him to make any comments.

So this time in Lingzhou, Li Xiyu didn't say much. He just selected the most elite Chinese army from the entire army to accompany him. This army had been beaten in his hands for many years. He knew well that the grass bandits in Helan Mountain were basically

They are no match. As long as the prince doesn't lead them to attack the Turkic passes, it won't be a problem to escape unscathed.

After marching for two days, Li Chengqian, who personally led the army, finally arrived at the boundary of Helan Mountain. During the march, in order to let the prince know more about the situation in Helan Mountain, Li Congli introduced everything he knew about the situation like a chatterbox.

Helan Mountain: Starting from Aobao in the north to Maotukeng and Qingtongxia in the south, it is hundreds of miles long from north to south and nearly a hundred miles wide from east to west. The southern section of the mountain is gentle and flat, and the northern section north of Sanguankou is higher. The main peak is also called Helan Mountain.

The mountainous area is asymmetrical from east to west, with a gentle slope on the west side and a plain on the east side. The mountains are majestic, like a group of galloping horses.

There are several east-west valleys in Helan Mountain, such as Helan Pass, Suyukou, Sanguan Pass, and Baisikou. They have been the main east-west transportation routes since ancient times. Business travelers, herdsmen, and Central Plains people traveling to and from other places must pass through these places. These passes

Half of it is in the hands of the Tang army, half is in the territory of the Western Turks, and all of it is in the hands of various mountain bandits.

Although the land here is very barren, there are many kinds of animals, including snow leopards, lynxes, red foxes, red deer, argali, deer, and even plateau yaks.

The composition of the people living here is also very complex. There are Turks, Uighurs, Tubos, and Tang people all mixed in, forming various forces. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is a "three no matter" zone.

Of course, there is a reason why such a chaotic place can attract so many people. There is a place called Jilantai in Western Turkestan. There is a salt lake there, and the annual salt production is extremely large. The profit is enough

These gangsters are crazy.

Profit makes people crazy. In this era, the profit of salt is the most crazy thing, so the local people call Jilantai the blood lake and jokingly call the salt there blood salt.

Merchants and ordinary people selling salt don't care which master they buy it from. Anyway, they just follow whoever holds the land. Therefore, the number of people who die every year because of this salt lake is definitely a very considerable number.

Li Congli originally thought that the prince was eyeing the Salt Lake. After all, if he controlled this place, he would control the entire Helan Mountain. But he did not expect that the prince did not care about the salt lake and smuggling at all. Instead, he was eyeing the death pit in Yanziliang. This made him

Li Congli was very confused.

Speaking of Yanziliang, there is another interesting story. It is said that two brothers came here from the back of the mountain and saw countless swallows flying up and down. They actually had evil intentions and destroyed the bird's nests for profit and took the young.

.

This made the swallows angry and rushed towards the two men, pecking their eyes and disfiguring their faces. The two brothers were so anxious that they fell into the abyss. Their corpses were not eaten by tigers and wolves, and the rotten stench rose to the sky.

In the deep valley behind Yanziliang, there are still many bones, all of which fell from the cliff in order to collect bird's nests. It is known as the "Dead Man's Pit". At the turn of spring and summer, mountain swallows return south and gather on the beam, and the sound of murmuring is endless.

.

Bird's nest is a valuable tonic and a delicacy favored by nobles, but who would have thought that the bird's nest they eat may also have "blood" on it;

So since coming here to guard the border and knowing the reason, Li Congli has never eaten bird's nest again, because he feels that there are too many innocent souls and ghosts in this thing, and eating less may save someone's life!

There is only a dilapidated Taoist temple in that place, and there are only a few pale-haired old Taoist priests inside. Is it necessary to raid a place like this with a full force of 10,000 troops?

Isn't this a bit of a fuss? You must know that using so many people to go deep into the territory of Western Turks, the cost of this day is not a small number, and it is easy to put it into practice. Li Congli has to remind His Highness the Crown Prince, never drive like this

joke.

After hearing Li Congli's question, Qin Huaiyu and Li Hui next to him both laughed. The reason for their laughter was very simple. Li Congli underestimated the prince. For a small Taoist temple, did the prince of a country need to personally intervene? From the East Palace

Just pick out a school captain and do it.

The governor's son also didn't want to think about it. If the prince was really such a simple person, how could he survive in the intrigues of the palace and the bloody battlefield?

After glaring at the two people who were gloating about their misfortune, Li Chengqian then said in a deep voice: "General Li, the big ones are hiding in the court, and the small ones are hiding in the wild, so what do you think of the people hiding in this vast mountain?"

"As you said, except for a few old Taoists living there all year round, there are people picking bird's nests, which is of no value at all; but have you ever thought about how those few old Taoists live in this vast mountain? This is not

In the Central Plains, there are not so many good men and women who give alms, so they will starve to death!"

"In other words, Helan Mountain is so chaotic, and everyone is fighting each other for money and interests. Why don't they kill these Taoist priests who occupy a geomantic treasure like Yanziliang?

For those who want to make a fortune from bird's nests, it is an eyesore."

Li Chengqian is right, people are selfish, especially hunters like this who are struggling in the steep mountains, whether it is for prey, bird's nests, or other things necessary for life.

A little carelessness in the eyebrows can easily arouse other people's murderous intentions and cause misfortunes. Isn't it strange that they can live here peacefully for decades?

It is easy for people to lie. It is impossible for these guys with their heads tied to their belts not to conflict with the Taoist priests here, so Li Congli could not answer the prince's words.

Because to put it bluntly, if he were one of those hunters, he would definitely get rid of the eyesores, use the Taoist temple as a base, accumulate bird's nests bit by bit, and then take them out to make a lot of money.

From now on, you can get rid of this life of precarity and lack of food. Adding a few lives is nothing. After all, compared with the days of wealth, it seems worthless!

"General Li, you are still young, and you still don't have a thorough understanding of the people of this world. But it doesn't matter. Just execute the order. After this incident, you will be heavily rewarded by the Association." Li Chengqian, who was a few years older than him, comforted him with his old-fashioned comfort.
Chapter completed!