Liu Tan quickly put all these things aside. Compared to Wu Shilu, these things could be put aside.

He asked, "Wushilu? Where is it?"

“Dunhuang!”

Liu Tan frowned. "Dunhuang? What is he doing in Dunhuang?"

Shanggu County is more than 2,000 kilometers away from Dunhuang. He calculated that based on the speed of the fastest horse, it would take nearly a month to reach there without changing horses.

The so-called 800-li express usually involves changing horses but not people, so that the speed can be achieved.

But looking at it this way, the time doesn't seem to match. No matter what, Wu Shilu can't reach Dunhuang County now, even if he takes the shortest straight-line distance.

However, in reality, it is impossible to walk the straight line distance.

Liu Tan pondered for a moment and suddenly asked, "Didn't those Huns captured by Mo's disciples earlier have horses?"

Wei Buyi was stunned for a moment, then immediately understood: "Your Highness, are you saying that their horses were given to Wu Shilu, which led to them being captured by the Mo family's disciples?"

Liu Tan said, "This is the only explanation. Otherwise, there's no way to explain Wu Shilu's speed. Forget it. Now that we've spotted Wu Shilu, immediately put Dunhuang on wartime alert and dispatch our elite troops to capture him!"

After hearing this, Wei Buyi immediately went down to make arrangements. Liu Tan was once again thankful that he did not send the army to station there in advance for the convenience of marching. Otherwise, Wu Shilu would definitely notice something as soon as he got there, and then... there would be no chance of a sneak attack!

After receiving the instructions from the royal capital, Dunhuang suddenly became panic-stricken and even Tongda City began to restrict entry and exit in order to search for Wu Shilu.

But even so, it is too difficult. As a pass connecting Dunhuang with the Western Regions and the Xiongnu, the number of foreigners has long exceeded the limit.

Most people don’t know what Wu Shilu looks like. As long as he hides himself among those foreigners, who can find him?

The only thing we can do is to prevent him from launching a surprise attack, but Wu Shilu would have to be crazy to launch a surprise attack on a county with just a few people.

So the question is, did Wu Shilu bring his men into the pass just to make this trip? What was his purpose?

Huo Guang asked, "Could it be...surveying the terrain?"

Liu Tan sneered, "Is it his turn to survey the terrain of the Northern Border? Besides, what's there to survey about our terrain?"

Most of the terrain in the Northern Border Kingdom is plains or desert Gobi. To be honest, the Huns are much more familiar with this environment than they are.

What's more, Wu Shilu could only remember these things in his brain. They had no written language and naturally no carrier to draw maps.

Just as Liu Tan was wondering, Wei Buyi rushed over with a look of astonishment on his face and said, "Your Highness, someone left a letter at the gate of the Supreme Court last night, saying it was for you."

Liu Tan raised his chin and asked, "What's it written?"

Wei Buyi hesitated for a moment, then unfolded the paper. On it were a few crookedly written large words: Don't be nervous, I just want to see Tongda City.

Then there is another row of smaller words below: I’ve just learned some Chinese characters. Is my writing okay?

The signature is Wu Shilu.

Liu Tan's face turned green at that time. Is he crazy?

Running over 2,000 kilometers to launch a surprise attack on Shanggu County could be considered as the fact that the border defense of the Northern Border Country was too tight and they could only plunder less tightly guarded areas. However, going through all means to bring people from Shanggu County into the interior and running over 2,000 kilometers just to see Tongda City, isn't this crazy?

"Have you caught the person who delivered the letter?" Huo Guang asked hurriedly when he saw Liu Tan's face changed.

Wei Buyi shook his head: "No, one of the Wuhou patrol teams was knocked unconscious yesterday."

Liu Tan was so angry that he almost turned into a pufferfish. "You are really amazing! You let a few people roam the entire Northern Territory and even sent a letter to me. What are you doing for a living?"

As Liu Tan was talking, he tried to lift the table, but...it was made of pure jade and was too heavy, so he couldn't lift it, which made him even angrier.

Wei Buyi knelt on one knee and apologized, saying, "It is my incompetence."

Huo Guang's face was as cold as jade. "It's not their fault. There are only a few of them. Their target is too small, like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wu Shilu is always cunning. I just don't know why he went to Tongda City. What is there in Tongda City that deserves his attention?"

Liu Tan wanted to seal off Tongda City. Since he was here, let him watch the excitement and not leave!

Unfortunately, it is not possible. The most important thing now is to keep it secret as much as possible. Otherwise, if people know that the Xiongnu Chanyu has crossed the entire northern border and they have not caught him, where will Liu Tan put his face?

Of course, the most important thing is the fear of panic among the people. Before he traveled through time, Liu Tan simply scoffed at the idea of ​​maintaining stability. He believed that the people had the right to know the truth and the right to choose, rather than having the people above hide things from them and then make choices for them.

It was not until now that he understood the importance of maintaining stability.

This is because Liu Tan is not afraid of Chang'an's blame at all. Even if his father and brother know about it, they will stop those who want to blame him.

But if it were someone else, they would have to worry about this.

Liu Tan sighed deeply, propped up his desk with his hands, and said, "Implement martial law around Tongda City. I don't care how many people are there, even if it's just an empty desert, send people to guard it!"

Tongda City cannot be directly blocked, but he can control entry and exit strictly. Isn’t it just a matter of sending more people?

Just when Liu Tan was angry, news came from the Western Regions. Lu Xuan knew that Wu Shilu had arrived in the Northern Border Kingdom and sent troops in advance!

Liu Tan was shocked: "Why is he in such a hurry? I haven't even finished preparing everything for him!"

Huo Guang was silent for a while before he said, "He is forcing Wu Shilu to go back."

Of course, this was not just Lu Xuan's purpose. Without Wu Shilu, the Xiongnu would be leaderless and easier to bully. So either Wu Shilu could not go back, so that Lu Xuan could feel more relaxed, or Wu Shilu would quickly give up his plans in the Northern Border Kingdom and go back to take charge of the overall situation.

Liu Tan said angrily, "He's already here, and we're still sending him back? Even if we can't catch him, what's the use? If we keep him inside the pass, he'll reveal his whereabouts sooner or later. Even if we guard the long trench well, can he still grow wings and fly over?"

After he finished speaking, he looked up at Wei Buyi and said, "Go to Tongda City and keep an eye on the caravans and travelers who have been staying for a long time recently. Find a way to keep them in Tongda City as soon as possible. At the same time, gather the army and prepare to march on the Cheshi Kingdom."

It was a bit hasty, but things like war are always changing, and it is impossible to be perfectly prepared. Although we are not fully prepared now, it is still okay. What's more, the weather is not too cold now, and woolen clothes are not needed. It doesn't matter if the war continues into winter. By then, the woolen clothes should have been produced and sent over.

At least they were acting without intent. The Cheshi Kingdom probably couldn't have imagined that the Northern Kingdom would suddenly attack them.

And the very next day after Liu Tan gave the order, Wei Buyi found Wu Shilu.