Li Hong slowly closed the letter after reading it. This was Yuan Shuji reporting to him that some cement had passed through Yumen Pass. As he held the royal exit document, he could not check the quantity. He only knew that some cement was inside.

There is actually a document for the royal family to leave the city! Li Hong knew that Yuan Shuji had noticed something unusual, but he had no right to check, so he informed him urgently.

Li Hong felt very relieved. He didn't expect that Yuan Shuji would suddenly become enlightened after hearing the conversation at Yumen Pass. What was even more commendable was that Yuan Shuji was so vigilant. After knowing the great role of cement, he was probably more cautious than himself when inspecting the goods at Yumen Pass, otherwise he would not have been able to discover the cement.

Li Hong even wondered if the hole in the cement bag was made by him intentionally?

After letting Xu Yanbo leave, Li Hong thought to himself that there were too many businesses that could produce cement in the Tang Dynasty now, so a large-scale investigation was impossible.

It can only be checked through the Royal Pass. There are not many people who can use the Royal Pass to bring anything out of Yumen Pass.

But no matter what Li Hong thought, he didn't know who was so wasteful that he brought cement to the Western Regions. Was he trying to make money? Or was he trying to sell out his country? Or was he being fooled?

Thinking of the word "scam", Li Hong couldn't help but think of his prodigal father. If he could give the new money template to Shangguan Minyue to play with, it would not be impossible for him to give the cement to someone else on the spur of the moment.

He shook his head helplessly. The stove in the room was burning very brightly, and the little wolf ran from under his feet to the stove to keep warm.

...

...

Xia Zhi brought the best grape wine, looked at the cute appearance of the little wolf, and suggested: "Master, give the little dog a name."

Li Hong was convinced. He had told them many times that they were simply uncivilized. They called a wolf a dog instead of a wolf.

However, Xia Zhi's suggestion reminded him that it was time to give the wolf cub a name so that he could take it back to Chang'an. Many noble families kept tigers, so he wouldn't be impeached by the censor if he kept a wolf.

"You said its fur is shiny black, how about calling it Baichun?" Li Hong looked at the little wolf holding a bone and grinding its teeth, and said to Xia Zhi while blinking.

Xia Zhi looked frightened, and exchanged glances with Ban Mei and the others, pretending to be frightened and said, "Master, you make the decision yourself. If you name it Bai Chun, I'm afraid you're the only one who has the right to call it that. If we call it that, Bai Chun will eat us up."

"Let's call him Bai Qi, a famous general in the Warring States Period. It's fair to call him that." Li Hong suddenly looked a little lonely.

Xia Zhi, Ban Mei and others felt a little strange. Seeing the loneliness that suddenly appeared in Li Hong's eyes, they were not sure whether he was the Bai Qi of the Warring States Period or the Bai Qi who was gnawing bones by the stove.

But at least Xiaolang's name was decided. According to Li Hong, if Bai Chun's parents, brothers, sisters, etc. could not be found in Anxi, Xiaolang would be given to her as her younger brother, since they all had the surname Bai anyway.

Pei Xingjian led two officials of the Anxi Protectorate, Ma Zai and Li Jingxuan, to Li Hong's residence.

Li Hong did not choose the mansion arranged by Pei Xingjian at the beginning, but chose this small, standard, medium-sized three-courtyard mansion. The front and back yards had always been arranged by the personal guards. Only the middle yard, with him and Xia Zhi and six others, was occupied by seven people. For Li Hong, it was enough.

Moreover, he didn't have many guards. Apart from his 200 personal guards, the rest were the Iron Pagodas who were responsible for the city's defense and took turns guarding the city.

This was the first time for Ma Zai and Li Jingxuan to come here, and naturally they had not been in Qiuci for some time. After returning to Qiuci today, they were hurriedly pulled by Pei Xingjian to meet the new Grand Protector.

The two men knew that Anxi had a new Grand Protector, and that as soon as he took office, he immediately put down the rebellion in Shule and at the same time dealt a powerful blow to the Ashina Duzhi and other tribes.

But as for the identity of this Grand Protector, it has always been a mystery in their hearts, because until now, Pei Xingjian has not told them who this Grand Protector is.

"The humble generals Pei Xingjian, Ma Zai and Li Jingxuan greet the Grand Protector." Three voices were heard at the door.

"Let them in." Li Hong snatched the bone from the little wolf Bai Qi's hand, making Bai Qi whimper.

After sitting down and exchanging pleasantries, Ma Zai and Li Jingxuan were even more surprised. This imperial court was too ridiculous, sending a young man casually to be the Grand Protector of Anxi Protectorate.

"The chief official of the Anxi Protectorate has been traveling to Khotan recently. Tell us about the current situation in Khotan." Li Hong looked at the confusion in the two men's eyes leisurely without explaining.

Ma Zai and Li Jingxuan, now both officials of the fourth rank and above, looked at the relaxed look on the young man's face, muttered something and glanced at Pei Xingjian, and finally Ma Zai stood up to answer.

"To reply to the Grand Protector, Khotan is relatively stable now, but the twelve states inhabited mainly by Qiang people are now somewhat confused. Before I came back, I and others had been working on appeasement and other related matters. Recently, it was said that some generals of the Tubo army died mysteriously, which also made the pressure in Khotan and other places relatively relieved. But I believe that once Tubo finds out the cause of death of the army generals, they will still covet the twelve states inhabited by Qiang people." Ma Zai stood up and said seriously.

"That's normal. After invading Tuyuhun, Tubo began to set its sights on the Twelve Qiang Prefectures. But if Khotan is stable, Tubo will not act rashly. Thank you for your hard work." Li Hong gestured for them to drink tea.

Vegetables are too scarce here, and in winter, they rely on vegetables shipped from the interior. And because of eating meat all year round, if you want to relieve the greasiness in your stomach, Pu'er tea is the best drink, which is why Tang Dynasty tea has always been popular.

Although they don't know the scientific basis of it, the benefits of Pu'er tea to them are obvious.

Pei Xingjian took out an invitation and handed it to Li Hong. It was from Ze Luo inviting the Grand Protector of Anxi Protectorate and others to a banquet at his house the next day.

Li Hong looked up at the ceiling and after thinking for a while, he signaled Xia Zhi to hand his token to Ma Zai and Li Jingxuan. In his memory, these two people could be regarded as wise ministers and famous generals.

The two looked at the token Xia Zhi handed over, and after carefully examining it, their faces were filled with shock: "Your Highness the Crown Prince!?"

They had not expected that during Anxi's current chaotic period, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would actually come to Anxi Protectorate in person and sit here to face the unrest in Anxi with them.

Pei Xingjian looked at the two of them with a smile and said, "Now you know why I have been reluctant to reveal it. The safety of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the top priority of Anxi, so we naturally cannot disclose His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's identity to others at will. Now that His Royal Highness has told you two, it is also a recognition of your loyalty, but you must remember that this matter is limited to only a few of us."

"That's right. General Pei is right. I and others will never tell others easily." Li Jingxuan looked at Li Hong and said hurriedly.

Like him, Ma Zai's eyes were filled with excitement and worry. He was excited that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not hide his identity from him and others, but he was worried that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's presence would hinder the various strategies of the Anxi Tang army. After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was a newcomer who had never led troops in battle.

Seeing that it was getting dark outside, Li Hong stood up and waved, saying, "You haven't eaten yet, right? It just so happens that I bought a sheep in Qiuci today. We'll have mutton skewers today, so we can chat while we eat."

"Mutton kebabs?" the three asked at the same time in confusion.

"It's a pity that there is no spicier seasoning, otherwise it would be more delicious. But it doesn't matter, I don't think it will be too bad." Li Hong looked at the three people who all looked doubtful and said unhappily: "Pei Xingjian, don't you believe it again?"

Pei Xingjian was startled, and the astonishment on his face immediately turned into a smile. He said hurriedly, "How can that be? I know your cooking skills very well. If you say it's delicious, then it must not be bad."

Just kidding, ever since he failed to get the stew the first time, Pei Xingjian has completely believed it. Now even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince says that the yellow soil outside tastes good, he will believe it without hesitation.

"That's fine. Hua Meng and Mangzhong should be almost done with it. Several hours have passed, so it should be ready. Bai Qi, come here, follow me." Finally, Li Hong looked at the bone that was bigger than Bai Qi's body, and ran happily behind him obediently.

As for the vague worry in Ma Zai and Li Jingxuan's eyes after they learned of Li Hong's identity, Pei Xingjian naturally saw it and told them everything on the way to the small garden behind the mansion.

After this explanation, it was like a bomb went off in the hearts of the two people, shocking them so much that they stood there at a loss as to what to do.

This is incredible! With only 20,000 troops, they were able to drive away Ashina Duzhi, known as the wolf of the grassland, and Li Zhapo, who fled in panic and hid deep in the grassland, not daring to show their heads.

Hua Meng and Mang Zhong, along with a few members of Li Hong's personal guard, had already skewered the meat and lit the charcoal, ready to put the meat on the skewers for grilling.

Pei Xingjian looked at the simple operation and murmured, "This way of eating is very common here."

"What you said is nonsense. Who told you it's rare? Roasted whole lamb is different from this. The meat roasted in this way is more tender and cooked all the time. Although roasted whole lamb is also good, it's not as good as this. You'll know when you try it later." Li Hong sat down on the chair that Xia Zhi had placed.

The little wolf smelled blood nearby and saw Mangzhong throwing a bloody bone. He immediately howled, pounced over excitedly, and started wrestling with the lamb leg on the ground excitedly.