"Old Tang, why are you here? Has the encirclement and suppression of King Zhelan and Timur been successful?"
Zhao Muyun hurriedly put away the sachet that Fan Bingbing had given her, to prevent Tang Yanhai, the big mouth, from seeing it and making nonsense.
When Tang Yanhai saw Fan Bingbing hurried out, he was only surprised for a moment, and then he drank up all the tea that Fan Bingbing had not drunk from Zhao Muyun's table.
Well!
He burped comfortably, wiped the remaining water from his beard, and then sat down.
"That's right! Boss Zhao, I rushed back from Fengzhou to report to you in person!"
"You didn't see it! Xiaowu and Guo Lengzi (Guo Luo) trapped that old bastard Zhelan in the valley. My goodness, it was such a miserable sight!"
Tang Yanhai's voice boomed, spit flying everywhere. "We're exhausted, and we can't even shoot straight! I told Xiaowu to surrender quickly, and there's still a chance for him to live. Guess what the old man said?"
Zhao Muyun picked up the cup and drank a sip of hot water, then scolded with a smile, "Old Tang, if you have something to fart about, just say it now! Don't keep us in suspense!"
Tang Yanhai grinned. "That old fellow was standing on a big rock, his face as red as a monkey's butt, howling and wailing, saying things like, 'I'm an eagle cub raised by the immortal heaven, I'd rather break my neck against a rock than eat the rotten food you Yin people feed me!'"
"After saying that, he slashed his own neck with a snap. There was no time to stop him! Hey, he's really a tough nut to crack!"
The room was quiet for a moment.
Zhao Muyun put down the cup, made a soft "tsk" sound, and his eyes were a little vague:
"King Zhelan started out with only thirteen sets of armor. He built up his army and established his territory in the cracks. He has been entrenched in three states for many years and has always been a threat to Shuozhou."
"Today's outcome is his own fault, but he chose death over submission and remained a man of integrity. It's truly heartbreaking."
He waved his hand: "Old Tang, go on!"
"Yes. When the old man Zhelan's subordinates saw him commit suicide, their morale completely collapsed."
"About half laid down their weapons and surrendered. The other half... approximately a thousand cavalrymen, led by a silver-armored Tartar, fled westward."
"We left Guo Lengzi to escort the prisoners and then led our army in pursuit, all the way to Heshan, west of Fengzhou, where we discovered the remnants of Timur's army."
"Timur took in these Tartars, who numbered about 3,000 men. They didn't dare to stay and went straight through the Heshan Pass and fled into the desert to the west."
"We then chased to the edge of the desert, and there was just endless yellow sand as far as the eye could see."
"Xiao Wu said we lacked experience in desert warfare and that supply was difficult. We were afraid of an ambush, so we didn't pursue them. We have already led our troops back and are currently clearing out the scattered Tartars in Fengzhou."
Zhao Muyun nodded: "Xiao Wu handled it properly. The desert is not our forte, so we must not enter it rashly."
He pondered for a moment, then said to Li Si, the personal guard standing beside him, "Li Si, go and ask Mr. Fan and Minister Pei to come over. They say they have something important to discuss."
While Zhao Muyun and Tang Yanhai were bragging and chatting for a while, Fan Nan and Pei Lun walked into the study one after another.
"General, what's the important matter?" Fan Nan asked as soon as he came in.
Pei Lun saw Tang Yanhai and seemed to understand what was going on, but he didn't say anything. He just waited for Zhao Muyun to speak.
Zhao Muyun asked the two to sit down and asked Tang Yanhai to briefly repeat the situation.
Upon hearing that King Zhelan had committed suicide, Pei Lun couldn't help but sigh, "This beast has been a scourge to the northern border for over ten years. When I was the Jiedushi of Hedong, I was troubled by him a lot."
"I never thought that I would end up like this today. Life is so unpredictable."
Fan Nan stroked his beard and said, "The end of a great hero leaves behind only a tragic song. It's a good thing, for now, the three states of the northern border have one less major threat."
Zhao Muyun said to Fan Nan, "Master, there are about several thousand of King Zhelan's former subordinates who surrendered. I will leave them to you to settle."
"Right now, the walls of the cities and passes throughout the northern border are severely damaged. We need them now. We can recruit them as laborers, supervise them in sections, and help them build cities and repair fortifications. We can use their labor in exchange for relief. Just keep them under strict supervision and avoid killing them indiscriminately."
"I understand. I will make proper arrangements to utilize their labor while preventing any accidents." Fan Nan accepted the order.
Zhao Muyun turned his gaze to Pei Lun and suddenly asked, "Minister Pei, you've been in Hedong for a long time. How much do you know about the desert west of Heshan? Do you know the paths, water sources, and tribal distribution there?"
Pei Lun was cheered up. This was the key reason why Zhao Muyun called them here.
He quickly replied, "I do know something."
"The desert west of Heshan is endless. Locals call it the 'Sea of Death'. The environment is extremely harsh."
"However, the desert is not a dead end. There is a road connecting oases that leads to Ganzhou in Longyou Road."
"However, this road is extremely dangerous, and caravans need a guide who is familiar with the route. Sand bandits are also common."
He paused, then asked tentatively, "General...are you planning to send troops deep into the desert to wipe out the remaining Timur troops?"
Zhao Muyun didn't comment. Instead, he looked at Fan Nan and asked with a smile, "Master, you are the Minister of War. How much do you know about the situation in Longyou Road?"
Fan Nan was so smart that his eyes lit up when he heard this, as if he had guessed what Zhao Muyun was thinking.
He asked in return, "Could it be that Mu Yun intends to use the opportunity of pursuing Timur to seize control of Longyou?"
He became more and more excited as he spoke. "Great! Now Longyou is isolated in the Western Regions. Although Li Jingang controls Xijing, his power has not yet been able to completely control Longyou. The interim court is even more powerless!"
"If I can establish contact with Longyou, or even exert influence, there will be three benefits: First, Longyou is the throat of the Silk Road. If we can open up trade routes and trade with the countries in the Western Regions, wealth will flow in!"
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