Yuanzhi entered the Song army camp and arrived outside the commander's tent and saw the two waiting there. Seeing that he was coming, a general stepped forward and bowed: "Zhao Zi, the commander of the Dingyuan Army of the Song Dynasty, has met the master. This one is Zhang Sheng, the deputy envoy of the Hequ Road Strategic Affairs Bureau, and was ordered to come here."

Zhang Sheng stepped forward and gave a tribute, saying, "Master, please sit in the account."

After entering the tent of the commander, Zhao Zi ordered the tea to come and said, "Master invites tea. - I don't know what's going on with my tent this time?"

Yuanzhi clasped his hands together: "I will not hide the general, and I will come to the army under the order of King Khan of Beiting. Since the Song army entered Gaochang, we have fought fiercely. Until today, many cities have been captured by the noble army. Yesterday's battle was even more miserable. The noble army was not injured, but Gaochang lost nearly a thousand troops. King Khan of Beiting sent me to come here to ask, what was the purpose of the Song army and to attack Gaochang?"

Zhao Zi bowed: "Master, the soldiers who are in the army have always been ordered to act. Why should we ask the generals of the festival?"

Yuanzhi had no choice but to ask again: "I don't know where Jieshuai is? Can I see you at first sight?"

Zhao Zi said: "The master is the monk in the capital of Gaochang State. His status is extraordinary. How can anyone compare with others? If you want to see the commander, I will send some people to take you to Liuzhong later. It's not difficult."

Yuanzhi heard this and said, "So is Du Jieshuai in Liuzhong? I thought he was in Yizhou."

Zhao Zi laughed and said, "Master is joking. How could Jishou not come to supervise the battle in such a battle surrounding Gaochang City? Let's drink tea. I will arrange the staff and accompany the master to Liuzhong later. Liuzhong Road is nearer, so I can walk faster on the road and arrive in the evening."

Yuanzhi clasped his hands together: "Amitabha, thank you General."

After saying that, he sent a soldier who came with him and immediately entered the city to report to Pugu Huaien. It had been more than ten days since the Song army besieged the city. Gaochang sent several envoys, so he could finally meet Du Zhongxiao. If he had known that the monk was effective, he would have sent Yuanzhi.

Gaochang is a Buddhist country. Local residents originally believed in Manichi from Persia, and gradually changed it to Buddhism. Under the rule of the Uighurs, there was a monk in every big city, and the monk temples under the rule. Although the ruler of Gaochang was called King of Beiting, as the focus gradually reached Gaochang, Gaochang's monks began to become the highest-ranking monk in the country. It was like Yuanzhi, not only in Buddhist affairs, but also in political affairs.

Pugu Huai'en sent envoys many times but failed. This time he was ingenious and sent Yuanzhi to come. Unexpectedly, Du Zhongxiao wanted to rebuild the Kingdom of Khotan in the Western Regions and widely preach Buddhism. He sent Yuanzhi to come and saw himself long ago. For Du Zhongxiao, Yuanzhi's status was much more important than Pugu Huai'en. He occupied Gaochang and opened up the business path. The next step was to face the black khan and rebuild the Buddha of Khotan. At that time, the position of monks was very important.

Several people were drinking tea, and Zhao Zi and Zhang Sheng deliberately avoided the war and just talked about gossip. Yuan Zhi had no choice but to agree.

The sun was rising, and Zhao Zi and Zhang Shengcai bid farewell to Yuanzhi and sent someone to protect him and headed to Liu Zhong dozens of miles away.

Before Yuanzhi left, Zhao Zi sent a fast cavalry first to send a letter to Du Zhongxiao in Liuzhong. This was what Du Zhongxiao ordered. Judging from the battle of Zhang Ji attacking the other cities, the Uighurs' fighting power was not strong, and Gao Chang was already the flesh in his mouth. Du Zhongxiao ordered Zhao Zi to say that no matter who Pu Gu Huai'en sent to him, they said that they were on orders and sent people back to the city. Only monks and merchants were sent to him. Of course, it was another matter to let him go back after talking to Liuzhong.

After receiving the news, Du Zhongxiao said to Fu Bi: "King Gaochang thought it was a hurry, and sent an envoy to no avail. This time he sent a monk. Yuanzhi is the chief monk in Gaochang. He has a noble status and we must not lose etiquette."

Fu Bi nodded: "Gaochang is a Buddha's country, and the monks have a noble status. Master Yuanzhi is here, so we should go out of the city to welcome him."

Du Zhongxiao shook his head: "There is no need. The Song Dynasty is not a Buddha country. Master Yuanzhi is here, so we will go out to pick him up. However, when Yuanzhi comes here, he will inevitably ask why we attacked Gaochang. Deputy Envoy, what should we say at that time?"

Fu Bi said: "That's right. Now we have occupied all the twenty-two cities around Gaochang, leaving only one Gaochang City. Judging from the battle situation yesterday, Gaochang City is not difficult to capture, so why bother to hide it?"

Du Zhongxiao said, "I think so too. I didn't see Gaochang envoys in front of me, but I was not that I was hard to say, but that I was afraid that Gaochang envoys would come out, so they fled in the chaos and colluded everywhere. Now only Gaochang's lonely city is left, and Baishui in the northwest has been captured, and Zhang Ku has occupied the valley entrance in the south. Even if there are reinforcements, Gaochang cannot be saved. It is better to make a decision early if King Beiting Khan is fighting or surrendering."

Fu Bi nodded: "That's true. Now that things have come to this point, the Gaochang war was concluded early, and the imperial court's troops built the railway came to build the railway from Yizhou to Gaochang early. The two places are 700 miles apart, and it is really not close. The railway is not enough, and the logistics is too difficult."

"Yes, the Western Regions are too vast. It means that the two places are adjacent to each other and often walk hundreds of miles away. There are no rivers and cannot rely on boats. You can only build more railways. Now the four major railway supervisors in the imperial court have no shortage of steel for railway construction, but they just lack manpower."

From Yizhou to Liuzhong, Du Zhongxiao realized the meaning of the vastness of the Western Regions. The two places are adjacent, but the distance is six or seven hundred miles. If it is in the innermost part of the Central Plains, this distance is enough to reach the other way.

Due to the drought and little rain, most places inhabited by the Western Regions are distributed along the foothills. Especially the Tianshan Mountains in the middle, the two foothills are divided into the most cities. Because Gaochang is a basin, the water flow of the Tianshan Mountains can be used, so there are many people. Walking west along the southern foothills of the Tianshan Mountains, there are famous places in history such as Yanqi, Kucha, Shule, etc., while Khotan is located in Kungang, which is the foothills of the Kunlun Mountains mentioned in the Houcheng.

Unlike other places, Khotan is not on the trade route, but mainly farming and sericulture. There are many indigenous people in the places, and there are also Han people. The farming and sericulture are developed and produce beautiful jade. This place was originally one of the centers of Buddhism in the Western Regions, but was finally annexed by the Hei Khanate decades ago. After the Hei Khanate annexed Khotan, it used Khotan as a base to compete with Gaochang for the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. Rebuilding the Khotan Kingdom was of positive significance to appease the indigenous people in the Western Regions and fight against the Green Church.

Once Gaochang was occupied, Du Zhongxiao would send troops to destroy Yanqi and compete with Hei Khan for the Khotan area. After occupying the southern foot of the Tianshan Mountains, he would have the firm capital to compete for the Western Regions. Hei Khan had occupied Yutan for decades, and the Green Sect had not yet become a common belief, and there was still a chance to promote Buddhism.

It was almost evening, and Yuanzhi and his party arrived outside Liuzhong City. Seeing the city was broken, the city was very lively. Yuanzhi said: "It seems that it is not easy for the Song army to capture this place. I think after a fierce battle, the city has been destroyed. However, looking at the scene in the city, it is bustling and lively."

The general who was escorting the general said, "What the master said is that when he heard that he attacked Liuzhong, the city lord stood firm and finally died with the city. After the general Jie arrived, he admired the city lord very much and specially rebuilt the tomb for him and added a lot of burial."
Chapter completed!