The army began to withdraw southward, and the Dujieji Lema stood on the grassland, watching the officers and soldiers break camp and return one after another. This old hero of the grassland, and his elite Huihe, will face the rampant Qin Ba Mountain alone again, like a vicious wolf, and they are crawling.

Chen Zi'ang, the forward of Wei University, served as the rear team, and finally broke camp and returned. When the two sides waved goodbye, the Uighur people were already drunk with milk wine on the line. Zhou Meier said: "Can the Uighur people definitely rebuild their former glory?"

Chen Ziang said: "Yes, as long as Dujie Zhi is here, he will not only be the king of the Uighurs, but also the spiritual leader of the Uighurs." Wei Daye said: "The peace treaty stipulated by the imperial court that Qin Bashan shall not invade the Uighurs.

Moreover, 10,000 officers and soldiers were left to station for several months to help the Uighurs rebuild their camps and pastures.”

Zhou Meier smiled when she heard this and breathed a sigh of relief for Du Jiezhi. Chen Ziang said: "After we return, we will first mobilize the Uighurs on the Longyou Road to return to the grassland. We need to go to Qiuci first, where many people who fled south live.

Uighur tribe."

As soon as Ji Si heard that he was going to the Kingdom of Kucha, he gestured repeatedly and said in ventriloquism: "Are we going to the Kingdom of Kucha now?!" Chen Ziang knew that Zhou Meier had said that Ji Si was good at ventriloquism, so he was not surprised and said: "Well,

We will go to Qiuci Kingdom first, and then return to Guazhou to wait for the arrangements of the court."

Zhou Meier also hurriedly said: "Sister, we went to visit our mother. We haven't gone back to visit her for many years!" It turned out that Ji Si and Ruth were originally from Qiuci. They studied dance, Chinese, etc. since childhood, and were sold to each other in their teens.

After arriving in Luoyang, I never saw my family again.

Chen Ziang suddenly felt a fever on his face and thought about accompanying Zhou Meier to meet her family. He looked at Wei Da, whose face had already turned red, and said, "Surely we can meet her... her old man? I am not prepared at all.

ah."

Ji Si pretended to be angry and said: "You don't have to go to meet her." Wei Dashi said hurriedly: "How can it be done? I must visit her old man. I must."

Zhou Mei'er said: "You two don't have to be afraid. Mother treats people very well and won't put on airs to teach you two. Haha." Chen Zi'ang murmured: "That's natural. It's not too late to be happy to see her."

Zhou Meier said angrily: "You two, please be careful what you say. What an old lady! My mother is not old at all. If she stood in front of you, I'm afraid she would mistake her for our sisters!" Chen Ziang and Wei Da were robbed again.

I had no choice but to lower my head and walk on my way without talking.

Ji Si and Zhou Meier giggled and followed them. Zhou Meier actually hummed a Qiuci tune, making everyone forget the fatigue of the march.

After passing through the desert, you will enter a semi-desert area. The Kingdom of Kucha is just ahead of you on the Kuqa Oasis. Kucha is a small country in the Western Region. It is famous because it is located on the Silk Road. Most of the people here do business and traffic from east to west.

There are also many people planting grapes and other agricultural products, just for the merchants to cultivate and eat.

Qiuci was a small country, and Zhou Meier said it was not as big as Luoyang. Wei ordered his cavalry to station in the suburbs, with only two people accompanying him, so as not to disturb the people when they entered the city. As expected, many Uighur tents were seen around, so they were naturally avoiding Qin Ba from the north.

People fleeing the war in the mountains came here.

There was a castle vaguely ahead. Zhou Meier led them closer, but it was a castle less than 300 feet long and wide. The castle was surrounded by a yellow mud wall, and inside were various residences and a ring of palaces.

houses.

Zhou Meier said: "This is the capital of Qiuci Kingdom. Although the castle is not big, it is a must-go resting place for merchants from the east and west." The four of them walked into the castle and saw people with white skin and yellow skin walking around and interacting with each other.

No outsiders at all. There are also a few hotels.

Thousands of people can live in this castle. Chen Ziang pointed to the hotel and said, "Let's stay here first." Ji Si burst into laughter, and Zhou Meier said slowly, "Our family is big, so don't worry."

Wei Da straightened his back and looked around, asking: "Where are you? Lead the way." Zhou Meier, however, rode towards the palaces at a small pace, and Ji Si followed. Chen Ziang and Wei Da looked at each other and followed in confusion.

Go up.

I saw Zhou Meier coming to the palace, dismounting, and talking to the guard. After talking for a long time, the guard seemed to understand, and ran into the palace and brought back a female housekeeper. The old housekeeper grabbed Zhou Meier and Ji Si and looked at them.

After a long while, he suddenly hugged the two of them tightly.

The three of them hugged each other and shed tears. They couldn't understand what they were saying. The housekeeper waved to Chen Ziang and Wei Da. He led them into the palace courtyard and walked towards a dome hut next to it. A maid poured tea.

, the housekeeper said a few more words, smiled kindly at Chen Ziang and Wei Da, and left the room.

This house is less than five feet square, and there is one room inside, probably a bedroom. Compared with the Central Plains, such a palace room seems stingy, but in the semi-desert oasis, in the Qiuci Castle, this is indeed a first-class apartment.

The palace is made of yellow mud mixed with weeds and made of wooden strips. The walls are painted snow white and sky blue, which is very fresh and pleasant.

Chen Zi'ang and Wei Da have been full of doubts since they followed the palace. Why are the two sisters' homes located in the palace compound of Qiuci Kingdom? It happened that both of them were not good at talking, and they were too embarrassed to ask.

Zhou Meier smiled mischievously and said, "That's the old housekeeper of my mother's harem. Fortunately, she always remembers us." Harem? When Chen Ziang heard this word, he was about to ask a question, but Wei Da had already asked: "Who is your mother..."

Zhou Meier smiled and said: "My mother is the concubine Li'er of King Qiuci. She probably went to Grape Valley to pick grapes and will be back after dinner. Let's wait here."

So, Sister Ji Si is actually the princess of Qiuci Kingdom?! No wonder they are so beautiful and elegant. Chen Ziang couldn't help laughing and said: "Why didn't I hear you talk about this?" He was obviously a little angry, but of course he was pretending to be angry.

Ji Si hurriedly said: "Brother Chen, please don't be offended. Our small place in Qiuci is nothing worth showing off." Hearing this, Wei Da unconsciously held Ji Si's hand and said, "Well, even if you are a poor man, Wei Da will not be able to show off in this life."

I am satisfied."

The four of them chatted and waited in the room. It was getting dark, but there was no sign of Concubine Li'er. But the old housekeeper came in in a hurry and said in Chinese: "It's not good! Concubine Li'er was covered by some black clothes in Grape Valley.

He was kidnapped by a masked man and disappeared without a trace!"

"Ah!" Chen Zi'ang and Wei Da exclaimed at the same time. They looked at each other. Wei Da immediately said: "I will immediately order the cavalry to search everywhere and set up defenses!" He ordered the soldiers outside the door to return to the camp immediately to send a message.

Chen Ziang said: "Come on, Mei'er, let's go to Grape Valley to check." The maid quickly prepared her horse and led them to Grape Valley.

Grape Valley is dozens of miles away, and it was already midnight when we arrived. A ditch here is filled with various varieties of grapes, so it is called Grape Valley.

I met another palace maid who also served Concubine Lier. She pointed to the entrance of the karez not far away and said: "Over there, the princess went to wash the grapes, and she was kidnapped by the masked man over there."

I saw the entrance of the Karer Well, illuminated by more than ten torches, and it turned out that the palace guards of the Kingdom of Kucha had arrived. Among the guards stood a tall man in rich attire. Zhou Meier said: "That is my father, Bai Suji. Follow me to pay homage to my father."

"

Bai Suji, the king of Qiuci, had seen the others a long time ago. When Zhou Meier and Jisi approached, he knelt down in front of him and said, "Daughter Jisi, Ruth pays homage to your father." He helped his daughter up, took a closer look, and finally recognized them.

He hugged the two of them and said, "Sure enough, the two little darlings are back!"

The father and daughter met and chatted again. Bai Suji strode over and shouted: "You two, please come here." When Chen Ziang and Wei Da approached, he hugged them tightly and kissed them.

It made the two of them a little embarrassed, but they knew that people in the Western Regions are generous and a hug is the most cordial greeting.

He let go of the two of them and sighed: "You two are here by chance, Concubine Li'er has been kidnapped! I am sending people to search everywhere." Chen Zi'ang said: "We have sent cavalry to catch the robbers everywhere."

Zhou Meier said: "Father, Brother Chen and Brother Wei are all officials of the imperial court." Bai Suji said: "Oh, I just said that a large number of elite cavalrymen of the Tang Dynasty came nearby, and they turned out to be subordinates of the two of you!"

Chen Ziang and Wei Da went to the karez to check again, but there were no clues to identify the robbers. When the two returned to the ground, Bai Suji saw Chen Ziang's doubts and said, "Actually, I can probably guess the reason."

"A few days ago, a man named Boss Bai came to the palace to ask for an audience. He claimed to be the envoy of Black Sand City and actually asked me to issue a declaration to break away from the control of the court." Bai Suji said: "I drove him away in anger.

This kidnapping was probably planned by them, to kidnap my favorite concubine Li'er, in order to threaten the Kingdom of Kucha!"

These words made everyone understand the inside story of Concubine Li'er's disappearance. Everyone was speechless for a moment, and followed Bai Suji back to the palace. It was almost dawn.

Chen Ziang and Wei Da stayed in the same room. Wei Dalian commanded the army for days and slept soundly. But Chen Ziang was thinking carefully about some issues. It seems that Qin Bashan's hand has crossed the desert and reached the city-states in the Western Regions.

.

During the Taizong period, the Anxi Protectorate was set up here to control the four kingdoms of Qiuci, Yanqi, Khotan, and Shule. However, for more than ten years after Emperor Gaozong, the relationship between Qiuci and the Tang Dynasty was not close, and thanks to Bai Suji's general knowledge,
Chapter completed!