The ninth son of the emperor was demoted at the beginning. I have a famous Chinese general.

"I will obey your orders!"

The surrounding Donghu cavalry roared.

whoosh-

A moment later, Lu Bu rode out on his horse.

The Donghu cavalry followed one after another, with great momentum and shocking momentum.

At this time, most of the caravan were sleeping.

There were only a dozen guards on duty for the huge caravan.

Da da da--

Suddenly, there was a rush of horse hoof sounds.

"Who is it? It's in the middle of the night!"

A guard shouted impatiently, showing no sign of alarm.

It's not his fault. This trade route has always been quite safe. After all, it is under the control of Beiting.

Whoosh!

But the next moment, an arrow pierced his neck in an instant, blood splattered, and a blood mist rose up.

boom!

The guard fell straight down without a sound.

"Enemy attack!!"

The guard on the other side reacted immediately.

Unfortunately it's too late.

shhhhhhhh!

Then black shadows flashed and countless cavalrymen rushed in.

In just a short while, the caravan guards were either killed or injured, and the rest, including the coachmen, surrendered one after another.

"Take them into custody and take all the carriages away."

The battle was over, Lu Bu ordered coldly.

Blocking trade routes does not necessarily require killing people, not to mention that most of the people traveling back and forth are Daqian caravans.

For this reason, Ning Quan specifically instructed Lu Bu to injure as few people as possible.

After receiving the order, the soldiers quickly stepped forward and tied up everyone in the caravan tightly.

Then he drove away in his carriage.

.........

Hulun City, County Government Office.

"Your Highness, County Magistrate Zhang has sent someone with news."

In the county magistrate's mansion, Ning Quan sat in the main seat with his eyes closed, resting, and Zhang Fei hurriedly reported.

"Oh! Finally there is news. Let someone in quickly." Ning Quan said happily.

"promise!"

Zhang Fei nodded.

A moment later, a soldier walked in.

"My humble servant Wang Erniu pays his respects to His Highness."

The soldier knelt on the ground and said respectfully.

"Well, get up. You must have worked hard coming back from such a long distance."

"How is it going? How is Zhang Tinggao doing after arriving in the Western Regions?" Ning Quan asked.

"Your Highness, I followed Lord Zhang and arrived in Wusun ten days ago. We then went to Kucha and Yanqi, where we were warmly welcomed."

"Especially in Kucha, they worship Master Zhang like a god and dare not neglect him in the slightest."

"The three countries also expressed their agreement to trade with Hulan."

"However, the three kingdoms still had concerns and did not dare to agree easily, because Beiting had troops stationed in all three kingdoms. After hearing the news, the Beiting troops tried their best to obstruct this."

"Master Zhang is asking if Your Highness could send a troop of soldiers to the Western Regions to strengthen the prestige of Hulan."

Wang Erniu said respectfully.

"Beiting still has troops stationed in the Western Regions?"

Ning Quan asked in surprise.

"Yes, Your Highness. Beiting has troops stationed in various countries in the Western Regions, but their scale is very small."

"The garrisons of various countries range from a few hundred to a few dozen, and the total strength is no more than 3,000!"

"But even so, Beiting's control over various countries is very strong, and the local garrisons are often very powerful."

Wang Erniu explained.

"Oh, I understand."

Ning Quan suddenly realized.

It is not surprising that Beiting has such strong control over the countries. After all, the countries in the Western Regions are too small. They are not even counties if they are called countries.

With a limited population and limited military strength, Beiting can sweep them away in minutes with its strength.

"Okay, I understand. You can go down first."

Ning Quan waved his hand.

"promise."

Wang Erniu bowed respectfully and slowly retreated.

"My Lord, I think Mr. Zhang's proposal is excellent. Now that we have established ourselves, it is a great opportunity to trade with the countries of the Western Regions. It is also time to demonstrate our strength."

After Wang Erniu left, Zhuge Liang stood up and said.

"Well, the Prime Minister is right. We really need to show some strength to the countries in the Western Regions."

"In that case, Prime Minister, who do you think is suitable to send?"

Hearing Zhuge Liang's words, Ning Quan smiled.

"Your Highness, I think it would be best if Your Highness went in person."

"Your Highness is of noble status. If you could go there in person, the nations of the Western Regions would be flattered. This would also demonstrate my sincerity."

Zhuge Liang smiled.

"The King will go there in person?"

"Well, it's not impossible."

Hearing this, Ning Quan nodded slightly.

He also wanted to visit the Western Regions and experience the customs and culture there, even though he had been there several times in his previous life.

But can modern times be the same as ancient times?

"Since Your Highness agrees, I will go and prepare."

"To ensure His Highness's safety, His Highness must be accompanied by a heavy entourage on this trip."

Zhuge Liang bowed.

"Well, go get ready."

Ning Quan nodded.

"Here!!"

Zhuge Liang turned and left.

.....

At the southern foot of the Qilian Mountains, there is a canyon that stretches for dozens of kilometers.

This canyon is extremely deep and large enough to accommodate tens of thousands of people.

The cliffs on both sides are steep and dangerous, making it easy to defend but difficult to attack.

This is Qinglongzhai, the lair of the last gang of bandits in the southern foothills of Qilian Mountain.

Qinglongzhai has nearly 10,000 bandits and is famous for its formidable reputation at the southern foot of the Qilian Mountains.

The village chief Cai Sheng is said to be a ninth-rank master.

At this time, the village was brightly lit.

"Captain, the scouts reported back that the army sent by Hulan is approaching us."

In the hall of the stronghold, the second in command, Zhao Biao, said respectfully.

"How many of them are there and how long will it take them to arrive?"

Cai Sheng frowned slightly and asked after pondering for a while.

"The spies replied that they have 4,000 men and will arrive in two days at most."

Zhao Biao replied.

"Humph, how arrogant!"

"You dare to attack my Qinglong Village with just 4,000 people? Are you simply courting death?"

"Tell the brothers to be prepared. When the Hulan army arrives, we must teach them a lesson."

Cai Sheng said in a cold voice with a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

"Yes, Village Master."

Zhao Biao nodded in agreement and then stepped back.

"Dad, are you really going to go to war with Hulan?"

As soon as Zhao Biao left, Cai Rong's pretty face changed slightly and she said worriedly.

Cai Rong is the daughter of Cai Sheng. She is only eighteen years old and has a beautiful appearance. She is a rare beauty.

"Haha, they've come to my door to bully me, how can I not fight?"

Cai Sheng sneered.

"But the strength of Hulan cannot be underestimated. They defeated an army of 100,000 Xiongnu!"

"The Black Wind Village and the other families are a warning to us. Their villages were all razed to the ground."

Cai Rong continued.

"What should we do then? Do you want Daddy to surrender?"

"How can this be?"

Cai Sheng shook his head and said firmly.

"Why can't you surrender?"

"Although we in Qinglong Village are also bandits, we have never harmed the people."

"Besides, Dad, don't you think about the people in the village?"

“What will they do if they fail?”

Cai Rong said anxiously.

"What nonsense are you talking about, kid? It's precisely because of the people in the village that I can't surrender."

"Without our protection, they are lambs to be slaughtered."

"Besides, do you think Hulan will agree if we surrender?"

"Even if you agree, do you dare to believe it?"

"Have you forgotten what happened to Qujiazhai ten years ago? Qujiazhai surrendered to Beiting, and what happened?"

"In the end, Beiting killed them all!"

Cai Sheng said with a sad look.