Dun means big; Huang means prosperous.
This place is called Dunhuang.
Ever since the opening of the Silk Road, countless camel caravans and merchants passed through this road every year. Yang Pass and Jade Gate Pass became the two frontier fortresses of the Central Plains that led to the Western Regions.
Dunhuang became the most important ancient city on the ancient road in this vast yellow desert. It guarded the throat of the Silk Road and controlled the lifeline of the Western Regions and the Central Plains.
In the third year of Zhenguan, Li Jing, Duke of Wei, left Yinshan and defeated the Turks. The Tang Empire's glory was fully displayed in the Western Regions.
Because of Gao Shi's meritorious service, he became the Dunhuang City Lord and Anxi Regional Governor.
"What is this? Is this burning?”
Outside, the wind was howling, bringing up thousands of sand dragons, dancing above the oasis, causing the poplar trees to rustle.
However, in Dunhuang City, it was a sea of joy. The streets were empty, and all the people gathered in the square in the middle of the city. The sound of singing shook the sky.
The most shocking thing was that dozens of people in ragged clothes were kneeling in rows on the city gate tower.
Next to them, hundreds of masked men were dancing around the fire.
Seeing this scene, Li Hao was puzzled. He turned to Mo Xiang and asked.
"It's not burning at the stake," Mo Xiang shook his head and smiled,"but offering sacrifices."”
"This is the Grand Nuo ceremony that has been passed down for hundreds of years in Dunhuang. But since Shu Ye became the City Lord ten years ago, he added another condition, using Ming Cult disciples as blood sacrifices to heaven.”
Li Hao nodded. He had also learned from Mo Xiang that Mo Xiang's good friend, the current City Lord of Dunhuang City, Shu Ye, had a feud with the Ming Cult.
Then, he looked at the city tower. A man in a white robe was sitting casually on a bed. He wore a white jade mask and a black panther purple gold crown.
"Is that Gao Shuye?"
"Yes, he is Shu Ye."
"Wangye, are we going to show off?"
Li Hao was Prince Zhou of the Great Tang, the Protector-General of Anxi Protectorate. When he set out, everyone naturally had to welcome him.
"You can arrange it. However, I don't want to make any arrangements.”
Mo Xiang nodded." That's good. Then let's not make a scene. Let's watch this good show first."”
Not long after, the ceremony seemed to have come to an end. Gao Shuye stood up.
The surrounding commoners cheered loudly, and countless arms were raised."Young Master Shu Ye! Young Master Shu Ye! Young Master Shu Ye!"
The square was surrounded by restaurants and inns. Most of the people upstairs were merchants from all over the world, hugging singers and Hu women for fun.
When they saw Gao Shuye standing up from the couch, they hurriedly put down their wine glasses and stood up. They rushed to the window and bowed deeply to the city lord of Dunhuang.
Gao Shuye, who was wearing a white jade mask and a snow bear cloak, stood up and opened his arms to greet the people and merchants around him.
"Young Master Shu Ye! Young Master Shu Ye! Young Master Shu Ye!"
Cheers resounded throughout the entire Dunhuang City, and the sandstorm swept up into the sky.
In Dunhuang City, everyone was in awe of this iron-fisted city lord.
And Gongzi Shu Ye was naturally unrestrained and unrestrained. At the end of every exorcism ceremony, he would personally play the role of a wizard and lead the exorcism.
Like the five hundred bandits, they wore masks and bearskin cloaks. They drove the evil gods and ghosts to the east gate and then killed the animals to sacrifice to the sky.
Of course, he was killing people from the Ming Cult.
At a glance, amidst the countless green feathers, Young Master Shu Ye was dancing in white, like a lonely crane.
"It seems that the city lord of Dunhuang is very popular among the people of Dunhuang.”
Li Hao chuckled softly, praising Gao Shuye.
"In the past ten years, Dunhuang has been stable and the Silk Road has been prosperous. Countless merchants have passed by, and the lives of the people in Dunhuang have been incomparably rich. Although the great merit was the emperor's great talent and strategy, Shu Ye also had some small merits.”
"To be able to pacify the people and the Western Regions is not a small achievement.”
Li Hao smiled faintly and continued to watch the show.
Now that he had mastered the Six Emptiness Skill, he was extremely sensitive to all kinds of qi movements. He could already sense that a grandmaster expert had come to Dunhuang City.
Of course, the young master Shu Ye on the city gate tower was also a grandmaster expert.
Gao Shuye held a famous saber from Damascene and came before the followers.
The knife was like autumn water, and the cold gray blade had a special fine pattern on it. It was obvious that it was a good knife.
His eyes were like ice. He looked at these people as if he was looking at livestock that were about to die.
To him, the people of Yan Huang were no longer human if they believed in this kind of evil sect that disgusted him.
Using them as livestock to worship the heavens was also making the best use of them.
When the disciples in ragged clothes saw their young master draw his saber and stare at them, their eyes turned cold.
All of them knew that a great calamity was coming in the blink of an eye, so they stopped crying.
An elder took the lead and sat down cross-legged. He raised his hand to his chest and formed a flame-shaped hand seal. He silently prayed to the west.
"What joy is there in life?"
The leader of the Ming Cult's disciples spoke with his white hair and beard.
As the blade light swept past, the head rolled off, and the lips were still open.
The blade was as bright as water, without a trace of blood.
He held his saber and looked coldly at the group of Demon Cult followers who had died without realizing it. His eyes behind the white jade mask were suddenly filled with disgust.
Did these people really think that they could go to the Heavenly Paradise by dying for Revered Ming?
That so-called 'loving father' had actually gathered so many blind and ignorant followers!
"Why die?"
The oldest believer died, and the second sentence was read by the disciple who was second to him. The disciple's lips trembled slightly.
His voice was also trembling. He closed his eyes tightly and did not dare to watch the blade fall, but he refused to beg for mercy.
Without any hesitation, the saber light flashed and blood splattered out.
Two soldiers grabbed the bloody head and threw it out of the city, symbolizing that the evil spirit had been driven out by the Nuo ceremony.
The bloody light splashed toward the east, drawing two arcs. The people below the city cheered loudly, and their voices shook the outside of the city.
The camels that were about to enter the pass could not dodge in time. The faces of the few people in the lead were stained with blood, and all the merchants had trembling expressions on their faces.
"Gao Shuye, what a great swordsman.”
Li Hao watched from below and suddenly clapped his hands.
From his previous life to this life, he had always been extremely disgusted by the descendants of Yan Huang who believed in the messy foreign sects.
Now that he had seen Gao Shuye, beheading him was as easy as cutting grass, and he admired him even more.
"Shu Ye is an extraordinary swordsman."
Mo Xiang smiled when she saw that Li Hao didn't dislike this murder scene.
"A great enemy is coming. I want to see if this extraordinary swordsman can block it.”
Li Hao smiled casually and then glanced to the west.
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