In the land of Cangbei, the wind and sand are raging, and the sun sets and the road becomes difficult.

The desert scene extends endlessly in all directions, and the land here has been tortured by the scorching sun and drought to the point of rocky outcrops.

The cracks are vertical and horizontal, and the fine yellow sand has been ravaged endlessly by the wind. Each grain has countless tortures and helplessness, and the desolation and desolation are vividly displayed.

Here, life is hard to find, like a forbidden land of life, with only the occasional wandering ghosts as companions.

If it weren't for the dilapidated city and the three bright red characters Cangbei County on the boundary monument, no one would be willing to believe that this place was once a county-level administrative district.

The desolate world has stripped away the prosperity and hustle and bustle of the past without a trace.

Two years have passed since the yin and yang were reversed and the ghosts walked at night. Cangbei County seems to have not recovered from the catastrophe. However, this is only the appearance seen by ordinary people.

Fifty thousand Xia troops on foot and cavalry marched on the Cangbei Straight Road, which was still under repair and maintenance. Many of them were no strangers to this place, and they were accustomed to the desolation and desolation.

Just because in the days when Zhou Bai did not go south to expand his territory, the north of Cangshan Mountain was the military training ground.

I have escorted caravans time and again, fought against prairie bandits, and Jin cavalry, and I have long been extremely familiar with the "ghosts" in this area.

If you ask some of these experienced veterans whether Cangbei County can be inhabited and reclaimed, the answer must be yes.

The target of the battle was announced to Zhou Bai, and everyone knew who the enemy was. The 100,000 Jin Army cavalry were very powerful, but there was not much fear or nervousness visible on the faces of Sergeant Xia.

Even in order to relax, the military judge allowed him to chat quietly at this time. This is the experience of the war, and there is a certain degree of relaxation.

A new recruit from Longfeng who joined the Forbidden Army saw that everyone was chatting and laughing freely, so he asked the question he was most concerned about: "Boss, the Lord said that this battle was won, so he will grant us more fields. Is that right?"

Really?"

"You don't need to ask. When the propaganda officer announced the policy and military orders, I saw that you didn't listen carefully. The land is sealed at our feet, and the entire Cangbei County will be given to the sergeants." Another veteran immediately slapped the recruit on the forehead and said fiercely.

.

"Here? This place is like a desert, desolate and broken. Can we farm?" The recruit looked in disbelief and shook his head repeatedly.

"What do you know, kid? Of course it didn't work two years ago, but now the world has changed drastically. The underground has regained its vitality. Now you see that there is no vitality but only the surface."

"The Canglan River will soon connect to Cangbei. Just wait. If I can make a great contribution and die in battle, I may be able to ask the king to grant me the title of land and protect this place." A veteran from Cangbei said, coming from his pocket.

He took out a piece of moist soil and inside it was a piece of plant rhizome.

Before the recruits' eyes could shine and they scanned the dead land, there were sounds of horse hooves ahead. This was the return of the sentinels who had gone out to investigate the military situation.

The commander quickly rectified the military discipline and ended the pre-war relaxation time with a few words: "Okay, if you can't become an officer, just think about how to kill the enemy and get promoted later. The sergeant is just the basics. I want to make hundreds of dollars."

acres of land, at least a sharp soldier..."

At this time, in the middle of the marching team, Zhou Bai and a group of subordinates were also discussing Cangbei County.

"Two years of spiritual energy recovery and residual Yin energy counteracting, and after the intervention of the Taoist priests and many land gods, Cangbei County has now restored 80% of its pre-ghost disaster vitality... I believe that as long as there is enough water, the imperial court can start the relocation plan.

"

"If the monks trained by various sects, especially Ling Zhifu, are mobilized to focus on restoring and intervening in Cangbei, it is expected that Cangbei will be like Cangnan within three years.

Listening to the reports of the Taoist officials, Zhou Bai nodded slightly: "After the Canglan River connects with the Ningjiang River, it will definitely flow into Cangbei through Cangshan Mountain. The mountain gods and water gods will cooperate. But the premise is that we can win this battle.

No one dares to look south again!”

Not long after the tone was set, an urgent military intelligence report came.

"Report, fifty miles ahead, there is a large-scale Jin sentry cavalry, among which there are eagle shooters blocking our army's outpost exploration."

"Let Chu Kai teach these golden people a lesson, remember not to go too deep."

"Report, there are many Jin Shamans within a hundred miles. They are summoning wolves and wild beasts, trying to attack our military formation."

"Li Yuan, lead the group of Taoist priests to clear the obstacles, and send a message to True Lord Shao Yuan, asking him to go to Yinshan Mountain."

In retaliation, Zhou Bai was extremely efficient and counterattacked one by one against the methods used by the Kingdom of Jin.

In particular, the Jin Kingdom shaman actually tried to use extraordinary means to interfere with the war, which puzzled him.

Is it possible that the support given by the Black Emperor's lineage is so great that these shamans can't understand the limitations of the world?

From ancient times to the present, the prosperity of the spiritual world has been directly proportional to the prosperity of civilization. The level of spiritual practice in the Central Plains will always be one level higher than outside the region.

Even though the spiritual energy recovery is now global, for a while, the high-end combat power of the grassland monks will definitely not be comparable to that of the Xia Kingdom.

At best, they could only rely on the size of the kingdom and the number of shamans to fight a war of attrition, so Zhou Bai directly invited Shao Yuan to go to Yinshan and his party.

It was not necessary for True Lord Shao Yuan to carry out the suppression of the Jin Kingdom's national destiny and break into Yin Mountain to destroy the ancestral temple. As long as he showed his face, most of the Shamans of the Three Realms would not dare to leave Yin Mountain.

Yinshan Mountain is not only the location of the dragon veins of the Jin Kingdom, but also the gathering point of spiritual energy on the grassland. Once something goes wrong, the entire Jin Kingdom's cultivation world will suffer.

…

With 80,000 cavalry, plus the tribal cavalry recruited on the way back, the number of the Jin army now exceeded 100,000.

Once there are more than 10,000 people, there are no boundaries, let alone 100,000 cavalry.

Thousands of billowing military flags flaunt the splendor and vastness of its territory and the majesty and power of its army.

These powerful soldiers, who had just experienced a great victory in the Southern Expedition and had built up strong self-confidence in Liang Jun, were all ferocious and full of murderous intent.

Such a large army would be the force to destroy the country at any time, but Hu Yanhe always felt a little uneasy.

At first, he thought it was because the Northern Capital was broken and the dragon veins were turbulent, which caused his luck to be implicated. However, as the sentries and shaman reported on the investigation situation, he understood that it was still the pressure brought by his opponents.

Why did they only bring 50,000 people? Did Xia Guo think that the war on the grassland was the same as in the mainland?

But when we think about Zhou Bai's record, this "old friend" has prospered in Dingzhou and has not suffered a defeat since the uprising.

Now he has 50,000 cavalry and wants to defeat his 100,000-strong army. I'm afraid he really thinks he has the strength.

Therefore, no matter how loud and confident the tribal leaders were, Hu Yanhe maintained a steady attitude and repeatedly ordered all tribes to be cautious.

The 40,000 forbidden troops, 5,000 cavalry, 5,000 demon-slayers, and 50,000 infantry cavalry are all elite, and everyone is a soldier.

After checking the relevant information about the Dingxi army's defeat at Menjuguan, Hu Yanhe's expression became more solemn. It was obvious that the main reason why Dingxi could not occupy the border town was the failure of the military confrontation.

Because of the internal strife in Jin Dynasty, it did fall behind the martial arts revolution in the Central Plains, but he did not lose confidence. As a country on horseback, only the prairie people knew the power of the cavalry regiment.

In history, the Jin Kingdom broke through the northern border many times. The reason why they were unable to occupy much land was not that their cavalry was incompetent, but that the farther south they fought, the more various terrains were mixed together.

Fighting on the mainland in an endless plain, if one hundred thousand cavalry is afraid of fifty thousand infantry, then there is no need for him to be the golden king.

Come on, let's see who is more powerful, your infantry and soldiers, or my king's cavalry, Torrent.

Just as Hu Yanhe continued to reorganize his army and prepare to fight, the Xia army that had already entered Cangbei County suddenly slowed down.

After an in-depth investigation by the Sentinel Cavalry, they discovered that these Xia people were actually repairing roads, cities, and canals along the way.

They were not in a hurry, and seemed not to care at all that there were 100,000 Jin troops waiting in formation on the grassland.

After ten days of this, when Xia's army finally crossed half of Cangbei and arrived at Cangbei County, the 50,000-strong army refused to leave again.

In the past, Cangbei County had both farming and animal husbandry. Farming was mainly in the south of the county, and grazing was mainly in the north. This was determined by the geographical environment.

On the boundless Cangbei grassland, Hu Yanhe and his horsemen galloped. They were dozens of miles away from the main camp. There were hundreds of yellow sheep in front of them, fleeing for their lives.

"Side, rush this way!"

"Sheep with the head shot."

"Don't shoot the lamb to death. If you shoot the lamb, the adult sheep will remain."

Amidst the howling arrows, one after another the yellow sheep died on the spot, and soon the whole army was wiped out.

Under the sharp arrows of Huyanhe's horsemen, not one of the yellow sheep, known for their speed, could escape.

But this is normal, just because they are the Jin King's personal bodyguards, Hu Yanhe's personal bodyguards, and they can all bend bows and shoot vultures, making them rare elites.

But before he could celebrate his successful hunting, the messenger hurried over.

"Your Majesty, news came back from thousands of households at the front line, saying that Xiahou ordered the entire army to stop in Cangbei City. They didn't say when they would set off."

Hu Yanhe frowned and asked in a deep voice, "Have you found Huo Feiguang's Xia Qi?"

"No trace has been found yet, and all ministries are already trying their best to search."

"Your Majesty, don't worry, the heavy snow is coming, and these Xia people will not be able to survive on the grassland where the white-haired wind blows!"

The general's kind comfort inspired Hu Yanhe, and he understood why Xia Jun was procrastinating.

Heavy snow and white-haired wind can destroy the lone Xia Cavalry that penetrates deeply, and they can also destroy his 100,000 cavalry!

Also, food...

Why did he, the golden king, want to go hunting? In fact, he wanted to share some of the logistical pressure. One hundred thousand cavalrymen would eat horses and chew them, and the consumption of cattle and sheep would be too appalling.

This is not Liangzhou. We can feed on the enemy, and we have left behind a lot of baggage all the way back north.

"Send an order to support Zhahe with 5,000 cavalry, and tell him to stop making small fuss and cut off the Xia Army's logistical supply line."

"In addition, the tribes 1,500 miles away are all suspected of collaborating with the enemy. Do you know what to do?" Hu Yanhe looked at the general coldly and said.

"The general will understand that the cattle and sheep of these tribes must be used as troops to prevent them from becoming enemies."

By November 7, the Jin army exceeded 10,000 cavalry and penetrated deep into Cangbei County, conducting military cover over the entire territory.

In order to protect the food road, Chu Kai led his newly expanded 5,000 cavalry to attack many times. Unfortunately, the time was short and the strength of the cavalry was lagging behind. After losing thousands of cavalry, they could only retreat to the vicinity of Cangbei City.

Fortunately, the Taoist group was not suppressed by the shaman group, and news of key military mobilizations could be sent back in time, so that the Xia army in the city would not be blinded.
To be continued...