At the foot of Luti Mountain, the last convoy disappeared on the winding mountain road.
The cart was loaded with winter vegetables, turnips, and withered hay that had been cut by force.
Shao Shen immediately stood on the west bank of Ganshui, looked at the Huns cavalry across the river, and laughed loudly.
Occasionally, he would shoot an arrow or two, and from time to time he would achieve something.
The evil boys behind him pointed at the way the Huns were hiding from arrows and laughed.
As Chen Hou's nephew, Shao Shen's martial arts has always been what Chen Hou is most concerned about.
He has the best learning conditions.
Eat well and eat well, you can invite excellent martial artists who are good at teaching others, and there is no shortage of various consumables such as war horses, bows and arrows - yes, war horses are also consumables when honing your skills.
He was constantly checked by his uncle, so he didn't dare to be lazy. Over the years, his skills have become very outstanding.
In fact, not only he himself, but also a group of bad boys who followed him got good learning conditions, made rapid progress, and gradually became his solid and reliable team.
Early this morning, Shao Shen took more than a hundred riders down the mountain and patrolled the left bank of Ganshui. When he saw the Xiongnu cavalry, he immediately rushed up and fired arrows at each other across the river, which was a great advantage.
After the Huns suffered a loss, many more people were called in. Both sides yelled at each other in words that the other side did not understand, and the scene was very lively.
"Whoosh!" After Toulengzi shot down a certain Huns cavalry with an arrow, Shao Shen laughed and rode north.
The Hun cavalry on the opposite side seemed to have been seriously insulted. While shouting curses, they chased on horseback and fought back from time to time.
Shao Shen deftly dodged the arrows fired from the other side. After running for hundreds of steps, he stood up on his horse again and said loudly: "I think you are not real Huns, but you are working for Liu Cong. How much have you given up? Why don't you cross the river?"
Come and surrender, I will send you and others to my uncle's account. How about you get some money and food from the rebel army? How about you becoming a soldier for someone else? Don't be too stubborn."
The Hun cavalry on the other side also stopped.
They looked at the other side carefully and were slightly confused when they saw that there were only about ten cavalry left beside Shao Shen.
There were more than a hundred riders just now, where have they gone now?
The Central Plains cavalry is different from theirs in that they are good at close combat. Once entangled by them, they will not be able to use any of their cavalry and archery skills, and will suffer a great loss.
Some people looked around for the missing cavalry figure on the other side, but found nothing.
"Whoosh!" Shao Shen shot another arrow, hitting a Hun cavalry in the face, then rode his horse north and left laughing.
The Huns were furious and chased after them, cursing endlessly.
You thief from the Central Plains, I was waiting for you to talk to you, but you showed no martial ethics and launched a sneak attack with cold arrows. I must kill you today, otherwise you will never get out of this bad mood.
The two sides rode horses along the river, repeatedly greeting each other's ancestors for eighteen generations, and their words were so vulgar that it was hard to listen to them.
"Death to the traitors!" Just as the Huns were scolding, they saw hundreds of horsemen rushing in front of them, each holding a spear, a halberd, and a horse spear, and they were extremely fierce.
Where the hell did this come from?
The Hun cavalry was so frightened that they hurriedly turned their horses' heads to avoid the oncoming melee cavalry.
But their horses were already very fast, and they were heading towards each other. When they found out, the other party was already a hundred steps away, and they had no time to dodge, so they had no choice but to rush forward.
More than 300 cavalry from both sides rushed past.
The Huns' cavalry, which lacked long poles and horse fighting weapons, suffered a great loss and were directly thrown to pieces.
Shao Shen laughed loudly on the other side of the river.
These fools, do you really think I have nothing to do and waste my saliva with you?
I have already sent people to the shallows downstream of Ganshui to wade across the river, just waiting for you to take the bait.
Idiot! Haha, I have never seen anyone so stupid.
The melee cavalry on the other side of the river has launched a second round of charge.
The Huns fled one after another, not daring to fight.
The melee cavalry chased behind them, showing great courage. Every time they caught up with someone, they thrust their spears and halberds into their backs and killed them with ease.
After chasing him for several miles, he slowed down his horse, swept the battlefield, and crossed the river with a smile.
Shao Shen couldn't help but feel elated when he looked at the hundreds of horses gathered up by his men.
He had been stationed in Gancheng for a long time and knew Luti Mountain and Ganshui area very well. He was able to tease a group of Huns who had just arrived, and he could easily capture them.
But it's just teasing and teasing.
If a large group of Xiongnu cavalry really came to attack, he would not dare to fight head-on, so he could only retreat to Gancheng in despair and defend it until the end of the war.
Uncle sent a new order, which made it very clear that Yiyang Sanwu, Gancheng, and Yiqueguan were his defense areas, and there must be no mistakes.
After receiving the order, he immediately mobilized 500 elite soldiers from Gancheng and joined them with 1,500 men and 1,000 men recruited from the direction of Liang County. A total of 3,000 soldiers were stationed at Yique Pass to guard the southbound road.
This is not the first time that Yique Pass has been closed.
Last time it was the government troops, this time it was the Baohu and the Tunding. It was a little risky, but it was not a big problem. The Xiongnu's siege ability was just that. Three thousand people were enough to defend for a long time.
If that doesn't work, reinforcements can be sent from the rear. Even if it costs lives, the Huns can still be killed under Guancheng.
As for Dagu (Taigu) and Shenyuan Pass, they are not his defense areas and do not need to be controlled by him.
With three passes and one lock in Luonan, the Huns could not move southward.
There are still government soldiers in the rear to check for leaks and fill in the gaps. This war has returned to the track they are familiar with.
When returning to Luti Mountain with the trophies, Shao Shen climbed up a high slope and looked at the blue-gray fields, the sparkling river and the looming manor and Wubao that stood for a long time.
Every time people rush into the Luoyang Basin, they are very passive after all.
****
Liu Shan has already led people to Shenyuan Pass.
After managing Yushan and Yangguan and Erwu for several years, he vaguely regained the feeling of conquering Wu State in the south.
The fight and the sound of drums and horns were almost permanently engraved in his life.
He doesn't know how to manage the people, and he doesn't like to do those complicated common affairs.
He preferred the simple and rough life in the military, so he was at home in Wubao where the people were governed by military laws. All affairs were in order. Baoding practiced whenever he had free time. For this reason, he often went to Liang County to ask for food.
The frequency of training may be increased.
And when he practices like this, the results are obvious.
The trenches dug by the guards outside Shenyuan Pass were deep and wide, and the bottom was filled with bamboo sticks, which was "delightful to the eyes".
Inside Guancheng, the garrisoned sergeants were divided into several battalions. Who would defend first, who would rotate, who would be in reserve, etc. The tasks were assigned very clearly, and each battalion also understood the order and would not mess it up.
Behind Guancheng, he even organized more than a hundred Baoding who knew how to fight on horseback to patrol at any time and kill enemy scouts coming over the mountains to ensure that the inside story would not be leaked.
This is war, a real war.
Liu Shan has entered his "comfort zone" and is very comfortable.
"The walls of Shenyuguan City are thick and there are ravines. If you dare not defend these, you deserve to have your property robbed and your wives turned into slaves." Standing on the high city wall, Liu Shan took a deep breath and
He retracted his slightly fat belly and said loudly: "The Huns also carry one head on two shoulders, and they are not much better than you. Fight well, with so many guards, the city will be very stable."
"After thwarting the Huns' attempt to go south, when you go back, you can tell your wife and neighbors that you saved everyone."
"Those who are killed or disabled in the war will receive pensions. If the Marquis Mansion does not pay, I will ask my nephew to argue with me. In the past two years of training, I have collected a lot of food for you. Be sure to know how much food I have collected for you."
"Even when you are sleeping, you must keep one eye open for me so that no one can steal the city."
Liu Shan was in his late forties, but his voice was extremely loud. When he stood there and roared, he could be heard far and near.
After everyone heard this, they agreed one after another.
Liu Shan raised his head and looked into the distance again.
In the open wilderness, rovers appeared in twos and threes from time to time.
The messenger no longer dared to go out, and the scouts were forced back. Now we have no idea about the situation in Luoyang, nor how many Xiongnu people have come.
Liu Shan thought of his nephew who went south, why didn't he come back?
No matter how good Nanyang is, it is not as important as our own foundation.
Can the counties in Luonan, Chenjun and Yingchuan be compared to Nanyang?
He didn't know his nephew's overall plan, and he couldn't understand it. His knowledge and experience could only support him to do the task at hand, that is, to defend the valley and the two passes.
In his opinion, these places were safe for a short period of time. But it would be hard to say if the Xiongnu attacked fiercely regardless of casualties.
I heard that the Xiongnu had a new emperor named Liu Cong, but I didn’t know what he would do.
****
Pei Chun arrived at Hulao Pass with a grimace on his face.
Guancheng is not a big place. After stuffing three thousand soldiers and a large amount of food and grass, it was so full that there was almost no place to stay.
In addition to the county soldiers, he also borrowed another two thousand soldiers, half from the Zheng family in Kaifeng, and the other half from the local tyrants in the county.
He didn't know soldiers, let alone how to fight. He couldn't see the quality of these soldiers, but he was subconsciously worried.
Shao Xun's letter has been rushed over.
To be honest, he was a little angry.
What kind of identity does Shao Xun have, and he dares to say such things to him?
But after getting angry, he still came to Hulao Pass honestly. There was no way, the murderer's words were not just words, he might actually kill people.
The He family of Yangxia, a prominent family in the country, was immediately uprooted.
Having learned from this experience, Pei Chun felt that there was no need to challenge Shao Xun's authority.
"Alas." Pei Chun took a sip of wine and frowned.
"Why are you sighing?" Zheng Zun, the former minister who sent his soldiers to Hulao Pass, stood up, filled Pei Chun's glass of wine, and asked with a smile.
Zheng Zun is the son of Zheng Xi, the great minister of agriculture.
His grandfather, Zheng Miao, once served as the official Guanglu of the Cao Wei Dynasty. He entered the Jin Dynasty and was worshiped as Sikong, but refused to accept his resignation.
The second uncle Zheng Yu was in the court and served as the right servant of Shangshu.
The third uncle, Zheng Qiu, passed away two years ago. He was the chief historian of Chengdu King Yingyou, and served successively as the minister of the imperial family, the central protector of the army, the minister of the right servant, and the minister of the Ministry of official affairs.
This family has many officials and is relatively prosperous.
But in the second year of Yongjia (308), the Zheng family from Kaifeng began to travel south, and the furthest among them even entered Fujian, which was outrageous.
There are also many who stay in the Northland.
Like Zheng Xi, Zheng Zun and his son settled in Luoyang, but there have been frequent wars in the past two years, so they returned to their hometown in Xingyang.
This time troops were sent to guard Hulao Pass, and there was a heated debate within the family.
Many people think that the two should not help each other, and the priority is to preserve the family to avoid being liquidated by Liu Han in the future.
But more people are afraid of being liquidated by Shao Xun.
When Liu Yuan was alive, he was relatively tolerant of the scholars, and did not treat them harshly or even kill them. But Shao Xun really destroyed the nobles, and what is the example of the He family in Yangxia? He really knew how to kill people and liquidate them.
In the end, a thousand Qu Zhuangke were sent over to guard Hulao Pass for Pei Chun.
"What's the point of sighing if you don't sigh?" Pei Chun waved his hand.
There are some things he doesn't want to tell outsiders because they are too embarrassing and shameless.
"But are you worried that you won't be able to defend Hulao Pass?" Zheng Zun asked.
"Whether you can hold it or not, I have to stand here." Pei Chun sighed.
Zheng Zun looked at his expression and thought to himself, it seems that the prince of the mansion is not highly valued by Chen Hou.
"Marquis Chen used his troops to resist Hulao, but he didn't know what he meant?" Zheng Zun asked tentatively: "Could it be that he wanted to block the Huns around Luoyang and sit back and watch the imperial army fight with the thieves?"
Pei Chun paused and put down the wine bowl.
Zheng Zun continued to observe Pei Chun and said: "With the four passes of Yique, Taigu, Fuyuan and Hulao in hand, it will be very difficult for the Huns to leave Luoyang. I heard that Chen Hou was in Chen County and Yingchuan was putting a lot of effort into it.
It seems that he doesn’t want the Xiongnu to break into Yuzhou. As for whether to save Luoyang or not, it may depend on his mood. The Lord of Fu has close contacts with Chen Hou, but I don’t know..."
Pei Chun put down the wine bowl heavily.
When Zheng Zun saw him, he accused him repeatedly.
He probably already understood, Pei Chun's performance revealed a lot.
Chen Hou's ambitions are quite big.
It is really cruel to use such a huge cage to put the emperor, the imperial court, the imperial army and the Xiongnu in it, sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and then come back to clean up the mess at the critical moment.
If this is really the case, then the family must seriously consider it. Xingyang is very close to Yuzhou.
Pei Chun had woken up. After looking at Zheng Zun, he said, "Don't think wildly. Some things are just a step-by-step decision."
Zheng Zun nodded and said no more.
"Master Fu, Shi Le is here." Someone hurried in and reported.
Pei Chun swallowed dryly subconsciously.
Zheng Zun's face also became serious.
Will the Xiongnu's second southern invasion of Luoyang start from Hulao Pass?
Chapter completed!