It's already mid-February, but snow has fallen on Hanoi again.
In the vast white wilderness, sheep bleated, clawed away the snow with their hooves, and happily pecked at the dead grass and even grass roots on the ground.
Among the many livestock raised by herdsmen, sheep are probably the most adaptable to the environment.
Their mouths have a unique structure and can eat plants that cattle and horses cannot eat - in a month or two, when those low bushes sprout and grow leaves, you will be eye-opening.
They also dig up the ground to dig out grass roots that are difficult for other animals to eat, and then chew them down.
In some arid grasslands, they are the main culprit causing grassland degradation.
This is truly an amazing animal.
And just when the sheep had eaten all morning to fill their withered bellies a little, the trembling sound of horse hooves sounded in the distance.
The herdsman was shocked, and immediately ran to the horse, jumped up, and subconsciously drew out his horn bow and quickly strung it.
The old man and the young man also got on the horse. They wore round hats and furs and looked towards the south with solemn expressions.
The visitor was getting closer.
They seem to be wearing brown-leather armor?
"Jin people!" the experienced old man shouted and ran forward first.
The adult shepherds looked at each other and rushed forward.
The teenagers hurriedly drove the sheep towards the tribal gathering place.
One of them rode a fast horse back to report the news.
The two sides soon encountered each other in the wilderness.
The arrows fired by the Jin army from the opposite side were fast and urgent, and they killed two people in an instant.
The horse ran past with a mournful cry, then stopped in the distance, snorting.
The herdsmen also fought back.
The old man picked up his bow and nocked an arrow, almost without aiming, he raised his hand and shot.
The arrow shot through the air, knocking a Jin cavalryman to the ground, and his screams could be heard far away in the wind.
But more arrows came from behind. Before the old man could shoot the second arrow, he lost his horse and fell to the ground. After struggling for a few times, he slumped to the ground and gasped.
The dull sound of horse hooves sounded not far away and lasted for a long time.
The corners of the old man's eyes were moist, and a sad look appeared on his face.
Based on his experience, he didn't even need to look up to know that more than 300 riders had just rushed past.
He knew very well how much damage more than three hundred fully armed cavalry could cause. Because just a few years ago, when the late emperor was still here, he was ordered to follow the expedition to attack Liyang of Jin. At that time, people gathered there
Many refugees, with no more than three or four hundred horses, circled around the Jin people and shot arrows, killing thousands of soldiers and civilians. In the end, they sank into the river and killed more than a thousand people.
People who are not organized are just a mess and have no deterrent effect.
More than three hundred people rode through the white snow and soon saw tents one after another.
Without anyone's instructions, each group formed a team and rushed into the Huns' camp on horseback.
A woman was milking her cows. When she saw the cavalry rushing towards her, she hurriedly returned to her tent. She just took out a gun and rushed out. An arrow flew towards her and hit her forehead.
A young girl was holding a newborn lamb. When she saw the ferocious samurai, she was so frightened that she froze on the spot. The samurai laughed loudly, stretched out his hand, threw the girl on the horse's back, and roared away.
A man was cutting grass and hurriedly pulled out his horse. As soon as he turned over, he was picked up by a horse pole. A moment later, the body fell to the ground with a crash, destroying a tent.
I don't know who started the fire. The fire took advantage of the wind and burned fiercely, and soon flooded the entire camp.
Outside the camp, there were Huns everywhere who had seized their horses and fled.
They took almost nothing with them. They abandoned their wives, cattle and sheep, their household items, and everything else.
Under the threat of the fierce Jin cavalry, they were unorganized and could not think of any resistance. Only the instinct of survival drove them to run, run, and run again.
No one is chasing them, and they may not be able to catch them.
All the Jin cavalry were repeatedly ravaging the camp, and they stopped killing only when the last herdsman who dared to resist was eliminated.
The prisoners were quickly gathered.
Weeping, they packed up everything that was left in the camp, gathered the livestock that had been frightened by the fire, and, under the guard of the Jin army's cavalry, drove their carriages and drove the livestock southward.
After everyone was almost gone, the cavalry officer leading the team set another fire, completely burning the entire camp.
Looking at the plume of smoke rising into the sky, he laughed.
In early spring, the pasture has just turned green and sprouted some buds. At this time, the shepherds are basically scattered everywhere, busy with various things, and have not been summoned.
Those who are not organized are like a mob and will be defeated in one blow.
After experiencing this, the Huns may have to think carefully about how to spend the spring in the future.
Hanoi is a place that is long and narrow from east to west and from north to south. If you want to graze safely, you will have to recruit a team of people and horses in the spring to see if you can support it, haha.
Similar situations continue to recur throughout Hanoi.
The army that captured the dead was sent out at night, wandering around, making surprise attacks on the dead, and interrogating the Xiongnu for their inside story.
The Yi Congjun moved during the day, with a group of three to five hundred cavalry, fully armed, directly attacking the nest.
Some succeed and some fail.
But overall the losses were not large, because the Huns did not gather on a large scale at all.
For a long time, only they looted the Central Plains, and there was no such thing as Central Plains people looting them, let alone a time like spring - shouldn't they be busy with spring plowing?
Blind spots in thinking lead to the inability to cope.
From now on, they have to think carefully about how to deal with it. If it doesn't work, just move out?
****
When Wang Yan came to Jingu Garden, he saw a group of horses running, which made him feel a little dazed.
Although there are only three to four hundred horses, it looks quite spectacular.
But this is not the point. The point is that this style of painting does not match Jinguyuan.
A place of interest for gatherings of scholars, it should have been associated with the pines, the bright moon, the sea of ​​flowers, the bamboo forest, the lotus ponds and streams, but now there is a smelly smell of wind and horse dung everywhere, which is very disappointing.
The number of households outside Jingu Garden has increased to nearly 200.
They tidied up the abandoned houses outside and began to cultivate the fields.
By now the spring plowing had been completed, and the millet in the field had even sprouted buds. Next to the millet field, unknown crops were planted. Wang Yan even squatted down to take a look, and finally gave up.
He really couldn't see it.
When I went up the mountain, I saw more than ten men watching from a high place.
When they saw Wang Yan approaching, they immediately stepped forward to ask. When they heard Wang Taiwei's name, they immediately bowed and stepped aside.
"The queen has ordered that this is the palace of the prince, we are just borrowing it temporarily." Chief Ding Zhuang said respectfully.
"Queen? Which queen?" Wang Yan asked.
"Queen Hui Yangshi."
"Oh, it turns out to be the Sheep Queen." Wang Yan nodded and continued to climb the stone steps.
Wang Xuan took a sneak peek at the two sisters.
Wang Jingfeng was still admiring the scenery, but Wang Huifeng lowered his head, then shook his head, smiled calmly, as if to eliminate some distracting thoughts, and followed his father up the stairs.
After everyone entered Jingu Garden, they went directly to the Baichi Tower.
The accompanying servants did some rough cleaning, brought snacks, and made tea.
The four members of the Wang family stood against the wind, climbed high and looked into the distance, taking in all the scenery far and near.
Two hundred families of people settled at the foot of the mountain, farming and grazing, and were managed by dedicated personnel.
Once you encounter the enemy, retreat to Jingu Garden and rely on the mountain road to defend it.
Of course, with such a small amount of power, if they encounter a large group of enemies, they will definitely not be able to succeed. But if it is a small group of thieves who do not want to kill too many people and attack by force, then they will be safe.
However, I heard that Xu Lang, the governor of Zuowei's Third Division, is about to send some of the imperial soldiers to camp at the foot of the mountain. From now on, Jingu Garden will probably be a relatively safe place.
Unknowingly, the security situation around Luoyang has greatly improved, and the only exposure is in the direction of Xin'an.
"A lot of people left Luoyang this spring." Wang Xuan suddenly sighed.
When talking about this matter, Wang Yan felt a little heavy.
Luoyang is short of food, can people not leave?
During the Fangtou War last year, the Huns invaded Henan in September. The water transport in Gaoping was completely stopped, and those taking the Chenjun route were also affected. Even though the superiors urged, the troop transporters below did not buy it. In the end, it was intermittent.
Greatly affected.
The food shipped from the south of the Yangtze River was originally small, but it was also affected by the war. Even if a batch of food was urgently shipped later, it was still greatly affected.
It was fine during the Chinese New Year, and we could barely survive. But by mid-February, food prices soared, and many people who relied on buying food for a living had exhausted their financial resources, so they went south and poured into Luonan counties.
Among these people, the craftsmen were absorbed into Xuchang, Xiping, and Chen County. The fate of the others who had no skills was unknown. I heard that they were gathered up by Chen Gong. They were probably forced to learn farming, or they were assigned to the soldiers of the government.
Part.
"Meizi, you are the Minister of Duzhi. You can let the people below take care of small things, but you should go there in person for big things." Wang Yan turned around and said, "Go to Xuchang and meet Mr. Chen."
"What are you going to say?" Wang Xuan said distressedly: "Among the six branches, it is the most painful to do it. If you continue to do it, you will be exhausted mentally and physically, and I am afraid your life will be shortened by ten years."
Wang Yan turned a deaf ear and only said: "It doesn't matter whether things are done or not, people always have to make a trip."
"Isn't the emperor still unwilling to issue an edict?" Wang Xuan asked.
"He will do it." Wang Yan said.
"I don't think so." Wang Xuan disagreed: "Maybe the emperor will obey you on other matters, but certainly not on this matter. Furthermore, Liang Fen may not be obedient. He has the Liang clan in Guanzhong to lead the army and go to Xiaoxiao.
After all, he is also a prince. Isn't it wonderful that he himself is stationed in Wancheng and provides mutual aid? If he goes to Guanzhong, he will be fighting for power and profit with his clansmen and in-laws, and he may be attacked and destroyed by Liu Han at any time, and no one would want to change it."
"We don't need to worry about this." Wang Yan said: "If Mr. Chen wants to do great things, he can't just rely on others, but mainly on himself. If he can't convince Liang Fen, everything will be over and he won't have the shame to blame us."
"Will there be a fight?" Wang Xuan asked subconsciously.
Wang Huifeng, who had always been worried, couldn't help but look over at this time.
"It shouldn't happen." Wang Yan sighed and said: "Du Tao's rebellion has never been quelled. The imperial court has mobilized troops from Jiangdong to help. If there is another disturbance in Nanyang and Jingxiang is corrupted, it will also be a catastrophe for the people."
"Forget it, let's take a trip." Wang Xuan said helplessly.
"The angels will go south with the decree in a few days." Wang Yan added.
"How to get the emperor's approval?" Wang Xuanqi asked.
"The courtiers Shangshu proposes, the Taige drafts the edict, approves it, and the emperor uses his seal." Wang Yan said vaguely.
Wang Xuan was shocked.
This is a big deal!
If the emperor is not angry and accuses someone of false edicts at an important court meeting in front of the envoys from various places in the capital, his reputation will be completely ruined.
At that time, what kind of celebrity will it be? No celebrity can do this.
"I won't take this step unless I have to." Wang Yan glanced at his son and said with a smile: "I will join forces with my colleagues to persuade the emperor. Alas, the food shortage is so severe, what else can be done?
.”
Wang Xuan nodded slowly.
Wang Jingfeng sat by the window and stared at the bamboo sea in the garden in the distance without blinking.
Wang Huifeng withdrew his gaze and continued to think about his thoughts.
Several riders rushed outside Jingu Garden, pointing at the farmers and saying something loudly.
After a while, the farmer allocated some manpower, climbed up the stairs, entered the Golden Valley Garden, and began to tidy up the stables and livestock stalls.
Others began to inspect the vegetable plots to see how the turnips they planted last fall were doing - they were food and also an excellent fodder.
Everyone in the Wang family watched silently without saying anything.
It seems that Taibai got another batch of livestock from somewhere else, but he doesn’t know where they came from. Could it be that they were robbed?
Chapter completed!