After the meeting, Zaosong was quickly arranged to rest.
Duan Mobo took the people away directly, and after running for dozens of miles, he returned to his tribe.
My younger brother Duan Ya is leading people to take care of the livestock.
According to Duan Mobo's instructions before leaving, the war horses were fully fed to prepare for emergencies.
This is the pear-nosed horse they brought from the grasslands of Northeast China.
From later generations to the Khitan and Jin dynasties, there were still many such horses in the Northeast, but compared to the late Jin Dynasty, the number has dropped sharply, especially tall and strong individuals are rare, and the quality of the entire population has declined.
Just like humans have different breeds, horses also have breeds, and the pear-nosed horse is a unique horse breed in Northeast China.
The pear nose is split and the ears are curved and docile, and it can run among the trees.
It is characterized by cleft ears, which refers to the split ends of the horse's nostrils and the gap at the tip of the horse's ears.
There is a local saying that if the nose is not broken, the Qi will be strong and rushes to the lungs; if the ears are not missing, the wind will beat and no sound can be heard. It probably means that if the nose is not broken, the lungs will not be hurt; if the ears are not broken, you can hear the subtle sounds in the wind.
Sounds, such as the sound of arrows piercing the air.
Another characteristic of the pear-nosed horse is that it has a relatively thin neck and can gallop between trees. This is the product of natural environmental selection in the Northeast. After all, there are many old forests in the mountains, which are completely different terrains from the endless flat grasslands in the west.
The pear-nosed horses are generally taller and stronger than the horses on the flat grasslands outside the Great Wall. In the late Song Dynasty, the Jurchens deliberately selected the best from the best and selected tall and strong horses as armored mounts.
Not any horse can be used as a heavy cavalry mount, let alone an armored mount that requires higher requirements than heavy cavalry. This thing is simply an accelerator for horse breeds to continue to degrade and deteriorate - tall and strong ones die on the battlefield, genes
It cannot be saved effectively.
Duan Mobo still has 300 armored cavalry, magnificent horses, and elite soldiers under his command. This is the reason why he has always been unwilling to do so.
However, the situation is indeed critical.
If Shao Xun was the only enemy, then he would strongly suggest starting a fight, but this would make Murong Xianbei sharpen his sword, so it was not a good time to start a fight.
Of course, this does not prevent him from instigating others to start a war. After all, there are only three general positions.
Ji Lujuan is the Duke of Liaoxi County. He is hereditary and has his own fiefdom. He does not need the post of general.
She Fuchen was the younger brother of the former county official Wu Chen. He had never been satisfied with Ji Lu's family attacking the lord. His willingness to surrender may have been very strong. After all, when he went south to Zhangwu, he only focused on looting and was not very active in fighting.
Duan Pizhen is a fool and has unrealistic worship of the Jin Dynasty. He may also surrender. After all, the Shao thief still used the banner of the Jin Dynasty and did not usurp it.
Duan Wenyang, as you can tell by his name, admires the Central Plains very much. He is also brave and courageous. He can rush through thousands of armies and is extremely brave. Relatively speaking, his brain is relatively simple. It may be most appropriate to let him die.
.
After thinking for a long time, Duan Mobo didn't know what to do, and secretly thought about whether to send someone to contact him in advance.
****
Just when Duan Mobo was undecided, Duan Ji and his family members sent everyone away. After a while, they secretly called Duan Pixi, Duan Wenyang, Duan Shujun, and Duan Xiu back.
These four are all his biological brothers, different from She Fuchen (uncle) and Duan Mobo (cousin).
"We are brothers originally. After my father left, we have grown apart a lot." Duan Ji and his family members sighed and said, "Actually, why bother? I'm not in good health and I don't have much time left. In the end, this family business depends on
you."
After saying that, his face looked quite melancholy, as if he was reminiscing about the past.
"Brother..." Duan Wenyang looked a little moved.
Duan Pixi sighed softly.
Duan Shujun and Duan Xiu are a little younger, and their eye circles are a little red.
Of course there will be fights between brothers, especially when it comes to power. Father and son can become enemies, let alone brothers.
But after all, we grew up together, and we had a happy time when we were children. The family relationship existed, and we were much closer to Duan Mobo than Duan She Fuchen.
With the current situation like this, some things that used to seem very big and angry now seem so insignificant.
At critical moments, brothers still have to work together.
"Previously, Wang Jun lured the Tuoba clan to attack, and we all united as one to defeat them. This time, we have to unite to overcome the difficulties together." Duan Ji and Lu Juan said again.
These words made several people nod secretly.
Brothers should be united, and brothers, uncles, etc. should also be united, but there should be distinctions between closeness and distance.
"There are no outsiders present now. Tell me the truth about what you are thinking." Duan Ji and Lu Juan said again.
"Brother, if you want to fight, then fight. If you don't want to fight, then don't fight," Duan Wenyang said.
Duan Pizhen thought for a while and said: "If we want to fight Shao Xun, we should prepare now. But if we fight this battle, the losses will be heavy."
Who wants to fight in the spring? Cattle, sheep, and horses lose weight, especially war horses. They are very thin. And they are the Central Plains cavalry who charge in armor, which is very damaging to the war horses. Maybe they can't charge for a few rounds.
It's time to change horses and fight again.
During the war, precious food had to be used to feed the horses.
After the war, even if we win, our vitality will be severely damaged. When Murong Xianbei attacks, we will really be unable to withstand it.
Duan Pixi actually expressed his intention of not wanting to fight tactfully.
"Brother, I think Zao Song exaggerated Shao Xun's military strength." After the two brothers expressed their opinions, Duan Shujun said: "Shao soldiers have been fighting in Hebei for a long time, as little as one year, as long as even two years. They are exhausted from the long battle.
Many personnel and equipment are missing and have not been replaced in time. The sergeants are also eager to return home and lack fighting spirit. Can they use 50% of their 100% combat power?"
"The Youzhou Qingqi he recruited are weak in combat power, but they can be defeated in one go. Whether they are willing to work hard or not is a matter of course."
"Shao Xun's Yi Cong Cavalry, aren't they originally the tribe of Zhuhu in Hebei and Wubao in Henan? Zhang Wu also fought, and their fighting strength was average. We waited for the whole army to press on them. Even if we couldn't destroy them, we could still severely damage them.
.”
"The cavalry is defeated and the morale of Shao Thief's infantry will be reduced. Even if they cannot be defeated by then, they can still be forced to retreat. If they pursue them in tandem, they may still have an advantage."
After listening to his third brother's talk in a leisurely manner, and his analysis was quite reliable, Duan Ji and Lu Juan became interested and asked: "So you suggest——"
"I suggest surrendering," Duan Shujun said.
Duan Ji and Lu Juan's mind couldn't turn around for a while: "Surrender?"
"Yes." Duan Shujun said sternly: "Shao Xun is in short supply of cavalry. I heard that he sent people to Liangzhou to recruit troops in his early years, which shows that he is not satisfied with the knights of the Central Plains. These Liangzhou people followed him in all directions and made great achievements. But again
Even a large number of people cannot withstand the attrition. Shao Xun was unable to raise funds later.
When the troops arrive in Liangzhou, they can only choose men from the beggar army Wuhuan, the Wubao tribe in Henan and even the tribes in Jizhou. They often replenish the troops by one thousand, two thousand or three thousand people. It can be seen that the losses in the war are huge and it is very likely to become a disaster.
Buildings and camps were annihilated. This is our chance."
"You mean——" Duan Ji and Lu Juan seemed to have some realization.
"We can sell it at a good price if we invest it." Duan Shujun said: "Our horses are taller than Shao Xun's horses, our riding skills are better than his soldiers, and our courage in charging is stronger than his cavalry. Fight a few battles for him.
, Shao Xun knows how powerful we are, and he will definitely be unable to do without us from now on."
Duan Ji and Lu Juan were somewhat convinced.
He looked at the last brother Duan Xiu again.
Facing his brother's gaze, Duan Xiu was a little nervous and said bravely: "No matter how hard you fight, you still have to eat. In this situation in the tribe, even if you defeat Shao Xun, you still have the Murong clan. Even if you are lucky, you defeat the Murong clan."
, the loss must be great. When the Yuwen clan heard about it, they felt that there was an advantage to be taken, so they might fight. If the fight continues like this, when will it end?"
Duan Ji and Lu Juan heard this and exchanged glances with Duan Wenyang and Duan Pixi.
Duan Xiu pointed out the fact that their environment was too dangerous and there were too many enemies.
At the end of the fight, there may still be soldiers, but the tribe's family is empty, and the tribesmen are fleeing in all directions, and they are defeated without defeat.
There seems to be no choice.
"I still want to meet Shao Xun." Duan Ji and Lu Juan said.
"Brother, what do you want to see?" Duan Pizhen asked subconsciously.
"Look at what kind of person he is."
****
On the sixth day of March, a high flag was planted on the head of Wuzhong County.
At the same time, Kim Jong led his troops eastward along the coastline, crossed the Lishui River, and entered Peiping.
Messengers from Shao Xun and Duan Bu came and went, constantly delivering news.
The people of Youzhou, who had just finished spring sowing, were drafted to transport grain and grass, and everyone sighed.
The powerful nobles closed their doors and observed neutrally.
The Wuzhong Yang clan, a branch of the Quanzhou Yang clan, prepared 30,000 bundles of hay and sent them to the military camp.
The Liu family of Quanzhou (after Liu He, the prefect of Yin in Han Dynasty), the Yimen family of Lu County, and the Xianyu family of Yongnu each sent five thousand hu of grains and beans.
The Wu Zhongtian clan came to work with sheep and wine.
The situation is still very good, at least the powerful scholars in Youzhou are more willing to seek refuge with Shao Xun than Xianbei.
After all, he speaks Jin dialect and Xia dialect, not nonsense. He is a Central Plains person with upright customs and customs, so it won't make people feel too awkward.
In such a situation, on the tenth day of March, Shao Xun led his pro-army, Heiyi Army, Yi Congjun, and more than 3,000 cavalry from Liu Ye's family, which he trusted relatively, and left Wu Ending, heading southeast to meet with Liaoxi
Duan, the Duke of the county, was ill and had a banquet with his family members.
Duan Ji, Lu Juan and others brought five thousand horses to the meeting.
On the vast grassland, flags are flying and drums and horns are heard.
The long steps like a jungle are raised high and move forward slowly.
After a while, the Changsha jungle split into two halves.
A red-robed general appeared.
The personal soldiers will guard the school on the left and right, like stars over the moon, to protect him before he goes out.
Duan Ji and Lu Juan regained their energy and used their eyesight to look carefully.
What a mighty warrior!
Duan Wenyang was also observing silently, and when he saw Shao Xun's appearance, he felt a sense of intimacy in his heart.
I am most annoyed by those scholars who talk nonsense, and Shao Xun quite likes them.
Duan Pixi also thought it was good.
Everyone has their own aesthetics, and different ethnic groups also have different ethnic cultures.
Duan Bu didn't like to see scholars very much.
Murong Xianbei treated the scholars with courtesy.
Yuwen Xianbei hates scholars. Unless you are particularly talented, people will not look at you well at all.
"Where is the Duke of Liaoxi?" Not long after, the red-robed general actually pushed away the soldiers holding large shields and rode out, shouting.
He was riding a black horse, wearing golden armor, holding a large spear in his hand, lying across the horse.
The horse tree is thick and long, and weighs as much as a thousand stone, but in this person's hand, it is as light as a willow stick.
After he finished shouting, he stared at the ground and looked past the neatly arranged Xianbei cavalry in front of him, as if they were nothing.
Duan Ji and Lu Juan sighed, nodded to Duan Shujun, stepped forward alone, stopped about twenty steps away, led the horse and walked forward.
Duan Shujun quietly retreated to the rear and walked toward the camp.
Shao Xun also dismounted, holding a bow on his left and a sword on his right, and led the horse on foot.
"Mr. Chen."
"Liaoxi Gong."
After everyone had finished their greetings, Shao Xun rubbed the handle of the knife and asked bluntly: "What do you want, your Majesty?"
Duan Ji and Lu Juan were silent for a moment.
Shao Xun was dissatisfied and said: "Whether we fight or surrender is decided in one word. If we fight, each of us can organize our troops. Why bother?"
Duan Ji and Lu Juan felt a little humiliated for a moment, but they quickly suppressed it.
He let out a long sigh and asked: "Who does Guild Chen want to be the general?"
Shao Xun looked at him without saying a word.
"Besides me, there are four people coming to the meeting today: Pi Lian, Wen Yang, Shu Jun, and Xiu. Mr. Chen can choose three of them."
"Where is Duan Mobo, She Fuchen?"
"Regulating the army in the pasture and preparing for war."
Shao Xun gave him a playful look and said, "Let four people come to see me."
After that, he mounted his horse and left.
Duan Ji and his family members were a little embarrassed.
This person is really rude.
Is he confident, or is he really arrogant?
After standing still for a while, he regained his composure and mounted his horse to leave.
When he returned to the formation, everyone looked at him.
Ji Lujuan waved, and Duan Shujun's cronies who were waiting for his orders immediately ran over.
Ji Lujuan hesitated for a moment, then made a gesture, and the confidant nodded and left.
In the camp, Duan Shujun sighed after receiving the news.
The plump woman looked at him tremblingly, but hesitated to speak.
Duan Shujun closed his eyes and said, "Go with peace of mind."
After that, he picked up a bowstring and strangled the woman's neck until she could no longer move.
This is his stepmother and his sister-in-law, Wang Jun's daughter.
First, he married his father, Wu Wuchen, and gave birth to a son and two daughters.
After his father died, his eldest brother Ji Lu married him and gave birth to a son and a daughter.
If her elder brother is in poor health, and if he dies, Wang will marry her second brother, Pi Feng, and continue to have children for others.
Duan Shujun was actually very greedy for this stepmother and sister-in-law, but he had no choice.
After Wang was strangled, Duan Shujun took an ax, chopped off his head, wrapped it in a felt blanket, and carried it out.
Chapter completed!