There was a cloud of rain and mist between heaven and earth.
The turbid river water rushed down with an unstoppable force and rushed into the distance, making a loud rumbling sound.
Facing the power of nature, human beings appear so powerless.
Liu Cong stood on the hillside, staring at the mountains and rivers quietly, speechless for a long time.
In fact, the heavy rain first started in Guanzhong and gradually spread to both sides of the Yellow River.
At this time, the rain in Guanzhong is getting less and less, but both sides of the Yellow River are experiencing large-scale, high-intensity rainfall, which is gradually affecting the entire Bingzhou and even Hebei.
Such weather is extremely precious to the big man.
From a military point of view, they had lost consecutive battles and it was difficult to stop the fierce offensive launched by Shao Thief.
But they can't stop it, but God can.
With such continuous rainfall, the Jin army's supplies will become intermittent. The soldiers may only be able to eat two meals a day, instead of three meals as they did when they went out to fight.
In fact, if the rain had been heavier and longer, washing out more roads, making the mountain trails slippery or even blocking them altogether, it would have been even less possible for the Jin army to launch an offensive.
Moreover, such humid weather will also increase the number of sick people in the army, further weakening its combat effectiveness.
For the big man, this is a rare respite.
This place is called Shilou Mountain, located at the junction of Xihe and Pingyang counties, and belongs to Lishi County, Xihe County - Lishi is the place where Liu Yuan made his fortune and was the core territory of the Xiongnu.
Shilou belongs to a part of the Luliang Mountains.
At the beginning, "Lüliang" only referred to a mountain beside the Yellow River in Fengyi County, Hexi Province, called "Liangshan". I don't know when, "Liangshan" became "Lüliang Mountain", and I don't know when, Luliang has become the river, Fen
It is a general name for the mountains running from north to south, but people are still used to calling individual mountains, such as Shilou Mountain (located in today's Shilou County).
There are many pastures in the Shilou Mountain area, home to various Xiongnu tribes and even other migrating Huns.
These barbarians were the main force behind Liu Yuan's army.
When Tuoba invaded, they were also the main force in the resistance.
Now after several years of westward migration, the population has been greatly reduced, but some still remain.
Historically, after the fall of Liu Han and former Zhao, these Hu people still lived here, and experienced the migration of rulers from generation to generation. There was a large amount of mixed blood, and it was difficult to distinguish their original ethnic origin.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, people were simply divided into regions, such as "Fen and Hu".
Fenhu is a large category, which is divided into "Lishi Hu", "Shiloushan Hu", etc.
Shilou Shanhu is one of the cornerstones of the Liu Han Dynasty. Its predecessor was the authentic massacre of the Huns of various clans. After the fall of Liu Han and the former Zhao Dynasty, it mixed with the Lu Shuihu, Tiefu Xiongnu and even the Di Qiang and Han people, and was slaughtered during the Northern Qi Dynasty——
"All men above twelve years old will be killed, and women and young and weak men will be treated as sergeants."
Of course, in the third year of the Divine Turtle, the Shiloushan Xiongnu were not homeless wild dogs. They were members of the Liu Han nation and one of Liu Cong's trustworthy tribes.
So he came to inspect it himself.
"It's a pity that Chen Qing has passed away. No one can give me any advice." After looking at it for a long time, Liu Cong looked sad.
The generals who came with him looked at each other.
Chen Yuanda has fallen ill and died.
When he was alive, he would really advise against things that were not pleasing to his eyes. This made the emperor very unhappy, and he almost died on more than one occasion.
However, Chen Yuanda still continued to give loyal advice and repeated admonitions. Until he died of illness, he still signed a petition and planned a plan for the emperor to continue the country.
Liu Cong noticed the expressions of the officials, sighed, looked at his younger brother Liu Chang, who had recently been promoted to Duke Xihe, and said, "I will leave Xihe to you, guard this place for me."
"I obey the decree." Liu Chang replied calmly.
"Do you have any strategies?" Liu Cong couldn't help but ask, seeing his expression of neither sadness nor joy.
Liu Chang took a deep breath and said: "The main guard is the cold spring water, and the second guard is the Lishi."
Liu Cong frowned and considered for a long time, then finally nodded and said: "Qiao Zhong, Liu Yasheng is still in Taiyuan, these two people are also under your command."
Liu Yasheng fled westward with 5,000 people and entered the mountains west of Taiyuan. He was rescued by the Xiongnu tribe and recovered.
Liu Ling led his army to pursue him and defeated him.
Liu Yasheng continued to flee westward, and was later reinforced by Qiao Zhong, who defeated Liu Ling and finally stabilized his position.
"Are there enough soldiers?" Without waiting for Liu Chang's answer, Liu Cong said to himself: "I will allocate another four thousand people from Beiqu to you. These are all strong soldiers of the Imperial Army. They just arrived when Feng Yi put down the rebellion and returned with a great victory."
When Liu Chang heard this, he felt relieved and immediately said: "With this magic weapon, I will definitely not let Shao Thief cross the Xihe River."
The Imperial Guards of the Han Dynasty originally had 32,000 infantry and cavalry, and their fighting strength was tyrannical.
Of course, these people cannot be said to be full-time professionals. It can only be said that some of them are recruiters and the other part are semi-professionals. However, the equipment is indeed good. They have worked hard for many years to produce various armors and ration equipment to them.
If you practice regularly and the emperor rewards you from time to time, your loyalty is quite sufficient.
More than 5,000 of these 32,000 forbidden soldiers have been gradually lost, and some of them have been moved to Guanzhong with their families. Those who will stay in Pingyang are only about 10,000 people.
Liu Cong gave four thousand in one go, which was indeed quite interesting.
After they returned from fighting the rebellion, they previously settled in Liangru Mountain in Beiqu County - the mountain has two peaks, which look like breast shapes, hence the name.
"I feel relieved when Mr. Xihe said this." Liu Cong forced a smile, coughing non-stop and looking pale.
Of course he knows that the current situation is actually very dangerous.
The most ideal situation is that Shao Thief gives them a year to do their best to rectify people's hearts, improve morale, and slowly reverse the crisis.
At the time of the great defeat, people's hearts were in turmoil, and 100% of the combat power could not be used at 30%. But after the rectification, even if it cannot return to its heyday, it is not difficult to have 70 to 80% of the combat power. This is a huge improvement.
What they fear most is that Shao Thief won't give them time.
Fortunately, the heavy rain is now continuous, which has delayed the progress of the Jin army. This is a gift from God.
"The good horses in the pasture at the foot of Shilou Mountain are also at your disposal." Liu Cong thought for a while and added.
The ranch is fifty miles northwest of Shilou Mountain. It was opened by the imperial court and is located on the bank of Longquan Water.
In the Luliang Mountain area, the Han people thought it was impossible to farm, but in the eyes of the Huns, it was a very good pasture. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang Dynasties, Longquan water produced famous horses.
"Yes." Liu Chang looked at the emperor in surprise and said in a deep voice.
He didn't say a few words today, but the emperor kept chattering, one sentence after another, which gave him a very disrespectful thought: the emperor was really afraid of Shao Thief.
Liu Cong didn't care about Liu Chang's thoughts, he just made silent calculations in his heart.
There are only two roads from Jinyang to Pingyang.
The first is to take Guanjuejin (Queshu Valley), which is the shortest but also the most difficult and dangerous road.
The second is to go west to Xiurong City first, and then go south to Xihe.
The name Xiurong (south of today's Lan County) comes from the late emperor (Liu Yuan). It was named because of its spiritual beauty and beautiful appearance. It is now the residence of Qiao Zhong.
Historically, during the Later Zhao Dynasty, a beautiful guard army was set up here.
During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Xiurong City was built in the north, so it was called Bei Xiurong and Nan Xiurong - Bei Xiurong was the original pastureland of the Erzhu family, and later moved south to Nan Xiurong.
Liu Cong thought over and over again, becoming more and more irritable.
What if the Shao thieves attack Xiurong City regardless of casualties?
Lengquanshui cannot deploy troops, and Guanjuejin is difficult to come to, but it is easy to defend. However, the terrain of Xiurong City is not so dangerous. It is located in the river valley, so it is not difficult to attack.
Can Qiao Zhong defend Xiurong City?
With Liu Yasheng's new defeat, can he hold on to the old city of Fenyang (today's Jingle County)?
If these two areas are not defended, the Jin army can move south in a large scale, reaching Chihongling (north of today's Fangshan County), Chihongshui (south of today's Fangshan County, Beichuan River, also called Lishishui), and Li Shishui, the old capital of Zuoguocheng.
Not far away.
Zuoguocheng, once you pass Lishi, is not far from Pingyang County.
Looking at it this way, it is clear that this city is at a critical stage of survival.
"Your Majesty..." Liu Chang called softly.
Liu Cong came to his senses. He knew that he had lost his composure, which was not good.
Even if you are really anxious in your heart, you cannot show it, as that will only make your ministers and generals worried and is not conducive to boosting morale.
He smiled and said: "Now that the matter has come to this, we must unite sincerely. There are many Chinese people in Xihe and Taiyuan areas, and they will not surrender to Shao easily. There are still some who can fight."
"The terrain over Hongnong is difficult and dangerous, but we can still hold on."
"At Lantian Pass, the prince has just defeated Shao Bing's offensive. They came from a long way, and supplies are not easy to come by. They are trapped under the fortified city and have no way to advance. As time goes by, they will be defeated."
"This battle can still be fought, and there is still a chance of victory."
At the end, Liu Cong seemed to have convinced himself, and his mood actually improved slightly. He laughed loudly and said: "The Shao thief was lucky enough to win. He was about to pursue death and chase north, but the offensive was extinguished by heavy rain. Isn't this God's help?"
When everyone heard this, they realized that there was some truth to it.
There are mysterious things that cannot be explained clearly, but sometimes they determine many things.
At this time, Shao Thief attacks again, which can be said to be against the will of heaven and will not end well.
"I'm in Pingyang, and I'm not going anywhere!" Liu Cong's face showed a sickly flush, and he said loudly: "If the Shao thieves really come to kill me, I will go to the city and fight hard, but I will die. Why should I be afraid?"
"Your Majesty is mighty." All the ministers praised in unison.
Liu Cong looked at the endless mountains again and felt a little at ease.
Mountains are both a constraint and a barrier.
The imperial army of the Han Dynasty could defeat even Tuoba Xianbei, and of course they could defeat Shao Bing in these vast mountains.
If Thief Shao is really bold enough to dare to kill here, he wouldn't mind marching north in person and meeting the beast for a while.
It's life or death, just fight.
Chapter completed!