After Wang Mi broke into Hebei, he was unable to completely escape the pursuit.
On the afternoon of the ninth day of the lunar month, Shao Shen led more than 2,000 people on foot and horse across the river, chasing them all the way.
Wang Mi panicked and didn't choose his way, so he ran towards Dianshi Ban. On the way, he met the soldiers of the Wei family and rushed back in a hurry.
On the withered grass, arrows shot through the air, and shouts continued.
By the Shajian River, Wang Mi, the last remaining rider, accidentally fell into the river when he was crossing a wooden bridge. Because he had fought hard against his pursuers and was wearing armor, he fell into the water and never floated again.
Wang Feibao, who had been in Henan and Hebei for more than ten years, has come to an end.
In Wangwu Mountain, the Jin army, with the Heiji army as the main force, swarmed in, and the Xiongnu captives were unified and moved to Henan, where they were dispersed and resettled.
When Fuhou took the Jie people's infantry and cavalry as the vanguard, he spent two or three days to defeat Shi Sheng. Zhao Lu's remaining soldiers and horses beheaded thousands of people.
Zhao Lu was wounded by an arrow while attacking Han Mou, and died a day later.
Shi Sheng died in the rebellion.
Of course, there are also rumors that Hou Fu thought that Shi Sheng was a Jie man, and he was worried that Mrs. Liu would be spared if she begged for mercy, and in turn would gain access to the military power of the Jie tribe, so he killed her.
In short, after the battles of Zhiguan and Shaanxi City, the Xiongnu lost three generals, the southern front door was opened, and there was no way to recover.
The news soon spread to Pingyang. It was already November 12th, and heavy snow fell from the sky, heralding the arrival of the deep winter.
Liu Cong was discussing the war in the Luliang Mountains with the courtiers.
"The day before yesterday, Chihongling came to report that the Shao thieves sent generals to attack the camp at night and break it. My son was accidentally captured, and thousands of the remaining soldiers of the imperial army retreated to Zuoguo City." Liu Cong sighed and said: "At this point in the battle, all the camps
Morale is low, and I cannot sit still in peace, so I have to conquer it myself."
It seemed unexpected, but it was reasonable. Only a few courtiers showed hesitation and seemed to want to say something to stop it. Most of them looked calm, because this was what should be done.
The monarchs of the first or second generation after the founding of the country wanted to sit quietly in the palace, command civil servants and military generals to pacify the place, and raise troops to fight. Is it ridiculous?
That's all in normal times. If something goes wrong, shouldn't the monarch be the one to take charge?
Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the monarch has been obliged to lead troops into battle. This is a tradition.
Many people seem to have forgotten that the king is a military noble first, and then other identities.
The Xiongnu originated from the grassland, and there are many residual customs. At critical moments, the king must lead his troops to fight.
Otherwise, you are weak, have no responsibility, and are not worthy of being a king. You will be able to defeat your superiors right before your eyes.
"Where does Your Majesty want to conquer? North Ye? South Ye?" Sikong Zhuji bowed and asked.
"What do Zhu Qing think?" Liu Cong looked at him and asked.
Zhu Ji raised his head and found that Liu Cong's eyes were bloodshot and his face was dull. He sighed in his heart and said: "Your Majesty, to this day, I believe that I have to conquer it myself, otherwise I will not be able to boost morale. Although the northern border is at a disadvantage.
, we can still resist with all our strength. The east side of the river is in ruins, Hongnong Wang Mi is defeated again, and Pu Hong returns to Hucheng in the west without firing a single shot. The situation here is much more dangerous than that in the west river. I think that we can go south to the east of the river to attack the thieves and wait for them to be wiped out.
This way, it is still too late to return to the division and go north."
Something called hope ignited in Liu Cong's eyes, and he quickly walked two steps to Zhu Ji and asked: "Zhu Qing thinks it is better to first seize the east of the river and then go north to fight against the thieves?"
Zhu Ji nodded and said: "Your Majesty, most of the bandits in the east of the river are young men from Wubao. They are just child servants of the nobles. They cannot withstand the attack of the forbidden soldiers. There are also Chinese tribes around Pingyang, and there are many young men who are over twelve years old. Use majestic force to press forward, exterminate the thieves as soon as possible, and then turn around to defend the enemy, it is not too late."
Liu Cong's body relaxed.
Everyone who is familiar with him knows that this decision has been made. At the same time, they feel happy that at the critical moment, the emperor who was once indulged in wine and sex can still take the initiative. He is not hiding in the capital, but for the sake of the world, taking the lead and leading the army. Go to war.
This is what an emperor should look like!
"Your Majesty." The old minister Fan Long coughed slightly and said: "On this occasion, I believe that people's hearts are everything. Wherever Your Majesty goes, the people's sentiments are slightly calmer, and the soldiers are brave, and the decline may be slightly reversed. The land east of the river is certain. Those who still love the imperial court are just limited by the situation and forced by the enemy soldiers, so they have to bow down and endure. Once the king's army arrives, I will definitely lead an army to surrender, so there may not be any hope of pacifying Hedong."
Liu Cong glanced at Fan Long and nodded again.
He still remembered when Fan Long went south to recruit Shao Xun.
My father really admired this man and wanted him to come north to join him. He even planned to marry his sister to him and make him the pillar of the country.
"Your Majesty." Liu Yannian, King of Jiangdu, said: "If we continue to cut off the enemy, we will suffer chaos. If we feel that the troops are insufficient, I will call soldiers and horses from the pass to fight for Your Majesty."
Liu Yannian is the elder of the clan and the brother of Liu Yuan.
After Liu Yuan became an adult, he built Dagancheng (located ten miles southwest of today's Wenshui County) in Taiyuan for his residence.
On the one hand, this was to use the clan to control the outer vassals and protect the Liu family. On the other hand, it was also to surround Jinyang from the south, compress Liu Kun's scope of activities, and make him trapped in the isolated city.
However, starting from three years ago, Liu Yannian's tribe gradually withdrew from Daqian City and moved to Guanxi to settle down.
At first they were in Anding County, but later Liu Cong felt that the place was too harsh, so he asked them to move to the vicinity of Chang'an and allocated good fields with rich water and grass for them to farm and pasture.
The tribe is currently led by Liu Yannian's sons, who himself entered the court as an official and held the position of Dazai.
Hearing Liu Yannian's words at this moment, Liu Cong was quite moved.
At the critical moment, the clan is more reliable, or the Tuge clan is more reliable.
But he refused.
"I have accepted Dazai's kindness." Liu Cong looked at him, shook his head and said, "It's a long way to go from Chang'an, and it's too late to wait. I have personally led 6,000 forbidden soldiers, and sent out more than 10,000 troops and more than 10,000 young men to go south. To put an end to the chaos. If we win the war, there is still room for redemption. If we fail, please make plans early."
Everyone sighed when they heard this.
Plan? What other plan can there be? If the emperor's personal expedition fails, how will everyone have the courage to resist? Why not quickly pack up their belongings, cross the river to the west, and join the prince.
I heard that the prince has 30,000 troops stationed in Hexi and can march eastward to support at any time. Perhaps this is the only hope.
****
When Shao Xun received the news, he was on his way into Zuoguocheng.
The journey for seventy or eighty miles was all along river valleys and flat roads, which were supposed to be easier to walk, but unfortunately it started to snow.
It is already cold in the mountains, and the wind and snow are even worse, making people unable to open their eyes.
When the Luoyan Army acted as the vanguard, one unit of several hundred men was ambushed by the Xiongnu tribe, and the entire army was wiped out without returning their horses.
As a last resort, we could only slow down our marching speed. When we arrived outside Zuoguo City, it was already the night of the 15th.
A bonfire was lit in the lee of the mountains.
Shao Xun and his son sat around the fire to warm themselves.
"Is it painful?" Shao Xun asked after checking his two sons' hands and finding that they had frostbite.
"Bitter." The two children nodded honestly.
"After eating this hard, you will feel even sweeter when you enjoy the fruit later." Shao Xun said with a smile.
Jin Dao, Badger Lang looked at his father and seemed to understand a little.
When they arrived in Pingyang with their father and saw the Xiongnu nobles kneeling on the ground, they would definitely be very happy.
"Grandpa, have you won now?" Jin Dao couldn't help but ask.
"What do you think?" Shao Xun asked.
"The Huns have lost consecutive battles and their morale is low." Jin Dao said: "When we first sent out troops this year, the Huns still dared to make a few gestures and charged without risking their lives. But after fighting for more than half a year, they seem not to be so powerful anymore. Can
If you can't fight, it all depends on how well the general leads him. The one who leads the best will have the same combat power as at the beginning of the year."
"Not only has the Xiongnu's combat power declined, but our army's combat power has also increased. Fighting requires courage. Our army's morale has increased, while the Huns' morale has declined. One goes down and the other goes up, so all battles are invincible and all attacks are invincible," Shao Xun said.
: "Wang Mi is an example. When they first attacked Xin'an, the imperial army was defeated several times. The two sides fought bloody battles for a long time. In the end, the Luoyang Chinese army suffered casualties of more than 15,000, Luonanding Zhuang suffered 10,000 casualties, and the government soldiers also suffered hundreds of casualties.
Only in the end can we capture it."
"It was easier when we attacked Baichaowu. But at that time, Wang Mi still launched a sharp counterattack. The Forbidden Army killed and injured more than 10,000 people. Ding Zhuang of Henan Wubao also killed and injured thousands of people, and it was difficult to recover the city."
"The battle of Xiashibao suddenly became much easier. The battle of Lianchi was devastating. The battle of Shaanxi City was chasing death and chasing the north."
"Military morale, morale and combat effectiveness are closely related. If my son leads the army in the future, he must pay attention to morale and do everything possible to maintain or even improve morale."
"Got it." The two said in unison.
"As a father, I want to ask you again, have you won?" Shao Xun held his two sons in his arms, one on the left and the other on the right, and asked with a smile.
"We won." The two said one after another.
"Are you all blind?" Shao Xun said with a smile: "Just think according to the situation at hand, and don't consider accidents?"
The two of them were stunned for a moment, and then they understood a little bit and knew where the only variable came from.
"Are you worried about this?" Shao Xun laughed again, knocked on the heads of his two sons respectively, and said: "As a general, you must be indomitable. Even if you are in a desperate situation, you must look for that glimmer of hope. Even if it turns out that everything is impossible.
It's all in vain, everything is futile
It has nothing to do with anything else, it’s just an attitude. Being discouraged, helpless, and depressed should not appear in my son. You are my son, so you should be ruthless, ferocious, and unstoppable.
Don’t give up easily.”
"Having said that, it is a great situation now, there is nothing to worry about." Shao Xun continued: "If Liu Can jumps out, just take him away. Don't be upset and calm down. What is easy in this world?
"
"Now let me ask you one more question, did you win?"
"Win!" The two children gathered up their courage, raised their voices, and replied in unison.
Shao Xun laughed.
The father and son were sitting in the tent, looking at the heavy snowfall outside.
Jin Dao couldn't help but look at his father.
His mother had always been gentle and elegant, and the things she taught him seemed to be different from those of his father.
Maybe it's the difference between men and women.
My father is always very calm, as if nothing can bring him down. At critical moments, he can be fierce and violent. It depends on whether he is willing to kill your whole family.
He still has a lot to learn.
Badger Lang looked at his father and brother.
Outside, the north wind was howling and snowflakes filled the sky. The dim yellow oil lamp inside the tent actually illuminated a warm halo.
When my father is old, it will be the best thing in the world if he and his brother are still there to serve him.
On the 17th, the army attacked Zuo Guocheng and destroyed it in one day.
The small governor Lu Ya came to the front of the formation to supervise the battle and was shot with a powerful crossbow.
On the 19th, soldiers surrounded Lishi.
Liu Chang, the Duke of Xihe County of the Xiongnu, dispersed his wealth to boost morale and fought tooth and nail to resist.
The army attacked for three days and could not defeat it, so they divided their forces and raided the countryside to obtain supplies on the spot to reduce the pressure of transportation in the snowy weather.
It was also on this day that Liu Cong finished recruiting young men and led his army to leave Pingyang and go south to suppress the rebellion.
Liu Can rushed more than ten thousand soldiers and horses to the east bank before the Yellow River froze.
The three cities of Pujin Pass are still passing by, and there is an endless stream of people.
Everyone had a vague thought in their minds: If we don't hurry up to cross the river, it might be too late.
Chapter completed!