A group of people appeared in the distance on the horizon.
They led their horses on foot, carefully avoiding farmland.
The wheat planted last fall was about to be harvested, but it was already ruined.
Part of the fields were bare, obviously harvested by people—mostly Xianbei people.
Part of it was trampled to pieces and was scattered everywhere.
There are people harvesting in the fields, and most of them are used to feed livestock, and people can't eat them.
The millet sown this spring is growing sparsely and has been trampled, but there should be some harvest.
There were carcasses of cattle and sheep by the river, surrounded by flies. They had obviously been dead for a long time, but for some reason they had not been eaten.
All in all - quite miserable.
Behind the cavalry was a long line of carriages, which were full of military supplies and supplies.
Most of the drivers and servants came from Xiurong and Jingle counties. Their faces were full of sadness and worries, and they were obviously not very happy.
The convoy soon stopped in front of a camp fence set up on the road.
Soldiers with yellow scarves on their heads who came from nowhere stood all over the pit and valley.
Some of them were practicing in formation, and the officers kept patrolling and repeatedly correcting their movements.
Some people vigorously wielded spades and pickaxes, dug trenches, built earthen walls, and placed deer antlers, as if to guard against cavalry raids.
An officer came out of the camp and first led the newly arrived rebel cavalry to a valley, where there were roughly built barracks, a spring for horses to drink from, and a fodder barn nearby.
"Be careful, don't let the Xianbei people come close without knowing it." Before leaving, the officer warned.
"What are you talking about? I am from Xianbei. Should I kill myself?" someone among the newly arrived soldiers said.
As soon as this was said, everyone laughed.
The current Yi Congjun has nearly 7,000 cavalry, and nearly 40% are Xianbei people, but they belong to Duanbu Xianbei, not Tuoba Xianbei.
Most of the remaining soldiers were Jie, Wuhuan and even Zahu recruited from Guanzhong, but there were not many Han soldiers.
However, there were only a few Han soldiers, and the military command was in Jin dialect, which was very unaccustomed.
The officer also smiled and said: "Let's fight hard."
While they were talking, someone brought several basins of cheese.
Everyone was not polite at all, they took out wooden bowls from their saddle bags and drank directly.
After walking for a long time, I couldn't bear to ride a horse. I was already very hungry. This product was just right.
"How was the fight before? I heard that you were overwhelmed?" The speaker asked unabashedly while drinking the cheese sent by others.
Sure enough, the officer who brought them here lost all composure and just said: "We met suddenly in the valley, and were careless for a moment. They were scattered. Some cattle, sheep and food in the valley were scattered, but it was no big deal. The thieves once wanted to attack us.
Pastoral, they were repulsed when they attacked the mountain slopes."
The officers and soldiers of Yi Cong listened while eating and drinking.
I'm afraid what this person said is not entirely true.
It is indeed more difficult for Tuoba Xianbei to attack the mountains because they cannot rush up all the time. At this time, the horse archers are often more dominant, and the Jie people may not be much different from them. In the case of defending their homeland,
Morale is relatively strong and can repel enemy attacks.
Just like the Huns defeated Tuoba Pugen in Kelan, Xihe and even in the mountains west of Pingyang.
But did the Huns defeat Tuoba Xianbei in Jinyang? No.
Because the terrain of Jinyang is flat, the Huns cavalry cannot defeat the Xianbei cavalry. This is the reality.
The Jie people have almost the same problem, but they are better than the Huns in close combat. The final results are also shown outside. The farmland in the river valley was completely destroyed, but the pastures in the mountains were preserved.
If you want to confront Tuoba Xianbei, they still have to come.
However, looking at the camp being overhauled in the river valley, it seems that they are not planning to confront the Xianbei cavalry head-on, and I don't know if they can get a chance to fight the enemy head-on.
****
Tianchi is like a blue mirror embedded in the mountains.
The forest, white clouds, and birds are reflected in the mirror, like a rich oil painting.
"Wow!" Shao Xun tipped the bamboo basket toward the lake. Several big fish swung their tails and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Tianchi is an alpine lake, and there are actually more than twenty large and small lakes nearby, which together with Tianchi form this alpine lake group.
Standing by the lake, the scenery is breathtaking and the view is wide, making people relaxed and happy.
Shao Xun didn't know much about Tianchi, and his only impression came from later generations.
The Empress of the Qi Dynasty and Concubine Feng Shu were hunting in Tianchi. The Zhou army was approaching Pingyang, and Jinzhou was in a hurry. From dawn to noon, the post horses arrived three times, and the Empress of the Qi Dynasty "hunted for an encirclement".
This incident is so famous, and it also illustrates the charm of Tianchi.
Especially the monarchs of the Northern Dynasties liked to parade around with their civil and military ministers and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. Tianchi was often a place to visit.
Emperor Wei Xiaowen came here, Gao Huan came here, Gao Yang came here, Gao Wei came here, Emperor Yang of Sui Dynasty also came...
Yang Guang even built Fenyang Palace here to escape the summer heat. He used it once and never used it again. Four months later, when he was inspecting Beisei, he was surrounded by a large army brought by the Turkic Shibi Khan at Yanmen. The father and son held each other's hands and cried.
The courage of Shao Xun, a fierce man in troubled times, is not comparable to that of Yang Guang.
Standing on the edge of Tianchi, he could see the enemy cavalry looming in the hills from a distance, but he still had the leisure to fish here, and he was calm and relaxed, as there was no air force.
Liu Zhao stood aside respectfully, while military adviser Zhang Bin was explaining to him the method of defending against the enemy: "The Fen River is connected with boats and wooden rafts, and in May there will be a beautiful wheat harvest. It can be transported to Jingle and Tianchi through the Fen River, and there will be no worries."
The infantry set up a barracks at the foot of the mountain to serve as a passage for thieves. The soldiers of the government are sharp and Huang Tou'er is loyal and brave. With more than 8,000 infantry, the Tuoba clan will not be able to break through and can only make a circuitous route around the mountain. The king of the government will be able to raise his son.
, galloping and shooting on the slope to repel the bandit army."
"Mr. Zhang." Liu Zhao bent down and saluted, and asked, "I'm afraid Xiurong's little grain will be of no use, and the court will have to transfer grain and grass."
Zhang Bin sighed and said: "The king has given the order and will do his best to raise funds."
Liu Zhao didn't believe it.
The biggest problem now is the lack of food and grass, and they will not be able to hold on for long. I am afraid that at the end of the war, they will be forced to slaughter their livestock and eat all the food, but they will not be able to survive.
"If you can't help it, just kill the livestock." Sure enough, Shao Xun said from the side: "Don't worry, it's just a temporary lack of food. In a few months, it won't be so short. If you kill a sheep, I will give you twenty husks of food.
Never break your promise."
Liu Zhao felt a little relieved.
"Mr. Liu Fu, we can't retreat anymore." Zhang Bin said from the side: "The reason why the king has given you more troops is to block this road. If this road is broken, the bandit army will follow the trend and attack Jingle and Xiurong.
, then the situation will be very bad, and someone will definitely take responsibility at that time, so you should think carefully about it."
Liu Zhao blushed at the words.
There are only two north-south roads in the northwest of Taiyuan, both of which are within the territory of Kelan County. Among them, he is guarding the widest and most convenient one, and it was actually broken through by the Xianbei people before.
Fortunately, they failed to clear away the people and horses on the mountains on both sides. The retreat was threatened, so they withdrew, otherwise they would really have created a big trap.
Shao Xun silently calculated the strength of his troops.
The remaining troops in Langu were two Fu soldiers and tribes from Longxiang Prefecture (2,400), plus 5,000 Huangtou troops. The total military strength on paper was nearly 10,000, but the actual number was 9,000. They were stationed in the county and the camp.
Other troops were brought to Tianchi and Guanluishan areas by him.
The planned number of troops left here to stay here is slightly more than that of Lan Gu. The two Longxiang Mansion's soldiers and tribes, and the Huangtou Army are 5,000, totaling nearly 10,000 people. The organization is relatively complete.
He planned to take the remaining troops eastward, including 6,000 men from the Yinqianzhong camp, 10,000 from the Yellow Head Army, and 2,000 from the Yi Congjun, heading for Jinyang.
Supplies are more convenient there, although there isn't much food stored locally.
After all the calculations, the biggest problem is still the dilapidation of Bingzhou.
There have been heavy rains for two consecutive years, making construction impossible. And if there is no one in Bingzhou, the series of defense systems in the north will not be established.
For example, on his northern tour this time, if he had not had the intention of training the Yellow Head Army soldiers, he would not have brought so many people northward. And if he had not brought so many people here, Tuoba Xianbei would have reached Jinyang if he had marched straight in.
No matter how far away they are from Shicheng, it depends on their supply capabilities.
Jinyang, north of Lishi, is almost undefended, and the northern frontier fortress system is in name only. This is the reality.
Shao Xun washed his hands in the lake and was about to leave when he saw Liu Bai, the master of the house, running over. He said anxiously: "Your Majesty, the Shiling Pass has collapsed, and the Tuoba clan is approaching Jinyang City."
Shao Xun's heart tightened and he asked: "How did it collapse?"
"The thieves' cavalry detoured to the southern foot of Shiling, plundered the countryside with light cavalry, and harassed the transport troops." Liu Bai said: "When the Qi people saw the Xianbei cavalry, they all collapsed. Shiling Pass was isolated from the front and rear, and two thousand guards ran away
Towards the mountains.”
"Where's Liu Ling?"
"General Liu tightly closed the gates of Jinyang and guarded them to death."
It sounds nice to be strictly defensive, but in fact it means being trapped in an isolated city and not daring to fight in the wild.
Of course this is not Liu Ling’s fault.
He only had 5,000 infantry, and sent 2,000 to guard Shiling Pass. The remaining 3,000 were reluctant to stay in Jinyang, and naturally it was impossible to leave the city to fight.
If it is defeated in a single battle - which is almost inevitable - Jinyang will definitely not be able to survive.
"Send the order and go south immediately." Shao Xun asked someone to bring the horses.
****
More and more enemy cavalry gathered outside Jinyang City, and they became very arrogant.
Perhaps knowing that Liu Ling did not dare to fight, they even openly herded horses, cattle and sheep in the wild, and sent people to harvest immature crops.
After nightfall, a group of people quietly headed west, up the Fenshui River Valley, one man and three horses, carrying ten days of dry food and galloping away.
They were very fast, running for three hundred miles along the relatively flat river valley in a few days, and soon arrived ten miles east of Xiurong.
In the river valley with abundant water and grass, the herdsmen of various tribes who had just come down from the mountain to harvest wheat looked at all this in stunned silence.
Without anyone's instructions, they were used to plundering and killing people, so they immediately asked their families to bring horses and equipment to prepare for the battle.
The Xianbei cavalry reined in their horses from afar.
A moment later, a knight in purple robes rode forward, looked carefully, and cursed: "No matter how careful you are, the thieves will still find you."
After that, he called a few people and said, "Go, try to catch a few people and see who is here."
The Buliugu clan failed to attack Lan Valley, losing hundreds of people and losing face greatly.
After the remnant soldiers retreated, they used various excuses, saying that they encountered Shao Thief himself, so the attack was frustrated.
After the news reached them from Pingcheng, he didn't quite believe it.
Why did Shao Thief come here? Why did he come here in this barren ravine?
When they broke through Shiling Pass, they also captured some stragglers of the Jin army. After being tortured, they couldn't tell where the thief Shao was, which made him even more suspicious.
But he didn't take it all to heart. If he took advantage of this opportunity, he would naturally prepare to capture a few people alive and torture them again.
If Thief Shao really comes to Taiyuan, hey, it might be a good opportunity to surround him.
After the rangers were dispatched, this person found a few more messengers and whispered: "You can take this token and go south to look for some old friends. They may not be still in the original place. Let's go look for it. Even if you can't find them, you can't find them."
Already."
The messenger took the token and map and left quietly under the leadership of the guide.
In the distance, the four gates of Xiurong County have been closed tightly. There are crowds of people at the top of the city and the sound of drums continues.
Just over a year has passed, and Xiurong has faced another war.
Chapter completed!