"I don't want the cattle and sheep. We will eat them when we get back." Jin Zheng ordered to bring all the horses he could bring with him, and finally appointed Xu Lang to lead the main force of the Zuo Feilong Guard to stay at Shanwu and prepare for the arrival of the follow-up army.
Xu Lang didn't want to say anything at first, because he didn't like Jin Zheng very much, but in the end he couldn't help but said: "Is the Governor too impatient?"
"Helan's head finally showed a flaw, how can we let it go?" Jin Zheng refused bluntly.
A horse was brought over.
The tribesmen put the cheese, dried meat and dry food into the bags and tied them tightly to the backs of the spare horses.
There were more than 5,000 people in total, but they occupied more than 15,000 horses, which was really astonishing.
Jin Zheng slowly checked his usual weapon, made sure it was correct, and inserted it into its sheath.
Today the wind is sunny and sunny, it is neither too cold nor too hot in the mountains, so it is the right time to attack.
After a while, the warriors who had had a full meal were summoned.
At the first moment, the first batch of a thousand soldiers got on their horses and galloped away.
Not long after they left, dozens of tribesmen followed with two thousand horses - half of the horses were running empty, and these were war horses, and the other half were carrying luggage, and these were pack horses.
After another half an hour, 500 Jie cavalry and 1,500 horses followed closely behind.
At Shenshi, the third batch of Qianfu soldiers mounted their horses and left.
Then came another thousand Jieqi...
In the Zhonglingchuan River Valley, thousands of horses galloped with great momentum.
Countless horse hooves crossed the shallows, water splashed and all the grass fell.
Countless warriors risked their lives for the official position that everyone envied, and for the land that will be passed down to future generations.
Although there were only a few thousand people, the indomitable momentum made everyone watching from far and near get goosebumps.
The eagle soared high in the sky and seemed to be seeing off the troops.
Tuoba Sigong was among the first to set off.
This time he was not asked to serve as a scout, but instead walked in front of the large army with the other two guides - he knew it well enough to focus on those two people and not to interrupt unless necessary.
The marching speed was not very fast, not only because the road was not easy to walk, but also because the horse speed was deliberately controlled to prevent sudden encounters with the enemy.
During the march, Tuoba Sigong occasionally raised his head and looked around.
There are continuous mountains everywhere.
On the hillside, you can occasionally see white sheep and frightened shepherds.
At this time, Tuoba Sigong would secretly laugh in his heart: Look, you hid here to graze, didn't we still find you?
Of course, they don't care about these individual shepherds.
Their only mission is to move forward, move forward, and move forward under the guidance of their guide.
They passed through several sagebrush trees as tall as a man.
From a distance, everyone can see only their shoulders and heads exposed, running quickly in the sea of ​​grass.
They herded horses by the river.
The Zhongling River flows quietly, and countless horses are lined up on the bank. Occasionally, one or two horses neigh loudly and are quickly calmed down by the knights.
They crossed the river bank, which was full of shrubs and rocks.
Some horses broke their legs here and fell to the ground in pain. The knights stood helplessly aside, helpless.
Others passed them by without stopping.
They also encountered a group of rangers who came out of nowhere. Under the random shooting of arrows, all five rangers fell to the ground. Only one of them survived. After interrogating useful information, they strangled him directly.
Into the grass.
After nightfall, the army found a valley to camp.
Throughout the afternoon, they marched more than fifty miles.
The rapid sound of horse hooves sounded in the latter part of the night.
Everyone was awakened.
The officers quickly issued orders, and the Qianfu soldiers took out various instruments from their sheaths and prepared for battle.
It was quiet in the valley.
Tuoba Sigong looked around. The torch was lit, illuminating a serious and ferocious face, as well as the weapon shining with endless chill.
A command sounded not far away, followed by whispered negotiations.
After a while, Qin San, who was leading the team, gave the order to disband.
Tuoba Sigong breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that the person who sent the horse for the transfer came over.
The soldiers of the government acted together, handing over the horses they had ridden for a long time to the auxiliary soldiers, settling the new horses they had received, and each of them dressed and rested.
The march on the 29th continued as usual.
*****
The herdsman Ah Liu Dun was chasing a mole angrily with an axe.
This kind of animal is the most disgusting. It often digs holes in the ground, destroys turf, and destroys pastures. Every time it finds one, it will chase after it.
But today this mole became a spirit and he couldn't catch it no matter how hard he tried. Just when he was concentrating on chasing it, several horse hooves trampled across his grass.
Ah Liudun was so angry! Can the grassland where sheep are raised be trampled casually?
Just when he was about to yell, he was stunned.
Countless knights passed by on the grass, and they all looked at him with indifferent eyes, as if they were looking at something dead.
Ah Liudun's legs weakened and he fell to his knees, but he quickly rose into the air, and a hook and sickle gun caught his fur, causing him to stumble forward.
The knight who captured him used force and pulled him onto his horse, then rode away from the group and interrogated him carefully.
Tuoba Sigong turned his head and looked at this person, feeling a little pity for him, but it was just "a little".
The galloping cavalry jumped onto a pile of sand and looked down at the place below.
In the lower valleys, earthen cities overgrown with weeds, tattered tents, dry cow dung, bleating sheep and panicked crowds can be seen everywhere.
Qin Sanyi waved his hand, and five hundred people crossed the sand pile and descended.
The arrows shot out, the saber was raised high, and he chopped down like a trained horse.
A large group of cavalry rushed into the earth city. Wherever the bows and swords passed, countless people vomited blood and fell to the ground.
They quickly killed the entire earth city and rushed out from the wooden gate on the other side.
Qin San waved his hand again, and another five hundred people dismounted and quickly rushed into the chaotic Tucheng to clean up the mess.
Ah Liudun, who was being interrogated in the distance, heard the screams and struggled endlessly.
Seeing that he couldn't find anything, the scout walked directly behind him, swiped his dagger sideways, and blood spurted out.
Tuoba Sigong was frightened when he saw it.
He knew that this kind of earth city was somewhat similar to the military town of Chanyu Duhufu.
The difference is that the families of soldiers in military towns farm nearby, while the families of soldiers guarding these forts graze nearby.
He even came here once.
Many years ago, someone said that this was the former site of Wucheng County of the Han Dynasty (today's east of Xindianzi Town, Horinger County). He didn't know, maybe it was.
In its heyday, this Tucheng actually had many soldiers and horses stationed there, but now I don’t know where they all have gone.
Tuoba Sigong swallowed, unable to bear to look at the killing so close at hand.
In the afternoon, another group of cavalry passed by in the distance, led by Chen Jingen.
He took several guides, including Tuoba Sigong, with him, totaling a thousand soldiers and five hundred cavalry, and continued to advance along the desolate river valley. They now served as the vanguard.
In the evening, a few drizzles of rain fell from the sky.
Instead of stopping, the army accelerated until the horses were panting and could no longer run.
On this day, they marched hundreds of miles.
Tuoba Sigong stood on the high hill, looking at the sobbing pine forest and the meandering river in the distance, and sighed secretly.
The grass at the bend of the river grows tall and dense. It used to be a good place for grazing, but now there is not a single person in sight.
Night gradually enveloped the earth.
Thousands of soldiers wore wet clothes and ate dry food in silence.
Those who finished eating did not rest, but took out the sharpening stone and gently sharpened the knife.
Tuoba Sigong also took out his horn bow and step bow.
The wild sheep horns on the bow tip are strong and powerful, and the bow string made of yellow sheep tendons cannot be owned by any warrior.
He had a hunch that the time of battle was not far away.
"How far is it from Shengle?" Chen Jingen walked over and asked softly.
"You have to take a detour, or abandon your horse and walk over the mountains." Tuoba Sigong pointed to the dark mountains in the distance that looked like giant beasts, and said.
"How far is it over the mountain?"
"Eighty or ninety miles away, it's not easy to walk."
Chen Jingen hummed, lowered his head and kept thinking.
****
On the last day of May, Chen Jingen and others did not choose to go directly over the mountain. Instead, they continued westward for about 70 miles along the Zhongling River (the modern name of the river section here is the "Red River"). They found a hiding place until they were exhausted and exhausted.
Stopped to rest.
In the evening, Qin San rushed over.
Chen Jingen climbed up a hillside with him, overlooking a dilapidated city in the distance.
Qin San looked at the map for a long time and said: "In the Han Dynasty, Tongguo (now the old city of Zuizi, Xiaogangfang Township, Qingshuihe County), Luo, and Wucheng counties were set up from west to east along the Zhongling River. Wucheng County
It has passed, and this must be the former site of Luo County (now Dahongcheng Township, Horinger County)."
"Where did He Lan's head come from?" Chen Jingen asked.
"I don't know." Qin San said honestly: "If you don't pass by where we came from, you will be walking along the tree-falling river (today's Qingshui River)."
"He's walking along the fallen trees and the water." A horseman galloped up not far away, and the two of them went out looking for a sign, but it was Jin Zheng who immediately saluted.
"We didn't see the Suotou Brigade on Shanwu's side. They must have crossed over from Zhonglingyuan and entered the Shudan River Valley." Jin Zheng said: "There may be tribes to provide relief in the meantime, and there is no need to fight. It is most suitable for this kind of haste.
A running person."
"Boom!" After Jin Zhenggang said these words, there was thunder in the sky.
It rained lightly yesterday, and it may rain heavily today.
Qin San and Chen Jingen looked at the earth that was gradually covered by the night rain, feeling a little worried.
"It's raining well." Jin Zheng suddenly laughed.
The two of them seemed to realize something.
The night is getting darker and darker, and the rain is getting heavier and heavier.
In the pouring rain, two thousand soldiers carefully checked their equipment, and then, led by officers, they filed out of the camp.
They didn't even have a raincoat, and they had only taken a few steps out when they were already drenched in water.
Qin San took the lead.
He was over 40 years old and was slightly out of breath as his steps became slippery in the mud.
Two soldiers came forward and supported him vigorously.
In the darkness, a full two thousand people held hands and hesitated with difficulty.
It was so dark that I couldn't see my fingers.
The rain was so heavy that it even hurt people's bodies.
But the cold night rain could not extinguish the fireworks in the warrior's heart.
The officers continued to encourage their morale with the hope of a better life in the future, and the sergeants followed silently. The rain was too heavy, and the voices could not be heard clearly, but the words "honored officer", "grade", "land", "beauty", and "glorious ancestors" were
The words faintly reached their ears, which boosted their morale as they were about to fight, and their breathing gradually became heavier.
"You guys -" A sleepy young man emerged from the wooden shed, his hand still on the handle of the knife, looking at the "ghost figure" in the night rain with some shock.
"Bang!" The young man was kicked against the wooden wall and slashed with several swords, causing blood to splash everywhere.
More than a dozen sergeants quickly rushed into the wooden shed and killed all the other sleeping herdsmen.
The large group of people is still moving forward.
In the darkness, I don't know how many people followed, and I don't know how many people fell behind.
Qin San was walking in the front, feeling that his lungs were about to explode and his breathing was as heavy as a bull's breath.
Another pavilion appeared in front, as well as lights like beans.
Dozens of soldiers rushed over and surrounded him.
The rest of the troops went straight to the city.
Screams continued to sound from inside the pavilion barrier, but they did not attract any attention from Qin San.
More than a dozen sergeants took out the flying claws from their bags, charged them up and spun them around in their hands, threw them whistlingly at the top of the low wall, and then pulled hard to ensure that they were tightly hooked to the top of the city.
The following men and horses immediately drew their swords out of their sheaths and prepared to climb up along the flying claws.
However, an accident happened.
There was a loud boom in the darkness, startling everyone.
Qin San frowned and stepped forward to take a closer look with his eyes wide open. Then he opened his mouth wide and could no longer close it.
Chapter completed!