On the north bank of the Yellow River, at the westernmost end of the Yinshan Mountains, there is a mountain range that runs east-west and stretches for hundreds of miles.

To the north of this mountain range is an endless grassland. Later generations are accustomed to calling it the "Inner Mongolia Grassland". The grasslands are densely covered with hills and deep grass, and the number of people is sparse, making it a paradise for animals.

Every late at night, the sound of wolf howlings sounded one after another in the mountains. The wolves came out of the mountains and came to the prairie to prey. The pair of miserable green eyes flashed with a terrifying and cruel light in the dark. After discovering the prey, they would attack them. Even top predators such as tigers and cheetahs would choose to retreat in front of the wolf pack.

So the name of this mountain is - Langshan.

But although the mountain is famous, it is not without traces of human activities.

A majestic Great Wall was built from east to west along the Yinshan Mountains, stretching for thousands of miles, almost covering the entire northern border of Zhao State and also covering the entire Langshan Mountain.

This is the famous Zhao Great Wall.

At the westernmost end of Zhao Great Wall, which is the middle of Langshan Mountain, the entire mountain range suddenly broke a large hole like a knife by the gods, forming a steep valley.

Two steep peaks pierce the sky like towering double arches on the left and right sides of the valley. A majestic pass is built based on this valley and the double peaks between the valleys. The fortress's wall is dozens of feet high, and the whole body is made of square stones. There are tall towers on both sides of the east and west. The entire fortress firmly locks the passage between the double arches. It can be said that "one man is at the pass, tens of thousands of men cannot open."

This is the Zhao State's Xiong Pass, Gaoquesai, which is as famous as the Hangu Pass of Qin State in the world.

Gaoque Pass is not just a powerful pass, it is also part of the entire North Great Wall of Zhao State. It can serve as an indestructible pass when defending, and as a bridgehead for the Zhao army during attack, and its strategic position is extremely important.

In later generations, the famous Changping Hou Weiqing sent troops from here to attack the Xiongnu, defeating the Xiongnu's Youxian King's troops with one blow, capturing more than ten Xiaowangs, more than ten men and women, and millions of livestock.

Wei Qing was also named the general because of this, and Wei Qing's three sons were all named the marquis of the Han Dynasty. They were four tribes of the Wei family, which was truly a glorious family.

But at this moment, this place was not the land of the Han Dynasty. The owner of this pass was still the famous Zhao cavalry.

On the grassland several miles north of Gaoque Pass, a small chase is underway.

Several Huns were extremely panicked and fleeing in front of them. A Zhao cavalry, who was about the early twenties, spread their fan-shaped chasing behind them. Both sides kept bent their bows and arrows shooting at each other. It was so lively.

Logically speaking, as a nation on horseback, the Huns should have gained an advantage in such a cavalry and shooting battle, but what is surprising is that the cavalry of the Zhao army gained the upper hand in this battle against shooting.

In fact, when the battle started, the number of people on both sides was equal, about thirty, but now there were only a few people left in the Hu cavalry, while the Zhao army still had at least twenty people.

The reason for this is that these Huns suddenly discovered that the cavalrymen of Zhao in front of them not only had more exquisite riding skills, but also had more accurate shooting skills!

While the two sides were chasing each other, a young officer from Zhao suddenly bent his bow and took an arrow.

If you look closely, you will find that the Zhao officer's feet were in a pair of stirrups, and his buttocks were firmly held by a saddle arched forward and backward. Although the horse under his crotch was running at a very fast speed, his body did not move at all, steadily pulling the longbow in his hand.

With a "swoosh", an arrow instantly left the bowstring, chasing a Hun cavalry like a meteor chasing the moon, and accurately penetrated the back of the Hun cavalry, causing the Hun cavalry to fall to the ground and die after a desperate scream.

In fact, it is not just this Zhao army officer. Almost every Zhao army cavalry is equipped with a complete set of horse harnesses such as stirrups, saddles and even horseshoes.

It is precisely because with the assistance of these harnesses that the battle that should have been 550 was eventually turned into a one-sided massacre!

A few minutes later, the last Hun cavalry was caught in an arrow and the entire pursuit finally came to an end.

The Zhao cavalry jumped off their horses happily, took out their weapons to behead the dead Huns, and then happily hung their heads next to their saddles.

It’s not that the Zhao army’s cavalry is bloodthirsty. If you don’t take the enemy’s head back, your military achievements will not be recognized.

Speaking of this method of using beheading numbers to judge merit, it was learned from the Qin people.

The young Zhao officer also operated like his subordinates, but there were the most heads hanging next to his saddle, with six - you should know that there were only about thirty Huns killed.

It is precisely because of this that this Zhao army officer undoubtedly gained a lot of admiration from his subordinates.

In places like the army, others may not necessarily accept you if you are a big official, but if you have the ability, others will definitely accept you.

I saw a Zhao army cavalry laughing in the unstandard Zhao language: "Li Baijiang, I will kill these many Huns this time, and I will not leave a few for the two or three sons!"

The reason why this officer is called Li Baijiang is not because his name is Li Baijiang, but because he is a Baijiang (centurion).

The meaning of Li Baijiang is the same as that of the later generations of Platoon Commander Li and Company Commander Li.

This Li Baijiang looked only twenty years old, and was full of heroism, with sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes and body shape. Although his immediate career has made his whole skin rough and a little dark, it also made him show a kind of generous temperament of a man from Zhao.

The young general Li Bai waved his hand and laughed at the Zhao cavalry who were cheering around him, saying, "Don't talk nonsense with the second and third sons! If I didn't shoot these Huns earlier, I wouldn't know how many of them could shoot the second and third sons! Let's do things, don't say much!"

The Zhao army cavalry dispersed and began to search for the bodies and war horses of the dead comrades. After about an hour, all the bodies and war horses were finally found. So the cavalry team happily ran towards Gaoquesai with dozens of captured war horses.

Since it was still early and the enemy had been completely wiped out, the Zhao cavalry were not in a hurry along the way, and they walked slowly and talked and laughed along the way.

I saw a Hu cavalry laughing at the General Li Bai and said, "Hundred Generals, these saddles and stirrups are quite useful. With these, we will not be so hard to fight the Huns in the future."

Since Zhao State conquered large areas that originally belonged to Linhu, Loufan and Donghu, many Hu people became citizens of the five northern counties of Zhao State, and many even enlisted in the army and became cavalrymen of Zhao State. Now this cavalry is one of them.

Li Baijiang nodded when he heard this, and a smile appeared on his face.

These horse harnesses were secretly sent to Gaoquesai half a month ago. The tight formation at that time shocked the general Li Baizhang, thinking that he was sending some new armor.

Fortunately, the effects of these harnesses were quickly exerted. The hooves can enhance the endurance of the horse, and the saddles and stirrups can greatly help the cavalry maintain balance on the horse. Recently, it is the day when the northern nomadic tribes are beginning to become active in autumn. Therefore, the cavalry in the Gaoque Pass attacked for a long time and won consecutive victories with the equipment advantages brought by the harness.

Li Baijiang thought about it and said, "Although this thing is good, don't talk nonsense. If the five hundred masters know it, it will be dealt with by military law."

These horse harnesses have now become secret weapons of the Gaoquesai defenders, so the confidentiality of horse harnesses is naturally the highest level. The highest commander in Gaoquesai, the five hundred lord named Zhao, has already issued an order. After each battle between the Zhao army, all war horses must be retrieved, and the dead war horses must be removed before they can be discarded.

In a joyful atmosphere, the group of Zhao army cavalry returned to the gate of Gaoquesai, and saw a head sticking out from the wall and shouting loudly at the cavalry: "Command!"

General Li Bai replied loudly: "Born slave!"

The two heavy iron doors opened with sharp friction sounds that made people feel sour. Dozens of Zhao army knights rode their horses under their crotch and entered the Gaoque Pass in turn.

Due to its remote location, a total of only 500 troops were stationed in Gaoque Pass, led by a five hundred master.

However, even so, this fortress has never been recorded as being breached by the Huns. After all, Gaoque Pass itself is part of the Great Wall of Zhao, and the beacon towers on the Great Wall are not for viewing. As long as the beacon fires in the Great Wall, the army from Wuyuan City will arrive in rescue within a few days.

Although it is a small military fortress, the Gaoque Pass can be said to be a sparrow with small internal organs, including stables, barracks, playgrounds, etc., and the situation is quite regular.

After entering Gaoque Pass, General Li Bai asked his subordinates to lead the horse to the stable, and he jumped off the horse and saluted to an oncoming middle-aged officer: "Master Five Hundred!"

This middle-aged officer with a weathered face and age of about forty was named Zhao Tong. It is said that he was a branch of the Zhao royal family (the kind that was a family hundreds of years ago). His position was five hundred masters, which was the highest commander in this high queu.

Zhao Tong patted Li Baijiang's shoulder affectionately and said with a smile: "I heard that the second and third sons attacked this time and brought back many Huns' heads."

General Li Bai smiled slightly, raised his chest with satisfaction, and shouted: "I have met the Huns in a total of 34, and they are all awarded the title!"

Zhao Tong laughed and said to General Li Bai: "Serious! Wuyuan City has an order to order Gaoque Pass to gather in Yunzhong City. I will sit here and not escape. This time, you will lead the troops to go."

"Yunzhong?" Li Bai General was stunned when he heard this. You must know that Gaoque Pass was under the jurisdiction of Wuyuan County. After Wuyuan County goes east through Jiuyuan County, Yunzhong County is only Yunzhong County. Why did you run there?

General Li Bai suddenly felt a little excited and couldn't help but whisper: "Master Five Hundred, is it that the Huns have gone south again?"

You should know that the troops here in Gaoquesai are rarely mobilized, and each mobilization must represent a war.

Even in the most eye-catching Changping Battle, Zhao State did not draw any soldiers or soldiers from Gaoque Pass. First, it was because Gaoque Pass was extremely important, and secondly, it was really difficult for these cavalry to perform in the Taihang Mountains.

Zhao Tong nodded, looked solemn, and said, "This time I went to Yunzhong to resist the invasion of Yan people. Since you are my soldiers in Gaoque Pass, remember not to lose my face! Gather the troops quickly and set off immediately!"

The young Li Bai general thrust his body, bowed to Zhao Tong in front of him again, and whispered loudly: "Li Mu receives the order!"
Chapter completed!