Chapter 1037: Sending a slave to Yanmen in disguise
Bingzhou, Yanmen.
A majestic mountain range, stretching for hundreds of miles, guards the northern part of Bingzhou and becomes the natural dividing line between the two major civilization areas of farming and nomadic herding. A grand canyon in the mountain, dozens of miles long, passes through the mountain. A majestic pass is located in
Between this canyon, cutting across the north and south, is Yanmen, known as the Xiongguan of the North. General Zhidu of the Han Dynasty and General Li Mu during the Warring States Period were all guarding here. Liu Laozhi's ancestor Liu Xi was in the Western Jin Dynasty.
At that time, he also served as the prefect of Yanmen. Over the past thousands of years, generations of famous generals of the Han family have left their great achievements here, and this majestic city gate is also the best proof of this period of history.
Outside the city gate in the south, tens of thousands of people focused on the open space outside the city. Temporary residences surrounded by tents and carts were scattered everywhere. Even the cattle and sheep brought by many Hu merchants were in the city.
There are cattle and sheep in captivity on the grassland a few miles away. The grass is blown low by the wind, and what you see are patches of white cattle and sheep. It makes people hallucinate. Are they in the grassland or in the Central Plains?
In addition to these traveling merchants, there were more Han Chinese pushing wheelbarrows, carrying packages, dragging their families, and supporting the elderly and the young. All of them had dusty faces and were weather-beaten.
On a large open space outside Nanguan, surrounded by railings, dozens of merchant-looking barbarians, with hundreds of fierce guards, were sitting in more than twenty sheds, with a long queue in front of the sheds.
From time to time, people entered the shed, usually a family of three or four, with their children in tow. When they came out, only the husband and wife were crying at each other.
Liu Yu was dressed in a sheepskin coat, carrying a hunting bow, and wearing a human skin mask on his face, pretending to be a dark-faced man in his thirties, while Murong Lan in Jingchai's sarong, pretended to be a thin man with a sallow complexion.
An ordinary woman, following Liu Yu, even if she deliberately concealed her figure, among these ordinary people, Liu Yu still looked heroic and majestic with her height of more than eight feet.
.
It has been more than a month since they came out of the secret base in Yecheng. After Liu Yu and Murong Lan disguised themselves, in order to avoid the hordes of horse bandits, thieves and rebels between Hebei and Bingzhou, they hid day and night.
Taking the small road was due to the fact that Murong Lan traveled between Guandong and Guanzhong many times when she was in the north. She knew the 800-mile Taihang mountain road very well. However, even so, she was in danger several times on the road. In order not to expose her whereabouts, she had to take the small road.
Those bandits who robbed the road, both of them did not leave alive. After traveling all the way, they arrived at Yanmen Pass. As long as they left the city gate, they would reach the border of Monan beyond the Great Wall.
Liu Yu looked at the high city gate and sighed: "It is said that Yanmen is a place where one man can guard the gate and no one can open it. When I saw it today, it was indeed consistent with the rumors. No wonder this gate has been able to block the barbarians for thousands of years.
I have ridden countless times. But why is it like a big gathering here with so many people?"
Murong Lan smiled slightly and whispered: "Because there is going to be a war here, a large number of people want to flee to the grassland."
Liu Yu was slightly startled: "What new information did you get?"
Several beggar-looking people around looked at Liu Yu. Murong Lan frowned slightly and took Liu Yu to a secluded place. After looking around to make sure that no one was there, she said: "Yesterday.
At night, I received a secret report that the Xiyan army in Guanzhong had all crossed the Yellow River and arrived in the Chaibi area in Hexi. Fu Pi of Jinyang also proclaimed himself emperor after Fu Jian's death and recruited troops and horses to prepare for the war.
Xiyan fights to the death."
Liu Yu was surprised and said: "Xi Yan has crossed the Yellow River so quickly? Didn't he just attack Hou Qin and be defeated?"
Murong Lan sighed: "Yes, Gao Gai's entire army was annihilated and surrendered, while Yang Ding took the opportunity to escape to Qiuchi and restore the country. Normally, the Xiyan army should not have crossed the river at this time, but they just did.
Oh, could it be that he was afraid of Yao Qiang of the Later Qin Dynasty?"
Liu Yu shook his head thoughtfully: "No, the Xiyan Army's combat effectiveness is much stronger than the Qiang Army, and Murong Yong's generals are by no means inferior to Yao Chang. They will not be intimidated, let alone cross the river early because of lack of food.
, because Bingzhou is not a rich and abundant land, it is possible that Gaogai's defeat was a conspiracy of Murong Yong himself who wanted to become the lord of Xiyan. If Fu Pi was smart, he should strengthen the walls and clear the country, defend a few big cities, and avoid a desperate battle.
The decisive battle of Xiyan is coming fiercely. If we do this now, I am afraid we will lose the last bit of strength of the former Qin Dynasty."
Murong Lan nodded and looked at the densely packed people in the south of the city. There was an endless stream of people coming from the south and southwest on the official road. She sighed: "In this world's war, the people are the ones who suffer.
Originally, there was great chaos in the north, and Hebei and Guanzhong had become a hell on earth. Only Bingzhou was a peaceful land. However, this peace and calm were about to be broken. People everywhere, regardless of Han or Hu, wanted to escape from the Guan.
It would be safer to enter the land of tigers and wolves outside the Great Wall than here."
Liu Yu frowned: "Will Fu Pi just let the people out of seclusion like this?"
Murong Lan said sternly: "Because Fu Pi needs the help of the Dugu tribe, and he also knows that without the powerful grassland cavalry to help, it is very difficult to deal with the Xiyan army led by the famous general Murong Yong, and the conditions offered by Liu Xian of the Dugu tribe
, that is, to allow the northern passes such as Yanmen and Mayi to pass, and not to prevent the people of Bingzhou from defecting."
Liu Yu shook his head: "This Liu Xian has some foresight. In times of trouble, he did not go south to rob, but took in the people from the Central Plains. Over time, the craftsmen from the Central Plains can improve their skills on the grasslands, and the population can also grow.
, it can be said that he took advantage without losing any blood, and he was not as hated as the Hu Qi who went south in the past."
Murong Lan smiled and said: "I just learned the old method of our Murong ancestors. When our Murong clan was in chaos in the Central Plains, we took in Han scholars to join us, so we were able to build our own empire. After all, Liu Xian has been in Monan for a long time.
, I also know this. If I don’t take advantage of this opportunity to fish for people, I don’t know how long it will take.”
Liu Yu curled his lips, looked at the large fence in the distance, and frowned, because he saw many six or seven-year-old children, circled together, crying, and several hundred steps away
There, some Han women were crying in front of these children, and washed their faces with tears. He wondered: "What's going on?"
A trace of anger flashed across Murong Lan's face, and she said bitterly: "They are probably those barbarian caravans that only accept children and women, not adults."
Liu Yu's expression changed, and just as he was about to speak, he heard a blast of gongs at the top of Nanguan City, and a loud voice rang out: "Everyone, step back. The Minister, the Prime Minister, Wang, has something to say to you!"