Chapter 453: You are in the first year of junior high school, and I am in the fifteenth year of junior high school.
About a hundred miles north of Gaoqueguan, the Niuwei River originates from Yinshan Mountain and ends at Daqingshan Mountain, running from east to west, and is more than a thousand miles long.
Although it is long, it is not wide, so it is called Niuwei. Both sides of the river were originally the clan areas of the Wuluohou tribe. A few days ago, there were flocks of cattle and sheep, and felt tents were like clouds, but now it has become a scorched earth.
There was no trace of human beings in a radius of more than a hundred miles, and there were no traces of cattle or sheep. All that could be seen were the burned-down tents and corpses as densely packed as ants.
A group of white-armored light cavalry were sparsely scattered on the south bank of the Niuwei River. They sat in groups of three or two around a bonfire, roasting mutton and liver.
He received a piece of mutton from his brother Zhang Huaiyi and was about to bring it to his mouth. He accidentally caught a glimpse of several corpses two or three feet away, and Zhang Xingyi suddenly lost his appetite.
Judging by their attire, they should be two women and five girls, all of whom were shot through the chests by sharp arrows and died.
Take a closer look, but it's not the three armor-piercing arrows of the white-armored soldiers, but the Hu arrows made of poplar wood?
Nine times out of ten, the father, brother, and others were unable to take care of him when they were escaping, and they were afraid of being humiliated by the Han army, so they shot him ruthlessly.
Not only are we beasts, we are also a group of stupid and hopeless beasts. Do you think we are worse than beasts like you and other Hu people?
Han and Hu have been enemies for generations, and it is natural to fight and kill. However, such acts as raping prostitutes, torturing and killing weaklings, etc., would never be carried out by anyone with a little bit of humanity.
Zhang Xingyi cursed secretly, raised his hand and threw the mutton back on the iron plate.
“Not to your liking?”
Zhang Huaiyi smacked his lips and asked, "Why do I think it tastes even better than in Hexi?"
"Idiot, can't I kill you?"
Zhang Xingyi cursed and pointed at the corpses of women and children, "Why don't you find something to cover it up?"
"We didn't kill him?"
The clan brother muttered in a voice that only he could hear, stood up, picked up a piece of burned rags, and covered the corpses.
They have been guarding here for three days. A battalion of white-armored light cavalry was divided into three, each one a few miles apart, and three lines of defense nearly twenty miles long were set up from north to south. Just like three iron walls, they
Hu Qi, who wanted to flee south to report the news to Gaoque Pass, was blocked on the south bank of Niuwei River.
To this day, no Hu horse can cross the Niuwei River. Even the Hu horses who rush within the southernmost line of defense are very few. Most of them were shot and killed at the foot of a mountain pass one mile north.
Therefore, Zhang Xingyi's journey has been extremely easy for the past three days...
While roasting mutton, several people were counting how many tribes Li Shi and Li Zhang had defeated and how many cattle and sheep they had robbed in the past three days. While they were enjoying themselves, a whistle suddenly sounded in the distance, and it was continuous and melodious. p>
"It's the middle road..."
Zhang Xingyi mounted his horse as fast as he flew, straightened his neck by stepping on the stirrups, and looked northward. He vaguely saw several black figures running southward.
"Quick, quick, come to life..."
He urged in a hurry, took off the bow from his back and hung it on the hook beside the saddle. Then he straightened the quiver: "This group of thieves is not simple. How can they break through two lines of defense in succession? It seems to be no easy task."
Everyone, please cheer up..."
Several of his subordinates responded urgently and quickly mounted their horses. On the east and west sides, about thirty or forty steps away, there were a group of white-armored soldiers doing the same thing, preparing to rush their horses to intercept.
But just as the horses started to move, the black figures suddenly dwarfed, as if their waists had been chopped off out of thin air.
The rest seemed to have fallen to the ground. Only a shorter black figure was still rushing forward. Several white knights on Zhang Xingyi's right had already rushed forward. When they rushed forward, they raised their hands and received a round of arrows. It must have been at the end of the crossbow that the war horse neighed and fell to the ground.
A group of people gathered around to take a closer look, but saw only horses but no people. But the horse was covered with arrows, like a large hedgehog. It is estimated that the knight had been shot off the horse by his companions a hundred feet away.
Sure enough, just two breaths later, another whistle came from the north, which meant that the enemy thief had been captured and the alert could be lifted.
"No wonder you can rush through two lines of defense?"
Zhang Huaiyi pointed to the horse on the ground and was surprised, "Even if it is kneeling on the ground, this horse is actually taller than Li Hou'er?"
"Did you call me Li Hou'er?"
Zhang Xingyi slapped his clan brother in the face and took a closer look at the horse.
Indeed, as Zhang Huaiyi said, the horse was half-kneeling on the ground and was nearly five feet tall. It was all black and shiny like satin, with not a single hair in sight. Even the grommets on the bridle were actually made of gold.
It looked like a big fish, and it almost escaped.
Zhang Xingyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then directed his clan brother to untie the gold grommets, preparing to go back and hand them in.
Then several knights returned to the river, dismounted again, and continued to roast meat around the fire.
This scene has happened countless times in the past two days. The narrow Niuwei River has become an insurmountable chasm for the Du Lun tribe.
Therefore, it has been robbed by the Baijia Army for three days. Du Lun's tribe is almost wiped out, but Dou Ling still hasn't received any news...
……
It's noon and the sun is getting warm.
In the beach outside Bigan City, nearly a thousand Hu people, old and weak, and women were surrounding the sheepfold, working in full swing.
The construction of a sheepfold is very simple: stakes are planted in the open space, and long rafters and branches are tied tightly around the middle. A simple sheepfold can be formed. Although the gap is larger, it only needs to stop the cattle and big sheep.
.
Just because sheep not only recognize their own family but are also gregarious, even if a few lambs climb over the fence, they will not run far away and will come back after wandering around for a while.
The frozen soil has been fried with explosives, the wooden stakes have been driven in very quickly, and the thin rafters and branches have also been surrounded very quickly. However, nearly a thousand people are working non-stop, and they are actually a little too busy.
Just because there were so many cattle and sheep driving over, they were like clouds in the sky, one group after another. Looking from a distance, it seemed as if the wasteland that had been melting for a few days was covered with snow again.
To be honest, the white-armored soldiers have done this kind of thing many times in Hexi. The Lushuihu nomads under the Qilian Mountains, the Uighurs and other tribes north of the West Sea have been robbed by Li Song and others countless times. But all of them added up,
Not as much as this time.
Li Song even joked that it would be better to just move to the north of Yinshan Mountain and rob the Rouran tribe.
In addition to livestock, there were also fodder snatched from the Hu tribe. The convoy was like a long queue, driving non-stop to Bigan City. After unloading one cart, they immediately hit the road and headed northeast again.
Li Chengxue held the city head and looked at the bustling scene below the city, silently counting the time.
When Li Song left, he had already decided on the time to withdraw his troops: midnight today at the latest. But it was already past noon, but only the auxiliary troops driving sheep and grass were seen, but none of the soldiers returned?
Could it be that Li Shi's brain got so hot that he lost track of time?
Just as he was thinking about it, there was a movement behind him, and he saw Huangfu Rang leading a general on the city wall and walking towards him.
Li Chengzhi ordered Li Song to capture Du Lun's tribe and cut off his retreat, which was sent by Huangfu Rang four days ago. Huangfu Rang was originally supposed to go back and resume his life, but Li Song had no idea what he had in mind and insisted on letting Huangfu Rang go.
Stayed.
It wasn't until this morning that Li Chengxue knew what Li Song had planned: He actually left the army to himself and Huangfu Rang, crossed Langshan Mountain before dawn, and ran to meet his second brother?
Is he really a treacherous old minister?
If he knew that Li Song was planning this, Li Chengxue would definitely have to ask Li Song to bring him with him.
He has not seen his second brother for nearly a year...
"Sanlang!"
Huangfu let him clasp his fists in greeting, and then let Wang Ji, the defender of Bigan City behind him, out.
Wang Ji has lived west of Langshan Mountain for generations. Although his ancestors were Han Chinese, they were also the chiefs of a small tribe in Shule in the west.
He is no exception. He is one of Lu Yan's confidants, and that's why he has the job of being the defender of Bigan City.
But unexpectedly, before Lu Yan sent the secret message about the uprising, a group of officers and soldiers appeared from nowhere.
They are indeed officers and soldiers, because what they took was a formal customs defense order issued by the rebel governor Li Chengzhi.
I just don’t know why it came from the west?
Seeing Li Chengxue's glance, Wang Ji quickly lowered his head and respectfully presented a wooden box.
The young man in front of him is very handsome, has a kind face, speaks softly, and has no airs, so he is approachable. But Wang Ji knows very well that this person has a very noble status and is definitely a man of his word.
But Li Song, the coach of the White Armored Army, who was as strong as a mountain, always treated him respectfully and did not dare to cross his path?
Whether he can survive or not depends on whether Li Langjun can let go today...
Wang Ji took the initiative to open the lid of the box, and a bright yellow light shot out, shining on Li Chengxue's face. His eyes narrowed involuntarily.
Gold?
Li Chengxue said suspiciously: "Master Wang, what does this mean?"
Seeing that Li Chengxue didn't answer, Wang Ji felt a chill in his heart and knelt down with a "pop" sound.
"I beg the general to spare my life. Wang Ji will be a cow or a horse in the next life, and he will definitely repay the general's kindness!"
Spare your life?
Li Chengxue was even more confused.
Neither Li Song nor him, since they captured Bigan City, they have never said who they want to kill.
It was also because Wang Ji took the initiative to open the city and surrender as soon as he saw the defense order sent to the city. There were no white-armored soldiers at the gate of Bigan City, so there was no hatred at all against Wang Ji.
But it is impossible to release them, including the thousand defenders in Bigan City. Otherwise, the true nature of Xihai will definitely be exposed.
Furthermore, Xihai is lacking nothing but people.
Therefore, Li Chengzhi had already discussed with Li Song, and after questioning Li Chengzhi, he would take Wang Ji and all the thousand guards captive to the West Sea.
Thinking of this, Li Chengxue's heart suddenly moved: Wang Ji didn't see anything, and thought he would definitely silence him afterwards?
Thinking about it this way, if this gift is not accepted, there may be some troubles tonight.
Li Chengxue suddenly laughed a little, pondered for a moment, and took the wooden box.
It was quite heavy to get, at least fifty or sixty pounds. He was suddenly curious: "May I ask, Commander Wang, Bigan City is located on the border, where did you get this thing?"
Wang Ji breathed a sigh of relief and responded repeatedly: "General Bing, this is my private property, and neither my father nor my brother know about it. Therefore, I dare not hide it at home, so I can only take it with me..."
Is that so?
Li Chengxue smiled and handed the box to Huangfu: "Leave it to Sima and put it in the public treasury..."
Wang Ji's expression changed, but after hearing the second half of the sentence, he felt relieved again.
"Remember to mark it as a gift from General Wang Ji. When Uncle Six comes back, he will cite his merits for General Wang..."
After confessing, Li Chengxue turned around again and said with a smile, "General Wang should be relieved now! General, please also inform your subordinates: We will not go back on our word, but please be patient. If we want to kill, we will kill you already."
Why wait until today to kill?"
This is true. It is also true as Li Chengxue said, since these white knights entered the city, except that Jin ordered the guards not to leave the city, there are no other restrictions. And there are enough meat tubes every day, and every day is like celebrating the New Year.
If you want to kill, a cup of poison will solve everything.
Wang Ji said "dong dong" three times and immediately kowtowed to Li Chengxue three times.
After he retreated from the city, Li Chengxue whispered again: "It's better to keep a closer look, don't let him escape and leak the news!"
Huangfu Rang nodded: "Don't worry, Sanlang. There is not even a horse or mule in Bigan City right now. You can't climb this Wolf Mountain with just two legs..."
The two discussed for a while, and Li Chengxue asked about Li Chengzhi's current situation. Occasionally, he saw a head sticking out from under the stone steps, peering up.
Li Xian?
Li Chengxue had a headache and shouted loudly: "What's the matter with you?"
"Haha...it's no big deal!"
Li Xianmeng sneaked up with his head covered, took a look at Li Chengxue's face, and said tentatively: "I just saw that it was past noon, but I still hadn't seen Uncle Shi and his eldest brother return to camp, so I wanted to ask Sanlang if he would send someone to rush him.
Urgent?"
Urgent?
Li Xian has always been rough-headed and stupid. When did he become so considerate?
It was clear that he wanted to take advantage of Li Song's absence so that he could run out and run wild.
"No!"
Li Chengxue deliberately kept a straight face, and even his voice was deliberately cold. But he was used to being kind-hearted, so Li Xian was not afraid of him at all.
Just as he was about to beg, Huangfu shouted: "Are your skin itchy?"
What I am seeking is Saburo, and besides, I am not your subordinate, so what does it have to do with you, Huangfu?
Li Xian's neck stiffened and he was about to make a fuss when he saw Huangfu Rang rolling up his sleeves, as if he would definitely take action if he had a tough talk.
It's not that he can't beat Huangfu Rang, the key is that Huangfu Rang is not only a generation older than him, but also several ranks higher than him.
This is wartime, and if he dares to reach out to Huangfu, when Li Song comes back, even if he doesn't chop him, he will definitely have all three of his legs broken...
"Sanlang couldn't tell, and I didn't say I shouldn't, so why did I take action?"
Li Xian bowed his head towards Li Chengxue and walked down the city with his bag in his hands.
Huangfu Rang refused to share his knowledge. After Li Xian came down from the city, he persuaded Li Chengxue: "This guy is always lazy, so Sanlang must not give him false pretenses, otherwise he will definitely push his limits!"
"I know it too!"
Li Chengxue smiled helplessly, "But I can never learn to be as cold-faced and decisive as my second brother..."
Second brother...Li Chengzhi?
Huangfu Rang sighed secretly.
Not to mention that Li Chengxue and Li Chenghong, who was currently in charge of Xihai, even compared the head of the family, Li Shixian, to Lang Jun, they were quite different...
Secretly sighing, he heard Li Chengxue sigh: "I don't know if I can see my second brother when I come east this time!"
"It should be visible!"
Huangfu Rang nodded, "Sixth Brother (Li Song) has already gone to beg Lang Jun. Lang Jun should agree..."
Li Chengxue was immediately happy: "It couldn't be better!"