Around the New Year, it is the coldest time of the year. />
In the Western Liaoning Corridor sandwiched between the rolling Yanshan Mountains and the vast Bohai Sea, the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month is stirring up the final madness. It is so cold that it bites the bones, and dripping water turns into ice.
For the people of the Central Plains, the weather was freezing enough to kill, but it had little impact on the Hu army. Even the bitter cold frontier land in the eyes of the Central Plains people was much better than the grasslands and deserts.
There is no forest barrier on the grassland, so the night wind is frightening. Before finding a suitable winter shelter, the herdsmen did not even dare to set up a tent. They could only wrap all their clothes around themselves, and then hug their shoulders and curl up. The body is suffering around the fire.
Although they do not understand physics and mechanics, life experience tells wooden people that the larger the space an object takes up, the greater the wind will be. If the wooden stakes on the ground are not strong enough, even people and tents may be blown away by the wind when everyone is asleep. Walk.
Every winter is a test of life and death for the shepherds. Those places with mountains, water and shelter from the wind have always been enjoyed by Shanyu and adults only. Other shepherds can only listen to their destiny.
Therefore, for the grassland people, going south to the border in winter is not only a military operation, but also a seasonal migration. Once you cross Yanshan Mountain, the climate becomes completely different, and the houses built by the Han people are much warmer than tents. , much more solid, here, survival is no longer an unsolvable proposition.
Driven by this mentality, even when facing a powerful enemy like the Qingzhou Army, Hu Qi's morale was still very high. Even during the march after leaving the warm county seat, no one complained.
After all, the deeper you go into the Central Plains, the more prosperous it becomes. Every step you take towards the hinterland of the Central Plains brings you closer to a happy life. You can wait until you encounter a strong enemy.
Your Excellency is right. The heroes of the Central Plains are killing each other. Even if there are a few stubborn ones, there is nothing to fear. A good tiger cannot hold off a pack of wolves. With so many people, those few Han heroes will be piled up to death. .
The warmest place in the entire camp was Yan Rou's Chinese army tent.
The big tent was built in the prairie style, five times the size of an ordinary felt tent, and was surrounded by wooden strips. It was wrapped in snow-white felt, and large windows were opened in all directions on the dome and felt walls.
There was a huge copper brazier in the center, and a bonfire was burning in the basin. A grill was set up above the bonfire, and a whole fat sheep was skewered on it.
It seems that the lamb is almost cooked, and the oil is shiny. As the cook turns it, it keeps dripping from the roasted lamb and falls into the fire, making a "chichi" sound, and the white smoke mixed with the aroma. It curls up to the skylight on the top of the tent, letting the north wind blow it away.
A group of people gathered around the bonfire. They were decorated in different ways. Some were wearing Confucian clothes of the Central Plains people, some were wearing fancy clothes, and more were wearing Hu people's attire wrapped in furs and braided. This scene is quite similar to They were what later generations would call the Hu Han family.
The most conspicuous among them is Yan Rou, who is sitting at the east end and has pigtails all over her head. The Xianbei people’s custom of having their hair braided is similar to that of the Mantars of later generations. Men usually have a single braid and women have multiple braids. People like Yan Rou have a personality like Yan Rou’s. The Han people tend to dress like barbarians, and they also appear to be neither male nor female, so they are undoubtedly an alien species.
However, the Hu people at this time were far less persistent and perverted than the later Manchu Tatars, and they did not pay much attention to their own customs. The reason why they wore their hair was just for convenience. After all, the grassland people were not as hygienic as the Central Plains people, and they did not care about their hair. If it is too long, it is not only difficult to take care of, but also breeds various parasites. It is more convenient to shave it.
"Come, Brother Qi, let's have a drink!"
The utensils used by the Hu people are similar to the environment in which they live, rough and grand. They use large copper bowls for drinking, and large cowhide bags for serving wine. Most of the so-called dishes are whole sheep. The cooking methods
Nothing more than boiling and roasting.
Yan Rou was holding a large copper bowl in her hand. The turbid wine swayed violently as he invited him to drink. The thick, shiny oil on the edge of the bowl was clearly visible, making Qi Zhou frown.
Although he considered himself a bastard, Qi Zhou still couldn't figure out how Yan Rou could endure such filth. It might have something to do with his experiences in his youth, but he couldn't bear it anyway.
Of course, now that I'm living under someone else's roof, I have no choice but to bow my head.
"Winning drink!" He forced a smile, raised the wine bowl and touched it to Yan Rou, and drank it in one gulp with his eyes closed. A bitter and spicy taste suddenly overflowed his entire body.
It wasn't just the bad wine that made him feel bitter. Yan Rou's words that followed also stung him. Intentionally or unintentionally, Yan Rou put down the wine bowl and cut a long strip from the fattest part of the lamb's back.
He just stabbed it with a knife and put it into his mouth. While chewing, he said vaguely: "Old Qi, you are good at everything, but your eyesight is not very good... Hmm..."
"Didn't we make an agreement before we sent out the troops? If we don't confront the Qingzhou people head-on, we will just waste them with them until they can no longer consume them, then retreat on our own, or expose a flaw and let us kill them with a single blow... You can
Fortunately, they were sent directly to the door like the silly roe deer. In the first battle, Luo Xiazi and the others went crazy, so they just paid it back. In the second battle, you knew that Wang Yu's soldiers were equipped with iron cavalry and iron plates, so why did you still fight hard?
What about the collision?"
"Qu Yi? Oh, that's a fool! I've been thinking about using infantry to defeat cavalry all day long. Do you think it's superfluous or not? This is not Xiliang, nor is it working for the faint king of the Central Plains. How can the horse be useless? That is to say, with the
If we can get through it and encounter a real problem, huh...huh...huh...it will be a dead end!"
"You will gain wisdom after suffering a hardship. You don't have to take a detour to find Ziyu and the others. Just stay here and watch how I play Wang Pengju and avenge you!"
Yan Rou's tone was not polite, and Qi Zhou naturally didn't listen to it, but there was no way, he was desperate now. Although he did not participate in the battle of Juma Water, more than 3,000 party members did it on the spot.
The birds and animals dispersed, and after cleaning up, only about two hundred riders remained.
The road to the north was blocked. After Li Le got the news of the Battle of Juma River, he immediately rushed to Zhuoxian County. With the help of the local Han people, he quickly controlled the situation. There were Yulin Army in the west and Yulin Army in the south.
Wang Yu, only the east side has a glimmer of hope.
After many twists and turns, he traveled all the way eastward. When he met Yan Rou, there were only the last dozen or so soldiers left with him. In a frontier place where the law of the jungle is worshiped, where is the place to speak loudly?
Even so, when he heard Yan Rou's bold words about teasing Wang Yu, there was still a look of disapproval on his face.
"Do you think I'm bragging?" Yan Rou looks rough but has extraordinary powers of observation. While holding the lamb leg bone and gnawing wildly, he actually had time to observe Qi Zhou's expression: "So, I've been following you guys
They say that we should pay more attention to the general trend of the world, but you always turn a deaf ear... If you study carefully, you will find that it is not difficult at all to play with Wang Yu."
He threw away the gnawed lamb leg and burped: "It's very simple. We have more soldiers and we can run faster. Wang Yu's few soldiers are scattered everywhere. No matter how powerful he is, he can't take care of the east.
Isn’t this a perfect example of what we are good at? Brothers, what do you think?”
"Isn't it! We broke through Lulong Sei and drove Tian Kai all the way to Linyu without daring to move. We didn't see any soldiers from Qingzhou coming to save him. Wang Yu's son has no soldiers anymore, haha!"
"Isn't that the top five generals of Qingzhou at sea? Now he can only lead a few hundred people to float on the sea, blowing the wind and staring. The Qingzhou army is already stretched thin. Let me tell you, Boss Yan, we are still lingering here.
What, wouldn’t it be good to go directly to Piaoyujin and pick up the Qingzhou people’s granaries? We only have the last hundred miles left, let’s do it in one go!”
"I heard that there are mountains of grain in Piaoyujin, enough to feed tens of thousands of people for more than a year..."
"Then why don't you go quickly? It will be bad when the Taishan Army comes back for reinforcements."
All the bosses, big and small, started shouting.
The place where Yan Rou camped was near the coast on the east bank of the Baoqiu River. From the southwest to the mouth of the Lu River, there was a flat plain, and the port of Piaoyujin was built on the south bank of the river.
If Yan Rou is willing, with the speed of the cavalry's advance, he can reach Piaoyujin in one day. Qingzhou's troops are hundreds of miles away in Jixian County. Even if they hear the news and come for reinforcements, it will take at least three days.
As long as the walled city of Piaoyujin can be broken within three days, the mountains of food there can be distributed.
If we take a step further, there may be a chance to severely damage or even annihilate the main force of the Qingzhou Army that is out of food. At that time, the entire Hebei will become a pasture for the descendants of the Immortal Emperor!
Thinking of this, the leaders couldn't help but get excited.
"Tsk, look at your potential. You typically focus on food but not on fighting."
Yan Rou scraped the gap between her teeth with a boning knife and snorted coldly: "We will defeat Piaoyujin in three days? Are you really sure of this? Have you ever thought about what to do if you can't defeat it? I'm telling you, if you can't defeat it, you will be defeated by the Qingzhou Army.
Stick it on, and then Wang Yu leads the main force to outflank it like this... Hey, guess what? The whole army is destroyed!"
"Don't believe it? Ask Lao Qi yourself, how cruel is Wang Yu's cavalry? Fifteen hundred people? It's more evil than ten thousand cavalry when they fight! Who wants to fight them as if they are fifteen hundred soldiers?
All my teeth are broken! What do you think I am waiting for here? I just want to wait for Wang Yu to move first. He can wait, but Gongsun Zan cannot wait..."
"Now we see the wolf of the bison, charging towards the horns of the cow, only to be knocked away and crushed. If you want to eat the bison, you have to be patient, wait for him to turn around, wait for him to show his flaws, and then...
"The light of the knife flashed, and Yan Rou thrust the boning knife into the ground and shouted sternly: "Pounce on him like a pack of wolves and tear him apart piece by piece!"
When wolves hunt in packs, they rarely rush to attack the target as soon as they get up. Instead, they make full use of their numerical advantage, taking advantage of the prey to focus on one thing and not the other, constantly inflicting wounds on the opponent, and finally deliver a fatal blow before the opponent falls to the ground.
"But what if he doesn't save Gongsun Zan?" Someone raised concerns.
"It's just a waste if you don't go." Yan Rou replied disapprovingly. After thinking about it, he pointed to the south again and said with an evil smile: "Anyway, there is a rabbit beside us. As soon as we climb here in Baoqiushui, there will be a rabbit at any time.
If Wang Yu can bite Piao Yujin, can Wang Yu keep his composure, but can the one on the sea keep his composure? Just wait, in a few days, he will be unable to restrain himself and pounce on him, and then..."
He gritted his teeth viciously: "I'll cut off one of Wang Yu's arms first and it will be considered as interest!"