Chapter 322 The Cage
At the foot of Luti Mountain, the last convoy disappeared on the winding mountain road.
The car was filled with winter vegetables, turnips, and withered hay that had been cut by force.
Shao Shen immediately stood on the west bank of Ganshui, looked at the Huns cavalry across the river, and laughed loudly.
Occasionally, he would shoot an arrow or two, and he would gain something from time to time.
The evil boys behind them pointed at the way the Huns were hiding from arrows and laughed.
As Chen Hou’s nephew, Shao Shen’s martial arts has always been what Chen Hou is most concerned about.
He has the best learning conditions.
Eat well and eat well, be able to hire excellent martial artists who are good at teaching others, and have no shortage of various consumables such as war horses, bows and arrows - yes, war horses are also consumables when practicing skills.
My uncle also checked me at any time, so I didn’t dare to be lazy. Over the years, my skills have become very outstanding.
In fact, not only himself, but also a group of bad boys who followed him got good learning conditions, made rapid progress, and gradually became his solid and reliable team.
Early this morning, Shao Shen took more than a hundred riders down the mountain and patrolled the left bank of Ganshui. When he saw the Xiongnu cavalry, he immediately rushed up and shot arrows at each other across the river. They were very dominant. A little cheaper.
After the Huns suffered a loss, they called many people over. Both sides yelled at each other in words that the other party did not understand. The scene was very lively.
"Whoosh!" After Toulengzi shot down a certain Huns cavalry with an arrow, Shao Shen laughed and rode north.
The Hun cavalry on the opposite side seemed to have been seriously insulted. While shouting curses, they chased on horseback and fought back from time to time.
Shao Shen deftly dodged the arrows fired from the other side. After running hundreds of steps, he stood on his horse again and said loudly: "I think you are not real Huns, but you have sacrificed your life for Liu Cong and abandoned yourself. How much! Why don't you come across the river and I'll send you to my uncle's house, and you can get some money and food from the Yi Cong army? Don't be too stubborn to be a soldier."
The Hun cavalry on the other side also stopped.
They looked at the other side carefully and were slightly confused when they saw that there were only about ten cavalry left beside Shao Shen.
There were more than a hundred riders just now, where have they gone now?
The Central Plains cavalry is different from them and is good at close combat. Once entangled by them, they will not be able to use any riding and shooting skills and will suffer a great loss.
Some people looked around for the missing cavalry figure on the other side, but found nothing.
"Whoosh!" Shao Shen shot another arrow, hitting a Hun cavalry in the face, then rode his horse north and left laughing.
The Huns were furious and chased after them, cursing endlessly.
You thief from the Central Plains, I was waiting to talk to you, but you showed no martial ethics and launched a sneak attack with cold arrows. I must kill you today, otherwise I will never get out of this bad mood.
The two sides just rode along the river and repeatedly greeted each other's ancestors for eighteen generations. Their words were so vulgar that it was hard to listen to them.
"Death to the traitor!" Just when the Huns were scolding them, they saw hundreds of horsemen rushing in front of them, each holding a spear, a halberd, and a horse spear, and they were extremely fierce.
Where the hell did this come from?
The Huns cavalry were so frightened that they hurriedly turned their horses' heads, trying to avoid the oncoming melee cavalry.
But their horses were already running very fast, and they were running towards each other. When they found out, the opponent was already a hundred steps away, and they had no time to dodge, so they had no choice but to rush forward.
More than three hundred riders from both sides rushed past.
The Huns' cavalry, which lacked long poles and horse fighting weapons, suffered a big loss and were directly rushed to pieces.
Shao Shen laughed loudly on the other side of the river.
These fools, do you really think that I have nothing to do and waste my saliva with you?
I have already sent people to the shallows downstream of Ganshui to wade across the river, waiting for you to take the bait.
Fool! Haha, I’ve never seen anyone so stupid.
The melee cavalry on the other side of the river has launched a second round of charge.
The Huns fled one after another, not daring to fight.
The melee cavalry chased behind them, and they were extremely brave. Every time he caught up with someone, he stabbed his spear or halberd into his back and killed him easily.
After chasing for several miles, he slowed down his horse, swept the battlefield, and crossed the river with a smile.
Looking at the hundreds of horses gathered by his men, Shao Shen couldn't help but feel elated.
He has been stationed in Gancheng for a long time and knows the Luti Mountain and Ganshui area well. He can easily tease a group of Huns who have just arrived.
But it’s just teasing.
If a large group of Hun cavalry really came to attack, he would not dare to fight head-on, so he could only retreat to Gancheng in despair and hold on until the end of the war.
My uncle sent a new order, which made it very clear that Yiyang Sanwu, Gancheng, and Yiqueguan are his defense areas, and there must be no mistakes.
After receiving the order, he immediately transferred 500 good soldiers from Gancheng and joined them with the 1,500 men and 1,000 men recruited from the direction of Liang County. A total of 3,000 soldiers were stationed at Yique Pass. , guard the southbound road.
This is not the first time we have closed Yique Pass.
Last time it was the government soldiers, this time it was Baohu and Tunding. It was a little risky, but it was not a big problem. The Xiongnu's siege ability was just like that. Three thousand people were enough to defend for a long time.
If that doesn't work, reinforcements can be sent from the rear. Even if it costs lives, the Huns can still be killed under Guancheng.
As for Dagu (Taigu) and Sheyuan Pass, they are not his defense areas and do not need to be controlled by him.
Luonan has three passes and one lock, so the Xiongnu brigade cannot go south.
There are still government soldiers at the rear to check for leaks and fill in the gaps. This war has returned to their familiar track.
When returning to Luti Mountain with the trophies, Shao Shen climbed up a high slope and looked at the blue-grey fields, the sparkling river, and the looming manor and dock that stood for a long time.
Every time people rush into the Luoyang Basin, they are very passive after all.
******
Liu Shan has brought people to Shenyuan Pass.
After managing Yushan and Yangguan Zuo Erwu for several years, he vaguely regained the feeling of conquering Wu State in the south.
The sound of fighting and drumming has almost been engraved in his life forever.
He doesn't know how to manage the people, and he doesn't like to do those complicated common affairs.
He prefers the simple and rough life in the military, so he is at home in Wubao where military laws govern the people. All affairs are in order. Baoding even practices whenever he has free time. He comes here many times for this purpose. Liang County asked for food and increased training frequency as much as possible.
And when he practices like this, the results are obvious.
The trenches dug by the guards outside Shenyuan Pass were deep and wide, and the bottom was filled with bamboo sticks, which was "pleasant to the eyes".
Inside Guancheng, the garrisoned sergeants were divided into several battalions. Who will defend first, who will rotate, who will be in reserve, etc. The tasks are clearly assigned, and each battalion also understands the order and will not mess up.
Behind Guancheng, he even organized more than a hundred Baoding who knew how to fight on horseback to patrol at any time and drive away enemy scouts coming over the mountains to ensure that the inside story would not be leaked.
This is war, a real war.
Liu Shan has entered his "comfort zone" and is very comfortable. "The walls of Shenyuguan City are thick and there are ravines. If you dare not defend these, you deserve to have your property robbed and your wives turned into slaves." Standing on the high city wall, Liu Shan took a deep breath and He retracted his slightly fat belly and said loudly: "The Huns also carry one head on two shoulders, and they are not much better than you. Fight well, with so many guards, the city will be very stable."
“After thwarting the Xiongnu’s attempt to go south, when you go back, you can also tell your wife and neighbors that you saved everyone.”
“Those who died in the war and were disabled are all There is a pension. If the Hou Mansion does not pay, I will ask my nephew to explain how much food I have collected for you in the past two years."
"I will give it to you even when I am sleeping. I keep one eye open so that no one can steal the city."
Liu Shan is in his forties, but his voice is extremely loud. He stands there and roars, which can be heard far and near.
After everyone heard it, they all agreed.
Liu Shan raised his head and looked into the distance again.
In the open wilderness, rovers appear in twos and threes from time to time.
The messenger no longer dared to go out, and the scouts were forced back. Now we don’t know the situation in Luoyang at all, nor do we know how many Xiongnu people have come.
Liu Shan thought of his nephew who went south. Why hasn't he come back yet?
No matter how good Nanyang is, it is not as important as our own foundation.
Can the counties of Luonan and Yingchuan of Chen County be compared to Nanyang?
He didn’t know his nephew’s overall plan, and he couldn’t understand it. His knowledge and experience can only support him to do the task at hand, that is, to defend the two passes of Dagu and Fuyuan.
In his opinion, these places are safe for a short period of time. But it would be hard to say if the Xiongnu attacked fiercely regardless of casualties.
I heard that the Xiongnu had a new emperor named Liu Cong, but I didn’t know what he would do.
******
Pei Chun arrived at Hulao Pass with a grimace.
Guancheng is not big. After stuffing three thousand soldiers and a large amount of food and grass, it was already so full that there was almost no place to stay.
In addition to the county soldiers, he borrowed another two thousand soldiers, half of them from the Zheng family in Kaifeng, and the other half from the local tyrants in the county.
He didn't know soldiers, let alone how to fight. He couldn't see the quality of these soldiers, but he was just subconsciously worried.
Shao Xun’s letter has been sent as a rush.
To be honest, he was a little angry.
Who is Shao Xun and how dare he say such things to him?
But after being angry, he still came to Hulao Pass honestly. There was no way, the murderer's words were not just words, he might actually kill people.
The He family of Yangxia, a prominent family in the country, was immediately uprooted.
Having learned from this experience, Pei Chun felt that there was no need to challenge Shao Xun's authority.
"Alas." Pei Chun took a sip of wine and frowned.
"Why are you sighing?" Zheng Zun, the former minister who sent his soldiers to Hulao Pass, stood up, filled Pei Chun's drink and asked with a smile.
Zheng Zun is the son of Zheng Xi, the great Sinong.
My grandfather Zheng Miao was once the official Guanglu of the Cao Wei Dynasty. He entered the Jin Dynasty and worshiped as Sikong. He refused to accept his resignation.
The second uncle Zheng Yu was in the court and served as the right servant of Shangshu.
The third uncle Zheng Qiu passed away two years ago. He was the chief historian of King Ying of Chengdu, and served successively as Shizhong, Zhonghujun, Shangshu Youpuse, and Shangshu of the Ministry of official affairs.
This family has many officials and is relatively prosperous.
But in the second year of Yongjia (308), the Zheng family from Kaifeng began to cross south. Among them, the furthest one even entered Fujian, which was outrageous.
There are also many who stay in the Northland.
Father and son Zheng Xi and Zheng Zun settled in Luoyang, but there have been frequent wars in the past two years, so they returned to their hometown in Xingyang.
This time troops were sent to guard Hulao Pass, and there was a fierce debate within the family.
Many people think that the two should not help each other, and the priority is to preserve the family to avoid being liquidated by Liu Han in the future.
But more people are afraid of being liquidated by Shao Xun.
When Liu Yuan was alive, he was relatively tolerant of scholars and did not treat them harshly or even kill them. But Shao Xun really wiped out the gentry, and what is the example of the He family in Yangxia? He really knows how to kill people and settle accounts.
In the end, Qianbu Quzhuangke was sent over to guard Hulao Pass for Pei Chun.
"What's the use of sighing if you don't sigh?" Pei Chun waved his hand.
There are some things he doesn’t want to tell outsiders because it’s too embarrassing and shameless.
“But are you worried that you won’t be able to defend Hulao Pass?” Zheng Zun asked.
"Whether I can hold on or not, I have to stand here." Pei Chun sighed.
Zheng Zun looked at his expression and thought to himself, it seems that the prince of the mansion is not highly valued by Chen Hou.
"Marquis Chen used troops to resist Hulao, but he didn't know what he meant?" Zheng Zun asked tentatively: "Could it be that he wanted to block the Huns around Luoyang and watch the imperial army fight with the thieves?"
Pei Chun paused and put down the wine bowl.
Zheng Zun continued to observe Pei Chun and said: "With the four passes of Yique, Taigu, Fuyuan and Hulao in hand, it will be difficult for the Huns to leave Luoyang. I heard that Chen Hou was in Chenjun, Yingchuan has put a lot of effort into it, and it seems he doesn't want the Xiongnu to break into Yuzhou. Whether he can save Luoyang or not may depend on his mood. The Lord of Fu has close contacts with Chen Hou, but I don't know..."
Pei. Chun put down the wine bowl heavily.
When Zheng Zun saw him, he accused him repeatedly.
He probably already understood, Pei Chun's performance revealed a lot.
Chen Hou’s ambition is quite big.
It is really cruel to use such a huge cage to put the emperor, the court, the imperial army and the Huns in it, sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight, and come back to clean up the mess at the critical moment.
If this is the case, then the family must seriously consider it. Xingyang is very close to Yuzhou.
Pei Chun had woken up. After looking at Zheng Zun, he said: "Don't think wildly. Some things are just a matter of taking it one step at a time."
Zheng Zun nodded and said no more.
"Master Fu, Shi Le is here." Someone hurried in and reported.
Pei Chun swallowed dryly subconsciously.
Zheng Zun’s face also became serious.
Will the Xiongnu’s second southern invasion of Luoyang start from Hulao Pass?
(End of this chapter)