Chapter 370 The Wind Rises
The boat rowed into the reed swamp, startling a crowd of wild ducks.
The people on the boat immediately did not dare to move. They all lowered their bodies and looked nervous.
Peng Ling took out a short knife and kept a close guard.
The other people followed suit and took out their walking bows, ring-shou swords and shields, holding their breath and concentrating.
After a long time, everything inside and outside the reed swamp became calm, with nothing out of the ordinary, and a few people breathed a sigh of relief.
Peng Ling put away his dagger and signaled with his eyes, then got off the boat first, wading through knee-deep muddy water, and quietly landed ashore.
A young man of fifteen or sixteen years old followed him, following suit, and landed together.
I don’t know if it was an illusion, but Peng Ling felt that the Huns’ defense was getting tighter and tighter.
This is Dunqiu, which belongs to Wei County according to the geographical boundaries and was occupied by Shi Le last year.
On the opposite bank, Lingjin was garrisoned with 5,000 Yanzhou Army rear camps. They once thwarted Shi Le's attempt to cross the river, and then there was no movement for three months.
The two sides faced each other across the river and got along peacefully.
But if the army does not cross the river, the scouts will still cross the river.
Peng Ling is a member of the rear camp of the Yanzhou Army. He was transferred from the Langling Tuntian Army and serves as the team leader. This time he was ordered to cross the river and go north to meet the returning scouts. This was the first time for him.
But, we have arrived at the agreed place, where are the scouts?
There is a small village by the river, with constant noise.
Peng Ling is a little strange. He also came south from Hebei and knows these villages along the Yellow River very well.
Due to years of war, there were not many people at all.
I heard that the prefect Lemo evacuated everything he could. Why is there such a noise?
Suddenly, a familiar smell wafted in the wind.
He sniffed, struggled and hesitated for a while, then quietly walked out of the grass and onto the road.
Sure enough, this is fresh donkey manure.
He walked forward and saw another pile of smooth donkey dung eggs.
Going further, there are more.
He even saw several large cars parked at the end of the village from a distance.
Some people were sleeping in the car, while others were leaning on the side of the car and chatting.
There are horses tied under several big trees. Looking at the saddles and the bow tips and daggers inserted in the sheaths, they are definitely the mounts of the classic cavalry.
He didn't dare to look, and quietly retreated into the grass, back to the starting point.
"Team leader..." the boy shouted.
Peng Ling showed his fierceness and strangled the young man's neck.
The young man was scared to death, but under Peng Ling's ferocious gaze, he did not dare to struggle and could only look at him pitifully.
Peng Ling let go of his hand and said softly: "Don't shout loudly. I'll teach you a lesson this time. You'll remember it next time."
The young man nodded repeatedly.
Peng Ling waved his hand and took the young man back to the boat.
After Penngling and his two men left, several riders came out of the village.
After getting on the post road, just as we were waiting for the Mercedes-Benz, the leader waved and stopped.
He looked at the wet footprints on the road and in the grass, and remained silent for a long time.
After Peng Ling returned to the boat, everyone immediately asked: "How is it?"
Peng Ling was silent for a while and said: "It is getting late. I haven't come back yet. I guess I can't. Come on. Let’s go, don’t wait!”
Some people disagreed: “Many scouts have failed to come back recently, and the bosses are very anxious. If we leave after coming but don’t pick up anyone, what will we do when we go back?”
"How can a dead person be taken back?" Peng Ling asked coldly.
"This..." The person who asked the question was speechless.
"If it were last year, I would have stabbed you to death long ago." Peng Ling put away the dagger and said resolutely: "Let's go!"
Several people responded to the order and began to paddle. The boat left the reed swamp.
At this moment, several long arrows shot through the air, startling everyone.
“Shield!” Peng Ling roared.
The young man subconsciously raised a shield to cover the oar hand.
The other man also raised his shield.
The arrows became more and more dense, and there were shouts and the sound of horse hooves from the river bank.
One person on the boat was hit by an arrow, clutching his stomach and screaming miserably.
Peng Ling's expression remained unchanged, still staring at the reeds that were gradually receding.
An arrow flew over his head.
The expression on his face did not change at all, and he only lowered his body slightly.
Others followed suit and grabbed the boat gang and lay down.
The ship gradually drifted away.
The arrows were not strong enough and fell into the water one after another.
After a while, several people emerged from the reeds, wading in waist-deep water, and chased a few steps forward. After seeing that they were out of reach, they finally put down their bows angrily.
"The Huns are transporting grain." Penngling said suddenly.
"They also harvest in autumn?" The young man put down his shield and asked stupidly.
Peng Ling was too lazy to pay attention to him and just looked at the north bank.
Once people have concerns, they will be worried.
Peng Ling is already married and lives in Juancheng.
Someone's man died, and the widow took care of her children, while he died of his wife and children, and over time they got together to live together.
And the widow was pregnant, his child.
This made him worry a lot, and he was no longer as fierce as before.
At the same time, this also stimulated his fighting spirit.
His life seems to have a goal again, and he is no longer confused. He didn't want Juancheng to suffer another war and frighten his wife and children, but he knew that this was just a wishful thinking.
Some things are beyond his control.
In this world, useless people occupy high positions and always mess up things, including the one in the palace.
If only I could kill him.
When the boat reached the other shore, it was already dark.
Peng Ling did not delay, and after instructing his men to send the injured to the medical officers' camp, he took the young man with him and went straight to the main barracks.
******
On the land of Hanoi in late autumn, thousands of horses galloped and swallowed thousands of miles.
Beside the Qinshui River, a huge felt tent was erected.
Young girls came in and out, carrying various food utensils, busy.
Outside the big tent, both sides of the Qinshui River are covered with dense grass.
The girl from the grassland made a sound of wonder.
They were presented by the tribe to serve the powerful Han Dynasty. This was their first time in Hanoi, and it was also their first time to see such tall grass. They were completely different from the short and barren similar species in the sand moraine. Same.
A thin boy came over and gently patted a girl's perky buttocks.
The girl jumped away like a frightened deer, then put one hand on her hips and pointed at the boy with the other and cursed.
The boy had a delicate appearance and was feminine. Although his face was full of lust, he was not good at words. After being scolded by the girl a few times, he walked away angrily.
The woman who was milking cows by the river saw her and said quickly: "Don't mess with him. He is the king's favorite male pet."
The girl said "Ah", and then He quickly covered his mouth.
The majestic King of Hanoi, what kind of woman is not available? How can you like a man?
"Your Majesty likes 'beauties', regardless of gender." After the woman finished speaking, she lowered her head and continued to milk.
The girl also came over, squatted down and squeezed together.
“I heard that the king is leaving the Wild King soon?” the girl asked.
The woman pointed to the sergeant who was herding horses on the other side of the river and said: "Whenever they leave, the king will leave."
"That's a lot of people." The girl stretched out her arms, as if describing "a lot".
The woman smiled and said: "There are so many high-ranking officials here this time, there must be a lot of people."
"Have you never seen so many people?"< br>
“I’ve never seen it before.” The woman shook her head and said, “Your Majesty even gave me a golden tent, and all the leaders came to make an alliance. I haven’t seen this scene for many years.”
"Are you from the Central Plains?" the girl suddenly asked.
The woman stopped what she was doing, sighed for a long time, then wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and said, "My home is in Yecheng, not far from here."
"Oh "The girl didn't know where Yecheng was, but she subconsciously felt that it wasn't too far away.
After the two of them squeezed a bucket of milk, the girl took it away.
The woman stood up and looked to the east in a daze.
It was actually far away and couldn’t see anything, but she just wanted to see it.
More than a hundred riders galloped in from the east. The people walking in the front were all distinguished, and they looked like high officials.
Zhenxi General Shan Zheng, Anxi General Liu Ya, Central Guards Jin Zhun...
All of them are high-ranking officials in the imperial court.
The woman looked back and continued working.
When I was young, I heard my father and brother talking about the Xiongnu. They all shook their heads and sighed, saying that the imperial court only led the barbarians into the Central Plains, but did not organize the households to equalize the people and control them. The so-called "organizing households to equalize the people" does not mean you count them. Household registration is enough, but the upper and lower organizations must be broken so that the herdsmen no longer listen to the leaders, but to the officials. Only in this way can the real household system be established to equalize the people.
She had been taken captive by the Huns for several years. Based on observations over the past few years, the Huns are returning more and more.
One tribe after another was lured over by them.
Every year on the northern grasslands, several or even a dozen tribes go south to enrich the population of the Xiongnu tribes - this kind of thing seems to have happened every year since the beginning of the dynasty.
The new arrivals are ignorant, but their occupation is hunting and nomadic, not farming.
As time passed, the Huns became more and more barbaric.
And their barbarism will inevitably bring huge disasters to the people of the Central Plains.
"Alas." The woman sighed, feeling uncomfortable in her heart, and turned around to continue working.
More than ten mounted noble officials dismounted from a distance, and then came to the golden tent talking and laughing.
After a while, the inside and outside of the golden tent became even busier.
Sheep were pulled over one by one, slaughtered and cooked on the spot.
The wine also pulled a cart, and the herdsmen moved around and ran around endlessly.
There are falcons flying in the sky, and knights hunting on the ground.
Hundreds of miles along the Qinshui River, there are herds of horses, perhaps more than 100,000, munching on the withering grass.
Hanoi County, which was once rich in Qingcheng rice, has turned into a huge pasture.
Yes, during the Han Dynasty, there were already large-scale pastures here, but by this time, the people who herded them were different.
The falcon flaps its wings and flies south, passing over the Yellow River.
On both sides of the river, there is tranquility.
Looking from Henan to Hebei, you can hardly see anything strange.
Only the roving horses that appear from time to time on the north bank make people vaguely remember that the Jin and Han Dynasties were still at war at this time.
"Woo——" A desolate horn sounded, and a huge fleet appeared on the quiet river.
The sound of the trumpet is a command.
A large convoy appeared on the shore.
Lances are guarded, soldiers stand in large numbers, and flags and battle flags are flying, just like the high morale of the soldiers.
The boats lined up in a neat queue, going upstream and straight into Luoshui.
(End of this chapter)