Chapter 471 Persistence
The Huns were burning things, and Xi Jian was also burning, but he was burning grain.
When the Huns burned things, the Wubao commanders did not dare to fart, but when Xi Jian burned things, they became furious.
"Your fortress is located in a vast land, with more than a thousand families and 400 hectares of fertile land." Xi Jian snorted coldly, pointed his riding whip, and said, "You can harvest seven or eight dendrobiums per mu. Dou, that is, 70,000 hu of grain. Even if one person has two or three horses, and they eat all the millet and beans, it is only 200,000 hu of grain. If they put down their pasture and cut some grass, it will only cost more than 100,000 hu of dendrobium. The grain in the fields is enough for them to chew for half a month. What else is this to support the enemy?"
Wubaoshuai was speechless.
Master Yufu has made it clear that even if the grain is not mature, it must be cut off in advance and cannot be left to support the enemy. However, not everyone is willing to do this. Commander Wubao has a lucky mentality.
"Wait to be punished." After Xi Jian finished speaking, he snorted coldly and led the team away.
"Xi Daohui!" Wubao Shuai was dissatisfied and said loudly: "You are also from Gaoping, so you can't bear to see the food burned and Sangzi killed?"
"Just because I am from Gaoping, I want you to burn the food. If there is no food, the thieves will retreat. If there is food, they will loot everywhere. I don't know whether it will be a long-term pain or a short-term pain. You are not worthy of living in troubled times." Xi Jian said no more and took hundreds of people with him. The cavalry roared away.
On the 17th, the army went north and arrived in Juye County.
On the last section of the journey, in order to maintain their horse power, they walked with their horses. After all, each person only had one horse, plus a few donkeys and mules to travel, and their mobility was not as good as that of the Huns.
When Xi Jian climbed up an earthen kiln and looked at the earth, all the scenes in the north came into view.
More than a thousand Huns cavalry burst into the fields, arrows flying everywhere.
The people who were harvesting grains were crying and running away.
On the Wubao not far away, the bells rang continuously, and everyone climbed up to the top of the city, extremely anxious.
Not long after, the main gate of Wubao opened, and hundreds of people, armed with spears and rifle bows, stood dozens of steps outside the gate, shouting loudly to respond to the retreating Baoting.
In troubled times, the only ones who can help you, care about you, and are willing to fight for you are your relatives and fellow villagers.
The castle guards threw away their sickles, the newly harvested grain, and even the donkey carts and ox carts. They rushed towards the gate in a panic.
The Huns rode around and fired, while harvesting human lives wantonly, they deliberately opened a hole so that the remaining Baoding could run back.
Seeing this, the castle guards rushed toward the castle gate as if they were being amnesty.
The soldiers leaving the fort shouted loudly, asking them to go around from both sides and enter the city, so as not to disrupt the military formation.
The Huns cavalry followed closely, speeding up their horses, preparing to take advantage of the moment of chaos to charge straight up to see if there was any advantage.
"Overseer, take action." Someone said urgently above the small earthen kiln.
"It's too late if we don't take action." Someone else said.
They were all natives of their hometown. Seeing the Hun cavalry wreaking havoc, they felt particularly sad about the death of rabbits and foxes, so they all asked for a fight.
"Wait a moment." Xi Jian waved his hand and said.
Everyone sighed, feeling extremely angry.
It is true that they know that now is not the best time to attack, but if they delay it any longer, more people will die in Wubao over there. How can they bear it, these are all villagers.
At the same time, he also criticized Xi Jian endlessly. This man was really cold-blooded, as if no matter what the situation, he could not shake his resolve. In his eyes, there are only appropriateness and inappropriateness, no other emotions.
The Huns in the distance had already rushed very close, and circled to both sides, shooting arrows continuously.
Flank shooting has been a standard tactic in the grasslands since ancient times. When encountering an enemy on foot or cavalry, they do not charge head-on. Instead, they move to both sides, pick up their bows and arrows, and fire from a flank to harass the enemy's weaker flanks.
Even, they often go around to the rear and shoot from three sides.
Those who can cope with this kind of siege scene are generally well-trained infantrymen, because they need to quickly adjust their formations and allocate their troops without panicking, and they can do these things with a certain amount of casualties. This cannot be done by peasant soldiers. It must be professional recruits who have been practicing all year round.
Baoding was a little flustered when he went out.
People around them kept screaming and falling, and the power of the cavalry looked so scary that they fought with each other and subconsciously wanted to escape.
The Huns were not in a hurry. After completing a circle, they came a second time, vowing to wear away the last vestiges of resistance from the castle guards, and then rush in with their retreating footsteps. Inside the Wubao.
“Charge!” Xi Jian got off the kiln and got on his horse.
Hundreds of cavalrymen also mounted their horses, slightly adjusted their formation, and after assigning their order, they suddenly marched forward.
They waded through the shallow stream and reached the wilderness on the other side, and then slowly increased their speed.
The Huns who were on guard outside were shocked.
They were careless and never thought that there was a group of Jin cavalry hiding on the other side of the stream. Moreover, the stream actually had many places where the water was shallow, allowing the enemy to rush over easily. This was actually normal. The locals, of course, are familiar with every plant and tree here, and it is this kind of information asymmetry that they deal with.
More than five hundred cavalrymen gradually moved closer during the charge. Like a sharp knife, they easily pierced the Huns' rangers who had hurriedly intercepted them and continued to move forward.
The Ding Zhuang people outside Wubao Gate were already retreating inside. The Huns laughed loudly, put away their riding bows, drew out various short-term soldiers, and followed behind to kill them.
Xi Jian shot one person to death with his bow without slowing down at all.
Twenty-seven riders brought from Jinxiang followed closely behind, their eyes full of ferociousness.
Behind them, there were cavalrymen from various families and Wubao, a total of nearly 500 people, holding various instruments and shouting.
Five hundred cavalry inserted directly into the side of the Hun cavalry, causing horrific casualties in just an instant and cutting the enemy army into two pieces.
Wubaoshuai stood on the wall and cried with joy when he saw this.
Hundreds of cavalry came in surprise, and ran into the Hun cavalry. After running for more than a hundred steps, they slowly slowed down, turned around, then increased their speed and launched the second round of charge.
Okay, okay! There's help!
The Huns were stunned. Some of them had quick eyes and quick hands and quickly retreated into the distance. Others were still in chaos. There was no doubt that they were attacked by the second wave and were killed again.
The entire battlefield situation reversed instantly.
The Huns were also decisive, without any hesitation, and rushed into the distant wilderness on the spot. The defeated soldiers scattered everywhere scrambled to flee and retreat to the nearest temporary camp.
Xi Jian led his men in pursuit.
The two sides chased and fled, and soon disappeared on the distant horizon.
Wubaoshuai knelt down on the wall with relief, sweating.
We were so close to letting the Huns break into the fort, and then the food might not be guaranteed.
Food? Yes, food!
Wubaoshuai stood up in a hurry, gritted his teeth, and ordered people to burn the unharvested grains in the fields. He must not succumb to the enemy.
******
Shi Peikang, the shogunate chief of Xuchang, hurriedly came to Kaocheng.
Shi Pan Tao, Zuo Sima Pei Shao, the left chief of the Yanzhou shogunate, two military counselors offering sacrifices to wine Bian Dun, Lu Qiuchong, the supervisor Mi Zhi, and the engaged Zhonglang Wang came out of the city to welcome them.
The few people went directly into the Donghai Palace to discuss countermeasures without much exchange of greetings.
As the saying goes, small meetings are held for big things and big meetings are held for small things. This time the Xiongnu invaded, they did not take the Donghai King to play with the various countermeasures. Several of their senior officials met and made a decision, which was the decision of the entire Zhenjun General Mansion. Anyway, the seal is now in charge of Concubine Pei, and it is completely You can bypass the King of East China Sea and give orders.
Concubine Pei only said some polite words at the beginning, and then sat aside and listened quietly to everyone's discussion.
"The Huns crossed the river from Jibei, sometimes joining forces together, sometimes dividing their troops, and sometimes gathering together again, passing through Dongping and entering Gaoping, and a vanguard group has broken into Jiyin." Pan Tao briefly introduced Then he added: "According to investigation, the Huns' strength is between 10,000 and 20,000, mainly cavalry."
"Oh? Can the scouts still investigate?" Pei Kang was a little confused. surprise.
He could remember that the last few times the Huns invaded, the cavalry was overwhelming, hunting down scouts and rangers everywhere, making Henan almost blind.
“It’s not a scout, but someone sent from each Wubao to report.” Pan Tao said.
Pei Kang raised his eyebrows and said, "This is much better than the Battle of Gaoping."
This is the dividend of war.
Last time, the Wubao commanders may not be willing to get involved in the war between Shao Xun and the Xiongnu. They just want to send some money and food. The main focus is "strict neutrality". But this time, there were more people reporting the news, and supplies along the way were more convenient.
"Is Wubao Manor an enemy?" Pei Kang asked again.
Pan Tao looked at Mi Zhi, who immediately said: "I haven't heard about it yet."
"Where do the Xiongnu supplies come from?"
"Harvesting in the wild. Food."
Pei Kang was a little angry when he heard this, and said: "Don't the counties in Yanzhou have strong walls and clear fields?"
"Of course I gave the order, but..." Pan Tao shook his head and sighed.
Pei Kang was also a little helpless.
The Xuchang shogunate also ordered that the walls be fortified and the country cleared, but in the nearby Yingchuan County, many people obeyed and disobeyed.
This is not because they despise the authority of the shogunate, but because the cost of strengthening the wall and clearing the country is very high, and some people are unwilling to do so.
On his way here, he made a special detour to Xiachen County, and found that the area had been built with strong walls and clear fields. The fields were bare, and the execution was more resolute.
When we went north from Chenjun and entered the territory of Chenliu, we found that there was quite a lot of unharvested grain in the fields, but there were also some places where the harvest had been completed in advance.
From this we can also see where Chen Gong can implement his will, where he cannot, and where he can only half-do it.
"Let's not talk about this anymore." Pei Kang patted the table angrily and said, "I came here with only a few things. First, the Yanzhou army is mainly infantry, so don't move lightly. Just defend each area. Secondly, Yinqian Zuoying has finished its rest and recuperation ahead of schedule. It is now heading to Yingchuan and is heading towards Chen County and Liang State. They will not come to Yanzhou. Thirdly, I know you have summoned the cavalry of the noble families. , but don’t use them dispersedly, concentrate them at various points, go around to find out the news, and formulate an attack plan once you find out where the Huns are.”
“Don’t be afraid of not being able to defeat them. Just fight. If you attack them, the Huns will feel the pressure, take detours, and avoid you. If you can give them a few hard blows, the Huns themselves will be afraid."
"Fourth, send as many troops as possible. The messengers go to the counties to appease the people and not to make them defect to the Xiongnu, or to secretly spend money to buy peace. If there are any stubborn ones, they can be threatened or lured, but they can be stabilized. "
After that, Pei Kang glanced at his daughter.
Concubine Pei looked at Pan Tao and others.
Pan Tao coughed and said: "What Mr. Pei said is right. Yan and Yu are one, and we should advance and retreat together."
"What Pei Changshi said is a golden and good advice, and we should obey our orders." Pei Shao said.
"Pei Gong, I heard that there are many Huaiying descendants who are good at riding and fighting. Why don't you recruit them?" the king asked.
“They want to station themselves in Yingchuan, Chenjun, Nandun, Xincai, Runan and other places.” Pei Kang said: “The foundations that Mr. Chen has worked so hard to build are all here and cannot be touched lightly. In addition, they and the field troops who were gathered one after another were stationed in various places, and they had to guard against others. After all, the Yinqiang Zuoying had left Xiangcheng. "
Wang understood, handed over his hand, and stopped talking.
"What else do you have to say?" Concubine Pei glanced around and asked softly.
"Please give the order, Princess." Everyone said one after another.
Concubine Pei sighed softly, with a slightly sad look on her face, and said: "The Huns were brutal. Wherever they went, all the villages were in ruins, and the fertile fields were all turned into wasteland. Now that we are unable to do anything, we can only spend all our energy. The plan is to encircle the thieves to the east first. The base of Chen Gong is in Chen County, in Nanton, in Xincai, in Runan, in Ying and Xiang. If these places are preserved, Chenliu and Jiyin will still be able to fight. , Jiyang, Puyang and other counties must keep their walls clear and send people to inspect them. If anyone refuses to comply, he will be punished as a traitor. "
"The Yandong counties still need to be comforted. I can't help you much, so I can only send a letter to all the clans, asking them to take care of me for the sake of my orphan and widowed mother."
"If there is a suitable position in the shogunate and counties, I will give it to you. Priority will be given to recruiting students from Yandong.”
"After the war is over, I will ask Mr. Chen to distribute food and silk to provide relief to the Yandong counties and provide comfort."
"That's it. You guys are so busy doing things." Concubine Pei looked at everyone with circles in her eyes. He blushed slightly and said: "Mr. Chen also wants to settle things once and for all. These moral ideals must be understood by all the kings. Some people have been robbed or have complaints. This is human nature. Don't blame too much. When the envoys arrive at the counties, You must make it clear. There will be endless benefits in capturing Hebei in the future. As long as I don't mess up, the thieves will. "
" Everyone agreed in unison.
(It’s the last day, vote as soon as you can.)
(End of this chapter)