Chapter 540 Three Places
She County has already started a war.
The first stage of the siege is, of course, the removal of the fortresses outside the city. Otherwise, if someone suddenly comes out when you are attacking a city, attacks from behind, kills your soldiers, and burns your siege equipment, how can you still fight?
The most taboo thing about defending a city is a bare city.
One thing that is good for the Xiongnu is that the terrain outside Shexian County is relatively flat. If there is a hill, and the defenders allocate part of their troops to set up a stronghold on the hill, and they are the horns of each other with the county seat, that would be really disgusting.
The fortress offensive and defensive battle became more intense from the beginning.
The King of Hanoi fought well in Guanzhong, and when he entered Chang'an, the entire eastern half of Guanzhong was already in the hands of the Han Dynasty. All that's left is to appease, just like Shao Xun did in Hebei: give officials to those who come.
Therefore, Feng Yi and the Di and Qiang people from Shangjun sent out three households to one small group and recruited more than ten thousand people.
The four Xianbei tribes conscripted four thousand cavalry.
The tribes in Hexi (Hetao) received orders from Shan Yutai and dispatched more than 10,000 infantrymen.
Together with more than 10,000 men from Wubao in Guanzhong and Bingzhou, there are a total of 30,000 to 40,000 troops.
Zhongshan Wang Yao led 8,000 forbidden infantry and cavalry men, which was the main force of the Chinese army.
More than 40,000 soldiers and horses formed a supremacy party, and the local Hu Jin officials and people complained endlessly.
The grass silos accumulated like hills are rapidly depleting, and the top of the hill is getting shorter day by day. At this time, all the Hu and Han people are sent out to cut grass.
The granaries were all opened, and the grain that had been stored for just a few days after the autumn harvest was taken out.
Even grain, grass, cattle and sheep were transported across the mountains and ridges from Taiyuan and Hanoi, regardless of losses.
This battle is really a fight, and it must be fought quickly to reduce consumption as much as possible.
The battle has been going on for several days, and many people have died on both sides.
All the obstacles outside the camp were swept away, and the final stage of attack began.
Amidst the fierce fighting, Liu Yao climbed onto the high platform and overlooked the entire battlefield.
Outside the east wall of the camp, the attacking Di and Qiang people had climbed up the camp wall and were fighting with the defenders.
There are many damages on the wall, which are all traces left by the attack. The defenders used wood, earth and rocks to block the gaps, and fought frantically with the enemy troops rushing towards these gaps.
In an instant, countless people died on the spot.
Some people can no longer take care of the fields at home.
Some people can never go back to see their loved ones again.
Some people may be about to lose their families and be separated from their wives and children.
War is such a destructive activity, but it has to be fought. Since ancient times, there have been more wars than peace.
The south gate of Shexian County suddenly opened, and a group of people rushed out.
The Huns were well prepared, and the cavalry rushed towards them and rushed straight away.
A dense barrage of crossbow bolts was fired from the opposite side, causing the cavalry to flip over. But their actions still had an effect. The two thousand defenders who fought out of the city stopped and could no longer move forward.
The follow-up infantry followed and closed in on the group.
But they did not dare to be careless because they had already suffered a loss the day before yesterday.
Although there were only two thousand people fighting out of the city, half of them were wearing iron armor and had various miscellaneous weapons such as crossbows, swords, spears, and bows, and their skills were pretty good.
The leader is called Xi Jian. He is a lieutenant in the shogunate of General Shao Xun Longxiang. He is relatively brave and dares to fight. The first time they went out to fight in the city, they rushed behind the retreating Qiang people and attacked fiercely, killing many people.
This time Liu Yao was well prepared, but he could only stop their progress.
The flag with the character "闗" on the opposite side was flying in the autumn wind for a long time. Seeing that it could not break through, it formed a tighter formation and slowly retreated.
A large rain of arrows was also sprinkled on the city wall in time, blocking the pursuit of the Huns cavalry and allowing them to safely return to the county seat.
However, the Diqiang infantry who were attacking the camp were frightened and collapsed in a noisy manner.
The Jin army in the camp did not pursue them. The casualties were too heavy and they were unable to pursue them.
"Send someone to lure Shi Le to surrender." Liu Yao stepped down from the high platform and ordered.
The messenger took the order and left.
"What's going on in the east?" Liu Yao asked again.
"More than three hundred horses were broken off."
"Where were they broken?" Liu Yao asked while asking someone to bring a map and look at it carefully.
Gushan!
After hearing the name, he roughly figured it out.
The Jin army sent tens of thousands of people to Shexian County. I don’t know how much food and military supplies they have hoarded, but they should be available in two or three months.
These people were firmly anchored on the east bank of the Zhuozhang River, threatening the retreat of the Eastern Expedition army.
Of course he can bypass the city without fighting, but he still needs to leave a large army to monitor, and there must be no less people, because the defenders have the ability to go out of the city to fight in the field.
If this is done, the army will inevitably be divided, its power will be greatly reduced, and it will not be able to pose a sufficient threat to Shao Thief.
Perhaps, it was really a mistake to choose Fukouxing as the direction of attack.
Although this is the closest to Ye City, it is also an area heavily defended by Shao Thief.
She County has been identified and has a large number of troops.
There are also soldiers on Gushan Mountain, which is more than a hundred miles away. They can cut off the post road by going down the mountain.
So, what about the Fushui area on the south edge of Gushan Mountain, and the Wu'an and Mingshui areas on the north side?
"Where is Hu Yanmo?" Liu Yao found his staff and asked.
“I have been grazing cattle in the Qingzhangshui River Valley.”
“Ask him if he has grazed enough. If he has done so, please come forward and go to Fukou Spring.”
“Yes.”
“Where’s Linghu Ni surrendering?”
"Eat in Wuxiang."
"Ask him to take his troops to Jingxing and contact Shi Le."
"Follow your orders."
"The rest will assist General Pi. , take turns to attack the city."
After the order was passed on, a new wave of offensive began.
This time, under the supervision of Liu Han's forbidden army infantry and cavalry, the Wubao commanders from various places marched towards the camp outside Shexian County.
Almost at the same time, the Jie tribes were also recruited and sent more than 3,000 riders, carrying five days of food and water, to advance towards the front line of Gushan.
The battle against time begins again.
******
Under Fuliu City, people and horses chased each other, it was extremely tragic.
Thousands of infantry troops of the Youlun tribe, who had recently been appointed as the governor of Zhaojun (still in Shi Le's hands), were flanked by the Huns' cavalry and fell into chaos.
More than 2,000 infantrymen from the front pressed over, and the troops in the army made a big fuss and retreated one after another.
Seeing that they were about to collapse, the beggar army Wuhuan Qingqi rushed forward and strangled the Huns.
When the battle reached a stalemate, another group of Huns' light cavalry attacked from the side and rear, killing the Huns' light cavalry of Liang Fu'an tribe into chaos.
Julu Prefect Zhang Jack led more than 4,000 infantry and cavalrymen into the counterattack, and collided head-on with the Hun infantry in front.
A foot-cavalry melee began again.
The battle continued until sunset, when the Hun cavalry collapsed in a panic. More than two thousand cavalry were attacked from both sides, leaving almost no one alive, and they were all slaughtered.
Seeing such a tragic scene, the whole Fuliu County immediately opened the city and surrendered.
The army did not stop here, and surged eastwards, attacking Anping City.
On September 20th, large armies were camped in the west, south and east of Anping City, and the intention of siege was very obvious.
Liang Fuchun, the governor, went to the city to look around, feeling worried.
Shi Le promised him to send troops to help, but there was no move.
Messengers came from Changshan and Julu, asking him to shrink his troops and wait for reinforcements.
In response, Liang Fuzhen could only smile bitterly.
He has shrunk as much as possible, and now the city is full of farmers and herdsmen from various tribes, with almost no place to stay.
Cattle, sheep and horses crowded every corner, and the stench was overwhelming. Even his official office was separated into two stables, where more than a hundred war horses were stored.
Of course, most of the livestock were slaughtered, because Anping City couldn't accommodate them at all, and there wasn't that much fodder to feed them, so they might as well be used as military supplies.
For this reason, Liang Fuzhen took care of his reputation and promised to compensate the herdsmen for their losses with grain and silk after repelling Shao Bing. This was able to suppress his dissatisfaction.
There are almost no idle people in the city. All the men are soldiers, either stationed at the top of the city or camping outside the city, and they all have to fight.
What is sad is that these soldiers guarding the city and camp are filled with a large number of herdsmen who are good at riding and fighting. They could have been cavalry, roaming the countryside, but now they were forced to dismount and defend the city.
Is there anything more ridiculous than this in the world?
But the battle situation is like this, there is nothing to say.
The space for the cavalry to make detours was getting less and less. Shao Thief also attracted a large number of Hu and Jin cavalry to fight for him. Every time he attacked, many people were killed or injured. Now only the most powerful people could go out to fight in the city, so Liang Fuzhen sent his eldest son and nephew with three thousand horsemen each to move around the junction of Anping, Julu and Boling, looking for fighting opportunities.
Everyone else, please stay and defend the city. There is no other way.
******
Shao Xun is still stationed in Zebei, mainland China, meeting with chiefs of various ministries all day long.
On September 21, groups of leaders came to his camp and bowed to him after receiving their heads.
The clerk asked carefully and recorded the name of the clan, the number of tribes, the number of cattle and sheep, and where they farmed and herded.
“Where does your tribe come from?” Shao Xun asked, sitting on the carpet on the ground.
Several Hun noble girls knelt beside him and lowered their heads in silence.
Ms. Liu was sitting behind the desk with nothing to do and feeling a little aggrieved.
Shao Xun had this case placed there, and Mrs. Liu would kneel and sit there when she had nothing to do.
Shao Xun was reading and reviewing official documents on the carpet in the back.
Looking up, you can see those two plump buttocks.
Due to posture problems, the buttocks are tight, round and charming, and the butt gap is also very obvious.
Occasionally, Shao Xun would ask Mrs. Liu to get something from another table in front. She had to reach up to get the object, and at this time, her buttocks would be arched high...
He did it on purpose!
Ms. Liu felt ashamed and angry, and had some indescribable feelings. She could only suppress these thoughts, silently listen to the words of the people coming and going, and divert her attention.
“Back to Ming Gong, my servant came from Sheyanshui.” The leader replied respectfully.
"Xianbei?" Shao Xun asked curiously.
“Yes.”
“When did you come to Hebei?”
“Come with the official Liang Fuchun.”
“How many years ago? "Shao Xun nodded and said: "How are the tribes in Hexi divided?"
The leader thought about it carefully and said: "In fact, the main ones are clans, which gather in the wild and disperse. Uncertain. "
What he means is that the local civilization is even more backward than the Xiongnu. The clan characteristics are very obvious. Tribes have appeared, but the structure is not stable. From time to time, clans join or leave.
Clans are bound by kinship, but tribes are not.
"Can you still live your life?" Shao Xun asked again.
“It’s not bad. There are no mulberry trees in Hexi, only livestock, horses, cattle, sheep and camels.”
"How about the prosperity and decline of the pasture?"
"After offering sacrifices to heaven, it will take several years."
"Living sacrifices?"
"Yes, killing slaves as sacrifices. ”
“Can we do business with Chinese merchants?”
“A lot.”
“What to buy?”
“Mostly for living. Animals, animal horns, animal sinews, animal skins, felt blankets."
"No one buys honey?" Shao Xun asked curiously: "Musky navel, safflower, cistanche, bupleurum, honey, wax, feathers. Feathers, fox furs, mink furs, etc. are abundant in Naier, so no one wants to buy them?"
Ms. Liu raised his head and glanced at Shao Xun from the corner of his eye, with a complicated look on his face. What else doesn't he know?
"Ming Gong is really a man from heaven." The leader looked surprised and sighed: "Most of these are sold by the Diqiang tribe."
Shao Xun nodded.
Hexi is a melting pot of ethnic groups.
Xianbei, Xiongnu, Di, Qiang, etc., and maybe Han - most of them have long been transformed into barbarians.
Among these tribes, the Diqiang tribe has a considerable agricultural economy, not all animal husbandry.
They generally occupy the edge areas on the southwest, east and west sides of the river, where precipitation is relatively abundant and there are more rivers, which is conducive to farming.
Until the Northern Song Dynasty, scholar-bureaucrats even called the territory of the Dangxiang people "the old soil of Di and Qiang", and it was not without reason. Of course, the Dangxiang people were actually a Qiang people. Unable to bear the Tubo slavery, they fled to the Tang Dynasty and asked for asylum.
Di Qiang and Dang Xiang, one came first and the other came later, but they are actually the same group of people.
"How do you feel after moving to Hebei?"
"Hebei has rich water and grass, which is much better than Hexi. The children can have enough to eat, and more of them survive. Now There are children everywhere, and our household registration has increased a lot.”
This is the weasel falling into the henhouse, which is so exciting.
Excellent land, whether used for farming or grazing, is excellent land.
The black soil of Ukraine is pasture in the hands of Cossacks, and it is farmland in the hands of Polish manor owners. It all depends on how you use it.
Hexi Xianbei came to Hebei, and there was no need to worship heaven. The pasture grew abundantly every year, which greatly improved living conditions. Over the past few years, the population has increased.
“Have you ever learned to farm?”
“I tried to learn, but not everyone knows it, and they can’t farm well either.” The leader replied.
"Go down." Shao Xun waved his hand and said, "Send two hundred people over tomorrow. I will be useful."
"Yes." The leader hesitated for a moment and responded. .
The soldiers brought ten bolts of silk and gave them to the leader.
The leader thanked him profusely, kowtowed and left.
Shao Xun stood up, looked at the autumn lake outside the tent, and remained silent for a long time.
Liu secretly raised her head and looked at him.
"Ye Na." Shao Xun said suddenly.
Ms. Liu was startled and lowered her head.
Shao Xun came over and stood in front of her, admiring it carefully.
A beautiful woman is a work of art, a work of art with a soul, and the best mood-boosting product for men in their spare time.
Watching such a woman struggling with herself was also fun for him.
Not all women are worthy of his efforts to please.
Among so many people, if he were asked to choose a woman to flee with him when the army was defeated, he would only choose Concubine Pei. This was an emotion that started at a young age and had nothing to do with anything else.
“I originally wanted to kill all the barbarians in Hebei, even if it’s 200,000 or 300,000, what if I kill them all?” Shao Xun said.
Liu trembled and looked at Shao Xun in disbelief.
"But I changed my mind because of you." Shao Xun touched her face and said, "You let them live, and you made me change my mind."
Liu Shi looked at Shao Xun and forgot to knock off his hand for a moment.
She vaguely knew that this was a lie, that Shao Xun was lying to her, but unfortunately, she found that she was actually a little willing to listen to what he said.
"Write a letter to your brother. I pretended that I had never heard of the conditions he offered before, so I don't blame him." Shao Xun said: "This time, let him think about it before offering it to me. Conditions."
"You...what do you want him to do?" Mr. Liu lowered his head, turned his face away, and asked softly.
Shao Xun retracted his hand and chuckled proudly.
Liu's face suddenly turned red.
She suddenly raised her head and said, "Why don't you just go to Liu Hezhu?"
The voice was slightly unstable, indicating the violent fluctuations in the master's mood.
I felt aggrieved.
Shao Xun stopped teasing her and just said: "Your uncle wants to beat Shile for me, so he has no time. Write a letter with your own hand and ask your brother - Do you dare to rebel against the Huns? Don't you dare to compete for the wealth?"
"What - wealth?" Liu asked in a strange way.
"Write a letter first." Shao Xun instructed, and left the camp directly and went to the outside.
The autumn is high, the horses are fat, and there are many flags. It is a world of great contention!
He and Liu Yao were both racing against time.
(End of this chapter)