Chapter 771 Detour
A group of people appeared in the distance on the horizon.
They led their horses on foot, carefully avoiding the farmland.
The wheat planted last autumn is about to be harvested, but it has been completely destroyed.
Part of the fields were bare, obviously harvested by people - mostly Xianbei people.
Part of it was trampled to pieces, but it was scattered everywhere.
There are people harvesting in the fields, most of them are used to feed livestock, and people can’t eat them.
The millet sown this spring is growing sparsely and has been trampled, but there should be some harvest.
There are carcasses of cattle and sheep by the river, surrounded by flies. They have obviously been dead for a long time, but for some reason they were not eaten.
In short - quite miserable.
Behind the cavalry was a long line of carriages, which were full of military supplies and supplies.
Most of the drivers and servants came from Xiurong and Jingle counties. Their faces were full of sadness and worries, and they were obviously not very happy.
The convoy soon stopped in front of a camp fence set up on the road.
Soldiers with yellow scarves on their heads who came from nowhere stood all over the pit and valley.
Some of them were practicing in formation, and the officers kept patrolling and correcting their movements repeatedly.
Some people vigorously wielded spades and pickaxes, dug trenches, built earthen walls, and placed antlers, as if to guard against cavalry raids.
An officer came out of the camp and first led the newly arrived rebel cavalry to a valley, where there were roughly built barracks, a spring for drinking horses, and a fodder warehouse nearby.
"Be careful, don't let the Xianbei people get close without knowing it." Before leaving, the officer warned.
"What are you talking about? I am from Xianbei, should I kill myself?" someone among the new soldiers said.
As soon as this was said, everyone laughed.
The current Yi Congjun has nearly 7,000 cavalry, and nearly 40% are Xianbei, but they belong to Duanbu Xianbei, not Tuoba Xianbei.
Most of the remaining soldiers are Jie, Wuhuan and even miscellaneous Hu who were recruited from Guanzhong. There are not many Han soldiers.
However, there were not many Han soldiers, and the military command was in Jin dialect, which was very uncomfortable.
The officer also smiled and said: "Let's fight hard."
While he was talking, someone brought several basins of cheese.
Everyone was not polite at all. They took out wooden bowls from their saddle bags and drank directly.
After walking for a long time, I couldn’t bear to ride a horse. I was very hungry for a long time. This thing is just right.
"How was the fight before? I heard that you were overwhelmed?" The speaker asked unabashedly while drinking the cheese sent by others.
Sure enough, the officer who brought them here lost all composure and said: "We suddenly met in the valley, and they were carelessly dispersed. Some of the cattle, sheep, and grain in the valley were lost, but it was no big deal. The thieves once wanted to attack our pasture, but were repulsed when they attacked the mountain slope. "
The Yi Cong officers and soldiers were eating and drinking while listening.
I'm afraid what this person said is not entirely true.
It is indeed difficult for Tuoba Xianbei to attack the mountains because he cannot rush up all the time. At this time, the cavalry are often more dominant, and the Jie people may not be much different from them. In the case of defending their homeland, their morale is relatively strong and they can repel the enemy's attack.
Just like the Huns defeated Tuoba Pugen in Kelan, Xihe and even in the mountains west of Pingyang.
But did the Huns defeat Tuoba Xianbei in Jinyang? No.
Because the terrain of Jinyang is flat, the Huns cavalry cannot defeat the Xianbei cavalry. This is the reality.
The Jie people have almost the same problem, but they are better than the Huns in close combat. The final results were also shown outside. The farmland in the river valley was completely destroyed, but the pastures on the mountains were preserved.
If you want to confront Tuoba Xianbei, they still have to come.
However, looking at the camp being overhauled in the river valley, it seems that they are not planning to confront the Xianbei cavalry head-on, and I don’t know if they can get a chance to fight the enemy head-on.
******
Tianchi is like a blue mirror embedded in the mountains.
The forest, white clouds, and birds are reflected in the mirror, like a rich oil painting.
"Wow!" Shao Xun tipped the bamboo basket to the lake. Several big fish swung their tails and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Tianchi is an alpine lake. There are actually more than twenty large and small lakes nearby, which together with Tianchi form this alpine lake group.
Standing by the lake, the scenery is breathtaking and the view is wide, making people relaxed and happy.
Shao Xun doesn’t know much about Tianchi, and his only impression comes from later generations.
The Empress of Qi and Concubine Feng Shu were hunting in Tianchi. The Zhou army was approaching Pingyang, and Jinzhou was in a hurry. From dawn to noon, the post horses arrived three times, and the Empress "hunted for an additional area".
This thing is so famous, and it also illustrates the charm of Tianchi.
Especially the monarchs of the Northern Dynasties liked to parade around with their civil and military ministers and tens of thousands of soldiers and horses. Tianchi was often a place to visit.
Emperor Xiaowen of Wei came, Gao Huan came, Gao Yang came, Gao Wei came, Emperor Yang of Sui also came...
Yang Guang even built Fenyang Palace here to escape the summer heat , used it once and never used it again. Four months later, when he was patrolling Beisei, he was surrounded by a large army brought by Turkic Shibi Khan at Yanmen. The father and son held each other's hands and cried.
The courage of Shao Xun, a fierce man in troubled times, is not comparable to that of Yang Guang.
Standing by Tianchi, he could see the enemy cavalry looming in the hills from a distance, but he still had the leisure to fish here, and he was calm and relaxed, there was no air force.
Liu Zhao stood aside respectfully, and military adviser Zhang Bin was explaining to him the method of defending against the enemy: "The Fen River is connected with boats and rafts. In May, there is a beautiful wheat harvest. It can be transported to Jingle and Jingle through the Fen River. Tianchi has no worries. The infantry set up a camp at the foot of the mountain. The soldiers of the government are sharp and Huang Tou'er is loyal and brave. With more than 8,000 infantry, the Tuoba clan can only go around the mountain. Then you can get up and shoot on the slope to drive back the bandit army."
" Mr. Zhang," Liu Zhao bowed and said, "I'm afraid Xiurong's little food will not help. , The court must transfer grain and grass." Zhang Bin sighed and said, "The king has given the order and will do his best to raise funds."
Liu Zhao didn't believe it.
The biggest problem now is the lack of food and grass, and we can't hold on for long. They were afraid that at the end of the fight, they would be forced to slaughter their livestock and eat only their grain, and they would not be able to survive.
"If you can't, just kill the livestock." Sure enough, Shao Xun said from the side: "Don't worry, it's just a temporary lack of food. In a few months, there will be no such shortage. Kill a sheep, and I will give it to you. I will replenish twenty bushels of grain and never break my promise."
Liu Zhao felt relieved.
"Liu Fujun, you can't retreat anymore." Zhang Bin said from the side: "The reason why the king gives you more troops is to block this road. If this road is broken, the rebel army will follow the trend and go straight down. If you are happy and beautiful, the situation will be very bad. Someone will be responsible at that time, so you should think carefully about it. ”
Liu Zhao blushed at the words.
There are two north-south roads in the northwest of Taiyuan, both of which are within Kelan County. Among them, he is guarding the widest and most convenient one, which was actually broken through by the Xianbei people before.
Fortunately, they failed to clear out the people and horses on the mountains on both sides. The retreat was threatened and they withdrew, otherwise they would really have created a big trap.
Shao Xun silently calculated the strength of his troops.
The remaining troops in Langu are two Fu soldiers and tribes from Longxiang Prefecture (2400), plus 5,000 Huangtou troops. The total military strength on paper is nearly 10,000, but the actual number is 9,000. They are stationed in the county and the camp. .
Other troops were brought to Tianchi and Guanluishan areas by him.
The planned number of troops left here is slightly more than that of Lan Gu. There are five thousand troops and troops from the two Longxiang Prefectures and Huangtou Army, totaling nearly ten thousand people, and the organization is relatively complete.
He planned to take the remaining troops eastward, including 6,000 men from the Yinqiang Zhongying Camp, 10,000 Huangtou Army, and 2,000 Yi Congjun, to Jinyang.
Supplies are more convenient there, although there is not much food stored locally.
After all, the biggest problem is that Bingzhou is in ruins.
It rained heavily for two consecutive years, making construction impossible. And if there is no one in Bingzhou, the series of defense systems in the north cannot be established.
Like his northern tour this time, if he didn't have the intention of training the Yellow Head Army soldiers, he would never have brought so many people northward. And if Tuoba Xianbei didn't bring so many people here, he would definitely be able to reach Jinyang and Lishi City if he marched straight ahead. The further distance would depend on their supply capacity.
To the north of Jinyang and Lishi, there is almost no defense, and the northern frontier fortress system is in name only. This is the reality.
Shao Xun washed his hands in the lake and was about to leave when he saw his servant Liu Bai running over. He looked anxious and said: "Your Majesty, Shiling Pass has collapsed, and the Tuoba clan is approaching Jinyang City. "
Shao Xun felt nervous and asked: "How did they defeat it?"
"The thieves took a detour to the south of Shiling and raided the countryside with their light cavalry, harassing the heavy troops." Liu Bai said: "When the Qi people saw the Xianbei cavalry, they all collapsed. Shiling Pass was isolated from the front and back, and two thousand guards rushed to the mountains."
"Where is Liu Ling?"
"General Liu closed the gates of Jinyang tightly and guarded against death."
Guarding against death sounds nice, but in fact it means being trapped in an isolated city and not daring to fight in the field.
Of course Liu Ling is not to blame.
He only had five thousand infantry, and sent two thousand to guard Shiling Pass. The remaining three thousand were reluctant to stay in Jinyang, and naturally it was impossible to leave the city to fight.
If it is defeated in a single battle - which is almost inevitable - Jinyang will definitely not be able to save it.
"Send the order and go south immediately." Shao Xun asked someone to bring the horses.
******
More and more enemy cavalry gathered outside Jinyang City, and they were very arrogant.
Xu knew that Liu Ling did not dare to fight, so they even openly herded horses, cattle and sheep in the wild, and sent people to harvest immature crops.
After nightfall, a group of people quietly headed west, upstream along the Fenshui River Valley. One person and three horses, carrying ten days of dry food, rushed away.
They were very fast, running for three hundred miles along the relatively flat valley in a few days, and soon arrived ten miles east of Xiurong.
In the river valley with abundant water and grass, the herdsmen of various tribes who had just come down from the mountain to harvest wheat looked at all this in stunned silence.
Without anyone's instructions, they were used to plundering and killing each other, so they immediately asked their families to bring horses and equipment to prepare for the battle.
The Xianbei cavalry reined in their horses from afar.
A moment later, a knight in purple robes rode forward, looked carefully, and cursed: "No matter how careful you are, the thieves will still find you."
After that, He called a few people and said: "Go, try to catch a few people and see who is here."
The Buliugu clan failed to attack Lan Valley and lost hundreds of people. Lose face.
After the remnant soldiers retreated, they made various excuses, saying that they met Shao Thief himself, so the attack was frustrated.
After the news reached them from Pingcheng, he didn't quite believe it.
Why did Shao Thief come here? What are you doing here in this barren ravine?
When they broke through Shiling Pass, they also captured some stragglers of Jin soldiers. After being tortured, they couldn't tell where Shao Thief was, which made him even more suspicious.
But he didn't take it all to heart. He would seize the opportunity and naturally prepare to capture a few people alive and torture them again.
If Thief Shao really comes to Taiyuan, hey, it might be a good opportunity to surround him.
After the rangers were dispatched, the man found a few more messengers and whispered: "You can take this token and go south to look for a few old friends. They may not be still in the original place. Let's go look for it. If you can't find it, forget it. ”
The messenger took the token and the map and left quietly under the leadership of the guide.
In the distance, the four gates of Xiurong County have been closed tightly. There are crowds of people at the top of the city and the sound of drums continues.
More than a year has passed, and Xiurong has faced another war.
(End of this chapter)