Chapter 575 Longqiyang Plateau
Tianfengling is located at the highest point of the southern branch of the entire Daisetsu Mountains. It is the fastest shortcut to the Western Satsuma Plateau, and it is also the most difficult section of the road.
The mountains are steep, altitude sickness occurs, and the wind is biting at night. People who are not physically strong will find it difficult to survive here until the sun rises the next morning.
Fortunately, it is the golden autumn now, and the weather is quite pleasant during the day. At this time, the southern mountain range has rich vegetation and many prey.
In Satsuma Village, a hundred miles away to the west, there are occasional hunters from the village who come here to build wooden houses in the forest and hunt permanently. When winter comes, they return home loaded with trophies.
When the Mongolian cavalry came over the mountains, the hunters in the mountains directly became prey. No matter how powerful they were in the mountains, if they encountered a huge group of cavalry, even if the opponent could not ride a horse here, they could only rely on their legs and superb arrows. This technique also slaughtered all the Satsuma hunters in this mountain.
Most of the prey they hoarded were plundered by the Mongolian Qingqi and used as dry food.
Of course, there are some Satsuma hunters who survived by chance. Some knew that there were caves to drill nearby. When danger came, they hid in the cave as soon as possible and avoided disaster.
When there was no more restless horse hooves and wild shouts outside, these evading hunters slowly came out of the cave.
The Satsuma hunter, who had been hungry for several days, carefully climbed out of the small cave, dragged his weak and tired body, and staggered back to the hut he had built.
...
The wooden house has been completely knocked down, and everything inside has been taken away by the 'beggars' on horseback, not even a hair left for him.
Looking at the ruined wooden house, he cursed a few words, turned around and walked dozens of feet away. The bushes under the trees in front of him were swaying slightly.
"Go and see if the Prime Minister is feeling unwell." Su Chen inspected the two teams. The soldiers were in good spirits. Looking at the team passing by below, he whispered to Wu Zixun next to him: "Prime Minister, although He has some martial arts skills, but he is a scholar after all."
Wu Zixun nodded, followed the flags of several soldiers and horses, and quickly disappeared into the forest ahead with two soldiers from the Shenji Battalion.
After all, not everyone can afford it.
There was a sudden loud shout, and the figures wearing leather armor and holding knives stepped on the fallen leaves, jumped onto nearby rocks, or stepped over the grass, and rushed directly towards the Satsuma hunter. The latter reacted Come here, turn around and run.
Rabbits at this time of year are fattening up, and they are so fat that people are envious of them.
The running hunter shrank his head alertly, the arrow grazed his ear and flew forward, nailing it on the tree trunk. At this time, the hunter ignored the burning pain coming from his ear and was so scared that he rolled and crawled. , rushing down a steep slope.
The Yuezhou soldier wiped the blade of his knife on the corpse, picked up the head and tied it around his waist. Then he returned to the steep slope, joked with his companions, and sneaked into the dense forest again to search.
"Kill him directly."
"A Western barbarian."
The Yuezhou soldiers walking down the steep slope swung their blades and slashed from top to bottom.
The Yuezhou soldiers holding their bows rushed to the edge of the steep slope and glanced down. They saw a series of smoke and dust, as well as the scream of "Ah--" from the Western barbarian, as the opponent continued to roll down the steep slope.
After comforting Xu Chu for a few words, Su Chen took him with him and led the Shenji Battalion soldiers to inspect the various troops and horses. Sometimes he would stop and wait to see if there were any signs of disengagement in the entire army.
This hunter is about fifty years old. He wears a tattered leather jacket. He has deep-set eyes, a high nose bridge, and fluffy hair. His green eyes symbolize that he is a pure Satsuma.
Soon after, he joined other searching scouts, passed through the coniferous forest, and climbed over several hills. After marking the terrain, he returned, pushed aside the hanging branches, and stood on the cliff. Densely packed flags came into view.
Harelips chewed thick serrated leaves back and forth. The plump hare flapped its ears while chewing, while looking at the unkempt humans in front of it.
In the time between Tianfengling and now, only twenty or thirty people have suffered from altitude sickness, and then they were pulled to the front of the team by a prepared carriage and went down the mountain as soon as possible.
In this regard, Su Chen was also helpless. Long-haired war elephants were not easy to tame. During the days after returning from the expedition against Japanese pirates, he asked Zheng He's fleet to go out to sea to look for and buy as much as they wanted. This thing Taming was not easy, so much so that the fleet returned empty-handed each time.
From the moment he set foot on Tianfeng Mountain, Su Chen, who came as a descendant, has been paying attention to whether the soldiers have altitude sickness.
Poof!
The Sama man lying on the ground raised his hands to resist. As the sound of the blade entering the flesh was heard, his arms kept resisting, and the head on his shoulders and neck rushed into the air dragging a line of blood. .
Not long after the shaking sound of rustling, rustling, a small beast jumped out. The Satsuma hunter followed it and saw clearly that it was a gray-haired hare.
Later he was drafted into the army, and after half a year of training, in addition to his skills on the battlefield, he was even more comfortable in the mountains.
For a moment, he heard a sound and subconsciously raised his head, and saw a fierce oriental face, grinning ferociously at him. The next moment, the coldness of the blade was reflected in the eyes of the Satsuma hunter.
The two Tao figures at the front quickly exchanged words. One of them drew his bow and nocked an arrow. The moment he jumped off the rock, the arrow flew out with a whoosh.
The Satsuma hunter's bow was broken by the cave when he entered the narrow cave, and now he only had a rough dagger in his hand.
He looked at Dian Wei in front of him who was clearing the way with his war elephant, "What's so great..."
The Satsuma hunter also turned around alertly, thinking that there was a wild wolf in the mountains behind him, so he turned around The moment he turned around, he saw several Taoist figures holding knives, standing under a big tree and looking over, then running wildly towards him.
In their field of vision, a huge army was divided into dozens or hundreds of teams, marching across the mountains and plains.
For altitude sickness, there is no medicine to take in this world. We can only transfer the soldiers who are feeling unwell as soon as possible, but it is impossible to bring them back to the Western Regions.
At this time, the hunter licked his lips and thought about how to catch the rabbit. At this moment, there were footsteps coming from the direction behind him. The hare tilted his head alertly, turned around and kicked his legs. , swish into the nearby grass.
“You still dare to resist?!”
An Eastern soldier used Yuezhou dialect to laugh at his comrade who had just shot the arrow. The latter took a sip and flew through the rugged mountain forest with his bow. Ben, they grew up in the mountains of Yuezhou, and their bare feet are not afraid of the sharp rocks on the mountains.
After the hunter landed heavily, he was half dead from the fall. His face was covered with blood, and the leather jacket on his body was also torn. You could see that the skin and flesh were cracked, and a lot of blood flowed out. The huge pain made him cry out. , I tried to struggle to get up, but I couldn't get up after several attempts. Both legs were broken.
"This way you can miss the target and let you show off!"
Su Chen was riding a war horse and marching in the army like Xu Chu. The ancestral coffin was too big and stayed behind. They were brought slowly by the soldiers.
Occasionally, you can see Dian Wei riding a giant woolly elephant, walking through the mountains and forests, his huge body squeezing the trees upside down.
The mount under Xu Chu is also a thousand-mile horse. It is relatively strong and tall among war horses, but compared with Dian Wei's mount, he still can't help but have a sour tone in his mouth.
Fortunately, the soldiers in this world are relatively strong. Over the years, soldiers in the army have been taught some Qi training methods to strengthen their bodies and increase their strength.
More than 100,000 people were divided into dozens or hundreds of teams, ranging from as many as 2,000 to hundreds, spanning dozens of miles to the west of this mountain range.
After all, there was a high rebellion. The soldiers were okay and quickly pulled them down the mountain. But Zhuge Liang was different. If something happened, it would be too late to regret it.
"Now I am a little envious of the cavalry on the grassland." Liu Sheng, the commander of the Shenji Battalion, also had some symptoms of discomfort, but he only felt tightness in his chest and some difficulty breathing.
He only mentioned the prairie cavalry, not the word Mongolia. As a Ming Dynasty person, he had a deep hatred for Mongolia.
"Your Majesty, that Subutai has bloody methods. He has so many soldiers and horses under his command, so we need to be careful."
Only a few know that once the token is damaged, the generals summoned by the token will also be destroyed. And died.
Liu Sheng did not know, so he reminded Su Chen like this.
However, it is no wonder that Zhu Di has a bad impression of him. Although he said these things behind his back, it was for Su Chen's benefit, but after all, he was suspected of gossiping behind his back.
“You know so much!” When Xu Chu, who was straight-faced, turned around on horseback and said something to Liu Sheng, Wu Zixun and his men had already galloped back.
Seeing him panting, Su Chen frowned immediately.
"Looking at your posture, does the Prime Minister also have symptoms of discomfort?"
Wu Zixun has been weak since he was injured, and following Su Chen, his former martial arts have long been abandoned. He was breathing heavily. He nodded angrily: "Back to Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is indeed feeling a little unwell, but it is not serious. The Prime Minister asked me to come back and reply, saying not to worry, it will be fine after we get down the mountain."
"It's really difficult for him!"
Su Chen rubbed his brows, summoned a commanding officer, and asked him to take the imperial doctor who was staying with him and go over to check Zhuge Liang to see if he could prescribe medicine to suppress the physical discomfort.
After walking another twenty miles, when they reached a place where the terrain gradually eased, the army began to rest where they were, taking the time to eat dry food and drink water.
If there are war horses, let the horses go to the nearby area to show off on their own. Soon, Zhuge Liang was pushed over by soldiers on a two-wheeled cart.
"...Haha, your majesty is worried. I went out to Qishan Mountain many times and climbed the peak. I didn't expect that I would feel such discomfort here."
Seeing that Zhuge Liang's face was slightly blue and his breathing was not smooth, Su Chen walked to the side and asked in a low voice: "Prime Minister, can you still hold on? If not, I will send someone to take you to the front first, and you will come down the mountain as soon as possible to recover for a while. .”
"No, no need!" Zhuge Liang took a sip of water and looked better, "...I am your Majesty's close minister, so I should set an example, but your Majesty doesn't have to worry about my health. I have been growing flowers and grass here these years. Your body and bones will have been well maintained for a long time. If you don’t believe it, ask Wang Lang when your majesty returns home in triumph!”
Haha!
Hearing this, Su Chen laughed out loud. During the competition between the three armies, Zhuge Liang beat Wang Lang badly in front of everyone. Later, during the three years that they worked together, they had many quarrels. It turns into a fight.
Su Chen never expected that a fight between two civil servants would be more exciting than a fight between generals on the battlefield.
"Since the Prime Minister thinks there is no problem, I will not force the Prime Minister to go down the mountain first." Su Chen patted the dirt on his hands and stood up from the side of the two-wheeled vehicle.
Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded: "The march of the three armies and the collection of intelligence are all inseparable from people. I will go back to the team first. Your Majesty, don't worry. If you are tired, I will sit in the car and rest!"
Zhuge Liang He specially patted the armrest of the two-wheeled vehicle, and then asked the soldiers to push him away.
Here, Su Chen got on the horse again, looked back at Zhuge Liang who was leaving, and then galloped towards the front of the army, his voice echoing in the mountains and forests.
"Hurry up and march. The Mongolian cavalry of the former army has swept across the barbarians. How can we, the soldiers who have fought hundreds of battles, fall behind!"
"In front of us is the first city of the Western Expedition, the Satsuma people. Hasai, after the city is broken, my men can search it freely!”
The cavalry carrying the holy message carried the flag and galloped along the way.
……
The blue sky is covered with white clouds.
Smoke and dust rose and fell on the ground. In the direction of Hasai City, the soldiers on the city wall looked at the wilderness in fear. Densely packed cavalry moved quickly around the small city.
In the field outside the city, there were loud arrows exploding in the sky from time to time, attracting attention. Soon the cavalry running in groups headed that way.
They were broken troops left over from the battle ten days ago. They were resisting in the nearby mountains, forests or fields. However, when they encountered the Mongolian cavalry following the guidance of the sounding arrows, after several passes and collisions, the remnant soldiers who resisted were shattered like waves.
Bodies trampled by war horses and hacked by blades are left everywhere in the fields and mountains.
In the eyes of the soldiers in Hasai City, there were still many deserters running around outside.
The battle ten days ago was like a nightmare to anyone.
Tens of thousands of troops fell apart in an instant, and were defeated one by one on the way to reinforcements. The main force stationed in front of Hasai City was also broken through. Tonino, who had no reinforcements, could not stop the Eastern cavalry from surrounding the camp. Rockets were continuously fired, and even the Eastern cavalry, who were desperate for their lives, directly broke through the gate and rushed in.
The general Tonino was also killed in the tent by the Eastern cavalry during the night attack.
With only an isolated city left, Hasai faced a seemingly endless group of cavalry and could only close the city gates and strengthen the city walls.
The news of Hasai's siege was also conveyed to Satila in the west as quickly as possible.
This is already the fastest war horse sent by Hasai City.
It was already the early morning of the next day when we arrived there. When Olayin, who was guarding Satila, received the battle report, he rolled his eyes in anger and fainted on the spot.
Tens of thousands of soldiers and horses, but he had scraped it here and there over the years and saved it bit by bit.
Being beaten to death in one night, whoever it was would have been so angry that they would have vomited blood. When they woke up, it was already bright.
Olain quickly summoned the generals who were still in the city to take stock of how many soldiers and horses he still had. On the other hand, he also sent men to the rear to seek help from Holy Lothar.
“There are still 10,000 people available in the city, and the 500 swordsmen group can be worth 5,000 people!”
The meeting was held in the royal palace, and the generals present were all from the Olain family. The number of nobles in the army could have been larger originally, but ten days ago, all of them died in the battle in Hasai City.
The current generals can be counted with one slap.
"Ten thousand people..." O'Lain's beard almost turned gray when he heard this number.
Tens of thousands of people were defeated, what can ten thousand people do? And they are not elite soldiers. In the entire army, only the five hundred swordsmen are available.
It’s almost noon.
The second message was sent here from Hasai in the east. It should have been sent here last night.
The contents above are dense and dense, all written by the scribe.
After the defeat of Tonino, Hasai became an isolated city. All the passes and strongholds outside the city were pulled out by the enemy one by one. Even some troops who went to rescue were completely annihilated by the opponent on the way.
General Towa met the enemy thirty miles away from Hasai and was defeated by the enemy. Towa was killed by ten arrows!
The Dagang stronghold was broken, and seven hundred soldiers were defeated!
The Hayman Town post was attacked, and two hundred of our own people were killed!
...
Beacon fires were everywhere outside the city of Hasai, and almost all sentries, strongholds, and villages were massacred. It even said that the enemy cut off the heads of the soldiers who died in the battle and piled them outside the city of Hasai. , to show off.
After reading this battle report, the palace was completely silent.
The arrogant generals who had conquered several city-states and small countries all fell silent in front of Olain, and no one stood up boldly and took over the task of defending against the enemy.
“Why is it completely different from the previous battles...”
Facing the silence below, O'Lain also fell into confusion.
However, just as they were discussing to no avail and looking at the map in a daze, the third piece of information had been delivered from outside.
The news was not sent from Hasai City, but by scouts sent from the Amir Mountains for three days.
A huge army is coming out of the mountains! !
And the army? !
O'Lain looked at the information in his hand and was so frightened that he almost fell from his chair to the ground. On the paper recording the information, he roughly estimated the number of the army, which was almost equal to the Eastern cavalry outside.
In other words, Hasai City will face an army of more than 300,000? !
"Three hundred thousand..."
In the royal palace, there was a dead silence, and the sound of breathing could be heard clearly.
Everyone, including O'Lain, subconsciously looked at the map hanging in the palace, as if they saw 300,000 troops from the east sweeping past Hasai, and then pounced straight towards them.
——The former capital of Satsuma, Satira.
The same moment.
In the direction of Hasai City, the Eastern cavalry that was originally flying across the wilderness, in the eyes of the soldiers in Hasai City, are shrinking and are no longer running around as usual.
What everyone in the city didn't know was that from the Amir Mountains, the main force of the left army from the Eastern Xia Kingdom, the 140,000 soldiers and horses led by the Xia Emperor himself, were coming out of the mountains and forests, and after gathering in the wilderness, Advancing this way.
Countless flags are flying and flying, blocking out the sky and the sun. The mountains and plains are filled with the figures of people and war horses. On the terrain at the junction of plains and mountains, it extends back and forth for nearly fifty miles.
The huge army was divided into several layers, and divided into dozens or hundreds of formations, separated by one to two miles from each other, and kept advancing.
When Hasai City heard the news, the army was less than thirty-five miles away from here.
The whole city is terrified!
(End of this chapter)