Wang Rou is very busy these days.
A few days ago, Ding Yuan and Pei Ye of Taiyuan, in the name of the governor of Bingzhou and the prefect of Taiyuan, asked Wang Rou to lead the Huns' Zhonglang general to go south to rescue Taiyuan.
But Wang Rou just read these sincere letters and left them alone.
Because the system of protecting the Xiongnu Zhonglang General was independent of Bingzhou, even Ding Yuan, the governor of Bingzhou, had no order to ask him to send troops.
But later, Dong Zhuo used the name of the Kansai court to challenge Wang Rou and asked him to send troops to help Ding Yuan, but he still couldn't do it.
Why?
It's not that Wang Rou is so domineering and arrogant that she doesn't even listen to the court's orders, but that he really can't get out of it.
As one of the most important officials in northern Xinjiang, the most important responsibility of the Hunszhonglangjiang is to supervise, manage and even control the southern Huns.
The Southern Xiongnu have been migrating inland for nearly two hundred years, and they almost seem to be external vassals of the Han Dynasty. In this process, the Han Dynasty also formed a certain degree of management over the area where the Southern Huns were located.
The shogunate of the generals who protected the Huns was the most important institution.
Originally, the Protecting Xiongnu Zhonglang Shogunate was just an empty supervisory organization at the beginning, but as the institution became increasingly complete, the Protecting Xiongnu Zhonglang would gradually begin to have the power to manage the people of the southern Xiongnu.
Of course, this struggle for the right to govern the herdsmen did not happen overnight. The Han Dynasty, represented by the Hu Xiongnu Zhonglang General, and the Shanyu of the Southern Xiongnu and the nobles of various tribes have been fighting over this for more than a hundred years.
At the beginning, when the Southern Xiongnu first took shelter under the wings of the Han Dynasty, they were weak and needed the protection of the Han Dynasty, so the power of the Great Chanyu was not strong.
But with the collapse of the Northern Huns, the Southern Huns began to gain unprecedented advantages in politics, manpower, and material resources. At that time, the Southern Xiongnu had almost 400,000 people and 100,000 people who controlled the strings. They became the strongest force in northern Xinjiang besides the Han Dynasty.
At that time, the Southern Xiongnu wanted to inherit the power of the original Xiongnu Empire, mix the north and the south, and form one country, but the Han Dynasty did not agree.
Conflicts between the two sides gradually arose, and the Southern Xiongnu rebelled several times, but were suppressed by the Han Dynasty.
It was also the several counter-rebellion wars against the Southern Xiongnu that prevented them from becoming an independent country like the Xiongnu during the pre-Han Dynasty or the previous Northern Xiongnu, and could only be vassals of the Han Dynasty.
At this point, the shogunate, the general who protected the Xiongnu, officially participated in the management of the 100,000 southern Xiongnu tribes in the Meiji area.
The Han Dynasty adopted dual management towards the Southern Xiongnu. That is to say, it not only retained its original tribal organization, but its tribesmen were also managed line by line by the Han Dynasty guarding the Hungarian generals.
If a criminal case occurs between herder tribes, the jurisdiction that should have belonged to the tribal chiefs is now under the control of the shogunate.
It's just that different people follow different laws. If the Han people under the rule break the law, they will be punished according to the "Spring and Autumn". If the Huns break the law, they will be punished according to the traditional customs of the tribe.
But there is one special situation, that is, after the Huns enter the army, they will be implemented according to Han law. Because the Han Dynasty loved to use southern Xiongnu soldiers to fight foreign wars, and in order to unify management, they all followed Han methods. Its military laws include:
"Those who send troops to evade by sending orders, those who are forbidden to ride horses when going on an expedition, those who return without military orders before going out, those who graze and hunt during the camp, and those who do not lead the troops to rescue when friendly forces invade, will all be punished with animal punishment."< br>
Later, when the Southern Huns soldiers were used to participate in internal operations, a few more items were added:
"Those who lose their horses when going on an expedition, those who are good at selling armor, bows, arrows, and weapons to the locals, those who refuse to advance when encountering the enemy, those who kill civilians indiscriminately, those who mistreat and capture people, those who indulge in soldiers and plunder, call good people low, and kill indiscriminately, all of them will be severely punished. .”
It can be said that the Southern Xiongnu were strictly managed by the Han Dynasty.
These people naturally resisted, but every time they resisted, the result was failure, followed by a round of more intense control.
In this process, the general who protected the Xiongnu Zhonglang also fully controlled the economy of the southern Xiongnu.
Up to now, most of the food, clothing and other supplies of the Southern Xiongnu were transported from the interior. For example, in the Meiji area, tens of thousands of business travelers stay all year round, all belonging to the powerful families of Taiyuan.
These people brought salt, brocade, and cattle and sheep fur from the Southern Huns. The huge trade exchanges made Meiji City a pearl on the grassland.
But now this pearl on the grassland is covered with blood. And this is why Wang Rou has no time to send troops south.
It turns out that the current Xiongnu Chanyu Qiangqu is a little unable to suppress Xiutugehu below.
The cause of this incident is related to the Taishan Army going south.
Xiutugehu is one of the traditional royal clans of the Xiongnu. They used to herd cattle in the Yunzhong area, and many of these tribes were in the Yanbei area. During the chaos in the northern grassland in the previous generation, Xiutu Gehu suffered a lot of losses.
After the Taishan Army came later, they quickly captured Pingcheng. However, Xiutugehu, who stayed nearby, knew that the Taishan Army was strong, so he evacuated the pasture.
After that, the Taishan Army took Yanmen Pass and quickly entered the Han basin area. These Xiutu Gehu knew that something was wrong.
Because according to the traditions of the Han people in the past, the Huns would definitely be recruited at this time. However, Xiutu's various tribes were already frightened by the combat power of the Taishan Army. An incident that happened before only added to their "Taishophobia."
That is, the Tuoba tribe, which had risen to become the regional hegemon, was quietly destroyed by the Taishan Army. How dare they provoke the Taishan Army?
And sure enough, soon the news spread from Bingzhou that the Huns' Zhonglang general would send reinforcements.
Now Xiitu Gehu couldn't sit still. They began to clamor to unite many tribes and began to oppose sending troops.
In fact, the various ministries under the Southern Xiongnu royal court had deep conflicts with the Han Dynasty, especially the shogunate who protected the Xiongnu Zhonglang.
This matter is said to be an unjust case on their part.
About ten years ago, the new shanyu Tu Teruo's corpse followed Zang Min out of Yanmen to attack Xianbei Tanshihuai, and then returned with a great defeat. The shanyu also died that year.
Later, his son Huzheng was Chanyu, but the next year he was killed by Zhang Xiushan because of a disagreement with Zhonglang General Zhang Xiu.
This time it was unfair. You must know that not to mention a great Chanyu, even a county magistrate of Qianshi would not commit suicide without permission. In addition, Hu Zheng's father died for the Han Dynasty. His father shed blood and sacrificed his life for the Han Dynasty, and in the end his son was killed.
Do you think this is unfair?
Therefore, the Han Dynasty also realized that the problem was serious, and quickly drove Zhang Xiu back to the court and executed him to pay for his crime.
But the hatred and humiliation of the Huns were buried like this.
And another point is that the current Chanyu Qiangqu was not elected by the Huns, but was established by Zhang Xiu after he killed Hu Zheng.
Even after Hu Zheng's death, the Han people did not determine the legal status of the new Chanyu according to past traditions.
As a vassal of the Han Dynasty, the Southern Xiongnu needed Zhonglang's generals and soldiers to mourn the old Chan and the establishment of a new Chan, offer wine and rice as sacrifices, and divide the troops to protect them.
Then he entrusted the new chanyu with the seal and the official seal, paid homage to the new chanyu, and granted him the seal and ribbon, the crown and silk ribbon, three crimson robes, a sword and a crimson belt for the boy, and four thousand pieces of silk, and ordered them to be given to the kings, Guduhou and below. .
It can be said that after this set of procedures, Shanyu was recognized by the Han Dynasty and the Huns.
But the current Qiangqu did not follow this process, so although he is a Chanyu, many tribes do not recognize him.
Xiutu Gehu took advantage of this to connect various ministries. For example, among the four noble clans of the Xiongnu, the Huyan, Lan, Xub and Qiulin clans all opposed sending troops.
These four tribes are all descendants of the Shanyu who have been intermarrying for many years, and they have deep prestige within the Xiongnu.
So when these people all opposed sending troops, the pressure was placed on Shan Yuqiangqu. But Qiangqu couldn't handle this and put the pressure on Wang Rou.
Wang Rou was having a headache at this time. Wang Rou actually wanted to save Taiyuan very much. Not only did the emperor order him to save it, but he also wanted to save Taiyuan for personal reasons.
He himself is from Taiyuan County, and his tribe and family are all there, how can he just sit back and watch?
But he also understood that the current turbulent mood among the Southern Huns was not false. If these people were forced to send troops at this time, a great chaos would be in front of them.
Because of this, Wang Rou was very worried. He used to be Yan Ranruo's Confucian general, but now his face was swarthy, his beard and hair were gray, and his face was haggard.
His current thinking is that if the Huns really cannot mobilize, he can only use the shogunate's three thousand cavalry, which includes the shogunate's generals, officials, soldiers, servants, and vassals.
But this small amount of troops can't solve the dilemma at all. Didn't Gai Xun, the general of Du Liao, take 3,000 cavalry away before? What next? Now he has died at Yanmen Pass.
Wang Rou didn't want to die like this. He had great ambitions when he was young. When he was still in office, he and his younger brother Wang Ze went to visit Guo Tai, a famous scholar in the same county. Guo Tai said that he would have a prosperous official career in the future, and everything would go smoothly.
Therefore, like Wang Yun, he also gained fame through Guo Tai's guidance. But he was different from Wang Yun, that is, his family background was better than Wang Yun's. When Wang Yun was about to take the lead in confronting the eunuch group, he, Wang Rou, had already successfully become a filial and honest husband.
After that, he served as a minister for three years, was exiled for three years, and returned to the court as a servant for three years. Then when he was thirty-five years old, he was appointed as the governor of Jiuyuan in northern Xinjiang.
After many years of his military career, his clothes were stained by dust, the blood in his hands became thicker and thicker, his official position became bigger and bigger, and his demeanor became sophisticated and smooth.
It can be said that everyone who has come into contact with Wang Rou will sigh that Wang Shuyou is a person who is not arrogant or impetuous when encountering problems, is far-sighted, and is a talented person who serves as a public servant.
It is precisely because of his civil and military talents that he has attracted a group of strong generals to serve them in northern Xinjiang.
But now that the situation has reached this point, he decided to use some tricks.
While protecting the Xiongnu Zhonglang General's shogunate, he quietly ordered several warriors:
"You all are ready. When the people from the Hun Royal Court arrive, I will raise my glass and you will rush out and kill those people."
Yes, Wang Rou has decided to use force to trap and kill those Xiitu Gehu, Huyan clan, Lan clan, Xubu clan and Qiulin clan who opposed sending troops.
Since you won't listen no matter what I say, we can only destroy you. This Xiongnu soldier, Wang Rou, is holding him hostage.
He had even made plans to kill the Qiang Qu Chanyu along with him if he didn't cooperate. Anyway, he can easily build another Chanyu like this.
After making up her mind, Wang Rou even helped Luan to divine the bad luck, and the result was Shang Shang. So he did it without hesitation.
Now he has told these people to come to the shogunate to accept his adjustment. When these people come in, he will send them away.
In the dark monastery, Wang Rou's face was sinister and determined, and she no longer looked as graceful and kind as before.
At this time, there was a commotion outside the shogunate, and suddenly some staff rushed inside and shouted:
"General, please stop slaughtering all the rebels."
Wang Rou was shocked:
"What?"
For a moment, the shogunate was in chaos, everyone exclaimed.
The Hongmen Banquet became a banquet for soldiers.
In October of the second year of Taiwu, Xiu massacred various Hu rebels and killed Wang Rou, the general who was protecting the Xiongnu. He also joined forces with Hu from the left of the southern Xiongnu and killed his chanyu.
King Youxian, the son of the Chanyu of Qiangqu, succeeded him in Fuluo and established him as the Chanyu. He slaughtered all the barbarians and established Xubu Guduhou as the Chanyu. They attacked each other.
After being defeated in Fuluo, he led thousands of his troops to the south and went south to Loufanguan to join the Bingzhou army.
Originally, he wanted Ding Yuan to support him and fight back again, but at this moment, Ding Yuan could no longer care about this down-and-out shanyu.
Because the battle at Yangquyikou has reached a critical moment.
……
On October 20, outside Yikou Pass, there was the Taishan Army camp.
There were candles and sparks in the tent, and a riding whip hit the word Yikou on the map.
Then Xu Huang, the vanguard general of the Taishan Army, looked around at the generals present and said in a muffled voice:
"The gentlemen here are all fierce generals on the battlefield. I don't know how many tough and bloody battles I have fought with the king, so I never doubt your courage, nor do I doubt that Yikou Pass will be captured by us in the end. But I I want to say that this time, I don’t care what means you use, and I don’t care about your casualties. I just want Yikou Pass.”
All the generals in the tent sang in unison, and they were about to start the night attack on Yikou Pass according to the scheduled schedule.
But at this moment, a cry came from outside the tent:
"Captain, the king's messenger is here."
Xu Huang took a deep breath and quickly led the generals out of the tent to greet him, only to see that the envoy was Han Hao, the general of the Taishan Army's collision team.
Due to his outstanding achievements in the suppression system, this person was recently promoted to the team leader of the collision system. When he came, there was a young mountain husband with him.
After that, Han Hao and Xu Huang discussed secretly for a while. When Xu Huang came out again, he said to the generals:
"The original plan remains unchanged, we attack Yikou Pass at night."
All the generals who had been waiting anxiously sang together and then filed out of the camp.
Just like that, the war broke out.
……
Under the Yikou Pass, the lights were bright, and the Taishan Army attacked fiercely as soon as they came up.
What was unexpected was that the Han army fought very tenaciously at this time. Within an hour, the Taishan army launched three fierce attacks, but they were all defeated by the Han army at the gate.
Because the road in front of the pass is steep, most of the siege equipment of the Taishan Army could not be used at all. They could only use the most primitive method, carrying ladders, braving arrows, and desperately attacking the ants.
But the Han troops who had closed the gate were condescending, smashing them with huge rocks, and hitting the ladder with bumping poles. There was a cry from below, the ladder was knocked down, the ladder frame fell apart, and dust flew up.
But the dark night cast a protective color on everything, and everyone was filled with passion. No matter what, they were instantly covered with blood and flesh, and the level of tragedy was the worst since the Taishan Army entered Bingzhou.
However, as time went by, the Taishan Army climbed up the pass and came into close combat with the Han Army. At this time, Xun Ling, the general guarding the first barrier, was shaken. He realized that the first line of defense could no longer be defended, so he prepared to retreat to the back.
At this moment, a military flag rushed down from the mountain behind and rushed directly in front of Xun Ling.
Then before Xun Ling had time to explain, a cold light flashed and his head flew out.
Everyone was shocked because the murderer was Xun Cheng, the chief of Guan, and he was also Xun Ling's uncle.
The officials glanced at Xun Cheng, whose face was bloody, said nothing, and went back to kill him with their swords.
A moment later, the Taishan Army outside the pass rang out the golden sound.
Taishan Army's first attack on the pass failed.