In early winter, the Luliang Mountains are desolate. Standing on the Luliang Mountains, you can only see the withered and fallen trees under your feet and countless overlapping black and white mountains... The white ones are not snowflakes, but frost flowers. In the northern section of the Luliang Mountains,

Precipitation has always been scarce, but the low temperature and the presence of a large number of plants are enough to produce a wide range of frost and flower scenery; the black ones are not the mountains, but a large number of dead branches and leaves. This is not an era of serious soil erosion in later generations. At this time, Luliang Mountain was still

There is enough vegetation to cover the mountain.

Of course, frost flowers are frost flowers after all. As the sun rises in the east, the entire east side of the Luliang Mountains begins to gradually change color, and finally turns into a thick black and yellow color at noon.

"Why isn't it over yet?" Shanyu, the Marquis of Xubu Gudu, who was stationed on the mountain plateau, finally looked away from the mountain, but then frowned at the bottom of the mountain.

"Da Chanyu, the entrance to the valley below is very narrow." Xubu Juci hurriedly explained. "But the main reason is that we have too many soldiers this time..."

"The enemy!" Xubu Guduhou Shanyu came to his senses instantly. "Fifty or sixty thousand soldiers... should be the largest wave of troops since we crossed the river. If it weren't for the power and coercion of General White Horse, we might not have gathered together in the first place.

stand up."

When Xubu Juci heard this, he couldn't help but look troubled: "Da Shanyu, even with fifty or sixty thousand soldiers, I still feel that I should not come this time. You don't know, you asked me to go before

Shanwu City gave me five or six thousand soldiers and horses, but I was dispersed by General Baima in one encounter. More than a thousand people died, more than a thousand were captured, and less than two thousand people escaped... The soldiers and horses on the opposite side were really real.

Strong, the officers all have iron armor, the soldiers all have leather armor, in addition to spears, each hand also has a ring-headed sword, as well as a strong crossbow, a cart, the horses are strong, and the people are also strong, unlike us who eat wild vegetables all day long...

If this is a bad thing and General Baima over there in Pingcheng knows about it and leads his troops to catch up, what will we do?"

"You're right." Xubu Guduhou listened quietly to what his distant cousin said, and then nodded in agreement. "Don't look at our family of 50,000 or 60,000 people with 20,000 people. I don't think we can win in a fight, and there are mountains on this side.

With so many people, even if they rob Mayi and leave, they might be caught by the tail, and thousands of people will die... But the second best, you said it yourself, if you really just retreat to Hexi without doing anything, it won't be possible in winter.

Are thousands of people still going to die? Why is it not worth it to exchange thousands of extra lives for a city's goods? Besides, we are not fools. Then General White Horse is going to Luoyang to cause trouble for Dong Xiangguo. He will chase him as far as the river at most.

It’s just on the side. Do you really want to cross the river with us to the place on the west side of the river where sheep don’t poop? Let’s run away and make rafts to cross the river together.”

Xu Bu takes second place and has nothing to say.

In fact, although Xubu Juci could not afford to eat a bowl of dumplings for decades, he was a noble Xiongnu descendant that had lasted for hundreds of years, and he was also the leader of the Xiongnu tribe with thousands of men. He still knew some things.

.

For example, he knew very well that this time he came to Mayi not because Xubu Guduhou, a great Chanyu, could not come if he didn't want to come, because this kind of large-scale military operation was not at all something that this Chanyu who was 'supported'

Able to be decisive.

They have lived in the Han territory for hundreds of years, and have been protected and canonized by the Han Dynasty. The "royal power" of the Huns actually comes from three sources, one is the tyranny of soldiers and horses, the other is the inheritance of blood, and the other is the canonization of the Han Dynasty... Dare to ask Xu Bu

What does the Marquis of Gudu have? He is just a man of power, and he is just barely able to do so. The rest of the tribes do not obey him at all!

But now, the leaders below all want to come over and grab a handful before leaving, so what can this big chanyu do?

"Take second place!" Xubu Zuci stopped talking, but Xubu Guduhou, the Shanyu, couldn't help but speak. "Actually, in the final analysis, we are too poor... I don't know that doing this will offend me.

General White Horse? Why don’t you know that the fifty or sixty thousand of us are all idiots? But ever since the Qiangqu Shanyu was killed by them and I was pushed by them to rebel, for such a long time, nothing has been accomplished at all, and neither have I.

Method!"

Subuki couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the excited and noisy people and horses at the foot of the mountain.

"The four counties of Hetao in the north are good, with abundant water and grass, but the population is sparse and there is not much oil and water at all. And even if you want to use it for grazing, you have to wait until next spring, and you have to compete with the Xianbei people again." Xu Bu

Marquis Gudu continued as if talking to himself. "Some people said that Taiyuan is rich before, but I don't know about Taiyuan. But there are so many checkpoints over there, and there are many more Han people than us, how can we get in? This is it.

Yanmen, even though we have been snatching it back and forth for more than half a year, their real big city, that is, those cities to the east of Wucheng, and Pingcheng, which one have we penetrated? Across such mountains, we have toiled a lot.

When we get to the bottom of the city, they have already fortified the city. When we leave, they will catch up and take a bite...This time it is really like what Old Man Zhang said, don't miss the opportunity before we come back!"

Xu Bu was even more speechless.

"Take second place!" Xubu Guduhou finally looked at his distant cousin and said sincerely. "It doesn't matter if it's good or not, let's take another gamble. Regardless of success or failure, we can reach the gate of Mayi City in two days at most.

Run... wait until we reach Hexi. The next year we will cross the river and go to Hetao to graze our cattle and stop fighting with the Han people! We will save ourselves from trouble!"

Subujuji nodded repeatedly.

"That's good. Aren't you worried that General White Horse will go south? You can come and cover the flanks." Upon seeing this, Xubu Gudu hurriedly struck while the iron was hot. "I will give you four thousand more people to make up for five or six thousand...

When we arrive at Wucheng, we will go to the south to fight with Old Man Zhang in Mayi. You will lead the troops around to the north of Wucheng to keep an eye on the reinforcements in the direction of Pingcheng in the north... In two days, we will really see people coming.

While you are running away, send someone a message. If they don't come, you can go back quickly and we can meet at the edge of the Yellow River behind you, or just to the west of the river."

Xubu Juci nodded helplessly, then reined in his horse and prepared to leave the plateau. However, after walking a few steps, he turned back on his horse and stared at the great Chanyu.

"Don't worry!" Xubu Guduhou Shanyu sighed. "I told those leaders that if they really robbed something, I will share it with you twice!"

Xubu Juci nodded again, then reined in his horse and drove away.

In this way, it was not until dusk that all the 50,000 to 60,000 horses gathered by the Huns passed through the narrow valley entrance.

In other words, this Taniguchi had no reputation at all in this era, and even the Great Wall was not built because there was no pressure from border defenses. However, a thousand years later in another time and space, there was a new structure built here due to the rise of Xixia and Liao.

This pass, called Pianguan, together with Yanmen Pass and Ningwuguan in the south of Mayi, is also known as the Three Passes in Northern Shanxi, and has given birth to a large number of tragic and heroic stories.

Of course, back to the present, there is not a single brick or half a story in the side pass at this time. However, the Xiongnu army marched eastward for another two days, but they ran into a side wall, which had already been

On the border wall that had been abandoned for hundreds of years, there were actually a few high platforms still in use. Seeing tens of thousands of Huns swarming over, the garrisoners hurriedly lit beacon fires, then turned around early and rode towards Wuzhou (later Shuozhou Pinglu).

) and left... In fact, these people were not serious garrison soldiers, but guards specially sent by the local Wuzhou County people in Yanmen who bore the brunt of the Bingzhou Rebellion to prevent these Huns from coming to rob.

The Xiongnu army didn't pay any attention to the guards fleeing towards Wuzhou. They climbed up the mountains in dense numbers, led their horses across the long-abandoned Great Wall within a wide area of ​​dozens of miles, and then mounted their horses again and galloped until

Approaching Wuzhou, which is a few miles away.

In Wuzhou City, the county magistrate and several heads of wealthy families had already left the city for Pingcheng. However, the officials, wealthy families, and young men who stayed behind in the county could not help but be stunned after closing the city gates and climbing to the top of the city in fear... It turned out that

, on the hillside that has become gentle to the west of Wuzhou City, countless Xiongnu soldiers and horses in tattered clothes swarmed down from the mountain, but they actually ignored Wuzhou, which was right in front of them but the city gate was closed, and instead divided it under the city.

Second, thousands of riders headed north towards the Pingcheng Road crossing, while most of the others rode continuously, galloping hard on the winter fields, heading straight for Mayi (later Shuozhou City) in the southeast of Wuzhou.

And half a day later, not even half of the Huns were left near Wuzhou City!

"What is the meaning of this?" On the city wall, the magistrate of Wuzhou County was puzzled. "The beacon fire has been lit, and Mayi and other cities should have been prepared... and General Wei led several

Ten thousand troops are in Pingcheng... What do these Huns think?"

"Perhaps our Wuzhou city wall is too high?" On the city top under the setting sun, among the many Wuzhou people, only one person answered his county magistrate's question, but no one believed his lies.

Wuzhou’s city walls are high, and Mayi even has a moat!

"Don't be stingy with horsepower!" Under the dusk, Xubu Guduhou, who was standing on the horse, had already changed his ferocious face. "If you go late, it will be difficult for the Zhang clan to change their minds! It's only five or six days from Wuzhou to Mayi.

Ten miles, we have traveled more than 20 miles, and we will go another 20 miles to rest ten miles in front of the city! When tomorrow dawns, tens of thousands of the entire army will be arrayed in front of the city. Those Zhang clan members will be scared to death.

You will be more confident about going to the city!"

The Hun nobles holding torches around them agreed loudly, and then turned around and walked southeast, as if they were extremely excited.

"Where's Old Man Zhang?!" Seeing the leaders disperse, Xubu Guduhou shouted again and again. "Didn't we agree to meet here? Didn't we say we found him? Why didn't he see anyone?"

"

"Why are you so anxious?" In the dusk, a slightly familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind. "I will be here when you give the order..."

"Clan Chief Zhang!" Xubu Guduhou immediately breathed a sigh of relief, but his tone was still stern. "I ask you, you should also know about the beacon fire in Wuzhou, why don't you help remove it?"

"Da Chanyu." Zhang Ze came under the torch and faced each other seriously. "If I withdrew the beacon fire, might Wuzhou be robbed by you? If you robbed Wuzhou, would you still risk coming to Mayi to pick up our Zhang family?

? Besides, if the beacon fires were not lit, how could the herdsmen and people outside the city be allowed to bring food, cattle and sheep into the city? The wealth of Mayi is not comparable to that of Wuzhou."

Xubu Guduhou reacted and laughed for a moment: "I was wrong. Chief Zhang, don't be angry. Tomorrow we will have to rely on you and your clan."

"Let's not talk about this matter... Da Shanyu." Zhang Ze looked serious, but took a step forward again. "We agreed in advance that it is okay to steal things, but we must do less killing. Otherwise, don't talk about us Zhang.

If you don't come back, you will also offend General Qiwei."

"Don't worry, I'll do my best." Xubu Guduhou said sincerely. "If I can avoid killing, I won't kill... In fact, the Hetao is vacant now, and General Baima just wants Yunzhonghuangganshui.

To the east, Wuyuan, Shuofang and other counties to the west are rich in water and grass. We are preparing to move there next year. If, Lao Zhang, you can persuade the people in the city to come with us, that would be even better!"

Zhang Ze twisted his beard thoughtfully.

And Xubu Guduhou did not force him, but kindly invited the other party to mount his horse and think about the matter while walking with him... In fact, whether he was holding these registered people hostage, killing them, or taking them hostage in their taste

It's okay to escape calmly. If you really enter the city, it's the Huns who have the final say. The only thing is that they have to rely on Zhang Ze to open the city tomorrow morning, so before that, they can only deal with it.

Not to mention the trivial matters between Xubu Guduhou and Zhang Ze, for most of the Huns, after several days of marching, and then a particularly hard night, they finally arrived more than ten miles away from Mayi City, an important town in the hinterland of Yanmen County.

.According to the plan, early the next morning, they would rush to the outside of Mayi City to demonstrate in formation, with tens of thousands of troops to intimidate the Zhang clan members in the city and ensure that the Zhang clan would not hesitate.

According to the Han military manual, this is called a raging fire that subdues the enemy without fighting.

Of course, that's what I mean. Only the military appearance of the Huns can only shock people's hearts with their numbers.

But no matter what, the Huns should have been extremely exhausted at this time, but for some reason, most of them at the road crossing, on the hillsides, in the fields, beside the streams, and on the plateau, whether they were the Huns aristocrats or the lower-class herdsmen of the Huns, were

They had no intention of going to sleep, but instead talked and laughed around a few fires. They talked about the wealth of Mayi, the wealth of the Han people, and the prosperity of the Xiongnu in the past. They seemed extremely excited.

In such a situation, Lord Xubu Gudu and some big nobles actually deliberately tried to stop it.

After all, even if the opening of the city goes smoothly tomorrow, there will still be a street fight to be fought.

And besides, no matter how rich Mayi City is, with its population, how can its wealth be divided among fifty or sixty thousand people? It’s just the chiefs and nobles sharing some, so how can it be the turn of these low-level herdsmen? In fact,

Not only do these herdsmen have no money to share with them, but according to the previous plan of the Huns nobles, if something goes wrong in Mayi, the general of Pingcheng Guard will act quickly, and he may have to separate some old and weak herdsmen to act as bait.

, covering most of the escape!

However, these nobles had just used Mayi's wealth to encourage these tribesmen to work hard a few days ago, so how could they change their tune before the war? Therefore, they could only pretend not to hear it.
To be continued...