Thousands of miles are covered with ice, and the snow falls silently.
Countless snowflakes fell on the slow-flowing Luo River, with almost no water patterns. The rustling sound made the river valley even more silent.
On one side of the river bank, on the wide shoal, a huge military camp has been set up. Countless tents stand on the river bank, arranged neatly one after another, like the black and white chess pieces falling on the chessboard, waiting for the chess player to move. The hand that changes clouds and rain.
Here is Yu Wenye's military camp.
He led 20,000 horses all the way eastward along the Luo River until they reached Luokou Ferry, where they set up camp at the nearest place to Huangtu Ridge. Although it was only a temporary camp, it was still hunting with flags, and the fighting was strict, making it intimidating. .
This is their second day here.
Early in the morning, while everyone was still making fire and cooking on the river beach, Yu Wenye had already walked out of the huge tent and walked slowly on the river beach. When he reached the river bank, a stream of cold water vapor rushed towards him.
He looked at the almost stagnant water under his feet, then raised his head and looked at the other side of the river.
The north bank is a vast snowy landscape. The hills, peaks, and ravines have been covered with snow for several days, and it is almost impossible to distinguish the height from the distance. No matter how the cold wind howls, not a single bird is seen flying among the mountains. The world seems to have turned into a silent, plain white splash-ink painting. As far as the eye can see, there is only boundless silver.
The snow-capped scenery extends into the distance, blending into the white clouds in the sky.
"Thousands of peaks lie in white snow, and thousands of mountains are always cuiwei."
Just as he sighed, there was a sudden noise in the military camp behind him, breaking the calm on the shoal.
Yu Wenye turned his head and saw several soldiers delivering food retreating from a huge tent after being yelled at. Immediately, several dishes flew out, and the porridge and vegetables inside spilled on the floor.
Yu Wenye frowned slightly.
Mu Xian walked out and whispered: "Young Master——"
Yu Wenye turned his face sideways: "In the army, there are no young masters."
When Mu Xian heard this, he quickly changed his words and said, "General."
"What's going on over there?"
"That eunuch, he's looking for trouble again."
"..."
"He insists that the food in the army is only pig food, and he wants the soldiers to prepare ten dishes and three soups for him, and all of them are palace delicacies."
"..."
"General, he has been dominating the army these days. He doesn't even listen to the general's words. There have been complaints in the army. If this continues, how can we fight this war?"
Yu Wenye was silent for a long time and said calmly: "He is a supervisor personally appointed by His Majesty the Emperor and has the power to supervise the troops. Moreover, he is accompanied by more than a dozen eunuchs and a group of imperial guards to protect him. I am the general. I can’t control him. Give him whatever he wants.”
"this--"
Mu Xian was unwilling, but had nothing to say, so he could only sigh and retreat.
After a while, the kitchen sent a few more food boxes to the tent. This time, I finally didn't get beaten or scolded again. However, after finishing the meal, those exquisite meals could only be eaten with one or two chopsticks. Someone took it out and threw it on the river beach.
The soldiers around him couldn't help but frown when they saw it.
After an unknown amount of time, a eunuch wearing a luxurious fox fur and a haughty face slowly walked out of the tent. ….
He is the supervisor of this expedition - Kou Yunliang.
This man was about thirty years old, fair and fat. He was obviously pampered, lazy and arrogant. He kept causing trouble for Yu Wenye along the way, especially after marching along the Luo River. He was either tired or dirty. , and even had to ride in a sedan chair in the army. Originally, Dongdu was only a few dozen miles away from Xingluocang, but he dragged him forcibly for three days before arriving here. There were already voices of dissatisfaction in the army. But there was nothing he could do about the supervisor who was personally appointed by the emperor.
At this moment, he walked out after having had enough wine and food, and strolled leisurely for a while. When he saw the tall figure on the river bank, he immediately walked up to him and said, "General."
Yu Wenye turned around and cupped his hands: "
Lord Kou. "
Kou Yunliang said: "Why hasn't the general sent troops yet?"
Yu Wenye said, "Does Master Kou know where to send troops?"
Kou Yunliang was stunned for a moment, then looked up to the north bank. In fact, when he passed Luokou Ferry yesterday, he saw a large mountain range clearly higher than the river valley in the vast snowy scenery on the north bank. He knew that ahead was dozens of miles of loess. Ridge, and among the mountains, you can faintly see the towering city wall, which is the wall of Cangcheng built by the imperial court here.
Kou Yunliang pointed at the city wall and said, "I have already seen the Cangcheng wall. Can't the general just send troops to knock it down?"
Yu Wenye said coldly: "Then, Master Kou, have you seen the road?"
"this--"
Kou Yunliang was stunned for a moment, then took a few steps forward. He looked carefully and found that he did not see any road leading to the mountain in the snowy scene.
Yu Wenye said: "The reason why Xingluocang is located here is because there is only one road up the mountain. It cannot be seen from here because the mountain road is narrow and you need to cross the ferry to see it. And even if you can see it, then The road is no more than ten feet wide, allowing only mules and horses to pass through. It is impossible for our troops to pass without disturbing Wang Gang's army - as soon as they get close, they will immediately provoke a counterattack."
Kou Yunliang said coldly: "What the general means is that when we get here, we won't fight?"
"..."
"If you don't fight, then why did the emperor send you here?"
Yu Wenye said: "Master Kou, when fighting a war, you must have a thorough plan."
Kou Yunliang sneered and said, "General, by the time you have a thorough plan, the day lilies will be cold. Let me tell you, the emperor sent us here to supervise the army because he will not allow anyone to delay the war and waste military rations."
Yu Wenye frowned slightly: "Master Kou, you sent out troops rashly, and the soldiers of the imperial court were sacrificed."
Kou Yunliang said angrily: "General, if you don't send troops immediately, don't blame us for taking a copy of you and saying that you respect your troops and intend to be detrimental to the court!"
"..."
Yu Wenye looked at the other party coldly.
Although Kou Yunliang was arrogant, when he met his sharp gaze, he felt a little weak in his heart and shrank subconsciously.
After a while, Yu Wenye let out a long breath and said, "Since Master Kou insists on sending troops, then——I will send troops."
Kou Yunliang immediately breathed a sigh of relief and sneered: "That's right, General, don't forget what your responsibilities are. If you can't conquer Xingluocang, your Majesty can promote you to the rank of second-grade general, or you can Into the eighteenth level of hell!”….
Yu Wenye gave him a cold look, said nothing, just turned around and walked back to the military camp.
Soon, a team of five hundred people was assembled.
They walked along the river beach under the Loess Ridge for several miles and finally found a road up the mountain. Sure enough, as Yu Wenye said before, this road was only more than ten feet wide, allowing only mules and horses to drive through. The two deep ruts left by the driving are like a long snake, silently circling through the mountains.
On both sides of the mountain road are towering mountain walls.
Although it is winter, the trees have already lost their leaves, leaving only withered branches. However, countless forest trees stand at random, still blocking the view. In addition, the heavy snow has blocked the mountains, making it impossible to see the mountains several feet away. There's something else on the wall.
Walking on this road, the soldiers also became cautious.
If they were marching in normal times, they could still march in an orderly manner, but on such a narrow mountain road, they could only walk up the mountain wall cautiously.
Kou Yunliang, who was standing not far from the foot of the mountain, saw this situation and said impatiently: "Why don't you hurry up? Go faster!"
Those soldiers looked at me and I looked at you, with hesitation on their faces.
Kou Yunliang said: "If you don't walk faster, don't blame me for whipping you. I can tell you that ahead is Xingluocang. If you can't defeat it, the emperor will punish you. Not only your crimes, but also your crimes." Even your family members must be held accountable together!”
When the soldiers heard this, they could only grit their teeth and walk up the mountain road with all their strength.
This slope is not long. After walking a few hundred steps, you can see the narrowest mountain road ahead. There is a faint light coming from inside. It looks like a tall mountain gate, and the road leading to the front is passing through. The narrowest mountain pass disappeared after that. Obviously, there was also a slope inside.
Even people with no military knowledge can see that this place is a natural pass.
If someone is guarding this place, it can be said that one man can guard the gate and no one can open it. However, there is no one guarding this place. The soldiers suddenly felt lucky and couldn't help but feel happy in their hearts - as long as they passed here, they could probably enter Xingluocang City. , if they can really win Xingluocang, it will be a great achievement for them!
Thinking of this, the soldiers walking in front quickened their pace, their faces full of hope.
However, Yu Wenye, who was standing at the foot of the mountain, had a solemn expression on his face.
Just as the soldiers were getting closer and closer to the mountain gate, suddenly, there was a loud rumble above their heads.
Someone said in surprise: "Is it thundering?"
"It's winter, how can there be thunder?"
"But, I think I heard thunder?"
"No, why do I feel like the road beneath my feet is shaking?"
Hearing the rumbling thunder getting closer and closer, everyone subconsciously looked up and immediately opened their eyes in fear.
Above their heads, on the towering mountain wall, suddenly countless huge black shadows fell down. When they looked closely, they saw that they were huge thunder stones and rolling logs!
"Run!"
"There's an ambush, run!"
As soon as the soldier walking at the front turned around and shouted, his vision went dark, and a huge thunder stone hit his head. Before he could even scream, he heard a loud bang and blood splashed from under the stone. He came out and sprayed all the soldiers following him.
These people were all stunned with fear!
The next moment, more thunderstones and rolling trees fell one after another. These people were like frightened birds, hurriedly running away, but the narrow mountain road did not allow them to escape. One after another, huge rocks fell, smashing these soldiers into bloody flesh. Mud and rolling logs crushed them all the way down the mountain road. Soon, blood sprayed on the mountain wall, completely dyeing the white snow red.
On the narrow mountain road, rumbling sounds gradually swallowed up the screams and screams of the soldiers. .
Leng Qingshan
