It was already September of the second year of Jian'an (197). It is the season of late summer and early autumn. It was also the harvest season in the Han region, and the herdsmen outside the Great Wall migrated in search of water and grass. Everything was very peaceful.
Yuyang Yongnu is a small town in the south of Yuyang County. When Wuhuan Tadun helped Yuan Shao attack Gongsun Zan, the place was affected by the war and many people were dispersed.
It wasn't until Yuan Tan took charge of Youzhou as a pastoralist that the people of Yongnu gradually moved back, but they were far less prosperous than when Liu Yu was in power.
At this time, Yongnu's radius of hundreds of miles was covered with Yuan Jun's ranger scouts, and all the key points leading to various places were blocked. However, from Jizhou and Shanggu County, a large number of baggage supplies continued to arrive.
In addition to civil and military officials, Yuan Xi and his party also had four hundred tiger guards. Before they entered Yongnu City, there were dozens of riders waiting for them on the road. Among them, a tall man in Tsing Yi, who was nearly thirty years old, stood out in particular. He was obviously not an ordinary person.
"How is the Second Young Master?" The tall man raised his hands and said, "I have come to seek refuge as promised, but I am a Peking native with a big appetite. I wonder if the Second Young Master is willing to part with the military rations."
"I don't believe that sir, you can feed two soldiers in one meal. That's enough." Yuan Xi said with a smile. This tall man was Tian Chou, who had an agreement with Yuan Xi in the past. Before leaving for the north, Yuan Xi sent someone to invite Tian Chou according to the residence he left.
"I'm joking, it's just an expedition to Liucheng. We must prepare enough food, grass and winter clothes, otherwise once the war is prolonged into winter, hundreds of thousands of people will be swallowed up by the snow and wind. This is how Gongsun Zan's expedition failed during the Ling Emperor's time. "Tian Chou reminded.
Yuan Xi took Tian Chou with him while chatting. He told him in detail about the preparation of the baggage and the division of troops for surprise attacks, intending to see his opinion.
"Young Master is right to show weakness by sending envoys. A surprise attack by sea is even better. It is indeed a good idea to purchase a large number of cattle and sheep. Not only can they carry heavy loads, but these animals do not need to be fed with beans. It would be best to slaughter them for military rations. ." Tian Chou praised, and he also gained a little more confidence in winning.
"I just don't know how many cattle, sheep and horses Yan Rou and Xian Yufu can buy." Yuan Xi said uncertainly.
Tian Chou smiled and said, "Don't worry, young master, Yan Rou is still very powerful in Shanggu, and the people of both Hu and Han people support him, so there is no problem with this military supplies."
"Last time I asked you to help me survey the terrain of the three counties, but I haven't asked you how to arrange the march?" Yuan Xi asked modestly.
"The Wuhuan people in the three counties also live in pursuit of water and grass. In the summer, most tribes will move to the grasslands north of Liucheng to graze. In autumn and winter, they often go south to Liaoxi and Youbei to attack the enemy. So today the Wuhuan people in Youbeiping and Liaoxi are The Huan tribe is smaller. But it is also very difficult to hide from their eyes and ears." Tian Chou explained.
"I wonder if you, sir, can find out if there is a side road leading to Liucheng?" Yuan Xi tried to ask again. He remembered that in history, Tian Chou offered advice to go north from Lulongsai.
Hearing this, Tian Chou nodded. He answered truthfully, "I am from Beiping. I have traveled to Liaodong several times since I was a child. Every time I would ask the locals about the road terrain. Instead of going to Liucheng from western Liaoning, you can also leave Lulong and cross Yanshan along the Luan River, and then cross The Great Wall and Li Ping Gang attacked Liucheng directly from White Wolf."
Yuan Xi was stunned for a moment. He was familiar with the place names mentioned by Tian Chou, but he was used to looking at maps and didn't know the location of these place names at all. So after entering Yongnu, they obtained a small marching map of the Youzhou area, and a group of civil and military officials began to discuss the marching route.
After Tian Chou's explanation on the march map, Yuan Xi realized that the side roads he was talking about were actually very tortuous, and many places were in the barren mountains and ridges that were inaccessible to people. Not to mention the rudimentary roads, there were no roads in ancient times.
But in order to achieve the purpose of the raid, Yuan Xi and the others had to choose such a side road. Although the journey is difficult, Yuan Xi believes that if Cao Cao passed it in history, he will definitely be able to pass it if he is more prepared.
While everyone was discussing, the herald reported that Yan Rou, Xian Yufu and others had led their troops to Yongnu.
Yuan Xi immediately led everyone to greet him, especially old acquaintances Tian Chou, Xian Yufu, and Yan Rou couldn't help but sigh when they met.
"General, since I received your letter, I have collected all the horses, cattle and sheep that can be purchased from Shanggu and even Daijun. In addition, I have also invited some Xianbei guides who have been to Liucheng to wait for the general's dispatch." Xian Yufu Said loudly.
Yan Rou also said: "Among the herdsmen from the upper valley, I have carefully selected two thousand cavalry to go out with the general."
"Okay!" Yuan Xi happily gave up his seat and said, "With the help of these two people, there is no need to worry about the injustice of Wuhuan in the three counties."
Xian Yufu smiled and said modestly, "Now that I am a scholar, I cannot go into battle with the general to kill the enemy. I can only collect these things for the general. However, my younger brothers, General Xian Yuyin and General Yan Rou, can go out with the army together." .”
"Okay, if we can defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, I will remember you for your great contribution." Yuan Xi said. These words are not false, because when deploying troops, logistics support comes first. Don’t you see Xiao He?
"I wonder if the general will decide on the date and route for dispatching troops?" Yan Rou asked.
Yuan Xi nodded. Let Tian Chou tell you the marching route.
Yan Rou frowned and said, "This road is very difficult and dangerous. If there is no one who is familiar with the terrain to lead the way, it will be difficult for the army to pass. Even if Mr. Tian and herdsmen guide the way, it will not be easy to camp in the mountains to collect water for cooking. Among my subordinates, Most of them are Hu people herdsmen, they are good at traveling in the mountains, so let my troops be the pioneers!"
"This couldn't be better!" Yuan Xi felt relieved. In terms of survival skills in the wild, those herders were indeed very good at it.
Liucheng.
Compared with the cities in the Central Plains, Liucheng is not big. It's just a small town. Most of the people living in the city were Wuhuan nobles, and the general herdsmen were stationed near Liucheng.
The reason why Liucheng was chosen as the royal city was that it not only had a convenient water source, but also controlled the throat of western Liaoning. Moreover, to the north of Liucheng was a prairie with lush water and grass, which was a good place for herdsmen to graze, and they could move forward and retreat freely.
At this time, Yuan Tan angrily brought Xin Ping and Zang Hong to the so-called "King's Court" in Tadun.
The carpet in the spacious hall was made of precious animal skins, and bows, arrows, swords and guns were hung on both sides. Other utensils also show the roughness of the Hu people. Beside the hall are Han Chinese wine vessels such as statues and pots, and a roasted lamb in the middle.
Tadun, who had a thick yellow beard on his face, was sitting on a large barbarian chair, with five or six barbarian generals sitting on both sides. In the hall, there were also Wuhuan girls dancing the Hu dance, and Han maids serving Tadun and others.
Suddenly, Tadun pushed away the maid pouring wine next to him. He cursed in Wuhuan dialect: "Despicable servant, you poured wine and spilled it on me! I don't want to live anymore!"
The maidservant was trembling all over, and there were particularly conspicuous bruises on her fair arms. It was obvious that the force just now was not light.
"Why should Chanyu be angry with her? Just feed her to the dogs." A Hu general next to him said with a smile.
"Beisuji, isn't this a waste? Let the brothers enjoy it first, and then feed it to the dogs!" Another Hu general said with a smile.
"Que Li, I know you like Han women, but I don't like them! Our Wuhuan girls are good enough." Hu Jiang, whose name was Bei Suji, scolded.
Hu Jiang, whose name was Que Li, laughed: "Then next time I go south to Han Dynasty, how about I trade my jewels for the Han women you snatched?"
The maid who was pushed to the ground was not familiar with Wuhuan dialect. But she vaguely heard the general idea. I couldn't help but fainted.
At this time, Tadun saw Yuan Tan and others walking in, so he waved his hand: "Stop jumping. Drag her down and give it to the brothers to enjoy."
Fortunately, Cai Yan was snatched away by Yuan Xi, otherwise the fate of the maid just now would have been inevitable, even if she was a so-called talented woman.
Several Hu dancers bowed respectfully and then retreated. The two Hu soldiers beside them excitedly picked up the maid and walked out. Her miserable fate was doomed.
When Yuan Tan came to the middle of the hall, he couldn't help but frown. Then his eyes turned from the maidservant to Tadu, and said angrily: "Chanyu, what on earth do you mean!"
"Bold!" Bei Suji stood up and shouted.
Tadun's eyes were gloomy. He waved his hand for Bei Suji to sit down, and then asked in Chinese: "My eldest son, what are you talking about? Is this Shanyu's hospitality bad?"
Yuan Tan ignored Xin Ping's look and said loudly: "Chanyu, did you accept Yuan Xi's gift and still want to give me to him?"
"Hmph! If this Shanyu really thinks so, you, eldest son, can no longer stand here." Tadun sneered.
"Then Shanyu, why did you do that and greet the people sent by Yuan Xi?" Yuan Tan asked.
"Although this Chanyu wants to help you capture Hebei, they are envoys sent by Yuan Xi. If they are not greeted well, won't they lose the dignity of the Wuhuan tribe? You Han people also say that the envoys will not be killed when the two countries are in war. Young Master, if you keep asking me to kill the envoy, isn't it unfair to Shan Yu?" Tadun asked in return.
"This..." Yuan Tan was speechless for a moment.
Xin Ping saw that Yuan Tan was in embarrassment, so he tried to help: "Don't blame Shanyu, my young master is really impatient. But Shanyu, think about it, my young master was framed by Yuan Xi, causing the property to be occupied. No matter who you are, you will be anxious." I am very angry. Moreover, although we have been taken in by you, Shanyu, you are willing to lend troops to the young master, but after all, we are living in a foreign country. If you, Shanyu, listen to Yuan Xidi's slander, my young master will be in danger."
Tadun wiped his thick beard and said: "Since this Chanyu promised to help the young master regain his family property, even if the sky falls, we Wuhuan people will not change our promise. This Chanyu accepted Yuan Xi He also gave them gifts and promised to be friends with them. This just made Yuan Xi mistakenly think that the Shanyu was afraid of him. As long as he was not careful, he might not know what was going on when we reached Yecheng. Haha!"
"Then Shanyu, why don't you hurry up and gather troops to attack Yuan Xi? You must know that he has just occupied Jizhou and Youzhou, and his foundation must be unstable. Moreover, the troops in Hebei have been in battle for a long time and are now weak. If he sends troops at this time We will be able to capture Yecheng in one fell swoop. But if we delay and allow Yuan Xi to recover, it will be time-consuming and laborious to capture Jizhou!" Yuan Tan said anxiously, this is what Xin Ping taught him in advance.
Tadun picked up the wine bowl and said impatiently: "My lord, don't you know that now is the time for grazing? If we don't fatten the war horses here, how will the Queen of Autumn go south to attack Jizhou?"
Xin Ping took a step forward. He said: "Yuan Xi will definitely be prepared for Shanyu to go south in autumn and winter, but if you go south early at this time, Yuan Xi must not be prepared. After conquering Youzhou and Jizhou, there will be plenty of money and food, will Shanyu still be afraid that he will not survive the winter? "
Tadun's heart moved. He looked at several generals and asked, "What do you think?"
Que Li shook his head and said: "For generations, our ancestors didn't wait for the war horses to gain fat before going south in autumn and winter? What we plunder every year is only enough to survive the severe winter and spring famine. If we don't fatten the war horses, cattle and sheep, what will happen again?" If we cannot conquer Youzhou and Jizhou, hundreds of thousands of people in our tribe will starve to death!"
"The water and grass are luxuriant now, so we can't abandon the grassland and go south!" Another Hu general named Ke Bili also advised.
"It's up to you to decide. But the herdsmen will not agree to give up grazing!" Bei Suji also objected.
Tadun, who was still a little excited at first, was immediately overwhelmed by the outcry of opposition.
"Chanyu, Yuan Xi will definitely treat the eldest young master as a thorn in his flesh. He will not let you take the eldest son in. If you don't take a preemptive strike, then Yuan Xi will calm down and send troops to attack you!" Xin Ping advised! .
"Haha!" Que Li laughed arrogantly, "Liucheng is so far away from Jizhou. I think Gongsun Zan had no choice but to wait for us. Does Yuan Xi also want to attack us?"
The few generals below all laughed loudly, as if they had heard a big joke. Xin Ping also didn't expect that Yuan Xi would conquer Wuhuan, the three counties, so quickly. He wanted to stimulate Tadun. But the ridicule he received made him extremely embarrassed.
"Stop laughing!" Tadun raised his hand. Let everyone calm down, "Mr. Xin's words are not unreasonable. When we fight for hunting, we also pay attention to detection. In half a month, let the Zuoxian and Mengmi tribes return to Liucheng to rest, and let them go south to investigate first. Let’s find out what Yuan Xi is doing. Most of our troops will give Yuan Xi’s four states a hard blow just like Mr. Qiu Liju did back then when the autumn is high!”
"Okay! Back then, when I followed Lord Qiu Liju, I fought as far as Qingzhou in the Han region. I fought so hard that the Han people ran away when they saw us!" Que Li laughed and said, "Now the Shanyu also led us to fight. Go to Qingzhou and capture some Han women from Qingzhou to play with!"
Yuan Tan frowned. He hated the vulgarity of these barbarians, but now that he was living under someone else's roof, he had to endure it.
Tadun's eyes were deep and he suddenly said: "My eldest son, I heard that your wife contracted a cold on the way to Liucheng and is still bedridden, right?" In fact, he was already thinking about Yuan Tan's wife.
Yuan Tan didn't know what Tadun meant, so he carefully replied: "I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm already feeling better."
Tadun waved his hand and said, "This remote place of ours cannot compare with the prosperity of your Han land. Are you still used to it, eldest son?"
"We are all used to Shan Yu's meticulous care." Yuan Tan Hanhan replied.
"Alas!" Tadun sighed: "This place is no better than your Han country, especially the wind at night is quite cold. Master, you don't have anyone to help warm your bed. I, as the master, feel sorry for you!"
Yuan Tan was confused when he heard this, and wondered why Tadun still cared about whether he slept with a woman.
"Haha! Shanyu should find a girl to accompany the eldest son, otherwise the north wind blows so hard at night that he won't be able to sleep!" Que Li said with a smile.
Tadun nodded and said, "I have a niece who is just old enough to get married. I wonder if the eldest son would accept her?"
"Ah!" Yuan Tan was taken aback, "How can I feel so good about Shan Yu being so kind? But I already have a wife. Wouldn't it be a hardship for my niece to let her come with me?"
Tadun smiled: "I sincerely treat you as a friend, and you will definitely not treat my niece as a concubine, right?"
"Thank you so much to Shanyu. I will definitely take good care of your niece." Yuan Tan thought that Tadun was trying to win over him, and there was nothing wrong with accepting a woman, so he agreed.
However, Xin Ping frowned on the side. He vaguely guessed that Tadun wanted to take the opportunity to control Yuan Tan. Moreover, his niece is Yuan Tan's first wife. If Tadun manages to let that Hu girl replace Yuan Tan's original wife, he can better control Yuan Tan. Xin Ping had originally heard of Tadun's Wuhuan title of "Modun", but only then did he realize how ambitious he was.
"Chanyu, Mr. Yuan's general will come to report important matters." A Hu Bing ran into the hall and said.
Tadun nodded and asked Hu Bing to come in.
After a while, an anxious-looking general came in, whispered a few words to Yuan Tan, and then handed him a letter.
After hearing this, Yuan Tan's expression changed drastically, and he said anxiously to Tadun: "Chanyu, Yuan Xi gathered his troops and set off secretly, rushing to Liucheng!"
