Ruan Qianren's expression suddenly changed and he stared at Baihua and Canglan County on the map.
Yunchui has always been the overlord on land. Managing its huge territory is enough for the emperor and ministers to keep busy. They really have no time to spend on the surrounding "barbarian lands".
Otherwise, the Yankuo Fortress would not be built only in Pingxi County, but thousands of miles to the west.
Otherwise, more than 40 years ago, there would no longer be the Five Southern Countries in the world, but they should be called the Five Southern Counties or the Five Southern Counties of Fengjun.
"Guan Shui immediately boarded the ship and went to sea to intercept the Yunchui people heading south at all costs. At the same time, he reported back to the capital and reminded the king to be on guard against the East China Sea."
After saying that, Ruan Qianren's eyes slid down and landed on the sea not far east of the capital of Nanfeng Kingdom.
Giant Turtle Island.
Although the island is named "giant", it is actually not very big, and the land is full of sand and rocks, making it unsuitable for living and farming.
But as long as Yun Chui sends people to the island, he will always keep an eye on the capital and grain-producing areas to the west. Nanfeng had no other choice but to move the capital or obediently surrender.
It's just a small island. If you want to raise rich Yunchui, you can definitely afford it.
Ruan Qianren felt regret for a moment.
Knowing that the Starfall Army had already switched defenses to the south, he still sent people to lick the tiger's beard?
I thought that Yun Chui wouldn't be able to spare time to deal with the affairs in the south, so they just took the opportunity to take advantage of it and at the same time disgust Xingluo Ren.
I really can’t eat and walk around now.
But Ruan Qianren was a little confused again, and his eyes returned to Zhennan Pass again.
Did this old rival Yuan Xingwen take the wrong medicine?
He has been stationed at Zhennanguan for more than ten years, and he has always preferred silence to movement.
In the past, Nanfeng spies and scouts would just disguise themselves and go to Zhennanguan to check the situation, but no one would pay attention. Now he even beats the drum from time to time to scare Hu Chou Guan!
Could it be that those who are close to vermilion are red, and those who are close to ink are black?
Zhennanguan, the main tent of the Chinese army.
The military supervisor Yin Bao also had this doubt.
He glanced at the south covertly and politely handed over his hand.
"General Yuan, I have been working with you for eleven years. The general has always served the country diligently and conscientiously in guarding the border, and I have noticed it. When my term of office expires next year, I will be designated as a general after returning to the imperial capital. I will present it in front of the Holy Emperor and the Minister of War. Many kind words.”
He changed his tone: "In this chaotic moment, the general cannot make Fang look bad."
Yuan Xingwen polished the glossy sword calmly.
He smiled and shook his head: "Fang Jianjun's words are serious. You can rest assured. I just let people beat the drum occasionally and have no other intention. When his term is completed next year, I will ensure that Fang Jianjun can return to the imperial capital lightly."
"Is it really just drum beating?" Fang Yinbao obviously didn't believe it.
His surname is Fang, and he is the second master of the Yongchang Marquis Mansion. His ancestors were also granted the title of Marquis on horseback. The reason why he went to Zhennanguan to serve as a military supervisor was just for gilding experience. He was not an eunuch like Eunuch Shao who had lived in the palace for a long time and could be easily fooled.
Just as Yuan Xingwen was about to reply, there was a loud "bao" sound outside.
The messenger rushed in, "General, the north gate of Huchou Pass is wide open. Tens of thousands of people are boarding the ship and preparing to sail eastward to the sea."
"I know, let them go. It's probably the same as last time. I'm planning to go to Canglan County to become a pirate." Yuan Xingwen said calmly and waved the messenger to rest.
Fang Yinbao's brows jumped.
He also knew what happened more than half a month ago, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
"Canglan County, that's Yun Chui's medicine warehouse. Now Nan Feng is going to make a sneak attack!" He almost jumped up, "Is the general so indifferent?"
Yuan Xingwen spread his hands innocently: "Did the supervisor forget? Just now you reminded me not to act rashly."
"That's different." Fang Yinbao beat his chest in anger, "Your Majesty means that we must not take the initiative to provoke in order to avoid causing disputes between the two countries. Now that Nan Feng is coming to kill us, we naturally cannot sit still and wait to be killed."
Yuan Xingwen looked at him silently for a long time, then suddenly nodded and said: "All officers and men, listen to the order."
The generals in the room stood up with a roar, "My subordinates are here!"
"At midnight tonight, send out troops!"
————
It was getting dark and the fog seemed to be getting thinner.
In the past two days, drums were beaten and troops were sent out. The continuous torment made the entire Huchou Mountain become dead silent. It seems that the sounds of birds and animals have decreased a lot.
Ren Ning picked up the binoculars and looked towards Huchou Valley, and could vaguely see Nanfeng's gang leaders carrying torches and carrying food and grass.
"Give me the order. When the hourglass breaks, it means the hour has arrived. We will attack as planned."
Everyone's spirits were lifted.
Because I brought a raincoat to block the rain and heavy fog, I didn't feel cold even after being in ambush for a whole day. But the mosquitoes in the mountains were really annoying, and many soldiers almost scratched their faces. Now that they heard that they could finally leave this hellish place, everyone couldn't help but be overjoyed.
Now that he had made a decision, Ren Ning stopped thinking about it and fell asleep.
Time passed little by little.
When the hourglass was about to break, Xiao Gang next to him was hesitating whether to wake him up, but Ren Ning had already raised his head.
He looked to the sky while arranging his weapons.
The dark night sky was filled with stars, and the fog seemed to be thinner. The sky in the north was quiet, and there was no sign of the cloud-penetrating arrow rising.
Sudden!
Boom, boom, boom!
The war drums that Hu Chou had closed started to beat again, and unlike at noon and afternoon, the drum beats became more and more intense this time, and even included countless marching shouts.
finally come.
Ren Ning felt relaxed and tense at the same time, but after taking a look at the hourglass, he ignored it.
"Up!" He waved his hand and rushed to the cliff without hesitation, dropped the rope, and quickly slid to the bottom of the valley.
The entire fifth battalion has undergone such training. At this time, seeing Qian Chang descending, everyone scrambled up from the mud, rushed to the edge of the cliff, threw down the rope, and descended.
After landing in a buffer, Ren Ning looked around.
The fog at the bottom of the valley is even thicker, and the wind lanterns far and near are only vaguely visible.
He simply ignored the numerous warehouses and rushed directly to the entrance of the valley with Lei Er, Xiao Gang and a hundred soldiers.
When passing by the warehouse, everyone would encounter some busy Nanfeng gang leaders from time to time.
It's just that the fog at the bottom of the valley is so thick that you can't tell whether it's an enemy or a friend until you're in front of your eyes. But as long as the opponent has strong mosquito repellent powder on him, Ren Ning will not hesitate to kill him with a knife.
For a time, the entire Huchou Valley was filled with screams.
"General, it seems that there is really a large army in the north attacking Huchou Pass." Lei Er said as he chopped off the head of a Nanfeng soldier with a knife.
"That's best." Ren Ning nodded.
He also heard the panic in front of Huchou Guan, "Then there won't be so much pressure on our side."
While talking, they rushed to the mouth of the valley, chose a relatively narrow place, and immediately set up defensive and blocking fortifications.
It has been rainy and foggy for the past two days, and the drums are beating and making noises from time to time when the door is closed. The sentinels on the left and right mountains are numb and tired. When Captain Qian of the 1st and 2nd Battalions rushed in with his men, they were all killed without ceremony before they even realized what was happening.
Without any instructions, the first five hundred men of each battalion immediately brought hoes, shovels and other tools to widen the road to the valley bottom so that the fifth battalion could retreat as soon as possible.
The last five hundred people set up their positions, drew their bows and aimed at the passage from Huchou Pass, ready to release arrows as soon as the enemy came within range.
And the valley floor behind him was already crackling with brilliant fire.
Huchou Pass
Someone rushed into the tent.
"General, I don't know whether it was an attack or a fire in Huchou Valley. There was a fire inside. But the sentries on the two mountains on the left and right did not say anything. General Shan has heard the news and led his subordinates to check."
As soon as Ruan Qianren heard the urgency, he rushed out of the tent in a few steps and looked up to the west.
Sure enough, the flames flickering in the direction of Huchou Valley had already turned half of the valley red.
"Damn it!" he yelled, "It's obviously an enemy attack, what's the matter?"
It has been rainy and foggy these past few days, and the air is so humid that water can come out of it. It is not so easy to catch a fire.
"Send 20,000 troops over immediately. We must extinguish the fire and the Yunchui people who attacked us."
