Shi Sang came out of Shicheng and walked at the forefront of the army. So he was able to follow the Sanchuan River and watch row after row of swans flying across the sky. The greenery along the road had begun to bloom, and red locust trees were stuck on it. The rare heavy rain covered everything he could see with a hazy mist of water vapor. White clouds were in the sky and loess was on the ground. He could smell the fragrance of sowing, which made him feel anxious.
In the past, when they were farming and grazing, Jie people did not know the year and month, only day and night. Work when the sun rises and rest when the sun sets. This is true in childhood and in old age. The ignorant Jianji people spend this life, even if they are deprived, they still enjoy working. It's just a habit developed over decades, but it seems not worth mentioning in the face of war.
March is already late spring, and the spring planting season is about to pass. Small tribes have difficulty in raising livestock and rely more on farming. Not to mention the small tribe of Jie people. When the Xiongnu conscripted them, they did not consider their livelihood. They conscripted almost all the men. As for the After the war ends, what will happen to the Jie people? It's just death or slavery.
But for Shi Sang, this is nothing to complain about. Previously at Quyu City, King Xiutu used Zahu as the vanguard, and the Shi clan was not selected by luck. Compared with the other Zahu who struggled in the swords of the two armies as outcasts on the battlefield, rising and falling in the rolling river and wailing, they These slave-born slaves are extremely lucky to be alive and able to walk on this land.
Shi Sang is a smart man. As the leader of the Shi tribe, he has come into contact with the noble Huns from all walks of life. Therefore, he has already understood this truth. However, sometimes he occasionally dreams of living in other people's lives. He is also familiar with the Huns. Decades of life have not made him discover anything different, except that he seems to be inherently inferior. He had never felt that way, but seeing that disdainful look for a long time made him unconsciously look for what was wrong with him.
Until I met the current prefect, who was very young, a few years younger than me, but his eyes were sad and gentle, and his smile was affirmative and sincere. He didn't look like a Han at all, because he couldn't see the reason. Pride and impulsiveness born from the bones. But he must be a Han Chinese, and probably only Han people have that kind of firm eyes that will not disappear even until death.
He said to himself: "Because I have nothing, I have infinite possibilities." This made him feel aloof and aloof for no reason. Therefore, Shi Sang couldn't help but reflect on himself again and again, whether this was correct. But a thought has been deeply rooted in his mind and he can't get rid of it.
Would someone like Chen Chong be defeated just because of the difference in military strength? Shi Sang didn't believe it. But can he win with this? Shi Sang couldn't believe it either. He who prided himself on being smart couldn't judge the outcome at this moment, but he had already sensed from the development of the situation in January that the outcome had reached an extremely sensitive point.
Although the Xiongnu army had a unified command, it was actually a coalition. When the troops were divided, King Xiutu ordered the forward troops to be organized into two units of Zahu in the front and two Xiongnu units in the rear. This is the organization of an army. One is to prevent the Zahu from escaping. The second is to reduce Huns casualties. Shi Sang was the vanguard this time, and the entire army spread out like flying geese, slowly marching forward at a speed of twenty miles per day.
This is certainly not a normal speed. Qiequ in the army heard that while King Ri Zhu was waiting for the new chanyu's order, he was sending people to rush to control King Zuo Xian's royal flag. Before these two things were completed, Li Shi He could walk the 150 miles to Quyu for several years.
The leaders of the various tribes in the army discussed privately: "Although King Ri Zhu has made great achievements, he is too arrogant towards the Shan Yu and other kings. Things will turn against him when things are extreme. Yizhi Xie Shan was defeated by the Shan Yu that year. He inherited the extreme martial arts of the Xiongnu, but he also We were driven away from Mobei by Emperor Wu. We raised troops to cause chaos, but we were just trying to survive. How could we cause trouble?"
Even so, when they met King Sun Zhu, everyone was unwilling to openly object, and then presented him with congratulatory gifts, such as good bows, Qi Ji, fur robes, etc.
It is different from the speculations of King Xiutu and others. Except for King Sun Zhu, all his subordinates first witnessed the brutal attack and defense of Quyu, and after a hasty field battle with Wang Kui, they won overnight, and the whole army actually felt timid to fight. Even if they felt that something was wrong, they just went with the flow. ,keep mistake.
Two days later, the army marched to the foot of Lin County. The result was a surprising scene. When King Sun Zhu was in Lishi, although he wasted his chance to bargain with Huliba, he was not idle after all. He also sent scouts to spy on the military situation in the cities along the way.
Quyu City is still under heavy siege, but after breaking the siege that day, Chen Zhichong only sneaked along the mountain road. At the same time, it rained heavily, making the mountain road muddy and difficult to navigate. No one knew where he was now. In addition to Xihe County, which is still in the hands of the Han army, there are still four counties: Gaolang, Yonghe, Linxian and Zhongyang.
Zhongyang is a strong city in Xihe County. It was renovated three times during the city's construction and has been completely replaced with brick walls. It is very strong. Now it is guarded by the remnant soldiers of Lishi, so it is unlikely to cause serious trouble.
Lin County is the second largest city in Xihe County. After hearing that Lishi had fallen, all the garrison troops in the city had evacuated to Yonghe County, leaving only the county residents who were unwilling to evacuate.
Yonghe County was established as a new county this year because of Chen Chong's petition to the imperial court. But in fact, it has been half a year since Chen Chong recruited Baibo civilians to cultivate here. The people of the county have been favored by Chen Chong and have been in Baibo's army for a long time. Everyone is capable of fighting. In addition, Lin County garrison has been gathered. Although the city defense is sparse, there is no one. Willing to fight.
Gaolang County is located in the mountains, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but it is not a key place, and there are not many defenders when it comes. In order to concentrate its military power, the Sun Zhu King will not divide the troops to occupy it. What's more, it was raining heavily today, and it was difficult to even detect the military situation. After several inspections, the scouts only said that they saw remnants of previously defeated soldiers gathering towards them, so Zadu didn't take it to heart.
Although Zadu said that greed blinded his heart, the prairie wolf still had instincts even when he was full. It would be unwise to capture Zhongyang or Yonghe, so the plan was to capture only Lin County, even if it was an empty city, but as long as Quyu was captured, most of the danger points of Xihe would be in the hands of the Hu people, and even if the Han reinforcements arrived, they would be unable to do anything.
Unexpectedly, when they arrived in front of Lin County, Lin County was not an empty city. Instead, the city gates were wide open. Lin County Magistrate Liu Hu and the county officials went out of the city three miles away to welcome Zadu. Shi Sang was very surprised when he saw the people behind him eating pots of pulp and displaying them on the side of the road. Liu Hu went forward and confessed that he was willing to offer the city to the army. After hearing this, Qiequ hurriedly rode his horse to report to the Japanese king.
Zhadu, the king of Sun Zhu, was also in disbelief. He confirmed again and again. He changed his hesitant attitude before and rushed straight to Lin County City with his relatives and followers. He called Liu Hu to come and ask about the situation in the city. He first asked: "How many Han people are there in the city?"
Liu Hu replied: "There are still more than 4,700 Han people in Lin County."
He also asked: "I have heard that the Han Dynasty governs the country with loyalty and filial piety. Mr. Liu is honored as the county magistrate. He should have the virtue of loyalty and filial piety. Why do you surrender to me?"
Liu Hu naturally replied: "As usual, Liu Hu, the king who presented the city, betrayed the kindness of the Han Dynasty. However, Chen Shijun sent a message to Hu the day before yesterday. A gentleman should know the destiny, know the current situation, and bring blessings to all people. He should not abide by the old law. I have no soldiers to defend the city, I have taken the people far away, and I have no money and food to settle them. The king has the power of victory and is honored as a Shan Yu noble. I have no other choice but to dedicate the city to the king and provide the people with food to return the hope. The king restrains his subordinates and does not disturb the peace of the people."
When King Ri Zhu heard the words "Chen Shijun", he was moved and asked again: "Chen Shijun is really an outstanding person! It's just that Xiao Wang heard that ten months ago, Chen Shijun broke out and disappeared. County Magistrate Liu Did you sue me?"
Liu Hu bowed and replied: "Chen Shijun has gone to the capital with more than a thousand cavalry on the trail. He wrote to me and said that he would propose to recruit the Hu army at the court meeting and send angels to discuss with the kings of your country about the candidate for Shanyu. Xu Bufei is of the Luotang family and has no relatives in the Han Dynasty, and the Qiangqu lineage is not tolerated by the people of your country. According to Chen Shijun, there is only one person, and he must be the king!"
After saying that, Liu Hu took out a silk book from his sleeve pocket and handed it to Zadu. The back of the silk book was stamped with the seal of the Governor of Xihe. Zadu looked at it carefully and smiled happily: "God bless you, since Chen Shijun has such good intentions, this king is disrespectful."
So he gave Liu Hu a red horse and went with him, leading three thousand tribesmen into the city. The newly made king's flag was hung high on the city tower, and the green eagles were hunting and fluttering in the sun. The rest of the soldiers were stationed outside the city to rest, and the Huns were busy setting up camp and lighting fires. The Huns were talking a lot about Liu Hu's dedication to the city.
Shi Sang directed the tribesmen to dig a trench from the camp to the river to drain out the accumulated water in the camp. However, he recalled Liu Hu's words in his mind and looked at the city tower in the distance. Suddenly, something moved in his heart and he said to the two tribesmen beside him: "Let's go with you tonight." I’m going out to camp.”
