"The Qin army has withdrawn!"
The situation in Henan has changed faster than Touman Shanyu imagined.
The large Qin army that blocked the river went south, leaving only a small force to hold on. This was a signal that the war situation had changed.
Touman Shanyu had no idea of leading his troops southward immediately.
He was deceived once by Zhao Tuo in Dai, and he already had a foresight. What if this was another Qin people's trick to lure the Xiongnu to the south of the river, and then surround him? .
When the time comes, the Huns will have a big river on their backs and it will be difficult to cross them in a hurry. Will they have to be dealt with by the Qin army?
A smart wolf king will not be deceived by a hunter for a third time.
So Touman Shanyu just sent out scouts again to investigate. He didn't want to put himself in danger before getting specific information.
When the spies sent by the Xiongnu were shot dead again by the Qin soldiers who stayed behind, they were about to send another group of people over to find out the information no matter what.
The last group of Qin people stationed in the river suddenly retreated, abandoning their helmets and armor, and fled in a panic, even throwing some of their strategic supplies into the river.
Touman Chanyu reined in his horse and stood by the river, looking at the torrential water rolling around the clothes and food of the Qin people, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.
"Da Chanyu, our people saw that the Qin army threw many of their soldiers into the river and rode away overnight. It seems that they were defeated by the Yuezhi in the south, otherwise they would not have lost these precious things. I threw them all away just to run faster.”
Zuogudu Hou Huyanzi laughed loudly, and the surrounding Huns nobles also nodded.
In the eyes of the Huns, food is a life-saving thing, and weapons and armor are treasures that protect life. They can never be discarded unless it is absolutely necessary.
Now the Qin people who stayed behind fled with Qingqi and abandoned the supplies, which showed that they had reached a very urgent time.
"Whether the Yuezhi people win or the Qin people win, they will definitely lose their strength. Great Chanyu, this is our opportunity. Quickly lead our warriors south, enter the south of the river, and recapture us The land of the Huns!”
Wulu Xu, King of Zuo Guli, stepped forward on horseback, looking at the south of the river with hatred.
That's his ranch.
Touman Shanyu refused with a smile: "Wuluxu, don't be anxious. When wolves hunt, you must first see clearly which beast is the weakest before attacking."
"So let's let our people go to the south to investigate first and see who is the most suitable weak beast to be hunted."
Touman Shanyu's words were reasonable, but the reality was that his people had just crossed the river and quickly ran back again, bringing back new news.
"The Yuezhi people are coming!"
…
South of the river, a black-armored torrent came from the south.
"Oh my god, this place is full of yellow sand. It's even scarier than the Gobi Desert in the south. People can't survive here at all. What's there to fight for in a place like this!"
Among the army, Fan Kuai and Cao Shen, who were short-range generals, looked around in stunned silence.
I saw that the surrounding fields were vast and vast, with vast flat sand reaching into the sky. Everywhere I looked, there was a patch of yellow sand, and I couldn't see anything green.
It's no wonder that Fan Kuai and others were horrified. They came from Sishui County in the south, where rivers crisscrossed the area, green water and mountains were everywhere, and it was full of life. They had never seen such a dead place like the end of the world.
Not only them, but all the Qin soldiers swallowed their saliva and walked carefully in the yellow sand, struggling through it.
This was a sight they had never seen before. To the Qin people, this desert was far more terrifying than the nomadic people, and it would inevitably cause a disturbance in the morale of the army.
Zhao Tuo turned to the accompanying soldiers and ordered: "Let people promote it in the army and say that this desert occupies a small area. We have a local guide to lead us. We will be able to go out tomorrow. When we get out of this desert, it will be There is a grassland with abundant water and grass, and a big river flows there, so the second and third sons don’t have to worry.”
The short-term soldiers took the order and went down to calm the morale of the troops.
Zhao Tuo looked around calmly.
This should be what later generations called the Kubuqi Desert. It is now called Kujie Sand by the Rong people in Henan. It is a large desert lying between the Hetao Grassland in the north and the Helan Grassland in the south.
However, in this era, the desertification here is not serious. The desert covers a small area, and there are occasional oases with lush water and grass in the middle as a supply.
Under the leadership of experienced guides, the Qin army was able to get out easily.
This place would need to go through thousands of years of over-cultivation and grazing by various dynasties and raging wind and sand before it would become the seventh largest desert in China in later generations and become a real sea of death.
Following Zhao Tuo's order, the Qin soldiers who were originally in a state of turmoil were calmed down.
The general's words were law and hope for them, enough to enable them to overcome this arduous march that the Qin people had never experienced before.
Compared to the desolate desert they were traveling through in front of them, the two counselors Chen Ping and Li Shiqi were worried about the situation to the north.
"General, although Sugatha has some abilities, can she really deceive the Huns?"
Chen Ping was quite worried about this policy.
Although he is quick and resourceful, he is still a young man with little battlefield experience, so he is inevitably nervous at such an important moment.
Li Shiqi chuckled: "No problem, that's a rhetoric specifically made against Touman Shanyu, he shouldn't doubt it."
At this point, Li Shiqi raised his brows slightly: "I'm just worried about this woman Sugasha. The general has given her great trust by letting her lead the team this time, but we have to guard against people from other races."
Zhao Tuo narrowed his eyes slightly.
Chen Ping was worried that their plan would not fool the Huns.
Li Shiqi was worried that the leader Sugatha would have second thoughts, which would lead to the failure of the final plan and even other problems.
Yes, the Qin army implemented the plan to destroy the Huns this time. When finally choosing the person to implement the strategy, Zhao Tuo chose Sujiasha who offered the strategy. This decision was beyond everyone's expectations.
In fact, in Zhao Tuo's view, Sujatha is the only candidate to implement this plan.
First of all, there were about 20,000 Yuezhi people going north this time.
Ten thousand people are from the Kushan tribe and ten thousand are from the Xiumi tribe. The reason why the two tribes are mixed is not only to match the rhetoric of the plan, but also to keep the two Yuezhi tribes in check, which can further reduce the risk of betrayal.
The person who can lead the two Yuezhi must be of noble status, so there are only a very limited number of people to choose from.
Choosing Xihou is the best and the one least likely to arouse suspicion among the Huns.
However, most of the two Xihous and Shuangmi Xihous in the hands of the Qin army were wiped out by the Qin army. He harbored a huge hatred for the Qin people. His surrender is just forced by the situation. This person is naturally not suitable for this task. .
Guishuang Xihou, this person is an old Jianghu. He was once a Xihou and became a prisoner of the Qin army. He would definitely feel uncomfortable. Zhao Tuo felt that if he gave Guishan Jihou 20,000 Yuezhi people, he would be more likely to rebel and join forces with the Huns.
Sujiasha was the daughter of the Marquis of Guishuang Xi, and was entrusted by the Marquis of Xiumi Xi. She had the qualifications and ability to command the two Yueshi, but her prestige was far inferior to that of the Marquis of Guishan.
To a certain extent, she is more suitable than the Marquis of Kushan.
As for the possibility of Sugatha's betrayal.
That exotic face appeared in Zhao Tuo's mind.
She is a smart person.
Regardless of whether they are truly "refined Qin" or forced by the situation to rely on the Qin army, they can finally distinguish the situation clearly and know who is stronger, Qin or the Huns in the north.
Moreover, Zhao Tuo had previously used various means to bind those Yueshi people with rewards, bribery, relatives as hostages, brainwashing of personnel, torture and intimidation. This was an insurance measure. It was not possible to betray with 20,000 people. Such a simple thing.
Zhao Tuo believed that Sujatha would make the right choice.
Looking at the two counselors, Zhao Tuo said calmly: "There are risks in doing anything above military warfare. If you are too scrupulous, you will tie yourself up and be unlucky. We have done everything we can before, Now that we need to employ people, we should be suspicious of them and not use them, but employ them without suspicion."
Li Shiqi was startled for a moment, then he clapped his hands and praised: "It's a good saying that you don't have to trust people when you doubt them, and you don't trust people when you employ them. The general is indeed very courageous."
Chen Ping also nodded in admiration. The general's words were indeed heroic, which made him admire him endlessly.
Amid the praise, Zhao Tuo looked north.
The swirling wind and sand had already covered up the hoof prints of the 20,000 Yuezhi cavalry.
Calculating the time, they should soon reach the south bank of the river and meet the Huns.
Whether this plan can succeed or not depends on that woman.
…
By the river.
The nobles of the Huns were looking at each other, big eyes staring at small eyes.
Because the scouts they sent to Henan brought shocking news.
Touman Chanyu opened his eyes wide and asked, "Do the Yuezhi people want to take refuge with us?"
