Jizhou, Qinghe County.
The north bank of Qinghe River flows northward.
Shi Hu, the general of Hu Han's expedition, was riding on his horse, looking up towards the south bank of Qinghe River.
There were about a hundred Qingzhou cavalry there, watching the same thing.
Looking at the Qingzhou cavalry rushing back and forth arrogantly, Shi Hu's young face showed a gloomy expression that was extremely inconsistent with his age.
"These Qingzhou soldiers with tens of thousands of civilians can actually march so fast. If the Duke's soldiers and horses cannot catch up within two days, we will not be able to defend Qinghe at all with just ten thousand people in our hands."
A Han general next to Shi Hu had the same gloomy expression on his face.
"I think these Qingzhou Han troops are just ordinary people. How can they be so capable of fighting once they are gathered together?"
Shi Hu said angrily when he heard this.
"I think it's not that these Qingzhou soldiers can fight, it's that these Wuhuan bastards are really useless!"
As Shi Hu spoke, he looked at the Wuhuan cavalry in his own army. These light cavalry in tattered robes were scattered by the river drinking horses.
"However, this Qingzhou Liu Yu does have some abilities. Those untouchables who were originally like chickens and dogs waiting to be slaughtered have changed their appearance after getting some tattered weapons."
The Qingzhou Han army on the opposite side, on the way from Qingyang to Dongwu, equipped the ordinary civilians with a large number of powerful weapons, causing Shi Hu, who originally planned to attack and gain some advantages along the way, to lose a lot of manpower.
In fact, Shi Hu didn't care if he lost a few soldiers. Anyway, most of the dead were Zahu or Wuhuan people recruited from the Taihang Mountains. Even if they died, he wouldn't feel bad at all.
What really made Shi Hu's face gloomy was that these Han troops were marching too fast, and their vanguard had already reached Qinghe.
Although these Han army's vanguard cavalry were not many in number, they were all elite cavalry who could charge and break formations as well as ride and shoot around. In just one battle, Shi Hu lost more than a hundred cavalry, and then the remaining troops They all refuse to fight until they die.
In the face of a formidable enemy, even if Shi Hu was extremely angry, he would not dare to punish those who feared the enemy too harshly. If he went too far, these people might disperse in a hurry.
After all, the situation in Jizhou today is getting more and more complicated.
Wang Jun of Youzhou was driven out by his subordinates and the Xianbei people. Half of Youzhou was almost controlled by Duanbu Xianbei. After hearing the news, the Wuhuan people scattered in Jizhou began to think of defecting to Duanbei in Youzhou. .
Because although Duanbu Xianbei is named Xianbei, there are very many Wuhuan people in western Liaoning among its people. For these Wuhuan people under Shi Hu, they naturally have appeal.
Liu Yan, the governor of Shanxi and Hebei Province who occupied Changshan, has been gathering troops since the Youzhou incident. Although he may want to go north to Youzhou, Shihu, who is close at hand, does not dare to relax. After all, if Liu Yan raises his troops to take the If you attack yourself, you will be attacked from the north and the south.
Therefore, Shi Hu's biggest wish now is to hope that the main force led by Shi Le will arrive quickly and rely on Qinghe to resist the Qingzhou soldiers. Otherwise, once they enter Anping County, they will probably fall into a huge battle.
The number of the main Hu people in Hu Han's hands is far less than that of the Han people, and they cannot afford to risk their lives.
What's more, the Qingzhou Han army marched hundreds of miles into Anping County. For the people around Xindu, it meant that a force more powerful than the Hu people had arrived. Once the prestige established by the Hu Han through massacres was in the hearts of the people, Bankruptcy can simply declare defeat without a fight.
"Yesterday's letter from the Duke stated that the entire army has been marching day and night towards Qinghe. I estimate that we will definitely reach here in two days at most."
The Han general said.
After hearing this, Shi Hu didn't express anything. Instead, he turned his head, looked at him with a sinister look and said.
"General Guo, your family is from a wealthy family in Anping County. If the Duke's troops cannot arrive within two days, what are you going to do?"
"Don't worry, general. When the time comes, Guo Rong will definitely do his best to follow the general and fight to the end with the Qingzhou thieves."
The handsome Han man named Guo Rong said.
After hearing this, Shi Hu nodded and said.
"Hehe, this is the best! If you marry your sister to me, we will be a family. The wealth of my Shi family will be the wealth of your Guo family."
Having said this, Shi Hu waved his hand and cleared the Qingzhou soldiers on the south bank of the river.
"As for these Qingzhou thieves who are enemies from the north to the south, as long as they can defeat Liu Yu in this battle, the Qingzhou soldiers' reputation of winning many battles can be put to rest. By then, a pack of wolves will surely tear this hypocrite apart. Bite until death.”
As Shi Hu spoke, he seemed to have fallen into some kind of fantasy.
He put his hands together and bowed, and said towards the west.
"I have made a great wish to the Buddha in front of the great monk Fotucheng. As long as these Qingzhou thieves are defeated, I will build a ten-foot pagoda in Xindu City and help the great monk turn this thousand-mile Jizhou into the country of the Buddha!"
Guo Rong, who was next to him, heard Shi Hu say this and curled his lips in disdain when Shi Hu was unaware.
Guo Rong had seen the "Fotucheng" mentioned by Shi Hu. In his opinion, he was a Hu man from the Western Regions. Judging from his appearance, he and Shi Hu should have the same origin as the Jie Hu people who came from the Western Regions. When he arrived in the Central Plains, he spread Hu religion.
Although the Hu religion is also a method of persuading people to do good, Guo Rong knows that an important aspect of this Hu religion is to call for escape from the secular world, which in Guo Rong's view is absolutely impossible.
If everyone leaves the world, what will happen to the family? Who will worship the ancestors? Who will support the descendants?
However, Fotucheng, who spreads this Hu religion, has some abilities. Anyway, after several contacts, Shi Hu respects him like a god.
"General, if these Qingzhou thieves are to assemble their entire army now, it will probably take two days."
Guo Rong said, "In addition, the weather is still as cold as winter. If we don't build a floating bridge, there will be no way to cross the river. This leaves us with more than enough time."
Shi Hu withdrew his gaze after hearing this, looked at the shallow clear river water, and nodded.
Although the water in this Qinghe River is not very clear at all, the ice and snow have just melted, and the water in it is freezing cold. It is impossible to swim across the river.
"Yes, send more cavalry to patrol and guard to prevent the Han army from setting up pontoon bridges at night!"
Shi Hu immediately ordered.
The Qinghe River flows gently, and if there are enough boats, a pontoon bridge can be erected in one night.
After Shi Hu deployed his defensive manpower, he returned to his tent.
In the warm tent, an old man from the Western Regions with a pointed nose and hawk-like eyes, a pair of gray curly beards, but a bald head, was sitting upright on a brocade cushion.
There were five or six bald men in the same attire waiting around, but not all of them looked like people from the Western Regions. There were two people who looked like Han Chinese, but they all had the same bald heads.
"Great monk, Anhui!"
As soon as Shi Hu entered, he greeted him respectfully.
This look is completely different from the usual brave and fierce look.
This old man, whom Shi Hu respected as the "Great Monk", was Fo Tucheng, a Hu monk who came to the Central Plains from the Western Regions.
"The general is a noble man, so you don't have to treat me like this." Fotucheng opened his eyes and looked at Shi Hu with a smile.
"The great monk knows things like a god. Shi Hu has something unclear, so he came here to ask for advice. I hope the great monk can answer it for me." Shi Hu said.
"General, please speak." Fotucheng said.
"Today's Qingzhou bandits include many untouchables from Qinghe County. Although they were not very obedient at first, they did not dare to resist. However, since the Qingzhou bandits left, these Jin untouchables have become very vicious. , killing and injuring a lot of my soldiers."
Shi Hu said this, took a breath, looked at Fotucheng and continued to ask.
"Great monk, if I kill all these people, will it increase my sins?"
It turned out that the young Shi Hu, under the guidance of Fo Tucheng, had already understood many of the essence of Hu religion.
Although he was still killing very coolly when he was outside, he already had some fear of the sin of killing in his heart.
Fo Tucheng said that if you act too cruelly and commit too many crimes, you will go to hell after death, and you will not be able to have a good reincarnation in the next life.
Shi Hu, who had just had two good days, was most afraid of being turned into a suffering beast in the future, or in his next life.
"General, if you have this intention, you have achieved something in your cultivation." Fotucheng said with satisfaction.
"When fighting in battle, life and death are determined by destiny. Everyone takes his or her own destiny, so there is no blame on the general's head."
"As long as you can cultivate yourself to Xiangfa on weekdays and atone for your past sins, that's fine."
When Shi Hu heard this, he was very happy.
After all, the great monk Fotucheng has said that as long as you practice more, you can atone for your sins. So, even if you kill some people inadvertently, as long as you practice more and make more offerings, you should be able to atone for your sins, and it will not affect your future bliss. Or join the path of wealth and honor.
As for what to do if there is not enough time to practice chanting, then recruit more Jin slaves and build more pagodas dedicated to the Hu religion.
If the small pagoda is not enough, then build a large pagoda. If the large pagoda is not enough, then build a seven-level pagoda.
Anyway, as long as it can atone for sins, Shi Hu thinks this Hu religion is a good method.
At this time, Shi Hu thought of the issue he was most concerned about.
He asked Fotucheng respectfully.
"Great monk, in two days, the Duke's army should arrive. This Qingzhou bandit has always been a difficult enemy. Who do you think will win this time in the battle with the Qingzhou bandit?"
Shi Hu knew that this time the Qingzhou soldiers went north to capture Xindu, so Qinghe was the only place that the Qingzhou soldiers must pass through.
It stands to reason that when Shi Le's army arrives and defends by the river, it will be enough to repel the Qingzhou Army's attack. If the fighter opportunity is well grasped, it will be possible to achieve a perfect half-crossing attack and severely damage the Qingzhou Puppet Han Army.
However, everything that seemed to be very certain always made Shi Hu feel a little uneasy.
"The general is honored by the Han Dynasty, and the Qingzhou Army is also honored by the Han Dynasty. From this point of view, victory or defeat has already been determined." Fotucheng said calmly.
"Already doomed?" Shi Hu's green eyes widened, a little confused.
"Then what the great monk means is, who can win?"
Facing the questioning, Fotucheng smiled slightly, Baoxiang closed his eyes solemnly, and spoke in Jieren's words.
"Xiuzhi Jieshan is sent to the place where there is violence, and the servant valley is big and bare."
Shi Hu was overjoyed after hearing this.
Because if the meaning of this Jie language is translated into Chinese.
That is:
"In this expedition, Liu Yu will definitely fail and be captured as soon as he steps on the pontoon bridge of Qinghe River!"
at the same time.
Liu Yu, who had just led the forward cavalry and arrived outside Dongwu City in Qinghe County, did not know all this.
If Liu Yu had known that a great monk with a big beard and the appearance of a later-generation "xx Stan" countryman had announced his inevitable failure, he might have immediately thrown down the butcher's knife and never dared to fight with the gods of the Hu religion again. Believers are enemies.
However, Liu Yu now does not have this excellent opportunity to take refuge in our Buddha.
Because Liu Yu was thinking about whether to pick up the butcher's knife again.
The enemy they faced this time was not barbarians or bandits, but the Jizhou people who occupied Dongwu City.
"Hasn't Dongwu City been resisting the Hulu? Why are they still refusing to open the city gate?"
Liu Yu was very dissatisfied and asked an envoy sent by Dongwucheng.
"Your Majesty, all the people in Dongwu City are surviving after the disaster. Now when they see His Majesty's army coming, they are all panicked and can't help themselves. They are really scared."
The messenger said this, but there was no fear at all on his face.
"Hmph, let me ask you, who is the chief official in Dongwu City now?" Liu Yu asked.
"Your Majesty, the magistrate of Dongwu County had already been killed when the Hulu attacked the city. There are no long-term officials in Dongwu City now."
"No official?"
After hearing this, Liu Yu glanced at the top of Dongwu City in the distance.
I saw that Dongwu City was full of orderly flags and soldiers. If there was no one to command and lead, there would definitely not be such a scene.
These defenders of Dongwu City are all self-organized common people and powerful people. Even if there are no officials such as county magistrates and captains, they must be led by famous local people.
"Then who is the leader in the city now?"
The messenger thought for a moment and then answered.
But he was interrupted again by Liu Yu's words.
"Okay, I don't want to know anymore. You go back and tell the defenders in the city that I am the emperor of the Han Dynasty. It is just a casual thing to destroy the Hulu, let alone your small Dongwu City!"
"The original magistrate of Dongwu County, Wang Bo, has already submitted his pledge of surrender to me. No matter how he dies now, as long as Dongwu City opens its doors and surrenders, I will forget the blame."
As Liu Yu spoke, he glanced in the direction of Dongwu City.
"Dongwu City is still under the banner of the Jin Dynasty. If you don't open the door and surrender today, I don't mind. Before pacifying the Hulu, I will first destroy the remnants of the Jin Dynasty who have stolen the country!"
