The sun sets over the mountains and the yellow sand fills the sky.
It was already the third day that Huo Qubing brought people to Xiguan. They stayed in the border town for three seemingly ordinary days without any action.
Zhang Jun, the prefect of Xiguan, is around fifty years old. His cheeks are thin and his cheekbones are somewhat concave. It is said that they were scars left by arrows grazing his cheeks in battle when he was young.
His combat style is strong on both offense and defense, and he is steady in holding the army.
The Li family in Longxi is a common surname, and Zhang Jun's mother's surname is also from the Li family.
Knowing that Huo Qubing brought the princess to the border, Zhang Jun was horrified. He personally came from the border county and consulted Huo Qubing and Liu Qing many times.
The only thing I mean is that I hope the champion will pay attention to the princess's safety and not leave the border.
"The champion is young and energetic. He doesn't know that the situation in Xiguan is even more complicated than that of the Huns. The Huns are like wolves, while the Qiang people are like evil foxes. They are more cunning and slippery and rarely fight us head-on. Xiguan has been troubled by them for many years. And it is evident that there is no good strategy.”
Zhang Jun and Zhang Qian were familiar with each other, and they were complaining at each other.
Zhang Qian said: "The champion has been marching like thunder along the way. But no matter what, he should not let the princess take risks.
If anything goes wrong, we will all be punished by death. "
"Have you ever talked to the princess and explained the stakes?" Zhang Jun said sadly.
Zhang Qian said: "How could you not tell me? I have gone to see the princess several times.
But the champion and the princess are husband and wife. No matter how I explain it, the princess only says that she will obey her husband when she marries, and she trusts the champion.
What do you think this should be done? "
Zhang Jun gritted his teeth: "If there is no other way, I will secretly arrange a group of soldiers and horses. You are also the one who led the troops through Xiguan. The soldiers and horses I sent secretly followed the group of people leaving the customs to protect the princess along the way.
If something unexpected happens and you send out a signal, they will immediately rush to your rescue before it's too late. "
Zhang Qian frowned: "Although it is a strategy, it is probably difficult to implement. The champion Hou Xingjun... your people may not be able to keep up."
The two were talking in a car, and their destination was a villa where the princess temporarily lived in the city.
The two of them also wanted to make a last-ditch effort to meet Liu Qing and try to lobby.
"What did your Majesty say before you came out of Chang'an?"
"His Majesty asked me to accompany the Champion to the west and obey orders along the way."
Zhang Qian sighed: "You should have heard about how much your Majesty has faith in the Champion, otherwise Your Majesty would not have married the crown jewel of my Han clan to the Champion."
When they arrived at the place, the two got out of the car.
It was already dark, so the two of them climbed up the steps of the princess's mansion and asked the concierge to report.
Soon after, the two of them saw Liu Qing wearing a red fairy skirt in the main hall of the mansion.
"I've met Princess Pingxian." The two of them saluted together.
After Liu Qing asked the two of them to sit down, Zhang Jun put his hands on his knees, leaned his upper body slightly forward, and got straight to the point:
"We came here because we still want to dissuade the princess. I heard that the champion is going to leave Xiguan tomorrow. He is the doctor's order, and there is His Majesty's decree. We can't stop him. But I want to tell the princess not to follow the champion out of the customs.
The walls of Beiguan City are thick and solid. As long as she is inside the pass, the veteran is sure to keep the princess safe. "
"Don't worry, Prefect Zhang, I won't follow my husband out of seclusion...at least not tomorrow." Liu Qing said softly.
Zhang Jun let out a long breath, but felt something was wrong: "It won't be tomorrow...what do you mean?"
"My husband had already taken people out of the city after it got dark. I didn't want to cause any trouble for him, so I stayed here first. He said he would come back to pick me up after clearing the obstacles outside. It would take a few days, so I still have to be here. Stay for a while." Liu Qing smiled.
Zhang Jun looked dull.
You and your wife are having a great time. How many days will it take to wipe out the foreigners outside?
At this moment, the defenders in the city came over and whispered in Zhang Jun's ear.
It was the champion who was leaving the city. Because his official position was much higher than that of the local garrison, even the border troops were under his control, so no one dared to stop him.
In addition, more than a hundred border troops were recruited by him and followed him out of the city.
"The Champion Marquis only brought two hundred imperial troops and more than a hundred border troops, and he has already left the border?"
"The imperial army led by the Champion Marquis is less than two hundred, and together with the more than a hundred border troops, there is only a team of three hundred people." The soldier said.
Liu Qing interjected: "My husband left sixty forbidden troops to protect me, but he took away one hundred and forty people."
Zhang Jun stood up with a sound, his face serious: "Which direction did the champion go? Quickly lead the troops to follow. Outside the city, the forces are intertwined. There are often sentries watching people coming and going. Even if you leave the city secretly at night, it is difficult to protect yourself. Unknown."
The subordinate who reported the report said: "Colonel Guo, who was on duty, also thought of this and wanted to send someone to follow.
But the men led by the Champion Marquis turned into a thick fog when they left the city and disappeared. Our people didn't know where to pursue them? "
Zhang Qian narrated on one side: "I don't blame you. When the champion came, the marching method he used was indeed superb. Even if you don't pay attention, it would be difficult to detect it even from three to five feet away."
Zhang Jun looked at Liu Qing, paused and said: "Thirty miles away from the border there are not only the Qiang people, but also the cavalry of the Western Huns, coming in and out from time to time.
The Xiongnu and Qiang people, as well as Loulan and other tribes further away, have been colluding with each other, plundering, and harassing our Han Pass for a long time.
The champion prince underestimated the enemy too much. He went out with only a few hundred soldiers... Alas. "
He looked at Liu Qing, who had a normal expression, and thought: Your husband is too arrogant and will suffer a big loss. His life may be hanging by a thread, but this princess doesn't seem worried at all.
————
The bright moon hangs in the sky.
"Bubu, news came from the outpost. About an hour ago, a Han army did leave the border city of Han.
But after they left the city, they used a certain Han people's marching method, and their traces were hard to find. "
One hundred and fifty miles away from the border, there is a pass. Mulang dragged two thousand Qiang people and camped here, waiting for a long time.
The so-called pass refers to the dangerous terrain, with yellow sand flying in the northwest and low mountains on the ground.
The pass in front of them has relatively high terrain on both sides and a river-like concave in the middle. It is one of the ways to leave Xiguan and continue to the northwest. There is another road that is easier to walk, but there are more people looting and ambushing from all sides than this one. More sides.
Mulangtuo judged that the number of the Han army was only two hundred, but since it was a forbidden army, it must be elite.
Therefore, I will definitely choose this pass that seems difficult to walk, but is actually safer. Therefore, I brought people to ambush in advance, hoping to make a surprise attack on the Han army.
When he heard that the other party had left the border town, Mulangtuo perked up:
“Possibly determining how many there are of them?
The Han people's marching method is similar to our shamanism and concealment method. When they use the marching method, they will leave traces for people to look at carefully. "
"Yuto, who is good at tracking, is already looking for me. News will be sent soon.
There were about 300 Han troops leaving the customs. The news sent said that they were composed of the Forbidden Army and some border troops. "
"Three hundred soldiers, you don't want to dress up as a merchant traveler...you want to leave the customs directly?"
Mulangtuo was cruel by nature, but not stupid. He thought: "Would the Han border army not know the danger outside Xiguan? Since they knew, why not remind the Han forbidden army. I thought they would unite with the border army to act together, but only Three hundred people came out?
This matter is a bit unusual, I'm afraid it's a scam.
Pass on the order, no one is allowed to move without my order. Find out the situation first. "
Soon another message came: "Yutuo, who is proficient in tracking methods, failed to find traces of the Han army."
"Yutuo's nose is more sensitive than a wolf, but he didn't find the Han army?"
Mulangtuo thought about it for a while, but he was somewhat relieved: "The other party dared to leave the pass with only 300 people. Most of them relied on this marching method to hide their whereabouts. They wanted to pass through the North Pass secretly, but it would be inconvenient with more people."
"Explore again."
A quarter of an hour later, another news came.
No trace of the other party has been found.
"It seems to be correct. The Han army relied on the method of concealment to sneak past our eyes. No wonder there are so few people. I think they think we can't find them."
Mulang said: "If they want to continue walking northwest, there are only two main roads, and the other small roads are difficult for horses to pass.
Anwa, you immediately take half of your troops and go to another main road to squat and use witchcraft to see if you can find the other party. If I find the other party, I will immediately bring people to reinforce them. You and I will take the signal as a signal. If I find the Han army here first, you will lead your troops back to help me!
We must not let them escape.
In addition, it is difficult to tell whether the opponent has hidden traces when leaving the border. It is difficult to tell whether there are other hidden soldiers and horses, so be cautious.
According to the book, if you find anything wrong, let them go first.
After leaving Beiguan, there are many opportunities to clean up and slaughter the Han troops. "
Anwa was his deputy. He was tall and thin, with a brown complexion. He was around thirty years old, but his appearance made him look older than his actual age. He carried a scimitar at his waist. After hearing the words, he agreed and immediately ordered his troops. Riding away.
The sound of hooves is like thunder.
Mulangtuo fell into deep thought. That Han army...even Yutuo, who was good at tracking, couldn't find out. Which way would it take?
Before he finished his thoughts, he suddenly heard a muffled sound, as if something suddenly hit each other.
A little further away, deputy Anwa, who had just led his men to ride away, walked out only two to three hundred feet away. In the middle of their galloping team, a team burst out of the air without any warning.
Everyone in this team was well-armored and held war spears in their hands. They came out of the void like a whirlwind, and the war spears flashed like thunderbolts.
In an instant, there was a cold light, and the team that rushed out attacked with extreme ferocity.
Screams suddenly started.
After just one encounter, the thousand-man team led by Anwa was caught off guard and torn apart from the middle, breaking into two pieces.
No, not in two parts, because the team that suddenly appeared came out in a horizontal plane, head on head. There were more than ten knights standing side by side, with a distance of three to four feet from each other, like more than ten war spears, thrust out from the void.
The dozen or so cavalrymen had ice-like eyes, and as soon as they rushed out, they pierced multiple Qiang rangers with their spears.
Hot blood spilled out, life and death were fleeting.
But the cavalry team that rushed out showed no change in their expressions. After one target was stabbed, they would immediately move on to the next target, showing amazing lethality and discipline.
As the number of people rushing out increased, it was discovered that behind the more than ten people who came out were sharp arrow arrays.
No wonder the attack of the dozen or so people in the front was so sharp and the Qiang people were defeated at the first touch. However, it was the Han army in the rear who concentrated their power on the person at the front, so they were invincible and could kill every move.
In the blink of an eye, the more than a thousand people led by Anwa, galloping in a straight line, were smashed into pieces by the impact.
The sound of the war spear penetrating the Qiang man's body and rubbing against the bones sounded so clear!
A stream of blood fell on the loess.
Anwa's team was like a long snake, stabbed indiscriminately from the flanks by more than a dozen war spears. The formation was suddenly in chaos, and was bitten by the opponent, making it difficult to get away.
Mulangtuo saw this scene from a distance and was shocked and shouted: "Han army, it's Han army, kill them!"
The timing of the Han army's appearance is actually not good. If you wait a little longer, Mulang can drag the two armies here to disperse and annihilate them, it will be easier.
However, the Han army just chose the moment when the two teams separated, and charged out brazenly. It was obvious that they wanted to defeat both teams at the same time.
Moreover, he wanted to eat the other half of his men under Mulangtuo's eyes.
What kind of army can be brave enough to reach this point!
Mulangtuo stared at Anwa's team in the distance, which was crushed by a surprise attack. In an instant, they had suffered heavy casualties, and their hands and feet were cold.
He got on his horse and shouted wildly: "Come over with me!"
He was surrounded by Qiang horsemen who had robbed merchants and killed countless people all year round. They were not afraid of fighting the Han army.
But these Qiang Rangers, following Mulangtuo as they galloped for reinforcements within a distance of two to three hundred feet, saw with their own eyes that the team led by Anwa in front was stabbed, killed, and defeated.
When they rushed out of Baizhang, one-third of Anwa's men fell in a pool of blood.
The Han army turned a blind eye to the Qiang people who were approaching rapidly from a hundred feet away. No one even glanced at Mulangtuo, and they only focused on hacking their opponents.
That kind of indifference and ferocity in the face of life and death caused a chill to permeate the Qiang people who came for reinforcements unconsciously.
You must know that battles have a battle-loss ratio. When more than one-third of one's own troops die, the psychological defenses of most teams will be on the verge of collapse and deserters will begin to appear.
It is a rare strong army that has not been defeated despite 40% battle damage.
Qiang people's riding skills are not lacking in ruthlessness and their riding skills are also superb.
But it is impossible to make them have a firm belief in fighting. After all, they are rangers. The profit from looting comes first, and there are almost no bloody brave men who will fight to the death.
Moreover, it is their habit to retreat when encountering a strong enemy.
In the past, when fighting the Han army, they ran away when there were many people. The Han army retreated and then came back. This was their combat attribute.
As Chi Cheng approached, he saw half of the people being killed by the Han army. Both the Qiang people who rushed over to support and the Qiang people who were attacked began to show signs of fleeing.
Scattering in all directions, the number of people increased.
Mulangtuo shouted angrily, but it was difficult to stop his subordinates from escaping.
Seeing that he was helpless, even he was about to turn his horse around and retreat when he saw a horse riding out of thin air at the edge of the battlefield.
It was a terrifyingly tall war horse, with bulging muscles and huge hoofs that struck the ground.
The horse seemed eager to rush forward and join the fight.
The person on the horse was wearing a reddish-brown official robe, and under the moonlight, a ray of blood glowed.
Mulangtuo's scolding of his subordinates stopped abruptly, and suddenly his hair stood on end.
He saw the man who came out of the sky and turned to look at him.
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(End of chapter)
