Xiguan border town.
It was already bright.
Prefect Zhang Jun's face was gloomy. He had been sitting quietly in his study all night, during which he only fell asleep briefly.
He was worried about the champion who had left seclusion and his troops.
Zhang Jun had also been in charge of the military in his early years and knew how important it was for a country to have good generals.
The champion Hou Mingming has extremely high qualifications and a promising future, but he is eager to make achievements and leads 300 people to escape. Maybe he has some trump cards, but if he makes a slight mistake, everything will be lost. A wise man will not do this.
"Prefect Zhang, do you have any news?" Zhang Qian came in from outside the door early in the morning and asked after he had not slept well.
Zhang Jun shook his head: "I have sent out many scout teams. There are not many roads to the northwest, but I can always find clues. I should have news back soon."
Zhang Qian sat aside and sighed as if to comfort himself: "Actually, don't worry too much. I have personally experienced the speed of the champion's march. The two battles he fought against the Huns were also real and tough battles, and they cannot be fake."
"Are you saying that even if the situation is dire, he can break through and come back?" Zhang Jun said.
Zhang Qian hummed: "The battle in which he defeated the Xiongnu royal court was widely rumored to be unrivaled in the army. I estimate that even if the situation outside Xiguan is mixed and the enemy is outnumbered, at least his return will not be a problem."
Zhang Jun said: "I have heard that the champion Hou Bing is fast.
But the Xiongnu and the Western Qiang also had the art of marching. This is why the Qiang people can come and go like the wind. If you are trapped in a tight siege, it will not be easy to escape. "
Zhang Qian said: "Champion Hou Xingjun is not as fast as usual. It is also extremely concealed.
It's not that easy for my opponent to get him into a tight siege. I'm just worried that there are few others who are eager to make meritorious deeds and put myself in danger. "
Zhang Jun shook his head: "Though the people I sent out have not found any trace of the champion.
However, we have been at war with the Xiongnu all year round, and the ones we are most closely guarded against are always the Xiongnu, so we have scouts who have been keeping an eye on the Xiutu King's tribe closest to us in the Western Xiongnu. The news sent back said that soldiers and horses from King Xiutu's tribe have also left camp in the past few days, and their destination has not yet been determined.
At least three to four thousand troops. I have issued an order to prevent the Xiongnu and Qiang people from coming to break through the pass. "
Zhang Qian was obviously surprised: "You mean the Huns and Qiang people want to work together again?"
In the northwest corner of the Han territory, the Xiongnu, Qiang and Di tribes often colluded and separated their troops in order to disrupt the Han army's judgment and facilitate its actions.
Zhang Jun said in a deep voice: "I thought before that our Han army had General Wei and the Champion Hou Hengkong was born. In a few years, the Champion Hou would truly grow up and become more proficient in military affairs. Our Han army would There is hope of completely eliminating the border troubles.
I didn't expect it to be like this. It's better to be famous than to meet... If the champion is not careful with his troops, big problems will happen sooner or later.
For some problems, it may only take one time, and all the winnings in the past will be lost. "
"You do think highly of him. When he was young, I knew that he would hardly achieve great success in the future."
Zhang Jun was talking to Zhang Qian when another old voice came from outside the door.
The two of them looked at the door and saw a tall, thin old man wearing a brown brocade robe and Hanfu, walking slowly in with a cane.
"How can the clan elder come here in person?" Zhang Jun stood up and asked.
The person who came in was Li Yanqing, the uncle of the current patriarch of the Li clan in Longxi and a great scholar in the dynasty.
He was of the same generation as the old Prime Minister Gongsun Hong. Although he did not become an official at that time, he was invited to teach the young Liu Che, and his status was respected.
Later, when Liu Che was older, he taught the clan children in Chang'an for a long time.
The reason why the Li family in Longxi is so prominent is that his family is flourishing and his invisible influence is everywhere.
"The champion didn't respect his teachers when he was a child. He had a perverse personality and said he didn't want to learn ancient methods. It's really unreasonable. Can he be higher than the sages and saints of the past generations?"
"I received news from Chang'an. I learned that when Huo Qubing was in Chang'an, he also took the silk books inherited from my Li family into the military mansion. I want to see who gave him the courage to take away the items inherited from my Li family. .”
Li Yanqing knocked on the ground with his crutch, sat down and continued:
"It's a lesson for him to leave Xiguan without permission. It's a pity that the soldiers he took out will be in trouble with him.
When I was teaching in the palace, I once said that this son will suffer great losses due to arrogance in the future. What do you think? "
"He was able to defeat the Huns twice, all with a strong spirit. He may be a bit brave, but because he got a little advantage, he thinks he is a military saint?"
Zhang Qian was a little frightened when he heard this: This old man is so bold. He is the champion of the dynasty, the husband-in-law of the princess, and a good general of the country. I don’t know how the champion back then offended this old Li family.
Li Yanqing's eyes became slightly sharp: "Master Dong is still too gentle. If it were me, I would have to reprimand him face to face.
Back then, I just said a few words to him, and he secretly dug a trap at the door of the classroom. He also disguised himself and was able to hide it from me.
I stumbled into a pit without any precautions... The pit was dug exactly in line with my steps. I sunk my foot in, which made the whole room laugh, which was really humiliating. "
"He was only six years old at that time. You said how lawless he was."
Li Yanqing's old but not cloudy eyes narrowed slightly: "With his character, if he encounters a truly strong enemy, he will be defeated once and all his previous pride will be stripped away... and he will be useless from now on!"
"I heard he was coming to Xiguan... I drove over overnight. I knew he couldn't bear his temper and would go out arrogantly. As expected, I figured it out."
Zhang Jun said hurriedly: "You must never say these things in front of outsiders. If the champion comes back later, it will be even more impossible..."
Li Yanqing sneered: "I hope he can come back..."
Before he finished speaking, soldiers hurried in from outside.
Seeing that he was sent out to inquire about the news, Zhang Jun felt a little nervous: "How is the situation? Do you know the whereabouts of the champion and his safety?"
"No, no trace of Champion Hou was found, but a team of scouts who went out to investigate came back.
They discovered that dozens of miles away from Xiguan, at the edge of our usual inspection area, there were corpses of ancient Qiang and Huns cavalry, and there were many of them. There had obviously been battles. "
Zhang Jun asked: "Are there any corpses of our Han soldiers?"
"No Han troops were found, and the largest number of casualties were Qiang tribesmen. The scouts carefully identified them and found that some of the people wearing the uniforms of our Han troops were actually Qiang people, not our Han troops.
There were at least 1,780 Qiang people who died, and they were all in their prime, so they should have been the elite of a certain tribe.
There were five to six hundred Huns who died! "
Zhang Jun, Zhang Qian and Li Yanqing looked at each other.
"Explore again and find out the situation as soon as possible."
The scout turned to leave, not wanting a new scout to come in from outside:
"Report: We have explored for nearly two hundred miles to the northwest, but have not found the champion. However, we have found a fire in the camp where the ancient Qiang tribe is located."
"There were scouts who were approaching to investigate. Not only was the entire village on fire in the ancient Qiang tribe, there were also Qiang corpses everywhere.
It has been determined that the ancient Qiang tribe was destroyed by fire, and many people in the tribe were also killed in large numbers. Many of the outer walls of the camp collapsed, as if someone had forced their way into the camp. "
Zhang Jun and Zhang Qian were stunned.
The ancient Qiang tribe was one of the most powerful tribes outside Xiguan.
They often go to the border with the Xiongnu. If you want to choose the Qiang tribe that has the deepest hatred and the most hateful hatred against the Han people, the ancient Qiang tribe will definitely be among them.
The ancient Qiang tribe was actually destroyed overnight?
"Is there any other news?"
“Only when the scouts stood on the high ground where the ancient Qiang tribe was located, they discovered that there were other fires going to the northwest.
The scouts investigated along the road and learned that every fire point was a Qiang tribe, extending all the way to the northwest. So far, four Qiang tribes, large and small, have been found, burned cleanly by fire, and the tribes were completely destroyed..."
The scout's face looked happy when he first started speaking, and he wanted to laugh loudly. After saying a few words, his voice became a little deeper.
He has been a scout in Xiguan for three years.
In the past three years, I have lost count of how many times I have encountered Xiongnu and Qiang people on the border. How many of my fellow team members around me died in battles with Qiang people and Xiongnu soldiers. My memory has gradually become blurred. I dare not say more. think.
Only the hatred against these foreigners is deep and deep!
...When he said a few words, the faces that had fought side by side in his mind reappeared in a trance, vividly in his mind, and he was already feeling depressed without realizing it.
Zhang Jun and Zhang Qian started thinking at the same time.
The Qiang people's village was burned, obviously due to external force.
Where could such an external force come from that was so fierce that it set the whole camp on fire and destroyed many Qiang villages in one night?
Champion?
But he only led a few hundred soldiers. Even if he had hidden methods, could he defeat the ancient Qiang and other tribes that had been causing trouble to the Western Qiang for many years?
There were nearly 10,000 warriors in the ancient Qiang tribe, not to mention other tribes that were also burned, plus the Xiongnu...
Zhang Jun and Zhang Qian remained silent.
Li Yanqing also frowned deeply, trying to analyze the news brought back by the scouts.
It wasn't until this afternoon that they received further confirmation.
Because the border army of more than 100 people who followed Huo Qubing on the expedition came back under the leadership of Colonel Xu Jia.
Zhang Jun immediately ordered Xu Jia to come and see him.
A quarter of an hour later, Xu Jia arrived at the mansion where Zhang Jun was located.
Zhang Jun had a feeling when he saw Xu Jia from a distance. Xu Jia seemed to be slightly different from before, but he couldn't tell exactly what it was.
"I've met the prefect, and I've met Marquis Bowang."
Xu Jia glanced at Li Yanqing and didn't recognize him. Seeing him sitting there, he didn't dare to call him casually.
"Where is the champion?"
"What did Champion Hou do last night?"
"Where is the Champion? Why did you come back first?"
"Is it the champion who set fire to the Qiang camp?"
Several people in the room kept asking questions.
Xu Jia's eyes suddenly glowed with a strange brilliance, and he said: "The champion is still outside and commanding the troops. I follow the order of the champion and come back to deliver what I captured last night. There are a lot of things, and I really can't carry them."
In addition, we must bring the words of the Marquis to the prefect! "
While Xu Jia was speaking, he took out a leather scroll from his body, unfolded it, and placed it carefully on the low mat in front of Zhang Jun.
"This is……"
Zhang Jun, Zhang Qian, and Li Yanqing on the side also looked over: "Is this a marching map?"
"Not at all."
Xu Jia's expression was vaguely excited: "This is the combat route, pre-war deduction, and combat method that the Marquis had drawn before the war. The Marquis asked me to bring it back to the prefect, saying that the prefect would know his intentions at a glance! "
In the afternoon, the sun shines in from the window, and the light inside the house is just right.
Zhang Jun looked at it carefully and saw that what was drawn on the map was the terrain around Xiguan.
The pictures are so densely marked that if you are not a marcher, you might get dizzy just by taking a look at them and not understand the meaning at all.
Zhang Jun looked at it for a moment, but his expression became solemn, and he pointed at a red line extending from Xiguan: "This is your march route last night. The first stop after leaving Xiguan is the dangerous pass one hundred and fifty miles away, Huangkou Yi?"
(End of chapter)
