The vast grasslands to the north of the Han territory, the most fertile land in the center, were occupied by the Huns.
To the east of the grassland is the ancestral land of the once powerful Donghu tribes before the rise of the Xiongnu.
They are connected to the border in the northeast corner of the Han Dynasty, and the closest to the Han border is Wuhuan.
They live in the Liao River area and live by the water.
Continuing from Wuhuan to the north are the eighteen tribes of Xianbei, and from Xianbei to the east are the Fuyu, Sushen, Wo and other tribes.
These grassland tribes are divided into different tribes and live scattered on the eastern grasslands.
The Han army suddenly sent troops to the area outside the northeastern border, and Wuhuan was the first to bear the brunt.
Huo Qubing's troops were as fast as lightning, and he usually concentrated his superior troops to defeat the enemy at a single point, with lightning speed and no haste to cover his ears.
All the opponents he targeted would have been killed at the doorstep by the time they really reacted.
Therefore, Wuhuan had twelve large tribes under its jurisdiction. In just a few days before winter, Huo Qubing defeated several of them and suffered a heavy setback.
After hearing the news, Karasuma Takuhi, the leader of Wuhuan, was shocked and angry, and immediately contacted various ministries to discuss countermeasures.
“The Han people took advantage of my unpreparedness and attacked suddenly.
We, Wuhuan, have four leaders who have been captured by the Han army. The Han general Huo Qubing openly sent someone to deliver a message, asking Wuhuan to surrender to the Han, and also gave a specific date, stating that if he did not surrender next spring, he would trample all Wuhuan tribes and kill them without mercy. "
The person who was speaking was in his early forties, with a thick, dark reddish complexion, a sturdy build, raised eyebrows, and was wearing a leather robe.
He sat in the main seat and looked around at everyone.
This person is none other than Wuwan Takubo, the leader of Wuhuan tribes.
After he became the leader of Wuhuan, he continued to accumulate strength over the years, encouraged fertility, annexed small surrounding tribes, and strengthened himself.
Under his leadership, Wuhuan's strength has indeed improved greatly in recent years.
Karasuma Takuhi worked hard and was about to make a difference, but he didn't expect that the Han people would attack first and hit him head-on with a sap, which made his eyes black.
But he also knew that the Han army had just defeated the central Xiongnu army of the grassland overlord not long ago, and it was difficult to deal with it alone.
Therefore, even though Karasuma Takuhi was angry, he remained cautious and summoned all the eastern grassland tribes to gather together.
At this time, gathering in King Wuhuan's tent were two envoys, a man and a woman, sent by Yi Zhandan, the leader of the Xianbei tribe.
The woman among them is petite, giving people the impression of being light and danceable.
She has wheat-colored skin, a white fur collar clustered around her neck, lively eyes, a bright red pendant and hairband on her head, and wolf-skin boots.
This woman has a pretty face. She was born in the Luoba clan of Xianbei. Her name is Luo Boyin. She is also the niece of the wife of the contemporary leader of Xianbei, and has a special status.
The male Xianbei envoy had slender cheeks and a tall and thin figure. He had an aura as strong as steel. His name was Afuyu, and he was a famous Xianbei general.
In addition, there was a fat middle-aged man in the tent named Fu Tuo, who was an envoy sent by the leader of the Buyeo tribe.
Su Shen's envoy is far away and has not arrived yet.
In addition to these major tribes, there were also some small and medium-sized tribes, no less than twenty or thirty families, who were all invited to King Wuhuan's tent.
"In the past, most of the Han people couldn't get out. I didn't expect that now they would take the initiative and invade the grassland where we have lived. Do you think the knives in our grassland are not sharp enough?"
The envoy from Fuyu came, a fat man wearing a thick yellow leather robe. He ate the mutton roasted on the brazier and said, "In my opinion, after this cold winter, the Han army will definitely come next spring. attack.
Only by winning the first battle can they be afraid and dare not think of invading my grassland again. "
"That's why I called everyone to discuss and take precautions early." Karasuma Takuhi said.
"If the Han people dare to come, we and other ministries will act as coalition forces."
A Fuyu, the Xianbei envoy, calmly analyzed: "After all, the grassland is our place, and the Han army is coming to attack. Wu Wan's leader might as well take the initiative to retreat and induce the Han army to go deep into the grassland, then our victory rate will be greater."
Luo Piyin on the other side said playfully:
"I heard that the Han general Huo Qubing was very good at attacking, and his march was as fast as the strong wind blowing across the grassland.
A few months ago, it was he who led the troops to defeat the Huns' central army.
I've always wanted to see how awesome he could be. We can make more arrangements on the grassland first, and wait for the Han army to come and make them suffer a big loss. "
Afuyu nodded and said: "We should let the Han people know that this grassland is not theirs to invade, and let them stay in Han territory and not dare to attack my tribes again.
When I came, the chief of the army told me that if there was a war with the Han army, our Xianbei army could dispatch 15,000 soldiers and horses south to assist Wuhuan. "
Karasuma Takuhiro raised his glass happily: "Then let's discuss how to arrange it so that we can severely defeat the Han army and cause it to be defeated miserably.
When winter passes, maybe we and other ministries can join forces to attack the Han people first and catch them off guard. "
————
Chang'an.
Champion House.
After a family dinner that had just been held, Huo Qubing returned to the back house and said to himself: "I will go to Beiguan again in two or three days. Before I leave, please invite people from the Zhuo family to come, including Bai Nanyu and Zhuo Qingke." , I need to see them before I can leave."
Liu Qing responded, "I have asked someone to send them a post."
One day later, the sun set in the west.
In the warm and spring-like palace of Champion Hou Mansion, another banquet was held, and various clans were specially invited, as well as Zhuo Huai, Bai Nanyu, Zhuo Qingke and others.
In the Han Dynasty, there was no rule that men and women could not mix at the same table. Liu Qing also followed Huo Qubing, attending the banquet together, talking and laughing.
Zhuo Huai, the head of the Zhuo family, was dressed in blue Hanfu and was placed on the left hand side of Huo Qubing, who was in charge.
Behind him, there were two women attending. One was wearing an apricot-colored dress, with black hair in a bun, and delicate and charming facial features. The other one was wearing a long aqua dress and looked cute and sweet.
The two are none other than Bai Nanyu and Zhuo Qingke.
They sat in separate seats behind Zhuo Huai.
Viewed from the side, the kneeling posture of the two women clearly shows the lines of their waists and backs.
Bai Nanyu's skin is like cream, her watery peach blossom eyes are downcast, and she wears shoes of the same color as her clothes. Going up along the skirt, the curve of her calf is well-proportioned and plump, and then she forms a full breast. The arc is in sharp contrast to the slender willow waist.
Even some well-informed clan members sitting opposite could not help but cast their eyes on Bai Nanyu intentionally or unintentionally.
At this time, the women in the hall were all stunning.
Liu Qing's power over the country and the city is indescribable. Bai Nanyu's inner charm is natural. Anyone who sees her can't help but think of words that harm the country and the people.
There is a kind of woman who can make a king stay away from court for her, and she is probably the one she is talking about.
There is also Zhuo Qingke's innocent innocence, his clear eyes are as clean and smart as an elk, without any distracting thoughts, and Huo Qubing's shyness and slight embarrassment can be seen in the flickering.
When these three women gather together, it feels like a hundred flowers blooming and the colors of the world come together.
Huo Qubing summoned many family heads, intending to return the inherited items of each family that he had previously brought into the military mansion.
There must be a limit to the amount of wool that can be harvested, and the sheep should not be killed directly. The water should flow slowly and continuously, and the sheep should be able to enjoy the pleasure of harvesting.
There is ample time.
During the dinner, Huo Qubing extended his hand to make a false move under the eager gazes of many family heads.
The military mansion far outside the city immediately changed. Wisps of light streaked through the sky and entered the champion's palace one after another.
The fortune-telling silk book of the Li family of Longxi, the general sword of the Li family of Zhaojun, and the bronze halberd of the Wang family of Taiyuan came through the air one by one and landed in the hall.
Several household heads stood up in unison, retrieved their belongings, and looked at them carefully.
Wang Qian, the head of the Wang family in Taiyuan, and Li Zhong, the leader of the Li family in Zhaojun, both showed a little surprise.
As expected, the ancestral weapon was stripped off by the military government, and the significant decline in energy did not occur.
These ancestral artifacts are still in the best condition.
"This..." Wang Qian was a little surprised.
"The Bingfu and these utensils are being sacrificed together. Only the initial stage is to strip away the Qi in them to nourish the Bingfu.
When the military mansion has been baptized by the national destiny and enjoyed by all the people, it will begin to feed back and replenish the losses of these artifacts, complementing each other. "
Huo Qubing gave a brief explanation, and his eyes casually glanced at Bai Nanyu, who was sitting quietly not far away.
Her side face is bright and has a strong sense of three-dimensionality between the ups and downs.
Isn't it a coincidence that her aunt fell into a coma, and then she happened to have a recipe to revive her, so that both Wei Qing and Huo Qubing owed a favor to Zhuo, or to Bai Nanyu?
It wasn't that Huo Qubing was suspected of being seriously ill and someone came to rescue him, he was also suspicious of Bai Nanyu.
But he had to figure this out.
Therefore, this banquet was held to take the opportunity to observe Bai Nanyu. If there was really a hidden danger, there would be no mercy.
Huo Qubing has used the power of the snake in the sea of consciousness and the killing energy of the white tiger soldier to kill evil and destroy illusions and gain insight into the root cause.
With his current practice, his keen sense of touch at the inner level, and his military skills, he is the best at detecting the enemy. No matter how hard the opponent was at such a close distance, Huo Qubing was sure that he would not be able to tell whether he was hostile or not.
However, the conclusion is that Bai Nanyu is not an enemy, and has no hostility towards either herself or Liu Qing.
What was somewhat unusual was that Huo Qubing saw that Bai Nanyu had practiced cultivation and was at a very high level.
And just when Huo Qubing was using his spiritual thoughts to soar the snake and secretly observing Bai Nanyu, her secret voice suddenly sounded in his ears: "Huo Hou is doubting my identity, suspecting that I am a member of that secret force? "
Bai Nanyu's voice said eloquently: "Huo Hou guessed it right!
I am the person cultivated by that secret force. I have been dormant in the Zhuo family and in Chang'an for many years. "
"Huo Hou, please listen to me.
Your aunt's fainting was not caused by me. The notification I received was to provide a prescription to wake your aunt up and look for an opportunity to get close to you. "
Bai Nanyu spoke secretly and glanced at Huo Qubing while speaking.
However, he saw that Huo Qubing's expression was as usual, and he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. He was talking to Li Zhao, the leader of the Li family.
Bai Nanyu withdrew her gaze and continued to whisper secretly:
"I started paying attention to you as early as when Huo Hou led his troops to attack Zonghengdao.
There is a deputy sect master in Zonghengdao, who is called the Ghost Mother in the sect, which is why I inherited the title from my master.
In the past few months, Huo Hou has been fighting on all sides, defeating the Xiongnu and all the Western Qiang tribes. So... I want to seek refuge with Huo Hou. Will Huo Hou accept it?
My surrender certificate is the hiding place of the secret forces and the distribution of factions within them. "
Huo Qubing remained calm on the surface, but his thoughts were racing in his heart.
This change was too unexpected.
This woman... wants to surrender!
"Huo Hou may think it's a bit abrupt for me to suddenly reveal my identity and join your service, but I have actually considered it in detail for several months.
What Huo Hou didn't know was that the secret forces were divided into different camps.
Some people advocate subverting the Han Dynasty and plotting secretly, but my branch has absolutely no such intention.
Since Huo Hou was born, he has been invincible. My judgment is that the secret force will eventually be defeated. In this case, joining Huo Hou is my best choice. "
Huo Qubing finished his conversation with several clan leaders, and when he looked back, he glanced at Bai Nanyu.
She was talking to Zhuo Qingke beside her, and on the surface it was impossible to tell that she was secretly busy talking about surrender with him.
This woman is a powerful character...somewhat interesting.
The reasons she said are very sufficient and self-consistent, at least for now it seems to be okay.
"You want to surrender, what's the bargaining chip and what do you want to get?" Huo Qubing asked in a voice.
"I know the hiding places of two secret forces. They are important places where they have been operating for more than a hundred years. And...the identity of an important figure they have dormant in Chang'an."
Bai Nanyu said: "I have joined Huo Hou, and I need Huo Hou to protect my safety and ensure the safety of some of my followers."
(End of chapter)
