The cold winter has retreated slightly, and spring has begun to show its signs.
The riverbank that was originally covered in white frost gradually receded, and some green sprouted from the soil, covering the dead air left last year.
Thick mist gradually spreads on the river with the breeze. Turning the world for tens of miles around into confusion.
The blazing sun was rising in the sky, but looking through the thick fog, one could only vaguely see a circle of white light, vaguely identifying it as the eternal sun.
It was early in the morning, and the coldness of the night had not completely dissipated. The river bank and the river surface were extremely calm, with only the gentle breeze blowing on the river surface, causing ripples.
Of course, there are also those busy figures on the river bank.
Countless densely packed black spots surged back and forth, and a series of shadows loomed on the river. Each black spot quickly ran from the river bank to the shadow, and soon entered it and melted into the shadow.
If you zoom in from a distance, you will find that these black spots are actually human beings, and the shadows in the mist are also rows of boats parked on the river.
"Hurry up, move faster."
"While the guys on the opposite side don't notice, move faster. We'll take advantage of the thick fog and kill them."
"The general has an order. Anyone who can kill more than ten enemies across the river this time will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver and promoted to three levels. If you don't want to continue to join the army, you can leave with the flash silver and let you go free."
"The general has an order. Those who advance will live and those who retreat will die. In this battle, anyone who is afraid of the enemy and refuses to advance or disobeys the military order will be killed without mercy."
"The general has an order. If you rebel, your whole family will be affected. Your parents, wives, and children will all die. You should be careful."
"The general has an order to capture the enemy's city in this battle. It is allowed to wash the city for three days. You can take the rich women in the city for yourselves."
Knights on fast horses ran back and forth in the open space on the river bank, shouting the military orders that had just been issued.
Officers at all levels who also knew the contents of the military orders also repeated these military orders to their subordinates over and over again.
They knew that if they did not use these military orders to give their men hope and restraint, then they would expect them to serve them obediently in this battle, but they didn't even think about it.
Because the soldiers under their command are not from the same tribe as themselves, and even if they come to serve as soldiers, they are not voluntarily, but out of compulsion.
And the enemies we have to face this time are the tribesmen of our soldiers.
Under such circumstances, the only way to drive the soldiers to obey orders was to rely on these strict military laws and the temptation of large amounts of rewards.
And are these methods useful?
Many officers looked at their subordinates. The soldiers who were originally full of resentment, numbness, nervousness, and fear saw the desire on their faces and eyes, and the original worries in their hearts suddenly dissipated.
They knew that these military orders had successfully aroused the desire in the hearts of these soldiers, the desire for life, the desire for wealth, and the desire for beastliness.
This battle can be fought.
The cold river wind was blowing the thick fog. Amidst the coldness and chill, Li Xiong stood on a hastily put together wooden boat and looked at the river bank in front of him.
Even as an innate master, his eyesight is not much better than that of ordinary people in this level of dense fog.
…
What he saw in his eyes were also black dots and shadows. Beyond ten feet, there was a vast expanse of white, and he could not see anything clearly.
The only thing that makes him better than ordinary people is that as an innate master, his soul power is extremely powerful. With the true meaning of martial arts, he can sense things within thirty feet nearby, and he can learn more things.
But compared to the small increase in the sensing range, there were too many troops busy on the river bank at this time.
Although they were arranged in a compact row according to order, the area covered was far more than thirty feet. It was a long black dragon that stretched downward from here with no end in sight.
"How are the various departments preparing?"
After staring at the black shadow in the white mist in the distance for a long time, Li Xiong finally withdrew his gaze, turned his head and asked.
Next to him, white-haired Li Shou stood quietly.
Although he is a younger brother, he is far different from his older brother in terms of appearance and vitality.
Li Xiong is only in his early fifties, but with a full head of black hair, a red face, a tall figure and a high morale, he looks like a man in his early thirties.
The vitality brought by the innate master blocked his aging.
The promise he just received a few days ago made him see the possibility of making great achievements in his career. Today, Li Xiong is full of ambitions to do something big.
Li Shou, on the other hand, had half a head of silver hair, wrinkles appeared on his forehead and eyebrows, and his originally straight waist was slightly stooped. His body was full of old age, just like an old man of his age.
In terms of appearance alone, the two of them don't look like brothers, but rather like father and son.
But now this man who looked like his father, after listening to his brother's words, took out the book he had just compiled in his arms and looked at it, and then replied with a low eyebrow: "Brother, the first batch of twenty people to cross the river is one." Fifteen of the ten thousand people have boarded the ship at this time, and the rest should be almost ready in half an hour.
As for the next two batches of 20,000 people, they will have a firm foothold on the other side an hour after we cross the river. They will be divided into two waves and continue to keep up. "
Hearing this, Li Xiong frowned slightly.
He looked at the thick fog around him, and then at the white circle that climbed higher and higher in the sky. He calculated carefully in his mind and confirmed that the sun would not be able to disperse the thick fog after half an hour. Then he nodded with confidence. .
"Wait for half a moment over there. After half a moment, no matter whether the ministries are ready or not, we will set off immediately."
Li Xiong made a decision, and then looked at his increasingly aging brother. He sighed and felt a little disgusted in his heart, and said seriously: "Shou, this battle is related to my great cause. Whether our clan can be revived in this southwestern Yi land, I am very determined." Whether Shu can re-establish a country depends on this.
This matter is so important that we have to be cautious and pay attention to it. "
Li Shou met his brother's gaze and lowered his head again: "I know, brother, don't worry, I will do my best to assist brother Zuo this time and restore our Kingdom of Shu."
But although he spoke firmly, his tone was still full of submissiveness, which made Li Xiong feel even more unhappy when he saw it.
This younger brother, who is very similar to his own mother and even looks very similar, was often considered to be Li Xiong's replica when he was young.
…
The two brothers were also proud of this at the beginning. They supported each other and worked together, and finally created a foundation for the Kingdom of Shu together.
But these all slowly disappeared with the collapse of the Shu Kingdom, with their running around, and with the constant oppression of life.
I don’t know when it started.
The younger brother of the Xiqiang duo, King Anyang of Shu, and a majestic general on the battlefield, has become what he is now.
Submissive and timid.
Looking at this face that was similar to his own, Li Xiong seemed to see another failed version of himself. Seeing what he might look like in the future, he felt even more disgusted and disdainful.
So after glancing at his brother twice, he withdrew his gaze and did not look any further. He just said with a normal expression: "In that case, Shou, just go ahead and make arrangements."
Li Shou responded. I don't know if he felt the emotional changes in his brother's heart, but he retreated with the same expression as usual.
But Li Xiong just glanced at him and looked away, but his thoughts drifted back to three days ago.
He remembered the information and words the young King Chu gave him when he came to see him three days ago.
The four-nation alliance joins forces to attack the barbarians!
It turned out that long before he went to the Chu Kingdom to ask for help, the King of Chu had already made plans to invade the Southwestern Yi due to the civil strife in the Dachanghe Kingdom.
Moreover, he not only planned to go it alone, but also recruited three allies to launch a great cause of four kingdoms conquering the barbarians.
'Are the Four Kingdoms attacking the barbarians? ,
Li Xiong didn't know why, but he remembered the Northern Expedition that caused his disastrous defeat.
At that time, Yue Shi, who had not yet perished, united the three countries of Changsha, Ninghai, and Nanhai, which were still vassal states at that time, and the four countries formed an alliance.
The four countries jointly sent more than 400,000 troops and mobilized four innate masters to launch a massive Northern Expedition.
In the end, he and the coalition forces of Zhou were defeated with overwhelming force.
In just six months, the 300,000 Zhou and Shu coalition forces were wiped out.
The Kingdom of Shu was directly destroyed, and he fled in embarrassment and ran to this undeveloped barbarian land.
The state of Zhou also lost two innates in battle and lost a county.
Although several years have passed, every time he thinks of this tragic experience, Li Xiong can't help but sigh and feel a little powerless and fearful.
The past is still vivid in my mind.
Although the Yue Kingdom has been destroyed, a new four-nation alliance has emerged under the leadership of the Chu Kingdom.
Although the total strength of this new alliance is only 280,000.
Including the barbarians he had recruited, the total military strength was less than 400,000. Among them, there are only five Xiantian Grandmasters, which is far behind the original Hezong Alliance.
But the enemy we face this time is not a big country like China that dominates the Zhou Dynasty, but the southwestern barbarians who are far weaker than the Zhou Dynasty and are divided into independent countries.
From this point of view, the situation faced by both sides and the relative strength of each other are actually similar to those of the Northern Expedition.
'So will this expedition be as devastating as the Northern Expedition seven years ago? ,
Li Xiong thought about what Lu Yuan had gained since he sent out troops, and quickly captured a county, wiping out 100,000 barbarian soldiers from Da Changhe with an absolute advantage.
…
This kind of achievement can indeed be called overwhelming and overwhelming.
That King of Chu is indeed worthy of the outside world's evaluation of him. After Wu'an Hou, he is another generation of military god in Yangzhou in the south of the Yangtze River.
He is leading this expedition against the southwestern barbarians, so he should be able to achieve good results.
After the last Northern Expedition ended, Xichuan and Hanzhong emerged.
Then after this Western Expedition is over, it is natural that we will have another Shu Kingdom, right?
The two expeditions, which were very similar in terms of participants and joint forms, gave Li Xiong unimaginable confidence and enthusiasm.
It is precisely because of this similarity that he is full of confidence and expectations for Lu Yuan's promise and his future.
"Back then, under the command of Marquis Wu'an, King Chu made great achievements with two thousand-mile raids, and finally regained the land of two counties and seven mansions in the north of the Yangtze River.
Now I am under the command of the King of Chu. This time I have received the important task of crossing the river. I am responsible for breaking through the Lushui defense line of Dachanghe State and conquering Kunhai.
If the strategic goal can be achieved, then with such great achievements, it is okay to exchange for two thousand miles of Kunhai, right? "
Li Xiong held the railing on the boat with his hands and looked at the vast river, feeling proud in his heart.
Although he is now in decline, he has attached himself to the Chu State and became a general under the King of Chu.
But as an innate master, as long as there is hope and opportunity, there will never be a lack of fighting spirit.
Even an old man like Yan Wangqiu, who was more than 140 years old, was finally able to grow old again and carve out a piece of the Nanhai Kingdom's foundation before his death.
I am only over fifty years old, in my prime, and my life is unlimited. Can I be any worse than that old man?
As long as he can get the two thousand miles of Kunhai and the millions of people there, then Li Xiong believes that with his youth and ability, he can definitely do something big again.
"What you can do, I can also..."
Li Xiong whispered, his eyes deep.
I just don’t know that the you he’s talking about is Yan Wangqiu, who is already lying on the hospital bed, unable to move.
I still can’t name the one…
The river flows quietly, and the boats driven by the water can't help but sway slightly.
Fortunately, all the ships along the coast have been anchored, so there is no need to worry about it being pushed away.
In the silence here, the originally noisy and numerous black-dot figures on the river bank have gradually disappeared.
All that was left were rows of boats by the river, all of which were filled with people.
"Brother, all the ministries are already on board."
Li Shou returned at this time and reported on his mission.
"Now that everything is ready..."
Li Xiong turned around, suppressed many thoughts in his heart, took a deep breath, and then said decisively: "Then sail the boat and cross the river!"
With an order, the sailors on the ship took action quickly.
The rowers rowed and waved flags, and the ship beneath them soon followed their efforts, slowly moving away from the shore and heading towards the center of the river.
The movement here seemed to be a signal, and a nearby ship also moved out one after another.
After a while, the shadow in the thick fog was like a long black dragon, swimming its winding body towards the center of the river.
…
Just like a long dragon emerging from the abyss, its claws are ferocious.
…
Since February of the fifth year of Shenwu, the entire Southwest Yi region has been ignited by fierce wars, causing the entire Kunhai, Erhai, and Lihai regions to fall into never-ending turmoil.
The first is the war between Chu State and Da Changhe State.
After confronting each other for half a year, as Dali and Nanzhao were successively delayed by their respective wars, the Chu army, which had been preparing for a long time, finally took advantage of the thick fog in the early morning to launch an attack. The battle across the river.
In this battle, Li Xiong, the former lord of Western Shu who had surrendered to the Chu State, was the vanguard general and led an army of 30,000 to cross the river to attack.
The half-year confrontation had gradually paralyzed the careless Dachanghe army. They were completely unprepared. In an instant, the Chu army crossed the river bank and easily captured a coastal stronghold.
Then 30,000 Chu troops crossed the river one after another, and in just a few hours, a large camp was built near this stronghold.
By the time the commander and his army reacted and sent troops to recapture it, it was already too late.
With the camp defense, the Chu army was not afraid of the opponent's counterattack.
The two sides launched several fierce battles over the ownership of the camp, which ended with the commander-in-chief and his army leaving more than 10,000 corpses behind.
After the Chu army established a stronghold on the west bank, subsequent reinforcements and various grain and grass supplies from the Chu army continued to be transported to the stronghold on the west bank in the next half month.
By the end of February, Li Xiong's stronghold on the west bank had gathered 50,000 troops, as well as enough food and supplies for the 50,000 troops for one month.
With enough savings and long cultivation, Li Xiong no longer delays waiting.
Then he drove the army to launch a fierce attack on Longhe City where Daochanghe's army was guarding.
This city is garrisoned by 30,000 daichowa troops, and there is also a shrine-mountain priest in the city. It can be said that it is impregnable and extremely difficult to capture.
But facing such a fortified city, Li Xiong was not afraid. He just kept driving his soldiers and launched one round of attacks desperately.
Another bloody siege broke out between the two sides under the city.
During this period, Li Xiong personally visited the battle line more than ten times, took the lead in attacking the city, and constantly fought to the death with the great witch priest of the shrine, and was seriously injured several times.
But after he returned, he only rested for a few days before going to the battlefield again. It could be said that he truly died without caring.
As a coach, you work so hard.
Not to mention the soldiers under Li Xiong.
He mobilized the barbarian soldiers, not caring about the lives of the opponents at all, and directly relied on the supervising team to force the city to attack round after round.
If one team is exhausted, send another team. If one team rebels and makes trouble, kill all the first team, and then send the next team.
Relying on such bloody methods, the entire army crossing the river fought against Longhe City day and night.
After fighting like this for more than a month, they replenished the rear several times, sent all 90,000 barbarian troops, and finally killed 70,000.
The commander and his army finally couldn't hold on any longer. The great shaman priest of the shrine was also frightened by Li Xiong's desperate fighting style, and finally had to abandon the city and fled to the rear with thousands of remaining soldiers.
At this point, Longhe City was finally captured.
The Chu army secured the first city and fortress in the Kunhai area on the west coast.
…
Chu State finally made another important breakthrough in its war against Da Changhe State.
In the entire Southwest Yi region, war broke out not only in Longhe City.
In the Tonghai Kingdom of Dali, Su Xuange also led the Su Kingdom's 100,000 troops to start a battle with the 50,000 soldiers and horses of the Dali Kingdom who rushed to rescue.
After several bloody battles, the Soviet army finally defeated the coalition forces of Dali and Tonghai, killing 70,000 prisoners, and finally captured Tonghai.
Dali's remaining tens of thousands of remnant soldiers fled to the rear in embarrassment and began to reorganize the defense line in the Yinsheng area.
In the Black Teeth Kingdom, Xie Ning led the Song army and quickly defeated the ten kingdoms here before moving north quickly.
In the Profit City in the Yinsheng area, they encountered an attack from the Dali Kingdom.
The enemy leader is King Pingchuan of Dali Kingdom, the innate master of the Dali clan and the younger brother of the current King of Dali.
The opponent led 50,000 troops and fought with Xie Ning in the area of Profit City. The two sides fought several times, with each winning or losing.
The Song army was unable to defeat the opponent and was eventually blocked by the profit city.
However, the news that the Soviet army had reached the Yinsheng area gradually spread to the vicinity of Profit City.
After Xie Ning heard about it, he quickly sent someone to communicate and prepare to join forces with Su Xuange to deal with the Dali army.
A new war over there is brewing rapidly.
As for the Nishikawa Army.
After Han Shun, who had received Lu Yuan's order, led 10,000 soldiers from Xichuan County to join him, Ji Hui, who had originally wanted to retreat, finally gained confidence again.
Finally, he led his troops and retreated to Xiangcheng of Moxue Kingdom, where he fought with the 150,000 troops of Jianchuan Kingdom.
Judging from the current situation, with Ji Hui, the innate master, looking at it, the two countries' coalition forces can defend it well. The Jianchuan Army cannot shake Xiangcheng, so there is no worry here for the time being.
On the other hand, the Nanzhao Kingdom behind the Jianchuan Kingdom had a somewhat strange attitude.
His own country was attacked, and the Nanzhao Kingdom did not send troops to rescue him. He just let the Jianchuan Kingdom deal with Ji Hui.
Dachanghe Kingdom and Dali Kingdom were invaded one after another, and messengers for help came one after another, but Nanzhao Kingdom still ignored them.
He didn't say whether to send troops to assist, nor did he explicitly refuse. It was just delayed.
Except for the 100,000 soldiers and horses gathered near the capital, there was no other movement in Nanzhao.
No one knows what the other person is thinking, it's so weird and scary.
But judging from the current situation, the three major barbarian countries in the southwest have been defeated steadily in the face of the vertical alliance initiated by Lu Yuan, and have lost large areas of territory.
The remaining Nanzhao Kingdom also remained strangely calm.
Judging from the apparent situation alone, the four-nation alliance of Chu, Su, Song, and Xichuan has achieved a brilliant victory and accumulated sufficient advantages.
This joint expedition against the barbarians seems to be like Hongdao's seven-year Northern Expedition, ending in victory.
