A few days later, Zhao Kuo led the army to Jiuyuan. This road starting from Handan, passing through Dai County, Yunzhong and all the way to Jiuyuan City came to an end here.
Along the way, Zhao Kuo did not see the beautiful scenery of wind-blown grass and low cattle and sheep. All the Rong and Di were either attached to Zhao or to the Huns. The herdsmen had already fled far away, and there was not a single cow or sheep on the grassland. Even the wild horses and wolves seemed to feel the danger in the air and fled to other places.
Only the river on the left and the mountains on the right creep on the ground. The terrain here is narrow, with the widest point being only tens of miles, and the narrowest point being less than ten miles, which is most suitable for a decisive battle between the two armies.
Outside Jiuyuan City, Zhao Jun's camp stretched for nearly ten miles, with flags fluttering in the wind and a large formation covering the camp. The war clouds in the sky persisted all day long, and even the birds did not dare to approach.
And dozens of miles away is the Huns' camp. Compared with Zhao Jun's camp, the Huns' camp seemed to have no structure, and in fact it was so.
In the view of the Xiongnu, the best defense is to attack. Although they live by the water and often set up camps, they still have to deal with how to connect the camps, how to set up the roads, which direction the enemy is most likely to attack from, how to defend, etc. Don't know anything.
The general habit of the Xiongnu is to set up camps from high to low in order of status. The center is the tent of the King of the Xiongnu, where the Chanyu is, followed by the wise kings on the left and right, and the other Rong and Di followers on the outside.
However, due to the special care of the Xiongnu, King Loufan, King Xiu, King Xiuxun, King Zhuraccoon, and King Heigu were fortunate enough to live next to the Chanyu. They enjoyed the same treatment as the Chanyu. They were protected by guards when they came and went, and they slept alone at night. Tu also arranged for them beautiful concubines to sleep with them, and their food and clothing expenses were the same as Gu Tu's.
Gu Tu was also very considerate and sent generals to help them command the army to prevent them from being overworked.
Several monarchs were also very moved and sent greetings to Gu Tu's family in their hearts every day, even counting up to eighteen generations.
King Lou Fan and King Xiu felt extremely regretful in their hearts. They were indispensable for the Xiongnu's current power. If they had not initially decided to join the Xiongnu, attack the Zhao Kingdom together, and help the Xiongnu strengthen their momentum and regain other Rongdi, Things would never be like this.
Who would have thought that the Huns would kill donkeys, cross rivers and demolish bridges. After becoming powerful, they would immediately turn their backs and annex them.
It is too late to regret now. They only hope that Zhao can defeat the Huns and then put them back. They are willing to surrender to Zhao and pay tribute every year.
"Why are there so many Huns?" Meng Wu said in surprise with a big mouth. It is impossible to count the number of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, but judging from the size of the camp, the number of Xiongnu soldiers is likely to be twice that of the Zhao army.
"About half of them were soldiers from other Rongdi. When news came, Gu Tu forced Loufan, Huo Bao and other Rongdi to send 100,000 soldiers. It can be said that after this battle, except Donghu, all the soldiers on the grassland Rong and Di are completely ruined. It will definitely not be possible to recover the previous strength in just a few decades." Liu Ping said.
As for Donghu, they are the enemies of Yan State. They have very little communication with Zhao State and cannot threaten Zhao State. It is impossible for Zhao State to expedition to Donghu, which would be thankless.
"This is based on the premise that they can defeat us. If they lose...it won't be a question of whether we should be eliminated or not...and the probability of them defeating us is so small that it can be ignored." Cai Ze said coldly.
As an adult of Yan Guogang, he has been used to the wars between the Yan people and the Rong Di since he was a child. For decades, countless gang adults fought against the Rong Di, and almost every family had a relative die at the hands of the Rong Di.
The cruel and unkind image of Rong Di has long been deeply engraved in Cai Ze's bones. Whether it is Donghu, Xiongnu, Loufan, or Xiuzhai, Cai Ze has no good impression at all. In his heart, only the dead Rong Di is a good Rong Di.
Both the civil servants and the generals nodded their heads, so what if there were many people? If whoever has more people wins, then why fight? Both sides can just drag their soldiers onto the battlefield to compare their numbers.
In the entire north, the only Rong and Di that Zhao could look at seriously were the Xiongnu and Donghu. As for the other Rong and Di, they were not even qualified to be looked at seriously. No matter how many there were, they were still scum.
"Between these Rong and Di
The conflict between them was very deep, and there was even a blood feud with the Xiongnu. I heard that the Xiongnu seemed to have imprisoned every ruler of Rong and Di. When we get to the battlefield, we don't know how much combat effectiveness we can exert. Maybe we can just turn our weapons around and attack the Huns. Li Fu said with a smile.
As the old prime minister of Yan State, Li Fu, like Cai Ze, had no good impression of Rong Di. However, he has lived in the court for a long time and received a generous salary, and his experience is different from that of border people like Cai Ze.
Hearing this, Li Si glanced at He Zongjun, Lou Fanjun and Lin Hujun not far away. The Huns were on guard against Rong Di, so how could Zhao not be on guard against them?
In comparison, the hatred between Rong Di and Zhao was deeper than the previous hatred with the Xiongnu. It's just that because Zhao Guo is powerful, he has never dared to show it.
"Your Majesty, I am a Zhao person in life and a Zhao ghost in death. There is no difference of heart. Heaven and earth can learn from it." He Zongjun said quickly. Lou Fanjun and Lin Hujun also followed closely, fearing that they would be half a step too late.
It is true that they have enmity with Zhao State, but they know more about how powerful Zhao State is. Even if the three tribes put together are not enough to destroy Zhao Guo with one hand.
Compared with a small life, what does mere hatred mean?
Don’t you hear that a man can bend and stretch?
"I believe in you." Zhao Kuo showed a kind smile on his face, and then his expression turned serious, "Please don't let me down."
"I don't dare." The three people said quickly.
On the other side, Gu Tu was also observing Zhao Jun’s camp. Looking at the thick war clouds over Zhao Jun’s camp, Gu Tu’s face became gloomy. Now, war clouds are no longer a secret. Except for the Central Plains, other places are studying them. The wonderful use of Zhan Yun.
"Priest, can we, like Zhao Jun, cover the camp with war clouds?" Gu Tu said, pointing in the direction of Zhao Jun.
"Chanyu, I heard that there is a power in the Central Plains called war formation, which can strengthen the war cloud and enhance one's own strength. Zhao Jun should be using this kind of power. We Xiongnu do not have this kind of power." said the Xiongnu priest.
He is a priest of Xiongnu Shamanism, but Shamanism is not a religion, but a general term for a type of religion. This type of religion is spread throughout the grasslands north of the Central Plains. Each ethnic group has different worship rituals and gods. Some believe in the Kunlun God, some believe in the Sirius God, the Black Mountain God, etc.
