The devastated and desolate grasslands, the scorched and withered grasslands, the cold and dark rocks, and the cool breeze blowing gradually from the far north all indicate that the grassland climate has changed drastically and is about to enter a harsh winter.
The desolate grasslands and plateaus are a purgatory on earth. How can it be seen?
Beside the gurgling water, Luo Chengzhi led more than ten thousand Luo clan troops to rest by the river. The thirsty war horses naturally wanted to go to the river to drink water, but they were pulled back, and the horses' hooves were spinning in the air.
"Boil it all, not a single herb missing."
The soldiers boiled water in a pot, added herbs, let it cool before letting the horses drink it. Not to mention the soldiers, the water was also filled with herbs. The water was dark green and had an unpleasant smell.
But it’s something that has to be drank.
Luo Chengzhi also picked up the potion and drank it. In today's grassland, there may be a large amount of plague poison in any river.
Since the war, Luo's losses have been so great, with only about 10,000 people left out of 20,000, not to mention the other countries and grassland tribes. These corpses are difficult to deal with, and diseases have arisen, affecting cattle, sheep and horses on a large scale. It can be described as horrific.
Tap tap tap.
An army of about 30,000 people circled out from behind the hills and was stationed in the north of the hills, on the upper reaches of the river. The flags flying high were the troops of Yan State.
Luo Chengzhi came on horseback and saw many women and children in the Yan army. He immediately knew that these were captured Hu people. The Yan State had been working tirelessly to fill the country's population.
Murong Chengguang, with his face full of beard and beard, looked at Luo Chengzhi in front of the tent and felt quite friendly. His first words were - "We haven't seen him for a long time, the young master is still as charming as ever."
Luo Chengzhi touched his slightly messy beard and said: "I'm lucky to be alive to see you again."
When the two of them walked into the tent, there was only one person in the tent. She was a very beautiful and voluptuous woman. Her appearance was stunning, and she did not look like someone from the northern grasslands. Murong Chengguang laughed loudly and said, "Master, please take a seat. Luo Shi is in front of me." After defeating the Murong tribe, the Murong tribe was plundered by other tribes.
Half a month ago, our Dayan army attacked Murong's tribe. After killing the Hu people who took advantage of the situation, they took everything of Murong's tribe into their pocket. When I see the young master this time, just ask him what he wants. You know me. , I, Murong Chengguang, will never be stingy.
This woman was originally a member of the Murong clan, with a surname of Gao. According to her own words, she was a Han Chinese from Jizhou. If the young master wanted her, she would take her away. "
Of course Luo Chengzhi didn't want it. He glanced at it without avoiding it, and said directly: "This woman is pregnant. It depends on the situation for a month. Your Majesty, Emperor Yan, should pay more attention."
Pregnant? !
Murong Chengguang and the Gao family were both shocked. This must be the descendant of the former Chanyu of Murong. The Gao family was full of horror. There is no eldest son inheritance system in the grassland, and there is even a habit of killing the first child in the royal family. , mainly because they often rob women from other tribes, and are not sure about the bloodline of their first child.
Now the child in his belly is definitely not Murong Chengguang's son. How could Murong Chengguang tolerate his existence?
But what Gao and Luo Chengzhi never expected was that Murong Chengguang didn't care at all.
The Yan Kingdom even had a new emperor. According to Murong Chengguang, there was nothing to worry about.
He smiled and said: "I, Murong Chengguang, have a hard time having an heir. Now that God has sent me a child out of thin air, there is no reason why I should not want it.
After this child is born, the woman will call me Princess Dayan.
If you are a man, treat him as my son and raise him. Having another son is a good thing.
I had thought of a name as early as three years ago, but the one I gave birth to was a girl. I had no use for it, so I left it to him.
The woman is called Chunyuan, the man is called Ke, respectful and cautious, Murong Ke. "
Gao's expression was ecstatic, while Luo Chengzhi's expression was strange. Murong Chengguang, who had known Luo for three generations, was truly a strange person, always making strange remarks and equally strange behaviors.
But this was Murong Chengguang's private matter, and Luo Chengzhi didn't care.
But this child...
Luo Chengzhi took another look, and his intuition made him feel that something was wrong. The Hu people's great luck was in the sky, and heroes would emerge in endlessly. Murong Bu was naturally one of them. The child in front of him might be one of the Hu people's great luck figures. one.
After thinking for a moment, he no longer thought about these useless things, and with a look, Murong Chengguang patted Gao, and Gao left the camp.
There were only two people left in the tent, and Luo Chengzhi asked: "Your Majesty, Emperor Yan, do you know how many casualties the Yan army suffered?"
Murong Chengguang's hands froze, his eyelids slightly lowered and he said in a muffled voice: "We have recruited many slaves in the country several times, and now there are still less than 60,000 in the army."
Luo Chengzhi took a slight breath of cold air. There were probably tens of thousands of people who died on the grassland, and this was just the Yan family.
If we add several others, we must know that the Han-Liang coalition suffered heavy casualties as soon as they entered the grassland. What they are now in is simply unimaginable.
However, Murong Chengguang did not confine himself to this, but immediately said resolutely: "This battle between us and Xianbei is life and death. In recent years, it has been a head-to-head battle. Xianbei has many cunning plans, and our coalition forces also have Not to mention that the former nobleman Po Junshan killed 200,000 Xianbei people in one battle, but our Yan country also won many victories."
As soon as he heard Murong Chengguang's words, Luo Chengzhi knew that the offensive of the various countries was indeed consistent with what the battle report said and was not going smoothly.
This is natural. After all, the battlefield is now on the grassland of Xianbei Xia Kingdom.
Since ancient times, most of the great victories over the grasslands in the Central Plains were defensive battles. For example, during the Warring States Period, the famous Zhao State general Li Mu often made great gains when the Xiongnu invaded. Even the famous Qin Dynasty general Meng Tian relied on the Great Wall to defeat the Xiongnu army, and the Han Dynasty Huaiyin Wu Muhou Han Xin, when the Xiongnu invaded, closed the door and beat the dogs, killing tens of thousands, which was an unprecedented field victory.
It was not until the time of Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty that a divine general appeared and the country became rich, which reversed this trend. However, many people probably did not know that even if a divine general led his army to attack, five or six out of ten people would be killed or injured!
Less than half of the army that went on the expedition could return safely. This is the tragedy of the expedition.
But knowing this, why is there still this war?
Because this is the only way to destroy the grassland empire!
When coming to the grassland, the most important purpose is to kill people, and to seize cattle and sheep. For nomads, cattle and sheep are land and food. Imagine that all the land that can grow food in the Central Plains is in drought, and there is no food in the country. , what kind of scene should it be? This is what Xianbei Xia Kingdom is experiencing now.
As long as the grassland cannot kill the Central Plains in one wave, as long as the Central Plains does not have a crazy civil war, and as long as the Central Plains can have back and forth with the grassland in terms of generals, then there is a high probability that the Central Plains will win in the end.
According to the great destiny of heaven, this should be the era of the grassland.
The grasslands were unified, the Western Regions were conquered, and Liaodong was occupied. The Central Plains was divided. Hu heroes emerged in endlessly, while Han heroes gradually withered.
Ji Zhao and Dao, the Luo family was suppressed by heaven's punishment, heaven and man were separated, and the talents of their children were never outstanding in the world.
The stage is set, the curtain is raised, and everything is ready.
But eventually there were major flaws.
Luo's great determination and deep foundation are independent of the sky.
The Luo family moved to Liaodong, and then cooperated with the Yan State to annihilate the Donghu who were gradually gaining momentum in Liaodong. Although they could not prevent Xianbei from seizing the Western Region, Luo Jialan and Zhao Yingluo contained the Western Region's servant army and a large number of resources in the Western Region.
the most important is.
An oath to Luoshui united all the countries in the world and frustrated Xianbei's plan to defeat each one.
Luo Chengzhi heard the words and said in a deep voice: "The Luo family has also suffered great losses, but now may be the time. Your Majesty, Emperor Yan, winter is gradually approaching, and the grassland is about to usher in the most cruel period of the year. This is when we completely The opportunity to defeat the grassland, in the vast cold winter, Xianbei cannot avoid it, the decisive battle is at this time, if they are allowed to escape to Mobei, the loss will be too great."
…
decisive battle?
The commanders of the countries who gathered together again were extremely surprised. Murong Chengguang said nothing. Xiao Yan, who was extremely good at martial arts, said in surprise: "Sir, when Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty was the emperor, the war with the Xiongnu lasted for more than ten years. Our army has only been in the grassland for two or three years. How can we win quickly?
In the severe crisis of winter, it is better to follow the old practice of retreating to the border cities for repairs. Next year, when the spring is warm and the flowers are blooming, and the snow on the grassland melts, we can fight again. "
Xiao Yanzhi's words were recognized by almost everyone. The grassland in winter is too dangerous. It is dangerous for the army to enter the grassland. There are many casualties during the march. If it enters in winter, there will be no one who freezes to death or freezes to death. If If you don't keep warm in time, 30% of the soldiers who can fight are considered good.
Luo Chengzhi looked around at the people in the tent, and then said slowly: "Of course he knows what His Majesty Emperor Liang said, but he has something to say, please listen to it.
Since the Zhuxia Allied Forces entered the grassland, the losses were particularly heavy in the first year. More than 500,000 soldiers, auxiliary soldiers, and civilians died. Such huge losses resulted in 300,000 Hu casualties, including 300,000 Hu casualties. There are nearly 200,000 people killed by Luo Shi.
The next year, our coalition forces suffered more than 200,000 casualties, most of them auxiliary soldiers and civilians, and the Hu people suffered more than 100,000 casualties.
In the third year, when our coalition forces were on the grassland, tens of thousands of people died not because of the war, but the losses of the Hu people became less and less, because they began to avoid us and then attacked us secretly.
how so?
Our Central Plains has a population of tens of millions, and the Hu people cannot afford casualties, but our Central Plains can.
In the past three years, everyone must have known how powerful the Hu people have become.
If it weren't for the large population of our Central Plains, it would be impossible to sustain such a huge loss.
What should we do if the Hu people continue to flee and fight with our army on the grasslands?
It is indeed dangerous to attack in the cold winter, but this is what the barbarians would not have imagined.
In the cold winter, they would gather their livestock and live only in those warmer places. As long as we choose a day when snow falls and a surprise attack arrives, the barbarians will surely die.
If we can succeed in one battle, wouldn't it be better than the suffering of the next few years?
I think it's worth paying any price! "
Luo Chengzhi's words made everyone think deeply, and Murong Chengguang said slowly: "Everyone, I don't know what is going on in your country, but in the past three years, there has been no major famine in the Central Plains that affected the thirteen states in the world. It's not common. What would happen if there was a big disaster in the Central Plains now?
A quick solution is our best option! "
Murong Chengguang's words instantly hit everyone's back.
Natural disaster!
The most feared thing of a dynasty is that no matter how clear the politics, no matter how capable the monarchs and ministers are, it will be useless in the face of unsolvable natural disasters.
If there is a natural disaster and food shortage in the Central Plains, the conquest of the Hu people will be greatly affected.
But the oath of Luo Shui is ahead!
At this thought, everyone immediately agreed to send troops in winter.
Luo Chengzhi and Murong Chengguang looked at each other and nodded secretly, and then Luo Chengzhi said: "Your majesties, generals, the Western Region Killing Army led by Luo Jialan, the legitimate son of the Luo family, and his wife Zhao Yingluo, will With our synchronization, the war is now raging in the Western Regions, and most of the Hu people have been dragged into it. The Hu army has gradually blocked the Hu people's offensive and captured many cities. If the Hu people want to retreat into the Western Regions, they will The Western Regions block the Hu army."
Western Region!
The winner of the battle between the Central Plains and the Grasslands lies in the fact that both sides have a large number of troops deployed in the Western Regions.
In this case, everyone looked at each other a few times, and murderous intent gradually filled the tent. The top nobles in the Xia Dynasty had united their will to launch a desperate attack on the Hu people.
This war is not just for a simple raid on the royal court and victory. If it is just for a raid on the royal court, you only need to select elites. The reason why so many armies are led for this battle is to completely defeat the barbarians on the grassland. All those who were beyond the wheel were destroyed, and all the children and women were taken away.
Just like when the Han army destroyed the Xiongnu, the part of the name Xianbei that represented the Hu people completely disappeared. From now on, only people in the Yan Kingdom who came out of the Xianbei Mountains would be the only ones.
The State of Yan will become the sole heir to the bloodline of the Great Xianbei Mountains.
This was the result of discussions between Luo Chengzhi and Murong Chengguang. This was Zhu Xia's declaration to the Hu people.
…
In the Western Regions, the flag of killing the Hu army was flying everywhere. In today's Western Region, the banner of killing the Hu army was the flag of all resistance to the rule of the Xianbei people.
Luo Jialan and Zhao Yingluo cuddled together. The scene that was supposed to be ambiguous and passionate was completely ruined by their words. Even in bed, the two of them always talked about politics and military affairs.
"Madam, now that our army is getting bigger and bigger, and now the Hu army's attack is getting weaker and weaker, I think it's time for our army to counterattack, cross the Tianshan Mountains, drive the Hu people back to the grassland, and then fight with the armies of the Central Plains countries. Let’s annihilate them together on the grassland!”
Zhao Yingluo sat up, and the brocade quilt slipped off, revealing her smooth skin, which was dazzlingly fair. In Luo Jialan's puzzled eyes, Zhao Yingluo said excitedly: "Husband, the Central Plains is about to launch a decisive battle, and it's time for us in the Western Regions to start a decisive battle as well. Let's start again. I issued a letter to all the people in the Western Region, and raised my reputation for killing Hu Jun in the sacred name.
Get ready and wait for victory! "
How could Luo Jialan not know what Zhao Yingluo said, which was to integrate all the armed forces in the entire Western Region, all the rebels, and the armies of various countries in the name of the decisive battle. Zhao Yingluo was already preparing to ascend the throne after the war. The queen of the entire Western Region.
…
On the vast grassland, almost no one among the Xianbei nobles smiled.
Since their march westward from the Great Xianbei Mountains in Liaodong, the Xianbei nobles have never encountered such a major setback. Relying on extremely powerful ethnic warriors and advanced civilization systems, they unified the grasslands like cutting melons and vegetables along the way, and then conquered the Western Regions.
Although Shanyu died in the Western Regions, it was not a big problem. There were countless heroes in the clan, so it was not difficult to replace Shanyu.
But the divided countries of the Central Plains suddenly united and attacked the grassland. I originally thought it was a joke, but I didn't expect that Daxia suffered heavy losses!
Although the losses in Zhongyuan are more serious, the Zhongyuan family has a great cause and is far better than Daxia. Zhongyuan can afford the same loss, but Daxia cannot.
Looking at the increasingly cold weather, Chanyu, who should have been worried, breathed a sigh of relief and said to the nobles on his left and right: "The weather is cold. It's time for these crazy Han people to return to the Central Plains. The war has come to an end again." .”
Yes.
To the Xianbei people, the Han people are going crazy now.
With such huge casualties and such huge war deployments, in the Central Plains now, I don’t know how many people are wearing filial piety, and I don’t know how many people are bearing heavy military service. If they hadn’t had a period of recuperation before, they wouldn’t have been able to support such a huge war expenditures.
Why did everyone immediately agree to the winter attack as soon as Murong Chengguang mentioned the great disaster?
Because the food in all countries now cannot cope with the coming of the great famine, and the further we push back, the less likely it will be to cope.
Two to three hundred thousand troops gathered on the grassland, and the daily consumption of food and grass was an astronomical figure. To a certain extent, if the hell was worse, it might be the most economical way for the soldiers to come to the battlefield and die together with the barbarians immediately.
The Xianbei aristocrats are a group of people who are very Chinese and have a good understanding of the situation in the Central Plains. After all, when they deceived the Wei State, it was quite smooth. It can be imagined how well these people know the Central Plains.
It was precisely because of their understanding of this situation that they wondered why a large-scale uprising had not yet broken out in the Central Plains. This was quite unreasonable.
How do they know.
Although the Oath of Luoshui was sworn by several emperors, it was extremely rare for them to go into battle together to conquer the Hu people.
This is one of the very few wars that is not waged for the so-called glory and wealth.
The people were dying, but the nobles were also dying. The legendary direct descendants of the Luo family suffered heavy casualties. Many royal families and top nobles from various countries died on the battlefield.
We share the same hatred!
This is the trend in the world. There may be a few uprisings, but large-scale uprisings are impossible.
After the offensive of the Xia Allied Forces became more and more fierce, some nobles once proposed to withdraw to Mobei, but they were directly rejected. Once they retreated to Mobei, the vast land would be equivalent to giving up.
"In this cold winter, we recuperate on the grasslands, maintain our rule in the Western Regions, which is our granary, and maintain the road to Liaodong, which is our ancestral homeland.
They dealt with the Han people on the grasslands, stopped fighting hard with them, intercepted and killed their grain teams, and continued to throw away sick cattle and sheep in all the rivers.
After spending this cold winter and waiting for the spring to bloom next year, this Shanyu will lead all the sons, obey the will of heaven, ride tall war horses, wield the sharpest blades, and defeat all invading Han people . "
The Xianbei Chanyu sent out his outlook on winter to all the nobles, and the melodious folk song Chilechuan resounded on the grassland again.
"The wind blows the grass and you can see the cattle and sheep~"
The melodious huqin and the loud flute, accompanied by the voices of men and women, resounded in all directions under the Yinshan Mountain.
…
Between the grasslands, on a cold and snowy day, there is really no human habitation for thousands of miles, and there is no trace for thousands of miles. The heavy snow is far away in the extreme north, and the cold wind is howling, stinging people's faces.
Luo Chengzhi led his army forward, tightly wrapped in a cotton robe. The wind and snow blew on his face, like a knife cutting him. The cold wind blew through, and he felt a dull pain in his knees.
Passing through the rivers on the grassland, in the cold winter, most of the rivers were almost dry, and the few that were not dry were already frozen. Luo Chengzhi led the army to pass carefully. Although the horses' hooves slipped, it was not a big problem.
Thousands of elite cavalry were all the same, extremely silent and calm. More than a thousand of them were the remaining brave warriors, and more than 800 were elite soldiers from Winter City. The rest were the most elite armies of all countries. Thousands of them The army included almost the entire elite of the coalition.
This army could not be trusted by anyone but Luo Chengzhi. Luo Chengzhi led this army and shouldered the most important responsibility, attacking the royal court and cutting off the connection between the royal court and other ministries.
He even beheaded Shanyu.
Through the vast snow, in the white snow where thousands of people have disappeared, groups of allied soldiers are rushing among the tribes under the leadership of their respective emperors and generals. From time to time, soldiers fall on the march, with frostbite on their faces, and they fall on the snow. , my clothes were stained with snowflakes, and there were white frost and snow everywhere between my forehead and eyebrows. For a moment, I didn’t know whether it was the snow that was whiter, or my face.
A soldier exclaimed and wanted to pull his comrade up, but was held back and said: "No need, it's already hopeless, don't waste more energy."
When a friend from the same hometown saw him, he couldn't help crying, but in an instant, his eyelashes were covered with frost, and even his tears were frozen on his face, making him unable to open his eyes. "Don't cry, your tears will freeze."
All the sobbing stopped, there were no tears in the cold wind and snow, only the howling wind stood in the midst.
Faced with this situation, there is nothing anyone can do. They can only pretend that they have not seen it and tell all the soldiers that as long as this battle can completely defeat the Hu people, everyone can go home and the war will be completely over.
Most of these soldiers had not been out for a long time, and 70% to 80% of the first batch of soldiers who participated in the war were already dead. These were all recruited from the country later.
Faced with what the emperor said, we can only believe it.
Just under the blue sky, just under the bright sun, corpses fell on the roadside of the march. Soon there was heavy snow. Not many fell from the sky. Most of them were buried by the wind.
The army passed by, but the traces had long been buried by the snow, and the corpses were never seen. There was only a vast expanse of white between the sky and the earth. Until the ice and snow disappeared, who would have known that there were countless corpses of Han people under the heavy white snow? ?
"I, Mr. Jiangdong, cannot bear the severe cold. How many casualties have there been now?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, there are no less than eight thousand disciples."
Eight thousand.
Even though the vast majority of them were not soldiers with extremely tight protection, it was still a huge loss.
Xiao Yan was silent when he heard this, looking at the distant outline of the Yinshan Mountain with a shadow. How many people would die if he walked there?
He didn't know, nor did the Jiangdong ministers who answered his question, that none of the Jiangdong nobles who accompanied him were still wearing crowns, and too many people had died.
Hundreds of miles away, Murong Chengguang drank a mouthful of strong wine. A burning feeling rose from his stomach. He cursed and said: "I'm really freezing to death. This time I want to take Shan Yu's Yan family away." Come here and teach me a lesson.”
He recalled the smart child Gao gave birth to and muttered: "This woman can give birth. I have to go back alive and let her give me another child."
His hair was gray and his face was lined with wrinkles, but he was still strong. The Yan Kingdom's cavalry looked at him with reverence, as if they were looking at a god. He was indeed a legend in the army in the Yan Kingdom.
The Wei army was the smallest sent to the grassland this time because it had to face the attack of the Xianbei servants in the Western Regions. However, the Wei army had many cavalry. Of course, it was not Cao Shuang who led the army. After Cao Shuang destroyed tens of thousands of the more elite troops, he Deprived of military power.
After the initial disaster, the Han army gradually adjusted. Among the troops attacking the grasslands this time, the Han army had the largest number of soldiers. However, the Han army also made a lot of money. The Han army occupied some of the best grain-producing areas. The land, Yan State and others all purchased grain and grass from Han State.
The problems faced by these two countries were no different from those of Liang and Yan. They also had a large number of soldiers freezing to death on the roads.
Death is the most terrifying thing in the world.
The spread of the atmosphere of death will destroy an army. The soldiers will be scattered, mentally exhausted, and eventually disperse.
But nothing is ever certain in this world.
Death is also an accumulation of momentum.
When empathy runs through an entire army, death takes on a different meaning.
The sadness it brings to everyone will turn into hatred and be buried in everyone's heart.
revenge.
The righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period!
The sad soldiers will win.
The holy way of war!
The divine sword that spanned thousands of miles followed the tombs of seventy people to Wushuang City in the Western Regions, and killed Xianbei Chanyu with one sword.
What now?
All the souls of the dead along the way, and all the anger accumulated along the way, will also converge on the grassland thousands of miles away.
Perhaps there is no longer a divine sword that penetrates heaven and earth.
Perhaps in this war, no gods will break through the world.
Perhaps in the coming blood and fire, only people can strengthen themselves.
However, please look at the endless sharpness that has been condensed into the weapon!
But, please listen, in everyone's heart, there is endless vertical and horizontal energy accumulating, and the death of each person makes that vertical and horizontal energy become more and more sharp.
However, please close your eyes and feel that in the wind and snow, in addition to the cold death, there are also hot and blazing hearts. Countless hearts are beating, and countless voices are bursting out among them——
Kill Hu!
————
The nations raised an army of 300,000 people, hoping to wipe out all their clans. It was winter, the moon was cold, the sun was heavy, and the forest was extremely cold. Thousands of people were killed after marching for hundreds of miles. The traces of human beings appeared and they were covered with snow. They chose eight thousand of the best horses from each nation. Rushing to the royal court, the armies scattered in all directions to clear out various tribes. Eighteen thousand of them came through the wind and snow, and the rest died on the road, lying in the ice and snow.
Without this blood and tears, mourning and dying, the summers would not be prosperous today, and all the nations would not be in service today. In the days when the summers were declining, they prospered with this blood. It is painful and sad. ——"Northern History·Biography of Xianbei"
(End of chapter)
