In mid-March, just when Xu Ling and others were going south to teach the techniques of drying and practicing salt, the Jie people on the grassland, who had just survived the cold winter, were ready to move. Shi Le, the great khan of the Jie people, sent a message to all tribes to assemble an army. At the end of May, he attacked Xiguan and Yanmenguan, advanced on both fronts, and went south to attack Xia Kingdom. The Shalang tribe near Xiguan was even more impatient. They not only sent a small group of troops to provoke and harass the Daxia defenders near Xiguan, but also sent a thousand people to cross the mountains and ridges and take small roads to enter the Yan land to plunder.
Outside Prince Yan's Mansion, a distant military report broke the silence of the palace: "Report..."
Zhao Bin and others in the front office stood up from their chairs when they heard the military report.
The soldier ran into the front hall and knelt down on one knee: "Report to your lord, news came from the scout camp. A small group of Jie tribe cavalry was discovered in Xishan and Beishan."
Zhao Bin frowned slightly, thinking, has it finally come? Then he asked: "Approximately how many people are there?"
"Back to your lord, it's still unclear. Three groups of troops have been discovered, entering Yancheng from different mountains. There are about a thousand people in total, but I don't know if there are other troops. Captain Qin has ordered that the scouts The entire battalion is dispatched to monitor the enemy’s movements and any news will be reported immediately.”
"Lao Wu, bring me the map." Zhao Bin said to Wang Wu behind him.
Wang Wu quickly walked to a bookshelf, took down a scroll, and then laid it flat on the table.
Zhao Bin signaled the soldiers to point out the location of the Jie people. The soldiers hurried forward, found the locations of three mountain passes on the map, and pointed them out one by one.
Zhao Bin looked at the locations on the map. Because these locations were close to mountainous areas, the Jie people were exposed to the autumn wind all year round, so there were very few people living nearby. Most of the people moved to places close to Yancheng.
Xiao Chu glanced at the map and said: "Your Majesty, the closest location to discovering the enemy is Lijiazhuang. If the enemy knew the specific location of Lijiazhuang, I'm afraid they would have arrived by now."
Zhao Bin frowned and asked the soldier, "Has anyone sent a message to the people in Lijiazhuang?"
"Back to your lord, the scout camp immediately sent people to notify the local people, asking them to quickly evacuate or enter the tunnel."
Zhao Bin looked at the map and wondered if the Jie people did not meet the common people in Lijiazhuang, where would they go next?
"Where is Wei Xiang?" Zhao Bin asked leisurely.
Cao Li hurriedly pointed to a location on the map and said: "Your Majesty, Wei Xiang is in Wulibao, five miles south of Lijiazhuang. Wulibao is a large village. There are about five hundred villagers here. In addition to Wulibao, There are several villages around.”
"Zhou Hu!"
"The humble duty is here!" Zhou Hu, the fifth captain of the escort team, stepped out from the crowd and responded loudly.
"You are more familiar with the area to the west. You and your two hundred brothers in the guard army will rush to Wuli Fort to support Wei Xiang immediately." Zhao Bin said firmly.
Xiao Chu hurriedly stood up to stop him and said: "Your Majesty, no, if the Jie people besiege Yancheng..."
"Don't worry, there is no military report coming from Xishan. It is impossible for the Jie people to have a large force enter the territory of Yancheng. These small forces will definitely not attack the city. Even if they come, there is nothing to worry about. Go ahead."
Zhou Hu cupped his hands and said, "Yes, I humbly accept my order." After saying this, Lu Biao raised his legs and left. As soon as he reached the door, Zhao Bin's words came from behind him.
"Don't let any one go, try to catch two tongues and bring them back."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhou Hu turned around and went out, went back to the barracks and summoned two hundred guards. After a while, two hundred cavalry left the city at the west gate.
"Lu Biao, take one hundred brothers from the guard and two hundred brothers from the transport team to ambush Guojia Town in the north of the city. There are few people in the north of the city. Guojia Town is already a deserted village. The enemy may pass through Guojia Town and head east. Loot, you stay here to ambush, once these bastards enter the village, block the exits and catch turtles in the jar." Zhao Bin said to Xiao Chu.
"It's the prince, what if they don't enter the village?" Lu Biao, the first captain of the escort team asked
"Hehe, then you make a fire to make food. When they see the smoke, they will think that there are people living in the village. I don't believe that these bastards can bear it when they see it."
"General, I will obey your order." Lu Biao took the order and left.
Cao Li looked at the map and said, "Your Majesty, what should we do with this enemy army in the south?"
"We don't have enough manpower. The troops in the south can only be solved by Qin Duwei and others. Send someone to inform Qin Duwei that if possible, ask Qin Duwei to send a thousand people to defend the south and try to drive the enemy troops westward. Road, meet up with Zhou Hu and the others."
"But what will happen if Qin Captain refuses to send troops?" Cao Li said worriedly.
Zhao Bin looked at Cao Li and said with some uncertainty: "Probably not. I think he wants to kill the enemy more than us. Old Cao, you should go and do this in person."
Of course Cao Li understood what Zhao Bin meant. He was now the governor of Yancheng. He had to go personally to be convincing about sending troops to kill the enemy. After all, if the enemy failed to be killed, Qin Fang would have to bear the responsibility, not to mention that Qin Fang was not It was under the control of Prince Yan's Mansion and the County Sheriff's Office, and it was not possible to send troops to send troops at risk, as before. It was impossible to just send someone to pass the order. There must be a person with weight to negotiate and communicate.
Cao Li didn't stay much, and immediately left the palace and headed for the south gate.
At the city gate, Qin Fang was commanding the soldiers to prepare the equipment for defending the city. Another group of cavalry was ready and on standby. Cao Li knew that the situation was urgent and did not say too much. He first informed everyone of King Yan's deployment. Wei Qinfang then bluntly asked him to send troops to stop the enemy in the south.
As Zhao Bin expected, Qin Fang agreed after only a slight hesitation. He had been waiting for this moment for many years. He, Qin Fang, had been stationed in Yancheng for many years. After the Jie tribe retreated last time, he turned to attack. In order to protect the safety of Yan City, he could no longer mount a war horse to fight with the Jie tribe. Even if he watched the people outside the city being plundered by the Jie tribe, he was powerless. Without a war horse, he could not catch up. However, It was different now. King Yan gave them thousands of war horses. Although their equestrian skills were not as good as those of the Jie people, this did not hinder their determination to kill the enemy and take revenge.
Qin Fang gave an order, and Hao Tong, the captain of the prison gate, led a thousand cavalry out of the city. Qin Fang really wanted to go by himself, but as the captain of Yancheng, he had to stay in Yancheng. Hao Tong is Qin Fang's deputy general. In the military camp, in addition to calling him Colonel Hao, everyone also gave him a nickname, Colonel Tong-arm. The reason is that Hao Tong's arms are particularly long, just like the Tong-arm ape. He was extremely powerful and used an iron spear, so during the battle, he was able to take down other people's weapons before they even got close to him.
In Lijiazhuang, the people were farming in the fields. The scouts and cavalry came on horseback, shouting loudly as they walked: "The Jie people are coming, go home quickly, the Jie people are coming, go home quickly."
Afterwards, the warning sound of clanging gongs sounded in the village, and the people farming outside the village rushed to their homes with their cattle and horses. The people in the village went into the tunnels to hide, and the food was also stored in the tunnels. As for the cattle and horses, there was really no way to bring them into the tunnels, so they stayed in the yards. Fortunately, Yancheng promised that the cattle and horses lost by the people would be redistributed. The most important thing is to save human life.
The village militia team also took out their own bows and crossbow weapons and hid them in the dark, always ready for a sneak attack.
