Chapter 792 The troops are divided into two groups
Anding County during the Han Dynasty was no better than that of later generations.
Due to indiscriminate deforestation in later generations, the areas of Longyou and Guanzhong suffered from serious water and soil erosion due to lack of vegetation coverage, resulting in the wonders of the Loess Plateau with thousands of ravines.
As for Anding County during the Han Dynasty, although it had gone through hundreds of years of the Han Dynasty, the environmental damage was not serious.
Because this area was previously a grazing area assigned to the Hu people by the Han Dynasty.
And based on the level of farming before the Han Dynasty, if we really wanted to farm in such a place, the cost of land reclamation alone would probably not be recouped.
March along the foot of the Great Wall, looking at the dilapidated but tenaciously standing city walls, giving people a sense of history.
Outside the Great Wall is where the barbarians graze their cattle.
The Great Wall is where the naturalized Hu people live.
Just separated by the Great Wall, there are two worlds: civilization and barbarism.
Although it is a grazing land, the terrain is not flat.
The undulating hills are covered with waist-high grass and shrubs.
In this kind of terrain, the Hun horse has very good adaptability. On a slightly flatter place, it can even run at full speed.
In addition, Xiongnu horses are extremely resistant to rough materials. When marching in such a place, there is no need to worry about the forage problem of the war horses.
The cavalry camp’s backup war horses, which are Hequ horses returned from Xiping County and Jincheng County in the Huangshui Basin, performed not too badly.
In comparison, Feng Junhou’s mount is much more difficult to maintain.
Especially one of them was a horse from the Western Regions that someone bought from Hexi at a high price in order to please Feng Yong.
This horse is much taller than the Xiongnu horse, and its running speed is top-notch.
More importantly, the endurance is also very high. Even when running in high temperature weather, you only need to drink water once throughout the day to maintain your speed.
The disadvantage is that not only does it have high requirements for concentrated feed, but it also requires dedicated personnel to serve it, otherwise it is easy to lose weight, become thin, and lose vitality.
The biggest flaw is that this horse, which is said to have the pedigree of the Western Region Pegasus, is actually a gelding!
So the guy who delivered the horse was angrily slapped by Feng Junhou on the spot:
I am a noble prince, guarding a place, and you actually gave me a gelding? Who do you look down on?
When you are riding a horse, you need to ride the strongest horse, just like when you are drinking, you need to drink the best wine, and when you sleep... uh huh!
Finally, Feng Junhou threatened to cut off the supply of special products and asked the other party to find him another horse that had never been gelded. It must be a pair, one male and one female!
Of course, Feng Junhou is not an unreasonable person. Although this horse has been gelded and its temperament is too docile, it can still be ridden.
So Feng Junhou reluctantly accepted it based on the principle of not wasting it, and then gave the other party something symbolically as a return gift.
Then the guy who received a beating left happily. Before leaving, he said that as long as the king was satisfied, he could be beaten ten times or eight times more.
Zhao Guang, on the other hand, said more than once that he didn't mind that it was a gelding. If his brother didn't like it, he could give it to him.
Of course, it can be given to him as a supplementary gift. After all, his brother was not present when he got married.
"A congratulatory gift? What a congratulatory gift!" Feng Yong glared at him angrily, "When I got married, you snatched the congratulatory gift from others. Did I say anything?"
"You said at that time that as long as I wanted, you could give me all the gifts when you get married. Now you still have the nerve to ask me for gifts? You want to eat it!"
This kind of wilderness is a paradise for wild animals. The passing of the army disturbed many animals.
What caught Feng Yong’s attention the most were the flocks of yellow sheep that passed by from time to time.
Yellow sheep are gathered together in groups, with large numbers of dozens and small numbers of dozens.
In this era, there were still many wild deer scattered in the interior of the Central Plains, and they even sometimes came out to destroy the crops in the fields.
Not to mention that on the dividing line between the Central Plains and the desert, where there are few people, wild animals can be seen everywhere.
After setting up camp, Feng Yong led his soldiers out to hunt, euphemistically called practicing archery.
It's easy to just shoot an arrow out, as long as you have strength, but if you want to shoot accurately, you need skills.
As for shooting at moving objects, it requires a long period of dedicated practice.
With Feng Junhou's native archery skills, if you want to hit a yellow sheep, you have no hope in this life.
It is impossible to hit the target, and it seems that the only way to hit the target is to use an improved crossbow to aim and shoot.
Several arrows were shot, but they either fell before reaching the target, or were so crooked that they had no edge, and one or two of them drifted somewhere.
Feng Junhou's face was dull, but Zhao Guang was also dull. He was only looking at his brother's body... Well, no, it was his brother's horse from the Western Regions.
Feng Yong got tired of hearing this and threw fire directly on Zhao Guang's head, hitting him with a bow and arrow:
“You just take benefits from me all day long, and you don’t know how to help me when you see me hunting prey! I want to eat solid food again at night!”
Before Zhao Guang could react, Han Daxia, who was guarding Feng Yong, came over with a belly bump, "Junhou, are you planning to make dinner?"
Feng Yong nodded: "This yellow mutton is delicious. It's good to have it as dinner tonight."
When Han Long heard this, his eyes lit up and he said: "I can do this kind of thing, so why do you need the king to do it yourself?"
After saying that, he crossed over to Feng Yong, seemingly ready to show his hands. Then he remembered something and stepped back again:
“Your Majesty, how many do you plan to eat for dinner?”
"Huh?" Feng Yong was stunned, not knowing what he meant, "How many? I'll just eat two hind legs..."
Han Long nodded, "That's OK, I already know it."
As he said that, he said "drive" and rushed out.
Youzhou is the horse-producing land of the Han Dynasty, and Han Long was born in Youzhou. His equestrian skills are many times better than Feng Yong's.
Before Feng Yong could react, he had already started circling the yellow sheep.
Let’s talk about hunting, there are professionals and unprofessionals.
Professionals like Feng Junhou first let people drive the prey to a place, and then let the owner hunt.
Unprofessional people are like Han Daxia, who rush forward alone.
It just so happens that things in this world are so weird, professionals are actually not as good as amateurs.
“I picked the three fattest ones, and the three of us will have a good meal tonight.”
Hand Daxia Han came back happily soon. There was one on the horse, one in front of the other, and one in his hand.
“Mr. Han, I can’t eat that much…”
Feng Junhou came to his senses this time and said with a chuckle.
“I know, I’ll give you the hind legs, and we’ll eat the rest!”
Zhao Guang immediately expressed his solidarity with his brother: "Mr. Han, I can't eat so much..."
“If you don’t want to eat, I will!” Han Long looked at him with disdain, “You are so young that you can’t even take two bites of meat!”
“Um, Mr. Han, would you like me to have two more bites?”
The tender mutton is roasted and sprinkled with Feng Mansion's special seasoning powder.
Not to mention Feng Junhou’s own chef, the cooking is unique in the world - the ingredients in the palace may be top-notch, but the taste is definitely not as good as Feng’s cuisine.
After the meat was served, Feng Yong couldn't help but eat an extra hind leg - the meat was tenderer and more fragrant than expected.
Not to mention Zhao Guang, he regretted saying it too early. He felt that he could eat one more.
“No!” Han Daxia didn’t look like a senior at all, he was just like a child protecting food.
“I can’t finish the food here, so I’ll give it to you.”
Feng Yong pushed the remaining hind leg over.
"We are getting closer to Yuezhi City. We will send out all the scouts tomorrow to cover our tracks as much as possible. The later the thieves find us, the better it will be for us."
Feng Yong burped and ordered Zhao Guang, who was chewing the leg of lamb.
Han Long unexpectedly said something more: "Junhou, I have stayed in Guanzhong for a while, so I am more familiar with Anding County."
"From Xiaoguan to Yuezhi City, there are only two or three roads that can be used by large armies inside and outside the Great Wall."
“Although I have deliberately taken a long detour now, even if I can hide it from the other party for a while, I am afraid that it will be discovered by others before long.”
A few years ago, Han Long was entrusted by Wang Xiong, the governor of Youzhou, to send letters to his old friends in Anding County.
It is precisely because of this relationship that Han Long never expressed his opinions on matters between Han and Wei in order to avoid suspicion.
It was rare to say such a sentence at this time, which made Feng Yong look at him in surprise.
Han Long felt Feng Yong’s gaze.
"You don't have to look at me like this, sir. I have lived for most of my life, traveling from Youzhou to Hebei, then from Hebei to Guandong, through Tongguan to Guanzhong, and finally from Guanzhong to Shu."
As he spoke, he bared his teeth, pulled out the strands of flesh from between his teeth, and continued:
“In this world, in this world, I dare say that few people can see more things than me.”
"There were foreigners in Youzhou and the state were in trouble. Jizhou was either suffering from drought or locust plague. At that time, Cao Pi ignored the sentiments of the people and actually wanted to move people to Henan. Guanzhong was originally a prosperous land, but now it is desolate."
“That is to say, in the Central Plains of Guandong, the people can be more stable, but the corvee taxes and the rules of being a soldier for generations... Hey!”
Speaking of this, Han Long took a hard bite of the meat.
“When I got to Shu, after a few years, I discovered that a big man is still better!”
As he spoke, Han Long raised his greasy thumb at Feng Yong, then put it in his mouth and took a sip.
“Especially in Nanxiang, every family is rich, and even the children of Cangtou Qianshou family can go to school, and even the knight-errant children can follow the chivalrous way when they get there.”
“After following me to Longyou in the past two years, I discovered that the king’s methods could easily solve the troubles caused by the barbarians in Liangzhou in the later Han Dynasty for more than a hundred years. It was really eye-opening.”
“I originally thought that both Tian Yu and Wang Xiong of the Wei State could be regarded as outstanding men of the time. They had different political views, but they all wanted to restore peace to Youzhou. Now it seems that they are not as numerous as the princes!”
“There are kings and princes in Longyou, and the people are very lucky! In the story of Purple Lightning and Green Frost, Emperor Gaozu had to help the heroes of the world to conquer the Han Dynasty.”
“A great chivalrous person serves the country and the people. I feel that I finally understand this in my life.”
Feng Yong saw Han Long say these words in one breath, and he quickly said humbly:
“Mr. Han deserves the prize.”
“Everything I said is true, why should a prince be humble?”
With that said, he threw the leftover meat in his hand to Zhao Guang, and bowed his hands to Feng Yong to show respect: "I have eaten enough. Now I will go out and guard the king."
At the same time, he chanted as he walked: "The guest of Zhao is wearing a tassel, and the frost of Wu is bright. The silver saddle shines on the white horse, rustling like a shooting star. Kill one person in ten steps, and leave no trace for a thousand miles..."
Feng Yong laughed and patted Zhao Guang beside him: "Did you hear what Mr. Han said? Lead the troops well and give peace to the people of the world."
"When we leave tomorrow, make sure to pack the camp in good order. We can wait as long as we can before the thief Cao discovers us!"
Zhao Guang said "Uh uh" twice. After Han Long disappeared, he quietly asked Feng Yong:
“Brother, when will you finish your book Fighting Qi Transforms into a Dragon?”
Feng Yong:…
Feng Yong personally led the army out of Xiaoguan. There were at least ten thousand cavalry in the army.
This news shocked Anding County greatly.
Hu Zun, the prefect of Anding, personally checked the official documents from Yuezhi City and Wushi City every day, hoping to know as soon as possible which direction Feng Yong's main force was going.
Not only him, Xiahou Ba is about to spread the sentinels three hundred miles away.
Yuezhi City is a place that must be saved for stability, so Xiahou Ba believes that no matter what actions Feng Yongyong makes, his final goal must be here.
The news soon spread that there were Shu captives flying the Guanzi Commandery Flag, marching south along the Jing River, with the goal of Wushi City.
“A Shu captive named Guan? Could it be Guan Xing?”
Xiahouba felt a little uneasy about not getting the news about Feng Yong in time. "What's the number of those Shu captives?"
"The force was extremely large, and there seemed to be more than ten thousand people. According to what the scouts found, the Shu captives marched well and set up their camps well. They all seemed to be elite soldiers."
"Impossible! It must be a trick of the Shu captives to mistrust the soldiers!" Xiahou Ba said flatly, "Even if Guan Xing comes in person, it is impossible for the Shu captives to summon so many elite soldiers out of thin air!"
In the past two years, who didn’t know who was on the front line between Han and Wei?
Of those who can be called elite soldiers in Longyou, Feng Yong only has more than 10,000 men, and Zhao Yun can reach 20,000.
The rest are nothing more than garrison troops, or temporary local service troops.
Zhao Yun not only had to guard several mountain passes, both large and small, in Longshan, but also guard the west. At the same time, he also had to coordinate Hanzhong. These 20,000 elite soldiers would not dare to move lightly.
Moreover, there was no news from the passes between Qianxian and Chencang that there was any movement in the southern section of Longshan.
As for the elite Shu captives in Hanzhong, even if they could come over, it would be impossible to fly from Hanzhong to Xiaoguan in such a short time, not to mention whether they had the spare capacity to reinforce Longyou.
So Xia Houba knew from the beginning that the only ones coming from Xiaoguan now must be Feng Yong's subordinates.
“Have you found out how many infantry and cavalry there are in that Shu bandit?”
“General, I heard that the Shu captives’ scouts are extremely powerful, and our scouts cannot compete with them, so we can only make a general guess. The specific situation is not yet clear.”
"That's right! The more the Shu captives want to conceal the news, the more it will appear that they have an agenda!" Xiahou Ba turned around and shouted loudly: "Here comes someone!"
“What are your orders, general?”
"Pass my military order to extend the sentinels for another thirty miles to the west. Also, expand the scope and pay attention to the north to prevent the Shu captives from taking a long detour and coming from the north!"
“No!”
After the order was given, Xiahou Ba wrote another urgent letter and sent it to Hu Zun in Linjing, suggesting that he continue to stay still until he received definite news from Feng Yong.
Hu Zun was originally wavering. He neither knew the origin of the Shu bandit that appeared, nor was he sure whether they really wanted to attack Wushi City.
Now that I have received an urgent message from Xiahou Ba, I have made up my mind to just have someone send the message to Wushi City and Jingyang City ahead.
Let the two cities pay attention to be prepared to defend the city, but they do not send a single soldier.
After reading this official document, the guard of Wushi City climbed up to the top of the city with trembling hands and feet. He looked at the darkness below the city and felt nothing but darkness in front of his eyes!
Three days ago, I got the news of the Shu Lu to send troops to Xiao Guan. I had reached the city yesterday. The speed was fast, which was dazzling.
Not only that, the camp under the city was very well-organized and the soldiers were well-dressed.
The siege equipment had been assembled in less than a day and was being slowly pushed to the front of the city to prepare for the siege.
It seems that the Shu captives had no intention of resting after traveling in a hurry.
These soldiers are not called elite soldiers, so what are they? !
“General, the stone cannons have been prepared and ready to attack the city at any time.”
Guan Ji got the news from the engineering camp and came to the battle in person. She looked at the closed city gate in front of her and raised the corner of her mouth slightly:
“Siege the city!”
“No!”
There was a creaking sound. The engineering battalion had already conducted tests on a city of the size of Wushi City and had good reference data on hand.
So you don’t even need to use a nest car, just start test firing according to the parameters.
The first stone was thrown over and hit the city wall with a "boom".
The guard of Wuzhi City suddenly felt a vibration under his feet, and was startled by the thunderbolt from the clear sky.
He originally thought that in the past two years, he had continuously raised and strengthened the city wall. Even if there were not many defenders in the city, he could still wait for reinforcements for ten days or even half a month.
When the engineering battalion’s stone cannons began to fire one after another, the other party was simply unreasonable:
Hey, are you trying to beat the chicken?
According to this method, let alone ten days, this kind of city wall made of yellow mud and repaired on the old wall, if it can last for two days, God will be happy!
"Hurry, send a fast horse to Linjing. Tell the Shu captives to attack the city urgently. Please ask the prefect to send troops for reinforcements immediately!"
(End of this chapter)