Chapter 973 Arrangements
No matter how Shi Bao and others guessed what Governor Feng wanted to do, the day after the oath of alliance, the army began to cross the Yinshan Mountains in batches without any stop.
The only thing that made Feng the governor stop was when he was about to walk out of the Yinshan Pass, he suddenly saw a strange dilapidated Guancheng on the cliff on the high platform to his right.
It is said to be a Guancheng, but it actually consists of two connected Guanchengs, one large and one small.
The city was built with river pebbles and guarded the intersection of the two largest ditches entering the interior of Yinshan Mountain.
Behind it, there is a gentle slope, and on the gentle slope, there is a section of stone wall.
The stone wall extends southwest to the top of the hill behind Guancheng.
At the end of the stone wall is a collapsed beacon tower, facing the pass on the opposite mountain in the distance.
This is the famous Gaoque Fortress in history books.
It's just that the Gaoque Seiguan City, which records the glorious history of the Han Dynasty, has collapsed due to the ravages of time or man-made damage.
A group of cattle and sheep were coming out of the dilapidated Guancheng City, and were then driven to the river by the barbarians.
The place where Han soldiers fought tooth and nail to defend in the past has now become a cattle pen for the barbarians.
Feng Jishi suddenly stood at the mountain pass and said nothing, which made Ruoluo Aliu a little puzzled. He shouted carefully:
“Junhou?”
Governor Feng came to his senses and smiled apologetically:
“Nothing, I just saw the cattle and sheep in front of me, and I was shocked by how fat the place was.”
Hearing what Feng Jishi said, Ruoluo Aliu suddenly understood and laughed, quite contentedly:
“What the Lord said is true, and I will tell you the truth. When we moved our family here, I was also amazed by it.”
After hearing this, Feng Yong’s eyes flashed:
“I remember that Chief Kebineng had controlled the Yinshan area in his early years. How come Chief Ruoluo didn’t know how fertile this place is?”
Ruoluo Aliu didn't expect Feng Jishi to ask this question, so he coughed and then explained:
"The prince is joking. When Ke was more powerful than Neng, he had indeed been to the Yinshan area."
Then he sighed again:
“But because of the obstruction of Bingzhou Budugen, it was only limited to the outer edge of Yinshan Mountain and did not really enter the riverside at the foot of Yinshan Mountain.”
“So we really don’t know enough about the situation in this area.”
“Oh?” Governor Feng glanced at Ruoluo Aliu thoughtfully.
What about the simplicity of prairie men?
Are you sure what you told me is the truth?
Ke Bineng’s original focus of activities was indeed in the Youzhou area. If he wanted to get from the Youzhou frontier to the Jiuyuan hometown, he also had to pay attention to the Bu Dugen of the Bingzhou frontier.
These are all correct.
But don’t think I don’t know. In the later period, Bu Dugen was suppressed by Kebi Neng and could only shrink to Yanmen and even Taiyuan.
Had it not been for the backing of Wei State, Budugen would have been annexed by Kebineng long ago.
So even if Kebi can worry about Bu Dugen and has no way to focus on the west side, which hero who is determined to dominate the grassland will give up the Hetao?
You have already arrived at the outskirts of Yinshan Mountain, but you have never thought about knowing what is to the south of Yinshan Mountain?
However, it seemed that Suluo Aliu didn’t want to talk too much about this issue. He stretched out his hand to guide:
“Your Majesty, please come this way.”
Feng Jishi nodded, lightly knocked the horse's belly, and continued to move forward, leaving Gao Quesai behind.
Further forward, there is Kebineng’s tent.
Most of the forces that enter the Loop will focus on two areas.
One is Gaoquesai and the other is Jiuyuan County.
Most of the Hu people value Gaoque because it controls the most fertile part of the Hetao and is also the most suitable place for herding horses and sheep.
The Hetao Plain in the narrow sense refers to this place.
Even the Huns, who rarely built cities in history, would build a city near Gaoque Fortress.
Gaoque is located exactly at the upper left corner of the word "Yellow River" and is the key to controlling the most convenient access to and from Yinshan Mountain.
Whoever controls this place can enter and leave the Loop at will.
Even when the Central Plains regime was strong, no matter whether the Central Plains army marched northward from Anding County along the Great River.
It is better to take the Qinzhi Road from Guanzhong to Jiuyuan, and then go west along the river.
The barbarians entrenched here can fight if they can. If they can't, they have time to escape back to the grassland calmly.
Compared with the Hu people's emphasis on Gaoque, the Han people paid more attention to Jiuyuan County (i.e. Baotou area).
Because this place is located in the middle of the top of the Yellow River, with the river to the south and Yinshan Mountain to the north.
By controlling this point, you can radiate control of the entire bend, thus protecting the center of the pass.
No matter how talented Kebineng is, he is still a barbarian after all.
So his tent was naturally located in Gaoque.
Furthermore, Kebi was able to set up a tent here, and there were two additional considerations.
The first is to get closer to Liangzhou and facilitate contact with Liangzhou.
The second is to stay away from the Bingzhou border fortress and avoid the Wei army's crusade as much as possible.
After all, he was defeated by Qin Lang in Bingzhou a few years ago, and he has not recovered yet.
The second consideration is currently also Kebineng’s concern.
In the royal tent in Gaoque, Ke Bineng was sitting opposite Feng the governor.
After the army entered the south of Yinshan Mountain, they discussed how to send troops next.
Needless to say, the Liangzhou Army, the key lies in how many troops the Xianbei people plan to send.
Obviously, Kebineng had no intention of letting all his troops follow him southward.
I saw him saying very sincerely:
“Feng Langjun, you know that our tribe was almost wiped out by Wei thieves a few years ago.”
As he spoke, he sighed deeply, and his dark face had wrinkles worn by the wind and sand:
“If Liangzhou hadn’t come to help in time, Feng Langjun would be here today, and I’m afraid there wouldn’t be Ke Bineng.”
Ke Bineng pointed to himself and said, "Feng Langjun, I am already old. There are not many people on the grassland who can live to my age."
“As people get older, they become less courageous. I’m really scared, so I plan to keep some of my clansmen here just in case.”
Are you afraid of something in your mouth?
How come you weren’t afraid when I started to rob Chang’an?
Governor Feng said with a smile on his face, "Chief Kebineng, this time is different from the past. In my eyes, the Wei thieves are nothing more than local chickens and dogs."
"If you don't believe me, go and ask. Since I led the army, have I ever suffered a loss in front of Wei thieves? As long as you and I join forces, what do we have to fear?"
It’s just because you never suffer losses that I’m afraid!
Ke Bi Neng looked at Feng Jishi who was smiling, and his thoughts were a little complicated.
In the past two or three years, he has taken in many of his compatriots who fled from the west.
What is the situation in Liangzhou? He still doesn’t know?
If we say it, Ke Bineng felt that Liangzhou supported him just to contain the Wei people.
So ever since he knew that the Liangzhou Army had crossed the desert and was planning to use the Yinshan Mountains as a springboard to move south to Guanzhong, he completely understood:
Liangzhou has supported itself in these years, most likely for this critical moment.
This Feng Langjun probably not only plans to use the territory he has worked so hard to manage as his rear, but also wants his own troops to contribute to help conquer Guanzhong.
So he made some calculations and felt that it was not impossible to contribute, but if he had to risk tens of thousands of his tribe like he did in the battle of Bingzhou, there were two problems.
Guanzhong is the best place to fight. After sacking Chang'an, any losses can be made up.
But how can Guanzhong be so easy to fight?
What if it’s not captured?
But it is unjustifiable not to send troops.
After all, there is still Chang'an, what if?
As for how much to pay...
But see Kebi can stretch out two fingers:
"Feng Langjun, 20,000, I will let my son Pu Heyu lead the 20,000 elite cavalry from the tribe to follow south, how about it? Don't worry, they are all the most elite warriors in the tribe."
Feng Jishi frowned slightly:
“The leader means that he doesn’t plan to go south in person?”
Kebineng smiled and shook his head:
"Feng Langjun, I said that I am already old and I don't think I will live for a few more years. I asked Pu Heyu to lead the army south just to give him more training."
“Feng Langjun is a dragon among men. If Puhe Yu can learn something from Feng Langjun, to me, that is the best result.”
But when I first saw you, you looked as strong as ever.
Feng Jishi was a little suspicious.
It’s just that when he saw Ke Bi Neng’s expression of emotion, it really didn’t look like he was faking it.
No matter how old and strong you are, you will never be able to defeat the years.
So it is human nature not to let go of the opportunity to raise your own son.
As for the other party’s hidden plans, Feng Jishi could guess a little bit.
After all, he led more than 50,000 horses to Yinshan Mountain. To say that Ke Bineng was not at all wary, he could not be called the hero of the grassland.
If Liangzhou was not too far away from Yinshan Mountain, the Han Dynasty would not be able to control Yinshan Mountain before conquering Guanzhong.
In addition, if you take the Qinzhi Road, it only takes three days for a fast horse to run from Guanzhong to Jiuyuan.
Kebineng should have detected the strange movements of the Wei army in Guanzhong at this time.
That’s why he had reason to believe that this time the Han army most likely just passed through Yinshan Mountain.
Even so, he now plans to guard his lair himself.
They are all big bosses, and some things don’t need to be explained too clearly.
Speaking too clearly can sometimes make each other look bad.
Governor Feng pondered for a moment and then said:
"Since the leader said so, I won't force it, but I still want to be alone."
"who?"
“Zoloa Liu.”
This time it was Ke Bi Neng's turn to frown.
Although Ruoluo Aliu is said to be his younger brother, the tribe he actually supports is not even comparable to the tribe of his son-in-law Yu Zhu Gejian. Why would Feng Langjun specifically name him?
Although he was a little suspicious in his heart, he said:
“Even if Feng Langjun hadn’t said anything, I had planned to let him go south together.”
Feng Jishi smiled softly: "That is the best."
He did not have the big mouth of a lion, so he must be able to personally lead all the warriors of the tribe south.
Because it’s impossible for Kebi to agree—there are more than 50,000 Han troops in Yinshan Mountain now!
There may be a little more than all the warriors that Kebi can pull out.
If it were Feng Yong himself, he would be afraid too.
If the identities were to be exchanged, maybe Feng would only be willing to provide food and grass. Anyway, the real purpose of the Han army was to go south, and they would certainly not fall out with him easily.
Of course, as a grassland man, Ke Bineng was relatively simple. He agreed to attack the bandits and did not hesitate to move south.
He simply detached at least half of his troops and asked his son to lead them personally to cooperate with Governor Feng.
The meeting between the two big bosses was relatively smooth. After making the decision, they quickly took action.
Because of time constraints, the Liangzhou Army rested for three days in Gaoque and then began to move eastward along the south bank of the Yellow River, finally reaching Wuyuan County, the county seat of Jiuyuan County.
Because there is the end of Qin Zhidao and the starting point of the journey south to Guanzhong.
(Note: The course of the Yellow River in the Hetao area during the Han Dynasty was different from what it is now. Wuyuan County does not include the south bank of the Yellow River, so there is no need to delve too deeply into it.)
The big river here is like a mirror, flowing slowly through the edges of sandstone, waterlogged pastures, and green poplar trees.
The flat grasslands stretch out and melt into the heat wave, as if they are connected to the clouds on the horizon.
The arrival of the army startled the nymphs. They fluttered their wings from the reeds, hovered over the turbulent river for a while, and then gradually flew back to the reeds.
Feng Yong did not deliberately cross the Yellow River north and went to the north bank to pay homage to the former Han city.
He just asked people to bring incense, candles and sacrifices, set up an incense table by the river, and worshiped three times devoutly.
General Guan was a little confused about Feng Jishi's actions.
After he finished worshiping, he asked: "What do you worship?"
Feng Jishi breathed out a sigh of relief:
“A woman.”
“Huh!?” General Guan raised his eyebrows: “Who?”
Feng Jishi did not answer, but just read:
"The Han envoys returned to the south without any news, and the green grass in the carpet garden began to know spring. However, the eyebrows of the Han Dynasty solved the Anbang country, and killed the master of Qilin Pavilion in shame."
“Oh, Wang Zhaojun?”
Governor Feng nodded. He turned to look at General Guan and smiled slightly:
“After the former king Zhaojun left the fortress, the three generations of border counties did not know how to fight. The land was filled with cattle and sheep, and the people were happy.”
"There is also a strange woman in our army. She is more talented than a man. Now she has led the army here to defeat the thieves. If we talk about Qilin Pavilion, she may not be able to go up."
“If Wang Zhaojun knew something underground, he would be able to smile and no longer feel so lonely outside the Great Wall.”
Although General Guan has been sleeping with this person for more than ten years and has become extremely familiar with him, when he heard these words, his throat felt lumpy and his eyes felt hot.
Governor Feng smiled slightly and took her hand:
“Let’s go, I’m afraid the generals in the army have been waiting for us for a long time.”
The two of them returned to the commander's camp, and as expected, the main generals in the army were waiting there.
Feng Yong walked to the commander's position, took off his commander's sword, raised it in his hand, and ordered:
“Generals, listen to your orders!”
The generals immediately bowed their heads in solemnity.
"From today onwards, the army will be divided into two parts, the front and rear. I will personally lead the front army, and Jiang Wei, Zhao Guang, Li Qiu and Tufa Tianli will accompany me."
"The rear army is commanded by General Guan, and Huo Yi, Liu Hun, and Shi Bao are under command!"
After the governor Feng finished speaking, he handed the handsome sword to General Guan with his own hands.
The generals below were greatly refreshed, and they all shouted loudly: "Promise!"
Like Zhao Guang, when he heard that the army was divided into two parts, he subconsciously thought of the Battle of Xiaoguan.
At that time, the troops were also divided into two groups, and the elder brother and General A...guan were also divided into two groups, so they were immediately excited.
And people like Jiang Wei were thinking about what the monarch meant by dividing the army into two parts.
As for Shi Bao, he glanced at Bald Kheli thoughtfully.
But no matter what everyone was thinking, smoke and dust had begun to rise from the wide Qin Straight Road, and the Liangzhou front army and Xianbei elite cavalry, totaling tens of thousands, rolled toward the south.
PS: For the entry route of the locals, please click on the comment and scroll down to the first floor.
Note: The drawings on the pictures are only approximate directions and approximate ranges, so do not compromise on accuracy.
There are three plains in the bend of the Yellow River, namely:
Qiantao Plain, that is, east of Baotou, at the upper right corner of the characters.
Houtao Plain, that is, west of Baotou, at the upper left corner of the characters.
Xitao Plain is the Helan Mountain, the modern Yinchuan City, roughly the middle of the west side of the bend of the Yellow River.
These three plains form the Hetao Plain in a broad sense.
In the narrow sense, the Hetao Plain is the Houtao Plain, which is the location marked in the picture.
(End of this chapter)