Ji Han Da Sima

Chapter 762: I will not return until I destroy the enemy court

The southern part of the desert benefits from the Yinshan Mountains, which gave birth to grasslands and rivers. The northern part of the desert benefits from the Kent Mountains, which provide a place for nomadic people to live and graze.

The main reason why there is a Gobi Desert between the southern and northern parts of the desert is that the Yinshan Mountains and the Kent Mountains are too far apart, and the river is cut off halfway. The reduction of water sources has led to a reduction in vegetation, so the Gobi Desert has appeared.

If the Central Plains dynasty relied on the Yin Mountains to resist the nomadic peoples from moving southward, then the desert was the nomadic peoples' line of defense against the Central Plains dynasty.

The natural barrenness and vast Gobi Desert can scare away those who are timid, but it cannot scare away the Chinese heroes of all generations who have defeated the enemy!

When Huo Jun rode his horse into the desert, he was determined not to return until the Hu court was defeated.

Because of the proximity to the Mobei steppe, when Huo Jun set out again from Saynshand, in order to quickly break the court of King Kebinen, he led his cavalry to attack day and night. With the assistance of two horses, although the road was more than a thousand miles, the Han army was able to advance 200 miles a day, and it took six or seven days to rush to the Kent Mountains.

On March 10th, after more than 30 days of rapid march, Huo Jun led the Han cavalry to the Yuwu River Basin.

When they arrived at the destination, another problem lay before Huo Jun. Although the army had reached Guyan Mountain, due to the vastness of Mobei and the unfamiliar environment, the Han scouts could not find the Xianbei royal court.

In March in Mobei, the weather is slightly warmer, the ice and snow between the mountains melt, flow through countless gullies, and finally flow into the Yuwu River.

The tired Han cavalrymen set up camp by the Yuwu River. The livestock went to the river to drink water. Their pink tongues licked the cold river water, which seemed to quench their thirst.

Huo Jun sat slumped in the grass by the river, spread his legs, and rubbed the inner muscles on both sides of his thighs. Because he had been away from the army for many years, Huo Jun's legs had grown fat, but during the more than 30 days of running, the muscles on both sides of his thighs had gone from being uncomfortable at first to getting used to it.

Jiang Ji cared about his image, so he took out a small bronze mirror and trimmed his messy beard.

Qian Zhao was already old, and after thirty days of running around, his appearance had become much weaker.

Wei Yan was in high spirits. He commanded the Han cavalry to leave the camp and spread out to explore the external environment.

Seeing that most of the officers and soldiers accompanying the army were veterans, Huo Jun couldn't help but laugh and said, "In the past, Wei and Huo went out to the border at a young age and made great achievements, but since I am the leader, most of them are veterans. If we can make achievements this time, it will be a rare thing in the world."

From the main general Huo Jun down, Jiang Ji, Wei Yan, Qian Zhao, Tian Yu, Ding Feng and other generals are all old, hundreds of years old in total. Among them, the youngest Ding Feng is over 40 years old, and the oldest Qian Zhao is nearly 70 years old. This time the Han army's combination of crossing the border belongs to the Hundred Years Mountain.

As soon as these words were spoken, all the officers and soldiers on both sides laughed heartily.

Even Qian Zhao, who was in poor spirits, laughed. After surrendering to the Han Dynasty, Qian Zhao thought that his political career was over, but he did not expect to accomplish such a heroic feat of going out of the border to drive out the Hu people.

Jiang Ji laughed a few times and said, "The Prime Minister's raid on Mobei is a rare feat in ancient and modern times. If we can find Hu Ting and defeat him in one fell swoop, then we will have accomplished a great feat!"

Huo Jun suppressed his smile and said, "Traveling over 2,000 miles across the desert is a heroic feat, but it is a great achievement only if one can accomplish the mission immediately. We have been at Yuwu River for two days now, and our army has searched for a hundred miles around but still cannot find any trace of Hu Ting. I wonder if Kebineng has already moved the royal court to another place."

Hearing this, Jiang Ji frowned and said, "If Kebineng doesn't know about our army's advance, judging from the sacrificial ceremony held in May, Kebineng will definitely not easily move the royal court. Yesterday, the scouts explored Guyan Mountain, but have not yet returned to Han. Now we can wait for the cavalry to report and see if they can find the Hu people's royal court."

"How much food and fodder does the army have left now?" Huo Jun asked.

Tian Yu pondered for a moment and said, "When we set out, our army had 70 days of food, including food, grass, cattle and sheep. However, when we passed through the desert, more than half of the cattle and sheep were slaughtered, and there were many losses, so now we only have 33 days of food. Considering the time it will take for our army to return, we will have to return tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"Otherwise~"

"Otherwise there won't be enough food!"

Qian Zhao took a sip of water to moisten his throat and said, "If we run out of food and grass on the way back, and if we encounter an attack by the Xianbei Hu cavalry, our army will probably be defeated and return."

Huo Jun looked calm and soothing, "If it really doesn't work, as a last resort, you can kill the spare horses for food, so that the army can survive for another three or four days. The most urgent thing now is to find the Xianbei royal court."

Huo Jun then ordered his attendants, "Reiterate the military order. No open flames are allowed when cooking. If you want to dig a hole to cook, it will be in case the Xianbei royal court discovers the smoke and fire."

"promise!"

Although the Xianbei vice court had a population of 10,000 to 20,000 people, these people were scattered across the vast Mobei grassland, like looking for a needle in a haystack. Without a specific location to guide and locate, it would be extremely difficult for the Han army to find the royal court.

Before the expedition to the desert, Huo Jun was very worried about not being able to find the royal court. What people fear may come true. When the Han cavalry arrived near Guyan Mountain, the scouts still did not find the Xianbei royal court.

At the moment, Huo Jun had no choice but to trust the waiter and wait patiently for news.

On that day, Huo Jun and his army stayed by the Yuwu River, waiting for report from the scouts.

As night fell, scouts continued to return, and the news they brought back made the Han generals increasingly disappointed.

That night, the Han army generals sat around the campfire and discussed the next plan.

Huo Jun's expression was not as optimistic as before. He asked, "According to the report from the scouts who explored Guyan Mountain, although there are traces of life near Guyan Mountain, there is no trace of the royal court. Our army is running low on food and grass, and we have not seen the royal court yet. Do you have any opinions?"

Tian Yu was in a dilemma and said, "Now food and grass are becoming scarce, and there is no trace of Hu Ting. To preserve the safety of the army, it is better to lead the troops back by the original route. If we stay in Mobei for too long and Ke Bi is able to detect us, it will be difficult for our army to retreat safely." Qian Zhao coughed a few times, drank some warm water, and did not say much.

Ding Feng didn't care and said, "I'm waiting for the order from the Prime Minister. You can stay or withdraw."

"Where's Wenchang?"

Wei Yan scratched his greasy scalp and said, "Prime Minister, our army has traveled more than 3,000 miles from Yanmen Pass to the Great Wall, but now we have returned without success. I am unwilling to accept this!"

"Not reconciled!"

Huo Jun sighed and said, "How can I and you guys accept this?"

The most painful or regrettable thing in the world is to be just one step away from success. Now Kebi can't imagine that Huo Jun has the courage to go deep into Mobei, and he lacks the corresponding preparation. If he can find the trace of the Xianbei royal court, Huo Jun will lead the cavalry to raid and win a great victory.

But at present, the Xianbei royal court cannot be found, which is a really frustrating feeling.

"Prime Minister, do you want to return?" Jiang Ji asked.

Huo Jun did not speak, but stood up and paced, sorting out the information about the royal court in his mind.

After a long time, Huo Jun looked at the generals sitting by the campfire and said, "Zi Tong's judgment should be correct. Ke Bi is able to establish his prestige, and he will most likely set up a royal court in the old Xiongnu territory to rule the tribes in Mobei. However, the reason why we can't find the location of the Hu court is probably because our army has found the wrong address."

"What does the Prime Minister mean?" Wei Yan asked.

Huo Jun kept thinking about the memories of nomadism in his mind, and said: "Although Guyan Mountain is the holy land of the old Xiongnu, it is in the mountains and the winter wind is very cold. How can the royal court be settled here? If I were a herder for the Xianbei people, I would live in the river valley, firstly to avoid the wind and cold, and secondly to get river water."

Because they had previously received news that the deputy court was located in Guyan Mountain, the Han army had only Guyan Mountain in their minds since they went out of the border, so they conducted a long search around Guyan Mountain.

Now Huo Jun carefully understood the geography of Guyan Mountain, but suddenly found that he was not suitable to be the king. Although nomadic peoples often migrate, they are essentially human beings, and they are a group composed of humans and animals.

As a group of people and animals, they would prefer warmth when it is cold, and would prefer to live near water. So from this perspective, the Xianbei sub-court would mostly be in river valleys, where the mountains would protect them from the cold and the rivers would facilitate their lives.

"The royal court is located in the valley?"

Jiang Ji stroked his beard and chanted, saying, "What the Prime Minister said makes sense. The cold in the northern border is even colder than in the southern desert. Tun Wei set up a sub-court in the northern desert. How could he set up the main tent on the mountain, or on the riverside or in the wilderness, where it would be corroded by the cold wind? If we want to find the sub-court, we should look for it in the river valley."

"Where should we explore the river valley?" Wei Yan asked.

Huo Jun paced with his hands behind his back and said, "Yuwu River is a rare river in Mobei. Guyan Mountain is to the north of Yuwu River. If we want to find the river valley, we should go against the Yuwu River and go deep into the mountains to find the royal court."

The Yuwu River originates from the Kent Mountains. When it flows through the mountains, it will inevitably wash out a river valley. If you want to find the river valley, you have to go upstream. Moreover, Guyan Mountain and Langjuxu Mountain are both part of the Kent Mountains, so the river valley near Guyan Mountain must be in the Kent Mountains.

With an idea in mind, Huo Jun said in a decisive tone: "I have led my army to this place on a long expedition, and I will never return until I have defeated the Hu people."

"I am willing to obey the Prime Minister's orders!"

The generals looked serious and stood up to respond.

"The army will advance northward tomorrow to explore the river valley. Whether we can defeat the Hu court will be clear within a few days." Huo Jun said.

"promise!"

After clarifying their ideas again, the Han army advanced towards the upper reaches of the Yuwu River early the next morning.

The Yuwu River in the Han Dynasty and the Tula River in later generations, together with the Kerulen River and the Onon River, are the birthplaces of nomadic peoples. The Mongols regard the three rivers as their ancestral heritage.

Huo Jun's strategy of going against the Tula River was correct, because Tun Wei did set up the vice court in the Tula River basin, and in order to avoid the wind and cold, he placed the royal court in the Zhamoduo River Valley (now Ulaanbaatar), about two hundred miles away from Guyan Mountain.

On March 11, the Han army marched more than 100 miles along the river. Scouts discovered traces of large-scale grazing of cattle and sheep, so they set up camp underground and sent scouts to investigate at night.

At dawn on March 12, the scouts who had been traveling all night brought Huo Jun the good news he had longed for: the Xianbei royal court was in the Zhaomodo River Valley, eighty miles away.

Huo Jun was extremely excited. He left a thousand men and the women and children of the Zhejue tribe to guard the armaments. He ordered Wei Yan to be the vanguard, and the entire army set out to attack the Xianbei Hu Ting.

At the same time, the heavens seemed to understand Huo Jun's difficulties. In order to prevent the Han army from being discovered by the Xianbei Hu Ting, after the Han army set out, a strong wind suddenly blew in the sky, sand flew, and the sunlight dimmed.

In order to avoid the sudden sandstorm, the Xianbei people returned to the royal court to hide from the sand.

(End of this chapter)