Late Tang

(Thanks to Dreams Never Fulfilling, Bandit Ma's support, thank you!)

In early July of the first year of Guangming.

Yanmenguan, the throat of the whole Jin Dynasty, strengthens Datong on the outside, and strengthens Taiyuan on the inside.

Gouzhu Mountain, the natural boundary of Daishuo and Erzhou, is even more dangerous. It is known as the first of the nine fortresses in the world, and the most dangerous in the north, both inside and outside.In the history before the Middle Ages, it has always been a decisive boundary line used to distinguish Huayi from Yi.Before the Middle Ages, the Datong Basin outside of Yanmen was easily occupied by northern Hudi because of the low mouth of the northern mountain. Therefore, the role of Gouzhu Mountain as a dangerous barrier became more and more important.If the Hu people in the north break through the dangerous point again, they will go straight to the Central Plains.

Since Liu Bang, the great ancestor of the Western Han Dynasty, was besieged by the Xiongnu at Baideng Mountain in Pingcheng, in the following long years, the Central Plains Dynasty relied on the defense of the north militarily.Many emperors and emperors dispatched generals to send troops to garrison Gouzhu to control the danger of Yanmen, so as to prevent the northern barbarians.Yanmen Pass has always been a forward base for the Central Plains Dynasty to operate further north, as well as the North Gate.Beginning in the late Northern Dynasties, the Turks ruled the northern part of the Great Wall, and every time they sent troops to surpass Gouzhu to invade the south, the Northern Qi, Sui, and Tang were all deeply affected by it.Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty was besieged by Yanmen. At the beginning of the founding of the Li and Tang Dynasties, two generations of emperors were forced to pay tribute to the Turks.

After the Tang Dynasty became stronger, the Turks were finally wiped out. After that, there were no more powerful tribes in the grassland, especially after the Uighurs who had always had a friendly relationship with the Tang Dynasty were destroyed.But after the mid-Tang Dynasty, the late Tang Dynasty gradually weakened, and the land of Yanmen Pass was named Datang, but in fact it gradually became a place controlled by various tribes.

Under the sky of Yanmen Pass, the undulating and dangerous Gouzhu Mountain makes people feel a kind of silent desolation.

Yanwei, a male town on the Fortress, is located on the dangerous Gouzhu Mountain.Gouzhu Mountain, 25 miles west of Daizhou, is also known as Xixing Mountain, also known as Yanmen Mountain.Gouzhu is named after the shape of the mountain and the flow of water. It is also called Xingling. From the south of Yanmen, it is called Xingnan, and from the north it is called Xingbei.

"Nine Sailors respect the first pass" Xiongguan is surrounded by mountains and dangers, high on Gouzhu Mountain, and is one of the main central passages for wild geese going south and north.There are two east and west gates in the pass, both of which are built with huge bricks, flying geese through the clouds, with a majestic bearing, and two plaques of "natural danger" and "geographical advantage" are respectively carved on the forehead.There are city towers on the east and west gates, towering over the sky, and outside the east gate, there is a monument for Li Mu, the general of Zhao State.

Li He, a poet of this Dynasty, once wrote the heroic momentum of Xiongguan in "Yanmen Taishou Xing": "The black clouds overwhelm the city and want to destroy it, and the light of the armor opens to the golden scales of the sun. Purple. The half-rolled red flag is facing Yishui, the frost is heavy, the drums are cold, and the sound of cold can't be heard. Report to the king on the golden platform, and carry the jade dragon to die for the king."

The peaks here are tall and straight, and the terrain is dangerous.Since the Yanmen Pass was built, there has been a trend of "one man guards the gate, and ten thousand men cannot open it".Since King Wuling of Zhao in the Warring States Period, successive dynasties have regarded this place as a strategic location.Zhao set up Yanmen County, and since then, Yanmen has been used as a system of prefectures, roads, and counties.The name of Yanmen Pass began in the early Tang Dynasty.Due to the rise of the Turks in the north and frequent internal crimes, the Tang Dynasty garrisoned troops in Yanmen Mountain and set up a gate at the commanding height of the iron-wrapped gate for defense.

But at this time, this important city is under the control of the Shatuo people.

At this time, in the north of the Yanmen Mountains, Cheng Huaiyi, the remaining general of Yanmen, did not stick to Li Keyong's previous order that he could not stick to it. Amidst the calls of many subordinates to fight, all Yanmen soldiers and horses, [-] cavalry, and mounted infantry [-], plus [-] new recruits from the northern frontier, Fan Han, smashed out of Yanmen Pass in a mighty way, and traveled all the way north, preparing to recover Shuozhou in one fell swoop, and went to Yunzhou to join forces with Hu Qi brought by Shi Yan.

From the moment they left Yanmen Pass, Zhang Zimian had been keeping a close eye on them.

Zhang Zimian was like a smart hunter, seeing the prey coming out of the hole, he didn't attack immediately.He sent scouts to hang far behind, reporting their movements at any time.But he continued to lead his troops to lurk in the Jieshi Valley under the Great Wall, allowing Shatuo's army to swagger through and go north not far away.

He didn't intend to start a war here, it was too close to Yanmen Pass, once this place was used as a battlefield, those Shatuo people would probably flee back to the cave immediately.If the prey hides in the hole, it will be troublesome to lure them out.Therefore, Zhang Zimian's plan is very simple and clear, first let the Shatuo people continue to go north, and when they are not far from Yanmen Pass, which is also when they are most relaxed and paralyzed, he will really launch a fatal blow.

After the Shatuo people left Yanmen and marched cautiously northward for three days, the vanguard cavalry of the army arrived at Shuozhou City.At this time, Shuozhou City was already an empty city, destroyed by a torch.After hearing the news, Cheng Huaiyi completely relaxed.The Qin army burned Shuozhou, which shows that they have indeed left.Along the way, they have seen too many burned villages, cities and villages, and some people they met also said that they saw the army heading north.

"Set up camp on the spot!"

Shuozhou city had been burned and could not be stationed, so Cheng Huaiyi ordered that the vanguard cavalry battalion be stationed in Shuozhou city, while his Chinese army camp and the [-] civilian men behind him were stationed in the southeast of Shuozhou city. Langya Village.

Langya City is [-] miles southeast of Shuozhou City, on the east bank of the Huishui River, a tributary of the upper reaches of the Sanggan River. An excellent place to camp on a hot summer day.

On the eighth day of July, night.

A half moon comes out from the west in the first half of the night, and half of the moon faces west. This moon phase is also called the first quarter moon.

The moonlight tonight is a bit strange, that half of the moonlight is actually glowing with a trace of red light, and the smog shines on the fields and treetops on both sides of the Huishui River.

In the middle of the night, an old man of about [-] Han people in Daizhou, who was forced to come here, lay in the camp and looked up at the crimson moon. He couldn't help being terrified. He pinched his fingers and kept counting. The color of shock.

"Blind man, why are you so surprised?" asked a few civilian husbands next to him.

This old man is a fortune teller, because he always likes to close his eyes and pinch his fingers to tell fortunes, so everyone calls him blind.

"Ominous, red moon, military chaos, I count tonight is a sign of great ominous, there is a military disaster!" The blind man said nervously.

"I'm talking nonsense again. A few days ago, you considered me as a sign of wealth, and I will definitely be rich and powerful in the future. But I am 35 years old and still a bachelor. I can eat enough for one person and the whole family is not hungry. Originally, for 35 years, my father did not love my mother or my mother. Yes, but at any rate, you’re just messing around, and you’re still alive to this day. But that day you pulled me on the street to make a fortune, saying that I was a sign of wealth, but I was forced out the next day , and now being dragged to Dai Bei, I heard that there is going to be a war with the Qin army, isn't this motherfucker not able to come back in ten to one? Forget it, why didn't you run away earlier even if you didn't think you would be pulled into a strong man." A tall, thick and vicious man next to the blind man snorted coldly and said mockingly.

Several other peasant husbands who were co-ed together also laughed loudly. In this hot summer, they dragged the grain carts for a day during the day. At night, although it was a bit cooler, they didn't even have a tent, and countless mosquitoes swarmed in the wasteland. Come on, even if you wave your hands left and right, you can't get rid of it, so you can't sleep early.Now, talking nonsense, it's a joy in bitterness.

Someone laughed and said: "Blind man, show me, maybe I'm destined to be rich and rich, and I can be the head of the capital in the future. If I win the calculation, I will be the head of the capital in the future, and I will let you be my deputy." All heads."

The blind man ignored their taunts, but looked up at the sky from time to time, pinching his fingers while chanting.

After a while, the blind man let out a long sigh, patted his chest, and began to pack up his little rags without saying a word.

"Blind man, what are you doing?"

"For the sake of traveling together, I would like to advise everyone that there is no military disaster tonight. If you don't want to lose your life, you should run away quickly."

"Blind man, are you serious?" The vicious man in his 30s at the beginning grabbed the blind man, "You want to die? There are Shatuo soldiers everywhere here, where can you escape? If you are discovered, not only your old bones will not Bao, we big guys will also be implicated by you. I haven't lived enough yet, so I don't want to die here."

"If you don't want to die, trust me once, run away, run away immediately, time is running out."

"Where are you going?"

The other folk husbands were a little uneasy by the blind man's gesture, and asked worriedly.

The blind man looked around and saw that there were civilian husbands everywhere, but he knew that there were Shatuo soldiers surrounding them on the outskirts, preventing them from escaping.

"In this way, let's find a place to hide, and when the army becomes chaotic, we'll act accordingly."

The vicious man was a little dubious now, "Is he really going to fight in a while?"

"Listen to me."

"Who are you fighting with?" Another boy asked.

The vicious man knocked a millet on his head, and said softly, "Idiot, according to the blind man, someone must have come to rob the camp. Yes, it must be the Qin army. Besides them, who else can be."

The blind man glanced at the vicious man in surprise, but he didn't expect him to have such a clear mind behind his vicious face.He pondered for a moment and said: "Actually, this is not all a bad thing. It has been said in ancient times that fortune and misfortune depend on each other, and the key depends on luck and ability. If everyone is willing to fight it out, it may not be an opportunity right now."

"What chance?" asked the ignorant boy, he was just a farm boy from the countryside, and he didn't know anything at all.

"A chance to make a fortune, even a chance to get an official by meritorious service." A gleam flashed in the eyes of the vicious man, and his eyes fell on the blind man, sweeping him back and forth, as if surprised.

"What opportunity to get rich, what opportunity to make meritorious deeds, what is it, what is it, brother Dong, if there is such an opportunity, we must not forget my brothers." My fellow, when we first got together, he always wanted to yell and bully others.As a result, when a guy snatched the boy's dry food once, this vicious man named Song Wendong gave them a hard lesson.Song Wendong beat all six guys to the ground with one against six.

Song Wendong sneered, still staring at the blind man, and said lightly: "I advise you guys, don't have such thoughts, some money and wealth are expensive, but not everyone is lucky enough to earn them. Don't force your life, otherwise , I will regret it later.”

It's just that his words not only did not dispel the thoughts of those guys, but made them more interested and excited.

"Brother Dong, tell us what's going on, anyway, it's all over now, it's a dead end, so why don't you dare."

"That's right, that's right, let's say it, brother. If we really have that blessing and that fate, we won't dare to get any benefits at that time, and we will definitely benefit my brother."

The blind man sat on the side with half-closed eyes half-smiling, that appearance made Song Wendong very unhappy, and seeing those guys clinging to him like dogs, he let out a long sigh: "Well, maybe you really have that blessing. .In that case, let me show you a way."

"What way, what way?"

"Let the blind man tell you." Song Wendong opened his mouth, but didn't say any more, pointed at the old blind man, but turned around himself.

Those rascals immediately turned to the blind man, "Blind man, what exactly is it, tell us about it."

The blind man opened his eyes and glanced at a few people. He still had the expression of a smile but not a smile. At this moment, he still had the slightest look of nervousness: "Okay, I will show you a way to get rich and rich, and you will get confused in a while." Finally, you tie a piece of white cloth on your arm, and then set fire around the camp, shouting "lost, defeated, run away, run away."

The serious guys who were listening were all stunned on the spot, this, this is worse than running away.Obediently, this old blind man is just joking.

"Damn, this isn't funny at all, let's get down to business, where is the road to wealth?"

"I'm not kidding, this is the road to wealth. The Song surnamed just said that if you want to take this road, you have to have courage and good luck. Skill, courage, and luck are all indispensable. I have already pointed out the road. That’s it, that’s the end of the story, it’s up to you whether you dare to do it or not.”

The rascals gasped together, damn it, it's true.Is this old blind man a spy?

In fact, at this moment, not only the scoundrels were doubting the blind man's identity, but even Song Wentong turned his head and stared at the blind man fiercely.

"Sure enough, you were pretending at the beginning, but in fact you are just the secret work of Qin Jun. Are you afraid that someone will report to the Shatuo people and exchange your head for a bounty?" Song Wendong stared at the blind man.

The blind man sneered, like a fox stealing a chicken.

"So what if you are, so what if you are not, it is up to you to decide whether you want to inform me or not." The blind man's gaze suddenly changed, "But you are not an ordinary person, right? If the old blind man's guess is correct, you are actually a deserter. Which town did you serve as a soldier in the past? Lulong, Yiwu, or Chengde?"

Song Wendong's complexion changed, and finally he spit out a few words coldly: "I really underestimated you, you are a bit wise, I used to be a member of Boye Army in Chengde Town, Dutou."

"Why run away?"

"Because I wouldn't cling to a leaky boat that was about to sink, I just got off the boat early."

The blind man sneered again: "Now I'm holding a small boat, but I can take you on a big iron-clad boat. Would you like to get on my boat? Although this boat is a bit broken, it may be overwhelmed by the coming big waves at any time." , but if you can survive this storm, you may be able to board a giant iron-clad ship."

Song Wendong clenched his fists involuntarily, with hesitation in his eyes, after thinking for a long time, he finally waved his fist, "Damn it, do it!"

"Brother Dong, what did you do? What are you going to do?" The young man was at a loss and asked in a daze.

Those rascals cursed in a low voice, "Fools!" (To be continued.)