Great Han Empire

Chapter 305
After hearing the scout's report, Li Hong immediately called for Kuangfengsha.

Kuangfengsha is the leader of Xianling Qiang in the North, and he knows the terrain in this area like the back of his hand. He thinks that Helian is most likely to cross the north from Lingzhou City. "That is a shortcut that can help them quickly reach Lingwu Valley and cross Helan Mountain. .”

Li Hong didn't ask any more questions, and immediately led a large group of people to Lingzhou.

===

Standing outside Lingzhou City, Li Hong faced the speeding scouts and asked, "Is there any news about General Dong?"

"No." The scout replied, "We have carefully searched the area around [-] miles outside Lingzhou City, and found no trace of General Dong."

Li Hong looked at Pang De and Kuang Fengsha standing beside him, then looked at the map, and said in great puzzlement, "Why haven't General Dong and his [-] troops arrived yet?"

"Maybe something delayed us on the road." Pang De said cautiously, "He may not have thought that we would defeat the Xianbei people so quickly, and it's normal to be slow."

"My lord, don't worry about Fatty Dong, let's cross the river immediately and continue to chase." Kuang Fengsha said anxiously, "In order to quickly return to the grassland, the Xianbei people have given up the three cities of Fuping, Dingxi and Lingzhou, and are now on the north bank of the Yellow River Run all the way. If Helian is allowed to escape into Helan Mountain, we will have no chance to kill him. The opportunity is fleeting and cannot be delayed."

Li Hong shook his head and said: "The Xianbei people crossed the north from Gaoting, Shanghe, and Lingzhou respectively, while the Eastern Qiang people did not pass the Yellow River at all, and went directly eastward from Lingzhou City. It seems that their forces were scattered and they caught up They can be easily defeated by any route, but who can be sure that this is not Helian's trick to lure the enemy? If Helian and Tuobafeng gather 4 troops to ambush us in Liancheng and Lingwu Valley, what should we do? Here is the Yellow River Once the battle is defeated, can we still escape?"

Pound was deep in thought.

Kuang Fengsha thought for a while, and said: "Your Excellency seems to be over-concerned. The tribes of Luri Deduction and Yanliyou were originally close to Wuwei County. They crossed the river from Gaoting, which is the shortest return journey. Xu Gui came from Lingzhou The city goes directly east along the Yellow River, and you can return to Dongqiang in a few days, which is several days faster than crossing the Helan Mountain after crossing the river. These two people have been scared out of their wits, and they just want to escape back as soon as possible. Listen to Helian's command."

"Right now, Luri Deyan and Xugui are on their way home. On the north bank of the Yellow River in the Northland, there are only Helian and Tuobafeng. They have no more than [-] deserters at most. Even if we are ambushed, we will have the strength to fight. "

Li Hong nodded and praised: "You are very reasonable."

"Then shall we cross the river immediately?" Kuang Fengsha asked in surprise.

"No, we will cross the river and pursue after joining up with the two adults Xu Rong and Qu Yi." Li Hong said calmly, "The situation in the western border has been settled. It doesn't matter whether we can kill Helian or whether we can wipe out all the Xianbei people. gone."

He patted Kuang Fengsha on the shoulder and sighed, "The important thing is that we don't have any more casualties. 5 people were killed in World War I. I lost this battle too badly. I have been thinking about this issue for the past few days. Is there a way to avoid such a large number of casualties and not do it? I can't let my brothers die in vain anymore, you know?"

=====================

Langxiao Valley is located at the southern foot of Helan Mountain. There are more than 3000 Yingling people of the Qiang people living in the valley.

He Lian led Nan Beiyun and a dozen of his attendants on horseback and rushed into the Howling Wolf Valley.

When Dunhu, the leader of the Yingling clan, heard that King Xianbei Helian was coming, he rushed out to meet him.

For more than a decade, the Xianbei people have invaded the Northland almost every year, making it impossible for the Qiang people north of the Yellow River to survive. So some of them escaped the Yellow River and attached themselves to the Xianling people, some moved to live in the Eastern Qiang, and some simply moved to Helian. Bow down.The Yingling tribe adopted the method of surrender.Once the Xianbei people came, he was a subordinate of the Xianbei people, following the Xianbei people to burn, kill and loot;

A few years ago, Helian led his troops to cross Helan Mountain and drink horses to the Yellow River. At that time, Dunhu, a Yingling Qiang man, tried his best to curry favor with Helian, and wanted to be the leader of Yingling Qiang.He Lian took advantage of others, so he simply found an excuse to kill Yingling Qiang's old Shuai Qu, and made Dunhu the new leader.This time, Dunhu originally wanted to cross the Yellow River with the Xianbei army, but Helian left him behind.

"My lord, why did you bring so many people?" Dunhu asked in surprise, "What happened?"

He Lian smiled and said, "Yes, something might happen to Danhan Mountain, so I plan to go back quietly and wipe out all the rebels."

Dunhu immediately understood Helian's intention of rushing to Wolf Howling Valley, he wanted to borrow troops.He guessed that after receiving the news of Danhan Mountain, He Lian was worried that he would scare the snake, so he sneaked out of the army.From here back to Mount Khan, there is a journey of thousands of miles, and it is not safe without soldiers to escort us along the way.

"It turns out that the reason why the king asked me to stay in the Howling Wolf Valley is..."

"I promise to give you nothing less." He Lian interrupted him with a wave of his hand, and said with a smile, "Master Tuobafeng has led the army across Liupan Mountain and will soon reach Guanzhong. Your possessions will only increase, not decrease."

Dunhu was overjoyed when he heard the words, and complimented He Lian to the fullest, and then asked, "How many troops does Your Majesty want?"

"If you are willing to bring everyone from Yingling Qiang to Danhan Mountain with me, I will reward you even more." He Lian said with a smile, "Shuai Qu, would you like to follow me to Danhan Mountain?"

Dunhu agreed without hesitation.

Following the Xianbei King, no matter what, you will not suffer.

=====================

Dong Zhuo quickly crossed Liancheng with his army and headed northward at high speed.

A scout flew a horse to report that the Yingling Qiang people were found in the southwest of Liancheng.

"how many people?"

"About more than 1000 people." The scout said pantingly, "We are heading in the same direction as us, and we are also heading towards Helan Mountain. The speed is very fast."

Dong Zhuo waved his hand and told him to go down and investigate again.

"This Yingling Qiang is despicable, filthy, and extremely cunning, especially that handsome Dunhu Qu, who licks the feet of anyone who gives him money. He is born to be a cheap bone." Dong Zhuo stared at a pair of big eyes, and cursed bitterly, "A few years ago, I wanted to kill him, but I never found a chance. Fortunately, he delivered it to the door today."

"My lord wants to eat him in one bite?" Li Ru asked.

Dong Zhuo nodded, pointed at Niu Fu and shouted, "Zixiu, take five thousand cavalry and follow me to meet him."

"My lord..." Li Ru hurriedly persuaded, "Since your lord intends to ambush the Xianbei people, we need to hide our tracks, but if you kill them like this, won't our tracks be exposed?"

Dong Zhuo sneered and remained silent.

"My lord, the most urgent task is to wipe out the deserters of the Xianbei people, not to kill the Yingling Qiang who is looting everywhere..."

"Hmph, I'm going to kill them all, leaving none behind." Dong Zhuo said murderously, "The dead will never tell us where we are, right?"

===

Looking at the cavalry of the Han army killing all over the mountains and plains, He didn't even think about it, turned around and ran up the nearby mountains.After escaping from Qingshi Mountain last time, he was very confident about escaping in the mountains.

He Lian was very frightened, he intuitively thought that the leopard's cavalry was chasing him, he panicked, hit his horse and galloped, he didn't even know how to head, and he didn't care whether his subordinates followed up or not.

Dunhu ran faster than Helian.Caught off guard, he was ambushed by the overwhelmingly outnumbered enemy, and he had to flee desperately if he wanted to survive.

When Dunhu saw Helian running into the deep mountains and old forests, he hurriedly called to him and told him to follow him.He is familiar with this place.He Lian only wanted to run for his life, but he didn't hear his cry.The more the shield fox barked, the faster he ran.Dunhu had no choice but to turn around and follow behind him.He Lian died, and the loss to him was too great.

===

Dong Zhuo led Niu Fu, Li Jue (read jue), Guo Si, Fan Chou and five thousand cavalry on horseback, killing wantonly. More than 1000 people were chased and killed by them in a short period of time.

"My lord, I didn't see Dunhu. It seems that he escaped." Li Jue rode his horse and ran to Dong Zhuo's side, and said with a smile, "My lord, do you want to send a team of brothers to chase after him?"

"Forget it, it's just exercise, and there's no need to kill them all." Dong Zhuo smiled, "Save your energy and fight the Xianbei people."

"Let's go, brothers, enough fun, let's go."

"My lord, do you want to dispose of this dead body?" Niu Fu pointed at the bloody battlefield and said cautiously, "Master Sima has repeatedly told me that no traces will be left."

"Hmph..." Dong Zhuo sneered, "The Xianbei people will run faster if there are dead bodies all over the ground. Could it be that the Xianbei people will turn around and cross the Yellow River?"

Li Jue laughed uncontrollably, "Haha..., when it comes to war, there are not many opponents in this world that our lords can match."

=====================

"Your Majesty, the Han people are not chasing him anymore. Take a break, take a break." Dunhu grabbed Helian's rein and shouted loudly.

"Leopard, that's a leopard..." He Lian didn't stop him at all, lashed his horse with a whip, and wanted to run away again.

"Your Majesty, that's Dong Zhuo, Fatty Dong who kills without blinking an eye, not a leopard." Dunhu shouted, "Your Majesty misunderstood. Didn't Your Majesty say that Leopard escaped into Guanzhong? Why did he appear here?"

When He Lian heard that it was Dong Zhuo, he immediately reined in his horse.

"Is it true? Is it Dong Zhuo?"

"I've fought many battles with him, so of course I'm familiar with him." Dunhu said, "As long as I hear the sound of horseshoes, I know it's Dong Zhuo's cavalry. It's just strange, why did he appear here? I remember you I said, you said that he went to Hanyang County to fight against the rebels of the Kingdom and Han Sui."

He Lian was so determined that he ignored what Dunhu said, and jumped off his horse to ask Nan Beiyun for water.

The more Dunhu thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. Seeing Helian's distressed appearance, an ominous thought suddenly popped up in his mind: Has his entire army been wiped out?Immediately he laughed at himself, denying this idea. 12 people, how could the entire army be wiped out?How could the Han people have this strength?

===

"Your Majesty, Han soldiers suddenly appeared near Liancheng..." Nan Beiyun leaned closer to Helian's ear and said in a low voice, "Has our retreat been blocked by them long ago?"

Startled, Helian swallowed the water in his mouth forcefully, and looked at Nanbeiyun in horror.

"Dunhu said that it was Dong Zhuo who attacked us." Nan Beiyun continued, "Dong Zhuo has 3 horses. Since he appeared here, shouldn't his 3 horses also be north of the Yellow River?"

He Lian nodded, but his expression calmed down, and there was a hint of joy in his eyes.

"Your Majesty..." Nan Beiyun saw He Lian's abnormal expression and asked in surprise, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

He Lian thought that his escape route was blocked, and Tuoba Feng who was following him must be doomed.Hmph, if you want to kill me, you should die first.Once Tuoba Feng died, he could take the opportunity to split the Tuoba tribe and cancel the northern Xianbei tribe. In this way, he could not only gain part of the strength of the Tuoba tribe, but also regain part of the royal power.Want to be hereditary adults?Hmph, I even wiped out your clan, how can you still inherit heredity?

"Your Majesty, we must inform Lord Tuoba of this matter, otherwise, he will be ambushed by the Han people and wiped out." Nan Beiyun said in a low voice, "Our Xianbei Kingdom has suffered heavy losses and vital energy during this expedition. damaged."

He Lian glanced at Nan Beiyun and thought, you idiot, what do you know?If I don't let these people be wiped out, and don't seriously hurt the vitality of Xianbei's various ministries, how long can I, the king, sit still?

He looked at Nanbeiyun, and said: "We are not familiar with the terrain here, if we get lost, it will be a waste of time, I asked Dunhu to send his people to find Tuobafeng."

He Lian walked up to Dunhu, and said in a low voice: "You send someone back to the Howling Wolf Valley, and tell your people to hide in the mountains quickly, lest Dong Zhuo send people to kill them." Dunhu suddenly came to his senses, thanked repeatedly, and immediately Called a few men to go back to the valley.

"Your loss, after returning to Danhan Mountain, I will double the compensation." He Lian patted Dunhu affectionately, and asked, "Do you know how to bypass Lingwu Valley?"

Dunhu was overjoyed when he heard that Helian wanted to make up for his loss, and nodded repeatedly. He pointed to more than 30 subordinates behind him, and sighed: "But I only have these people, and it may be very difficult to send the king back to Danhan Mountain safely." .”

He Lian smiled.As long as Tuoba Feng couldn't return to the prairie, he could return to Danhan Mountain safely.Thinking that Tuoba Feng was about to be ambushed by the Han people, the corners of Helian's mouth couldn't help but twitched with pride.

=====================

Xu Rong and Qu Yi led the cavalry army to Lingzhou, and at the same time they brought the imperial decree of the emperor.

Hearing that Li Hong was promoted to be a general seeking captives, and Xu Rong and Qu Yi were also promoted to be generals of Zhonglang, everyone was very happy and came to congratulate them one after another.

"My lord, Your Majesty is so kind, I finally let you become a general." Lei Zi bowed and smiled, "My lord has made so many military achievements, in fact, he should have been a general long ago. But it is not too late, we are not dead yet, I can also call you General as I wish.”

Li Hong smiled, feeling very sad in his heart.Lei Zi's words reminded him of Li Song, Zhao Wen, Wu Zhao and other comrades who died in battle.

"What about you? Are you the Sima of another department or the captain?"

"Biebu Sima." Lei Zhong said happily, "Zhao Yun is already a captain. Since he killed June Jinglei, he has been promoted much faster than me. How old is he? He is not yet twenty, right? When he was 20 years old , what kind of official is your lord general?"

Li Hong smiled and said, "I was still a slave in Xianbei."

Zhao Yun, who was standing aside, glared at him, and said dissatisfiedly: "Lei Zi, if you have won the gun in my hand, I will give you the captain."

Lei Zi shrunk his neck, cupped his hands and said, "This officer can't beat you, so you can keep it to yourself, Captain."

===

"Kuang Fengsha, His Majesty has rewarded you with a captain." Xu Rong held Kuang Fengsha's hand and said with a smile, "Do you know how big a captain is?"

Kuang Fengsha was taken aback for a moment, then rubbed his nose, and asked in disbelief: "Really? Your Excellency didn't lie to me?"

Qu Yi took out the silver ink ribbon and solemnly tied it around his waist.

"This time, your Majesty, Qu Shuai and Xiao Shuai of the Hu tribe, have all conferred official positions. They are no longer temporary appointments by your lords. From now on, your lords will be the court ministers of our Great Han Kingdom."

Kuang Fengsha knelt down excitedly, bowed to the sky, and shouted "long live".

===

When everyone was happy, Xu Rong took out another imperial decree.

Li Hong took it and said with a smile: "What is the purpose of this? Could it be that His Majesty asked me to lead the army all the way to Danhan Mountain?"

"Let me go to Bingzhou?" Li Hong glanced at him, frowned, and said in surprise, "The Xianbei people are still north of the Yellow River and south of Helan Mountain, and they are still showing off their power in the territory of our Han Dynasty. At this time, His Majesty asked me to go to Bingzhou. So is the battle here still going to be fought? Do you still want the land north of the Yellow River?"

"Your Majesty's intention is to let General Dong Zhuo be in charge of the affairs of Western Xinjiang." Xu Rong persuaded in a low voice, "The leader of the Yellow Turban, Zhang Yan, has already occupied Jinyang City, and the situation in Bingzhou is becoming more and more critical. His Majesty's arrangement is not acceptable. And for that."

"Where is Yanmen Pass?" Li Hong lowered his head to think about it, and asked suddenly, "Is there any news about Yanmen Pass?"

"We just received the news from Shangshutai." Zheng Xin replied, "The Xianbei people are still lingering at Yanmen Pass. I guess they don't know that Helian has fled in a big defeat. Du Liao General Liu Bo and Bingzhou Inspector Zhang The troops of Yi and Guo Yun, the prefect of Yanmen County, are all on the pass, and they cannot send troops back to Taiyuan to suppress the rebellion."

"What about Hanyang? The Kingdom of Hanyang and Han Sui are still attacking Yicheng?"

"He Yong, the Sima of the General's Mansion, has been ordered to Hanyang to appease the rebels, but there is no news so far." Zheng Xin said with a smile, "But the general defeated Xianbei's 12 army, enough to scare the shit out of Wang Guo and Han Sui, forgive them Dare not to be caressed."

Li Hong sighed, shook his head and said, "Which year will this battle last? Shouyan, can your Majesty agree to send me reinforcements from Henan Mansion?"

"No. A letter from Shangshutai said that General Dong is in charge of Xiliang's funeral, so now all the Xiliang tribes under the general's control have followed the general to Bingzhou to suppress the rebellion, mainly the army of Lord Xu and Lord Qu. In addition, His Majesty has already Promise to the general, all prisoners will be at the disposal of the general."

Li Hong smiled wryly: "In my [-] army, the Han people are almost wiped out, and now we are all relying on the barbarians to fight. At this point, His Majesty still refuses to give them. It's simply..."

"When will the food and supplies be delivered to Lingzhou?"

"It will no longer be sent to Lingzhou." Zheng Xin said, "Shang Shutai said that everything will be sent to the Great Wall Fortress. In this way, the delivery convoy can travel less and the court will have some money left."

"Your Majesty is forcing me." Li Hong said unhappily, "Your Majesty won't let me cross the Yellow River, don't give me people, don't give me food, he's forcing me to go to Bingzhou."

"Is the general unwilling to go?" Zheng Xin asked in a low voice.

"Of course I don't want to go." Li Hong said angrily, "It's a group of refugees, a group of refugees without food and clothing. What am I going to do? Am I going to kill people?"

====================
(End of this chapter)