Hutian is full of snow in August. Although there is no month with heavy snow yet, the scenery with the chilling wind is omnipresent in the vast field of vision between heaven and earth. On the withered and white grassland outside the Great Wall, a lead-grey team heading out of the Great Wall was heading west along the undulating mountainside terrain and the winding river in a silent and solemn atmosphere. The people driving and drafting horses lined up in a long array and marched with their heads down. For a moment, apart from the rustling sounds of people stepping on each other, there was only the whistling sound of the wind whistling in the wilderness, which was their best companion and companion. ¡°At least marching on the grassland outside the Great Wall near the border wall is like marching on the desert, without any supplies or manpower assistance. In addition to the ruins of settlements and tents, there are various other ruins. Those roads that were once bustling with business travelers, the river mouth market towns and roadside markets that were once bustling with people, have all been buried in the deep grass. There were no traces of people or movements, and the only things that accompanied the journey were animals that were frightened from time to time in the grass, or birds such as chaffinches and geese fluttering past in panic. It is filled with large swaths of migratory people, tent trucks and cattle and sheep herds of all kinds; after all, if you can¡¯t get to the nearest river mouth or lowland before the first snowfall, Between the low hills, various fortresses and earthen fences formed winter camps to avoid wind and cold, or they rushed to the relatively warm side walls and inside the mountains; that means that throughout the long and severe winter, from nature Brutal elimination and inevitable attrition of humans and animals. Of course, in the era when the Tang Dynasty's prestige and territory were at its strongest, these key nodes that traversed the grassland like latent blood vessels and meridians had been replaced by large and small forts that had been built along the rivers and roads. The various nomadic tribes who have been gathered in the army and villages have been trapped in cages and gimmicks that can no longer move freely, but can only rely on the breath of their surroundings to survive. ; And these legacies were further inherited by the princes who were divided into the grasslands outside the Great Wall, and even allowed them to continue to control, enslave, and educate them with sufficient force and economic generation and advantages, voluntarily or They are nomadic tribes that do not voluntarily settle in semi-settled areas. For generations, they have been living with those who come from the further north and even the far north, who are more wild and impoverished. If something goes wrong, they will easily be cornered and go south to plunder and plunder. The North Territory Fanhus have been fighting for their livelihood and future for generations. Therefore, in the era when the Tang Dynasty's prestige still existed, the emperors and ministers of the court could not worry about border troubles for ten or dozens of years, and the price of all this was to use a very small part of the wealth of this huge empire to pay for every year. A little support and subsidies from the princes outside the Great Wall, and even routine support in the name of autumn defense training, can once and for all isolate this disturbance and noise outside the many border walls. During this period, the fanhus that had gathered on the Yanbian grassland were replaced one after another and became naturalized one after another, but it did not affect at all the things on the border walls and fortresses that had not heard of war for a long time. Weeds are growing desperately, and dense roads and paths are crisscrossed by the endless flow of business travelers. It was not until the authority of the Tang Dynasty collapsed amid sudden changes and civil strife that the princes outside the Great Wall also had differences and fission in their respective support camps and stances, and once again fell into a long and chaotic war and wanton invasion of each other. period; then the determination of the Northern Tang Dynasty made the chaotic situation outside the Great Wall clear again; but the ambitions and dissatisfaction that arose from this could no longer be bridged. Some princes outside the Great Wall adapted to the times, and under the policies of Youfu and He At the cost of fame and fortune, they once again became the vassal vassal of the Northern Tang and New Dynasties; while others decided that the tyrants of the Tang Dynasty were incompatible with each other, and became a border threat to the wars that raged every year; and some, because of their geographical location, became the vassals that followed the trend. The moving grass on the wall. However, whether it is a wallflower, a side trouble of the times, or the existence of a loyal vassal, all of these have now been blown away by the wind and rain. They have not entered the customs several times. They disappeared in the great tide of migration, and it was in the process of Su Yuanjing's invasion of the grasslands that he led his troops back to sweep the grasslands, which became the last sound of the era. Maybe it will take a few years for new tribes to realize the emptiness and blankness here, migrate here, and then gather again for a few years before there is any change and revival. But now, these strange sergeants are riding horses and walking among the withered grass that is knee-deep to waist-deep. From time to time, they can step on the hidden human and animal bones and make a crisp cracking sound. That was last year or the year before. Or it is the result of an earlier time; after several migrations, sweeps and destructions,These Yanbian grassland areas, once known for their fertility and fertility, have become very desolate and deserted. Therefore, in this area that is almost no man's land, they can only rely on their own military supplies and rations to meet their needs along the way. Zhang Xian was riding on horseback, even though he was wrapped in cotton fur, a velvet blouse, and a woolen cloak, he could already feel the bone-chilling chill slowly seeping into the armor. After all, it was already August outside the Great Wall. During the time he stayed behind the mountain, he did not do nothing. While clearing out the remaining local enemies and maintaining order, he also continued to send reconnaissance manpower outside the fortress, and gradually explored and mapped the general outline and mountains and rivers of the frontier fortress area. Geographical graphics come. Therefore, after the initial setback at the Baijinyu and Songzikou lines between Yuzhou and Xinzhou, he did not continue to attack rashly. Instead, as soon as the first batch of backup arrived, he decisively brought out a The capable troops marched outside the fortress by other routes; using the old subordinates of the surrendered frontier army as guides, they found a circuitous march route to the north. "This is Hu Tubai Mountain" The guide, riding a skinny old horse with a weathered face, pointed to a low hill in the distance that was white and sparsely covered with vegetation. ¡°There was the great beacon tower of the previous dynasty and the residence of the Xuanfu clan, but there is nothing left now.¡± ¡°And seventeen miles away you can reach Yanbian¡¯s ancient fortress¡ªYanzi City (today¡¯s Hebei Province). "Near Zhangbei County" "Further south from Yanzi City is the border wall between Yehu Ridge (near Zhangjiakou today) and Duanyun Ridge." "There are the remnants of the old garrison we know. "Maybe there is someone who can talk to me" Suddenly the noise from the wind made Zhang Xian's expression become solemn. "The patrolling post was at the foot of Tubai Mountain, and we encountered dozens of enemy cavalry" "The identification is unknown" "The cruising team and the life-catching team are outflanking and chasing" A few miles away, everyone was ambushed. On the back of Anton's galloping horse, he stared at the several horseback figures running away not far away, until the opponent suddenly ran out of power, and he and the horse were thrown to the ground violently, and they could no longer survive. Got up. After Pu Su finished, he slowed down and slowly hovered near the fallen cavalry, holding a blunderbuss. He looked at them carefully and then said with some surprise, "Women?" "They actually sent out all the women. "As a consistent tradition of the grassland tribes, women are important assets and reproductive tools. Even if all the men in a tribe are dead, as long as most women exist, it means that the blood and source of blood can still exist. Reproduce a new population. But on the other hand, if even women are sent into battle, it also means that the corresponding tribes and forces already know that they are at the end of their rope. . . . . . . . A few days later, in Yuzhou, Hebei general Qin Ming, nicknamed "Thunderbolt Fire", was also slowly looking at the Huai army flags gathered outside the Yukou; he only felt that there was a lot of frustration and worry in his heart. But the Huai Army, its predecessor was the imperial right army that conquered more than ten states in Hebei Province with only one lone army, and no one could match it when galloping freely. Although the exploratory attacks of the Huai army had been thwarted several times by taking advantage of the terrain at the cost of losing a few small outposts, no matter how much the people around them praised and praised them, what happened in the rear? He was overjoyed and praised, but he could clearly feel that this was because the other party did not try his best and did not want to get too entangled; and all these were just some signs and echoes before the storm came; although so far the other party has not There was no sign of an attack, but the number of flags standing there was increasing day by day, and things that looked like artillery carts and flying fire mines were also constantly arriving at the enemy array outside the Yukou Pass wall, turning into a A constructed base and position. It seemed that a desperate battle and bloody storm was coming, and the Hebei soldiers assembled in the valley and the local soldiers and archers who had surrendered could not help but act with great solemnity and trembling. Therefore, taking advantage of this pause of preparation and waiting, various defensive equipment and materials for repairing the city defenses were dismantled from the cities behind like running water, and the strong men and women who were forcibly recruited from the local people, such as A swarm of ants moved to the front. They even broke the last false ties and fig leaves with the upper echelons of the occupied areas and directly sent troops to break into the houses, regardless of big or small households, and confiscated the last remaining grain and supplies they had hidden for the army. For previous use. Anyway, ifIf you can't withstand the Huai army's attack, it's useless to say anything; but on the other hand, if you can win this battle, it means that with your army's prestige greatly increased, you can slowly Conquer these resentful local forces in the rear. After all, his subordinates are no longer the same as before. Among the Hebei army, which is said to be 40,000 strong, at least half of them are soldiers who have experienced hundreds of battles, and they only use all kinds of old and new weapons obtained and collected from many channels. There are tens of thousands of people equipped with firearms, among which there are ten battalions of gun soldiers and about 8,000 people. This is also the biggest basis for him to resist the intrusion of the Pinglu Army in Hebei, and then force him to retreat, pursue and sweep all the way to the states behind the mountains; therefore, relying on these experienced gunmen, he has the basic confidence and confidence. , in this mountainous and rugged natural and dangerous place, we have another long-lost collision with the famous Huai Army. No matter how illustrious the reputation of being "invincible" is, can it still avoid the fact that mortal bodies will bleed and be killed or injured if hit by a blunderbuss? "When can the platoon guns removed from the border base be transported?" Thinking of this, he asked behind him again, "Send someone to hurry up" "Don't begrudge the people and material resources along the way. We must do it." Arrive before the Huai bandits attack." "No," a general took the order and left in a hurry. Then at noon that day, he saw a response from the rear. A messenger covered in blood was helped up, "Du Tong, there has been a change in the city" "There are mobs swarming up to rob Junzi" "Food The ambassador of Taizhou was killed by the rebels. "Most of the troops stationed there were killed and wounded, and the remaining troops retreated to the government office to wait for help." "Damn it." Of course, he would not easily admit that this might be the result of his improper actions, but only resented these despicable people. Why couldn't he just stay at home and starve, but wanted to single them out to destroy the good situation he presided over? . "Immediately let the Qi soldiers and the Shenhuo battalion go to suppress it" "Those who dare to resist will be killed without mercy, and the thieves will not spread out of the city" "Promise" Several generals were ordered to leave in a hurry. Fortunately, the Huai army in front of him still did not launch an attack, but was preparing for it in a leisurely manner. This also made Qin Ming feel a little relieved. However, that night, not long after he closed his eyes, he was suddenly shaken awake again by his subordinates who looked worried. "Something's wrong" "What's wrong" Qin Ming endured the anger and resentment of being woken up and said harshly. "Could it be that the Huai Army is attacking" "That's right that's right that's right" The subordinates stammered and said anxiously, "So what It's such a panic" Qin Ming became more and more troubled. He kicked the opponent hard and said. "Follow me to the city to defend the enemy" "It's the Huai Army" The subordinates who got up after being kicked down finally spoke much more smoothly and fluently. "They came out from the back road in the direction of Zhoucheng" "The Qi soldiers and the Shenhuo battalion who went to suppress the attack were caught off guard" "They were completely defeated on the spot and only dozens of people fled back to report" "What? "" At this moment, Qin Ming felt as if he was falling into an abyss. . Judging from his many years of military experience and quality, after defeating the partial division of our army, the opponent will probably not stop in front of a mere state city. Then, as if to confirm his thoughts and guesses, suddenly there was a flash of light in the sky, and in the valley shrouded in darkness behind the wall, several bright fireworks slowly rose; then the Huai River outside the wall The military position was like a wild beast that was awakened, and suddenly came to life amidst the huge shouts and noises. The night battle was actually a night battle. The Huai army actually chose a night battle offensive of internal and external attacks.