Scattered in the field, you can still see a few crop stalks that have not fallen down. It may be the last struggle of the unyielding refugees who planted the last few grains in the ground a few months ago, but in this place in the northwest, The words "man will conquer heaven" will always appear so pale and powerless.
There is no water, the land is dry and hard, and the climate is bitterly cold.
These grain seeds tenaciously took root and germinated, and grew up tenaciously... but in the end they did not produce a single grain. It is unimaginable what kind of despair the people who planted these seeds left with. After losing the support of all parts of the Central Plains, the Northwest finally showed the desolation in their bones mercilessly.
During the prosperous period of the Sui Dynasty, the imperial court allocated grain from other channels to the northwest to support the people every year. Because only those places where people live can be regarded as the real territory of the Sui Dynasty. But the meaning of this place's existence has been set since the founding of the Sui Dynasty more than 200 years ago... the battlefield.
From the first emperor of the Sui Dynasty to the last emperor of the Sui Dynasty, it is very clear. The area in the northwest is not suitable for living at all, and the reason why it has been supported by subsidies is because it is the most suitable place for a battlefield. With a strong neighbor like Meng Yuan, no one can guarantee that war will not break out.
Every Sui emperor also knew that the Sui people must have been passive in the early days of the war.
The land in the northwest is to protect the prosperous buffer zone of the Central Plains.
So the teams still in the northwest, whether they belong to the enemy or their own, are all having a hard time. In such a place where it is impossible to find a grain of grain after walking for hundreds of miles, and there is no logistical supply, one can imagine what kind of life the soldiers are living.
A soldier sat on the ground, took off his boots with difficulty, and poured out the gravel inside. A lot of blood blisters have been worn out on the soles of the feet, but it may be because of the numbness from the pain, but there is no pain at the corners of his tightly pursed mouth, and some are just physical needs... hunger and thirst.
It has been a whole day and a half without finding a water source, and I can persist for a while when I am hungry, but no water is something that people and people cannot resist.
He looked at the soles of the boots, feeling sorry for the new boots he received when he was dispatched to the army. Of course, after a few months, they have walked for an unknown number of ways, and their boots have already changed beyond recognition. Up to now, there are very few soldiers who still wear boots instead of straw sandals made by themselves.
"Let's go, the general said, we have to go to Yashan before dark today."
Another passing soldier gave him a hand, and the two quickly followed the group.
"I just can't figure it out. In the past few months since we entered the Northwest, we have been marching and marching and marching. We haven't fought a single battle yet. Every day we go in such a hurry, as if we have to go to the A decisive battle... But until now, there is no sign of an enemy. Many people are saying that the general is actually avoiding the enemy... "
"Hush."
Another soldier lowered his voice and said: "Keep your voice down, no matter what, he is the general named by the lord to lead the army. If he has no real skills, the lord will not entrust him with important tasks. You should know that now General Chen Dingnan, Chen Qian General Shan, General Cui Zhongzhen, General Lu Fenghou... Except for our team, all the teams have gone back, and it is said that they are going to the eastern border to fight against the foreigners. That is to say, in the northwest, we are the only ones who carry on our shoulders. The word Yuguomen."
"never mind."
The soldiers before kept licking the palate with their tongues, but very little body fluid came out.
"I remember my lord once said before that if a general does not believe in the army, he will be defeated. If a soldier follows the general but does not believe in the general, he will die. Since we are following him now, let's see where he takes us. To be honest, instead of Running forward like this every day, it’s really better to find the Mongolian Yuan Tartars with real knives and guns.”
"Give."
Another soldier handed him a shriveled walnut, a fruit shriveled into such a small clump before it grew up.
"Keep it in your mouth, so you can spit out more."
He said.
The previous soldier gave each other a thankful look, and then stuffed the thing into his mouth. But now, no matter what he puts in his mouth, he wants to swallow it. And no matter what is in the mouth, the stomach will start to twitch.
"Quicker!"
An orderly passed by the crowd on horseback and shouted: "The general has an order to arrive at Yashan before dark. Anyone who delays the journey of the army will be dealt with according to the military law of disobedience. Everyone cheer up." , the general said, if you persist for a while, you will definitely see joy!"
The soldiers speeded up, and someone quietly tightened their trouser belts again.
At the front of the line, Song Zihui squatted on the ground facing the wind, unfolding the map on the dry ground. The wind blew sand and splashed it on his face, and a lot of it got into his mouth. His lips were as dry as the earth. He didn't even dare to spit out the sand in his mouth, because it would spit out a lot of saliva.
"I know you guys have been questioning me these days."
Song Zihui's face was peeled off, and he didn't look like a fair scholar. When he spoke, his voice seemed to be squeezed out of a blocked throat, very light and hoarse to the point of discomfort.
"You are all saying that I am not looking for a fighter at all when I take you all the way, but to avoid the large group of Mengyuan people. I know these words, and I have never explained them to you. That is because You won't understand even if I explain it, so I can only rely on the general's full strength to suppress you, and let you just follow me and run forward."
He tapped heavily on the map with his fingers: "If you believe me, stick to this day. After arriving at Yashan, I will give you an explanation."
The generals under him looked at each other, then clasped their fists together: "Respect the general's order!"
…
…
Yashan is a big mountain less than three hundred miles away from Langru Mountain. This big mountain runs from east to west, about forty or fifty miles wide from north to south, and can be three to four hundred miles from east to west. If you look at it on a map, the location of this mountain is very interesting. It is at the inflection point where the north-south direction of Langru Mountain turns to the east-west direction, right in the middle of the extension line.
It is very close to Langrushan Canyon, so it is not far from Fangu City.
A group of ragged soldiers rushed to the forest at the southeast corner of Yashan Mountain in the afterglow of the setting sun. If this team of tens of thousands of people put down their weapons, they would be no different from a group of refugees. The original colors of the clothes on them could no longer be seen, only the colors of gray, black and earthy yellow, which were similar to the earth.
"Let the soldiers all go into the woods and take the time to rest for a while."
Song Zihui was panting, but there was no sweat on his forehead.
"Golden rudder."
He pointed to a location on the map, then turned around and pointed to the corresponding place: "Take your three Zhechong battalions, don't rest, and rush here. If you see the banner of the Mongolian Yuan Tartars later, don't bother, count them all. Just let it go. The Tartars have been attacked by refugees more times recently, so put all the baggage in the middle of the team, and when you see the baggage battalion coming up, send a signal. Then wait for the red fireworks to hit the sky, and you take Let your troops attack the rear of the Tartars. Remember, don't fly the flag."
"Here."
Although Jin Duo didn't know the purpose of Song Zihui's military order, he still nodded firmly.
"Lei Xianhou, take your three Zhechong Battalion and set up an ambush here."
Song Zihui continued to instruct: "When you see the Chinese army shooting green fireworks, lead your troops to shoot arrows into the Tatars' ranks. Don't feel sorry for the feather arrows. Just release as many arrows as you bring. When the supply battalion comes back for reinforcements, you lead your men and horses to attack the enemy's front team."
Don't let Lei Xianhou also take orders.
"Chu Feiyun."
Song Zihui said: "I will give you six Zhechong battalions as the main attack. When you see me waving the banner, you will lead the troops to storm the enemy's Chinese army's heavy camp. No matter how fierce the enemy's resistance is, you can just lead the army to attack the enemy's heavy camp. Charge forward with your troops, as long as you can persist for half an hour, reinforcements will arrive."
"General, don't worry!"
Chu Feiyun clasped his fists together: "I have been waiting for today's battle. I have been waiting for several months. To be honest, if the battle with the Tartars is not real, the emotions of the soldiers below are still not good." It's really hard to press."
"I know what you're all thinking."
Song Zihui cupped his fists: "I'm just a scholar, and the Lord Meng trusted me to lead the army to fight against the Mongolian Tartars. In the past few months, I haven't led you to fight against the Tartars. I will tell you the reason after today. You guys. But today, if you don’t win this battle, if someone’s link goes wrong, don’t blame me for not being sympathetic. If you do your best according to my military order, but lose this battle, I will end it myself! "
"Go."
He said loudly: "After today's battle, if we are all alive, if you think highly of me, we will sworn brothers!"
…
…
Quoketai Menglie's heart is very heavy.
The hesitation in the past few days finally made him miss the best time to evacuate. When those rumors started to spread, he didn't pay attention. It was only later that he realized how terrible the rumors were... He had no intention of rebelling, and had no intention of snatching the seat of Meng Yuan Khan, but when the rumor of Meng Ge's death spread like a plague in the northwestern Meng Yuan army camp, he could no longer control his own destiny.
He didn't believe that Meng Ge was dead, but just because he didn't believe it didn't mean that everyone else didn't believe it. After hearing the news, several Wang Ting generals who followed him this time became obviously not quite right. All Wang Ting generals have the blood of the Quoke Taimeng family. That is to say, if Great Khan Mengge is really dead, then these Wang Ting generals will all have a chance to compete for the position of Khan.
So, in the end, the violent one was out of control.
The generals under him almost forced him to return to the royal court. And the most terrifying thing? Meng Lie still didn't avoid what he was most worried about in the end, and finally someone couldn't hold back and used force against him. He didn't know that by the time it reached Shujing Road, the rumors had turned into him trapping and killing other Wang Ting generals, because this wasn't the truth at all.
The truth is that several other Wang Ting generals plan to join forces to get rid of him, because he is the most powerful contender for the position of Khan. If everyone returns to the royal court together, he has more hope of becoming the Great Khan than other royal court generals. Therefore, those people planned to kill him first... But what they didn't expect was that Meng Lie had been guarding against them.
In the end, it was a lose-lose situation for both sides.
"We're about to see Wolf Milk Mountain."
Meng Lie looked to the west.
"Perhaps... from the very beginning, the Eastern Expedition was a wrong decision. If you are really dead, Great Khan, then please give me a hint from your soul."
He muttered to himself: "This is the second time I have fled back to my hometown with my troops, and I was always in such a mess. The world of the Han people is not beautiful at all, it is like a quagmire."