To the north of Mandu Banner is Keqin Banner, and to the north of Keqin Banner is Sele Banner. Today, Keqin Banner is a deserted land. Some of the herdsmen have gone to Daxue Mountain, and some have migrated away. Only a few small tribes who are reluctant to leave here still live on the vast grasslands thousands of miles away, and they are still hesitating whether to avoid the threat of the wolf-like northern barbarians in the north.
When Fang Jie passed Keqin Banner with 10,000 Qingqi, sometimes he could not see a single person for hundreds of miles. Occasionally, some herdsmen drove their cattle and sheep to graze. When they saw the cavalry coming from a distance, they thought it was the return of the Keqin Banner wolf cavalry, and they cheered a few times. I can't care less.
With fewer people, prairie wolves become more rampant.
Because the prairie people consider themselves descendants of the wolf god, they never kill wolves. The wolves, which were already thriving, have become more unscrupulous in recent years. However, no matter how fierce they are, they will avoid the cavalry from a distance when they see a large group of cavalry, and watch the cavalry drive past vigilantly.
Qilin didn't like riding a horse, so he strode along beside Fang Jie with a copper stick on his shoulder. Such a majestic guard, coupled with such a majestic white lion, complement each other and look extraordinarily imposing.
"General, when are we going back to the Central Plains?"
Qilin asked as he walked.
Fang Jie lay on the back of the white lion, looked at the sky and smiled: "Come on, after a few battles, let the soldiers recover some of their murderous spirit. Let's go back to the northwest first, then check the timing, and then go southeast. The emperor's army We have already left Jinyang and marched towards Luoshui. Only Jin Shixiong and tens of thousands of troops are left in the northwest. Let’s go back. Jin Shixiong dare not do anything. There are not many troops left by Luo Yao on Huangyang Road. We can cross the northwest Then climb over Mangdang Mountain and first gain a foothold on Huangyang Road."
Qilin hummed: "Although this place is nice and the life is comfortable, it is not as friendly as the Central Plains. Most of the soldiers also have the same thoughts. In fact, everyone hopes that the general will take us back. Now, the soldiers Although I don’t say it, I can see it, and I’m very clear that the Central Plains is in a mess, who doesn’t want to achieve greater success?”
Fang Jie looked at Qilin and said, "You think so too?"
Qilin smiled honestly: "I don't care, I will follow the general wherever he goes, I am used to it."
Fang Jie's mouth curled up into a smile, and he looked back at Dagou and the others who were chatting with the soldiers.
yes
The soldiers could see clearly.
Now it's not just that Fang Jie doesn't want to fight, who doesn't look forward to a good future among the soldiers? They followed Fang Jie, perhaps to escape at first, to save their lives, but they will not escape for a lifetime after all. If Fang Jie doesn't go back to the Central Plains and enter the chaotic situation, they will be unwilling. In fact, the transformation of people's thinking is sometimes not difficult. When the Sui Dynasty was strong, they would never have such thoughts, but now that the Sui Dynasty is in turmoil, none of them can't help but wonder if they will have a chance to become a new one in the future. Founding hero
There is never a lack of desire in a man's heart, and it has nothing to do with his status.
"In war, people die."
Fang Jie murmured.
Qilin rubbed his nose and said, "War, how can people not die?"
Fang Jie was startled, and subconsciously glanced at Qilin, as if he didn't expect Qilin to say such a thing. Seeing Fang Jie looking at him, Qilin smiled a little embarrassedly: "A few days ago, the military adviser and the generals below said this sentence when they were drinking, and I just remembered it and said it in passing."
Fang Jie hummed, he knew that Sun Kaidao had been talking with the generals below in order to motivate him to raise troops. First, he was subtly influencing the mentality of the generals, and second, it was to make Fang Xie make up his mind earlier. Sun Kaidao was determined to become a prime minister, although the Sui Dynasty did not have such an official position with power over the world. But this is the same as Wu Fu's greatest ideal is to become a general of the Zhu Kingdom, and a prime minister is the ultimate ideal of a literati.
During these days on the grassland, Sun Kaidao kept hinting that Fang Xie should raise his flag and raise his troops instead of just retreating blindly. Fang Jie also knew that many of the generals below actually had the same thoughts.
By now, some things just happen naturally.
"Yeah, how can there be no death in war."
Fang Jie smiled and asked Qilin: "Have you ever thought about fighting on the battlefield every day in the future, is this the life you want to live?"
Qilin thought about it hard, and then smirked: "I don't know what kind of life I want to live. I am fine now. I am with the general and Daquan every day, and I feel at ease in my heart. That guy Dagou should be the same. It’s the same, when he was drinking a few days ago, he also said that although it was very hard and dangerous to look back on the past, there were many happy things for everyone to be together.”
Fang Jie nodded, and just as he was about to speak, he heard the sound of horseshoes coming from the opposite side. He sat up straight from the white lion, and saw that the scout with the flag tied on his back had returned.
"Report."
The scout stopped far away, jumped off his horse, walked over quickly and knelt down on one knee: "General, last night Zhuge Wuyin's troops attacked the camp of the northern barbarians at a distance of 120 miles ahead, breaking through 30,000 northern soldiers. The barbarians beheaded tens of thousands and captured more than 10,000. General Zhuge sent people back to report, and he led his troops and horses and was still chasing them. Chen Qianshan led his troops to the northwest and found a camp of the northern barbarians, no less than 30,000 People are heavily guarded, so they haven’t done anything yet. The other armies have not heard back yet.”
Fang Jie hummed and ordered: "Send someone to tell Zhuge Wuxian that it is too fierce not to pursue. We have already reached the border of Keqin Banner, and further north is Sele Banner. Now Sele Banner has at least a million northern barbarians. Tell him, this is for training soldiers, not for a decisive battle with the northern barbarians."
"yes."
The scout responded, turned back and mounted his horse.
Just as the scouts left, a warning horn sounded from a distance. It was the signal that the rangers on the flank had detected the enemy. Fang Xie looked in the direction where the horn sounded, and waved his hand to order the team to stop. Ten thousand light cavalry immediately changed their formation, ready to attack at any time.
…
…
When Fang Xie saw a dozen rangers and a man in Confucian shirt riding over in the distance, he couldn't help being slightly surprised. The man was dressed as a Han Chinese, but it was obviously impossible for him to come alone. If there was only one person, You Qi would not send out a warning signal. It is estimated that there should be a team of people over there.
The man in Confucian shirt approached Fang Xie, carefully looked at Fang Xie and the white lion he was sitting on, and was obviously taken aback.
"Excuse me, is this General Fang?"
Fang Jie nodded: "Who are you?"
The man in the Confucian shirt was exactly the one called the envoy of God by the northern barbarians. He was indeed a little surprised when he saw the white lion, but he recovered quickly. The other party smiled and said, "I'm from the northern barbarians, but I should be regarded as half of General Fang's old friend."
"Half an old friend?"
Fang was puzzled.
"General please move."
The man in Confucian shirt dismounted from his horse, stretched out his hand and made a gesture of please. Fang Jie shook his head to stop the scolding from the soldiers, got off the white lion to signal the army to rest where they were, and followed the man a few dozen steps away without any guards. After leaving the team far enough, the man in the Confucian shirt cupped his fists again: "I'm bothering General Fang."
"who are you?"
Fang asked.
"The general doesn't know me. I say I'm half an old friend of the general because my friend is an old friend of the general."
"who?"
"Perfect beauty and virtue."
The man in the Confucian shirt smiled: "My surname is Xie, and I have been living in the Shiwanda Mountain in Beiliao."
At this moment, Wanyan Yunshu who had been chatting with Mu Xiaoyao and the others suddenly saw the person in front of Fang Jie, and shouted from a long distance, "Mr. Xie, why are you here?"
"I have seen His Highness."
Seeing Wanyan Yunshu approaching, the man in the Confucian shirt leaned slightly to salute.
Wanyan Yunshu went over and took his arm and said pleasantly: "It's been a few years, why did you come here suddenly? If you are here, is it possible that Father Khan also came here?"
The middle-aged man named Mr. Xie smiled and said, "The Great Khan is still in Beiliao, this time I came out by myself. Seeing that His Highness is well, I can have an explanation with the Great Khan when I go back."
"You came to see me specifically?"
Wanyan Yunshu asked with a smile. It seemed that she was very familiar with and respected this middle-aged man. The Beiliao people don't have the title of Mr., obviously they have learned the respectful title that the Han people have for this middle-aged man.
"Khan specifically ordered me to inquire about His Highness's news."
Mr. Xie said.
"oh."
Wanyan Yunshu pouted: "It turns out that I didn't come to see me on purpose, making me happy for nothing. In this case, you can talk, and don't tell Father Khan that you have seen me when you go back!"
"Your Highness, the Great Khan misses you very much."
Mr. Xie said quickly.
Wanyan Yunshu immediately laughed, ran back and took Fang Jie's arm and said with a smile, "I won't tease you, this is Mr. Xie, the most respected wise man in our Northern Liao. I have not left since I arrived in Beiliao. He taught us how to read and write, weaving and spinning, and how to distinguish the stars in the sky. Mr. is knowledgeable and knowledgeable. Many of the Chinese allusions I know are taught by him. You guys Let's talk, I'll go back and find Sister Shen and the others."
Fang Jie nodded with a smile, then clasped his fists at Mr. Xie: "May I ask what advice Mr. Xie has for coming to see me?"
"General, please retreat."
Mr. Xie said directly: "To tell you the truth, this time the northern barbarians entered the grassland, I was the one who facilitated it. The king of the northern barbarians obeyed my advice and finally entered the grassland. The general cavalry and retreated."
"Um?"
Fang Jie was stunned, and after thinking for a while, he said: "The intention of the master is to let the northern barbarians invade the grassland, so that there will be an additional barrier between the northern Liao land and the grassland. If you want to put pressure on the Northern Liao land like before, you have to clean up these millions of Northern barbarians first."
"It should be more than that..."
Fang Jie was silent for a while and said: "The place where the northern barbarians live borders on the Great Sui. After the northern barbarians leave, there will be another way for the people of the Northern Liao to enter the Great Sui. It is closer and safer. Don't worry about being deceived." People from the Yuan Dynasty are interfering. You don’t have to go through the war-torn land in the northwest to enter the pass from the land of the northern barbarians, could it be that... the emperor of the Sui Dynasty has promised your northern Liao land to be merged into the Central Plains?”
Mr. Xie praised: "His Royal Highness Wanyan Chongde has praised General Fang in front of me more than once, and seeing him today really deserves his reputation. Yes, the Emperor of Sui has already issued an order to allow millions of people in the Northern Liao to pass through the Northern Barbarians. Enter the customs on Lingbei Road. He has specialized in a large area in Lingbei Road, which is the new home of the Beiliao people."
Fang Jie frowned, because he didn't know the origin of Mr. Xie, so he didn't express his worries.
"Congratulations, the Great Khan of the Northern Liao Dynasty finally got his wish, and the people of the Northern Liao Dynasty can finally escape from the bitter cold."
"yes."
Mr. Xie smiled and said, "It's really gratifying."
Both of them were laughing, but Fang Jie always felt that there was something else looming in Mr. Xie's eyes.
"correct."
Mr. Xie suddenly said: "My nephew and General Fang are still friends at school."
"Thank you Fuyao?!"
Fang Jie immediately thought of the handsome young man, and quickly stood up straight to meet him again as a junior: "Since he is Fuyao's uncle, he is also my elder."