Duke Huan of Qi conquered the princes of the Central Plains and was preparing to deal with Chu. While he was planning to send troops, Yan sent people to ask for help, Duke Huan of Qi had to take care of the important end first.

Yan State is located in Daxing County, Hebei Province today, bordering Qi State. It is the territory granted by King Wu of Zhou to Zhao Gong (Ji Shishi). Zhao Gong was an official name in the Western Zhou Dynasty. After Ji Shi's death, his son became the first monarch of Yan State.

There are some nomadic people living in the northeast of Yan State, and the people in the Central Plains collectively call them Shanrong. Every autumn when the horses are tall and fat, the north is full of weeds, and the Shanrong tribes drive cattle and sheep to migrate south. Sometimes they gather and go to the cities and villages of the farming people to rob.

This time, the Yan State encountered a large-scale attack and robbery by Shanrong. The Yan envoy cried to Duke Huan of Qi, saying, "The Yan State suffered several defeats in a row, and the people were slaughtered. It was obvious that they could not hold on. Please send troops to save Yan State quickly."

Guan Zhong said: "If the lord wants to deal with the State of Chu, he must stabilize the north. Only when the north is peaceful can he go to the south. Therefore, the troubles of Shanrong must be solved."

Duke Huan of Qi then agreed to send troops to rescue Yan State.

In 663 BC, the 23rd year of Duke Huan of Qi, the 31st year of Duke Zhuang of Lu, and the 28th year of Duke Zhuang of Yan, the army of Qi rushed north to the north.

A few days later, the Qi army arrived at Qi, and Duke Zhuang of Lu was waiting there. He said to Duke Huan of Qi: "If Shanrong is not eliminated, there will never be peace in the north. The Duke of Qi personally led a large army to expedition, which is not only good for Yan and Qi, but also for Lu. I am willing to send a group of troops to join the war with the Duke of Qi."

Duke Huan of Qi did not take Shanrong seriously and wanted to establish his own merits, so he said: "The road to the north is long and the road is difficult to move. I dare not trouble you. If you need your support, I will ask you to send troops again."

After saying this, Duke Zhuang of Lu sent some food and grass to the Qi army, and then brought his own troops back to Lu.

When the Qi State's large group arrived in Yan State, Shanrong had already fled. The 17th monarch of Yan State, Duke Zhuang of Yan, led a defeated army and a few dirty ministers, out of the city for five miles to welcome Duke Huan of Qi. He looked very embarrassed.

That night, Duke Yanzhuang held a banquet to entertain Duke Huan of Qi. The banquet was mostly filled with large pieces of mutton, which looked very simple. Duke Yanzhuang said: "The land of Yan is desolate and bitter and cold, and was repeatedly robbed by Shanrong. The Duke of Qi came far away to save Yan State from water and fire. The State of Yan State was very grateful. I wanted to treat him with kindness, but now, I really have the heart but lack the strength. I am very negligent. Please forgive me."

Duke Huan of Qi gave in moderation: "The Marquis of Yan is not polite. We have seen all the difficulties of Yan State."

Guan Zhong said: "As soon as we come, Shanrong will run away. As soon as we leave, Shanrong will come again. To eradicate this problem, we cannot just defeat or drive it away as usual. This time we have to fight harder this time, so that they dare not come again and have no power to come again."

Duke Huan of Qi said: "Jiang Xiang is right. I mean, let's continue to pursue until we catch them and defeat them."

Duke Zhuang of Yan said gratefully: "I am willing to devote my whole country to the front of Qi's troops and horses and the Duke of Qi."

Duke Huan of Qi said: "Your troops are already exhausted, so don't play as a striker, just be in the back team."

Duke Zhuang of Yan said: "Eighty miles away, there is a small country called Wuzhong Kingdom, and he has some friendship with us. I sent someone to invite them to send troops, so that someone will lead the way."

Guan Zhong said: "If you have the help of the country, it will be easy to find Shanrong."

Wuzhong Kingdom was often plundered by Shanrong, so when the monarch of Wuzhong Kingdom heard that Yan State was going to attack Shanrong, he immediately sent a group of troops to help.

Duke Huan of Qi received the cooperation of Yan State and Wuzhong State, so he moved north with confidence and boldness. Wuzhong State's guide was familiar with the local situation. Under their guidance, a few days later, the Qi army indeed found the gathering place of Shanrong.

Duke Huan of Qi adopted the hunting tactic. He arranged the troops of Qi, Yan and Wuzhong Kingdom in the west, south and southeast respectively. Because most of the troops of Qi were chariots, he chose to attack from the flat west, and most of the Yan and Wuzhong Kingdom were cavalry, so they were asked to attack from the south and southeast. After the troops arrived, with a drum sound, the soldiers and horses of the three countries launched a charge at the same time. For a moment, the sound of killing shocked the sky. The chariots in the Central Plains and the soldiers wearing armor and holding long spears swept over like iron streams.

Shanrong had never seen such a formation? The leader Milu quickly asked someone to blew the horn and gathered his team. Shanrong cavalry prepared their own war horses and weapons, grazing in normal times, and concentrated in wartime. In a panic, groups of cavalry sped towards Milu's tent. But as soon as they gathered, Milu ordered to retreat. But it was too late. The chariots of the Central Plains and the cavalry of the Wuzhong Kingdom had already been killed in front of them. Shanrong barely fought. Where was the opponent? In less than an incense stick, Shanrong's cavalry was beaten and ran around, followed by their own escapes all over the mountains.

Milu left his wife, children, and fled north with dozens of defeated soldiers.

The Yan army surrounded the Shanrong settlement. The soldiers drove out the men, women, young and old hiding in the tent from house to house. The nomads with long hair, animal skins, and clothes opened to the left to cry and shout for their parents, and squeezed into one. In their hearts, nine out of ten prisoners were killed. The prisoners were trembling, like flocks of sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

The young men and women who were stolen by Shanrong were released. These people were humiliated and shouted for revenge. Some people picked up sticks on the ground and rushed into the crowd of Shanrong desperately, slamming their heads and swearing. The soldiers of Yan did not stop them at all, but instead applauded.

Yanzhuang Duke organized people to collect all the food and food that Shanrong robbed from Yan State, as well as the horses, cattle and sheep left by Shanrong, and even the tents were removed one by one. Among the seized things, there was a kind of soybean that was not found in the Central Plains, and the soldiers loaded them all on the car.

Duke Huan of Qi ordered that the people were not allowed to be massacred. The people of Shanrong could never have dreamed that they could survive if they were prisoners. They were all moved to the ground and kowtowed, and cried again for a moment.

Guan Zhong asked the soldiers of Wuzhong Kingdom to select a few people in charge and interrogate them.

"Where has your leader gone?"

"Milu is friends with the king of Guzhu Kingdom. He probably went to Guzhu Kingdom. He must have borrowed troops."

"How far is Guzhu Country from here? How to get there?"

An old man with a beard in Shanrong said, "Thank you for not killing us. I am willing to lead you."

Guan Zhong reported the information obtained to Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi felt that this battle did not destroy the main force of Shanrong. What's more important is that Milu escaped, so he decided to continue pursuing and attack Guzhu Kingdom.

The Shanrong guide led Qi, Yan, and Wuzhong Kingdom's large group of troops walked in the wilderness for two days, and finally arrived at the border of Guzhu Kingdom. That night, Qi, Yan, and Wuzhong Kingdom's people camped on the spot, preparing to kill the capital of Guzhu Kingdom after dawn.

The news has already reached Guzhu Kingdom.

On the second day, the sky was bright. The deserted scenery of the northern country appeared in front of us. The flat Gobi Desert was endless. In the middle of the exposed loess and sand belts, shrubs and weeds were sparse, all of which were low and withered and yellow. It looked like a bleak and slaughtering image.

A large group of cavalry came from the north without flags, only the rolling yellow dust that treaded by horses, the occasional fluttering long hair, and the white light of the scimitar reflected from the long hair. These were the soldiers of Guzhu Kingdom, and they were ordered to come to fight. The two leaders were Huang Hua, the general of Guzhu Kingdom, and the other was Milu, the leader of Shanrong.

Duke Huan of Qi immediately ordered the battle. The two armies set off in the wilderness. The chariots of the Central Plains attacked first, followed by the cavalry of Yan and Wuzhong Kingdom. The drums and thunder were thunder, and the sound of killing sounds shook the sky. The cavalry of Guzhu Kingdom was frightened. They had never seen such a group charge, so when they saw the chariots of Qi coming like a tide, they turned their horses and ran back. Those who ran slowly were either shot or killed. Huang Hua and Milu had no intention of fighting and ran away with the defeated soldiers.

Duke Huan of Qi led his troops to chase and marched fifty miles. At this time, the sun was west and the troops were exhausted. He happened to encounter a small river with lush water and grass by the river. Duke Huan of Qi ordered a camp and prepared to continue chasing the next day.

In the middle of the night that night, soldiers escorted a general, saying that they wanted to see Duke Huan of Qi. Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong sat in the tent together. The person who came was none other than Huang Hua, the general of Guzhu Kingdom who fought with them during the day.

The yellow flower saluted, took out a head from the bag, held it in both hands, and said, "I am Huang Hua, the general of Guzhu Kingdom. I have fought with the king during the day. This is the head of Milu, the leader of Shanrong. I killed him and presented his head to the king."

Duke Huan of Qi asked: "Why did you kill him for no reason?"

Huang Hua said: "When Shanrong and Milu ran to our Guzhu Kingdom, I told our king Daliah not to take him in. But our king and Milu are friends, and if we don't listen to me, we have to help Shanrong. Now we are defeated. Daliah fled with the people. He said he was going to the desert to ask for reinforcements. I killed the leader of Shanrong to surrender. I would rather work for the king of the Central Plains. King, if you go to chase Daliah, I can help you lead the way."

Duke Huan of Qi asked the soldiers to take the heads up and looked carefully with Guan Zhong, but was not sure. He also called the people from Guzhu Kingdom to identify them. Everyone said, yes, this is Milu's head. Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong both believed that Huanghua and Milu must be fighting in the nest, so Huanghua killed Milu and surrendered. So Duke Huan of Qi took Huanghua.

The next morning, Huanghua served as a guide and led Qi, Yan, and the soldiers of the country who had no end to head towards the capital of Guzhu Kingdom.

After a long marching, I arrived outside the capital of Guzhu Kingdom. The gates were wide open, and no soldiers were seen on the top of the city. When I explored my horse, I saw that it was indeed an empty city.

Duke Huan of Qi thought that the people from Guzhu Kingdom would escape temporarily, and would definitely come back when the Central Plains troops retreated. So he asked Duke Yan Zhuang to take his own troops and the troops of Wuzhong Kingdom to guard the city. He led the troops of Qi Kingdom to chase Daliah. He still used yellow flowers as a guide.

Huang Hua carried a scimitar and rode a yellow-fat horse to lead the way in front of the army. He occasionally galloped, stood on the hill, looked into the distance, and after a moment, he turned his horse's head and ran back, leading the army forward. He looked like he was loyal and loyal. The soldiers gradually stopped being wary of him.

The army passed through the wasteland Gobi and entered a wilderness covered with yellow sand and gravel. In the evening, it came to a bare rocky mountain. This place is called "Miscellaneous Valley" and also called "dry sea". In addition to rocky mountain, it is endless yellow sand. Not to mention that the sky is already dark, it is difficult to distinguish between southeast, west and north even during the day.

Where have the people of Central Plains been to such places? They are all lost. When they look for Huanghua again, they find that the Huanghua has already run away without a trace. Only then did Duke Huan of Qi realize that he was hit by Huanghua's "deceived surrender plan."

The Qi army immediately turned around, the front team turned into the back team, and the back team turned into the front team, and walked back quickly. After walking for a long time, they suddenly found that they had returned to their original place. Everyone was panicked. Someone suggested setting up camp temporarily and leaving until dawn. Duke Huan of Qi said: "The wind and sand here are whistling like ghosts. You can't stop, so you have to leave quickly."

But no one can tell where to go, so where to go?

Guan Zhong pondered for a moment and said to Duke Huan of Qi: "When we came out of the capital of Guzhu Kingdom, we collected dozens of horses, most of which were old and weak, all of which were used to drive and carry things. The beasts were very good at identifying directions. Those birds that flew far away, dogs that ran far away, and cattle and horses that went to the forest to eat grass, could all run back by themselves. I think we might as well untied a few old horses and follow the horses, and maybe we could go out."

Duke Huan of Qi said: "You might as well give it a try."

The soldiers immediately untied several old horses from Guzhu Kingdom. The horses removed the reins, shook their bodies, and looked relaxed and at ease. Seeing that no one was restrained, they shook their tails and walked back freely. The Qi army followed far behind. In the second half of the night, the army walked out of the Migu and returned to the way they came.

The idiom "Old Horse Knows the Way" comes from this.

Duke Huan of Qi didn't want to find anything, and ordered the army to return to the capital of Guzhu Kingdom on the original route and prepare to join Yanzhuang Gong. Halfway through the way, they met a group of people. These people drove cattle and sheep, pulled cars, carried luggage, and carried the elderly and young. Just like moving, they also walked towards the capital of Guzhu Kingdom. Guan Zhong sent soldiers from Wuzhong to inquire, and the people said, "Our king Dalia defeated the troops of Yan Kingdom and ordered us to go back."

Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong suddenly realized that Huanghua pretended to surrender and left an empty city, which was designed in advance.

Guan Zhong saw that there were a lot of people, so he came up with a plan. He asked some soldiers to dress up as the people of Guzhu and sneak into the capital of Guzhu with the people. He also ordered the army to follow him five miles apart and far away.

That night, the Qi army quietly surrounded the capital of Guzhu Kingdom. With the sound of war drums, countless torches were lit, and the Qi army launched an attack from four city gates in the southeast, west and north. The soldiers who sneaked into the city first killed the city gate, seized the city gate, and let the Qi army come in. A large group of people rushed in like a tide. The Guzhu Kingdom's army could not stop it at all. After a short time of war, the Guzhu Kingdom's troops had been killed.

The king of Guzhu Kingdom, Dalihe and the general Huanghua, both died in the chaos. Several generals of Qi army were excitedly carrying the heads of Dalihe and Huanghua to report their merits to Qi Huan Gong. Guzhu Kingdom was destroyed like this.

Duke Zhuang of Yan ate the snatch of the snatch, abandoned the city and left. At this time, he killed him and joined the Qi army.

The Qi and Yan armies searched the city for a while and quickly eliminated the remaining enemies.

Duke Huan of Qi said to Duke Zhuang of Yan: "Shanrong has been fought away, and it is estimated that he will not come again to invade Yan State in one or two years. Guzhu State has also been destroyed. This land of 500 miles is returned to Yan State. You have to guard it well. You can't let the foreign race take it away."

Duke Zhuang of Yan said: "How can this be done? I ask you for your blessing to help us defeat Shanrong and save Yan State. Yan State has no way to repay it. How dare I accept the land obtained? This land should be returned to Qi State. I definitely dare not accept it."

Duke Huan of Qi said: "Qi State is too far away, I can't even control it. Yan State is a barrier to the north of the Central Plains. If you defend this land, you will defend the northern gate of the Central Plains. It is a great achievement. Don't refuse, just take it."

Duke Zhuang of Yan was not good at saying anything, so he accepted it after thanking Duke Huan of Qi. The territory of Yan State was once increased by 500 miles, and since then it became a great northern power.

In 662 BC, the Qi army set off to return to China. Duke Zhuang of Yan was grateful and sent him one after another. Before he set off, he specially sent a team of soldiers to drive cattle and sheep to accompany him. Whenever the Qi army was stationed, he would kill cattle and sheep and reward the soldiers. Duke Huan of Qi and Guan Zhong were drunk every day.

Before he knew it, Duke Zhuang of Yan sent out the borders of Yan and arrived at Changlu of Qi.

I finally parted with you after sending you thousands of miles away. When I broke up, Duke Huan of Qi suddenly remembered something. He said: "According to the rules set by our Zhou Dynasty, the princes sent their princes to them, and they could not leave the border. Now you have left the State of Yan and reached the ground of our State of Qi. I cannot ask you to bear a reputation of breaking the rules. So, I will give you these 50 miles."

How could Duke Zhuang of Yan accept it? He refused again and again. But Duke Huan of Qi wanted to be the overlord, so he insisted on sending it off, so Duke Zhuang of Yan had to accept it. At this point, Duke Zhuang of Yan was so impressed by Duke Huan of Qi.
Chapter completed!