The morning glow filled the sky, and a lonely group of cavalry left Liangzhou City. They were scouts affiliated with the Han Army Cavalry Camp in Liangzhou. They embarked on the journey before the army was dispatched. They were the vanguard among the vanguards and the leading soldiers.
vanguard.
Yuan Feng rode on his horse and looked back at Liangzhou City from time to time. The silhouettes of the soldiers on the city head were set off in the morning glow, looking so far away. Long horns and dull drums came in waves, which was the formation of the army.
Ganzhou is located four hundred miles west of Liangzhou, in the middle section of the Hexi Corridor. It is rich in water and grass, rich and beautiful, and is home to tens of thousands of Han people. It is under the jurisdiction of Liangzhou Prefecture. Further west from Ganzhou are Jiuquan and Jiayuguan, which were also owned by the Han people in the past.
However, the Turks became increasingly powerful and gradually moved eastward, encroaching as far as Ganzhou City.
Cao Yanhui, the prefect of Liangzhou, had worked hard for decades, but his jurisdiction was no more than Gansu. The two prefectures of Liang were located in the gap between the Turks and the imperial court. The Turks had strong soldiers and horses, and the imperial court was eyeing them. It was also difficult for the prefect Cao to support them.
In Zhao Ding'an's team, in addition to the disciples from Shibalibao, there are five locals from Liangzhou, all of whom have been veterans for many years. One of them, an old guy named Wang Jinbiao, is sixty years old this year and still has a bow.
The horses are skilled and have better physical strength than the young people. During the lonely march, it was quite interesting to listen to the old man talking about some stories from the past.
When Wang Jinbiao was young, he worked as a bodyguard with a Persian caravan and traveled tens of thousands of miles along the Silk Road. He was very familiar with the landscape of the Hexi Corridor. Later, when the caravan disbanded, he began his military career. What makes him most proud is that he
The experience of serving as a soldier in Chao Dynasty was endlessly meaningful when talking about it. Everyone's ears were numb hearing these old stories, but Yuan Feng heard it for the first time and felt it was very fresh.
Old Man Wang took out a great emperor's head and said: "Did you see it? This is the portrait of Emperor Xiaowu of the previous dynasty. I served as a soldier under his old man. The soldiers in our team all wore red shirts and the battle flag was also red.
, when we were fighting, it looked like a ball of fire from a distance. At that time, the emperor had not ascended the throne, and we all called him the commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief used troops like a god. Within three to five years, he swept across the Western Regions and defeated the Mongols and Turks.
We fled in the face of the wind and felt as if we had lost our souls when we saw our red flag. Later, the general led us into the Central Plains, conquered the east and west to bring peace to the world, and ascended the throne as the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty."
Whenever this happens, others will laugh and ask: "Old Wangtou, you were so prosperous back then, why didn't you become a general?"
Lao Wangtou would say disdainfully: "After those rebels and traitors killed the commander-in-chief, they wanted me to work for them and promised me the title of guerrilla general. But how can we work with these traitors?"
, Paipai** went back to Liangzhou and continued to be my top soldier. Being a soldier is good. You don’t have to worry about it. It’s much better than being a general."
Seeing that Yuan Feng was listening with rapt attention, Zhao Ding'an told him that Lao Wangtou was actually a drunkard who liked to brag. He could only believe one out of ten of his words, but Yuan Feng was fascinated by the history narrated by Lao Wangtou.
, also took out an emperor's head and looked at the relief portrait on it, thinking about it.
Zhao Ding'an's team is only one of more than ten scouts, but it is the most advanced one. The siege of Ganzhou was reported more than ten days ago. The war is changing rapidly. Maybe Ganzhou has already been
The fall was unknown, so everyone became more cautious as they moved forward, and even Lao Wangtou stopped bragging.
When we were still more than a hundred miles away from Ganzhou, suddenly Lao Wangtou shouted: "Stop!" Everyone hurriedly reined in their horses and stopped. The old man turned over and dismounted and lay on the ground. He listened with his ears for a long time and said: "
There’s someone in front!”
"How many people?" Zhao Ding'an asked hurriedly.
"There are two groups of people. One person is running in front, and hundreds of people are chasing behind."
Zhao Ding'an drew his sword out of its sheath: "Get ready to meet the enemy!"
The old Wangtou scolded: "We are facing an enemy, we are scouts, it is only reasonable to report the signal to the general as soon as possible after seeing the sign of the incoming enemy."
Only then did Zhao Ding'an remember his duty. As a scout, he was not to fight with the enemy, but to detect the number and divisions of the enemy's troops, their marching direction, etc. He licked his dry lips and ordered: "Stay on alert."
Not long after, a knight came running wildly. Lin Lianjiang's sharp eyes saw the red jacket on the knight and shouted: "It's one of our own!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the horse whined and fell to the ground, throwing the knight far away. Yuan Feng took the lead and rushed out. Then Zhao Ding'an also rushed out. The two rushed over to help the knight up.
Seeing that his face was pale, his lips were blistered, he was exhausted, his eyes were slightly open, and he said in a weak voice: "Water..."
Zhao Ding'an hurriedly went to get the water bag, but Yuan Feng said anxiously: "It's too late, hurry up and leave!"
The two men lifted the knight onto the horse and ran back quickly, and the scouts also rushed to meet them. At this time, smoke and dust were billowing in front, and the pursuers had already arrived. The black flags were fluttering, and the swords and guns were dazzling. It was the Turkic army.
Zhao Ding'an said: "Oh my god, Old Wangtou, how did you hear this? There are not hundreds of people here, there are at least a thousand!"
Lao Wangtou had already turned the horse's head and was about to escape, but the horse's reins were grabbed by Yuan Feng: "Don't move! Don't move at all!"
Everyone said anxiously: "If you don't leave, you will be dead!"
Yuan Feng said: "Our horse can't run anymore. If we run, we will die. If we don't run, we will die. Are you willing to take a gamble with me?"
Yuan Feng was telling the truth. Their horses had been walking for half a day and they hadn't stopped to drink water yet. If they ran like crazy now, they wouldn't be able to get very far before they would be overtaken and hacked to death.
"What to do? Kuro, you make up your mind!"
Yuan Feng's eyes swept across the crowd and saw anxious faces. He calmly replied: "Dismount! Remove the saddle!"
Although everyone was puzzled, they still believed Yuan Feng. They dismounted from their horses and rested grandly. They also took off the saddle and sat under the horse. They took out water bags and dry food bags and started eating and drinking. They seemed calm and composed, but everyone's hands were shaking.
It's shaking, everyone's heart is beating wildly!
"Calm down and be natural, Gouzeng, hold the water bag securely and spill it all." Yuan Feng whispered while quietly observing the situation of the Turkic army.
The Turks were not surprised to suddenly meet the scouts of the Liangzhou Army, but it was surprising that these dozen scouts dismounted and took a rest in front of them.
The Turkic army stopped and stared at the arrogant Liangzhou scouts with eager eyes. The smoke and dust gradually fell. Except for the occasional neighing of war horses, the huge army formation was completely silent. Only the whine of the west wind came.
The knight they rescued was revived by Yuan Feng after drinking some water. He looked up and saw the Turkic army in the distance. He was so frightened that he jumped up and wanted to run. Yuan Feng had already pinned him to the ground, and he opened his mouth to scream.
, Yuan Feng covered his mouth again: "If you want to survive, don't say anything!"