The winding river valley is sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, with steep cliffs in many places, just like a passage sandwiched between two high stone walls.
At this time, nearly ten thousand Hu people were crowded in this river valley. Those from the north wanted to go south, and those from the south wanted to block them.
They were originally from the same clan, but they started fighting fiercely here.
The narrow river valley could not accommodate too many people at the same time, so the barbarians were organized into hundreds of troops, holding crude weapons in their hands.
There are rusty iron tools, sharpened wood or bamboo poles, or bone.
Some of them roared, some gritted their teeth, and almost all of them turned red at the same time.
Because there were people watching from behind, forcing them to have no way out.
Those who are physically strong can throw javelins at the opposite crowd from a distance.
After the javelin passed a certain distance in the sky, the sharp tip passed through the thin and tattered clothes and penetrated directly into the body.
The person who was shot staggered back and fell to the ground.
Soon, the two sides began to fight hand to hand.
"kill!"
"Click!"
The end of the wooden stick with a stone tied to it was thrown at the opponent, but unexpectedly, it was blocked by the opponent with a simple wooden shield.
The weapons in someone's hands were broken after the collision. The two of them hugged each other with bare hands, elbowing and biting, just like the most primitive beasts fighting for territory.
Roaring, shouting, moaning...
There are already many corpses floating in Fenshui.
Liu Meng and Liu Bao whipped them hard with their riding whips, but they were unable to drive the exhausted Hu people forward again.
As a last resort, they began to send their own generals to lead the people of their tribe into battle.
It wasn't until night fell that the brutal fighting in the river valley came to an end.
…
The two men, who could not make any progress in the river valley, apologized in front of General Guan with some anxiety:
"General, the villain is incompetent!"
General Guan was not an unreasonable person and did not blame them:
"It doesn't matter. The thieves were prepared in advance and occupied a favorable location. It was difficult to capture for a while. This is human nature."
After Liu Bao and Liu Meng heard this, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"However, when I led the army south, I caught the Wei thieves off guard. If I delay at this mountain pass for too long, I will wait for the thieves from Guanzhong or Hebei to come to support..."
Having said this, General Guan glanced at the two of them meaningfully:
"I'm afraid that's when the real trouble begins. If we can't capture this mountain pass, I can only count it as a defeat and lead the army back to Liangzhou. But where will the two of you go?"
When Liu Bao and Liu Meng heard this, their expressions changed greatly.
Liu Meng was sweating slightly on his forehead. In his haste, he suddenly remembered something and whispered in a low voice:
"General, I think of something. Maybe I can help the general pass this mountain pass."
General Guan's eyes flashed: "Oh? Liu Bushuai, please come."
"General, besides Guanjuejin Valley, there are actually other mountain trails leading to the south in this mountain."
"Um?"
When General Guan heard this, he showed a very interested expression on his face.
When Liu Meng saw it, he felt happy: "General, it's like this. There are salt ponds in the east of the river, and salt has been produced since ancient times..."
General Guan waved his hand and interrupted him: "I know this better than you, let's get to the point."
"Yes, yes." Liu Meng wiped his sweat and continued to explain, "Originally, the salt produced in the salt pond is under the jurisdiction of the government."
"It's just that in recent years, due to wars, the government has inevitably made some mistakes, so many people have secretly taken salt from the salt ponds and transported it to various places for sale."
"The villain's tribe once exchanged a lot of salt from smugglers. In order to avoid the government's investigation, those shady smugglers found another way and bypassed Guanjuejin Valley."
The more Liu Meng spoke, the clearer his thinking became:
"General, although the mountain road traveled by the smugglers is more difficult to walk than Guanjuejin Valley, after walking down it for many years, it has become a mountain path that is barely passable for people and horses."
As he spoke, Liu Meng looked a little excited:
"At that time, I will wait in the north to attract the attention of the thieves. The general will send one or two thousand elite cavalry to sneak around behind and attack from both sides. Why worry about not getting down from the valley entrance?"
"The general's elite cavalry is rare in the world. No matter how many thieves there are, I'm afraid they will all surrender!"
General Guan had a strange smile on his face:
"But it's thirty miles east of Guanjuejin Valley?"
Liu Meng was shocked: "How did the general know?"
General Guan smiled and did not answer, but said:
"I have already sent Liu Hun to lead three thousand fine cavalry there."
Liu Meng was even more horrified when he heard this.
Looking at General Guan's calm and indifferent expression, Liu Bao and Liu Meng both thought to themselves:
Yes, this general sent his troops to advance all the way south. How could he not be prepared for such dangerous places as Guanjuejin Valley?
Thinking of this, the two of them couldn't help but admire and awe at the same time.
General Guan's seemingly unintentional words and deeds shocked the two commanders, and they only heard her say slowly:
"The fact that Liu Hun led the army to leave is still a secret in the military. This matter should not be told to you two."
"But one of you is his brother and the other is his uncle. I think I can trust you."
Liu Bao and Liu Meng quickly lowered their heads and answered:
"How can a villain harm my brother (nephew)? I promise the general that I will never let out a word."
General Guan nodded with satisfaction, and then sighed again:
"Actually, the reason why I forced you and the two of you to attack the valley without sparing any effort is because I wanted you to attract the attention of the thieves on the opposite side and cover Liu Hun's partial army."
"Therefore, you must not slack off at all tomorrow. This mountain pass is the last obstacle."
General Guan's tone began to become lower, and it actually sounded like he was bewitched:
"As long as the army enters Hedong, Guanzhong will be at your fingertips. As long as the Han Dynasty captures Guanzhong, you will be the heroes of the Han Dynasty."
"At that time, your children and your heroes will all benefit from this. The rise and fall of your tribe for hundreds of years can be determined by your thoughts."
Liu Bao and Liu Meng swallowed, thinking of the Huqi under General Guan.
Not to mention the naturalized Hu Qi in the Liangzhou army, even those Hu Qi who were righteous followers were enough to make people jealous.
Although there are only eight words in "Food and clothing, and no worries about food and clothing", it is the biggest dream of most people in this world.
For hundreds of years, the Huns licked their faces and said that they were the sons-in-law of the Han family, guarded the frontiers for the Han emperor, and followed the Han emperor's orders to fight everywhere.
What is the picture?
The Huns at the lower level were fighting for the share of rations promised by the emperor of the Tuhan family.
The middle-level boss may want to buy more good-looking fabrics, more exquisite clothes, etc.
As for the Xiongnu nobles, they also wanted to have enough food and clothing, but it was a higher level of food and clothing, preferably one that would benefit their descendants.
On the other hand, if you patronize and force people to work hard, there will be no benefits.
Not to mention the emperor of the Han family, but also the Chanyu of his own family. If you should rebel, you must rebel!
Fifty years ago, the rebellion within the Xiongnu that even killed the Chanyu was due to the fact that the emperor of the Han Dynasty frequently conscripted the Huns but could not pay them food and wages?
People must have enough food and clothing to live. The world view of prairie men is so simple, upright and single-minded.
Unlike some aristocratic families of the Han people who despise the smell of copper and claim to be gentlemen on the surface, secretly they want to boil the oil out of human bones.
Pooh!
hypocritical!
I don’t know if the promise made by General Guan in front of me can be fulfilled in the future.
But the meeting gift given to the two of them was really thick and thick.
These days, Liangzhou's army, regardless of whether they are Hu people or Han people, are privately willing to exchange the spoils of war for the money in their hands.
When his brother Liu Hun couldn't help but said that he could use the weapons captured from the Wei thieves in exchange for notes, Liu Meng regretted it.
This ticket is really worth his mother's money!
A few days ago, I accidentally swapped young and old with someone else, and it makes me heartbroken when I think about it.
What a big loss!
He is short-tongued and soft-handed, and now that he has turned against others, what else can he do?
Even if General Guan deceives them, it would be worthwhile to lower their demands in the future and join the army as volunteers for the big man as before.
Anyway, what I saw and heard along the way made people feel that the treatment of Yi Congjun was not too bad.
It is much better than being bullied and robbed by the Wei people.
The Wei thief is not even willing to give him a way to live. He is no longer a son of man, and he will not die a good death in the future.
As soon as they thought of this, Liu Bao and Liu Meng shouted loudly: "General, don't worry, let's see how the villain can lead the army in person tomorrow and fight to the death without retreating!"
Sure enough, on the second day, Liu Bao and Liu Meng took turns organizing the tribesmen to go into battle, and even rushed to the front in person several times.
Under the leadership of the two men, the two Xiongnu groups on the left and right killed the southern group and retreated in succession.
If the Wei army at the mouth of the valley had not forced the Huns from the south and prevented them from exiting the Guanjuejin Valley, Liu Bao and Liu Meng would have already reached Yong'an City.
(Not Liu Bei’s Yong’an Palace, later Huo County was also called Yong’an during the Three Kingdoms period)
This situation made Wei Jun become nervous.
It was obvious that the Huns in the south could no longer hold on.
The Pingyang Prefect of Wei State wasted no time in strengthening the camp on the mountain, and at the same time ordered people to arrange a large number of rolling stones and wood on both sides of the valley.
He did not expect that the two or three thousand soldiers he had on hand could stop the Shu captives. He only hoped that he could keep the Shu captives in the valley for ten days and a half.
As long as the reinforcements arrive and take advantage of the dangerous location of Guanjuejin Valley, great things can be decided.
At this time, in the mountains and forests more than thirty miles east of Guanjuejin Valley, a group of people were trudging through mountains and rivers with difficulty.
Especially when encountering danger, people are in front and horses are behind. Everyone holds their own horses and carefully avoids them.
Liu Hun found a hillside, looked at the long team below, and then looked at the endless mountains and deep valleys in front of him. With worry in his eyes, he asked Shi Bao beside him:
"General Shi, are you sure this road can go around the back of Yong'an City?"
Shi Bao was a little tired from walking, so he sat down regardless of his appearance, took a few breaths, and then answered:
"General Liu, you can't be wrong."
He pointed to the east and asked:
"Did you know that there is a Zhang River in Shangdang County to the east of Xihe County?"
"Of course we know that going down the Zhang River from Shangdang is Yecheng in Jizhou."
Although Liu Hun grew up in Bingzhou, he had been away from here for more than ten years, and he did not take over the position of commander-in-chief from Liu Qubei.
Naturally, there is no chance to contact smugglers from Hedong like Liu Meng.
In this era, when traveling abroad, not only should you try to follow the official route, but it is also best to have a guard.
If there is no escort, go with others.
Who is full enough to take a walk on a less traveled path?
Youdao relies on mountains to feed mountains and water to feed water.
The mountain people are simple people who pick up farm tools, but sometimes when they see someone who is alone, they take a part-time job as "I drove this road and planted this tree". That's no problem at all.
Lift a hoe and hit it on the head, collect the money, and then throw the body into the ravine. Wouldn't it be a windfall?
If you have nothing to do, challenge the law of the jungle. That doesn't mean being a skilled person is bold, that means being stupid and bold.
After all, no one can guarantee that they will never fail.
Therefore, Liu Hun naturally had no chance to walk this road, and had never even heard of it.
However, when Shi Bao asked about Zhangshui, he was familiar with it.
After all, after leaving Bingzhou, Liu Hun also traveled with Han Long in Hebei for a lot of time, and naturally he went to Yecheng.
Shi Bao chuckled, with some emotion on his face:
"Yecheng... When I was sent to Yecheng to serve, I never thought that my official position would not be decided for a long time. I was so poor that I had to sell iron to make a living."
"Later I heard that selling salt and iron to the north could make big profits, so I also took the Zhangshui River to join Shangdang, hoping to find a way to go north."
"Unexpectedly, the road was found, but the goods were snatched away by locals, and the people were almost killed..."
Talking about the events of that year, Shi Bao couldn't help but sigh.
Those big businessmen in Hedong resorted to all kinds of tricks in order to monopolize the sales channels to the north.
If I hadn't run so fast, I'm afraid the bones would have been eaten up by wild beasts in the mountains.
Liu Hun looked at Shi Bao with a vicissitudes of life, feeling a little sympathetic.
After working together for so long, Shi Bao has never been shy about saying in front of others that Feng Junhou and General Guan are his nobles.
Before he met Feng Junhou and General Guan, his fate could be said to be a history of tragedy and misfortune.
And now...
Shi Bao stood up, patted his butt, and said to the valley with high spirits:
"I, Shi Zhongrong, am no longer what I used to be. Today I will lead Master Wang back. Let's see who dares to stop me!"
Especially those big dog owners in Hedong!
At that time, I will definitely report it to the king and send troops to protect the salt pond. You will never steal another grain of salt!
"General Liu, I remember that there is a water on this road. It comes from the east, goes to the west, and finally flows into Fenshui."
"Smugglers built a wooden house on the edge of the water for rest. Although I don't know if the wooden house is still there at this time, as long as we see the water, we are halfway through."
"Okay, let's go!"
After walking for another half a day, I saw the water flow that Shi Bao had mentioned.
Liu Hun was overjoyed and ordered the entire army to rest by the water. At the same time, he sent scouts to explore the road ahead.
But what people didn't expect was that on the second day, Liu Hun received a report from the scout:
"The intersection ahead out of the mountain seems to be guarded by Wei thieves."
Liu Hun looked at Shi Bao in shock:
"Didn't you say that this road was used by smugglers? Why are Wei thieves guarding the mountain pass?"
Shi Bao sighed:
"These aristocratic families in Hedong colluded with the government, so the government turned a blind eye to their illegal salt sales."
"Because of this, this road may have been known to the government for a long time..."
When Liu Hun heard this, he paused and said:
"In this case, didn't we suffer all this in vain in the mountains?"
Shi Bao chuckled, but was not panicked at all:
"General Liu, don't worry. As far as I know, apart from this, there is another way that can be bypassed."
When Liu Hun heard this, his eyes widened suddenly: "Anything else?"
"Of course there is. I think back then, I was here and I was unfamiliar with the place. How could the government be willing to give me face? So I had to find another way."
In fact, I just didn’t want to give money to the government, and I was a poor man at the time and had no money...
So it’s not without reason that I almost fed wild animals in the mountains.
Liu Hun naturally couldn't care about so many things of the past, so he asked in surprise:
"May I ask General Shi, where is the road?"
"Following this stream to the east, there is a secret mountain trail, which can be calculated as leaving the mountain half a day earlier than this road."
"But after we get out, we still have to go a long way to the west to reach Yong'an City."
It turns out that there are three generally parallel roads in this mountain range from west to east.
Guanjuejin Valley in the west is Guandao.
The middle road is a mountain road often used by smugglers.
As for the easternmost one, it is the most secretive and least-known valley road.
(This is later known as Queshu Valley, Qianlijing, and Tongjunchuan. Qianlijing was officially opened as an official road in the Eastern Wei Dynasty. Tongjunchuan is a mountain road washed by a tributary of the Fen River)
"It doesn't matter if we are further away. As long as we can get out of the mountains safely without being known by the Wei thieves, General Shi, please lead the way."
