On the distant mountain tops, ancient glaciers stand still.
Staring at the glaciers hundreds of thousands or even millions of years ago, Huyandangtu took a step forward.
The boots stained with blood left a deep dark red mark on the snow.
At this moment, up and down the mountains, the sound of fighting continued, just like before.
However, the roles have to be reversed.
One of the main forces in the coup that year, the men of the Qu family and their slaves, were now in ruins.
After the Han army put pressure on Juyan, Qiqu Qiediao took away the main force of the Qiequ clan, Wanqi, leaving only more than 3,000 troops in and around the Qilian Mountains. Among the more than 3,000 people, there were almost two
Qian, defected during this coup.
The main force of this coup was the Qiang people and the Luhou, Ruolu, Xiutu and other tribes from more than 500 miles around the Qilian Mountains.
It's also funny to say.
In order to regain his power, the Shanyu of the Jin Dynasty could only rely on those former vassals, slaves and even hostile forces.
Holding the riding whip, Huyan Dangtu didn't know whether his choice was correct.
But he knew this was his only chance.
Taking advantage of the heavy snow in the middle of winter to seal the mountains, he recaptured the Qilian Mountains and supported them in Dan. Then he immediately reached an agreement with the Han Dynasty and led Han troops into Hexi.
This is called borrowing the help of teachers to suppress.
As for, will the Han army stay and not leave when it comes?
This is beyond our control!
For one thing, Huyan Dangtu could be sure that the Han army and their emperor would not reject the good intentions from him and Yu Shan.
It was impossible for the civil servants of the Han Dynasty to ignore him and his masters.
After two years of dormancy, Huyan Dangtu also read and understood the truth.
He knew that for the Han people in the south, loyalty was a noble virtue that could never be ignored.
There is a famous story from the Han Dynasty: The Orphan of the Zhao family, which tells the story of a loyal minister and righteous man who protected his young master in times of danger and was praised by the world.
"Kill! Kill all the rebellious Qiequ clan traitors!" Huyan Dangtu drew out the long knife from his waist and ordered: "Today we must control the entire Qilian Company, then gather our troops, send envoys to the Han, ask for reinforcements, and borrow troops!
"
On Bingchen (the ninth day of the ninth lunar month) in the winter of the ninth year of Yuande, the Xiongnu left general Huyan Dangtu and the Hexi Qiang tribes seven, Xiutu, Ruolu, and Luhou launched a coup in the Qilian Mountains, and bloodbathed the Qilian Mountains, leaving Qilian behind.
The Lian Qiequ clan, the Dangyang clan and other Qiequ Qiediao Nanxin belly clan were all beheaded.
All men taller than the wheel will be killed!
Qilian Mountain was bleeding for three days.
However, due to the wind and snow, the outside world did not know that something had happened in the Qilian Mountains.
After taking control of the Qilian Mountains, Qiqu Qie Diao Nan immediately led his tribesmen to hold a heaven-sacrifice hall at the northern foot of the Qilian Mountains, reprimanding Qi Qu Qie Diao Nan and King Zhelan for all their treachery and disobedience, and respectfully welcomed the Western Xiongnu Chanyu.
Yu Shan.
…………………………
Fifty miles west of Heli Mountain, by the Ruishui River, there is a Han army fortress.
This place was originally a camp of the Gu Qiang people. The terrain was difficult and the water was weak. In the autumn of last year, the Bo people defeated the Gu Qiang people who were entrenched here and captured all their people. Then the Han army built a small fortress here.
It was continuously fortified and expanded throughout the autumn, and was named Jiasai.
It means the first fortress on the front line of the Han army.
After several months of reinforcement and expansion, the defense of Jia Fortress is now in shape.
There are three beacon towers and two archery towers built in the fortress, and the city wall is more than one foot high, which is enough to withstand the enemy's surprise attack.
A reinforced Sima force was stationed in the fortress.
There is a Mo Dao team and several crossbow teams. There are also several wells in the fortress, and enough grain and grass are stored for the whole Sima for several months.
After the fortress was established, the Han army firmly controlled the upper reaches of Weowui River and had the ability to spy on the lower reaches of Weowui River and even Juyanze.
Any enemy coming from Juyan or other directions must first capture Jia Fortress before they can continue to advance towards Heli Mountain.
Otherwise, keeping a fortified army is equivalent to burying a nail in the wall for yourself.
On this day, Wang An, as usual, held up his telescope and patrolled the vast wilderness, searching for any people or animals that might appear in his sight.
Since the beginning of winter, there have been a steady stream of Western Huns herdsmen and slaves fleeing from Juyanze to areas controlled by the Han Dynasty.
These people really couldn't stand the high-pressure rule and cruel exploitation of the Western Huns, so they risked their lives and fled.
Wang An likes people like this the most!
Because it means political achievements and meritorious deeds.
The more people who return to Yiyi, the more achievements and achievements he will make.
It also attracts more and more attention from above!
There is no other way. In the future, the Han Dynasty will develop Heli Mountain, Guzang Mountain, and manage the land of Juyan and Hexi.
For the workforce, the more the merrier!
Even the agents and scouts sent out to investigate the enemy's situation and gather information were tasked with deceiving the Western Xiongnu tribe into surrendering.
It's just a pity that as the wind and snow get heavier and heavier, there are almost no people coming to vote recently.
Not even a single person has come these past two days.
This made Wang An feel a little melancholy.
Looking at the vast and empty wilderness, Wang An put down the telescope in his hand and planned to go back and have a sip of wine to warm up.
But at that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a figure struggling in a corner of the snow on the other side of the Ruoshui River.
He quickly raised his telescope and looked over, only to see a barbarian man wearing a sheepskin jacket who seemed to be injured and fell in the snow not far from the river bank.
"These damn Western Huns!" Wang An cursed secretly.
The Western Xiongnu kingdom was small and had few people, and it faced military pressure from the Han and Northern Xiongnu. Therefore, since its establishment, it has ruled Hexi with high pressure and cruel exploitation.
According to the Hu people who fled to Heli Mountain, in the Western Xiongnu country, starting from the autumn of the previous year, Shan Yuting ordered each tribe to send a male to serve as a soldier in Shan Yuting.
Relying on this policy, the Western Huns raised 70,000 cavalry that was seriously inconsistent with their population! (You must know that the entire Hexi region, even including the Qiang people, has a total population of less than 500,000!)
In order to maintain such a large army and Shan Yuting's own luxurious life, Chan Yuting could only exploit the lower class herdsmen and use all means to squeeze them.
It is said that the tribute of an ordinary herdsman in the Western Huns has tripled compared with before.
It has tripled since last summer!
This means that most ordinary herdsmen’s hard-earned income for a year is not enough to pay tribute!
However, Shan Yuting would not be polite to them. Once the tribute could not be paid, at least the livestock would be taken away to pay off the debt, or at worst, all the herdsmen of the household would be demoted as slaves.
Some of them were even exported to the Han Dynasty, and were bought back by merchants and brought back to the country.
The price of these Hunu is quite cheap.
A piece of burlap can buy a male slave in the Western Huns. If it is a small slave, you can even buy two!
Thinking of this, Wang An felt a little sympathetic, so he shouted to the arrow tower: "Zhang Wu Zhang! Zhang Wu Zhang! You take people to the north on the west bank of Ruishui to bring that barbarian back... See if you can save him.
live……"
Each of these Hu people who defected to the Han Dynasty was a very good labor force.
He is also the best pioneer of the future reclamation group.
For these people, Heli Mountain has repeatedly ordered all frontier barriers to ensure the survival of the other party and rescue them as much as possible.
A man in cotton-padded clothes in the arrow tower stuck his head out and said, "Okay! Wang Sima, I will take someone there right now!"
With that said, he led a few soldiers out of the archery tower, stepped down the tower, and then paddled out on a sled from the fortress gate.
Half an hour later, they brought back a Hu man who seemed to have been knocked down by hunger and cold.
On the body of this barbarian, they found a sheepskin with Chinese characters written on it.
The sheepskin was immediately delivered to Wang An. Wang An did not dare to neglect it, so he personally took the sheepskin to the Han army camp in Heli Mountain.
Two days later, Ju Meng saw the sheepskin.
"Something happened to the Western Huns!" After reading the content on the sheepskin, Ju Meng's expression immediately changed: "The Huns' former left-general Hu Yandangtu launched a coup in the Qilian Mountains, bloodbathed the Qiequ family in the Qilian Mountains, and claimed to have 'saved Shan Yuyu'
In the midst of fire and water, they are now asking for help from my Han family...asking the emperor to send troops to help them pacify the country..."
"Is there some fraud involved in this matter?" Dao Jian happened to be drinking at Ju Meng's place and asked suspiciously after hearing this.
"Regardless of whether it's a scam or not..." Ju Meng said with a smile: "With this sheepskin, our army will be well-known!"
There was no need for the excuses made by the emperor. The Han army could just use the banner of being "invited to quell the rebellion" and pass through the Juyan Gorge in an open and honest manner.
Maybe the defenders of Juyan Gorge might be able to stop without firing an arrow!
However, it is the midwinter season now, and it is impossible for the Han army to rush deep into Juyan or even Hexi in such a season.
This is somewhat regrettable.
"Immediately order people 800 miles away to rush to send this sheepskin to Beidi County!" Ju Meng handed the sheepskin to a staff officer and ordered: "In addition, immediately summon all the military captains to discuss the matter!"
"promise!"
After a whole autumn of gathering, the Han army now has more than 20,000 troops gathered between Heli Mountain, Guzang Mountain, Weushui and Qiang Rivers.
At the same time, a large amount of food and grass was also stored.
If the original Juyan battle plan was followed, such a force would have been enough to defeat the enemies of Juyan.
But now we want to destroy or control the Western Huns.
This force is not enough!
Because the Juyan area alone is as big as five Beidi counties!
This is just a conservative estimate!
As for the entire Hexi area, it is two to three thousand miles of land, with all kinds of terrain including canyons, plains, hills, deserts, and plateaus!
The Northern Huns are more likely to be hiding behind Mazong Mountain and Xingxing Gorge, ready to move.
According to intelligence, the Northern Huns are now gathering troops to the Western Region. These troops may march westward, but they are not sure of going south.
If the Northern Huns join the battle...
It is still unclear who will win this battle!
……………………………………………………
Just a few days after the Han army received the information, the offshore Juli Lake also received information about the uprising of the Western Huns.
It is funny to say that nowadays, such changes have occurred in Qilian Mountain, but Qiequ Qediaonan, the left general of the Western Huns, and Zhelan Wanggutu, the right general, are still buried in their bones.
On the contrary, both the Han and Northern Huns got the information.
There is no way that in the Western Huns, no one is optimistic about it and it is difficult to solve it.
As for Gu Tu, if he takes control of Yu Shan first, he might still be taken seriously.
However, he is now leading Zhelan's main force to monitor the situation in Juyan, and it is difficult to do so, which has disappointed many people who are interested.
At this time of life and death, to let people down is to be abandoned.
No one would have the patience to wait for the Zhelan people to take control of the situation.
Everyone knows that the survival of the Western Huns is not decided by the Western Huns themselves.
Either way, the Han and the Northern Xiongnu end up, and the Western Xiongnu will surely perish!
Nowadays, the Han army is sharpening its swords and the drunkard's intentions are known to everyone.
Those who were unwilling to surrender to the Han Dynasty naturally had no choice but to move closer to the Northern Xiongnu.
"Huyan Dangtu can actually do such a thing!" Goulihu sighed after learning about the incident: "He is indeed a person..."
It's a pity that this hound is a military official's hound.
He cannot tolerate this remnant of the previous dynasty!
After hesitating for a moment, Gulihu immediately ordered: "Go and tell King Sun Zhu that I have ordered him to lead his troops near Xingxing Gorge and wait for orders!"
"Your will is the great support of Gutu!" A nobleman took the order and left.
King Ri Zhu was a relatively important nobleman in the Xiongnu system. Since ancient times, he could not be appointed to anyone who was not a member of the Jingtang family.
But in today's Xiongnu system, the so-called Sun Chaser King has become a synonym for the miscellaneous king.
In other words, this order from Juli Lake has already shown his attitude. Anyone who wants to go south to die should go alone.
He won’t go anyway!
The current Huns are far from enough to fight against the Han army!
There are less than 10,000 Han cavalry, and if there are more than 10,000 Han cavalry, they will be invincible!
Now in the direction of Heli Mountain, the Han Dynasty has assembled at least 20,000 cavalry. By spring, this number will definitely double!
Tens of thousands of Han cavalry were enough to destroy and wipe out the family fortune he had finally accumulated.
Anyway, even if the Han Dynasty occupied the Hexi Corridor, it would probably take three to five years to invade the Western Regions.
Therefore, he was not in a hurry.
…………………………
Half a month later, on November Yimao (the second day of the lunar month) in the winter of the ninth year of Yuande, Liu Che also received the sheepskin urgently delivered to Chang'an from Heli Mountain.
In order to deliver this sheepskin to Chang'an, the cavalrymen who delivered the order took over one after another, traveling day and night. More than a dozen horses were killed, and two people were even frostbitten. In this weather, the carrier pigeon system was basically useless, so we could only return home.
Delivery systems of the past.
Fortunately, in recent years, the straight roads within the Great Wall have been fully maintained, so even in winter like this, knights can still gallop.
Otherwise, I'm afraid it will take more than half a month!
After reading the contents on the sheepskin, Liu Che was already overjoyed!
This is pie delivered to your door!
Regardless of whether what Yangpi said is true, the Han army can send troops immediately!
Although it is winter now, it is difficult for the army to move.
But this does not prevent the Han army from sending troops!
Liu Che believes that as long as there is a Han cavalry, no matter what method is used to plant their battle flag on the Qilian Mountains!
Then, the victory of the Hexi battle has been decided!
Maybe we can capture part of the main force of the Northern Xiongnu in Hexi!
Therefore, Liu Che immediately issued an order, ordering Wei Chi to set off from Chang'an to Heli Mountain immediately. At the same time, he issued an edict to Yizong, the governor of the Anbei Protectorate, ordering Yizong to immediately concentrate all his forces and mobilize the militia and militiamen from all counties in the north from now on.
The peasants worked with the slave workers to clear the roads and clear away the snow.
In this way, as long as the weather gets warmer, the Han army can immediately enter a state of war!
