Yandi Valley is only thirty miles away from Qixingyi in the military towns on the outskirts of Yinzhou.
Qixingyi is a military town. Apart from the garrison guards and some families of sergeants, there are very few people who live here to make a living. There are only a few inns and taverns, and most of them are passing traders. Naturally, they cannot leave that military town and come here.
Therefore, the Yandi Valley thirty miles away is even more deserted.
Yandi Valley is desolate, deserted, with sparse vegetation. It is a desolate valley between two mountains. Whether in the valley or on the mountain, most of them are dark blue boulder structures. This valley has always been called Yandi Valley, and I don’t know how many years it has been passed down.
The name Yandi Valley was naturally given by the Qiang people in memory of Emperor Yan. The Chinese orthodoxy came from the barbarians. The Di Rong barbarians merged together, and China began to exist. The Chinese clan, the two emperors Yan and Huang, the Yellow Emperor was a Yi people, and the Yan Emperor was a Qiang people.
The Xia Dynasty was founded by the Qiang people Dayu. In the Zhou Dynasty, it was the Ji family of Xiyi who ruled the world. Therefore, Emperor Yan and Dayu were both respected ancestors of the Qiang people.
In the Yandi Valley, soldiers and horses have been arriving one after another since yesterday morning. As soon as the first group of troops arrived, they set up sentries on the peaks on both sides and more than ten miles outside the valley entrance. The subsequent troops were every three hundred people.
One team, and by this afternoon, the thirteenth and final team had also arrived.
At that time, there happened to be two Qiang people herding more than a dozen horses near the Yandi Valley. Just as the last team entered the valley, they heard the neighing of the horses and came to check. Namuhan ordered them to arrest them and execute them decisively. After he
In the eyes of a man who spends his whole life on horseback fighting in all directions, killing a few people is nothing more than slaughtering dogs and chickens, so there is nothing wrong with it. It is a matter of life and death for millions of people, so how can we cherish the mercy of a woman?
When the sun set, Mukui arrived riding alone, wrapped in the glow of the sun. As soon as he took him into the valley, Namuhan said in surprise: "Why are you the only one who brought someone here? Mu'en stayed with the young master.
Is it done?”
Mu Kui grinned: "Lord Mu Ying, Mu En has other important responsibilities. He has rushed to the north of Yinzhou under the order of the young master. I came only to bring the young master's more detailed plan. This battle,
It will be under your command, Mukui will only be a vanguard."
In the past few years, whenever there were major events in the tribe, it was Mu En, Mukui and other grown-up men who took charge of the whole clan. Old men such as Namuhan had gradually withdrawn from the circle of first-line leaders, but this time Li Guangcen became furious.
, all the men in the clan who could fight were sent out, and all these veterans who had fought for half their lives were also sent out. Their prestige was still there, but in front of these elders, Mukui was not important enough.
But Yang Hao asked him to come, not because he wanted him to take charge of the overall situation. Even if the nomads on the grassland are illiterate or unable to read, they still have their own methods of commanding troops and fighting formations that were cultivated in hunting and nomadic life, Namuhan
Although these veterans of many battles are illiterate, their experience in commanding troops in combat is by no means inferior to others. If any one of them is sent out, they can stand alone. When it comes to specific tactics, Yang Hao's knowledge, experience and ability,
On the contrary, they were far inferior to them, so I safely handed over the command to them, and my own plan was only used as a reference.
As Mukui walked away, he explained Mu En's whereabouts and intentions to several elders. After listening to Mukui's explanation, Namuhan and others felt relieved. Mu En had a steady temperament, and he was far better than Mukui in this regard.
The thing he did seemed easy, but it required someone who was alert and steady. His temperament was indeed more suitable than Mukui.
It was late at night, and after all the war horses drank water and fed enough fodder, they tightened their bits again. The soldiers had eaten dry food and dried meat, and they all spread out a roll of bedding on the ground and lay down on it to rest in their clothes. .The valley was quiet. Under the cover of night, even if someone came within half a mile, they would never notice that there were actually people in the valley. There were more than 3,000 people.
There is only one place where the fire is lit in Yandi Valley, which is a depression under the mountain wall. If a fire is lit here, unless someone walks into the twists and turns of the valley, they will not notice the fire. Namuhan, Mukui , Qi Jin and others were sitting around the bonfire, gnawing on dry beef jerky, drinking the good wine in the skin, and discussing the details of tomorrow's attack on Qixingyi.
Qixingyi is the first military town to the south of Yinzhou. There are 2,100 officers and soldiers stationed there. It is specially designed to intimidate the Qiang people in Hengshan. Now Xiazhou and Southern Tubo are fighting, and Northern Tubo is also ready to take action. Yin Their figures kept appearing near Yinzhou. For safety reasons, Li Guangyan had already transferred 500 soldiers from Qixingyi to guard the north of Yinzhou.
Before he secretly sneaked into the grassland to assassinate Yang Hao, he once again deployed 500 soldiers to supplement the defense force on the northern front. Now there are only 1,100 people in Qixingyi. With more than 3,000 people against more than 1,000 people, as long as the city can be successfully broken , it is easy to eliminate them. However, the various military towns surrounding Yinzhou City are connected by beacon towers. When encountering the enemy, they will burn smoke during the day and light beacons at night. If one place is attacked, the rest of the posts will be immediately closed and locked. The whole city will be sealed off, and Yinzhou will dispatch a large army to rush to help.
So don’t look at the fact that there are only more than a thousand guards at Qixing Post. Even if there are only a hundred guards, it will not be so easy to capture. Unless you capture Qixing Post, you can leave as soon as you get it, without stopping for a moment, and without fighting with the enemy’s brigade. Contact. And Yang Hao only had so little capital, so he spent all his capital on this bet. Of course, his appetite was for more than just one Seven Star Station.
But if you want to defeat several villages and severely damage Yinzhou, you must cut off the connections between the towns and posts, divide them into isolated cities, and not be aware that other places are being attacked. This is the attack. The most difficult place to conquer the city.
In this battle, Yang Hao did not use the troops of the Dangxiang Qi clan. Since it was a surprise attack, the key was to seize the opportunity. If everything goes according to plan, contact all the ministries, and send troops separately, the army will come in a mighty manner. When he arrives at Qixing Post, he will be greeted by them. His general is Li Guangyan, who is wearing a helmet and armor and is leading Yinzhou's fierce warriors to prepare for the attack.
For this battle, he could not borrow troops from Linzhou or Fuzhou. Fuzhou only agreed to help him protect Luling Prefecture, but never agreed to send troops for him. Once this adventure failed, Xiazhou would make peace with the Tubo people at any cost. He ceded land in exchange for a truce for the Tibetan people, and mobilized all his troops to defend his status and authority as the most powerful vassal in the northwest.
Therefore, he can only rely on his own strength. Although the danger is greater, the rewards will also be greater. Once it is accomplished, not only will the current crisis in Luling Prefecture be solved, and Luling Prefecture will be able to rest and recuperate safely within two or three years, but it will also be able to obtain government benefits. The respect and cooperation of Linzhou, cooperation and charity are very different.
After listening to everyone's discussion, Namuhan said loudly: "Tomorrow's attack on Qixing Post, the first thing is to occupy the beacon tower and prevent the news of the attack from spreading. Since Bisu has entered the city first, and there are Mukui will take care of it. I think... I am at least 70% sure. Mukui, I will leave this beacon tower to you. If you can't control the beacon tower, you don't have to come back."
Mukui agreed loudly, and Namuhan said with a smile: "The attack time will be as the young master said, tomorrow morning when the sun rises. Grandma, I haven't picked up a knife to chop off someone's head in a few years, and my hands are itchy."
, If you encounter someone now, you will have to kill him." Qi Jin and others burst into laughter.
It was getting late, and these men who had followed Li Guangcen and struggled in the most dangerous environment for half their lives were still talking and laughing. From a distance, you could only see them eating meat, drinking wine, talking and laughing loudly, but you would never have thought that what they were talking about was
A life-and-death battle. In their view, a life-and-death battle is as easy as "talking over wine"...
When he woke up early in the morning, Yang Hao still felt a little headache. Last night, in order to welcome Mr. Yang Hao, the magistrate of Luling, who arrived with his caravan and to cleanse him of the dust, Sukha held a Salang Conference. This Salang Conference was just like the last time he held it in Xixi.
Wu Loushu of the Feng tribe entertained him in a similar way. Many people sat in a circle around the bonfire on the grassland, with stone pots beside them to make tea and grab rice robes. On the table above everyone's head was a sumptuous meal of meat.
The boys and girls were singing and dancing in the middle of the circle, enjoying themselves.
Yang Hao got off the ground, but felt that his head was still a little heavy. He walked to the corner of the tent with only his clothes on, but there was nothing for washing. Yang Hao raised his voice and called out: "Master Ye, you don't even have anything for washing here."
Not too?" As he said that, he opened the curtain.
As soon as the curtain was lifted, Yang Hao was startled. There was a person standing at the door, bending deeply. The sunlight came in directly. He squinted his eyes before he recognized the girl. He had heard Tang Yanyan introduce this girl.
The girl seems to have been paid off Ye Zhixuan's drinking debt by the unscrupulous old man, and was asked to be a maid by Tang Yanyan. She has been busy meeting with various ministers these days, leaving early and returning late. Even Tang Yanyan also
I have no time to meet her a few times, let alone know her well.
Yang Hao tapped his forehead and thought: "Well, you... what is your name, Ni... Nimad?"
The girl had been bending deeply, lower than 90 degrees. She didn’t know whether she should have saluted after hearing Yang Hao’s voice while standing there in this posture. When she heard his question, she immediately
He bent down a little lower and replied respectfully: "My name is Genimaze, sir."
She learned these titles of maid and master yesterday from Tang Yanyan. After Tang Yanyan fetched her from Ye Zhixuan, she realized that this handsome young man was actually a very beautiful girl.
Last night, Tang Yanyan happily followed the Qiang people to learn how to dance sirloin, phoenix dance, rabbit dance, and drunken dance. When she was excited, she ran up and pulled Yang Hao out of the dance. At that time, she understood the relationship between Yang Hao and Tang Yan.
Of course, the head of a family can only be a man, so she also became respectful to this master who determines her future destiny. Children from poor families always become sensible earlier.
"Oh, yes, Gnima...Ze..."
"Miss Tang gave me a new name last night, Master."
"Oh? What's it called?"
"My name is Xiuxiu, sir."
"What's the point of changing your name?"
"Miss Tang said that the name is hard to pronounce, and it sounds like a curse word, sir."
Yang Hao touched his nose and said: "Well, just change it. Xiu Xiu's name is quite nice, but you don't have to stand bent over like this, and you don't need me to ask a question. You can just answer me "Master" and call me "Sir" when we meet.
That’s fine.”
"Yes, my lord."
"What are you doing standing here?"
"Attending to you to dress and wash, my lord."
Yang Hao waved his hand to stop him. He raised his hand in the air, but swallowed back what he wanted to say. The world was like this. If she wasn't allowed to do these things, what would she be allowed to do?
Yang Hao didn't say anything else, and turned back into the house. Xiu Xiu had already filled the water and put it on the porch. She quickly followed him in with a basin and waited on him to wash and dress, her movements were very smooth.
"Miss Tang, haven't you gotten up yet?" Yang Hao raised his hands and asked Xiuxiu to tie his belt, and asked casually.
Xiuxiu said respectfully: "Miss Tang drank too much last night. She got up just now. She complained that she had a headache, so she fell asleep again, sir."
Yang Hao smiled helplessly and tied his belt. As soon as he put down his hand, he heard the sound of a trumpet. The sound seemed to come from outside the village. Yang Hao listened attentively and wondered what it meant. He murmured to himself: "It's strange, who is sounding the horn so early in the morning?"
However, Xiu Xiu understood the sound of the trumpet and said hurriedly: "This is the arrival of a very distinguished leader. Sound the trumpet to notify the leader of my village to go out to greet you, sir."
Yang Hao's eyes flashed and suddenly became sharp: "Who can be qualified to do so in front of the leader of the Yeli clan and ask him to come out of the village gate and form a team to greet him?"
With a thought in his mind, a sarcastic smile appeared on Yang Hao's lips: "Li Guangyan! He is indeed here!"
He pulled at the belt of his robe, raised his arms, and the robe he had just put on slipped to the ground: "Since a very majestic big-headed man has arrived, I should go out to greet him personally, Xiuxiu, come and get my official uniform! "
At Qixing Post, when the sun completely filled the high platform of the city wall made of yellow mud, the soldiers guarding the post looked down from the top of the city, lazily climbed down the city wall, and opened the city gate.
There is no moat or drawbridge in front of the city gate. The city gate is made of a hard door, which is not very thick. Open the city gate, move away the horses, and a few soldiers stagger out with guns on their shoulders. Behind him was a bearded man holding a knife in one hand and a riding whip in the other. He shouted loudly: "What's the hurry? Stand still, stand still, line up, prepare the cross-city tax, and there are road guides."
At this time, the people outside the city were busy standing in order. There were people pushing carts, carrying chicken coops, and selling vegetables. In fact, they were all people from several small villages nearby. There are few villages and towns in this place. They are not close to each other. At this time, merchants coming from other towns have just left not long ago. They have to wait until after noon to get here.
Because the people entering the city at this time were all acquaintances who often went to Qixingyi to do business, there was no need to verify their identity. They just threw a few coins on the table to pay the city tax and entered the city. At this moment, ten people came from far away. Several fast horses arrived. The officer holding the riding crop narrowed his eyes and looked at it. His face trembled. He glared at the soldiers who were looking around with their necks stretched out and cursed: "What are you looking at? There are only a dozen of us making such a fuss. Could it be that they are heroes who broke through the barrier and captured the city? Huh!"
He took a few steps forward and stood in the middle of the road, with his legs spread apart and his cowhide boots firmly planted on the ground. He put his hands behind his back and raised his nostrils to the sky, waiting for those people to come. In a moment, the dozen horses galloped up to him. in front of.
"Stop!" The officer reached forward with his big hand and shouted majestically: "What kind of place is this that allows you to run rampant? Who are you? Tell me your name!"
"Hey~~~" Immediately a big man reined in the horse and pushed up his felt hat with a riding crop, revealing a pair of double eyebrows and a few braids on the temples. He was obviously dressed as a Qiang person. He looked up and down.
The officer glanced at us, laughed and scolded us: "Hey, you are quite arrogant. Do you know who we are?"
The officer puffed up his chest and said proudly: "I am Ma Kun, the supervisor of Qixing Post Station. Who are you? Get off your horse and tell me your name obediently."
Several big men on the horse laughed loudly. The man near him let out a "poof" sound, tapped him on the shoulder with the tip of his whip, and shouted: "I have been running here all night, I am thirsty and tired, how can I have time to chat with you?
Guard your city gate, I will go in to rest and rejuvenate my blood before continuing on my journey."
"You...are you...?" Seeing their loud tone, Ma Kun couldn't help but hesitate.
"Take it and see for yourself!" A big man said impatiently, reached into his arms, took out a waist badge, and threw it into his arms. Ma Kun endured his anger and picked up the waist badge, only to see that the waist badge was made of brass.
It was cast with strange patterns on the top and an embossed kite on the back. The pattern was very exquisite. Ma Kun squinted his eyes and took a closer look at the security marks on the waistband, and asked in surprise.
: "You...are the guards of the Defense Envoy?"
"Hmph!" A big man bent down, snatched two waist cards from his hand, and said, "You bastard with a short memory, two hundred of us just secretly passed through the customs and went south through this a few days ago, didn't you know?"
Ma Kun suddenly realized it and said with an "ah" sound: "It turns out it's you, my lords...has the errand been completed?"
Immediately the big man smiled and said: "Is this something you can ask? I don't know the rules, brothers, let's go, can we ask Luo Mianbu for a drink?"
Bu Luo Mi Bu was the town general of Qixingyi. Hearing what the man in front of him said so casually, his official position should not be under Bu Luo Mi Bu. Ma Kun really didn't dare to stop him. The big man took two steps forward on his horse, but he
Le Rean ordered: "Our large group of troops is still behind, and it will take a while to catch up. Some of us are injured and need urgent medical treatment. Please clean up the city gate. Don't let these unruly people hinder our entry into the city."
After saying that, more than a dozen people stampeded with iron hooves, and even the horse rushed straight into the city. The horse was half-buried in the dust raised by the horse's hooves. He held his breath and dodged away from the place, and then he sighed angrily.
He spat and cursed in a low voice: "What's the air? You only want to show off your power to me, you're really a grandma!"
Hearing that Li Xingyan was visiting, Su Ka couldn't help but be secretly surprised. Now that he has made a plan to keep his power hidden and accumulate strength, he can't directly conflict with Xiazhou now. Once he has fear in his heart, he will lose his energy. So.
When they met each other politely, he couldn't decide between pretending to surrender to Xiazhou, or brazenly refusing to see him, so he hurriedly came to look for Yang Hao.
Yang Hao only had one sentence: "See, from now on, I am your guest, and he... is also your guest. You can do whatever you want!"
So, Su Ka, who has always been arrogant and unruly, led his team to greet him. The large group of people went out to welcome him, and both sides were stunned. Li Guangyan did not expect that Su Ka would put on such a grand ceremony, and Su Ka's side also did not expect it.
, Li Guangyan only brought twenty riders.
Yang Hao couldn't help but admire him secretly when he saw it. Li Guangyan only had one hundred fifty or sixty people now. If the Yeli clan and Yang Hao conspired to harm him, even if he brought all of them, he would never be able to escape from the stronghold. But he could only
When he showed up with twenty people, he seemed even more confident and graceful.
There were also leaders from the various Qiang tribes in Hengshan present. They had always been weak and opposed to both sides. Unless Su Ka made up his mind to have a fight with the Li family of Xiazhou, he would not dare to do anything to him in full view of the public.
Not only did he not dare to harm him, but he also tried every means to protect his safety and prevent him from causing trouble in his own tribe. Therefore, he only led ten people, even if he was riding alone, he was confident. Li Guangyan
The bet was that Su Ka did not dare to take the risk of annihilation of the clan and go against him. The bet was indeed correct, and Li Guangyan couldn't help but reveal a reserved smile on his face.
When he saw Li Guangyan, Su Ka was also smiling. This skinny old man was wearing a snow-white robe today. When the wind blew, it was like a bamboo pole was held up in his clothes, and he came to Li Guangyan.
"Hahaha, Master Li Guangyan, what kind of wind is this that brings you to my tribe?"
"I……"
Li Guangyan opened his mouth with a half-smile, but before he could say a word, Su Ka hurried forward, opened his arms and gave him a big hug.
"Uh..." Before Li Guangyan came to his senses, Su Ka turned around again, took a red khata from Chen Moer's hand, and said enthusiastically: "Master Li Guangyan, this khata represents the most sincere heart of old Su Ka.
, it is like a holy wish-fulfilling orb, representing Lao Sukha's crystal-clear respect and his noble greetings like a green lotus. Please accept Lao Sukha's blessing and the highest respect for you."
Qiang red and Tibetan white, this is the highest greeting gift. Offering a red hada is the highest etiquette for Qiang people to welcome distinguished guests. Li Guangyan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, so he had to bend down according to the custom of the Qiang people, and Su Ka hung the hada on his
The neck was then tied with a knot diagonally, and for a while it was clad in red and colorful, like a groom.
No matter what their intentions were, all the Qiangtou people from Hengshan who came to the Yeli tribe to do business naturally came to greet him at this time. They were not fooled by the intimacy between the two sides, and just looked at Su Ka coldly.
Datou Ren and Yinzhou Defense Commander Li Guangyan acted hypocritically.
"Master Guangyan, you are here at the right time. Come, come, come, Sukha will introduce you to a distinguished guest."
Su Ka turned to the side, and Yang Hao appeared with a smile. He was wearing a winged hat, a robe with a curved collar and large sleeves, a leather belt around his waist, a silverbait bag tied to the belt, and a pair of high-waisted soap boots. He was smiling.
Ke Jie came up to him with a wagging head and tail, and gave him a salute in his pocket: "Prefect of Luling, training envoy of the state regiment, Yiwei Lang Yang Hao, I have met Mr. Li, the defense envoy of Yinzhou."
Li Guangyan was stunned again. If it weren't for the fact that Yang Hao, a lower-ranking official, met with Shangguan as a courtesy, he almost forgot that he and Yang Hao were officials in the same dynasty and were ministers in the same palace. However, in the northwest boundary, the official residence of the Song Dynasty was an archway, which was useful.
When he is of no use, he will hold him out and worship him, and when he is no longer useful, he will throw him into the corner. Who is willing to really pay attention to him? Can he restrain me, Li Guangyan, with this righteous name?
The trace of ridicule in Li Guangyan's eyes disappeared in a flash, and he quickly stepped forward and stretched out his hand to help him, he laughed and said: "It turns out to be Mr. Yang of Luzhou. I have admired him for a long time. I am in Yinzhou and have heard Mr. Yang's name for a long time. I didn't expect that he is actually here.
We meet here, I wonder... why did Mr. Yang come to this Yeli tribe?"
Yang Hao also seemed to know him for the first time, and said with a smile: "Luling was newly established, and the people all moved from the Northern Han Dynasty. Luling Prefecture has a name, but in fact it has nothing. I am trusted by the official family and appointed
As the magistrate of Luling Prefecture, since I have become the parent official of this area, I naturally want to ensure that the people of this area have food and clothing. Today I am visiting Mr. Suka and meeting with the leaders of the Qiang tribes in Hengshan. I want to vigorously develop industry and commerce and cooperate with the Qiang people.
The tribes are mutually beneficial. Only when you serve as an official, do you benefit one party, do good governance and care for the people, and be good-neighborly and friendly, then you have fulfilled your duty."
Li Guangyan raised his head to the sky and said haha: "Okay, my Yinzhou is not close to your Luling. It is not easy for me to visit Mr. Yang. Today, I was hunting here and on a whim, I came to visit Mr. Su Ka.
, I didn’t expect to meet Mr. Yang, it seems that this is really God’s will.”
Yang Hao glanced at Xiao Shitou, who was still sitting upright on his horse, glaring at him fiercely, and said with a smile: "Oh? Mr. Li has been hunting here? It's so enjoyable, why...he didn't see any prey, with Mr. Li's riding and shooting skills
, I came out this time and found nothing?"
Li Guangyan smiled and said: "How can ordinary animals like pheasants, roe deer, etc. come into my eyes? Two days ago, I went hunting near here and saw a golden-haired fox. I liked it very much, so I thought
Shoot it to death with an arrow, skin it, and make a fur collar with my wife. It can also be used to protect you from the wind and cold when we go out in winter when the snow is clear. Unexpectedly, the fox is very cunning and took advantage of a heavy fog.
, escaped my trap, avoided my sharp arrows, and then ran away."
"It's a pity, it's a pity, it's really a pity," Yang Hao said sadly: "Xiaoguan also has a lot of experience in hunting foxes. No matter how cunning a fox is, it can't hide in front of him. Since Mr. Li wants to hunt a fox, I will
How about I personally kill a fox with fine fur and give it to you the next day?"
Li Guangyan's eyes were like needles and he smiled lightly and said: "Haha, no need. Although that golden fox is cunning, how could it escape from my grasp. Although it escaped, I have figured out where its lair is.
Just a fox, sooner or later it won’t be mine!”
"In that case, I would like to congratulate you sir first."
Yang Hao smiled and raised his head to look at the sky. It was the time when the sun was rising, so he smiled even more cheerfully: "Oh, why is this official nagging you endlessly? It's really taking the spotlight, Su."
Lord Ka has prepared fine wine to welcome you, Lord Li, please come!"