In the past, in order to cover Pao Ze's crossing of the river, Li Tang Mang rushed into battle with two hundred cavalry.
After breaking through the formation, there were only about a hundred horses left, and they could not return through the Wei territory, so they went all the way east to escape the pursuit of the Huns' cavalry in the south of Wei.
Without any supplies, baggage or spare horses, and heading deep into enemy territory, it seemed like we were seeking death.
But Li Tang Mang had no such worries.
As a horse thief who once left a great reputation in the Hexi Corridor, he does not feel much pressure to survive in the wild.
The only limitation he had was the unfamiliarity of the geography of this area and the difficulty of language barrier as they traveled farther and farther east.
However, Li Tang Mang and his party walked along the river or looking for the seasonal sand river, crossed the Kushui River, walked east to Sheyanshui (Hongliu River, north of Bingzhou Shangjun), and then continued eastward along the river valley, along the way
The number of small Qiang and Hu tribes we encountered became smaller and smaller, and in the end we never encountered any tribes that spoke the Qiang language.
This area is already home to the Xianbei subspecies, the traveling branch of the Southern Xiongnu and the Zahu tribe.
Not to mention that it is rare to know the language of Liangzhou Qiang and Hu, and there are very few people who can even speak Chinese.
They plundered several small tribes here to replenish dry food and spare war horses. They also changed all their clothes into the costumes of nomadic tribes, and then used items that could identify the Han army, such as small flags, crossbows, and divination halberds.
They all dug a pit and buried it. They truly regarded themselves as horse thieves and continued to Xihe County in Bingzhou.
The reason why we chose that side was that the Central Plains had been in chaos since the death of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, and the imperial court was unable to restrain the border areas.
At that time, the northern part of Anding County, which was subordinate to Liangzhou, and the northern part of Beidi County were reluctantly abandoned outside the territory, while Bingzhou Shangjun and most of Xihe County and other places became the paradise of nomadic tribes due to the rebellion of the Southern Xiongnu.
Only by entering there could they completely avoid the pursuit of Liu Bao's cavalry from the Southern Xiongnu, as well as the interception and killing of the local Qiang and Hu tribes who might have fled Wei or lured them with their wealth.
All the way to the east, plundering all the way.
Cavalrymen and soldiers continued to die in battle, or died from injuries without medical treatment.
Unfamiliar with the place, they wandered around in circles. At the beginning of last summer, only about ninety riders were left along the Sheyanshui River Valley and entered Xihe County, Bingzhou.
After Sheyanshui enters Xihe County, before flowing south and joining the big river, it is named Wuding River.
The place where they are now is the area where the Zouma River merges into the Wuding River (later Suide County).
According to legend, Qin Fusu and Meng Tian, as well as Li Guang of the former Han Dynasty, once supervised the troops stationed here; Emperor Xiaowu of the former Han Dynasty also passed here when he patrolled the border; it was also the place where Zhaojun left the fortress and Cai Zhaoji returned to the Han Dynasty.
Yes, walking along the water, they unknowingly reached the southern part of Xihe County. Then they followed the Wuding River Valley down to the Dahe River, facing Hedong County.
There are finally more people in this area.
Although it is still dominated by nomadic tribes, from time to time you can see the smoke from the villages where Han people live, and there are many nomadic tribes who speak Chinese.
Li Tang Mang and his party were all surprised when they saw this.
Instead, he found an opportunity to "invite" several Han shepherds who were out to seek advice and resolve their doubts.
He claims to be a horse thief who was originally from Shuofang County. Due to the restoration of Shuofang County by the Wei State and the migration of Liu Bao from the Southern Huns, his living space was squeezed and he had no choice but to wander south to seek a living. But he was not familiar with this area, so he let these sheep herders
Someone explain it to them.
He also carefully asked several shepherds separately.
He threatened them to answer truthfully, and if there was any conflict between their words, they would all be killed.
Detailed information was also obtained.
It turns out that this area is still some distance from the Shan Yuting of the Southern Xiongnu in the north, so the influence of some nomadic tribes who settled here is not very large.
After being abandoned by the imperial court, it became a land without one.
Therefore, many Han people from Beidi County, Guanzhong County or Hedong County could not bear the exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous taxes, so they migrated here to build villages to protect themselves, farm and herd for self-sufficiency. Although there were many incidents of being invaded and plundered by horse thieves or nomadic tribes, they also had to
Life is better than living in the county.
After all, they did not have to pay taxes or perform corvee.
We will not be bullied or enslaved by those bureaucrats who bully the superiors and ignore the inferiors, and the right-wing people who are arbitrary and arbitrary.
In response, Li Tang Mang specifically asked about the situation of horse thieves in this area.
Afterwards, he kept his promise and released them unharmed. He did not rob their flocks and return them, but only asked them to bring back a few words to the village.
say:
"Although you have formed a stronghold to protect yourself, you will not be immune to the scourge of the horse thieves and the bullying of the Hulu tribe. I am a person from the west and want to make a living here, so I must first expel the horse thieves and the Qiang and Hu tribes here. In this way, I
I have the same goal as you, and we can work together to survive! I know that trust cannot be established without showing power. You guys, just watch my methods and see how I defeat thieves. If you feel that I am a trustworthy person in the future, you can
Send people to look for me. Well, the name of my unit is the 'Abandoned Living Army'."
Yes, Li Tang Mang plans to settle down here.
With little information and no idea of what was going on with the Han and Wei attacks, they had no way to return to the Han Dynasty and watched You Paoze die one after another along the way, so he thought of giving all the cavalry a place to stay.
At least it doesn't have to be like before. Paoze, who was obviously only slightly injured, turned into a ghost in a foreign land in a cup of loess while running around without being able to rest.
None of the Xiliang cavalry, which numbered less than a hundred, had any objections to this.
Because they knew that even if they returned to Liangzhou after escaping pursuit and interception, not many people would be alive to stand under the banner of the Han Dynasty.
For the big man, there is not much benefit.
But if they can establish a foothold here and win over the remnants who are not affiliated with the Han and Wei Dynasties, they may be able to add more households or troops to the Han Dynasty in the future.
As for how to do it...
As a horse thief, attack the weak and the ignorant!
The bandits and nomadic tribes in the area who did not surrender were killed, and those who obeyed were included in the ranks, slowly establishing a reputation to attract others to seek refuge and dependence.
If it fails...
This is basically a desperate struggle for survival, and if you die, you will die, so why hate it?
With this in mind, they followed Li Tangmang to Qiaomen County, the birthplace of the Zouma River, a tributary of the Wuding River. They found a mountain col as their base and began to ambush local bandits.
A few months later, more than ten people were killed in the battle again, but the reputation of the "Abandoning the Living Army" began to spread in Xihe County.
The common people of the Han family who formed strongholds to protect themselves finally recognized their ability to cooperate.
Instead, they sent over a hundred people to temporarily join their ranks, and they agreed to divide the spoils in half, and they went to rob the cattle and sheep of the local nomadic tribes.
This place has become a land of aliens, so they don't mind appearing as horse thieves.
In other words, they are both civilians and thieves. The only difference is whether they are wielding a hoe or wielding a sword or spear.
For Li Tang Mang and others, this is the beginning of foreseeing the dawn of the future.
