Under the azure background, the wind howled and galloped, and the white clouds were dyed with a golden halo under the sunlight.
The grassland in late April is already full of life.
The green blanket was spread to the river, outside the farmhouse, in front of the forest, and to the distant sky...
In the orchard next to the farmhouse, bees were buzzing and dancing, and birds were chasing each other.
Outside the orchard was a thick meadow, and a gray rabbit poked its head out, chewing in its mouth.
The breeze blew by and the grass rustled, as if singing.
Suddenly there was a burst of "thunder" from the sky, and the small animals on the grassland started and scattered.
The "thunder" became more and more intensive, occasionally mixed with dull horn sounds.
Hundreds of riders appeared on the grassland.
They wore helmets and face curtains, leaving only three orifices outside; they wore iron armor with layers of armor, so that swords and arrows could not enter; they held long horse spears in their hands, the blades of which shone with cold light; they had the shape of a war horse under their crotches.
Tall and well-dressed, he looks like a wild beast from a distance.
The cavalry rushed past, and the people in front of them flew out like rags and fell hard on the grass. Their eyes were wide open, blood was bleeding from the corners of their mouths, and a large piece of their chest collapsed.
Human beings are the masters of this land after all, and they may also be the troublemakers.
On the left side of the armored cavalry is the cavalry army, and on the right side is the cavalry army. Behind them, there are more tribal warriors wearing furs shouting feverishly. They are wearing furs, with their braided hair flying, and their hands
It held a saber, a spear, and, er, a rake.
Golden eagles fly through the sky.
On the vast grassland, thousands of horses galloped like a flood from one valley to another.
Behind the valley, thousands of knights carrying silver spears were moving forward quickly.
During the march, the formation changed several times.
The trumpet sound suddenly sounded, and the knight with the silver spear separated to the left and right, running sideways.
"Buzz..." The arrows came down like locusts, and the opposite side was full of chickens and dogs.
After shooting the arrow, the knight with the silver spear surrounded him on both sides, surrounding a large group of herdsmen with carriages, horses, and cattle and sheep in the middle.
The battle in the valley is over.
The golden eagle landed on a tree, staring sharply at the entrance.
Shao Shude rode his horse into the valley surrounded by a large group of knights. The golden eagle fluttered twice and flew away.
The bright red military uniform is like a flame, which is particularly eye-catching in the green field.
Wherever they passed, everyone knelt down. The warriors kicked and beat them, and tied up several of the leaders.
Shao Shude stretched out his left hand, and the golden eagle landed steadily on it.
"Mili Li, why don't you surrender?" Shao Shude asked coldly, sitting high on his horse.
"I am willing to surrender! I am willing to surrender!" The captive chieftain was like pounding garlic and kept shouting: "I beg the Great Khan to let my tribe go. My tribe is willing to submit to the Great Khan and never rebel."
The other person didn't speak for a long time.
The war horse snorted, Mi Li was startled, and subconsciously wanted to get up.
The warriors drew their swords one after another and put them on his neck.
"You are Uighurs and have been bullied by Tatars and Tuyuhun. Now there is a large army of the imperial court coming to uphold justice. Why do you want to run away?"
Imperial army?
The Datong Army is an army of the imperial court, and the Youzhou Army is also an army of the imperial court. Shuofang Army has always been tossing its way to the west. When did it extend its claws to the north and east?
The five tribes in the north have repeatedly surrendered and rebelled since the early years of the dynasty. After the rise of the Uighurs, other tribes were their servants.
After the collapse of the Uyghurs, each department broke away one after another and developed independently, and lived a happy life without a master.
Is there another master here today?
"Untie him and take him back to Huan Hongchi." Shao Shude pinched the horse's belly and left.
The warriors untied Mi Lili and his family and threw them into the custody of the local peasants accompanying the army.
They brought a large number of carriages from the Zhenwu Army, carrying food, fodder, arrows, tents and other supplies.
Wang Jiao led a war horse and was reluctant to ride it.
This was a reward from a previous attack on a small Tatar tribe.
As a fellow countryman of the army, he unexpectedly ran into the fleeing Tatars. At that time, Wang Jiao fired four arrows in a row, hitting three of them.
Give him a reward.
After a short rest, the army set off again.
Wang Quan took the reins from Wang Jiao's hand and rode his horse to find the Yanzhou native regiment commander and envoy to coordinate.
Wang Jiao looked at his empty hands, feeling a little melancholy.
There were more and more prisoners beside the carriage, all of them chiefs and their relatives.
Wang Jiao was very nervous about these people at first. He stared at them while guarding them and did not dare to lower his bow. This made him extremely tired, until his father slapped him on the ear and neck.
Now he is more relaxed. The grassland is no better than that of the Han Dynasty. Without horses, you can't go anywhere. Not to mention that it is easy to be overtaken by others. Even if they don't chase you, you will probably starve to death.
There is not food everywhere in the vast grassland.
Half an hour later, Wang Quan came back: "We will retreat tomorrow."
Wang Jiao was a little surprised. How long had it been since he came out? Could the amount of cattle, sheep, horses and camels seized be 500,000, and they would be withdrawn?
"We can't go any further. The Youzhou Army has already sent its cavalry forward. If we go any further, there may be a fight." Wang Quan said in a low voice.
Their current location is north of Daning. Da Ning and Xiao Ning were established by the Northern Wei Dynasty. Daning is Zhangjiakou and Xiao Ning is Wanquan, more than 300 miles away from Yunzhou.
This distance is actually nothing on the grassland, but further east and south is the territory of Youzhou Town. Strictly speaking, where they are now is already the sphere of influence of Youzhou.
Li Kuangwei has led his army back to Youzhou from Tiancheng Army, leaving Liu Rengong alone to guard Yuzhou. He still maintains his influence over Datong Army and occupies his territory.
Shao Shude convened an alliance of various tribes in the Xuanhongchi area, but it did not go well. The only people who came were the Tuyuhun tribe from inside and outside Yunzhou, as well as a small number of Tatar and Uighur tribes scattered north of Yinshan Mountain, which made him a little embarrassed.
So in late April, I personally led the cavalry, Fei Xiong and the cavalry of the Tielin Army, and summoned about 30,000 Hetao and Hexi tribal cavalry, out of Yun Prefecture, through Panyang Mountain, to Da and Xiaoning.
On the grassland to the north, a show of authority was launched that lasted for many days.
This area is either the pastoral area of Tuyuhun, or the territory of scattered Uighurs and Tatars. It is not difficult to attack. So far, more than 30,000 Dingkou, more than 400,000 cattle and sheep have been captured, and some tribes have been successfully "persuaded" to go to Xuanhong
Pool Union.
But we can't go any further.
"General Bai, I heard that the Black Cart Master Wei is the most powerful among the Wei tribes. He is good at making car tents. Even the Khitan people learned the art of car making from them?" Outside the valley, Shao Shude looked at the vast grassland to the east.
asked.
Bai Yicheng also participated in the battle to encircle and suppress Li Guochang and his son ten years ago, and was awarded the title of governor of Weizhou for his merits.
However, Yuzhou has been occupied by Youzhou Town, and his title of governor has become an empty talk. However, Bai Yicheng himself is also a chief of Tuguhun, and his strength is only lower than that of Helianduo, so he is not a mere commander.
"Back to the King of Lingwu County, the black chariot Shiwei can still pull out tens of thousands of horses, so his strength is not weak. Moreover, they have been friends with Youzhou Town for generations and have a close relationship." Bai Yicheng replied.
Shao Shude nodded. To the east is the pastoral area of Shiwei, a black car.
Later, Yelu Abaoji wanted to open the way to the west and determined to attack the black chariot Wei. Youzhou sent tens of thousands of reinforcements, led by Zhao Ba.
Yelu Abaoji was so cunning that he sent a fake envoy claiming to be from Chief Wei of Hei Che Shi Shi, and led tens of thousands of Yan soldiers led by Zhao Ba into an ambush, wiping out his entire army.
"(A Baoji) sent Mouli from Shiwei, pretending that he was sent by his chief, and arranged for the Ba soldiers to gather in the plain. Once they arrived, they set out on all sides to capture the hegemons, annihilate their masses, and take advantage of the victory to destroy Shiwei."
When the tens of thousands of Yan soldiers were wiped out, Shiwei, the black chariot, didn't know it yet and was still waiting at the agreed place. As a result, he was attacked by the Khitan people again and was defeated. All the tribesmen, cattle and sheep were captured by them.
With this origin, it is understandable that Shiwei, the black charioteer, ignored Shao Shude's invitation to form an alliance.
"How strong is Xi Ren?" Shao Shude asked again.
In the south, there are also some Xi tribes who have been unable to bear the attacks of the Khitans over the years and have come one after another.
The people of Youzhou called them "Xixi" to distinguish them from Dongxi. However, the fate of Xixi was not really revealed in the history books until King Xi went to Zhu and led some of his tribe to the west.
This group of Xi people is called "Western Xi" or "Shanbei Xi". Historically, Liu Rengong provided them with protection.
Of course, Liu Rengong was unable to protect him in the end, and Xi Xi was attacked by Abaoji.
The two major allies of Shanbei Xi and Hei Chezi Shiwei were successively defeated by the Khitans. Youzhou Town finally realized the huge threat from the rise of the Khitans, which also highlighted the decline of Youzhou Town's strength.
But at this time, Youzhou is still very powerful. It can mobilize 100,000 infantry and cavalry. If you recruit some Xi, Shi Wei and Khitan deserters as Tibetan soldiers, more than 100,000 people will not be a problem. Shao Shude does not want to be enemies with them yet.
.
"Back to the King of Lingwu County, these Xi people moved from the east and live scattered inside and outside Guizhou. Their strength is not as good as that of Hei Che Shiwei, but they should not be underestimated. They are accustomed to fighting formations. In the Youzhou army, the Xi soldiers
Quite a few, more than Shiwei soldiers and Khitan soldiers."
"Li Kuangwei can't protect Xi Ren." Shao Shude flicked his riding whip bitterly.
The Xi people also rejected me in Male Gobi. Could it be that the reputation of the Khan in the northwest is so small that even people in the east don't recognize him?
"The general traveled across Helong to attack Tubo, Dangxiang, and the Uyghur tribes, which were numerous and famous. However, Shi Wei, ridiculing people for their ignorance, thought that Youzhou's troops were strong, but did not know that Shuofang's troops were powerful."
Shao Shude was very satisfied with Bai Yicheng's title of "Commander". He was a man who knew his wits and could be reused in the future.
Xi people are indeed stupid!
At the beginning, together with the Khitan, they were both serving as Uyghur servants, and they were both brothers and sisters.
After the collapse of the Uighur Khanate, the Khitans were the first to react. They sent people to Chang'an and requested the imperial court to grant official seals again on the grounds that the original seals used were Uighur seals.
I used to be a Uighur official and used the Uighur seal, but now I use the Tang seal. Isn't that just being respectful?
The imperial court was very happy, and granted a number of officials to the Khitan chieftains, and also gave them the "Seal of Fengguo Khitan", which in fact improved the political status of the Khitan people, and played a significant role in using the influence of the Tang Dynasty to enhance their own strength.
function.
What was Xi Ren doing at that time?
During the Huichang period, the imperial court sent troops from three directions and defeated the Uighurs, beheading 10,000 people and capturing more than 20,000 people. However, the Xi people refused to hand over the Uighur Khan, and even resettled the remnants of the Uighurs who were defeated by the Tang army.
In the first year of Dazhong, the imperial court sent Zhang Zhongwu to lead the Youzhou army to attack, and defeated Zhu Xi. "They captured their chiefs, burned their tents, and captured two hundred thousand people... as tribute to the capital."
After the Xi people suffered huge losses, they expelled the original Xi King Zheli and re-expressed their submission. However, the degree of internal divisions deepened day by day, and the balance of strength with the Khitans began to change.
During the Xiantong period of Yizong, the Khitan launched a fourteen-year war against the Xi people. The Khitan captured "half of the tribe" of King Xi, and "the power of Xi has declined."
During the reign of Emperor Xizong Guangqi, the Khitan wars against the Xi people became more frequent, and the tribes of Shiwei were also beaten into submission. The Khitan gained a large amount of manpower and wealth, and its rise became more and more obvious.
This sneer is so out of his mind!
"The Khitans are strong and the Xi people are weak. I want to protect the Xi people, but they don't want to come to the alliance." Shao Shude sighed: "That's it, the time is not yet ripe. Xi in the north of Shanbei, the black chariot and Shiwei, I'm afraid they have to continue.
Only after some hardships will they wake up. Youzhou Town cannot protect them."
"Commander, are you going back to the army?" Bai Yicheng asked.
He actually wanted to see Shuofang's army and Youzhou's army collide head-on.
It is really abominable that the Youzhou people are holding on to Yuzhou. The only ones who can drive away the Yan soldiers are either the Hedong Army or the Shuofang Army.
He didn't want to go to Hedong anymore. He had a grudge against Li Keyong, and the Tuyuhun people didn't want to be annexed by Shatuo. The most realistic choice was to join Shuofang's army.
But Jiedushi Helianduo still wanted to play both sides of the fence between Youzhou and Shuofang, and Bai Yicheng thought this was very dangerous.
"Go back to the teacher." Shao Shude said.
At the Xuanhongchi meeting, the Tuyuhun people were the majority, and only a few Uighurs and Tatar tribes were left. Each tribe paid tribute of cattle, sheep, wealth, and recruited some elite soldiers, and it was almost over.
The five projects in the north cannot be accomplished overnight, and must be patiently and slowly prepared.