Northern Dynasties

Chapter 164 Xia Zhou Asks for Help
Baiyu Mountain is located at the northwestern tip of the Northern Shaanxi Plateau. It has many valleys and ridges, and the terrain is the most complex and varied, but it is not desolate.

Because the most important rivers in northern Shaanxi, such as Luoshui and Sheyanshui, all originate here, there are many valleys and mountain streams interspersed between the valleys and ridges. The vegetation is lush and the water and grass are lush in the territory. It is one of the most important pastoral areas in northern Shaanxi. , there are many garrison cities distributed.

Guide City is located at the source of Luoshui River, with more than a thousand armored soldiers stationed there. It is the largest military city recently, and it is under the control of Xi'an Governor's Mansion in Wuyuan County, which is nearly a hundred miles to the north.

In late autumn, when the grass and trees withered, the herds that were originally distributed among the valleys and valleys also returned to their respective places, preparing to survive the coming cold winter.

Because the city was built by the water, as the weather turned cold, the damp and cold mountain wind blew on the walls, forming a thick layer of hoarfrost.

The patrolling soldiers on the top of the city wrapped their leather jackets tightly, but they still couldn't resist the biting cold wind. While rubbing their hands and stomping their feet to keep warm, they complained about the torment of the weather.

"Those Qiuba in the south are probably already showing their power in the parade and hunting the roost. Only we border guards are the most pitiful. We are guarding the barren hills and there are no birds. I don't know when we will be able to move in!"

The soldiers complained in low voices, and they said with anticipation: "I don't know if Beihua Prefecture will go out to hunt tigers this winter? Otherwise, it would be good to organize the masters once, and keep this barren mountain, when will they return to the court to boast ?”

At this moment, there was a chaotic sound of horseshoes in the opposite valley, and the scouts who were patrolling outside also galloped back, reporting that a large herd of horses was coming from the east valley.

"The envoy has ordered that all the herds should return to their headquarters before October. How come there are still horses passing through the border?"

The commander of the city guard frowned after hearing the words, and immediately ordered: "Lead them to the North Road, and leave fifty sheep for extra food!"

Everyone laughed when they heard this, scrambling to go out of the city to pick up this herd.The supplies that the army can provide are really limited, and they can only get enough food by getting supplies from nearby shepherds.

But when a group of soldiers left in a row, several people came back quickly and shouted loudly before entering the city: "General, it's not good, it's not good..."

"What's the fuss about? Could it be that the shepherds along the way are thieves?"

Seeing the flustered posture of the soldiers, the general guarding the city frowned and asked.

"Not thieves, but not shepherds either. They..."

The soldiers couldn't speak clearly for a while, but at this time, several people rode back from the back, and the young man who was wrapped up among them was not a city guard here.

"A certain Cui Yansheng, who joined the army of the Dushui Administrative Office, followed Shangguan Daxingtai to work as a Zhonglang, Dushui envoy Li Boxan Li Shijun, and went northward. He intended to visit the Changshijun of Xi'an Prefecture to discuss official affairs, but he was harassed by the black water thief Hu Dabu on the way. Li Shijun's troops are small, and because he is afraid that the horses he raised will be captured by the bandits, he asks his colleagues on the surface for help, and begs the general to accept him for protection."

The young man rode his horse to the bottom of the city, bowed his hands and said to the top, and handed over a letter to prove his identity.

"Where is Li Shijun? I didn't listen..."

The guard frowned when he heard this strange name, and after a moment of pondering, he suddenly remembered, and hurriedly asked again: "The Li Boshan you mentioned, is it the thief officer who committed murder in the Luochuan area a month ago?" Where is he now? He dared to rob our troops of food and make it difficult for our soldiers to survive the winter, yet he even dared to come here.

"This, this is a misunderstanding, so that your trip is for mediation..."

After all, Cui Yansheng does not regard face as an external object like his boss, and he was a little ashamed after hearing the words, but now he still has something to ask for, so he can only say awkwardly: "I implore the general situation to be the most important, there are many thieves and barbarians in the rear." There are so many people, the king is afraid that the generals will be difficult to resist, so he went to Xiazhou to ask for help, but he did not go with him..."

"Sure enough, he's a cowardly thief official who only dares to play tricks in the south. Once he enters this place, he will show his ugliness! What's there to be afraid of if there are thousands of people!"

The guard sneered when he heard the words, and said sarcastically.

At this time, the horses in the rear were also driven to the pass, seeing the size of the horses, the guard's expression changed again, and he laughed loudly and said: "Then Li Boshan is timid and afraid of thieves, but the old men are not. Since he gave the horse as a gift, I will accept it with a smile, and if I want to get it back in the future, I have to kneel in front of the city and beg!"

He ordered the horses to be brought in from the side, and then ordered Cui Yansheng to be escorted to the top of the wall, and then asked: "How many thieves are there in the rear?"

"The wilderness is full, and it cannot be counted, but at least there should be more than ten thousand."

Hearing Cui Yansheng's words, the guard's eyes widened immediately, and he asked again in shock: "How much? Boy, think carefully before answering. If you dare to cheat, I've sharpened my blade!"

"About tens of thousands, only a few more. Our department even killed more than a dozen thieves, killed thousands of thieves, and captured and killed several Hu chieftains such as Liu Pingfuzi Liu Zhenqiang and other Hu chieftains in Dongxia Prefecture. The general saw horses, They were all obtained by the Hu tribe. Most of the northern and southern Hu tribes in Kulichuan are coming to attack, and they will arrive soon. If the general doesn’t believe it, you can just look at the truth!”

Anyone who was underestimated and humiliated like this would not be able to bear it. Cui Yansheng no longer politely said at this moment: "But general, please call for help as soon as possible, and don't test the authenticity with the lives of the city people!"

"You, you are talking nonsense... how is it possible?"

The guard only felt a little dizzy when he heard this, he had to support the city wall to stand firm, first he ordered Cui Yansheng to be detained in the city, and then quickly sent out scouts to scout out, and set up beacon smoke, ready to light a warning at any time.

At this time, in the foothills dozens of miles northeast of Guide City, Li Tai and others were galloping on horseback.

In the past few days, in order to attract the hatred of Jihu's army in the rear, he did everything possible, and finally led them to the source of Luoshui.

But he also knew that he was not very popular in Xi'an Prefecture, and that guy Chang Shan wanted to deal with him in the first place. If he knew that he had brought so many nonsense into the country, and he could treat him politely, it would be hell.

So after entering the Baiyu Mountain realm, he began to order his troops to separate from the brigade. There were ravines and ridges in the mountains and fields, and it would not be noticeable if there were twenty or thirty people missing at a time.

He waited until Guide City, which was close to the source of Luoshui River, and his [-] troops had left the team and gathered in the northern valley of Baiyu Mountain. The remaining troops led the Jihu pursuers to continue west March.

It's very cool to draw misfortune to the west, but the key is not to submerge yourself in the misfortune.Gao Aocao was so awesome that he was stabbed in the back by his comrades-in-arms, making it difficult to enter the city.Li Tai didn't want to be blocked in front of the Guancheng and not allowed to enter, and died under the knife of Ji Huan.

Running all the way, the horses will inevitably be scattered, and the spoils are collected too hastily, and there is no time to discern them carefully. Moreover, even if they are qualified war horses, without the protection of their hooves, they will inevitably be injured after running long distances.

If only a herd of horses arrived, the defenders of Guide City would definitely accept them, and Li Tai would also be able to find a place to store the horses.

As for whether he can get it back, he doesn't worry at all, if Chang Shan is missing, an old boy has to make up for himself!

Because right now his plan is only going to the first half, and the second half is the key.

It's not something that people do to mislead others and benefit oneself at the expense of others. Li Tai is a decent person, so of course he wouldn't do it.He brought Jihu chasing soldiers to the vicinity of Xi'an Prefecture just to fight a big battle and kill them ruthlessly.

Damn, you ran away like a dog I was chasing all the way, do you really think I have no temper?
He left the team and didn't go to Guide City, not because he wanted to protect himself, but because he wanted to borrow troops.

"Lord Lang, turn over the mountain ridge in the north, and you will find the plains in front of you. After half a day, you will arrive at Tongwan City!"

The ravines and ravines in this place seem similar to ordinary people, but it is the hometown where Li Dao grew up, so he is very familiar with the geography of this place.

Li Tai nodded after hearing the words, and while pulling the reins of the horses to walk hard on the rugged mountains, he shouted loudly to cheer him up: "Everyone, hold on, wait until you enter Xiazhou to attract a strong army, and kill all the thieves who are chasing here !"

This is the so-called area where Wangshan runs dead horses. It is clear that the two ravines are clearly visible, but it takes more than half a day to turn and detour to reach them.

After such a difficult journey, they did not leave the mountains until the afternoon of the next day and came to the plains.But the so-called plain is just a piece of Gobi sand moraine. If Li Dao hadn't reminded him to fill the water bags in the mountains, the people and horses might not have the strength to continue on their way after exhaustion.

Xiazhou is more desolate than the northern Shaanxi area. Looking around, the terrain has no obvious ups and downs, and there are hardly any human settlements.There are many intermittent Great Walls, but they have long been abandoned, and there are no soldiers stationed there.

Led by Li Dao, the local snake, a group of people ran in this wilderness for more than two hours, and the scenery in their field of vision gradually became richer, and there were many herdsmen tribes scattered here.The most eye-catching building is a majestic city standing on a gentle slope.

The city is tall, deep and wide, full of visual impact in this wilderness. It is the Tongwan City built by Helian Bobo more than a hundred years ago.Although the Hu Xia regime has been overthrown for many years, this majestic city is still preserved to this day, and it is where the state capital of Xiazhou is today.

There are many herdsmen living near the city on the left, and those stretching felt tents and fences can hardly be seen to the side at a glance.As soon as Li Tai and the others arrived near the settlement, many herdsmen bravely drew their bows and rode their horses in, shouting and questioning them.

It was Li Dao who came forward to negotiate. Although his clan forces had moved into Guanzhong, there were still a lot of people left behind, so he was able to pass through this large area of ​​settlements and come to Tongwan City.

"Li Si, if you don't stay warm in Guanzhong, how can you return to your hometown in the cold and desolate?"

The soldier guarding the city recognized Li Dao at a glance, rode his horse forward and laughed and joked.

Li Dao didn't have time to talk about the old days with others, he just cupped his fists to apologize to the soldier commander and said: "The military situation is urgent, and I really don't have time to fight together now, brother, please go to the city and inform the envoy of Yuwen that the southern border thief Hu Fu has rebelled and has invaded." Xi'an Prefecture. I followed Zhonglang and Gao Pingnan Li Shijun from Daxingtai, and came here day and night to warn!"

Hearing what Li Dao said was so serious, the commander who guarded the city didn't dare to be negligent, first took Li Tai's order token token, and then hurried into the city.

Not long after Li Tai and the others waited, a tall and straight middle-aged man rode his horse out of the city surrounded by the crowd, and said with a serious expression, "Which one is the Gaoping man Li Zheng?"

(End of this chapter)