Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 108: Hunting for Cobby

In March, Geng Bi, the governor of Liangzhou, used the excuse that Han Sui killed Bian Zhang and Beigong Boyu to seize power and that the Liangzhou rebels were in internal strife as an excuse to lead the troops of six counties to attack and recover the lost Jincheng.

In April, when the army reached Didao, Longxi prefect Li Can was dissatisfied with the fact that Cheng Qiu, a Liangzhou official, embezzled military funds. He joined forces with generals Ma Teng and Wang Guo to kill Cheng Qiu and then executed Geng Bi. They then joined forces with Han Sui to counterattack Hanyang County. The county magistrate Fu Xie died defending the city.

At this point, the Eastern Han Dynasty lost control of the Longyou counties, which had been divided into the Liangzhou rebel group.

In the same month, as Yan Rou had said, Zhang Chun and Zhang Ju joined forces with the Wuhuan leader Qiuliju, and with a combined force of more than 100,000 Han and Hu soldiers, they attacked Ji County and plundered You and Ji states.

Compared with the turbulent You and Liang provinces, Zhang Yu, who was stationed in the Yanbei area, responded to the request of the Xianbei Chanyu Budugen and led his own troops and the Zuo Nan Xiongnu under his command, a total of 1,300 cavalry out of the border.

Knowing that Qianman led his troops eastward and fought with Budugen in Danhan Mountain and Qiushui River Basin, Zhang Yu, led by Kebi, took advantage of the situation and headed northwest out of Chanhebi to the northern foot of Zhongshan Mountain (now Manhan Mountain). Two or three hundred miles northwest of it was the Tuidang City built by the Xiongnu.

The winter snow has melted, and lush green covers the fields.

The pastures that used to belong to the Xiongnu have been taken over by the Xianbei. Now the Xianbei Hu tribe are grazing there, and there are more than a hundred camps, which belong to Qianman's camp.

Zhang Yu had no ill will towards the Xianbei tribe called Beishan. He was just training his troops to plunder cattle, sheep and horses from their tribe.

Seeing that the troops were deployed in place, he immediately gave an order and ordered more than a thousand cavalry to attack and surround the Xianbei tribe of less than a thousand people from all sides.

When the Yunzhong Yicong attacked the Xianbei tribe from all directions, the people in the tribe realized the arrival of the Han army. However, they were surrounded and had no time to leave, not to mention that there was a lack of able-bodied men in their families, making it difficult to migrate.

The tribes of more than a hundred villages could spare two or three hundred cavalrymen if they tried their best, and there were hundreds of women to help. But now that the elite troops had been taken away by Qianman, there were only a few dozen old and weak people who could fight. The women were quite brave, and they were very brave in archery and riding.

Unfortunately, the enemy they faced was the Han army, which was more valiant than them. The Han army did not attack directly, but practiced horse archery, chasing and hunting, and surrounded the Hu cavalry from all sides.

Although the Hu cavalry were defending their tribe and their morale was high, they were still powerless facing the Han cavalry that was ten times their number. After several of their cavalry died, the Xianbei cavalry inevitably became panicked.

As the flags of attack were waved, the Han cavalry, in groups of three or two, surrounded and killed the Xianbei cavalry like waves.

"Whoosh!"

Arrows flew like locusts, easily killing the thinly dressed Xianbei people. And these Xianbei riders fell to the ground one after another under the blows of arrows, just like grass on the grassland blown by the wind.

After the arrows were poured down, the armored cavalry rushed forward, trying to completely eliminate the Hu cavalry. However, perhaps out of fear, after seeing the armored cavalry charging, the Han cavalry blocked their way out, and the Xianbei cavalry gave up resistance and shouted to surrender.

On the high hill, Zhang Yu saw his men resolve the battle, with the people of Beishan either captured or surrendered, and then he led his trusted men down the slope.

"Sir, how should we deal with the Hu people in the Northern Mountains?" Zhang Liao asked with a bow.

Zhang Yu asked, "What suggestions does Wenyuan have?"

Zhang Liao thought for a moment and said, "It would be better to kill all the older men and leave the old, weak, women and children behind."

"Is it too cruel to kill all the older men?" Yu Yi said after hesitating.

Zhang Liao glanced at Yu Yi and sneered, "The evil barbarians invaded the border, killing almost all the men and capturing the women. Yu Zhubu is too kind-hearted and has lived in the inner county for a long time, so he doesn't know how cruel the evil barbarians are!"

"This~"

Yu Yi was speechless and could not answer. It was not because he was kind-hearted, but he felt that killing all the older men was too cruel.

Zhang Yu looked at the Hu tribe kneeling on the ground begging for mercy and said, "From now on, we will set a rule that if anyone resists and refuses to surrender, all men in the tribe who are taller than the wheels will be killed, leaving only women and children. Now that the Beishan tribe has surrendered, we will incorporate them into the army. Those who have made military achievements will first choose women as wives and concubines."

"promise!"

As he spoke, Zhang Yu looked at Kirby and said with a smile, "How about the military order I issued?"

Kirby cupped his hands and said, "The people of the grasslands are belligerent, and the general's order can deter the tribes. But if the general wants to gain the respect of the people, he needs to accept the people of all tribes. Therefore, the general's order is to forgive those who surrender, but not those who fight to the death. I think it is feasible!"

Seeing Kobe thinking about him, Zhang Yu had doubts in his heart. He wondered whether Kobe was really willing to submit to him. It was hard to predict people's true feelings.

"Does Lai En have any news about his wife?" Zhang Yu asked.

Kirby shook his head and said, "After my tribe split, the people of each tribe dispersed, and I still don't know the whereabouts of my brother Zhu Luohou!"

After the Kobi tribe was torn apart, Zhu Luohou was worried that he would be retaliated against if he moved too close to the border, so no one knew where he had migrated to.

Zhang Yu patted his shoulder and said comfortingly: "You and I fought because of weapons, and the tribe's exile was not caused by me. In this battle, I led the troops out of the border. In addition to training the soldiers, I also investigated the whereabouts of your family for you!"

"Thank you, General!" Kirby said gratefully.

Whether he hates Zhang Yu, Kebi certainly has it in his heart. If Zhang Yu had not attacked his tribe, he would not have fallen to the current situation. But as Zhang Yu said, it was not Zhang Yu who caused his tribe to fall apart, but the elders and confidants he trusted. If you ask Kebi about his feelings towards Zhang Yu, he can only describe it as contradictory. In addition to the emotions caused by being captured, since he surrendered, Zhang Yu has treated him very well. Not only did he appoint him to a Han official position, but he also gave him a woman as his wife. This is a kind treatment for him.

While Zhang Yu and Kirby were chatting, the results of capturing the Beishan tribe were counted: 21 heads were beheaded, 653 Hu people surrendered, more than 200 horses and more than 2,000 cattle and sheep were seized. The Han army suffered only a few casualties, which was a great victory!

On April 12, the Han army circled the northern foot of Zhongshan Mountain, with the captured Hu people carried on carts, and the Han cavalry guarded the horses to prevent the Hu people from escaping. Under the guidance of the surrendered Hu traitor, the Han cavalry found a small tribe with more than 200 tents.

According to the Hu people, the small group of more than 200 tents were distant relatives of Qianman, but it did not matter to the Han army. Joining forces with Budugen to attack Qianman had become the current national policy.

In just one hour, the small tribe of more than 200 tents was annihilated. Seeing that the small tribe's resistance was a little fierce and they were distant relatives of Qian Man, Zhang Yu was very straightforward and asked Ke Bi to lead the Beishan tribe to execute the men who were taller than the wheels, cut off their left ears, and put the women and children on the cart.

In response to the meritorious service of leading the way, Zhang Yu not only returned the original assets of the Beishan people, but also generously rewarded them with Hu women, horses, cattle, sheep and other items, which was very generous.

Perhaps they were encouraged, the six Hu people in the Beishan tribe rushed to explore the way for Zhang Yu and kill enemies for him in the following days, and they were regarded as traitors.

In fact, strictly speaking, the six people cannot be considered as traitors to the Hu tribe. After all, the concept of the Hu tribe has not yet been formed. For the Hu people, most of them identify themselves as their own people. They even kill each other for living resources.

One part surrendered, the other part was destroyed. During the seven days of marching out of the border, they beheaded more than 300 people, captured dozens of Hu cavalry, captured more than a thousand Hu people, more than 500 horses, and over 5,000 cattle and sheep.

As for the loss of life, there were less than ten dead, which was insignificant compared with the spoils obtained.

Because he was worried that his cavalry was insufficient and that he would need to divide his troops to guard and accept the surrendered Hu people, Zhang Yu did not dare to go any further into the border. He discussed with everyone and decided to take the Linhu Ancient Road south to the old place of Yunzhong. After meeting up with the Chanhe cavalry, he would see if he could plunder the Xianbei Hu who were entrenched in the old county of Yunzhong.

On the 13th, when the troops were preparing to turn south, Kirby went to see Zhang Yu about something.

Kobi came hurriedly and said, "General, I learned from the newly captured Hu people yesterday that my tribesmen are going. My brother Zhu Luohou led his tribe to migrate westward and is now a hundred miles south of Tuidang City."

Zhang Yu thought for a moment and asked, "Now that Lai En knows where his clansmen have gone, what are your plans now?"

Kirby said: "We are now more than 200 miles away from Tuidang City. I will lead a few cavalrymen to the north. After meeting up with my family, I will lead hundreds of tribes of my tribe to surrender to the general."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu suddenly hesitated. Kobe was the future overlord of the grassland, and he could work for him now because he had captured him. If Kobe ran away this time and reunited with his people, he would most likely not lead his troops south to join him.

But if I don't agree with Kobe's request, Kobe will inevitably be dissatisfied, which will inevitably lead to rebellion in the future.

The best ending would be to do as Kirby said, to reunite with his troops and go south to join him.

Right now, he has only two choices. First, kill Kobe to avoid the disaster of letting a tiger return to the mountains; second, let Kobe go and choose to trust Kobe.

wrong!

While Zhang Yu was thinking, his brain quickly reacted and realized that under the current circumstances, Kobe seemed to have no choice but to join him!
Seeing that Zhang Yu remained silent for a long time, Kirby realized that Zhang Yu might be suspicious of him, so he said sincerely: "I swear by heaven!"

"No need!"

Zhang Yu sorted out the current situation and said immediately: "I don't doubt Lai En. I am just worried that Lai En will lead a few cavalrymen to our headquarters. Can he successfully move the people south to the frontier?"

"A few riders are enough!"

Kirby said: "My brother, Zhu Luohou, and I have a close relationship. If I can reach the tribe, Zhu Luohou and the people of the tribe will definitely be willing to follow me south."

"good!"

Zhang Yu nodded and said with emotion: "Lai En intends to go north to look for his people. I have nothing else to give him, so I will give him my inferior horse. I hope your journey will be smooth."

Kirby wanted to refuse, but seeing Zhang Yu's expression, he said, "Thank you, General. I will reunite with our troops and head south immediately."

"I don't know how long?"

Zhang Yu looked at the expression on Kobe's face and asked tentatively.

Kirby pondered for a moment and said, "At the fastest, it will take fifteen days, and at the slowest, it will take thirty days."

Seeing that Kobe's expression was not fake, Zhang Yu smiled and said, "Then the period will be forty days. After you return to the frontier, I will choose a fertile land and give it to your people to graze."

"Thank you, General!" Kirby said gratefully.

After Kebi left, Li Song came to ask about the situation. When he learned that Zhang Yu had let Kebi go, his expression suddenly changed and he said, "Kebi was once the leader of the tribe. He was captured because of our army, and the tribe was divided because of this. Now Ji'an has let Kebi return to the north, and he has lived up to his promise!"

Zhang Yu held his belt with his hand and said meaningfully: “If Kobe doesn’t vote for me, how can Qianman tolerate him given what he has done to lead the way!”

(End of this chapter)