Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 268 Wolf

Liu Daogui detoured from Xingyang to Yingchuan Yangdi, while Xiangcheng County had already surrendered without resistance. Yao Xing's 50,000 to 60,000 troops encountered no obstacles and even obtained provisions.

“Yao Xing must have planned this for a long time, otherwise he wouldn’t have done it so quickly.” Liu Huaizhen said with a solemn expression.

Hongnong is gone, and now Nanyang is almost gone too. All the cities and passes along the Xiaohan Road are under the control of the Qin army, who can come and go as they please.

A prolonged defense will inevitably lead to defeat; without the support of the Jin dynasty, Luoyang simply could not hold out.

Since the Yongjia Rebellion, Luoyang has been the core area contested by various parties.

"Now it all depends on Wancheng. If we can hold off the Qin army, we will still have a chance to severely damage Yao Xing," Liu Daogui said calmly.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Yao Xing's army of 100,000 marched westward, and the counties and prefectures of Jin surrendered one after another, which shows that the Sima family was indeed at its wit's end.

"Have the scouts sent any news back?"

Meng Gan said, "Yao Xing has blocked the route, so our scouts cannot get through and are unaware of the current situation in Wancheng."

"It should be gone." Liu Daogui held no hope. The imperial court had established Yongzhou in Xiangyang and Nanyang, which attracted a large number of refugees from Guanzhong, including many Qiang people.

Since the Cao Wei era, Guanzhong gradually fell under the control of the Qiang and Di peoples.

Yao Xing's Qin state is now thriving and has a strong attraction for these refugees from Guanzhong.

In contrast, the Jin dynasty, through round after round of internal strife, depleted its national strength to the point that even its emperor could be killed by a concubine...

Liu Huaizhen said, "If our army marches at double speed, we might be able to enter Wancheng before Yao Xing!"

Looking at the undulating mountains ahead, Liu Daogui felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity. This was not Xuzhou or Yanzhou. The terrain was complex, and his side had come in haste. If they ventured too far, they would easily fall into an ambush.

Yao Xing emerged from among the heroes of Guanzhong, so he was certainly no ordinary man. Nanyang's military strength was already weak.

He only had 7,000 Jianwei soldiers at his disposal, leaving the rest of his troops far behind.

"As the art of war says, if one fights for advantage at a distance of fifty li, the general will be defeated, and half of the enemy's forces will be defeated. Let's stop here and set up camp."

Liu Daogui had done everything in his power to lift the siege of Luoyang.

However, setting up camp was not an easy task. There were almost no trees around. The refugees and rebels from Yuzhou came and went, and all the trees that could be cut down had already been cut down. The nearby mounds were also bare.

The only place to cut down trees is in the mountains to the southwest.

It's already late, so it's obviously too late.

"It's just a day, right? We'll just make do with whatever we have," Liu Zun said casually.

The soldiers around them, who had been traveling for days, were also exhausted.

"If there are no trees, dig earth to build a fortification. Do not slacken your efforts; this is a military order!" As the commander-in-chief, there can be no compromise on this matter.

They were already unfamiliar with the place and its people.

The situation in the Central Plains was complex, with the Jin army, the Qin army, the Beggars' Army, the Migrant Army, and the Hu tribes in addition to the Jin army.

Liu Daogui carried a shovel and personally dug the soil.

The soldiers had no more complaints; if they had shovels, they used them; if not, they used knives and axes.

Yangdi refers to the southern part of Mount Song.

This place is next to Mount Song, and there are many stones. The soldiers used wooden carts to collect them and piled them on the earthen mound, and a small earthen city rose from the ground.

According to the old custom, the soldiers were divided into three groups to take turns keeping watch at night.

Liu Daogui set up seventeen hidden sentries around the area.

Better safe than sorry. These days, there are too many accidents. First, make yourself invincible, and then wait for the enemy to become vulnerable. First, take care of yourself and establish an invincible position before engaging the enemy.

All night long, apart from the howling of wolves, nothing happened. Liu Zun was still complaining that it had been a pointless ordeal.

At noon, Gao Xun arrived with three thousand volunteer soldiers.

Mao Dezhu's cavalry also rushed back from the south. "Yao Xing left 5,000 troops in the Jiaxian and Xiangcheng areas to block our way."

South of Yangdi lies the Ru River, with Xiangcheng and Jiaxian situated upstream and downstream of it, forming a strategic defensive position.

The road to Nanyang County has been blocked.

If they go any further, they'll have to go through Runan County in the southeast, adding three or four hundred li to the journey. The soldiers will be exhausted from all this back and forth.

If it were just Yao Xing, it wouldn't be so bad, but the key issue is that these refugees in Nanyong Prefecture clearly have their hearts set on Yao Qin.

The Jin dynasty treated the refugees in the north like pigs and dogs, plundering them at will. The Jin army on the border killed husbands and seized wives and daughters. It is not surprising that the refugees were loyal to Yao Xing.

"Send word to return to Huatai." Liu Daogui said listlessly.

This situation is beyond my control.

The army immediately set off, slowly heading north.

On the southwestern mountain ridge, several warhorses were watching them.

One of them wore a leather cloak unique to the Xiongnu people. He was eight feet five inches tall, with a broad back and a thick waist, yet he was handsome and had sharp eyes. He stood out among the riders.

Beyond the mountain ridge, a cavalry force of three thousand men appeared silently.

"Could it be that they have seen through our ambush?" the officer beside him asked in surprise.

In fact, if the Jin army marched another thirty miles, they would have entered the Qin army's ambush. Yao Xing had deployed 20,000 troops around the Ru River, just waiting for Liu Daogui to walk in.

"The Liu family of Pengcheng lives up to their reputation. Even if they had been besieged last night, we might not have been able to capture them. King Yao is all bark and no bite. Although he is skilled in strategy, he is not a true leader. He is reluctant to launch a full-scale attack on Luoyang because he cares about the lives of his soldiers. Is such a person a hero? If I had Liu Bobo with 100,000 troops, not only Luoyang, but Hebei would be within our grasp. Tuoba Gui is currently weak, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. If we can take Hebei, we can easily conquer the Central Plains. Why linger in Luoyang for so long!"

This person was Liu Bobo, son of Liu Weichen, the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu.

Tuoba Gui destroyed the Tiefu tribe and exterminated Liu Weichen's entire family. Liu Bobo was spared because he stayed in Chigan as a hostage and later sought refuge with Yao Xing.

Yao Xing saw that he had extraordinary signs, was intelligent and eloquent, and had a graceful demeanor. He treated him with courtesy, appointed him as General of the Valiant Cavalry, and added the title of Commandant of the Imperial Carriage. He often participated in important military and national discussions, and his favor and honors surpassed those of his predecessors.

Yao Xing never expected that the person he valued would think so little of him.

"General, you are absolutely right. This Yao Xing has the same problem as Fu Jian back then. He only knows how to appease, but he doesn't understand the way of being a ruler. In my opinion, the Qin kingdom will not last long." The accompanying military officer laughed loudly.

Unexpectedly, Liu Bobo stared at him coldly and asked, "What are you laughing at?"

The officer's smile froze on his face; he didn't know how to answer.

"I'm asking you what you're laughing at? Why aren't you answering?" Liu Bobo was already tall and imposing, exuding authority even without anger.

"I……"

"How dare you spout nonsense like Yao Tianwang? Guards, drag him away and cut out his tongue!"

"I hope the general will forgive me this time, considering how many years I have followed you. I will never dare to do it again..."

Pleading for mercy did not evoke his sympathy but instead aroused his ferocity. Veins bulged on Liu Bobo's face. "I hate those who kneel more than anything in my life. Tear me apart with five horses!"

A few neighs of horses, a scream of agony, and then the valley returned to silence.

Intestines and entrails were scattered all over the ground, and a faint smell of blood drifted in the wind.

"The Jin bandits have retreated, so we retreat too." Liu Bobo took a deep breath as if intoxicated, and the surrounding generals fell silent, their eyes filled with a faint fear.

But it is precisely because of fear that order prevails.

In this tense atmosphere, even the warhorses dared not neigh freely.

(End of this chapter)