Chapter 377 Means
Chapter 377 Means
Humans have — “hundreds” of genders, but horses have only three.
Stallions, mares and geldings.
Horses are social animals, and there is basically only one male horse in a herd.
Stallions have hot tempers and are prone to a lot of trouble. After they reach sexual maturity, they either fight with other stallions or have sex with mares. That's all there is to it.
Horse herds have a relatively strict hierarchy.
The winner is the oldest and most senior mare in the herd - and probably also the one with the most offspring.
When galloping on the grassland, the lead horse is in front, and the rest of the horses follow in front and behind according to their size. The stallion is responsible for protecting the safety of the entire herd.
This is nature, and most animals are actually similar.
Generally speaking, mares are rarely ridden, firstly because they are prone to going into estrus, and secondly because they are used to raise offspring.
Stallions are rarely used for riding because there are so few of them.
Most of the horses they ride are castrated stallions, which are relatively docile, strong, fast, and not too troublesome.
Therefore, most of the horses captured by Shao Xun and his team were castrated stallions, and there were very few normal mares and stallions.
"Whoa--" The man who was lassoing the horse galloped happily, chasing the frightened mare that was running away.
The mare's descendants followed behind, neighing and galloping.
One side runs, the other side chases.
As they chased, the horses slowly stopped and actually began to eat grass with their heads down.
The riders breathed a sigh of relief and drove the horses back at a leisurely pace.
"One, two, three..." Cai Cheng, with a group of personal soldiers, silently counted the numbers.
"What did you count to just now?"
"forget."
"Besides eating, what else can you do?"
"Oh, let me count again."
On the other side, the Silver Spear Army soldiers who arrived hurriedly drove the captives away.
The captives were puzzled and couldn't believe that such a good thing could happen.
"You guys go your separate ways."
"Get away from me, don't let me see you again."
"The general is kind and does not want to kill the prisoners, so you can just be happy."
The captives then scattered, including thousands of Jin slaves.
It’s not that there are people who want to stay and join the army, but it’s impossible to take them with us now, so we might as well just send them all away.
Before leaving, he asked them to dig a pit and bury the bodies.
Altogether, fifteen or sixteen hundred enemies were killed, more than a thousand were captured, and more than fifteen hundred took advantage of the chaos to seize horses and escape.
Five thousand Hun cavalry were gone just like that.
Of course, most of them were able to run back, but they had obviously withdrawn from the battle.
By the evening, the number of horses gathered exceeded 7,000, and with the original horses and mules, the total number exceeded 15,000, which exceeded the configuration of one person with two horses, but was still a little short of one person with three horses - which was actually not bad.
Shao Xun asked people to bring the horses to the fleet anchorage as soon as possible.
The more than 3,000 infantry and cavalry who raided Lu Zhuyan used their camp to monitor the movements of Chenggao on the mountain slope.
There must have been some defeated cavalry who ran to Chenggao to inform the enemy, and they have already been prepared.
Will Shan Zheng come down the mountain to attack them? It's hard to say, but it's always better to be prepared.
There were many soldiers under Dan Zheng and the city was under defense, so Shao Xun was not going to challenge him.
He believed that if Shan Zheng was clear-headed, he would not abandon the relatively strong city and put himself in the dilemma of being attacked from all sides.
As for how to get to Xingyang east of Dayi Mountain without going through Chenggao and Hulao Pass, there is a way...
On the fourth day of October, the sea was calm at the foot of Mount Dayi.
During this period, several groups of Xiongnu cavalry came to investigate, but when they saw the more than 3,000 infantry and cavalry that had retreated to Luokou, with their backs against the fleet and camping in front, they left decisively.
In the evening of the same day, Jin Zheng, Wang Que'er and others arrived at Luokou with a large force.
The Huns were still following far behind, but they looked a little desperate and there was no way to stop them.
To be honest, they really tried their best, using all kinds of means, and more or less slowed down the Silver Spear Army's advance. But it could only "slow down" it, and it was completely impossible to stop it.
The person who was actually responsible for the blocking mission of the Huns was General Zhenxi Shan Zheng. He was still constantly fortifying Chenggao, as if he was determined to fight to the death.
Silly hat!
Shao Xun chuckled and brought Wang Que'er, Jin Zheng, Wang Hu, Beigong Chun and others to the bank of the Yellow River. He pointed to a narrow river beach half submerged in water and said, "This is the path used by the boat trackers."
Dayi Mountain is located on the northern bank of the Yellow River. After years of siltation, a faint road appeared at the foot of the mountain, half submerged in water.
This road has always been used only by boat trackers, and large carts are absolutely inaccessible.
The proper road is on the mountain and is blocked by Hulao Pass.
This road was not really accessible until the Sui Dynasty three hundred years later. With the emergence of this road, Hulao Pass completed its historical mission and the new Sishui Pass came into being.
Changes in climate and geography have had a significant impact on the history of human warfare.
Before that, Hangu Pass was abandoned in Qin Dynasty and Tongguan rose.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Hulao Pass declined and Sishui Pass rose.
During the Little Ice Age at the end of the Tang Dynasty and the Five Dynasties, the Linyu Pass (Shanhai Pass) coastal road was formed into land due to siltation - before that, the road was full of swamps and eroded by sea water.
"Put the baggage carts and side carriages on board and go ashore at the ferry crossing in Xingyang downstream by water." Shao Xun said, "If there is still space on the boat, squeeze some people on board. After landing in Xingyang, set up camp there."
"The rest of us, including me, will go through this road and reach the tail of Dayi Mountain in the east."
"Jin Zheng, you lead 3,000 men to cut wood and build siege equipment, and pretend to attack Chenggao." "After the rest of the people have passed, you lead the men to withdraw at night."
"Don't worry, there are not many bandits now. They probably think we are going to escape by boat and it is too late to chase us. They should have sent people to notify the downstream and find a way to stop our army."
"Remember, do everything as usual during the day, and do the important things at night."
After he finished speaking, he looked at everyone and asked them to digest it slowly.
Jin Zheng, Wang Que'er and others are die-hard fans, so naturally they have no objection.
Manyu is used to obeying orders.
Beigong Chun, Wang Hu and other guest generals were in awe of Shao Xun's ingenious ideas and unpredictable methods, and after thinking about it, they agreed.
The man in front of me could command the battle with ease, and it seemed that nothing could stump him.
If they were in their shoes, they wouldn’t know if they could play so well.
If Lu Zhuyan met them, he might be defeated, but not necessarily die. However, meeting Shao Xun, his death was not unjust.
"Since you have no objection, let's take action." Shao Xun ordered.
******
Ten days have passed since the Huns broke into Gaoping, and the land of Yuzhou has also entered a stage of panic.
Three days ago, a cavalry army rushed into Liang State and defeated Wang Ping's army of Qihuo. Then they turned their attention south to Chen County and wreaked havoc in Yangxia, Wuping and Ku County.
As of today (October 5th), a vanguard of several hundred people has even rushed into Chen County.
Wang Xuan and his sisters Wang Jingfeng and Wang Huifeng hesitated for a while, and finally decided to stay in the Duzhi Yamen.
This is a manor with thick walls, which originally had dozens of soldiers and two hundred transport troops.
Later, some refugees from the settlements took refuge here, and there were more than a thousand people in total.
Wang Xuan opened the armory and distributed weapons to every adult man.
His own private soldiers even had iron armor, leather armor, and bows.
Although the transport's combat effectiveness is average, its equipment is still okay.
Overall, it seems like it's worth a fight?
But Wang Xuan was still very worried and even a little regretful.
When the Huns moved south, he left Luoyang with his wife, children and two sisters. He was supposed to live in Guangchengze Villa, but after discussing with his father, he somehow ended up coming to Chen County.
What a mistake!
In the study, Wang Xuan's face was full of regret.
Wang Jingfeng was also scared at first, but after lunch, he seemed to have forgotten about it and actually hummed a tune. After being glared at by his elder brother, he stopped grumbling in grievance, muttering, "Mr. Chen will come to save us."
"How do you know?" Wang Xuan asked unhappily.
Wang Huifeng, who had been reading or writing something, listened and glanced at his sister.
"He promised to be good to me." Wang Jingfeng said righteously.
Wang Xuan held his forehead and sighed.
Wang Huifeng smiled helplessly.
"He must be on his way back." Wang Jingfeng continued speaking as if he was unaware.
Wang Xuan was annoyed and said, "Even if he comes back, it might be too late."
After hearing what he said, Wang Jingfeng's confidence was not so firm. His eyes instantly turned red and he said, "I don't want to fall into the hands of the Huns."
Wang Xuan was too lazy to pay attention to her.
Wang Huifeng sighed softly.
If the Duzhi Yamen was breached, she would not survive.
A woman should not serve two husbands, and her beautiful body should not be insulted by thieves.
She knew some of her father's hidden thoughts.
Since divorcing Prince Minhuai, her father had not dared to talk to her about remarrying. In the past year, he began to hint at things like Chen Gong Shao Xun liked her, but Wang Huifeng just laughed it off.
Mr. Chen is a wonderful man with great ambitions. What is even more rare is that he is unwilling to do some evil things that ordinary military leaders are accustomed to.
Occasionally he speaks eloquently and says something humorous.
He looks - actually he's not ugly, he's quite masculine and strong.
If she wasn't married yet, she might not be opposed to it.
But right now, we can only say that we are not destined to be together.
She lowered her head and continued to review the documents.
The Xiongnu's attack has penetrated very deeply, but the focus should still be on the counties and kingdoms in the eastern part of Yanzhou and Yuzhou.
Those who rushed to Chen County were only a few vanguards, with no backup and not much food and water.
The troops led by Chen Yougen, the left Sima of the Xuchang Shogunate, are scattered in various counties. After receiving the news, they will definitely be able to expel them.
But this time, it is not without negative impact at all. At least people's unrest is inevitable.
Chen Gong was able to gain a firm foothold in Yuzhou by protecting the peace of the area. Now that the Xiongnu have invaded, burned houses, destroyed ditches, and even killed and looted, he will surely be questioned by many people, right?
What matters most is the people’s support.
Mr. Chen cannot rely on idle talk to gather people's hearts, nor can he rely on his family background to subdue people's hearts. He only relies on the knife in his hand to make people trust him half-heartedly. This thorny road is destined to be much more difficult to walk than that of a son of an aristocratic family.
Thinking of this, Wang Huifeng's handsome eyebrows were already frowned.
Wang Jingfeng lay on the table, sulking for a while, and then he actually fell asleep.
Wang Xuan left the study and went outside to talk with the leader of the family soldiers and the troop transport military school.
He was greatly relieved to learn that the Huns had only shot a few arrows at the wall from a distance and retreated after seeing no reaction.
But he didn't dare to be careless. This was just the vanguard of the Huns. What if a bigger one came next time?
They have already rushed to Chenjun! Will they rush to the city of Xuchang next time?
(Brothers, you can vote for monthly tickets according to your ability. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have any. Just remember that I have been a donkey these days...)
(End of this chapter)