Chapter 907 Attack

Chapter 907 Attack

Chapter 907 Attack
"Don't worry about the cattle and sheep. We can eat them when we come back." Jin Zheng ordered all the horses that could be brought along. Finally, he appointed Xu Lang to lead the main force of the Zuo Feilong Guard to stay in Shanwu to meet the arrival of the follow-up army.

Xu Lang didn't want to say anything more, because he didn't like Jin Zheng, but in the end he couldn't help but say, "Is the governor too impatient?"

"Helan Aitou has finally revealed a flaw, how can we let it go?" Jin Zheng refused bluntly.

Horses were led over one by one.

The soldiers put cheese, jerky and dry food into bundles and tied them tightly to the backs of spare horses.

There were more than 5,000 people in total, but they occupied more than 15,000 horses, which was really astonishing.

Jin Zheng slowly checked his usual weapon, and after making sure it was correct, he inserted it into the sheath.

It's a sunny day today, and it's neither cold nor hot in the mountains, which is perfect for the attack.

At 3:00 p.m., the warriors, who had just had a full meal, were called together.

At the first moment, the first batch of a thousand soldiers mounted their horses and galloped away.

Not long after they left, dozens of soldiers followed closely behind them with two thousand horses - half of the horses were empty, they were war horses, and half of the horses were carrying luggage, they were pack horses.

Half an hour later, five hundred Jie cavalrymen with fifteen hundred horses followed closely behind.

At 3 p.m., the third batch of one thousand soldiers mounted their horses and set off.

Then another thousand Jie cavalrymen...

In the Zhonglingchuan River Valley, thousands of horses are galloping with great momentum.

Countless horses' hooves crossed the shallows, splashing water and breaking all the grass.

Countless brave warriors risked their lives without hesitation for the coveted official positions and for the land to be passed down to future generations.

Although there were only a few thousand people, their indomitable momentum gave goose bumps to everyone watching from near and far.

The eagle soaring high in the sky seemed to be seeing off the troops.

Tuoba Sigong was among the first group to set off.

This time he was not asked to be a scout, but to follow the other two guides and walk in front of the main group - he knew his own limitations and followed those two guides, and would not interrupt unless necessary.

The marching speed was not very fast, not only because the road was difficult to walk on, but also because the speed of the horses was deliberately controlled to prevent sudden encounters with the enemy.

During the march, Tuoba Sigong would occasionally look up and around.

There are continuous mountains everywhere.

On the hillside, you can occasionally see flocks of white sheep and shepherds who are stunned with fear.

At this time, Tuoba Sigong would laugh in his heart: Look, you hid here to graze, but we still found you, didn’t you?

Of course, they would not care about these individual shepherds.

Their only task is to move forward, forward, and forward again under the guidance of the guide.

They walked through wormwood that was nearly a man tall.

Looking from a distance, everyone was running quickly in the sea of ​​grass with only their shoulders and heads exposed.

They were herding horses by the river.

The Zhongling River flows quietly, with countless horses lined up on the bank. Occasionally one or two horses neigh loudly, but are quickly pacified by the knights.

They crossed a riverbank covered with brush and rocks.

Some horses broke their legs and fell to the ground in pain. The knights stood by helplessly, at a loss as to what to do.

Others passed by them without stopping.

They also encountered a group of cavalry who came out of nowhere. After being shot at by arrows, five rangers fell to the ground. Only one person survived. After interrogating him for useful information, they strangled him to death in the bushes.

After nightfall, the army found a valley to camp.

They marched more than fifty miles throughout the afternoon.

The sound of hurried horse hooves rang out in the second half of the night.

Everyone was awakened.

The officers gave orders quickly, and a thousand soldiers took out various weapons from their sheaths and prepared for battle.

The valley was quiet.

Tuoba Sigong looked around. The torches were lit, illuminating the serious and ferocious faces, as well as the weapons that flashed with endless coldness.

A command was heard not far away, followed by whispered negotiations.

After a moment, Qin San, who was leading the team, ordered them to disband.

Tuoba Sigong heaved a sigh of relief, it turned out that the person who sent the replacement horse had come.

The palace soldiers moved together, handed over the horses they had ridden for half a day to the auxiliary soldiers, settled the new horses, and rested in their clothes.

The march on the 29th went on as usual.

*****
The shepherd A Liudun was holding an axe and chasing a mole in a rage.

This animal was the most odious, and would often dig holes in the ground, destroy the grass, and spoil the pasture, and whenever he spotted one, he would chase it relentlessly.

But today the mole had become a spirit and he could not catch it no matter what he did. Just when he was concentrating on hunting it, a few horse hooves trampled across his lawn.

Ah Liudun was so angry! Can the grassland for raising sheep be trampled casually?
Just when he was about to start cursing, he froze.

Countless knights passed by on the grass, and they all looked at him with cold eyes, as if they were looking at a dead object.

Ah Liudun's legs went limp and he fell to his knees, but he quickly jumped into the air. A hook-and-sickle spear caught his fur coat, causing him to stumble over.

The knight who captured him pulled him onto his horse, then rode away from the group and began to interrogate him carefully.

Tuoba Sigong turned his head and looked at the man. He felt a little pity for him, but only “a little”.

A large group of galloping cavalry leaped onto a sand pile and looked down from above.

In the lower river valley, weed-covered earthen towns, tattered tents, dry cow dung, bleating sheep and panicked people can be seen everywhere.

Qin San waved his hand, and five hundred people crossed the sand pile and went down.

Arrows shot out, sabers were raised high, and slashed down like silk.

A large group of cavalry rushed into the earthen city, and countless people vomited blood and fell to the ground wherever their bows and swords passed.

They quickly killed their way through the entire earthen city and rushed out from the wooden gate on the other side.

Qin San waved his hand again, and another five hundred men dismounted and quickly rushed into the chaotic earthen city to clean up the mess.

Ah Liudun, who was being interrogated in the distance, heard the screams and began to struggle.

Seeing that he could not get anything out of him, the scout went around behind him and slashed with his dagger, causing blood to spurt out.

Tuoba Sigong was terrified.

He knew that this kind of earthen city was somewhat similar to the military town of the Shanyu Protectorate. The difference was that the families of the soldiers in the military town farmed nearby, while the families of the soldiers guarding the forts grazed nearby.

He even came here once.

Many years ago, someone said that this was the former site of Cheng County during the Han Dynasty (today’s east of Xindianzi Town, Horqin Gol County). He was not sure, but it might be the case.

In its heyday, this earthen city actually housed a lot of troops, but now no one knows where they have gone.

Tuoba Sigong swallowed his saliva, unable to bear to watch the slaughter that was happening so close to him.

In the afternoon, another group of cavalry galloped past in the distance, led by Chen Jingen.

He brought several guides including Tuoba Sigong, and a total of one thousand palace soldiers and five hundred Jie cavalry continued to advance along the desolate river valley, now acting as the vanguard.

In the evening, a few drizzles fell from the sky.

Instead of stopping, the army sped up until the horses were out of breath and could not run anymore.

That day, they marched hundreds of miles.

Tuoba Sigong stood on a high hill, looking at the weeping pine forest and the winding river in the distance, and sighed secretly.

The grass at the river bend was tall and dense, and it was originally a good place for grazing, but now there was not a single person to be seen.

The night gradually enveloped the earth.

Thousands of soldiers wearing wet clothes ate dry food in silence.

After eating, the people did not rest, but took out the whetstone and gently sharpened the knife.

Tuoba Sigong also took out his horn bow and foot bow.

The wild goat horns on the bow tip are strong and powerful, and the bowstring made of yellow goat tendons can only be owned by brave men.

He had a feeling that the time for battle was not far away.

"How far is it from Shengle?" Chen Jingen walked over and asked softly.

"We have to take a detour, or abandon our horses and walk over the mountains." Tuoba Sigong said, pointing to the dark mountains in the distance that looked like giant beasts.

"How far is it over the mountain?"

"Eighty or ninety miles, it's not easy to walk."

Chen Jingen nodded and lowered his head to think.

******
On the last day of May, Chen Jingen and his companions did not choose to cross the mountain directly, but continued westward along Zhonglingchuan (the current name of this section of the river is "Red River") for about 70 miles until they were exhausted and found a secluded place to stop and rest.

In the evening, Qin San rushed over.

Chen Jingen and he climbed up a hillside and overlooked a ruined city in the distance.

Qin San looked at the map for a long time and said, "During the Han Dynasty, three counties were set up along Zhonglingchuan from west to east: Tongguo (now the ancient city of Chengzuizi in Xiaogangfang Township, Qingshuihe County), Luo, and Wucheng. Wucheng County has been passed, so this must be the site of Luo County (now Dahongcheng Township, Horqin County)."

"Where does Helan Aitou come from?" Chen Jingen asked.

"I don't know." Qin San said honestly: "If it doesn't pass by where we came from, it will go to Shutu River (now Qingshui River)."

"He's walking along Shutushui." A horseman came galloping over from a distance. The two men looked in the direction of the sound and saw that it was Jin Zheng. They immediately saluted.

"Since we didn't see the Suotou Brigade from Shanwu's side, they must have crossed from Zhonglingyuan and entered the Shutui River Valley." Jin Zheng said, "There may be tribes to help them, and they don't have to fight. It's the most suitable place for people like us who are in a hurry."

"Boom!" As soon as Jin Zheng finished saying this, thunder roared in the sky.

It drizzled yesterday and it might rain heavily today.

Qin San and Chen Jingen looked at the earth that was gradually covered by the night rain, feeling a little worried.

"It's a good rain." Jin Zheng suddenly laughed.

The two seemed to understand something.

The night grew darker and the rain became heavier.

In the pouring rain, two thousand soldiers carefully checked their equipment, and then, led by an officer, filed out of the camp.

They didn't even have a straw raincoat, and after taking a few steps, they were soaked all over.

Qin San took the lead.

He was over 40 years old and his steps were slippery in the mud, and he was slightly out of breath.

Two soldiers came forward and supported him vigorously.

In the darkness, two thousand people held hands and hesitated with difficulty.

It was very dark and you couldn't see your hand in front of you.

The rain was so heavy that it even hurt when it hit people.

But the cold night rain could not extinguish the flames in the warriors' hearts.

The officers kept encouraging morale with the promise of a better life in the future, and the sergeants followed in silence. The rain was so heavy that the voices were not clear, but the words "honored officer", "rank", "land", "beauty", and "bringing honor to the family" could be heard faintly, which greatly boosted their morale as they were about to fight, and their breathing gradually became heavier.

"You guys--" A sleepy boy came out of the wooden shed, his hand still on the hilt of the knife, looking at the "ghost" in the night rain with some shock.

"Bang!" The young man was kicked against the wooden wall, and several ring-handled swords slashed at him, splashing blood everywhere.

More than ten soldiers rushed into the wooden shed and killed several other shepherds who were sleeping.

The large group of people continued to move forward.

In the darkness, I don’t know how many people caught up, and I don’t know how many people fell behind.

Qin San was walking in the front and felt like his lungs were about to explode, his breathing was as heavy as a bull.

A pavilion appeared in front of us, with some small lights.

Dozens of soldiers rushed over and surrounded him.

The rest of the troops headed straight for the city.

Screams continued to sound from inside the pavilion, but did not attract any attention from Qin San.

More than a dozen soldiers took out flying claws from their bags, gathered power in their hands, rotated them for a while, and threw them at the low wall with a whistling sound. Then they pulled them hard to make sure they were firmly hooked on the top of the wall.

The following troops immediately drew their swords and prepared to climb up along the flying claw.

However, an accident happened.

There was a loud bang in the darkness, startling everyone.

Qin San frowned, walked forward, opened his eyes wide and looked carefully, then opened his mouth wide and couldn't close it anymore.

The wall collapsed...

(End of this chapter)