Chapter 1330: The Great March
Chapter 1330: The Great March (Part )
In a trance, a desolate horn sound came from the distant horizon.
There were sounds of flutes in the carriage with high wheels.
The prairie boy with a childish face was playing the flute seriously with a vague look in his eyes, as if what he was experiencing was not a war but a common migration.
Yes, he took all his belongings with him, including tents, rice cookers, clothes, cattle and sheep, and his beloved flute.
Before leaving, my father took a bow and sword, fed the horse at home until it was smooth and sleek, and even borrowed a horse from an acquaintance so that he could keep up with the team.
My mother was drying mushrooms on the grass, which she found on the way. These grassland delicacies are usually buried in the sand, but once it rains, they will grow wildly at an astonishing speed. After picking them, they are added to millet and steamed, and they are very delicious.
My sister seemed to have fallen asleep. She was curled up in the blanket, holding their dog in her arms.
The carriage swayed as the golden sunlight shone on it. It was so peaceful and harmonious.
White clouds slowly moved across the sky.
Beneath the clouds is an endless green field, with a white river winding around it and rushing towards an unknown distance.
The plain was hopelessly flat without any undulations. Thousands of horses were galloping there, black, white, yellow, and brown, in groups, running wild, like waves, one after another, wave after wave, with no end in sight.
Shepherds wearing felt hats were among them, calmly maintaining the direction of the herd.
The proud horse holds its head high, its long mane shining in the sun.
This is its home, where it was born and raised. It can walk along the flat grassland all the way, and wherever it goes is its home.
"Splash!" It rushed into a stream, splashing countless water.
After crossing the river, it stood dutifully on the shore, watching its horses cross the river safely one by one, and then left.
Looking down from the air, the banks of the white stream were filled with countless horses. Some of them were struggling to cross the river, some were lowering their heads to drink water, and others stopped and touched each other affectionately.
Further away, the flock of sheep looked like white clouds walking on the ground, gathering and dispersing, floating unsteadily.
The boys and girls rode their horses skillfully, and from time to time they drove the naughty sheep back to the herd.
The hunting dog, relying on the power of its master, bared its teeth at the sheep that had strayed from the group.
They are very fast, like lightning on the grassland, which makes the sheep panic and then behave themselves until they meet the bad-tempered ram that dares to point its two big horns at them.
"Hey!" A team of light cavalry passed by quickly. The men on horseback had flying braids and a heavy black bow slung around their waists.
"Ho!" Another group of strong men galloped over from the horizon, wearing brown leather armor, holding long lances in their hands, looking extremely majestic.
"Haha!" A group of marching shepherds encountered a group of panicked gazelles and chased after them with laughter.
The young man put away his flute, stood on the shaking carriage, and looked into the endless distance.
The grassland came alive at this moment.
From east to west, stretching for thousands of miles, some people were herding sheep, some were gathering, some were washing horses, some were hunting birds and beasts, and some were already impatiently rushing towards the same route the Tuoba tribe had taken: the east.
The herdsmen of the Yuwen clan looked at the Tuoba Xianbei people who were rushing into their pastures with complicated expressions and remained silent for a long time.
Who on earth gathered such a large group of people on the grassland, almost turning the world upside down?
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the most beautiful woman on the grassland was riding in a gorgeous carriage. Under her tall felt hat was her charming face.
She held her docile child in her arms with a calm expression, looking at the boundless fields through the car window.
The carriage was heading towards Youzhou.
******
Between the two peaks, a valley winds out.
The flag of "Chanyu Daduhu Shao" fluttered in the wind. Behind this flag, the flags of "Iron Cavalry", "Hengchong", "Zhenwu", "Hongcheng", "Gaoliu", "Wu Zhou" and "Yicong" came one after another, turning the whole valley into a sea of flags.
After passing the narrowest valley, the cavalry rushed down from the high ground like a flood.
Water splashed, grass debris flew, and heavy horse hooves trampled on the soft mud, awakening the war drums that had not been beaten for a long time.
The sound of bells and chimes also rang out.
Yuwen Yidugui, who had traveled hundreds of miles from Zimengchuan to the north, personally dismounted to welcome the arrival of the camp's recruiting envoy.
The cavalry of both sides lined up in the wilderness, and their shouts became louder and louder.
Soon, the cavalry that came down earlier and the Yuwen light cavalry that came to greet them joined together and rushed southward without stopping.
They crossed willow groves, galloped through reed forests, passed through dotted lakes and swamps, and moved south along dry, flat grasslands.
Like a massive flood, it dispersed into countless streams in the sand, grassland, swamp, and woods, and finally gathered together with an unstoppable force, rushing towards the mountains in the south.
Crossing that mountain range, you can overlook Changli.
Behind them, in the mountains, cavalrymen passed by one after another, seemingly endlessly, continuously adding reinforcements to the wave of cavalry heading south. The tents on both sides of the Zuole River were dismantled one after another, and cattle and sheep crossed the shallows with bleating noises, looking reluctantly at the fresh and juicy grass, and staggered forward.
Their milk is the source of strength for warriors in battle, and their flesh and blood are a good tonic for warriors in charge.
Together with the warriors, they will become the fuel for this war of annihilation.
A few warriors with unparalleled bravery and great luck will stand out in this war, become the emancipated serfs singing, and become a lasting legend on the grassland for decades to come.
At a mountain pass in the south hundreds of miles away from them, a plump girl shook her braids on both sides and looked at the mountains and rivers in the south with longing eyes.
After seeing enough, she turned around to look at the troops resting in the mountains. There were 5,000 strong men, all skilled in archery and horse riding. They were gifts from her doting father and brothers.
She was a proud lark on the grassland, captured by a man who could shoot willows.
Wherever he went, she went.
If he wanted to fight, she would fight with him.
She was not as pretty as the Han Chinese women. Her skin had been worn down by the wind and sand for eighteen or nineteen years. There were obvious calluses on her palms. The insides of her legs were no longer tender because of riding horses. She had never been to school...
She only knew how to make cheese, brew wine, and roast meat. She also knew how to ride a horse and fight in battles. That was all she knew.
After a whistle, the knights who had finished their rest mounted their horses. The shepherd took the horses that had been walking for half a day and took them to a hidden valley to graze them. He would then send them back after they were well-fed.
Thousands of knights rushed down the mountains and walked among the mountains and rivers in the north of Changli, looking for traces of the enemy and that man.
From the map, we can see that two iron clamps, one to the west and one to the north, have closed in.
******
Outside Ma Shijin, the shocking scene of boats and ships thronging like clouds a year ago was recreated.
There were some minor losses of ships, men and equipment at sea, but the people had no time to grieve and soon began to take over the defense of Lushun and carry out the next round of city construction.
The young men who had set up camps on various hilltops received orders, assembled their equipment, collected food and fodder, and then set out northward to Xiangping.
The first battalion of the Yellow Head Army, with more than 4,000 men, set off first.
Zeng Yi was wearing leather armor, carrying a wooden plaque that he had used for who knows how many years, and carrying a ring-handled sword, walking on the side of the queue.
His son carved the word "Zeng" on the mulberry wood handle.
Every time he saw this, he felt very satisfied.
Each generation is stronger than the previous one. He has never been to school, but his son has the opportunity to read and learn to read, which is better than anything else.
Since they had chosen the path of studying, Zeng Yi felt that he should not leave any enemies for his children, lest they give up their pens and join the military to fight in the future.
Although he was old, he was still able to fight and was quite agile. A few thieves were no problem to him.
In the Battle of Guangwu, the Tuoba Xianbei cavalry charged into the battle, and countless men fought bravely to stop the bandits and then killed them. They had fought such a difficult battle, so how could the Murong Xianbei be any different?
The sea breeze blows gently, but the sound of waves remains.
The long queue moved along the coast, and the mixed smell of paint and wood from the sidecars gradually calmed his heart.
On the way, they encountered a group of light cavalry from the tribe under the rule of Murong Ren. Zeng Yi bluntly scolded them not to be lazy and to speed up their march.
The Xianbei people were very timid. They were poor and only had one horse, so they had to lead the horse on foot, following the Daliang army and marching north in a mighty procession.
As you walk along the way, people gather around you.
The weather in Liaodong in mid-May was cool and the grass was green. Twenty thousand infantry and cavalry were pulling a long column with high morale.
They walked from May to June, from late spring to early summer.
The once arrogant Xianbei prince retreated and hid in the Xiangping area, gathering troops everywhere to try to stop them from advancing northward.
Murong Ren personally cut off the head of his brother Murong Jun because he was plotting to incite rebellion. At the same time, he also used this action to show the Liang Wangshi that he and Murong Huang were irreconcilable.
On the sea west of Liaodong County, there were faint signs of ships sailing northward. The cabins were filled with food and equipment, leaving almost no place to rest.
Standing on the top of a high mountain in Liaodong County and looking down, you can see boats like clouds and carriages like dragons between the sea and the sky.
After gathering the last few thousand cavalrymen of Murong Ren in Pingguo, the army easily captured Xinchang, and then headed straight for Xiangping along the dry plain between the hills and Liaoze.
In early June, Murong Ren personally braved the arrows and led the troops in a charge, defeating the cavalry of Yi Yi, the Liaodong Guard.
On the third day of June, the army arrived at the city of Xiangping and began to fill the swamps and dig trenches.
On the fourth day, Yi Yi fought again and was defeated by Murong Ren.
Murong Jun, who was only eighteen years old, did not have much experience in war, and his entire army had no more than 10,000 infantry and cavalry. After being defeated twice in a row, he retreated into Xiangping, trying to rely on this big city to hold out and delay time to prevent the Zuo Feilong Guards, the First Battalion of the Huangtou Army, the Northern Palace Soldiers, the Liaodong nobles' soldiers, and Murong Ren's 30,000 infantry and cavalry from crossing the Liaoze and advancing westward, thus becoming the third iron clamp to strangle the neck of Jicheng.
(End of this chapter)