Chinese New Year

Chapter 535: Interception (Part )

In a corner of the Prime Minister's residence, there were two bamboo baskets piled up, containing many official seals of various sizes.

In fact, they were all made in Yecheng, and it was too late to ask the Shaofu to make them and send them over.

There are so many official positions, big and small, such as town commander, prefect, county magistrate, etc.

Basket after basket of official seals were sent out and handed over to others by Shao Xun himself, in exchange for a bunch of cheap thanks - yes, it was cheap, because they could throw away the official seals of the Jin Dynasty at any time and accept the official seals of Liu Han again.

It's not shabby in troubled times.

It can only be said that the people of Hebei still miss the Jin Dynasty a little bit, and are not very willing to serve under the Xiongnu. If they have a choice, they would rather be Jin people. If they don't have a choice, forget it, and don't force it. After all, the Jin court is not a good thing.

Another group of officials will come to pay their respects tomorrow.

Shao Xun drank tea, played with the official seal, and quietly pondered the future of Hebei.

Liu stood behind the desk, grinding ink gently.

She was reluctant to do this job at first, but Shao Xun "threatened" her that he would sleep with her if she didn't grind ink.

Liu was silent for a moment, but soon gave in.

Shao Xun laughed secretly in his heart.

He would not touch this woman now, at least until he was sure that she did not have a posthumous child.

Besides, forcing it by force was too boring, so he wanted the woman to come to him on her own initiative.

"The power of a king lies in gathering the people." Shao Xun put down the official seal, looked at the map on the wall, and said, "Those who come will be rewarded, and those who see will be given an official position. Ye Na, what do you think?"

Liu said nothing, but just turned sideways and continued to grind the ink.

For Shao Xun, this angle makes him feel very relaxed.

Receiving one group of Hebei officials and chiefs after another, speaking insincerely and talking about unrealistic futures, even he felt annoyed after a long time.

So, it is better to calm down, drink some tea, appreciate the beauty and relax your tense nerves.

Perhaps, this is the true meaning of "keep playing the music and keep dancing".

The woman wore a felt hat with a colorful satin edging.

Above the buckle of the hat, two green ribbons hung down, one on the left and one on the right.

This type of hat was very popular until the 20th century and was similar to the Mongolian cap.

For a moment, Shao Xun was a little confused as to whether this style came from Central Asia or the northern grasslands. Perhaps it was formed by learning from each other.

Looking from the side, the most noticeable thing under the hat is the pointed nose.

Her lips were tightly pursed like petals.

The neck is relatively slender, and below it is the typical round-necked, wide-sleeved garment of the Hu people.

This kind of coat is very long, usually hanging down to the knees. The ordinary ones are made of woolen cloth, while the chiefs' families use silk and satin.

The sleeves are relatively large, which is somewhat similar to the clothing of the Jin people, but the top is overall tight, which may be related to people's production and living habits.

The peaks are well gathered and stand proudly.

Perhaps it felt the gaze on it, its breathing became slightly rapid, and the rhythm of the mountain's movement suddenly became disordered.

The edge of the mountain is covered with thick black braids.

On the grassland, some people shaved their heads, some wore braided hair, which was once an important symbol to distinguish the ethnic groups of the Hu people.

The ends of the braids are decorated with a few colorful knots, which looks pretty good.

Some Hu people - both men and women - also like to tie beads and jade on their braids to show off their status and wealth.

The hem of the wide-sleeved shirt curls up smoothly backwards.

Viewed from the side and rear, the middle of the hem is slightly concave. Although only a corner can be seen, it allows one to imagine the deep and charming butt crack.

Shao Xun's gaze lingered there for a while, and the woman turned her body slightly to the side, not allowing him to see.

Under the top are robe pants, which are relatively loose, even baggy.

For the Hu nobles, loose robes and trousers were the mainstream, but they were inconvenient, so they often tied the trouser legs with colorful brocade ribbons, so they were also called tied trousers.

By the time of the Ming Dynasty, relatively narrow and close-fitting robes and trousers had gradually become popular because they were indeed convenient.

The thighs are full and plump, and the base is tightly pressed together.

The calves are round and slender, and paired with long leather boots, they actually give off a somewhat heroic feel.

Perhaps because she had been stared at for too long, the woman raised her eyes and glanced at Shao Xun.

His eyes were calm, mixed with a little anger, and perhaps a hint of contempt.

Some women are very beautiful, but they hate to use their beauty to entertain others. They always feel that they are very capable and have good vision. The only regret is that they are women and cannot realize their ambitions.

After getting married, she gives advice to her husband on his career and pushes him forward. She is ambitious and looks like a hard-working person.

Little do you know, men will not be moved by your fighting spirit, but will only be moved by your beauty.

It is true that efforts are in the wrong direction.

"Shi Le gathered nearly 10,000 people in Xiangguo. When he saw that I did not lead the army in person, he fought a fierce battle with Hou Feihu. Do you know how he was defeated?" Shao Xun asked again.

Liu was too lazy to talk and continued to grind the ink that seemed to never end.

"The Black Sword Army was fighting in a field formation, and the Wuhuan cavalry circled around to the flanks and rear to shoot. The people he hastily gathered could not hold on. This is a lack of self-knowledge." Shao Xun said: "He then ran to Zhaojun, but Zhaojun may not have many soldiers. Hou Feihu and Qihuo's army followed and pursued him. Shi Le had no time to do anything. In the end, every time he arrived at a place, before he could gain a foothold, the pursuers came again, and he could only continue to retreat. In the end, there were only a few people left around him who could run away."

"In fact, what is the situation that Shi Le is facing?" Shao Xun looked at Liu and said, "Since I started my army, I have always been rampant among the cavalry. The Xiongnu, Wuhuan, and Jie people are overwhelming, and the arrows are dense. I have long been accustomed to it. But they have never succeeded once, and I have crushed them every time."

"My soldiers have long been accustomed to fighting large groups of cavalry. What's wrong with being surrounded? The Xiongnu ran around me and rushed forward without the confidence, as if to see me off. The corpses of the Jie people piled up like a mountain in front of the side carriages. When they jumped into the chariot formation on horseback, they were directly pierced through the stomach by the infantry spears. In the end, they didn't dare to fight me head-on, and only knew how to harass the grain road."

"The Wuhuan people defeated Shi Le's hastily assembled infantry with their cavalry and archery. Is this something to be proud of? In my opinion, it is not worth mentioning."

"The Wuhuan people also know this. That's why Bo Sheng was trembling with fear yesterday and begged for my forgiveness, because he used to work for Sima Yue and was afraid that I would bring up the old scores." "Liu Hezhu and his son's Jie cavalry are capable, but they dare not act rashly in front of me. Because their proud archery and close combat skills can't do anything to me, but I can go to his lair in Dalu Lake, so he surrendered respectfully."

Upon hearing this, Liu stopped grinding the ink and stared at the ground for a long time without moving.

Her mind was a little confused.

A few days ago, she listened to Shao Xun bribing various Hebei heroes and proposing the strategy of town generals. She felt that this man was quite capable and could think of things that others could not think of. She was amazed and also a little discouraged.

After hearing what happened on the battlefield, I felt even more discouraged.

When something you are proud of is not worth mentioning in the eyes of others, what else can you be proud of?
The husband, who was once so proud of himself and thought he was the best in the world, ended up being beaten and had to flee in embarrassment.

The once proud power of her mother's family was finally defeated and bloodied by the Silver Spear Army.

Even her beauty, which she was proud of—

"Mingsir." Yang Qin called softly from outside the door.

Shao Xun stood up and gently stroked Liu's face as he passed by her.

Liu was stunned for a moment, and after a moment she gently knocked Shao Xun's hand away.

Shao Xun chuckled and went out.

That laugh seemed particularly irritating to Liu.

******
A large group of personal soldiers surrounded Shao Xun and brought him to the training ground outside Yingchun Gate.

The number of personal soldiers has expanded to nearly nine hundred people.

Generally speaking, there are more than 500 veteran soldiers guarding the inner courtyard, and more than 400 new soldiers guarding the outer courtyard.

The new arrivals were all recruited from Hebei, and were basically children of various noble families, fort commanders, chiefs, and officials.

Everyone knows that being the supervisor of Mr. Chen's personal guards is a shortcut to promotion, so they are willing to send their sons who practice martial arts to him in order to get opportunities in the future.

For Shao Xun, this is also a form of united front work.

You have sent your trusted nephews and nieces here, so when they betray me in the future, shouldn’t you think twice?
Of course, these people must have many children and nephews, so the death of one of them is not a big deal. But it is also a cost, right? After all, they are relatives. Even if they are forced to think more about betrayal, it is good.

"My lord." The Governor of Yicong Man Yu, the Governor of Zhongyi Liu Hedu, the Governor of Xiejie Tao Bao and others stepped forward to salute.

"Are all the expenses prepared?" Shao Xun asked.

"We're ready." Man Yu answered on behalf of everyone.

Shao Xun nodded, then looked at a group of fort commanders and manor owners who had come from Yangping, Guangping and other places, and said, "The royal army is heading north to attack the Xiongnu. You should transport military supplies and do not slack off."

"Yes, sir." Everyone bowed their heads and responded in unison.

The autumn harvest had just ended, and the granaries still had plenty of food. When the army set out, it was natural that every household would provide food and fodder.

The Yicong army still had more than 5,500 cavalry, and this time 3,500 were dispatched, including Liu Da's 1,500 Jie cavalry.

All 9,000 infantry and cavalry of the Zhongyi and Xiejie armies were dispatched.

Yang Dan led 5,000 soldiers from Nanyang.

Gao Yi led a thousand cavalrymen to capture the living.

In addition to the temporarily recruited young and able-bodied auxiliary soldiers from Wei County, a total of more than 30,000 people marched towards Anping County.

To be honest, this strength is actually not weak. The number of cavalry alone is close to 5,000. Even if they face a large group of Hun cavalry, they are not without the ability to fight.

This is the southern route, with Yang Dan as the commander.

In the direction of Xiangguo, Liu Hezhu, the general of Lu Ze (three miles northwest of Lu Ze), Bo Sheng, the general of Shangbai, as well as the recently defected Wubao general Zhang Chai and the refugee general You Lun, led 6,000 cavalry and 40,000 infantry to attack Anping from west to east.

This is the western route, with Bo Sheng as the commander.

The two counties of Leling and Pingyuan conscripted more than 10,000 able-bodied men to march into Bohai and Qinghe to attack Anping.

This is the eastern route, with Shao Xu as the commander.

Su Qiu, the general of Lukou Town, led 3,000 cavalrymen south.

This is the northern route, and he is the commander.

The army surrounded the area from all sides in an attempt to destroy the last organized Xiongnu force in Hebei.

To be honest, in a sense, most of these are "traitor" troops and are not very reliable.

The so-called "tens of thousands of troops" are actually "tens of thousands of able-bodied men", who are just farmers and herdsmen with certain war experience.

Obviously, they cannot fight a tough battle, but they can still fight a favorable battle.

Anyway, I won’t feel bad if I lose. If I can completely eliminate Liang Fuci, the pseudo-Jizhou governor, it would be a pleasant surprise.

Shao Xun felt that he was a bit like Fu Jian, the Heavenly King who drove the surrendered soldiers to capture cities and territories.

It’s fun to use surrendered soldiers, and it’s always fun to use surrendered soldiers.

As for his main force, the two battalions of the Silver Spear Army and three thousand Luonan Prefecture soldiers, they began to deploy in Yecheng and Anyang areas.

The land warehouse cities between Anyang and Fangtou began to retreat one after another, gathering troops and focusing on defense.

Hou Feihu dismissed most of the mob, leaving only more than 10,000 people to return to Xiangguo to stockpile food and supplies, and then sent a part of the troops to station in Wu'an.

More and more Xiongnu cavalry appeared near the exits of Baixing and Fukouxing, which was a sign of a large-scale military expedition.

From this, it can be seen that the Huns divided their troops into two routes, one route entered Ji County, and the other route went straight to between Yecheng and Handan.

No matter when they come, it's always better to be prepared.

However, today Zhang Bin said something rare: Why not go straight to Fukou Pass, take the initiative to attack, and block the Xiongnu in Huguan...

(End of this chapter)