Huan Rong

Huan Wen's army withdrew from Fangtou, and sent out more than a hundred scouts along the way to scout day and night to prevent pursuers from attacking.After two days of patrolling, the scouts did not find Xianbei's pursuers, but they brought back news that Murong Chui had poisoned the water source.

As Murong Chui expected, Huan Wen became suspicious and did not dare to allow the soldiers to drink the water from the local wells. Instead, he sent three teams to dig wells along the way to fetch water to supply the army with water.

Because I am not a professional, it is inevitable to do useless work in the process.Basically, ten wells are dug, and only two or three can produce water.

The work efficiency is not high, which will naturally slow down the speed of the army.

Originally, it was possible to travel fifty to sixty miles a day, but now it takes only thirty to forty miles to walk for a whole day.In addition, a lot of supplies were burned, and the soldiers only used the steamed cakes prepared in advance to satisfy their hunger. Even the number of steamed cakes was very limited. Tired and hungry, the army quickly lost its staff.

First were the seriously wounded soldiers, followed by the lightly wounded soldiers. On the fourth day of the march, the weak soldiers began to lose their strength and fell down during the march, never waking up again.

When the army was resting, the military doctor reported to Sima Huan that if the army rations could not be replenished, the tens of thousands of troops might continue to be downsized. At that time, without the Xianbei cavalry chasing after them, the army would collapse from within.

"Army rations!"

Huan Wen clenched his fists and pounded hard on his leg.

Everyone in the tent was silent, even Xi Yin didn't intend to trouble Huan Wen at this moment.

"Da Sima, for the current plan, we can only rush to Qiaojun as soon as possible." A general said, "Xianbei bandits are strangling Shimen, and Qiaojun and Liang are still in Yuan Shijun's hands. There are some military rations there. , should be able to support the army for several days."

"good!"

Huan Wen nodded immediately, and ordered the army to pull out the camp immediately, and rushed to Qiao County day and night.

According to Xi Chao's calculation, the rations carried by the soldiers can only last for another six or seven days.If they cannot be supplemented in time, I am afraid that most people will really starve and faint on the road.

It was already November, and the weather was cold in the north, so there was no rice or wheat to harvest.The only way to get the reserve rations is to plunder.In this way, it will still be the people of the Han family who will suffer.

The military order was issued, and the army set off quickly.

Just less than half an hour after resting, they had to continue on their way, and all the soldiers complained, only the right army, the last forward of the team, remained silent.

Liu Laozhi pointed out two building owners and several team leaders, and ordered them to take turns taking care of the wounded so that no one would be left behind.

"It seems that there is indeed not much food in the army."

Liu Laozhi jumped on his horse and told Fan Zhuan, who was still unable to move one shoulder: "Send someone to look after the army rations, this is the capital of our survival."

"promise!"

It's not that Liu Laozhi is selfish and refuses to lend a helping hand to his colleagues, but that in the face of life and death, there will always be relatives and estrangements.

Compared with the state soldiers brought by the government army and the governors of the states, the forward right army is like a stepmother.

Fighting and charging ahead, retreating behind.

Huan Da Sima ordered the warship's supplies to be burned, and steamed cakes were distributed to the soldiers. Liu Laozhi's subordinates received the least share.Don't compare with others, only compared with the forward left army, the number of personnel is about the same, and the number of steamed cakes received is fully reduced by half.

How can such an approach not make everyone feel cold.

"Fortunately, Colonel Huan came up with a plan."

When he was about to retreat, Huan Rong ordered people to keep the fire day and night, and cooked all the slaughtered beef and mutton into jerky. Then, taking advantage of the locusts passing through the border, they made a large net out of military tents and scooped up a handful.

Huan Rong only kept a small part of the "grain" he got, and most of it was brought to Liu Jianzhi.

Liu Laozhi wanted to decline, but Huan Rong packed the bacon and migratory locusts and handed them over to the uninjured soldiers.

"General, I'm not bragging. In one day, the two thousand soldiers in the back of the palace will never be short of food. The generals are all wounded. They need these rations urgently. Please don't refuse."

Huan Rong's words were sincere, and none of the soldiers in the rear had any objection.

On the contrary, Huan Rong's ability to consider the wounded soldiers made them believe that it was absolutely right to follow Colonel Huan!

Liu Laozhi couldn't refuse, so he could only go on the road with gratitude.These impromptu rations were precious, and they really saved the forward and right soldiers.

When most teams began to downsize, the forward and right army miraculously did not lose a single player.Even the most seriously injured were still struggling to eat and drink, and their will to survive was so high that even the doctors were amazed.

"The general and Xiaowei Huan's kindness is as important as a mountain. If we don't live up to it, how can we be worthy of this love!"

On the way to retreat, Xi Yin sent someone to bring several bags of steamed cakes to Liu Laozhi.

Liu Laozhi did not refuse, but he did not let the visitor leave empty-handed, but filled two bags of bacon and half a bag of migratory locusts.

After weighing the weight of the bag, the visitor looked at Liu Laozhi with surprise on his face.

I didn't expect it, I really didn't expect it!

Thinking that the forward right army was about to run out of food, the envoy sent him to send steamed cakes. Unexpectedly, the situation was just the opposite. This guy not only had food, but also ate quite well.

In normal times, a few pieces of bacon are nothing at all.These days, it's a lifesaver.Steamed cakes can only fill the stomach, but bacon has salt!Boil it into a broth, and each person can take a small sip for half a day.

That day, when the army took a short break, the Beifu army drank the long-lost broth.

Regardless of the objections of others, Xi Cishi directly transferred the forward right army to his command.Seeing the seriously wounded soldier lying on the stretcher, he was also shocked.After asking Liu Laozhi in detail, he couldn't help sighing.

"This son is extraordinary. Huan Yuanzi gave up jade to pick up dirt, and he will regret it in the future!"

Liu Laozhi led the team to join the Beifu Army, and those who wanted to take the opportunity to "exchange food" had to stop.

The army continued to move forward, and after entering Qiaojun, they were ambushed by Xianbei cavalry.In a bloody battle, the private soldiers sent by Li Bang were killed, and a batch of military rations were seized, and the morale of the army was slightly refreshed.

However, Sima Huan sat alone in the tent, his brows were furrowed, and he was not at all relaxed.

Li Bang's ambush reminded him that Murong Chui was well versed in the art of war and was a good soldier, he would never be released easily into the tens of thousands of troops.

The victory this time was due to the superiority in numbers.It might not be so easy if they meet the [-] army led by Murong De.

The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. Sima Huan didn't dare to stay in Qiaojun for a long time. After taking back the army rations, he ordered the army to set off on the same day.

At the same time, the convoy led by Huan Rong was still moving forward slowly.

Encountering a tribe of Hu people along the way, Huan Rong showed a "friendly" attitude and ordered Qin's trilogy who knew Hu to come forward to "exchange" and exchange the weapons and iron pots in the car for cattle and sheep in the tribe.

This year, there was a severe drought, and the crops were cut off. The Hu people also suffered a lot.

Batches of cattle and sheep died of starvation and thirst. In the winter, the herds were starved to the brim.

Although Huan Rong and the others were Jin soldiers, they traded fairly and had no intention of robbing them. What they took out were rare items such as leather armor, knives and guns. How can these tribes not be tempted.

"Is it really for us? Five strong sheep for a knife?"

A Hu man who was over forty years old, as strong as a hill, and with a very distinctive hairstyle boldly stepped forward. When he saw the Xianbei machete Qin Lei took out, his eyes couldn't help but shine.

Qin Lei relayed his words to Huan Rong, who nodded with a smile and said, "Tell him, everything in the car can be exchanged."

In order to increase his persuasiveness, Huan Rong asked the servant to open the baffle on the cart.

The whole cart of leather armor, scimitars, and spears appeared in front of his eyes, and the barbarian swallowed, his eyes lit up, and his eyes were full of greed.

"Change!"

Leaving behind ten sheep and three cows, the barbarians took away two scimitars and the tip of a spear.

Watching him leave on horseback, Qin Lei said, "Your Majesty, this person may attract bandits."

"No problem." Huan Rong felt that the carriage was stuffy, so he simply sat on the shaft of the carriage, with his right shoulder leaning against the railing, with one leg propped up, lightly flicking the whip in his hand, causing the horse to snort.

"Lang Jun." A Mi held a bowl of tea soup, Huan Rong grinned, put down the whip, and handed the tea soup to Qin Lei.

"There's not much tea left, let's make do with it."

"Thank you sir!"

Sima Huan dug wells along the way, which not only benefited the people in the north, but also saved Huan Rong the trouble of finding water sources.

Along the way, Huan Rong never encountered the problem of lack of water, but eating meat all day was too greasy, and the tea leaves in the car were greatly reduced, and now there was only a small half bag left, so he had to save some.

Qin Lei took a sip of the tea soup and handed the cup to Qin Jian.

The palm-sized lacquer bowl was turned back and forth in the hands of five or six people, and there was still a shallow bowl bottom left.

A Mi took out another lacquer bowl, poured out half of it, Huan Rong drank it in a few gulps, and licked his lips.

For people who eat meat all day, tea is too important.No wonder the trade embargo was imposed on the grasslands in the early Ming Dynasty. According to the situation at that time, the value of tea was as high as that of strategic materials.

"If he can attract thieves, it's not a bad thing." After drinking the tea soup, Huan Rong put down the lacquer bowl and said, "I won't waste time looking for them one by one."

Xun You and Zhong Lin were sitting in another car, and they were lighting up the small stove at the moment, roasting jerky leisurely.

Seeing the barbarians coming and going, Huan Rong ordered the convoy to set up camp, slaughter the cattle and sheep, and bury the pot for cooking. The two looked at each other and put down the jerky at the same time, waiting for the soup later.

"Kong Yu, why don't you guess when Hu Kou will come?"

Zhong Lin stretched out her slender fingers, stretched her joints by the fire, smiled and shook her head slowly, without saying a word, obviously not being fooled.

"When will the barbarians come, you and I will just wait."

The carts were surrounded, and the cook began to work. When the water boiled, a large piece of mutton was put into the pot, and the aroma was quickly stewed.

Xun You was quite bored.

"Kong Yu looks more and more like a half-century old man."

Zhong Lin is still smiling.

"Instead of guessing when the Hu people will arrive, you might as well guess. After the people arrive, Minggong will kill or release them."

"Oh?" Xun You's eyes lighted up slightly, thinking about Zhong Lin's words, he couldn't help but also laughed.

The soldier next to the car turned his head and looked at the mosquito coils, really did not understand.

No wonder everyone is unwilling to guard these two, listening to them is really not as tiring as usual.

In the evening, the smell of broth wafts through the camp.

Of the ten sheep and three cows, none was kept, and all of them went into the stomachs of the crowd.

As Huan Rong said, as long as he is around, the soldiers will never be hungry.Not only is he full, but he can eat quite well.

After eating and drinking enough, the soldiers were divided into five squads, and they took turns to guard and patrol to guard against bandits that might appear at any time.

The sky was getting darker, and a gust of wind blew from the north, rolling up the stars and grains of snow, which fell around the fire and quickly melted.

ooh-

There were bursts of howling wolves in the distance, and the soldiers had already gotten used to hearing it, and they didn't even raise their eyebrows.

Qin Lei put down the water bag, ignoring the muddy soil layer soaked by the snow, and put one ear to the ground, counting silently in his heart.

After about ten breaths, Qin Lei stood up, strode to the military chariot, and said, "Fujun, here we come!"

Huan Rong opened the window and said, "Are you sure?"

"It's less than three miles away, and there are a lot of people, all of whom are cavalry."

"Could it be Xianbei soldiers?"

Qin Lei paused, this is difficult.

He could hear the number of people, but he couldn't tell the "breed".

"It doesn't matter, the soldiers come to cover up the water and the earth. You always have to face each other. It's the same if you come early or late."

Huan Rong opened the car door, summoned several team leaders, recalled the patrolling soldiers, and set up defenses along the cart.

There were only fifty servants in the team, all of whom were from Yandu.Because he is familiar with the structure of the cart, he can work very quickly and neatly.In less than a moment, a circle of wooden boards was surrounded around the cart, and the upper layer was coated with tung oil, which was comparable to the rattan armor of soldiers when they were in formation.

Behind the cart, bamboo spearmen stood in formation, followed by archers.

The knife and shield guarded the martial car, staring at the fire that appeared in the distance, not feeling the slightest fear, but licking the edge of the knife, his face full of excitement.When it was illuminated by the fire, it suddenly appeared extremely hideous.

If a timid person sees it, it may scare the hell out of him.

Huan Rong saw it accidentally, and couldn't help being stunned.

Is this still the Jin Bing in your impression?

Is there something wrong?

Unfortunately, he didn't have much time to think about it.

On the horizon, a long line of flames rushed towards the convoy with the howling of wolves.

As the distance got closer, Huan Rong finally saw clearly that the people who came were not Xianbei cavalry, but a motley army composed of various tribes.

"It really is people who die for money and birds who die for food."

Huan Rong murmured, the first wave of arrows had already flown out.

Because it was for the purpose of warning, the bowmen controlled the strings accurately, and most of the arrows fell in front of the charging horses, and did not cause too much damage to the enemy.

Those who came didn't listen to the warning, and the second wave of arrow rain came in a blink of an eye. The horse that charged at the front neighed, and five or six people fell off their horses in an instant.

The archers lined up in three ranks and fired in batches.

There are not many arrows flying out each time, but they are continuous, causing great pressure on the attackers.

They are here to take advantage, not to die.

Seeing that this Jin army is not easy to mess with, many Hu people feel like retreating.

Want to go?

Huan Rong saw it clearly and motioned to Qin Lei.The latter nodded, and the archer left no room for it. Arrow Rain found the exact spot and shot the last few members of the team off their horses.

It was only then that the Hu people discovered that this group of Han people were not only difficult to provoke, they were clearly very difficult to provoke!

"Array!"

The cart was pushed forward, and bamboo guns and wooden guns protruded from the back of the cart.

The barbarians turned around and wanted to run, but were blocked by bows and arrows.Taking advantage of their panic, more than ten cavalry circled behind them, and with more than ten long knives, they stopped Bai Yu's cavalry.

Not only Huan Rong, but also the Jin soldiers who made the move felt inconceivable.

Are these really fools?

A thief who kills without blinking an eye?

Seeing that the general situation was over and he was surrounded by groups, the barbarian who was on the horse was quite a bachelor, so he shouted at the top of his voice: "Don't shoot the arrow, I am willing to obey!"

Hearing the shout, Huan Rong immediately raised his right arm, Qin Lei whistled, and the Jin soldiers stopped attacking.The barbarian immediately got off his horse and put his hands on his head. His movements were crisp and neat, which showed his proficiency in business.

Soon, more than 500 Hu people dismounted and hugged their heads, looking like a group of chubby watermelons.

Huan Rong was speechless.

He began to suspect that relying on these "watermelons" could really make things difficult for Murong Chui?

After confirming that the Hu people were not cheating, Huan Rong drove forward, looked down at the crowd from a high position, and found that there was indeed a strong man whom he had seen before, and couldn't help sneering.

The strong man shrank his neck, apparently not wanting Huan Rong to see him.

"Take a look and see which tribes they are."

"promise!"

Qin's trilogy took orders, and instead of tying people up, they went straight among hundreds of people, and completed the statistics in less than two quarters.

"Mr. Huifu, they are Badi and Jie people, and a small number of Qiang people."

"Do you have a last name?"

"There are only Badi surnames, and no other surnames."

Huan Rong nodded, and asked Qin Lei to find out the leaders and bring them to the front of the car for questioning.

During the period, the soldiers confiscated the weapons of the people, and found that there were few iron objects, and most people used bone arrows.Huan Rong knew the truth in his heart, looked at the few people, his eyes flickered slightly.

"I know that your livelihood is not easy, but robbery is not the right way."

When these words came out, several people were taken aback.

What does it mean?

"If I want to kill you, or even destroy your tribe, it's really easy." Huan Rong put away his smile, and said with a more serious tone, "However, I think you are really pitiful, and you have no way out, but you are kept in the dark. I really can’t bear to do it.”

"What does your lord mean?" a Qiang man who understands Chinese said.

"You don't know?" Huan Rong asked in surprise.

Several people looked at each other, suspecting that the Han people were cunning and trying to lure them into the bait, but they couldn't hold back their curiosity, and it was really uncomfortable to hold the question in their hearts.

"You really don't know?"

"Please speak clearly, sir."

"The battle of Fangtou a few days ago, you must have heard about it?"

Several people nodded.

Murong Chui claimed to be undefeated, but he was completely defeated by the Jin army, and even the king of Zhongshan was captured alive. The news has already spread throughout the north.

"Then do you know that after Murong Chui's defeat, he held a grudge against the counties and tribes that refused to send troops, and ordered people to secretly damage the water source, cut off the river, and poison the well?"

"what?!"

"This is impossible!"

"Why is it impossible?" Huan Rong leaned against the railing of the car, folded his arms in front of him, and said, "If you don't believe me, you can send someone to Yecheng, no, there is no need to go to Yecheng, just ask around Zhongzhou , you will know that what I say is true.”

"I didn't instigate you," Huan Rong continued, "Murong was defeated by our army. It is a fact that you didn't help. Why are there so many newly dug wells on the road? Because our army knew that the water source was destroyed and the well water was poisonous. Only then can we dig water for drinking."

"The water source near my department is non-toxic, how do you explain it?"

Huan Rong shook his head, as if feeling sorry for the other party's IQ.

"Poisoning always takes time. Once you drive the cattle and sheep away and give others a chance to attack, the water source behind you may not be safe."

Huan Rong's expression was solemn, and his words were half-truth and half-false.

The faces of the Hu people changed, and they didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was in front of them, and they had to believe it.Let livestock test whether the water source is poisonous?What should I do if I am really poisoned?

"You told us all this because you wanted us to betray Xianbei and be weapons in your Han hands!"

Huan Rong smiled, but did not deny it.

"This statement is true. But unlike the Xianbei people, I pay attention to what you love and what I do, and exchange benefits."

If you want to achieve your goal, the more direct the better.

Too much detour is unnecessary.

"This year is not good. I can't find pasture for the winter. I'm afraid the cattle and sheep won't be able to survive the next year. You must have lost a lot."

The barbarian was silent.

"I have a lot of weapons in my car, as well as tent irons. I can exchange them for you when you bring cattle and sheep." Huan Rong changed the subject and said, "With weapons, why don't you worry about food and clothing, gold and silver? "

"Aren't you afraid that we will rob the Han people?"

Huan Rong smiled and shook his head.

"Do you want to make a one-shot deal, or do you want to do it for a long time?"

"Will you ship similar goods?"

"Of course." Huan Rong looked at the Qiang man who was speaking, "It all depends on whether you are sincere."

In other words, if you want to continue buying weapons from him, you'd better weigh carefully who to grab.

Scanning a few barbarians, and fixed his eyes on a Badi man with a deep outline, Huan Rong said word by word: "If I remember correctly, before Murong Xianbei, the Badi people used to establish a country here?"

This person could clearly understand Chinese, he raised his head suddenly, and looked at Huan Rong with burning eyes.

Huan Rong raised his chin slightly, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

Thanks to Qin Jing's letters, he was able to grasp these entanglements among the barbarians.

To be honest, the Badi people were destroyed by the Huns.However, the land they once occupied is now in the hands of Murong Xianbei.

Seeing that the insignificant tribe in the past was in a high position, and the prosperity and wealth that should belong to him have all been wiped out, Huan Rong couldn't believe that these Badi people would not have the idea of ​​"fighting again".

Sure enough, Badi was moved.

The Qiang and Jie people were also moved.

The two sides hit it off immediately, and the business is naturally quite easy to do.

None of the weapons and leather armor Huan Rong brought was left, and all of them were replaced with cattle, sheep and furs. Even the bottomed iron pot was replaced, leaving no iron slag.

In exchange for weapons, the Hu people had seen Huan Rong's generosity and trustworthiness, and rushed to invite him to be a guest in the tribe.

Huan Rong hastily declined.

Just kidding, regardless of whether you can come back after you go, it will be a big trouble if it is spread to the ears of the scumbag and charged with collaborating with the enemy.

After the deal was completed, Huan Rong didn't stay long, and quickly set off to catch up with the large army.

With these cattle, sheep and furs, there is no need to worry about blood from the scumbag.

Scum dad don't want it?

It doesn't matter, the governors of each state can walk around.Discounted price, there is no such store after passing this village, so you can still make a profit with a [-]% discount.

After Huan Rong left, several leaders got together to discuss the news from Huan Rong.

"Murong Chui can really poison people?"

"Even if it's poisoning, it's targeting the Han people! The Han people are cunning, and you can't believe everything they say."

"rational."

"Whether it's true or not, it's just a handle in our hands."

The leader of Badi glanced at the crowd, gripped his newly acquired scimitar, and said firmly: "This year is not good, and the taxes of Xianbei people are even heavier. If you can withstand Murong Chui, the tax collector from Yecheng will come down, It can’t be sent away easily.”

"In the past, we had no choice but to swallow our anger. Now, Murong is on the verge of defeat, and Murong is not half as good as Murong Ke in the evaluation. Sooner or later, Yecheng will be in chaos. This happens to be our opportunity!"

"You mean?" A Qiang leader couldn't control his excitement, his face flushed.

"Whether it's the Liu family of the Xiongnu or Murong Xianbei, in their eyes, we are all miscellaneous beards! Just like the Han people, we are cattle, sheep, and slaves!"

The leader of Badi clenched his fist and smashed it hard on the ground.

"I think back then, our ancestors were able to turn against Liu Yao, and they were only one step away from success. Today's Xianbei can't compare to the Xiongnu back then!"

"So, do you want to do it?"

Everyone was breathing heavily and their faces were red.

Thinking of the benefits after the matter is done, the blood boils for a while.

"Done!"

Huan Rong's original intention was to provoke these barbarians, add obstacles to Murong Chui, and help the army retreat smoothly.It never occurred to him that the barbarian's ambitions exceeded expectations, and when one fell, the whole chess game was disrupted.