Silver Fox of the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 463

The sky is green and the fields are vast.

In 228 A.D., on February [-]th, the first year of Jianxing in the Han Dynasty, the grass grew and the warblers flew, and the spring was warm and the flowers bloomed.

The warm wind blows, and the sunshine of Hexi shines on the earth, bringing a tranquil, peaceful and vibrant scene to Guanzhong.

Zuo Fengyi in Guanzhong, the hinterland of the once endless plain of the great man, has now become a vast grassland.

From Dong Zhuo's rebellion to Li Jue, Guo Si and Han Suimateng's disasters in Chang'an, more than [-] years have passed, and the entire Guanzhong region has a population of more than [-] million, and there are not many left.

Tens of thousands of square kilometers of land became barren.Only the wild grass basil swaying in the wind is left, still telling the past.

Heyang County is located on the west bank of the Yellow River. The county seat was abandoned more than 20 years ago. Among the ruins, Deng Ai stood on a low slope and watched the other side of the river.

The Yellow River was turbulent, and the soil erosion in the upper reaches of the river was not serious during the Han Dynasty, so the color of the water was sometimes muddy, and sometimes it was clear and very clean.

Through the sunlight reflected by the blue water, Deng Ai could see a stretch of hills on the other side of the river towering high into the clouds.

The mountains stretch along the course of the Yellow River from north to south, with undulating hills and lush forests.On the banks of the Yellow River, there are also lush weeds, basil, and countless vines hanging down, like a primitive jungle.

Perhaps no one has been here for hundreds of years, or no one has ever been to this mountain range. Brambles and weeds are overgrown, and the vegetation grows wildly. It is almost difficult to open a road.

Like most of the raids he had participated in before, Deng Ai was still at the forefront of the entire team.

Now he is half-squatting and half-kneeling in the weeds, with one hand holding the straight knife shaft hidden in the barley, and the other hand resting on the knee of his right leg, his eyes are drooping, his eyes are calm and calm, calm and peaceful. Patiently waiting for the scout to return.

A guard next to him held a reed in his mouth, and the weeds were only knee-high. He had to bend his tall body to barely hide himself.

Not just Deng Ai and the guards, but everyone.

Maintaining this awkward posture made the soldiers feel uncomfortable. After a while, their necks became sore and stiff.They didn't dare to move their bodies, they could only turn their neck bones slightly, and the crowd heard many small clicking sounds when their joints rubbed against each other.

A guard on Deng Ai's left stabbed him in the waist, and when he turned his head slightly to look, the guard pointed to the grass.

There is a skull in the grass.

This is something that can be seen everywhere in the Guanzhong Plain. The famine and plague caused by the Dong Zhuo Rebellion and the Li Jue and Guo Si Rebellion killed more than 10 people in Guanzhong?
A large number of corpses are left uncollected by the side of the road, cities are abandoned, villages are withered, and the world is in chaos. Human life is sometimes not as valuable as weeds.

"came back."

A guard said in a low voice.

Deng Ai raised his head to wait and see, and saw a small boat swaying on the Yellow River among the waves in the distance.

After about two or three quarters of an hour, the boat approached the shore unsteadily.

The upper reaches of the Yellow River are actually not as wide as imagined. The average width of the Guanzhong area is about 200 meters. This section is slightly wider, less than [-] meters. It is incomparable with the Yangtze River.

However, the speed of the river is indeed turbulent, and the small boat must remain stable in the vast river water. If you are not careful, the boat may be destroyed and people may die.

Deng Ai has lost several of his men.

Fortunately, the small boat came over smoothly this time, and the three scouts on the boat hurried ashore, ran up to Deng Ai and gasped, "General."

"how?"

"Found the way."

"Where can I go?"

"Dong Ting!"

"Dong Ting?"

Deng Ai stuck the knife in his hand into the ground, took out the map from his waist and spread it out.

Dong Ting is located in the southeast of Fenyin County, in the south of the hills in the distance, and in the north of Puban where Xu Huang is.

Converted to the location of later generations, it is almost in the area of ​​Sunji Town, Linyi County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province.

The mountain on the other side of the river is Baiyugou, Linyi County, which is a piece of lofty mountains. Going north through the mountains is Ronghe Town, Wanrong County, Yuncheng City, Shanxi Province, which was called Fenyin in the Han Dynasty.

Strictly speaking, this mountain area is not that big, but the north-south extension is longer, and the east-west width is relatively narrow. It's just that the mountains and forests are steep, the trees are lush, and there are no roads.

Deng Ai spread out the map and asked the scouts, "Where is the road?"

The scout pointed to the map and replied: "The forests in this mountain are too lush. We cut through thorns and thorns all the way. Hundreds of brothers went around and went around. Finally, we cut a road all the way through the ravine here. Go out from this mountain crevice. Dong Ting."

"Ah."

Deng Ai looked at the direction the scout pointed and said, "Very well, you guys go to rest first."

"Yes."

The scout went to the rear.

The personal guard said to Deng Ai: "General, this is a great opportunity."

"I know."

Deng Ai nodded, waved his hand and said, "Go back first."

Then he turned his head and left.

To the east of Heyang County, the rural pavilions outside the city were dilapidated. Among the ruins, several Han soldiers crouched at the intersection.

After a while, more than ten fast horses came back from the deserted road covered with weeds in the distance.

"call out!"

Deng Ai whistled.

The nervous soldiers retreated one after another.

The fast horse quickly passed through the entrance of the village, and went straight to a simple repaired wooden house in the center of the village.

The house has long been dilapidated, and it can be used after a little repair with wooden boards.

At this moment, Jiang Wei, Huo Yang, and Wu Dang were talking around the table.

Hearing the noise, the three of them turned around and saw Deng Ai.

Shen Chen handed over the task of this raid to his six favorite disciples, and asked them to lead 500 people each, for a total of 5000 people.

In addition, Pound will take 2 people across the river from Pishi, and still carry out his plan.

Shen Chen will still attack Pu Ban.

It's as if Deng Ai's 3 people smuggled into Yinping in history, and Zhong Hui was holding Jiang Wei back on the frontal battlefield. Only in this way can his teammates' attacks be covered.

Now the 5000 people are scattered in several villages around Heyang, led by Deng Ai, Jiang Wei, Shan Yi, Huo Yang, Wu Dang, and Wu Tao, all of whom are now miscellaneous generals.

Shen Chen handed over the command to Wu Dang because he was the oldest, but he also knew that Deng Ai and Jiang Wei were smarter, so he would listen to their opinions more seriously.

At this moment, Shan Yi and Wu Tao went further north to investigate in the direction of Xiayang, and now the three of them are studying the geographical situation.

In the past month, they have sent people to and from both sides of the Yellow River many times, and they have detected a lot of information. By drawing a map, they have investigated the topography of this area very clearly.

Jiang Wei pointed to the map and said: "Looking at the terrain, this mountain is not very high, but it is densely forested. The jungle road is almost difficult to walk, and there are many poisonous snakes and insects in the mountain forest. The best way to go here is to reach Fenyin."

"However, there are enemies stationed in Fenyin. It would be too risky to attack Fenyin directly. It would be great if we could find a way to Dong Ting."

"It's more difficult. There is no news from there yet."

"The main reason is that there are high mountains and dense forests, and there are no roads at all. Unlike the direction leading to Fenyin, at least a few decades ago, there seemed to be a ferry to Heyang here, and there were some roads."

"Master is going to attack Puban tomorrow. If we haven't found out the way, it seems that we can only take Fenyin first."

A few chatted.

There are countless valleys in Baiyugou, and there are hills and mountains everywhere. It can be said that it is surrounded by jungles. The scouts have been busy for a long time but they have not found a way.

Tomorrow Shen Chen is going to attack Puban and hold back Xu Huang's main force.

If they still haven't found a suitable road at this time, they can only go north to fight Fenyin, and then cooperate with Pound to break Pi's first.

In that case, Xu Huang would definitely choose to withdraw his troops. If Puban could not be breached and a large number of Cao Jun's vital forces could be killed, even if they got the entire Hedong County, their next attack on Bingzhou would be blocked.

So it failed strategically.

At this time, Deng Ai walked in and said with a smile: "Good news."

"What good news?"

"I found a way to Dong Ting."

"Great!"

The three of them suddenly became excited.

Deng Ai said in a deep voice: "I just came back from the big river. The scouts did find a trail, but the road is not easy to walk. It must be opened up. I don't think it should be too late. I will cross the river in batches this evening. After the army passes by, While opening up the road, while resting in place, tomorrow we will be able to go around behind Cao Jun's wall and surprise the rear."

"it is good!"

Wu Dang immediately made a decision, looked around at the three of them and said, "Each of you go back to your own camp, gather your soldiers and set off, and you must arrive at the ferry of the river before the sun enters today."

"only!"

The three of them suddenly responded, and went back to their own troops to prepare.

Soon in the evening, the six of them arrived at the bank of the Yellow River with their soldiers, and began to cross the river in batches on rafts made in situ.

The process was difficult, because spring is the flood season of the Yellow River, and the snow mountains in the upper reaches melted, causing the water volume of the river in the Guanzhong section to skyrocket.

This was probably the reason why Xu Huang relaxed his vigilance and didn't consider that they would choose to cross the river here.

After hundreds of people were killed and injured, the soldiers of the Han army crossed the river with difficulty and marched into the mountains.

At night, the mountains were densely forested, and the sound of howling tigers and wolves spread throughout the wilderness. The soldiers opened a road from the valley, lit torches when they entered the valley, and moved forward under the leadership of the scouts.

Compared to crossing the river, crossing the mountains is hard work, but at least you don't have to worry about losing your life.The soldiers walked with one foot deep and one foot shallow, stumbling all the way.

It wasn't until late at night that Wu Dang ordered to rest overnight in a valley. Under the leadership of six people, each ministry found a camp, which was about seven or eight miles from end to end, and scattered to rest.

In the early morning of the next day, the soldiers of the Han army ate dry food and began to climb mountains and valleys again. After climbing more than ten mountains in a row, Deng Ai stood on the highest mountain and looked southeast.

I saw an endless green grassland beyond the high mountains that I don't know how far away. Unlike Zuo Fengyi, there was actually a village in the distance. The village was built on the grassland and adjacent to a small river.

Instead of clearing fields, there are cattle, sheep and horses everywhere.

The guard next to Deng Ai said to him: "General, those seem to be Hu people. We Han people should be able to farm. Only Hu people can't farm but herd."

"It's strange, but I remember that Hu people don't use wooden houses, they are all tent houses made of cow and sheep skin."

Another guard wondered.

Deng Ai laughed and said: "It's not that the Hu people don't know how to use wooden houses, but the place where they live is a desert, with very few forests and trees, so they all use tents. Who would choose a tent house if they have wood?"

"I see."

The guard nodded and said, "It's just that there are so many barbarians here?"

Deng Ai said in a deep voice: "This should be the Southern Huns or the Qiang people from Beidi County in Anding County. When Cao Cao captured Bingzhou Koulueguan Zhongxiliang, he migrated a large number of Hu Han to Hedong to reclaim fields and graze cattle, sheep and horses. There is no need to worry about the source of supplies in the rear where the late emperor fought in Liangzhou."

"Yes."

The guard responded.

The team moved on, and Deng Ai's position was the first.

He volunteered to be the pioneer.

Jiang Wei wanted to rob him, but failed.

Because Deng Ai is his senior brother.

Although Shen Chen forbids peers from bullying each other, respecting seniors is also one of the rules.

Deng Ai used this to suppress him, but Jiang Wei had no temper at all.

After another two hours, when the afternoon of February [-] was about [-]:[-] p.m., the road ahead finally became clear.

They have been walking in the mountains and forests for a full day, and the Guangshan Road has only traveled [-] to [-] kilometers, which shows how difficult it is.

In fact, the east and west sides of Baiyugou are less than [-] kilometers long, but there are many mountains and dense forests. It is much more difficult for soldiers to cross mountains and ridges while opening roads than to walk on flat ground.

Deng Ai split the bushes with the knife in his hand, and in front of him was a forest at the foot of the mountain, with overgrown weeds and trickling streams.

But his eyes were fixed on the two horses by the stream.

The horse was tied to a tree next to it, and there were still hares shot by arrows hanging on the horse. Judging from the saddle system, it didn't look like a Wei army, but like a barbarian's mount.

After a while, as expected, two Hu people excitedly carried a shot elk to the side of the horse.

Guanzhong has been deserted for decades. After losing human destruction, the natural environment has grown rapidly. Weeds have brought a large number of herbivores, and at the same time, many wolves have appeared in the Guanzhong Plain.

Without the farming civilization, this place seems to have become a Monan grassland, with groups of animals everywhere.

"It's a good harvest today."

"Yes, three hares, and a deer."

"I can exchange a lot of salt with the Han people."

"You can change the oil."

"I heard that oil can be used to cook vegetables, that's what those Han people said."

"Stir fry? Is it delicious?"

"Of course it's delicious. More than ten years ago, I followed Shan Yu and Duke Cao to fight against Nanyang and captured a Han soldier who knew how to cook. He made me stir-fry later."

"Then try it at that time, move from Monan to Bingzhou, and then from Bingzhou to Hedong, life will get better and better."

"The Central Plains is really a good place given by God, I really don't want to go back to the cold Monan."

The two Hu people communicated in the Huns dialect.

Because the elk is too big to use horses, they thought of dissecting the deer by the stream first, and taking the venison back in pieces.

So the two squatted by the stream and chatted cheerfully while cutting the meat.

Then, while speaking, two blades were quietly placed on their necks from behind.

A quarter of an hour later.

Wu Dang's troops arrived in this forest.

Deng Ai reported to him: "Brother, I just captured two nearby Huns. After interrogating them separately, I learned that Xu Huang released 300 people in Dongting, and then in Sangquan, Jiexian, Xiacheng and other places, along the way Some troops have been deployed."

"What about the exact location?"

"I have asked clearly."

"very good."

Wu Dang nodded in satisfaction, pointed to the south and said: "Master should have arrived at Puban today, let's attack Dong Ting without delay!"

Deng Ai smiled and said: "Don't bother, I asked before, the Huns often go to places like Dongting Sangquan to exchange salt with the Han people, today is the market, so if you pretend to be a Hun and go to Dongting, The other party will not doubt it at all."

After Cao Cao moved the Huns to the south, because Hedong is a place where salt is produced, the Huns would exchange oil and salt with the Han people in Hedong.

The start of the war today was Shen Chen's surprise attack, but Xu Huang didn't know this.

Therefore, for Xu Huang and the others, it is not a time of war at all, and trade between the Huns and the Han will not be banned.

After all, the Huns in Hedong were all Southern Huns who were subdued by Cao Cao and moved inward. Most of the cattle and sheep they grazing here were supplied to the Wei army, and many Huns even joined the Wei army to help fight.

So in Xu Huang's view, these Huns are no different from the Han people under his rule.

Hearing Deng Ai's words, Wu Dang frowned and said, "Pretending to be a Hun? But where did we get the horses and Hun clothes?"

Deng Ai looked at the Huns tribe outside the forest with deep eyes, and said softly: "There are plenty of them!"

(End of this chapter)