Farmers of Shu Han

Chapter 1406: Chaos in Hebei

Compared with the previous days in Yecheng when he was trembling with fear and uncertainty, Tuoba Xilu was now in high spirits.

He was riding on a horse, holding a whip in his hand, pointing at the stockade ahead, with a smug look on his face:

"Southern Xia is indeed still rich! We only need to capture a few small forts in Yuancheng, and we can collect more than a month's worth of food."

"If we can capture this big stronghold, I think we won't have to worry about food and fodder for the next few months."

Compared to Tuoba Xilu's arrogance, Tuoba Chuo was calmer:
"Brother, I sent someone to investigate. This village is one of the largest villages nearby and belongs to the Wang family."

Wang is the largest family in Yuancheng. Such a large village must have many guards and tight security.

When it comes to riding horses on the grasslands, the Tuoba clan is no match for any opponent - of course, except for the Han army that can march beyond the Great Wall in winter.

But when it came to marching south to capture cities and strongholds, they didn't even have the ability to ride horses.

This is also the reason why even if the Hu cavalry on the grasslands invaded the frontier, most of the time they would not go deep into the heartland of the Central Plains.

If you want to capture the cities of Nanxia, ​​you either have to pick those small cities whose walls are so big that even horses can jump over them, or you have to surround the cities until all the food and firewood in the city runs out.

Not to mention that with the current situation of the Tuoba clan, they can't even lay siege to the city. If they want to capture the city, there is no other way except to take the enemy by surprise and launch a surprise attack.

Unexpectedly, Tuoba Xilu did not understand the hidden meaning of Tuoba Chuo's words at all.

He licked his lips and said, "Wang family? Aren't we here for Wang family?"

Tuoba Chuo smiled bitterly, shook the reins, let the horse take two steps forward, rode side by side with Tuoba Xilu, got close to him, and whispered as low as possible:
"Brother, this fort is strong and well-prepared. It is far superior to the ones we have conquered."

"We are not good at attacking cities. If we delay for too long for a village, other places will also be prepared, which will be very disadvantageous to us."

There was more than a month's worth of food in hand, which was a significant improvement compared to the initial five days' supply, but it was far from enough.

The steppe eagle soars in the sky and can hunt prey at any time, but once it folds its wings and falls to the ground, it is very likely to become prey.

Although the Tuoba clan is short of war horses now, there is still a chance to take advantage of the lack of defense in other places.

But if you insist on fighting to the death, what's the difference between that and an eagle falling to the ground?
When Tuoba Xilu heard this, his originally smug expression suddenly darkened.

The humiliation he suffered in Yecheng in the past six months was more than in the first half of his life, and much more.

It can even be said that he has never suffered such humiliation in his life.

Now that they had managed to escape, and then looted some small villages, they had finally managed to relieve themselves of the fear and distress in their hearts.

The wanton indulgence these days might be Tuoba Xilu's way of paralyzing himself and deliberately forgetting the humiliation of Yecheng.

Of course, this can also be said to be a kind of compensatory psychology.

But Tuoba Chuo's words suddenly woke Tuoba Xilu up from the illusory satisfaction created by his wanton indulgence, and he was naturally in a bad mood.

He turned to look at Tuoba Chuo and asked:
"Then in your opinion, should we just retreat like this?"

"Of course not." Feeling his brother's displeasure, Tuoba Chuo said quickly:

"Since my brother led the troops to Yuancheng, he has been victorious in every attack, which has helped the Tuoba clan regain some of its prestige."

"If we retreat without a fight at this moment, wouldn't that be a loss of our own prestige?"

After hearing these words, Tuoba Xilu's expression eased a little.

"But brother, now our Tuoba clan is scattered and is far from what it used to be. The people who follow you now are the seeds of our Tuoba clan's revitalization."

"If we forcefully attack the village, and our people suffer casualties, it will be very detrimental to my brother's plan!"

Tuoba Xilu was shocked when he heard this, and then he realized:

"If my brother hadn't reminded me, I would have made a big mistake!"

He looked towards the village in front of him again, and the heat in his eyes finally faded away:
"We can't retreat, and we can't fight. What should we do?"

Tuoba Chuo responded:

"You can send someone to the front of the camp to announce that we are sent by Grand Tutor Sima to come to Yuancheng to collect grain. As long as the camp hands over enough grain, we can be safe."

"Hmm?" Tuoba Xilu was moved when he heard this idea. He thought it was a good idea. "What if they still refuse to hand over the food?"

Tuoba Chuo said with great confidence:

"We have only destroyed a few small camps, and we have been able to collect so much food. Such a large camp must have a lot of food stored."

"We are borrowing food in the name of Master Sima, and we are only borrowing a portion of the food in the village, not stealing it all. This will also help them avoid the disaster of destroying the village. I believe they will weigh the pros and cons themselves."

Tuoba Xilu heard this and nodded: "Okay, then send someone to try."
-
In May of the eleventh year of Yan Xi in the Han Dynasty, the war in Hebei was in full swing.

Not only were the main forces of the Han army pressing in from the west, but Han cavalry and Hu cavalry volunteers also appeared frequently around the Youzhou Pass in the north. Even in the heart of Hebei, there were rebellious Hu people who were looting everywhere.

For a time, smoke of war rose everywhere in Hebei.

Messengers sent by various prefectures, counties and even counties in Hebei Province came in an endless stream, all rushing to Yecheng.

"Please inform them that Wang from Yuancheng wants to see the Grand Tutor."

Wang, the first one to arrive in Yecheng, handed over a visiting card.

However, the response I got was:

"The Grand Master is not in the house."

Upon hearing this, the Wang family's visitor's expression changed slightly: "May I ask when the Grand Tutor will return?"

The concierge sneered: "Is it possible for me to know the itinerary of the Grand Tutor? Or is it possible for you to ask about it?"

The person from Wang's clan gritted his teeth secretly and cupped his hands: "Excuse me."

This happened several times in a row.

It was just the beginning of June and even the Cui family in Qinghe came to visit.

To the visitors from the Qinghe Cui clan, the concierge was much more polite:

"Lord Cui, the battle in Jingxing is urgent. The Grand Tutor has personally led the troops there to prepare for any eventuality, so he is not at home."

As one of the largest families in Hebei, the Qinghe Cui family is much more cultured than the Yuancheng Wang family. When they heard this, their expression did not change at all:

"Thanks for letting me know."

However, after returning to their residence, the originally calm and polite Cui family member suddenly became furious and cursed:
"Cao!"

He seemed to feel unsatisfied and cursed a few more times:
"Cao! Cao! Cao!"

"Sima Yi did this on purpose, didn't he? He definitely avoided us on purpose!"

"The Battle of Jingxing? Others don't know about the Battle of Jingxing, does he think that we, the Cui family, don't know either?"

"The Han army hasn't attacked the pass for nearly a month. How can the war be urgent?"

……

Entering Hebei from Jingxing and heading southeast a short distance away, you will reach Boling.

Who doesn’t know that there is also a Cui family in Boling?
Others may not know about the Battle of Jingxing, but could it be that the Cui family of Boling, who was so close to it, also did not know about it?
The Cui family of Qinghe and the Cui family of Boling have always been of the same blood.

If the Cui family of Boling knew about it, the Cui family of Qinghe would naturally know about it as well.

This is also one of the reasons why the Hebei aristocratic families headed by the Cui family did not immediately agree to provide Sima Yi with excess food.

Although the Han army was coming in full force, they were divided into three groups just to the west of Taihang Mountain.

Not to mention that the Han army in Luoyang in the south had crossed the river into Hanoi in winter.

Outside the northern border, the Han army, which had wiped out the Hu people, was also eyeing the Youzhou Pass.

It can be said that except for the northeast and the sea in the east, Hebei has been surrounded by enemies on three sides.

But so what?
The worst of all the bandits in the Later Han Dynasty was the bandit Feng.

And now, even the thief Feng was blocked at Weize Pass and could not advance an inch.

Finally, they were not allowed to station troops in front of the pass, and there has been no forced attack for nearly a month.

Some say that the Han army suffered heavy casualties in the previous few months and had to rest.

Some said that the bandit Feng had another trick up his sleeve and was planning to sneak across the Taihang Mountains.

Some even said that the Han army was in a dilemma just like Emperor Wu of Wei who was in the Battle of Hanzhong. Seeing that they could not capture the pass and the army was trapped in Jingxing, the Feng bandits had already intended to retreat.

There are many different opinions and it is difficult to tell the truth from the false, but it is an indisputable fact that Feng Yong was blocked at Weize Pass.

But at this moment, Sima Yi said that the battle in Jingxing was urgent and he needed to go there in person?

"This is just an excuse. He wants to avoid us, so he chooses to leave at this time!"

Someone said this with a gloomy look.

The leader of the Cui family snorted. This is an obvious thing, is there any need to say it?
"I heard that in Boling, there are also Hu people who are plundering everywhere?"

After Yuancheng, Qinghe was also looted by the Hu people, and then news came from Boling that the Hu people were causing trouble.

In other words, at that time there were at least two groups of Hu people wreaking havoc in Hebei.

Although these Hu people had no way to break into the fort, it was the time when summer grain was stored in the warehouse. People could hide in the fort, but the grain in the fields could not grow legs and run away.

The situation in Qinghe was relatively easy. We sent some food to the Hu people and finally avoided their harm at the lowest cost.

The situation in Boling was different. I heard that even most of the wheat that was about to mature in the fields was snatched away by the Hu people, which was a heavy loss.

Because Hebei is located north of the Great Wall, everyone has ways to trade with the Hu people outside the Great Wall. Even if a season's food or even a year's food is gone, it may not cause any serious harm.

But it's different now.

In recent years, transactions outside the Great Wall have become increasingly difficult, and this year is particularly difficult.

Now the area outside the Great Wall is filled with the Han army and its lackeys.

No matter how brave one is, no one would dare to take the risk of trading outside the Great Wall at this time.

So everyone's income this year depends entirely on the grain in the fields.

The Han invaded Hebei at the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

In other words, this year's spring ploughing in Hebei has been affected to a certain extent.

If the summer grain cannot be safely stored, it will mean that this year's entire harvest will suffer serious losses.

This time, Cui family of Boling was robbed openly, and their flesh was really cut. No matter how rich their family is, if this continues, there will be a day when it will run out. It would be strange if they don't get angry.

"This is Sima Yi demonstrating to us!"

Who doesn't know that these Hu people were invited to Hebei by Sima Yi?

In the past, the Hu people had been gathering in Yecheng, and there had never been any reports of looting.

Unexpectedly, when Yecheng failed to borrow grain, the Hu people started looting everywhere. To say that this matter had nothing to do with Sima Yi would be to regard these shrewd people from the aristocratic families as fools.

Sima Yi certainly didn't think of them as fools. He knew that they knew, and they also knew that he knew that they knew.

But as long as you don’t admit it, then you don’t know.

"Sima Yi only knows how to ask us to pay money and provide food all day long, but he allows the Hu people to plunder everywhere. Does he think that this food appears out of thin air?"

Someone said something indignantly.

Grain had been collected once in the winter, and laborers were conscripted again during the spring ploughing season. Before the summer grain was ripe, people were sent to ask for grain from them again.

It is called a loan, but everyone knows that this is a loan that cannot be returned.

They don't want to give them any benefits, but ask them to provide money, food and manpower again and again.

Which wealthy family can afford such a ordeal?
Or did they think that these aristocratic families were made of mud and could be molded by Sima Yi at will?

"What do we do now?"

"Has anyone from the Fanyang Lu family arrived?"

"I haven't heard the news yet, but I heard that the Hu people have already headed north. It's only a matter of time before they reach Fanyang."

"Then go and find out as soon as possible. As long as we find out that someone from Fanyang is coming, we will go to Jingxing together to pay our respects to the Grand Tutor."

"Here."

"Also, I heard that Li from Zhaojun has also come. Please help me draft another visiting card. I want to go and visit."

Sima Yi could choose not to meet with the Qinghe Cui family, but what if he also met with the Boling Cui family, the Zhaojun Li family, and the Fanyang Lu family?

There were also local tyrants like the Wang family of Yuancheng. He didn't believe that Sima Yi would turn a blind eye to them.

The aristocratic families in Hebei sent people to Yecheng to visit Sima Taifu, but failed, and they had to try their luck in Jingxing.

At this time, Sima Taifu, who had led his troops to Weize Pass, also sent people to the Han army camp in front of the pass.

Ever since General Feng ordered his soldiers to stop attacking the city and reorganize and rest, he has never ordered another attack.

Over the past month, the soldiers ate well, slept, did some training after getting enough sleep, and then played some military games, and the day passed like this.

We have clearly come here to pacify the bandits, and except that living in the mountains is not as comfortable as usual, life is much better than when there was no war.

After the soldiers had eaten and drunk their fill, they all felt a little guilty, and many generals volunteered to fight.

However, they were all refuted by Sima Feng, who just asked them to keep their troops in place.

Lu Yu was sent by Sima Yi to the Han army camp. Along the way, he saw that the Han army was in good order, had high morale, and was eager to fight. He couldn't help but feel secretly shocked and heavy-hearted.

Although the Han army had not attacked the city for a long time, they were not in a dilemma as rumored and did not intend to retreat.

No matter how much one hates Feng Mingwen, one has to admit that he is a rare hero in the world.

He is outstanding in both civil and military affairs, and few can match him.

Such a person leads such an elite army stationed in front of the pass. Even if there is no movement, it is enough to make people uneasy and dare not take it lightly.

I'm afraid this guy is plotting something in secret.

With extremely complicated thoughts in mind, Lu Yu did not dare to be too arrogant after being led into the Han army's tent. He bowed to the host in the tent neither servile nor arrogant:
"Lu Yu has met Mr. Feng."

"Mr. Lu, there is no need to be so polite. Please stand up."

The voice that came to his ears was neither angry nor slow, and even the address was quite polite, which made Lu Yu feel relieved.

He stood up as he was told, and then looked forward with peace of mind.

Lu Yu, who had remained calm after seeing the appearance of the Han army, could no longer maintain his composure after seeing Feng's true face.

This……

Is this person really Feng Mingwen, the world-famous and talented descendant of King Chen?
Even if the other person was just sitting there, you could tell that he had a burly build.

It was not uncommon for scholars to be tall, but Lu Yu had never seen someone as strong as this man, without any scholarly elegance.

In addition, his beard was thick and not well groomed, making it look like a tiger's beard.

He looks like a typical rugged military general, and doesn't seem like the talented man that the legend says he is.

After Mr. Feng traveled through time, he became more cautious about his life.

So from the very beginning, I paid great attention to physical exercise and nutritional intake.

In his early years, he practiced martial arts with General Guan. Although his martial arts skills were not very good, he achieved the purpose of strengthening his muscles and bones.

Later, he learned the body-building techniques left by Hua Tuo and practiced them every day.

It is normal to be tall.

He has been leading the troops outside for the past few months. Unlike at home, he does not have anyone to help take care of him. He is also too lazy to shave, so it is not surprising that he looks like this.

However, it was hard for Lu Yu to accept that such a rough military general was given the title of a man of great talent.