incomprehensible

There are dozens of villages along the Jilei Pass, occupying the last productive land on the edge of the desert.The life of the frontier people was difficult, and Chongyang tried to move the villages outside the pass to the inside of the pass, but failed in the end; firstly, the frontier residents did not want to give up the land they had lived on for generations; Caravans provide lodging and supplies.

There are two routes for trade in the Western Regions, the north and the south. The north route starts from Jilei Pass along Changyu Mountain to the south, bypasses the southern edge of the desert, and reaches the countries of the Western Regions; The outer edge of the Lingshan Mountains, and then north into the Western Regions.The distance and time of the two roads are similar, the north road has Bianman, and the south road has Shakou, and the degree of danger is similar.But relatively speaking, foreign merchants prefer to take the north route, because the people in the northwest are simple and hospitable, while the merchants and officials in the south are all smart and cunning, and they are not easy to deal with; The Thunder Pass is much easier to pass through.

Since June, the Northwest is about to enter a three-month torrential rain season. The dry land on the edge of the desert suddenly gets a lot of water, and it will immediately become soft and muddy, making it difficult for vehicles and horses; The wind and snow will freeze the land, which is also difficult.The roads in the Western Regions are far away, and the convoys are loaded with heavy cargo. It takes almost two months to walk one way, while the North Road is hard to pass for five months a year. From this perspective, the South Road is indeed much smoother; but since After the military chaos at Yunshui Pass in July last year, the situation in the southwest was turned upside down. Now, the new emperor of the center of the central government marched in person. None of the southwestern countries were spared. The southern trade routes were temporarily cut off, and the only option was to go through Jilei Pass.

It is now May, and the caravans will arrive one after another after the weather warms up. There are foreign merchants and Chongyang people returning from the Western Regions. The entire Changyu Mountain line is much more lively than usual, and it is also full of various goods. They are all fat sheep in the eyes of Bian Man.

The caravan has its own guards, but according to the trade agreement between the central government and the countries of the Western Regions, as long as it enters the range of Changyu Mountain, the Northwest Frontier Army is obliged to guarantee its safety, so all the villages along the Changyu Mountain have beacon towers , There are garrison guard posts every [-] miles. Although there are not many people, the advantage is that they are densely deployed. If there is any danger, they can rush to help at any time.

This is the deployment made by Marshal Yao himself. All sentry positions have undergone precise on-the-spot surveys to ensure that every village can receive support as soon as it is attacked, and the main force in Jilei Pass can also Accurately judging the location of the enemy's attack based on the beacon smoke can be said to be a very strict and systematic defense network, which once made the border man helpless; and in the following decades of confrontation, the border man gradually figured out a way to deal with it— — Only rob but not kill.

Although border barbarians have always been haunted in groups, due to the living environment, they emphasize individual combat capabilities and have teamwork, but there is little friendship and mutual assistance at all.In the process of fighting wild beasts, if a companion is injured, there will never be any side barbarian to rescue, because this injured companion will drag others down and cause greater losses.They would not hesitate to leave the wounded and flee separately, and those who knew they could not escape would not hesitate to kill themselves, lest they be torn alive by wild beasts to death.This is a strong and ruthless character that this race has honed in the desert for thousands of years, but the Zhongyang people obviously cannot do this.

The border barbarians have long discovered that if there is a massacre after looting, the frontier army in the center will chase and kill; but if there are survivors left, the frontier army will relax their pursuit in order to give priority to treating the wounded.Border barbarians do not have the conditions to domesticate war horses. Occasionally they snatch some pack horses and camels from caravans, but they cannot be used for combat, they can only be used as rations. Time is limited, under the tight sentry network, the frontier army came to help very quickly, but it was difficult to escape after a long delay.

The residents in the central area also know that the Bian Man has no intention of fighting, and in order to save his life, he does not do much to resist. He even hides the most important and hard-to-obtain rice noodles in the cellar; , generally just grab some air-dried meat hanging outside, grab a whole bunch, grab it and run away.Even if they were looting the caravans along the way, they would only grab practical supplies such as water, food, and furs. No gold, silver, or other valuables would be taken, and it would not cause a devastating blow to the caravans.

Although the two parties are enemies for generations, they have unconsciously formed a tacit understanding that is so subtle that it can be said to be comical; in good harvest years, there will even be some soft-hearted women who sympathize with each other and can't get enough to eat or wear. Warm, deliberately hang more dried meat outside.

As the commander-in-chief of the frontier army, Ye Xuehuan was well aware of these situations, and felt very helpless for the disguised connivance of the frontier residents, but he could not expect them to be as brave and fearless as soldiers, let alone ask them to risk their lives to protect supplies and delay Time can only be appeasement, and occasionally provide some subsidies to maintain border stability.

He took 3000 troops with him this time, and traveled south along Changyu Mountain to inspect the villages that were attacked in the early spring.The border residents saw the army approaching from a distance, and they not only unfurled the Tail-strike Thunder Fish Banner of the Northwest Frontier Army, but also the Black Dragon King Banner of the Yexue Clan, all of them were overjoyed.

The frontier villages are poor, with simple houses and narrow roads, so the army naturally cannot enter, so the frontier residents rush out to the village entrance to worship and greet them; The central official dialect expresses reverence.

Ye Xuehuan didn't dislike these enthusiasms, but he was still on the march, and it was inconvenient to bring these useless things, so he declined them all with a smile, and asked the caravans to enter the customs as soon as possible, so that the border residents could prepare for the rainy season preparation.

After traveling in this way for seven or eight days, we are close to the junction of Changyu Mountain and Xiling Mountain, and further west is the Gobi Desert, where there are no more villages.

It is already halfway through May, and the good weather has long since returned to the customs. The clouds have been overcast for days, and the pressure is getting lower and lower. Black thunderclouds can be seen faintly at the end of the sky, and the rainstorm is coming.

At this time, the sky was already dark, Ye Xuehuan looked into the depths of the desert, sent an order to set up camp on the spot, and returned to Jilei Pass early the next morning.

Lin Yuan was quite surprised, and said in surprise: "I also thought you would go further into the desert."

Ye Xuehuan shook his head and smiled, "The rainy season is approaching, so there is no need to take risks. Besides, there are still people waiting for me at home."

Lin Yuan took a deep look at him. He couldn't find a reason to ask in detail before. Now he opened his mouth, and he naturally teased: "I didn't expect my daughter to lose to such a little guy."

Ye Xuehuan laughed, thinking of Lan Qi, the two-way sharp phoenix eyes also softened, "Lan'er is very good, Lin Shuai will know if he gets along more in the future."

Lin Yuan was noncommittal, and after pondering for a moment, he said in a low voice: "I heard rumors...he is a person who came first to Chu."

"...It's not a rumor." Ye Xuehuan replied indifferently, "He has done many things for the queen mother, and also for me and Chongyang. He is worthy of the golden waist medal given to him by the emperor's brother."

Lin Yuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Do you feel that you owe him something?"

Ye Xuehuan heard what he meant, and said with a light smile, "It's a consensual matter, and there is no debt or compensation."

He didn't resist Lin Yuan's temptation. After all, he was the one who ruined his own reputation. Everyone in the world thought that he was heartless and cold. Marriage; even if you are really tempted, the other party must be some amazing talent among the dragons and phoenixes, or the beauty and beauty of the sky, no one can believe that it is Lan Qi who is so plain-looking and unknown." Male favorite".

After learning that Lan Qi was related to the Queen of Chu, everyone spontaneously found a reasonable excuse for him, thinking that the relationship between them was all caused by the Queen of Chu, rather than pure and true love.

Out of protection for Lan Qi, Ye Xuehuan can acquiesce in such misunderstandings by irrelevant outsiders; but in front of a close person like Lin Yuan, he does not want to be fake, nor does he want to hide his love for Lan Qi.

He did feel sorry for Lan Qi, but it was not due to a debt; on the contrary, it was because of his love that he cherished his past hardships and forbearance.He wants everyone to know that Lan Qi is definitely not just a kitten who can act coquettishly. Under his slender appearance hides a sharp edge, his eyes are enough to see into any darkness, and his sharp claws are enough to tear any tricks.

"In this world, there is no one who understands me better than Lan'er." Ye Xuehuan looked at the distant sky and sighed contentedly, "The thing I should be most grateful to my mother in this life is to keep Lan'er for me."

Lin Yuan breathed out lightly. Speaking of this, he also knew that Ye Xuehuan had no intention of talking again, let alone listen to any advice, so he couldn't help but shook his head with a wry smile.He didn't think that Ye Xuehuan would be deceived by such superficial things as beauty, rhetoric, or kung fu in bed. The only thing that can exchange the dignified Prince Rong's sincerity is sincerity; but he only saw Ye Xuehuan's Without hesitation, in his eyes, the contributions between the two are not equal, so he cannot accept it calmly.

He is not a stubborn and pedantic person, and he is willing to respect Ye Xuehuan's choice; it's just that he becomes more curious about Lan Qi, and wants to know what kind of lively and enthusiastic soul lies under such a plain face. Even Ye Xuehuan couldn't put it down.

At night, the frontier army reorganized the camp, arranged night patrols and guards, lit fires, cooked food and fed horses, everything was in order.

Lin Yuan and Ye Xuehuan were alone in the middle tent, and asked about the situation of the front palace for several years; but Ye Xuehuan almost avoided answering about the secrets of the royal family.Lin Yuan thoughtfully stopped asking, and instead discussed the Southwest War with him.

"I didn't expect His Majesty to be so courageous when he rose to power." Lin Yuan smiled, "Just after Feng Chan was enshrined, the imperial conquest was personally conscripted, which has never happened in my dynasty."

But Ye Xuehuan shook his head and said: "The matter involves the former court Feng, he must solve it immediately, otherwise I would do the same."

Lin Yuan frowned, thinking that from last night Xuehuan's patrol to the south to the military chaos at Yunshuiguan, from Yiguo's dispatch of envoys to the Imperial City Palace, seemingly unrelated, but in fact they are closely linked; The two prefectures, and even the Feng family of the previous dynasty were all involved. Such a huge situation was beyond the control of any one person.Although the final result could not be said to be a happy one, the court situation was finally stabilized, and ordinary people did not even feel any turmoil; the game of exchanges and turbulent undercurrents in it were hard for outsiders to imagine.

What makes Lin Yuan even more shuddering is that during this period, Lan Qi has always been by Ye Xuehuan's side.

——He suddenly became a little worried about Lin Xize, who had offended Lan Qi from the very beginning.

Before I had time to think about it, there was a report from a sentry outside the tent, and there was a figure moving out in the desert, which seemed to be haunted by a border man.The two of them didn't care about talking any more, they immediately went out of the middle tent, dispatched scouts to investigate, and ordered the whole army to be on alert, put on armor and prepare horses, ready to fight at any time.

Ye Xuehuan boarded a high ground. It was difficult to see in the dark night, but he could barely see the figures slowly approaching in the depths of the desert. The scattered but not chaotic way of walking seemed barbaric at first glance. The number of people was temporary. It is still impossible to judge accurately, but at least 200 people are facing up.

From the perspective of the army, 200 people is nothing to mention; but if you want to rob unarmed border residents, this is definitely a large army, enough to sweep most of the villages along Changyu Mountain.

In fact, how many people there are in the border barbarian race has not yet been ascertained.They hide in the depths of the desert, and only the bravest and fearless warriors will come to the edge of the desert, armed with bony bows and spiked arrows, to snatch the supplies they need to live from under the iron cavalry in the center.

It wasn't until Ye Xuehuan went deep into the desert and was besieged by [-] Bianman back then that he came back after a narrow escape, and the whole central government and the people were shocked. Only then did he realize that there were so many Bianman led by the barbarian king. Although they had no equipment and horses, they There is a certain degree of discipline and organization; and what is even more incredible is that it was not an encounter, but an obvious ambush.

Ye Xuehuan didn't say anything. After returning home, the whole army conducted a thorough investigation and found out the Liu family's hidden stake. After extorting a confession through torture, it was learned that the Liu family sent people to pretend to be a caravan and deliberately let the Bianman rob, and told the Bianman army that there were a large number of Food and armaments, and revealed his marching route and the number of troops.Bianman was attracted by this huge temptation, but maybe even Liu Ting didn't expect that Bianman could gather so many people, and Ye Xuehuan could come back alive.

In that battle, Bian Man was indeed only prioritizing the looting of supplies. After Ye Xuehuan was hit by an arrow, Chu Changyue also discovered this. Ye Xuehuan fought for three days of snake-sleep suspended animation.Bian is rough and vulgar, and doesn't understand this strategy of delaying troops. He only thinks that the people in the center are afraid of death and trying to survive, so they celebrate wildly at the bottom of the slope, waiting for the frontier army to offer supplies, but Ye Xuehuan's crazy counter-kill comes. Not only suffered heavy casualties, but also lost the life of the barbarian king.

After that, Ye Xuehuan completely held grudges against Liu's family and began to confront Liu Ting head-on; while the Bianman never had such a large group of haunts, and sometimes even took the initiative to avoid the frontier troops.

The frontier army was camping on the outskirts of the desert at this time, and the camp was brightly lit. Of course, the frontier barbarians couldn't be stupid enough to attack the camp on their own initiative, so they had to avoid it at night.Now is indeed a good time for the border barbarians, the rainy season is approaching, the caravans are dense, and the patrolling border troops have just passed by, so the rear must be relaxed, but they are really unlucky, and Ye Xuehuan runs into the border patrol in person.

Ye Xuehuan summoned his own soldiers and ordered: "You don't have to pull out the battalion, stay put and wait until the border barbarians pass by before going around and outflanking. Before that, let the scouts find out the number and strength of the troops."

The soldiers led away, Lin Yuan saw the sharpness in his eyes and knew that this might be another battle of total annihilation, so he couldn't help laughing.He has resigned as the frontier commander. Unless there are special circumstances, he will not really go to the front line again.It's just that every time I watch Ye Xuehuan go into battle, I can't help but miss those years of blood-stained yellow sand; but when I look at the high-spirited prince in front of me again, I feel proud when I think that he was brought out by myself.

——It's a pity that I didn't become a son-in-law.

Bianman's night vision is much better than Zhongyangren's, and he acts as usual in the dark, like a vigilant and quiet pack of wolves.Ye Xuehuan was afraid to scare the snake, so he asked the cavalry to move slowly in the opposite direction, fanning out in the rear, waiting for instructions.

This should be the last wave of frontier barbarian attacks before summer, and it is bound to be ferocious.Although the Spike Arrow is powerful, its range is short because the arrowhead is too heavy, and it is useless at a long distance.The frontier soldiers all know this, so they will never engage in hand-to-hand combat at the beginning of the battle.Night vision is too poor to be suitable for long-distance attack. To be on the safe side, we still have to wait until dawn.

Ye Xuehuan was not in a hurry, according to the news constantly reported by the scouts, he depicted the formation deployment of the enemy and us in his mind, and while calculating the distance between the two sides, he drove Qingdian along the high ground slowly towards the direction of the border barbarians Move, follow behind neither far nor near.

There was a faint thunder in the distance, accompanied by the rustling of the short grass in the breeze, which well covered up the dull sound of horseshoes; the sky gradually brightened, and the figures who were walking in the darkness before were gradually exposed in his sight.

This is a magnificent scene that can only be seen on the edge of the desert in this season. At the end of the northwest is thick and dark thunderclouds, while the eastern skyline is dyed a gorgeous rose red by the rising sun, half chilling, Half charming, the strong contrast makes this picture very unreal, like a fantasy dream, making people forget for a moment that they are still on the edge of the desert.

Ye Xuehuan raised the corners of his lips. This was one of his favorite sights. He once thought that he must bring Lan Qi to see it; but at this moment, this beautiful sunrise meant a hunt. The killing begins.When Xi Guang reflected into his glass-like clear eyes, it suddenly became a faint blood red, flowing with some kind of excited and dangerous light.

He looked down at the barbarian team in the distance from a height. They were dressed in rough fur and coarse linen clothes, their thick arms and calves were exposed, their skin was a kind of vicissitudes of dark brown, and their hair was shaved for the convenience of movement. Extremely short, even more brutal and insolent.And those with black totem tattoos on their arms are the fiercest warriors among the border barbarians, rushing to the forefront in various hunting and plundering operations.

This team has a large number of people, among them there will be at least five or six such warriors, and their fighting power is much higher than that of ordinary barbarians.Ye Xuehuan narrowed his phoenix eyes slightly, drew up his long bow, and the mournful trembling sound of the prison resounded, and the blood feather arrow turned into a murderous white line, and shot towards the warrior at the front of the team.The soldiers behind him also raised their bows and shot a loud arrow, giving a signal to launch an attack.

Bianman was suddenly attacked, and roared out one after another, but they didn't panic, and quickly gathered together to form a defensive posture; although Ye Xuehuan's arrow was fierce and tricky, it was too far away to cause fatal injuries, so it only hit One shoulder of the barbarian warrior is enough to make him unable to draw his bow.

The Blood Feather Arrow was too recognizable, and the barbarian warrior who was shot was even more angry. He pulled out the arrow from his shoulder and slammed it on the ground.Blood snaked down the ferocious tattoo on his arm, and he didn't seem to feel the pain at all. He yelled barbaric words in Ye Xuehuan's direction, and he didn't know what he was yelling.

The border barbarians admired pure power, and Ye Xuehuan beheaded their strongest and most valiant barbarian king, and naturally became the biggest enemy in their eyes, but at the same time, he also became the bravest central warrior in their hearts; He can also become a hero in the clan by laying down his head.Therefore, even though the horseshoes sounded loudly behind him, and the cavalry of the frontier army aggressively outflanked and encircled them, the frontier barbarians still seemed to disappear, and only swarmed in the direction of Ye Xuehuan.

There is a huge disparity in the number of the two sides, no matter how good the frontier barbarians are at fighting, the final result is already doomed; however, none of them is afraid to retreat, while running fast, they untie the bone bow from behind, and the mace arrows fly off the string, with a strong momentum .

Ye Xuehuan showed an extremely provocative smile, pulled the rein of the horse, turned around and galloped in the opposite direction.He was followed by only a squad of personal soldiers, while on the other side of the high ground, more than a thousand cavalry were waiting in formation.This is a pocket formation with both ends closed, and he himself is the bait to lure the enemy deep. As long as he is in the formation, the border guards will surely rush forward like moths to a flame. I really don't know whether to call it heroic or stupid.

Qingdian is one of the best horses in thousands. It is graceful and graceful when walking in ceremonial steps, and it is gentle and stable when carrying Lan Qi for a stroll. But once it arrives on the battlefield, it can be wilder than an untamed horse. The raised dust almost completely covered Ye Xuehuan's figure, and gradually distanced himself from the soldiers behind him.

This is not the full speed of Qingdian, Ye Xuehuan needs to move outside the range of the spike arrow, but also within the range of the prison, so he can't really ride the dust.He clasped the horse's belly tightly with his calf, and drew his bows one after another, hitting a hundred shots, but rarely fell down.No matter how good his archery skills are, it is difficult to accurately hit the vital points when both sides are moving at high speed; what's more, he has rough skin and thick flesh, and the arrows can't kill them after all, so he can only try to let them bleed as much as possible first Use some energy, and wait until they are exhausted before fighting hand to hand.This is the combat experience summed up by the Northwest Frontier Army over the years. In terms of combat effectiveness alone, the Chongyang people are far from rivals of the Frontier Man; but when it comes to tactics and combat coordination, the Frontier Man is really far behind.

The encirclement gradually took shape, and the cavalry in the rear kept firing their bows. They were so disturbed that they could no longer stare at Ye Xuehuan alone and yell to kill, and also attacked the cavalry.Arrows flew between the two sides, soldiers of the frontier army fell from their horses constantly, and some horses fell wailing, and the barbarians on the sidelines were also decreasing at a speed visible to the naked eye; The dead body was trampled out of shape by the horseshoes catching up from behind, and even the enemy could not be distinguished, but no one could pay attention to it.

Ye Xuehuan had defended the border for ten years, such a cruel and bloody scene was no longer enough to shake him, his eyes were still steady, and his arrows were firing continuously; however, the heart under his chest was beating violently uncontrollably, even in the shocking sky. Amidst the killing sounds, he seemed to be able to hear the gurgling sound of blood rushing in his body.Holding life and death in the courtroom can certainly give him the pleasure and pride of looking down on the world, but this kind of bloody tension and excitement can only be felt when fighting in battle.

He is a born conqueror, he likes to control everything in the midst of tactics, and he prefers to kill all sides on the battlefield.

Soon, Bianman reached the high ground, but his spikes and arrows were exhausted, and he lost his means of long-distance attack.The cavalry in the rear suffered heavy casualties, but this did not affect the closure of the encirclement. The frontier barbarians had no way of retreating, and they were bound to launch the last wave of dying struggles. That was the real Shura field.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Ye Xuehuan reined in his horse and turned around, and released the last arrow in his quiver towards the sky—it was not his blood feather arrow, but a signal arrow with a chimney tied on it.

In the melee, the loud arrows can't do much, only the signal smoke rising into the air can give orders.

Seeing the signal smoke rising, the other side of the high ground immediately beat the drums. The fierce drums seemed to be beating directly on the heart, forming a deep and powerful resonance, which intensified the already high-spirited fighting spirit to an unstoppable level. The cavalry up and down the slope no longer had any scruples, and surrounded the border man on this high ground.

The two sides finally made official contact, and the fight was inextricably linked in an instant.Although the frontier man's weapons are simple and mostly made of animal bones and teeth, they are powerful enough to pierce armor and break bones with one blow.If you simply fight with infantry, an average of four or five frontier soldiers can exchange the life of a frontier man, but fortunately, at this time, there are not many frontier men with full combat power.

Ye Xuehuan carried a long spear, and rushed in and out at the forefront of the confrontation, with personal guards on his left and right to prevent the border guards from attacking his sides and rear.Cang Xing's gun light kept harvesting the enemy's life, and border soldiers continued to fall around. The cruelty of the war was vividly reflected at this moment, but both the enemy and us in it were unaware of it.Everyone's eyes were red with blood, and they would never stop until one side was wiped out.

A battle lasted from sunrise to noon. More than 270 frontier soldiers were wiped out, and the frontier army also lost nearly 500 people. In addition, there were a large number of disabled people of varying degrees. After the battle, the surviving soldiers were able to rest , military doctors and logistics began to be busy.

Ye Xuehuan was guarded by soldiers and only suffered some minor injuries. However, due to prolonged swinging of the bow and spear, his right arm was so sore that he could hardly lift it up. At this time, he had returned to the middle tent. While he was being massaged with medicine, Lin Yuan led people to clean up the battlefield.

Naturally, the remains of the victims could not be taken away, but if they were buried improperly, it would easily cause epidemics, so they had to be burned on the spot; the only thing that could be brought back with the army was a piece of breastplate, which recorded the names, birthdays, and troops of the martyrs. Leave it to the family members to express their condolences.The same is true for the corpses of border barbarians. Only one ear will be cut off as a record of military exploits, and the rest will be burned.

It was nearly midnight when the battlefield was cleaned up. Hundreds of corpses were neatly piled up on the high slope and sprinkled with combustion-supporting grease; The rocket ignited the remains.

The blazing fire lit up the entire night sky, and Ye Xuehuan led the surviving soldiers to stand down the slope and watch silently.Whether it is a frontier soldier or a border barbarian, they all died for their own clansmen, and they are equally worthy of respect.It was a hostile position in life, but it was burned to ashes after death, and turned into a handful of scattered loess in this desert, which was washed into the depths of the soil by the coming rain, and became the nutrient of luxuriant grass and wild flowers, adding to the ever-growing nature. in the loop.

The fire gradually subsided, and the morning sun slowly lit up again.In exchange for these sacrifices, there will be peace in the next three months.

This battle feat will eventually be recorded on Ye Xuehuan, but behind these feats, there are countless corpses and blood.

The higher he stood and the farther he walked, the more shocking the road behind him was.After each victory, the flames of burning corpses reminded him that his current glory is made up of countless bones. The state protects the people and vows to guard the rivers and mountains.

——Once he succeeds, his bones will perish, this is his destiny as a prince.

Ye Xuehuan turned around, exhaled the turbid breath in his chest, looked at the resolute faces of Yu Sheng after the war, raised his arms and shouted: "Return in triumph!"

Hundreds of soldiers responded in unison, and the sound was like thunder.