Hanhou

After the army left the oasis, they rushed all the way to the desert.

On the way, there was a sandstorm, and the scouts failed to find out the situation in time. After the wind stopped, the same group of barbarian soldiers from the north met unexpectedly.

These barbarians are tall and tall, with high noses, deep eyes, and protruding foreheads.Weird totems are painted on the cheeks and arms, and the hair is tied into long, messy braids. The braids are tied with bones of various shapes, most of which are smashed deer bones and cow bones, and there are also a few human-like finger bones.

There were five hundred barbarians in total, led by a middle-aged man in a leather robe with a red totem on his face.

When they met the Han army, they had just intercepted and killed two caravans sheltering in the rocky valley, wrapped the stolen silk around their bodies, killed all the camels, drank the fresh blood, cut off the raw meat and munched, and became more and more serious ferocious.

The sound of horseshoes rumbled, and the barbarians on the outside threw away their bones and roared.

The leader quickly stood up and raised the stone ax to the crowd.

Five hundred barbarians rushed out of the rock valley together, without mounting their horses, let alone forming a battle formation, they rushed up to the Han army in a chaotic group, shouting.

Wei Qing and Zhao Ponu were ordered to scout the way, and they were taken aback when they saw the barbarians in front of them.

Along the way, they have seen all kinds of armies, no matter how weak their fighting power is, they can still ride and march at the same time.What's going on with these things?

There are no horses, no camels, and stone tools are still used!

To be honest, they couldn't see these people as fighters at all.Not to mention the other parts of the grassland, even the barbarians who surrendered to the Huns had equipment and fighting methods that were several times higher than those in front of them.

The barbarians were full of ferocious faces, shouted loudly, and rushed towards the Han army.

Wei Qing and Zhao Puonu were strange, but they did not forget their responsibilities.Immediately an order was issued, thousands of Han cavalry formed a wild goose formation, the chains were hung on the horses' backs, and they continued to accelerate as they marched, setting off a whirlwind outside the rocky valley.

The distance was getting tighter and tighter, and Han Qi was surprised to find that these barbarians were taller and stronger than Yuan Guan.The stone ax danced vigorously, its movements were chaotic, but its strength was astonishing. If it was hit by a horse, its bones would break.

"kill!"

With a long sword in hand, Wei Qing cooperated with Zhao Puonu to kill two barbarians who rushed forward, continued to drive the horses, and quickly chiseled into the barbarian team, separated 500 people from them, and then surrounded by the outer Han cavalry to annihilate them .

The barbarians rely on bravery to fight, without any strategic formation.

He was cut open by the Han army, and the head of the leader was cut off with a single knife. Without the backbone, he could only fight on his own, and was cut and killed by the Han army bit by bit.When he finally reacted, the barbarians who could still stand were less than two slaps.

"Keep two alive," Wei Qing said.

Han Qi put away their long swords one after another, and switched to iron chains and horse locks.

The war horse passed through the flowers, and the ropes flew down, trapping and binding three barbarians with bared teeth and snarling ferociously.

After succeeding, the soldiers charged forward and dragged the barbarian to the ground.It won't make them die, but it will make them lose their strength and feel the pain.It doesn't matter if you don't understand the language, practical actions can make these barbarians understand that if you don't want to continue to suffer, it's best to shut up and give up the unnecessary struggle.

After the battle, Wei Qing ordered a team of scouts to check the rocky valley where the barbarians rushed out.

The scouts came back soon, and found more than 30 corpses in Yangu. Judging from the clothes and weapons they used, they should be from the Western Regions caravan.It is not yet possible to determine which country it is.

"Caravan?"

After looking at the short spears and machetes brought back by the scouts, Wei Qing took out the map from his pocket, thought for a moment, and circled the marks on the map with burnt branches.

This is a habit he learned from Zhao Jia.

He will mark in detail all the more conspicuous oasis rocks that he sees along the way to ensure that no one is missed.

"There is a caravan from the Western Regions passing by. It seems that this direction is correct."

There is a precedent of Li Danghu taking the wrong direction and the army going around far away. In the process of exploring the road, Wei Qing and Zhao Ponu worked hard and did not dare to slack off in the slightest.

"After this rocky valley, Ashin and Ao will replace us."

Zhao Puonu rode over and glanced at the map in Wei Qing's hand. His gaze swept over the densely packed marks on it, and he couldn't help feeling dizzy for a while.

"Ah Qing, you remember so much, don't you think it's troublesome?" Zhao Puonu said.

If it is painted like this, who else can understand it except me?

"No trouble." Wei Qing folded up the map, put it away carefully, and said to Zhao Ponu, "I am no more cautious than you and Ashin in finding the right direction."

Zhao Puonu flicked his horsewhip, but did not refute.

Probably due to early experience, no matter grassland or desert, with the sun as a reference, he and Xin Zhao can accurately distinguish between east, west, north, south, and rarely make mistakes.Standing a wooden stick on the ground, looking at the light and shadow, can roughly infer the time.

This ability is one of the best in the Fifth Battalion, and even experienced scouts admire it.

"Yantu's location is to the northeast. When Ah Xin and A Ao come over, they will probably have to explore the way south." Zhao Puonu put one hand on his forehead and looked up at the sky.Because the sun was too glaring, his eyes narrowed slightly, and his thick eyelashes drooped, leaving fan-shaped shadows on his face.

"Mr. Lang said that the landform here is special. When encountering strong winds, the position of the sand dunes will shift, so it cannot be used as an accurate reference. Looking at it now, it is indeed true." Wei Qing said.

"What?" Zhao Puonu withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Wei Qing.

"It just occurred to me that this rocky valley was mentioned by the interpreter leading the way." Wei Qing explained, "When we came out of the desert, we went west along the river. If we want to turn back faster, we'd better find the big river. "

Understanding what Wei Qing said, Zhao Puonu couldn't help but widen his eyes.

"Ah Qing, are you saying we've gone astray?"

"It's not that serious." Wei Qing shook his head and said, "I was going to Daxia earlier, so I didn't follow the same path."

When the two were talking, there was a gust of sand behind them, and then the team led by Xin Zhao and Gongsun Ao appeared in sight.

"A Xin, A Ao, here!"

Zhao Puonu raised his right arm and waved it vigorously at the two of them.

Zhao Xin and Gongsun Ao accelerated at the same time, Qianqi arrived in an instant, and joined his comrades outside the rock valley.

"What's going on here?" Seeing the barbarian corpses scattered on the ground, Xin Zhao was surprised.

"It's not a big deal." Zhao Ponuce stepped forward immediately, explained clearly in a few words, then changed the topic, and said, "Ah Qing said that the current route is northerly, and we should turn back as soon as possible to find the big river we passed by."

"Gui water?"

"Yes." Wei Qing nodded and said, "That's what Mr. Lang is called."

After discussing with several people, Wei Qing and Zhao Puonu stayed to clean up the battlefield, and took a slow step. Zhao Xin and Gongsun Ao continued to move forward, following the direction Wei Qing pointed out, looking for the river they had passed by when they came.

"Ashin, put Xinying, you should be able to find it sooner!" Zhao Ponu put one hand around his mouth and said loudly.

Xin Zhao didn't answer, just raised his arm and waved it twice, indicating that he knew.

After the battlefield was cleared, the Han army also arrived at Yangu.

After hearing the reports from Wei Qing and Zhao Puonu, the generals quickly made a decision, and the army marched southeast along the marks left by Zhao Xin and Gongsun Ao without delay.

Four days later, the boundless yellow sand gradually retreated, the air was no longer too hot, and a large area of ​​greenery appeared in front of my eyes.On the sixth day, Zhao Xin sent people to report, and they found Guishui five miles ahead.

"accelerate!"

Zhao Jia and Wei Yue gave orders at the same time, the Han cavalry did not stop for a moment, their horses were on the ground, and they galloped towards the river.

At that time, Zhao Xin and Gongsun Ao were on guard by the river, waiting for the arrival of the army.

The water in the river is rushing, and occasionally dark shadows can be seen, probably fish schools emerging from the bottom of the water.It's just that the river is too wide, the current is fast, and there are no suitable tools at hand. Everyone can only watch the fish appear and disappear, and cannot fish.

After the army arrived, everyone dismounted to rest one after another.

The fifth battalion was alerted in batches, and the rest went to the river to fetch water to relieve fatigue and heat.

When it was Cao Shi's and Li Danghu's turn to lead a patrol, Zhao Jia took off his helmet, squatted down on the bank of the river, and splashed the river water on his face.Feeling the instant coolness, let out a comfortable breath.

The war horse came over and snorted beside him.

Zhao Jia chuckled, took the rein with one hand, took out the coarse cloth from the horse's back, wet it, and wiped it from the horse's neck to the horse's body.

The bay red horse was getting older and injured, so he was no longer able to go out with him.

Zhao Jia's current mount is a strong Hun horse with a shoulder height of nearly 1.6 meters and a thick mane. It runs as fast as lightning.The only thing is that his temper is not very good, and he often fights with the war horses of Wei Yue and the others.

The big obstacle was the playfulness, when Zhao Jia turned sideways, the war horse suddenly lowered its neck, and put its forehead on Zhao Jia's shoulder.

Zhao Jia didn't pay attention and almost sat in the river.Wanting a serious expression, looking at those big wet eyes, he really couldn't get angry, so he sighed and patted the horse's neck to signal it not to mess around anymore.

After resting by the river for half a day, the army continued to set off.

Because of the river course as a reference, at least before entering the desert, you don't have to worry about going off course.

The further east you go, the less likely you are to encounter an unfamiliar army. Instead, you will encounter a few westbound caravans, one of which was founded by Wei Qingmo, who travels the Western Regions all year round and earns a lot of fame.

The team leader is a loyal servant of the Wei family, so he naturally knows Zhao Jia.

Seeing the flag of the Han army from a distance, he immediately became excited, got off his horse and walked forward to salute Zhao Jia.

"How is sister?" Zhao Jia asked.

"Return to the general, the girl is well, the little man was born earlier, the mother and child are safe." The team leader smiled, especially when he mentioned Wei Qingmo's son, the corners of his mouth almost reached the ears.

"I'm away from the army, so I can't visit my sister." Zhao Jia felt very regretful.

"Don't say that, the general. Girls often say that you can rely on the general to have today's day. If the general is well, she will be well, and Mr. Xiaolang will be well. I learned that the general sent troops and hadn't returned for a long time. The girl is very worried." It was because of worry, and he couldn't leave Xiao Langjun, so he ordered the servant to go west to see if he could find news about the general."

The leader explained the reason for the westward journey, and slapped his thigh again, ordering everyone in the caravan to unload the dried grains and meat they were carrying and hand them over to the army returning east.Take hay and dead branches to make a fire, boil the noodles in water, rinse the hot noodles with clear water, and sprinkle with special sauce, which has a spicy taste and is very refreshing and appetizing.

Zhao Jia ate three big bowls in one go, and Wei Yue, Cao Shi and Han Yan didn't give in, and they all opened up their appetites.Li Danghu found it difficult, so he simply used the pot to mix the noodles, and ate the whole pot by himself, and then stopped his chopsticks.

Now that Zhao Jia was found, the caravan no longer needed to go west, but instead followed the army and turned back east.

Before entering the desert, Zhao Jia had several conversations with the team leader, during which he mentioned Aying who had joined the Wei family.

The leader's answer made him frown, especially when he heard that Ah Ying was so ambitious that he secretly recruited the servants and wanted to intervene or even cut off the caravan's interests.

"The girl doesn't know yet."

"Oh?" Zhao Jia's eyes were like lightning, and he said coldly, "Are you hiding it from sister?"

"General, this servant's life belongs to a girl, so I dare not have second thoughts."

"Why is that?"

"It's true that the girl gave birth not long ago, and the servants found out that something was wrong. I asked the doctor and said that the girl can't get angry easily. The servants didn't dare to let the girl worry about it, so they concealed the matter. When the girl recovered, the son-in-law no longer You can't catch any clues if you move. But the general can rest assured that the servant has been watching the son-in-law for a long time, and will never let him cause trouble easily."

Zhao Jia stared at the team leader, his eyes were as cold as a knife's edge, and said for a long time: "After you go back, report this matter to sister immediately, and don't hide anything."

"General..."

"Don't let me say it a second time." Zhao Jia said coldly, "Remember what I said, whoever dares to deceive the superior and the subordinate under the guise of being good for my sister, I will definitely make him regret coming. To this world!"

"No, no!"

"As for Ah Ying, I will meet him in person."

What happened after the meeting, Zhao Jia did not say clearly.

The team leader was in a cold sweat, knowing that Zhao Jia was no longer the gentle boy he used to be.After several times of blood and fire, he was decisive in killing and attacking. Once he got angry, there would never be any good end, and it was possible to cut him into pieces.

Thinking of this, he felt both fortunate and somewhat regretful.

Fortunately, he has always been loyal to Wei Qing'e and has never been half-divided by him.What I regret is that because the girl treats me well, I almost forget my duty, thinking that I am thinking of the girl, but it almost leads to disaster.

After leading the team down, Zhao Jia was in a bad mood all the time, and a layer of low air pressure shrouded his whole body.

Noticing something was wrong, Cao Shi and Li Danghu exchanged glances, cleverly avoiding the center of air pressure.Han Yan didn't know the situation, and didn't step forward easily.Only Wei Yue figured it out, rode his horse closer, and whispered to Zhao Jia.

The voices of the two were very low, and even Wei Qing, who was the closest, couldn't catch half a sentence.

After talking with Wei Yue, Zhao Jia's mood improved, and the depression gradually dissipated. Li Danghu, Cao Shi, and Han Yan immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

People who usually don't get angry, suddenly burst into anger, which is really scary.

After the army entered the desert, everyone's mood began to change, and they were all happy to return home.

Only Liu Ling, who was silent all the way, saw a blood-stained face in front of him when he saw the rocky mountain he had passed by.

Behind the fear, there was a faint sense of remorse that even she herself couldn't believe.