Chapter 802: Everyone moves forward in the cold wind and snow!
The devastated and barren landscape, the scorched and withered grassland, the cold and dark rocks, and the cool breeze blowing gradually from the far north all indicate that the grassland's climate has changed drastically and is about to enter a bitter winter.
The desolate grasslands and plateaus are a living hell. How can we see this?
Beside the gurgling stream, Luo Chengzhi led more than 10,000 Luo family soldiers to rest by the river. The thirsty war horses naturally wanted to go to the river to drink water, but they were held back, and their hooves spun in the air.
"Boil them all, not leaving out any herb."
The soldiers boiled water in a pot, added herbs, and let the horses drink it after it cooled down. Needless to say, the soldiers also found the water with herbs added to it dark green in color and had an unpleasant smell.
But it’s something you have to drink.
Luo Chengzhi also picked up the potion and drank it. On the grassland today, any river may contain a large amount of plague poison.
Since the war, the Luo family has suffered such heavy losses, with only 10,000 people left out of more than 20,000 people, not to mention the rest of the countries and tribes on the grassland. These corpses are difficult to deal with, and epidemics have arisen, which have affected cattle, sheep and horses on a large scale. The scene can only be described as horrific.
Tap tap tap.
An army of about 30,000 soldiers came out from behind the hills and stationed in the north of the hills, upstream of the river. The flags flying high were the army of Yan State.
Luo Chengzhi rode over and saw a lot of women and children in the Yan army. He immediately knew that they were all captured Hu people. The Yan State had been working tirelessly to fill the country's population.
Murong Chengguang, with a full beard, looked at Luo Chengzhi in front of the big tent and felt quite friendly. His first words were - "It's been a long time since we last met. You are still as elegant as ever."
Luo Chengzhi stroked his slightly messy beard and said, "I am lucky to still be able to meet you alive."
When the two entered the tent, there was only one person in the tent, a very beautiful and charming woman with a stunning appearance, who did not look like someone from the northern grasslands. Murong Chengguang laughed loudly and said, "Sir, please sit down. The Luo family defeated the Murong tribe some time ago, and the Murong tribe was plundered by other tribes.
Half a month ago, our Great Yan army attacked the Murong tribe. After killing those Hu people who took advantage of the situation, we took all the belongings of the Murong tribe into our pockets. This time when I meet you, you can ask for whatever you want. You know me. I, Murong Chengguang, will never be stingy.
This woman was originally from the Murong tribe, her surname was Gao, and she said she was a Han Chinese from Jizhou. If you want her, you can take her away."
Luo Chengzhi naturally didn't want to. He glanced at her without avoiding her and said directly: "This woman is pregnant. It seems to be a month. Your Majesty, Emperor Yan, please pay attention."
Pregnant?!
Murong Chengguang and Gao were both shocked. This must be the offspring of the former Khan of the Murong tribe. Gao's face was filled with horror. There was no system of primogeniture on the grassland. There was even a custom of killing the firstborn child in the royal family. The main reason was that they often plundered women from other tribes and were uncertain about the bloodline of the firstborn child.
The child in her belly must not be Murong Chengguang's. How could Murong Chengguang tolerate his existence?
But what Gao and Luo Chengzhi had never expected was that Murong Chengguang didn't care at all.
The State of Yan even has a new emperor. In Murong Chengguang's opinion, there is nothing to worry about.
He smiled and said, "It's been difficult for me, Murong Chengguang, to have children. Now God has given me a child out of thin air. There's no reason for me to refuse it.
When this child is born, if she is a girl, I will be named Princess of Dayan.
If it’s a boy, I’ll raise him as my son. Having another son is a good thing.
I had thought of a name three years ago, but it turned out to be a girl, so I didn't use it and left it to him.
The girl is called Chun Yuan, and the boy is called Ke, which means respectful and cautious, Murong Ke. "
Gao looked ecstatic, while Luo Chengzhi had a strange expression on his face. Murong Chengguang, who had been friends with the Luo family for three generations, was truly a strange man. He always had strange ideas and equally strange behaviors.
But this was Murong Chengguang's private matter, and Luo Chengzhi didn't care.
But this child...
Luo Chengzhi looked at him twice more, and his intuition told him that something was wrong. The Hu people were blessed with great fortune, and heroes would emerge in endlessly. The Murong tribe was naturally one of them. The child in front of him might be one of the lucky figures of the Hu people.
After thinking for a moment, he stopped thinking about these useless things and gave a look. Murong Chengguang patted Gao and she left the tent.
There were only two people left in the tent. Luo Chengzhi asked, "Your Majesty, I wonder how many casualties the Yan army suffered?"
Murong Chengguang's hand paused, his eyelids slightly lowered, and he said in a muffled voice: "We have conscripted soldiers several times in the country and added slaves. Now the army still has less than 60,000 people."
Luo Chengzhi took a deep breath. There were probably tens of thousands of people who died on the grassland, and that was just the State of Yan.
If we add the other few families, we must know that the Han-Liang coalition forces suffered heavy casualties as soon as they entered the grassland. The situation now is simply unimaginable.
However, Murong Chengguang did not get bogged down in this, and immediately said firmly: "In this war, we and the Xianbei are fighting to the death. Over the years, it has been a head-on battle. The Xianbei have many ingenious strategies, and our coalition army has also been able to fight back. Not to mention that the noble Po Junshan once killed 200,000 Xianbei people in a single battle, and our Yan State has also won many victories."
As soon as he heard Murong Chengguang's words, Luo Chengzhi knew that the offensive of the various countries was indeed consistent with what was said in the battle report, and was not going smoothly.
This is a natural thing. After all, the battlefield is now on the grassland of the Xianbei Xia Kingdom.
Since ancient times, most of the great victories of the Central Plains over the grasslands were defensive battles. For example, Li Mu, a famous general of the State of Zhao during the Warring States Period, always made many gains when the Huns invaded. Even Meng Tian, a famous general of the Qin Dynasty, relied on the Great Wall to defeat the Huns' army. Han Xin, Marquis Wu Mu of Huaiyin in the Han Dynasty, closed the door and fought against the Huns when they invaded, killing tens of thousands of them, which was an unprecedented victory in a field battle.
It was not until the time of Emperor Xiaowu of Han that a divine general appeared and the country's strength increased, and only then was this trend reversed. But many people probably don't know that even when a divine general led the army to attack, 50 to 60 percent of the soldiers would be killed or wounded!
Less than half of the army were able to return safely, such was the cruelty of the expedition.
But knowing this, why is there still this war?
Because this is the only way to destroy the grassland empire!
The most important purpose of coming to the grassland is, first, to kill people, and second, to seize cattle and sheep. Cattle and sheep are land and food for nomads. Imagine that all the land in the Central Plains that can be used to grow crops is suffering from a severe drought, and there is no grain left in the country. What kind of scene would that be? This is what the Xianbei Xia Kingdom is experiencing now.
As long as the grassland cannot defeat the Central Plains in one wave, as long as the Central Plains is not in a crazy civil war, and as long as the Central Plains can fight back and forth with the grassland in terms of generals, then the Central Plains will most likely win in the end.
According to the providence of heaven, now should be the era of the grassland.
The grassland was unified, the Western Regions were conquered, Liaodong was occupied, the Central Plains was divided, Hu heroes emerged in endlessly, and Han heroes gradually faded away.
Ji Zhaohe Dao, the Luo family was suppressed by heaven's punishment, and the relationship between heaven and man was cut off, and none of their children had outstanding talent in the world.
The stage has been set, the curtain has been raised, and everything is ready.
But in the end, there was a major flaw.
The Luo family's determination and profound foundation are independent of the heavens.
The Luo family migrated to Liaodong, and then worked with the State of Yan to wipe out the Donghu who were becoming increasingly powerful in Liaodong. Although they could not stop the Xianbei from seizing the Western Regions, Luo Jialan and Zhao Yingluo tied down the Western Regions' vassal army and a large amount of resources in the Western Regions.
The most important thing.
The oath on Luo River united all the countries in the world and thwarted the Xianbei's plan to defeat them one by one.
Luo Chengzhi pondered and said, "The Luo family has suffered heavy losses, but now may be the time, Your Majesty, winter is gradually approaching, and the grassland is about to usher in the cruelest period of the year. This is our chance to completely defeat the grassland. In the vast winter, the Xianbei have no way to escape, and the decisive battle will be at this time. If we let them flee far away to the northern desert, the loss will be too great."
…
decisive battle?
The commanders of the various countries who gathered together again were extremely surprised. Murong Chengguang said nothing. Xiao Yan, who was very good at martial arts, said in surprise: "Sir, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu of the Han Dynasty, the war with the Xiongnu lasted for more than ten years. Our army has only been in the grassland for two or three years. How can we win so quickly?
It is a very dangerous winter. It is better to follow the old practice of previous years and retreat to the border cities to rest and recuperate. We can fight again next spring when the flowers bloom and the snow on the grassland melts."
Xiao Yan's words were recognized by almost everyone. The grassland in winter was too dangerous. It was dangerous for a large army to enter the grassland, and there would be many casualties during the march. If they entered in winter, no one knew how many people would freeze to death. If they did not keep warm in time, it would be considered a good thing if 30% of the soldiers could fight.
Luo Chengzhi looked around at everyone in the tent, and then slowly said: "I naturally know what His Majesty the Emperor Liang said, but I have something to say, please listen.
Since the Chinese allied forces entered the grassland, the losses were particularly great in the first year, with the deaths of more than 500,000 combat soldiers, auxiliary soldiers, and civilian laborers. Such a huge loss resulted in 300,000 casualties among the Hu people, including nearly 200,000 killed by my Luo family.
In the second year, our coalition forces suffered more than 200,000 casualties, most of whom were auxiliary troops and civilian laborers, and the Hu people also suffered more than 100,000 casualties.
In the third year, tens of thousands of our coalition soldiers died on the grassland not because of the war, while the losses of the Hu people became less and less because they began to hide from us and then attack us by surprise.
how so?
We in the Central Plains have a population of tens of millions. The Hu people cannot afford the casualties, but we in the Central Plains can.
I believe you all know how powerful the Hu people have become during these three years.
If it weren't for the large population in Central Plains, we would not be able to withstand such a huge loss.
What should we do if the Hu people continue to flee far away and fight with our army on the grassland?
Attacking in the dead of winter was indeed dangerous, but this was exactly what the Hu people could not have imagined.
During the cold winter, they will gather their livestock and live only in a few relatively warm places. We only need to launch a surprise attack on the day when it snows, and the Hu people will surely be destroyed.
If we can succeed in this one battle, wouldn't it be better than the suffering in the next few years?
I think it’s worth any price!”
Luo Chengzhi's words made everyone ponder. Murong Chengguang said slowly: "Everyone, I don't know what's going on in your country, but in the past three years, there has not been a major disaster in the Central Plains that affected the thirteen states. This is not common. If a major disaster occurs in the Central Plains now, what should we do?
A quick victory is our best option!"
Murong Chengguang's words instantly hit everyone's sore spot.
Natural disaster!
The thing a dynasty country fears most is that no matter how clear the politics is or how capable the monarch and his ministers are, it is useless in the face of an unsolvable natural disaster.
If there really were natural disasters and food shortages in the Central Plains, the expedition against the Hu people would inevitably be greatly affected.
But the oath of Luoshui comes first!
When they thought of this, everyone immediately agreed to send troops in winter.
Luo Chengzhi and Murong Chengguang looked at each other and nodded secretly. Then Luo Chengzhi said, "Your Majesties, Generals, the Western Regions Anti-Hu Army led by my Luo family's legitimate son Luo Jialan and his wife Zhao Yingluo will cooperate with us. Now the war in the Western Regions is raging, and most of the Hu people are dragged in it. The Anti-Hu Army has gradually blocked the Hu offensive and captured many cities. If the Hu people want to retreat into the Western Regions, they will stop the Hu army in the Western Regions."
Western Regions!
The battle between the Central Plains and the grasslands was decisive, as both sides had large numbers of troops deployed in the Western Regions.
In this case, everyone looked at each other, and murderous intent gradually spread in the tent. The top nobles of the Xia Dynasty have united their will and are ready to launch a desperate attack on the Hu people.
This war is not just for a simple raid on the royal court to win. If it was just for a raid on the royal court, it would only require picking elite troops. The reason why such a large army is led into this battle is to completely wipe out all the Hu people on the grassland who are ahead of the wheels, and take away all the children and women.
Just like when the Han army conquered the Xiongnu, the part of the name Xianbei that represented the Hu people completely disappeared. From then on, only the Yan State had people who came out of the Great Xianbei Mountain.
The State of Yan will become the sole heir to the bloodline of the Great Xianbei Mountain.
This was the result of discussions between Luo Chengzhi and Murong Chengguang, and it was a declaration by the Xia people to the Hu people.
…
In the Western Regions, the flags of the Shahu Army were flying everywhere. In today's Western Regions, the Shahu Army is the flag of all resistance to the rule of the Xianbei people.
Luo Jialan and Zhao Yingluo snuggled together, and the scene that should have been ambiguous and affectionate was completely ruined by their words. Even in bed, they always talked about politics and military affairs.
"Madam, my army is growing stronger and stronger, and the attacks of the Hu army are becoming increasingly weaker. I think it is time for our army to counterattack, cross the Tianshan Mountains, drive the Hu people back to the grassland, and then join forces with the armies of the Central Plains countries to annihilate them on the grassland!"
Zhao Yingluo sat up, and the quilt fell off, revealing her smooth skin, which was dazzlingly white. In Luo Jialan's puzzled eyes, Zhao Yingluo said excitedly: "My husband, the Central Plains is about to launch a decisive battle, and it is time for my Western Region to fight a decisive battle as well. I will issue a new letter to the people of the Western Region and raise my reputation as the killer of the Hu army in the name of holiness.
Get ready for victory!"
How could Luo Jialan not know what Zhao Yingluo meant? This was to integrate all the armed forces in the entire Western Regions, all the rebel armies and the armies of various countries in the name of a decisive battle. Zhao Yingluo was already prepared to ascend the throne as the queen of the entire Western Regions after the war.
…
On the vast grassland, almost no Xianbei nobles were smiling.
Since the Xianbei nobles advanced westward from the Liaodong Mountains, they had never encountered such a major setback. Relying on their extremely powerful ethnic warriors and advanced civilization system, they unified the grasslands as easily as cutting melons and vegetables, and then conquered the Western Regions.
Although the Chanyu died in the Western Regions, it is not a big problem. There are still countless heroes in the tribe, and it is not difficult to replace the Chanyu.
But the divided Central Plains countries suddenly united and attacked the grassland. It was originally thought to be a joke, but unexpectedly, Daxia suffered heavy losses!
Although the losses in the Central Plains were more serious, the Central Plains was much larger and more powerful than Daxia. The Central Plains could afford the same losses, but Daxia could not.
Looking at the gradually colder weather, the Chanyu, who should have been worried, actually breathed a sigh of relief and said to the nobles around him: "The weather is cold, these crazy Han people, it's time to retreat to the Central Plains, the war has come to an end."
Yes.
To the Xianbei people, the Han people today are simply going crazy.
With such heavy casualties and such a large number of mobilizations for the war, I don't know how many people in the Central Plains are in mourning and how many people are undergoing heavy military service. If it had not been for a period of rest and recuperation before, they would not have been able to sustain such huge war expenditures.
Why did everyone immediately agree to attack in winter when Murong Chengguang mentioned the great famine?
This is because the food in various countries now cannot cope with the coming of a major famine. The longer we postpone it, the more impossible it will be to cope with it.
With an army of two or three hundred thousand gathered on the grassland, the daily consumption of food and fodder would be an astronomical figure. To some extent, if the soldiers were a little more cautious and arrived at the battlefield, they would immediately die together with the Hu people. This might be the most economical approach.
The Xianbei nobles were a group of people who were deeply influenced by Han culture and had a good understanding of the situation in the Central Plains. After all, when they deceived the Wei State, it was quite smooth. One can imagine how much these people knew about the Central Plains.
It is precisely because they understand this situation that they wonder why a large-scale uprising has not yet broken out in the Central Plains. This is quite unreasonable.
How would they know.
Although the Luoshui Oath was sworn by several emperors, it was extremely rare for them to all go together to fight against the Hu people.
This is one of the very few wars that was not launched for the sake of so-called glory and wealth.
Civilians were dying, but nobles were also dying. The legendary direct descendants of the Luo family suffered heavy casualties. Many royal families and top nobles from various countries died on the battlefield.
We share the same hatred and the same enemy!
This is the trend in the world. There may be a few uprisings, but large-scale uprisings are impossible.
As the offensive of the allied forces of the Zhuxia became increasingly fierce, some nobles proposed to retreat to Mobei, but this was directly rejected. Once they retreated to Mobei, that vast land would be tantamount to handing it over to the enemy.
"In this cold winter, we rested and recuperated on the grassland, maintaining the rule of the Western Regions, which is our granary, and maintaining the road to Liaodong, which is our ancestral land.
They dealt with the Han people on the grasslands, no longer engaged in a tough war with them, intercepted their grain trains, and continued to throw sick cattle and sheep into all the rivers.
After this cold winter, when the flowers bloom in the spring next year, I will lead all my men, obey the will of heaven, ride on tall war horses, wield the sharpest blades, and defeat all the invading Han people."
The Xianbei Chanyu issued his outlook on winter to all the nobles, and the melodious folk song "Chi Le Chuan" resounded across the grassland again.
"The wind blows the grass low and you can see the cattle and sheep~"
The melodious sounds of the erhu and the loud sounds of the erhu flute, accompanied by the voices of men and women, echoed everywhere under the Yinshan Mountains.
…
On a snowy day on the grassland, there is really no human habitation for thousands of miles, and no trace of anything. The heavy snow from the far north, accompanied by the whistling cold wind, stings people's faces and hurts.
Luo Chengzhi led his troops forward, tightly wrapped in a cotton robe. The wind and snow blew on his face like a knife. As the cold wind blew past, he only felt a dull pain in his knees.
Passing by the rivers on the grassland, in the cold winter, most of the rivers were almost dry, and the few that had not dried up had already frozen. Luo Chengzhi led the army to pass through carefully. Although the horses' hooves slipped, it was not a big problem.
Thousands of elite cavalry were all silent and calm. Among them, more than a thousand were the remaining brave warriors, and more than eight hundred were the elite soldiers of Winter City. The rest were the most elite troops of various countries. The army of thousands of people included almost all the elite of the entire coalition forces.
No one could be trusted with this army except Luo Chengzhi. Luo Chengzhi led this army, shouldering the most important responsibility, attacking the royal court and cutting off the connection between the royal court and the various tribes.
Even beheaded the Chanyu.
Through the vast expanse of snow, on the paths devoid of human traces, teams of allied soldiers were being led by their respective emperors and generals to charge between the various tribes. From time to time, a soldier would fall on the march, his face frostbitten, he would fall in the snow, his clothes stained with snowflakes, his forehead and brows covered with white frost and snow, and for a moment he could not tell whether the snow or his face was whiter.
Some soldiers cried out and tried to pull their comrades up, but they were stopped and told, "No need. They are already hopeless. Don't waste your energy."
When a friend from the same hometown saw this, he couldn't help crying, but in a moment, his eyelashes were covered with frost, and even his tears froze on his face, and he couldn't open his eyes. "Don't cry, your tears will freeze."
All the sobs stopped. There were no tears in the severe cold and snowy weather. There was only the whistling sound of the wind.
Faced with such a situation, no one could do anything and could only pretend not to see it. He told all the soldiers that as long as this battle could completely defeat the Hu people, everyone would be able to go home and the war would be completely over.
Most of these soldiers had not been outside for long, and 70 to 80 percent of the first batch of soldiers who had participated in the war had died. These were later recruited from the country.
When faced with what the emperor said, all we had to do was believe it.
Under the blue sky and the bright sun, corpses fell one after another on the roadside. Soon, heavy snow covered the area. Not much snow fell from the sky, and most of the snow was buried by the wind.
When the army passed by, all traces were buried by the snow, and no corpses were seen. There was only a vast expanse of white between heaven and earth. Until the day when the ice and snow melted, who would know that under the white snow, there were countless corpses of Han men?
"My Jiangdong men cannot stand the severe cold. How many casualties have there been so far?"
"Reporting to your majesty, there are no less than eight thousand disciples."
Eight thousand.
Even though most of them were not soldiers with extremely tight protection, it was still a huge loss.
Xiao Yan fell silent upon hearing this, looking at the distant shadowy outline of the Yinshan Mountains. How many more people would die if he went there?
He didn't know, and the Jiangdong officials who answered his questions didn't know either. None of the Jiangdong nobles around him was still wearing a crown. Too many people had died.
Hundreds of miles away, Murong Chengguang gulped down a mouthful of strong liquor. A burning sensation rose from his stomach. He cursed, "I'm really freezing to death. This time I'm going to take Shanyu's wife away and teach her a lesson."
He recalled the smart child born to Gao and muttered, "This girl is good at giving birth. I must go back alive and let her give me another child."
His hair was already gray and his face was full of wrinkles, but he was still strong. The Yan cavalrymen all looked at him with reverence, as if they were looking at a god. In the Yan State, he was indeed a legend in the army.
The Wei army was the smallest one sent to the grassland this time, because they had to face the attack of the Xianbei vassal army in the Western Regions. However, the Wei army had a large number of cavalry, and it was certainly not Cao Shuang who led the army. After Cao Shuang lost tens of thousands of elite troops, he was deprived of his military power.
After encountering great difficulties in the early days, the Han army gradually adjusted itself. Among the armies attacking the grassland this time, the Han State contributed the most people, but it also made huge profits. The Han State occupied several of the best grain-producing lands, and Yan State and others purchased grain and fodder from the Han State.
The problems faced by these two countries were no different from those faced by Liang and Yan. A large number of soldiers also froze to death on the road.
Death is the most terrifying thing in this world.
The spread of an atmosphere of death will destroy an army, causing its morale to fall and its spirit to become exhausted, and it will eventually scatter.
But nothing is certain in this world.
Death is also an accumulation of momentum.
When empathy runs through the entire army, death takes on a different meaning.
The sadness it brings to everyone will turn into hatred and be buried in everyone's heart.
revenge.
The great righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period!
The army that mourns will win.
This is the sacred way of military operations!
The magic sword that spanned thousands of miles followed the graves of seventy people to Wushuang City in the Western Regions, and killed the Xianbei Chanyu with one sword.
Now what?
All the souls of the dead along the way, and all the anger accumulated along the way, will also gather in the vast grassland.
Perhaps there is no longer a magic sword that penetrates heaven and earth.
Perhaps in this war, there will no longer be gods to tear apart the heavens and the earth.
Perhaps in the blood and fire that will follow, only man can become stronger.
But please look, the endless sharpness has been contained in the weapon!
But please listen, in everyone's heart, there is an endless amount of domineering energy accumulating, and every death of each person makes that domineering energy sharper.
But please close your eyes and feel it. In the wind and snow, besides the cold death, there are also hot, blazing hearts. Countless hearts are beating, and countless voices are bursting out from them.
Kill the Hu!
————
The various countries raised an army of 300,000, intending to wipe out the entire clan. It was a cold winter day, with heavy snow and mist, and the cold was desolate. After advancing a hundred miles, a thousand people died. Any traces of people were seen but covered by snow. Eight thousand elite cavalry from various countries were selected and rushed to the royal court. The troops scattered in all directions to wipe out the various tribes. Only 180,000 people managed to arrive despite the wind and snow, and the rest died on the road, lying on the ice and snow.
Without this blood and tears, there would be no prosperity of the Chinese people today, and no submission of all nations today. The Chinese people were in decline, but they rose again with this blood. How painful, how sad. - "Northern History: Biographies of the Xianbei"
(End of this chapter)
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