After the old man's explanation, Jing Zhe had a general understanding.
The terrain of western Xinjiang is very long and narrow from east to west, and the climate is cold. Except for a few short months in summer, it is cold for most of the year.
The barbarians of the Western Frontier are mostly nomadic, with a fierce and warlike culture. They are skilled in riding and archery, so they are particularly brave in battle, and ordinary Anguo soldiers are no match for them.
However, due to its terrain, Western Xinjiang is resource-poor. It is better when the weather is warm, but once winter comes, Western Xinjiang becomes freezing cold and food is scarce. At this time, they will send troops to attack Liangzhou.
The Western Barbarians' attack on Liangzhou was not just for the sake of fighting; their ultimate goal was to get some grain from Anguo, or to plunder some grain, so that their people could survive the winter.
After all, Anguo is a vast country with a huge territory, and the number of barbarians in the western frontier is too small to fight them all.
Before Liu Jinghong appeared, the soldiers of Liangzhou were really no match for these hungry wolves from the Western Frontier. Most of them would have their city gates breached by the Western Frontier barbarians, who would burn, kill, and plunder, looting all the grain and leaving the people in the city in dire straits.
However, after Liu Jinghong appeared, he not only managed to defend the city gates with his Jinghong Iron Cavalry, but also led troops out of the city to pursue and fight the Western Frontier barbarians on several occasions, thus establishing his reputation.
Most of the time, when the two sides were deadlocked, Liangzhou would give Xijiang some grain to help them get through the winter as repayment. In the summer, Xijiang would send Liangzhou many cattle and sheep, and every year during the New Year, they would also offer strong liquor as tribute to Emperor An.
This summer, the Western Frontier failed to deliver cattle and sheep to Liangzhou as required. Liu Jinghong negotiated with the Western Frontier multiple times, but they ignored him. Frustrated, Liu Jinghong led his Jinghong Iron Cavalry in a night raid on Shilihe, the closest city to Liangzhou, and brought back a large number of cattle and sheep from there.
Because of this incident, the situation in the Western Frontier and Liangzhou, which had eased slightly in recent years, has become tense again. Before winter arrived this year, the Western Frontier barbarians launched a surprise attack while Liu Jinghong was away in Jingzhou, but the attack was stopped by the city's garrison.
After winter set in, the barbarians of the western frontier continued their raids, but this time they were quickly driven back to Shilihe.
In the eyes of the people of Liangzhou, as long as Liu Jinghong and his Jinghong Iron Cavalry were there, they had nothing to fear, which is why they looked so relaxed.
...
To be honest, Jing Zhe was a little confused after listening to the old man's story.
Because this was so different from the information he had heard before.
Although this news was all the best for him, he still found it hard to believe when he heard it so suddenly.
So he asked curiously, "Uncle, do you really believe everything you said?"
The old man said somewhat displeasedly, "Why would I lie to you?"
"Have the barbarians of the Western Frontier withdrawn their troops?"
"We've retreated for now. This time it's much faster than before because the Yueyao Kingdom has also sent people over, and the Western Frontier barbarians are naturally no match for them!"
Yueyao Kingdom…
This country was somewhat unfamiliar to Jing Zhe; it was the first time he had ever heard of it, but now was not the time to inquire about it.
Then he asked, "General Jinghong was not injured either?"
When asked earlier, the old man was somewhat impatient, but his answer was still relatively polite. However, upon hearing this question, he immediately bristled and glared, saying, "You out-of-town scholar, how dare you curse General Jinghong? Believe me, I can just shout and someone will come looking for trouble for you!"
"..."
It has to be said that Liu Jinghong has a very high reputation in Liangzhou and her image is deeply rooted in people's hearts. As soon as the old man heard that she was injured, he was the first to object.
Jing Zhe quickly smiled and waved his hand: "Uncle, don't be angry. I heard it from someone else in Jinxi. I also thought it was unbelievable, so I thought I would come to Liangzhou to ask about it in person!"
The old man was still skeptical, but said, "Those who spread rumors are fools! How could General Jinghong be injured?"
"..."
"Hey, you guys in the back, hurry up!"
As the two were talking, the soldiers guarding the city shouted.
Jing Zhe cupped his hands in greeting and smiled at the old man, then quickly walked up with Hanhan.
The soldiers guarding the city didn't pay much attention to Jing Zhe, but their eyes lit up when they saw Han Han.
A gay man was right next to me?
Jing Zhe was surprised, but then he thought, "This doesn't make sense either."
Am I less competitive than Hanhan?
Looking at the simple-minded man, then at the excited and thrilled faces of the soldiers guarding the city, I silently uttered one word: "I'm suffering..."
After asking Jing Zhe a few simple questions, they let him go, but they asked Han Han a lot of detailed questions.
"Where did you come from?"
"You know martial arts, right?"
"What are you doing here?"
"Jingzhou, will play."
"..."
Before Hanhan could speak, Jing Zhe answered for him. The city guard was taken aback at first, then angrily said, "Did I ask you?"
With a "whoosh," Hanhan frowned, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
Since Jing Zhe learned martial arts, his skill level has improved too quickly, and Han Han has long lost the opportunity to protect him. Now that a reckless person has suddenly appeared, Han Han is still very happy.
Young chieftain, let me protect you one more time… even though he hasn’t protected you even once since we came down from Mang Mountain…
The soldiers guarding the city were stunned again: "You...this..."
They could naturally tell that Hanhan knew martial arts, and not too weakly at that, which was why they greeted him with smiles. But they didn't expect him to have such a fiery temper, and that he would even try to attack them because of this bookish-looking boy next to him!
“This is my subordinate. If you have anything you want to ask him, you might as well talk to me.”
"oh."
The officer nodded, looked Jing Zhe over again, and began to take him seriously. He said solemnly, "Our General Jinghong is currently recruiting Jinghong Iron Cavalry. The requirements are quite strict. I think this young man has a good physique and knows martial arts, so I think he is quite suitable. That's why I'm asking."
Hearing this, Jing Zhe shook his head and smiled: "You want my men to join the Jinghong Iron Cavalry? I'm afraid not, because we're only here to visit relatives and will be leaving soon. However, it seems the Jinghong Iron Cavalry doesn't need to recruit any more soldiers, does it?"
I thought the battle in Liangzhou would be fierce, but I didn't expect that his fifth sister, Liu Jinghong, would manage it so easily. If he leaves some more hand grenades here, those barbarians from the Western Frontier will probably dare not invade again. Therefore, the Jinghong Iron Cavalry will not need to recruit soldiers on a large scale.
"Why don't you use it?"
The officer glanced at him, and seemingly out of consideration for his simple-mindedness, his tone wasn't too harsh: "Although the Western Frontier barbarians retreated quickly this year, that was only because of the sudden addition of the Yueyao Kingdom. But this is just a coincidence and won't become the norm. So expanding the Jinghong Iron Cavalry is still an urgent matter. Where can we not use it?"
This was the second time Jing Zhe had heard the name Yueyao Kingdom in such a short time. When he met Liu Jinghong later, he would have to ask her about this Yueyao Kingdom.
————
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