Chapter 380 The Restless Barbarians
"fight!?"
Sheng Sheng and Xie Yunshang both exclaimed in surprise.
Having received the money, the man, though in a hurry to continue his journey, kindly reminded them: "Are you going that way again? Oh dear, I advise you to turn back immediately and not go there anymore. The rumors are getting stronger and stronger. There are constant minor skirmishes between the southwestern border and the barbarians, and it looks like a war is about to break out!"
"How could that be?" Xie Yun said with a serious expression. "War between two countries is no small matter. If it were true, how could the imperial court have been completely unaware of it?"
"Alas, you are unaware of this. This news only came out in the last couple of days. Before, with General Lu in charge, the barbarians dared not make any moves. But now that General Lu has returned to the capital to recuperate, the barbarians have become restless. It is said that the barbarians sent several hundred men to launch several surprise attacks late the night before last, but it was His Highness the First Prince who led the troops to suppress them."
Minor skirmishes on the battlefield are nothing unusual, but for the barbarians to attack so openly now, what else could it be but a declaration of war?
As for sending a message to the imperial court, we are 48,000 li away from the capital. Even if we sent someone immediately, it would take at least half a month for a Ferghana horse, which can travel a thousand li a day, to make the round trip.”
"So that's how it is."
"Not only that, those barbarians also kidnapped many traveling merchants and even farmers from the outskirts of Yuncheng. A few days ago, a peddler who was lucky enough to escape said that the barbarians tied people up in caves in the rocky mountains, did not rob them of their property, but only interrogated them about the defenses of the Yuncheng granary and the time when the guards changed shifts. If they could not answer, they would beat them to death."
In war between two nations, the rules against killing prisoners and mistreating civilians are completely disregarded. The barbarians kidnap women and children as bait, force men to lead the way to granaries, and push anyone who hesitates off cliffs—they show absolutely no morality. Our soldiers suffered heavy losses trying to rescue them; they endured much hardship even before the fighting began.”
The group didn't look too happy. After thanking the man and saying goodbye, they started discussing things on the spot.
Xie Yunyang crouched down and brushed aside the loose soil on the ground, tracing the terrain of the southwest with his fingertips: "Although the territory of the barbarians is much smaller than that of the Yu Kingdom, the barbarians are born warriors, with immense strength and fearlessness. If they were not well prepared, the barbarians would not be foolish enough to launch a sudden attack. This barbarian raid must have been a reconnaissance mission. If we had waited for the imperial messengers to return, the border would have been breached long ago."
"Young master, what should we do?"
They were on a peaceful trip to visit relatives, but who would have thought that the barbarian tribe would suddenly fall ill and start a full-scale war?
They are now in a real dilemma. If they go, they won't be able to lead troops into battle, and going will only cause trouble for others.
They could not go, but they had already arrived in Xiyun County, and they could not stand by and watch the two countries go to war while they themselves walked away uninvolved.
"It's alright, it's alright, the battle hasn't officially started yet," Sheng Sheng said. "Our Zhui Feng, Lan Yun, Ta Ying, and Zhu Yue are also very powerful. At worst, we can take advantage of the chaos and kill as many barbarians as we can. In short, Sheng Sheng didn't want to leave as if nothing had happened."
“Nonsense, things will be different on the battlefield.” Xie Yun said with the most worry. “Swords have no eyes on the battlefield. We still need to find our elder brother, but you have to promise me that you will stay in the camp and not be so impulsive.”
He was genuinely afraid that Sheng Sheng would secretly do something earth-shattering again. Although he trusted Sheng Sheng's clever little brain, he couldn't withstand the real battlefield.
He couldn't stand just thinking about it.
Sheng Sheng repeatedly assured, "Of course, Sheng Sheng will definitely follow my brother closely and not cause any trouble for everyone."
"Um."
Xie Yunyang unfolded the map and examined it carefully: "The barbarian territory suffers from drought year-round and food shortages. The dragon that struck a month ago must have affected some of the barbarian areas as well. The combination of these two factors has solidified the barbarians' resolve to wage war. Although Xiyun County is not considered wealthy in the Yu Kingdom, the southwestern border is supported by the imperial court and has abundant provisions. If the barbarians can take over the southwestern border, they will not lack food."
Sheng Sheng's eyes lit up. Her brother had told her that in war, besides soldiers, the most important thing was food and supplies.
Without food and supplies, even the most skilled soldiers will starve to death.
Conversely, if there is enough food and supplies, even if the soldiers are generally inferior to the enemy, other methods can be used to wage a protracted war and wear down the enemy.
If the barbarians were forced to wage war due to food shortages, then the first step in the war would most likely be dealing with supplies!
If the barbarian raid was to scout ahead, then what was that scout...?
Sheng Sheng said almost instantly, "The granary at the border!"
A hint of surprise flashed in Xie Yunyang's eyes, followed by a low chuckle as he lightly tapped a spot on the map with his fingertips.
This map is just a route map, and the terrain is drawn in a rather simple way, but as the Crown Prince, Xie Yunyang naturally remembers these important places very clearly.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. In the southwestern border region, the central Zhennan Pass alone has 100,000 soldiers stationed there, while the barbarian army has a total of 200,000. The barbarians are short of food and fodder, and knowing that they can't win by brute force, they will definitely try to solve the food problem so that they can fight a protracted war."
Because Zhennan Pass was extremely important, in order to ensure that the soldiers on the border had sufficient supplies and provisions, the granary of Xiyun County was not built in the provincial capital like in other counties, but in Yuncheng, a border town twenty miles away from Zhennan Pass.
With his fingertips landing on the words "Yuncheng," Xie Yunyang pressed down heavily: "The Yuncheng granary holds three months' worth of provisions for Zhennan Pass. If the barbarians can seize it, it will be tantamount to cutting off the lifeline of 100,000 soldiers."
With Zhennan Pass guarding the front, the best way for the barbarians to bypass Zhennan Pass and attack Yuncheng is to use a feint attack.
They could think of it, but the soldiers inside Zhennan Pass might not have had the capacity to think of it.
According to what the fleeing passerby said, our soldiers have already suffered many setbacks even before the two sides have officially started fighting.
They were busy rescuing prisoners and dealing with direct clashes with the barbarians. The town of Zhennanguan, where the earth dragon had been found a few days ago, also sent a lot of soldiers to reinforce them.
Most importantly, the true commander of Zhennan Pass had returned to the capital to recuperate from his injuries. Although Xie Yunli was a promising young man and there were other deputy generals left behind, with the real battle imminent, only General Lu Chaosong, who had been guarding Zhennan Pass for many years, was the pillar of strength for the millions of soldiers.
The barbarians' actions came suddenly, and they frequently harassed other areas.
The group had no idea what the current situation inside Zhennan Pass was like, or how much it matched what the passerby had described.
What's most frightening is the uncertainty.
To be on the safe side, Xie Yun made a conservative decision.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com