When his father pressed him for details about his third brother's whereabouts, Zhao Tinglei remained silent for a moment before saying, "My third brother didn't tell me the details. He only said that he was going to migrate to the Mida River Valley."
"Mida River Valley?"
Zhao Yanjiao gasped; he was very familiar with this name.
Back then, he led his troops to fight several fierce battles here for the sake of the Uda tribe.
Reports from the army indicate that eight allied tribes, ranging from fifty to five hundred people, are currently stationed in the grasslands surrounding the Mida River Valley, scattered in various locations.
Given the strength of the Uda tribe, although it would not be easily annexed by others, facing an alliance with more than three times its size would still be extremely risky.
In particular, the Wuda tribe has been under the protection of the Zhenbei Army for many years and has long been regarded as a rebellious tribe by the Di-Lu Alliance.
If the alliance discovers their whereabouts, they will definitely be besieged.
"You agreed to it just because he left like that?"
Zhao Yanjiao stared intently at Zhao Tinglei, as if trying to see through his heart.
This is knowingly sending the mistress to her death, yet still allowing her to risk her life.
Zhao Tinglei knew that his father suspected him, but he couldn't catch a wolf without risking his cub; otherwise, how could he stir up a war between the two sides?
Fortunately, a way out has been left. If the third brother gets trapped, there is still Broken Gold Town where he can stay.
Seeing that the eldest son remained silent, he clearly admitted to the fact that he was taking advantage of the mistress.
Zhao Yanjiao closed her eyes and let out a long breath.
Now that things had come to this, he could no longer blame the two for their recklessness. He could only grit his teeth and say, "If the barbarians invade, we will fight them back fiercely and drive them into the grasslands."
Only by quickly involving the Zhenbei Army in the war can the pressure on Xiao San be alleviated.
Since there was no communication with the mistress's side once they entered the grasslands, the two could only speculate as to why Pingliang Fort, north of Hecheng, was attacked.
"My son guessed that my third brother must have encountered other tribes during the migration and had a conflict... and then the defeated tribe lost its livestock and could only seize Pingliang Fort."
In winter, the grasslands are covered in heavy snow, and water freezes instantly. Under such conditions, people cannot survive without their yurts, cattle, sheep, and horses.
The best-case scenario is to find the nearest other tribe, join them, and become their slave.
Or they could enter the territory of the Wu Dynasty, roam and plunder, rest temporarily, and then return to the grasslands in the spring.
The current situation in Pingliangbao falls into the second category, and the direction was chosen under guidance.
Having spent twenty years in the Northwest, Zhao Yanjiao is well-versed in local customs and traditions, making this the most likely explanation.
The mistress's side is going to have to fight her way through, and it's unclear what the losses will be.
The loss of contact with Pingliang Fort is a major event, and the first rescue team of 500 people dispatched by Tang Ying has arrived at the foot of the fort.
After fighting several tough battles against the Di people in the northwest in the first few years, the Zhenbei Army began to play a cat-and-mouse game.
The Di tribe was originally a nomadic people. The vast grasslands were boundless, and the horses could travel quickly there. Cavalry could appear at any time in unexpected places, burn, kill, and plunder, and then leave quickly.
As a result, the border residents suffered heavy losses, and the soldiers were exhausted from the pursuit.
The Zhenbei Army could no longer search aimlessly all over the world, so after the situation stabilized, they began to build garrisons and military forts.
All the troops were divided into a chain, slowly encircling the border of Yunzhou.
The construction of fortifications was extremely costly and time-consuming, which led to a severe shortage of funds for the Zhenbei Army.
Pingliang Fort was one of the earliest military forts built.
Pingliang Fort is easy to defend and difficult to attack. On the surface, it is unremarkable. There are no high mountains or deep gorges, but a loess ridge with ravines. The garrison is located at the top of the ridge.
If you want to walk from Tugou to Baoshang, you need to follow the winding mountain road for half an hour.
There are no tall trees on Huangtuling. As long as someone stands at the sentry post inside the fort and looks down, the surrounding area of two miles is completely visible.
In addition, the steep slope, which is angled upwards, allows logs, arrows, and falling rocks to keep intruders at bay.
Just like the Xuanwei Army at this moment.
The group of five hundred men stood below, still shaken, looking up at Pingliang Fortress, which resembled a crouching monster on the earthen mound.
The flames on the beacon tower above had not yet been completely extinguished, and the wisps of smoke looked like a mocking face with its mouth open.
The Xuanwei army made a feint attack just now, but they only climbed halfway before being chased back by the rolling logs that were carelessly thrown down.
"Commander Liu! Those bandits are formidable. If the brothers charge head-on, they'll definitely suffer heavy losses."
Liu Kuan, who was in charge of the troops, pursed his lips and cursed inwardly.
The Zhenbei Army must have had nothing better to do than build such a solid earthen mound that it's now impossible to climb it.
He knew that a sneak attack was out of the question, so he could only say dejectedly, "Push back one mile to set up camp, surround Pingliang Fort, and attack again at dawn tomorrow."
Pingliang Fort was built with fired clay bricks, rammed earth in the middle, and the walls had arrow slits and crenellations.
From inside the fortress, one could observe the battle situation from the crenellations and then launch stones to attack the enemy.
Arrows shot from below cannot penetrate the defenses; instead, they are attacked from above.
Seeing that the Xuanwei army had returned empty-handed and had no choice but to retreat, a burst of laughter immediately erupted inside the fortress.
A Di man, wrapped in a fur robe and reeking of mutton, held a curved sword, looked down, spat, and put his hands on his hips, saying, "What a bunch of cowards! Fifteen of us could sneak up here, but the Xuanwei Army didn't even dare to charge. It's a pity that the pile of stones we prepared didn't result in any bloodshed."
Nearby, five ragged Wu Dynasty men were frantically carrying head-sized boulders to the top of the wall, which were the logs they had just dropped.
Not far away outside the fortress, in the flickering torchlight, a group of men and women were carrying military supplies.
On the ground, more than a dozen headless corpses were laid out, and those bodies were wearing Xuanwei military uniforms.
In the dead of winter, the blood from the corpses froze on the ground, forming ice crystals that were then crushed underfoot, leaving specks of color everywhere.
In the darkness, a woman's painful screams pierced the sky, and the rich aroma of meat permeated the air.
A Di barbarian emerged from a nearby room, laughing loudly, "These Wu Dynasty women are as skinny as lambs; they're never enough to torment."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a Di person who was patrolling with a curved knife shouted, "Aji, this is not our land, not our home. Don't forget that our families and cattle are still in the Wuda tribe."
The Wu Dynasty has already attacked. If you don't restrain yourself, you'll only die on a woman's belly.
His words instantly enraged the Di man who was fastening his belt: "I will kill them! I will kill that pack of white wolves to avenge my father!"
"Good, it's good that you still know how to take revenge. These Wu Dynasty people are our slaves, not your playthings for venting your anger. We still need to use them to exchange for livestock."
At this moment, the Wu Dynasty men working around seemed not to hear, but only glared angrily at the corpse on the ground.
These people were all military households from Pingliang Fort, mostly from dozens of families who had been exiled there for committing crimes.
They hated the Di people, even knowing they would be used as slaves to be exchanged for livestock, but they hated the Xuanwei soldiers whose heads were chopped off even more.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
