Upon closer inspection, everyone recognized him as an envoy from the Xianbei region of Shanggu County.
Murong Mohuba's eyelids twitched inexplicably. He preemptively asked, "What kind of behavior is this, all flustered and disrespectful?"
"What happened? Tell me quickly!"
Upon seeing that it was Murong Mohuba, the envoy immediately knelt down and shouted:
"Khan, a cavalry force of one hundred men has also appeared in Shanggu County. Taking advantage of the heavy snow, they have harassed several of our county towns, and many grain and fodder supplies have been burned."
What!
One hundred cavalrymen?
Murong Mohuba could hardly believe his ears, and Qiuliju and Dunta showed expressions of shock.
Zhang Ju and Zhang Chun looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Are you sure there are only a hundred cavalrymen? I have more than ten thousand troops left in Shanggu County!"
Murong Mohuba initially gloated over the attack on Luxian, Qiu Liju was panicked, and Zhang Ju was very worried, but unexpectedly, it was his turn to suffer the same fate.
This is understandable, considering that Yuyang and Youbeiping were attacked, how could Shanggu let them go?
"Khan, that's right. Although they number a hundred cavalrymen, they are elusive and unpredictable. We have suffered repeated defeats and lost no less than a thousand tribal warriors."
At this moment, no words could be found to describe the anxiety and anger in Murong Mohuba's heart.
"That useless Yuwen Yong! I entrusted him with guarding Shanggu, this crucial rear area, and how could he be so incompetent?"
Murong Mohu's chest heaved.
"Khan, these hundred cavalrymen are incredibly well-equipped, their swords are extremely sharp, and their arrows are both long-range and accurate."
"Moreover, their warhorses were all precious Ferghana horses."
"We are completely defenseless!"
The messenger loudly protested his innocence.
The opponent came and went like the wind, swift as fire.
Once troops are sent to intercept them, they are killed or wiped out; they are like 100 hellish killing gods.
In less than three days, Pan County, Zhuolu County, and Xialuo County in Shanggu County were attacked to varying degrees, resulting in heavy losses.
The supplies were destroyed, and the Xianbei people's tents and the cattle and sheep they brought with them were slaughtered.
Murong Mohu couldn't help but gasp.
He probably had no idea what the equipment of those hundred cavalrymen was, but he clearly understood that they were all Ferghana horses.
As a nomadic people of the grasslands, they were naturally aware of the high price of Ferghana horses.
The value of one Ferghana horse is equivalent to that of nearly a hundred warhorses raised by their Murong tribe.
Qiuliju and Dunta also heard about the Ferghana horse, and the two had no choice but to exchange a glance:
"Ferghana horses! No wonder, this is definitely not Liu Yu's army. Could it be that Bingzhou has also joined the war?"
Zhang Chun stepped forward with a frown and said:
"Dong Zhuo, the governor of Bingzhou, is expanding his power on a large scale. If it were before, the Han soldiers that have appeared in Youzhou would most likely be his!"
"However, as far as I know, he is currently facing internal and external troubles and certainly has no time to send troops to Youzhou to participate in the war."
The internal problem was that Dong Zhuo and Yao Guangxiao bought 10,000 warhorses from the Hetao region, but they overdid it and lost their entire fortune!
He had no choice but to first try to appease the Wang families in Taiyuan and Qimen, then resort to force, demanding money and grain.
The Wang family gave a lot, but also sowed the seeds of resentment.
Then, two to three hundred thousand refugees from the Taihang Mountains poured into the two prefectures of Shangdang and Taiyuan.
Upon inquiry, it was learned that these refugees were driven out of the mountains by Gao Lan, the governor of Changshan State, who had come to suppress bandits and fled westward to Bingzhou.
Dong Zhuo coveted these people, so he asked Li Ru to find a way to settle them.
With so many mouths to feed, the already struggling family was suddenly made even worse off.
The Wang family had already been taxed, so Li Ru set his sights on the powerful and wealthy families in Taiyuan and Shangdang.
The Gao family, who were quite wealthy, became Li Ru's target.
"If it's not Bingzhou, then is it Youzhou?"
"Jundu Mountain is precipitous, with only Juyong Pass as a key pass."
Zhang Ju found it hard to believe: "How did Liu Yu's troops set off from Zhuojun and cross the Jundu Mountains?"
"That's unknown! It's a fact that troops from both Bingzhou and Youzhou have been harassing Shanggu."
Zhang Chun's expression was grave. "Gentlemen, there are unusual movements in Yuyang and Shanggu counties. It seems Liu Yu is preparing for a full-scale counterattack!"
"Judging from the fact that he was attacked from both the east and the west, Liu Yu may have brought in reinforcements!"
The rebel army, the Wuhuan, and the Murong allied forces were led by Zhang Ju as the commander-in-chief, with Qiu Liju and Murong Mohuba as the left and right deputy commanders, respectively.
Zhang Chun was skilled in both military and civil affairs, and served as the strategist and advisor of the Allied Forces.
Zhang Chun provided the planning for all the Allied Forces' important military strategies.
From the sneak attacks launched by the enemy in both Yuyang and Shanggu, Zhang Chun's conclusions became clear.
Everyone fell into deep thought.
After a while, Zhang Ju pondered and said, "Could it be Gongsun Zan?"
"It shouldn't be him. We've had contact with this person before. Although he's brave in battle and always leads from the front."
"But he might not be able to come up with a strategy that allows him to succeed on both fronts. I think the court has found a capable person!"
"If he is someone from the imperial court, then his official position must be very high. He can not only control Liu Yu's troops, but also make Gongsun Zan obey his orders, and at the same time, the troops in Bingzhou will also obey and cooperate with him!"
"That makes sense."
After Zhang Chun's analysis, everyone's eyes lit up, and Qiu Liju and Murong Mohuba quickly asked:
"The imperial court has sent someone. Which famous general could it be? Do either of you know?"
"I don't know who he is, but his official rank is not low, at least General Pingbei or above, otherwise he wouldn't be able to command the two places of You and Bing."
Zhang Chun said slowly.
"Then they might have transferred a lot of troops from Ji Province as well!" Zhang Ju exclaimed.
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