Three Kingdoms

While Fei Qian was improving fabric equipment, Junzhai north of Yinshan Mountain ushered in the first winter rain of the year.

The weather in Yinshan is very interesting. With Yinshan Mountain as the boundary, the north side is often snowy and windy, while the south side of Yinshan Mountain is calm and the climate is mild.

Of course, if you have read some geographical knowledge, you will know what this is, but for most people in the Han Dynasty, including the Hu people, they just think that the south of Yinshan Mountain is a place protected by heaven. It's a treasure land.

There is no special name for Beijun Village in Yinshan Mountain, it is just called "Beijun Village". Because this military stronghold is the northernmost military stronghold north of Yinshan Mountain, there seems to be no big problem in calling it this way.

Beijun Village was just a sentry post at first, and then it was gradually built into a sentry post, and finally turned into a military stronghold today. It can be said to have witnessed the changes of the Han army in Yinshan over the years, from small to large, from temporary to permanent.

Beijun Village is like a tentacle of Yinshan Mountain, extending out alone and tenaciously, and like a thorn needle pricking into the grassland that originally belonged to Yinshan Xianbei, and no one can get around it.

When winter comes, the weather south of Yinshan Mountain is pretty good, with occasional light rain, but the climate north of Yinshan Mountain is very bad. This time, the winter rain is intermittent, sometimes heavy and sometimes light, and it rains continuously. Several days passed, and at noon on the third day, heavy snow fell from the sky, and the sky and the earth suddenly became a vast expanse of white.

When it snows heavily, the world seems to become blurry.

The vast mountains in the distance stretch across like jade-covered ice dragons, appearing and disappearing in the wind and snow, as if they are alive, roaring, swimming at the edge of the wind and snow, and then disappearing.

In comparison, Beijun Village looks like a small hedgehog, huddled in a small valley.

Beijun Village in the snow was as quiet as a ruins.

There is only one road in the village, and there is ankle-deep snow on the road. There is no sign of human activity at all. A skinny black cat poked its head out from a mud wall. Due to the reflection of the snow, its pupils narrowed into a line, shining with a slightly weird light. Then it looked like a black ghost running across the street. In an instant, It disappeared behind the wall on the opposite side, leaving only a few small footprints in the snow.

Generally, dogs and cats are kept in military villages. It's not to prevent the soldiers guarding the stronghold from being lonely. Well, maybe it also has this effect, but more because dogs can call the police, and cats can protect the small amount of food in the military stronghold from being harmed by rats. .

Outside the village, there is an almost dry riverbed, already covered with snow. Like a big white snake, it winds towards the south and gradually disappears behind the mountains.

This river flows in summer and dies in winter. It is also the lifeline of this military village and even the nurturing agent of surrounding animals and plants. She is like a thin mother. Even if her body is weak, she tries her best to keep the surrounding creatures alive. Go down.

At dusk.

The heavy snow still continues, but it seems to be lighter, but it is also very limited.

At the mountain col on the south side of Beijun Village, figures of forty or fifty riders suddenly appeared.

These cavalrymen, who came against the wind and snow, trudged hard in the snow. The helmet on his head and the armor on his body were wrapped in woolen sheepskin to prevent the skin from accidentally getting on it and causing it to be pulled off. The iron tools on his body were basically the same, either wrapped in tattered leather or wrapped in various tattered strips of variegated cloth. There were even some tattered leather or linen on the horse's body, neck, and face to prevent the cold wind from blowing directly.

The tattered leathers and rags of various colors do look unsightly and untidy, like beggars who have escaped from nowhere. But in fact, only those who know the business will understand that such people are in the desert. Only veterans from the Northern Territory can truly move freely in the cold desert.

In the wind, the slender tricolor flag dances like a spiritual snake.

This is the Yinshan Cavalry.

It’s not that the equipment of the Yinshan cavalry is so bad. In fact, their equipment is the same as that of the Guanzhong Sanfu cavalry. It’s just that in the desert, if they are neatly dressed, with shiny iron helmets and armor, or He didn't know how to wrap cloth strips around the handle of the weapon. He was afraid that he would be defeated by the cold weather before he met the enemy.

You must know that the iron people in the north like to eat the skin. If you put hot meat on it, a layer of skin will definitely be eaten!

In the wind and snow, the sound of horse hooves and other sounds were covered up.

Therefore, it seems normal that Beijun Village did not notice the people coming from the south. However, as a group of people approached, Beijun Village still did not react, which made people a little confused.

The gate at the south gate of Beijun Village is closed.

This group of cavalry arrived in front of the stronghold.

A cavalryman was separated from the ranks and drove forward. When he arrived in front of the stronghold, he shouted several times, but no one responded. The sound was like a few more whimpers in the howling north wind, and disappeared with the wind in the blink of an eye.

The leader's eyes were slightly cold. He used his leather gloves to push up the helmet wrapped in torn leather a little, looking at the sentry tower standing alone in the wind and snow.

Obviously, there was no one on the tower.

This is……

The soldier pushing the door in front shook his hands, indicating that the door was bolted from the inside and could not be pushed.

The general waved back and signaled.

Two or three soldiers stepped forward from their horses and rushed to the front of the village. They turned over and dismounted, then took off the wall-climbing hook from the horse. They waved it back and forth a few times and then threw it onto the village wall. They quickly pulled the rope with their hands and feet. He stepped on the wall and climbed up.

It seems that these soldiers can climb easily, but in fact only light cavalry such as scouts can do so smoothly. It is not that scouts are stronger than ordinary soldiers, but that most scouts are light in body, plus Focusing on leather armor, its weight is relatively small, so it is of course more convenient for climbing and so on.

There is a barracks in the Beijun Village, but the gate of the barracks seems to be old. The two wooden doors cannot be closed no matter what. Maybe someone is blocking it with something from the inside, but they are too busy to care about the end. There is a large gap at the lower end of the door panel.

Bursts of north wind howled, darting in and out of all the cracks, making all kinds of strange sounds, and carrying snowflakes flying everywhere. A soldier walked up to the gate of the barracks and bumped the rickety door with his shoulder. The two sentries who were squatting at the door to take shelter from the wind and took a nap immediately fell to their knees and were chewing mud.

A sentry cursed uncleanly, got up and turned around. He clenched his fists and was about to hit someone. However, he was frightened by the group of soldiers at the door. He was suddenly suffocated and almost stopped breathing. They all stopped, and when they saw the general surrounded by soldiers, his legs and feet suddenly became weak, and he knelt down again with a thud, "Li...General Li!" 』

The sentry was lazy while on duty. According to the military order, the first offender would be whipped ten times, and the second offender would be flogged for three days. If he still did not change...

Then there is no need to change it.

Li Dian glanced at the two sentries and said, "Where is the camp commander?" 』

"Tuen... Tun, Tun Tun Tun..." One sentry could only tremble. He had been "Tun" for a long time and couldn't figure out why.

"Captain, the commander is ill..." Another sentry seemed to be smarter and took the opportunity to beg for mercy, "General, it was a moment of negligence..."

Li Dian frowned, ignored it at all, and just moved forward.

These two sentries have their own protection and punishment, so he doesn't need to worry about it. He is more concerned about whether the commander of the military camp is really sick or pretending to be sick.

The village chief of Beijun Village has a surname of Guan.

Well, it has nothing to do with Guan Yu, he is just an ordinary young officer.

After receiving the information, the soldiers in the military camp in the Beijun stronghold rushed out and knelt in the small school grounds. Among them was the chief of the Guan Village. He was carried out by others. His face was unhealthy and flushed, and he really looked like he was ill.

Li Dian took one look and said in a deep voice: "The chief is out!" 』

Five chiefs came out.

"Who is on duty today?" Li Dian asked again.

One of the elders trembled and kowtowed, "Yes, it's the little one..."

Li Dian waved his hand, and a guard immediately came forward, dragged him away for a long time, and soon, the screams of being whipped could be heard under the gate of the military camp.

The reason for Beijunzhai's neglect of duty is simple. After all, people are lazy. It has been raining for several days, and then it turned into heavy snow. It is obviously a painful thing to be on duty outside. In addition, the commander of the camp is ill, and several chiefs who should have stood up to act as agents have become lazy. Naturally, the soldiers under his command have Just more slack.

"I remember..." Li Dian sat in the military camp hall and looked at the commander of the camp, "Are you a veteran who followed the lord in the battle against Baibo?" If I remember correctly, you have accumulated two hundred acres of land, which makes it a very productive home..."

Chief Guan lowered his head, wanting to dig his chin into his chest. He didn't dare to breathe out, and there was a chill on his back. Needless to say, he must have been soaked in cold sweat.

"Do you know what Honda means?" 』

Li Dian said slowly, "Many people think that with Xundian, not only will they have the property of Zhuanghe in the land, but they will also have the opportunity to shine. From now on, their children will have nothing to do with studying, taking exams, etc." Being able to wait and talk about the merits, even if you have some sins, can reduce the guilt and eliminate the disaster... But how many people remember that in addition to honor, this honor field is actually a responsibility, an obligation, and a commitment! 』

Li Dian looked at the chief of Guan, "You thought no one would come here in such a cold weather, so you just slacked off?" Do you know that if you slack off one point, the people below you will slack off five points? When you go to the soldiers, you will throw away all the responsibilities! Today there is not even anyone on duty at the guard tower at the village gate! If the barbarians had come instead of me, you would all have died here! 』

"And you guys..." Li Dian turned to the remaining chiefs and said, "There's no need to talk too much. Being a soldier means having your head in your belt!" If you want to be lazy and comfortable, don't come and eat this soldier's salary! He also wants to get more military pay, but he doesn't want to suffer. Where can the good things come from? ! 』

"..." The village chief and several chiefs all knelt down and worshiped, not daring to say a word.

Because Beijun Village is small, there is no special military judge, so it inevitably becomes the "one-note hall" of the guantun chief. Over time, it is easy to regard this area as one-third of one acre. The land, coupled with the lack of personal qualities, belongs to the dirt road, and arrogance and slackness are naturally inevitable.

Li Dian thought for a while, then called a chief who came with him, and then appointed him as the false camp commander of Beijun Village. He immediately took over the affairs related to the camp commander and was responsible for arranging and rectifying military affairs.

The guantun chief was demoted to a chief, and when Li Dian returned, he followed him back.

The reason why there was no punishment or execution on the spot was because Chief Guan was indeed ill, and seriously ill.

At the same time, the illness was a bit weird.

Before he got sick, that is, before the heavy rain and snow, Guan Tun Chief found traces of some scattered horse thieves, so he took some of his men to trace and check...

From this point of view, not all the governors in Beijun Village are lazy.

Of course, maybe the military merit rewards of the Hussars General are always very attractive?

Anyway, the chief of Guan found some traces of horse thieves, but during the tracking process, several people fell ill for no apparent reason, suffering from vomiting and diarrhea, so they quickly withdrew. Fortunately, the health regulations previously implemented by the Hussars have been Having formed a certain habit, coupled with the low temperature, the diseases of Guan Tunzhang and others were not transmitted to other people.

"Did you drink "dead water"? 』

Li Dian immediately thought of something mentioned in the military strategy before, which was also emphasized among the soldiers on the border. Any corpses in the spring water were "dead water" and should not be drunk.

Chief Guan denied it, saying that he was also a veteran. How could he not know how to distinguish "stagnant water"? Moreover, he checked carefully and found that there were no animal or human corpses or bones.

So, that's weird.

Li Dian sent people to investigate the place mentioned by the chief of Guan, and a person was captured alive!

His hair was disheveled and he pursed his lips tightly. Even when he was thrown to the ground and his wounds were touched, he just grunted, then stared at Li Dian with a pair of triangular eyes, as if looking at an enemy.

Li Dian observed this living creature.

Exposed is dry and dark skin, dirty and disheveled hair, and torn leather robes.

"Have you been interrogated? Li Dian asked.

"Before I had time, the snow was heavy again and the wind was very strong. I caught him and came back as soon as possible." ” Li Dian’s men replied.

Li Dian nodded, and then faced the living man's eyes that seemed to be filled with hatred, his heart suddenly jumped.

"you know me? Li Dian frowned, "No... you should know us..."

Huokou stared at Li Dian fiercely, like an injured lone wolf on the grassland. Even though his body was in a mess and with wounds, he still showed ferocity in his eyes.

"Xianbei people?" Li Dian asked, "Still from Ding Ling?" 』

After staying in Yinshan for a while, Li Dian can also speak some nonsense.

The living person turned his face away.

"Take it down and ask questions." 』

Li Dian smiled, it seemed so, and waved his hand.

Li Dian had a conjecture that the so-called sporadic horse thieves encountered by the governor might not be real horse thieves. It is more likely that this is a small tribe of Xianbei people or Dingling people.

It is said that Zhao Yun launched a war against the Yu Ding Ling people before, and achieved good results. He defeated the Ding Ling people and dispersed the royal court. In the desert, there was no longer a tribal alliance that could threaten the Han people. This military exploit really made Li Dian envious. He wished he could have been there at that time and get some meritorious service.

But now, Li Dian suddenly realized that perhaps the meritorious service was right in front of him.

Because this desert is really too big.

Although Zhao Yun has set up a large camp in Changshan and extended his tentacles to the entire northern desert, it does not mean that he can control every inch of land and manage every tribe.

Especially when the area expands, it often becomes unmanageable.

Especially as a surrendered army under Zhao Yun Ganfeng Zhang He, just like the guanzhang of Beijun Village, if no one is watching, he will inevitably become slack and tired.

Not long afterward, Li Dian's men came back to resume their duties.

It turned out to be a fugitive Ding Ling.

I don’t know whether it’s because this Ding Ling man doesn’t know much, or he is relatively weak, so he didn’t get any very important information. I just know that he followed the tribe people to this area, but when asked about the details, Location, just to the north...

north?

The range to the north is larger.

But it seemed to arouse Li Dian's fighting spirit even more.

Li Dian climbed to the watchtower of Beijun Village.

The howling north wind seemed to blow away the roof and frames of this small watchtower, and the thick wood creaked in the wind and snow as if it was overwhelmed. The icy snowflakes were flying in the wind, rushing towards me, like small knives scraping against my body and head, as if all the heat in a person was being wiped away, leaving only endless coldness.

"Is this targeting Yinshan?" 』

Li Dian murmured in a low voice and sneered.

Although Li Dian couldn't see clearly what scenery there was to the north in the wind and snow, it was just a vast white mess, but he seemed to be able to see people and horses swaying, tents shaking in the cold wind, and maybe some The corpse that froze to death in the wind and snow reluctantly stretched out its hands like withered claws...

His eyes calmly glanced back and forth from far to near, and little bits of light flickered in the dark pupils.

Dogs will jump over the wall when they are anxious, and people will go crazy when they are anxious.

The Ding Ling people were dispersed, but that didn't mean they were wiped out. The torn-up Ding Ling people fled in all directions in the desert, like a cockroach nest that had its cover opened. Even if they stepped on and beat them randomly, they could not kill all the cockroaches. In addition, the Xianbei tribe north of Yinshan Mountain has long been emptied. At this stage, there are only a small number of Southern Xiongnu people, so they are basically empty. These Dingling people found a gap and fled here, and they are not What an impossible task.

The fertile Yinshan Mountain is like a piece of meat that exudes an alluring aroma, is roasted squeaking, and has a brown color, attracting these hungry Dingling people.

And combined with the inexplicable illness of Chief Guan...

This is even more interesting.

These guys probably have some poisoning method that Li Dian doesn't know that can make people sick, so they want to create a gap in Yinshan, take a bite, and make a fortune!

Of course, it is also possible that these guys have reached the end of their rope and can only fight for their lives. If they cannot get replenishment, then they will most likely die in the desert?

But whether it is the former situation or the latter possibility, they all represent the same thing.

A sudden battle is right in front of you.

Perhaps, just when the heavy snow in front of you stops!