Chapter 2: The Stormy Weather of Yan and Zhao Section 2

  Looking at the majestic and towering male pass in the distance, Li Hong couldn't help but feel a surge of emotions, looking up at the sky and letting out a long sigh. He had finally returned home. He had finally returned to his hometown.

  Li Song was the commander of the garrison at the Lulong Pass. He was in charge of all the scouts and was under the command of General Tian Jing, the defender of the pass. At the beginning of this month, because he heard that Khan Rouran might be planning to rebel, he was sent through an intermediary to infiltrate Khan Rouran's tribe as a slave and gather military intelligence.

  The intelligence brought back by Li Song shocked Tian Jing greatly. Khan Wuhuan had met with the eastern Xianbei chieftain Mijia several times at the border and reached a verbal agreement to take down Lulong Pass before the arrival of heavy snow. The 5,000-strong Xianbei army had secretly entered the territory of Da Han and was hiding in the Bailin pasture of the Wuhuan tribe. Wuhuan's 3,000 men were gathered at the Red Flower Valley, a hundred miles away from Lulong Pass. They currently lacked siege equipment, which was being urgently transported by Muyong Feng, the chieftain of central Xianbei, from Baideng City. The estimated time for the attack would be no later than early next month.

  Ludongze's border army had only two battalions, with a total of 1,600 men. It was indeed very difficult to deal with the attack of the 8,000-strong army. However, it would be too early to send someone to ask for support from Liu Zheng, the governor of Youbei Pingjun County, now. Governor Liu would not rashly dispatch troops without solid grounds. Tian Jing sat in his study, racking his brains for a strategy to repel the enemy.

  One of his guards quietly walked to the door and knocked on it.

  Tian Jing raised her head and asked, "Is there something?"

  "Report to Your Honor, the strong man who escorted Ritun Chang back is still at the pass. Should we send him away or..."

  Tian Jing suddenly remembered what Li Song had told him about this person. He had been preoccupied with military affairs and had forgotten about it. He hastily said, "Quickly go and invite him over, I want to have a talk with him."

  Li Hong told Li Song before entering the pass, "Don't say that he is the leopard who was being pursued and killed by the Xianbei, so as not to cause unnecessary trouble." The implication was that he feared being secretly killed and having his head taken to claim a reward. Li Song did not hide anything from Tian Jing, as it involved important national affairs, and they could not afford to lose sight of the bigger picture due to minor matters.

  Li Song told Tian Jing that this man was very brave, and the rumors about him were true. He had killed Tuo Ba Kui of the Tuo Ba tribe and more than 20 soldiers in a single encounter on the grasslands. It was impossible for an ordinary person to do such a thing, but Li Hong could. He thought that this man could stay and would definitely be helpful in the upcoming war. Especially since he had participated in the Ju Tun battle and was familiar with the Xian Bei people's way of fighting. But Tian Jing forgot about him.

  Li Hong sat in the small hut at the pass, chatting with a few soldiers. The soldiers quickly became familiar with him. From noon to afternoon, from afternoon to nightfall, no one came to summon him. After being sent in, Ri Song seemed to have vanished into thin air, without any news. Li Hong was puzzled. Even if they didn't give me a reward, they should at least let me pass. The soldiers comforted him, saying that General Tian is a kind person who loves his soldiers like his own children. You saved Lord Ri, there will definitely be a reward.

  The soldiers treated Li Hong to a meal. Li Hong had never seen this thing since he could remember. Li Hong thought it was very delicious and finished the bowl in an instant. The soldiers all knew that there was no such thing in the Hu tribe, seeing Li Hong liked to eat, everyone brought out another bowl again. Li Hong thanked repeatedly while eating quickly, finishing another one in an instant.

  After dinner, everyone sat together and chatted. Until the lights were turned on, a sharp-eyed soldier saw Tian Jing's guard approaching and hurriedly said to Li Hong: "Okay, Tian Daren's guard is here."

  The guard led Li Hong to the door of Tian Jing's study. Tian Jing was already standing by the door.

  Tian Jing was over forty years old, with a sturdy build and a short beard. His eyes were bright and piercing. Li Hong was sizing him up, and he was also sizing up Li Hong. Li Hong was tall and powerful, exuding an aura of ferocity, looking like a bandit who roamed the grasslands. Tian Jing thought to himself that this was exactly what made him so formidable - able to kill people with ease, coming and going as he pleased, and even managing to escape from White Oak City after killing his way out despite being surrounded by thousands of people. A person like this would be useful if tamed, but if not, would be a huge troublemaker. Mu Rongfeng was an example of this. What kind of person was Mu Rongfeng? Even Mu Rongfeng couldn't handle him - how many people in the world could? Tian Jing was thinking to himself when Li Hong suddenly bowed to him.

  Tian Jing was very clear about the various legends of the leopard, and with the testimony of Li Song, he knew that this little guy was probably caught by the Xianbei people and had his brain damaged. So he didn't mind not understanding various etiquette.

  "My official duties have been busy and I've delayed our meeting, General. I'm afraid I've offended you." Tian Jing said politely.

  Li Hong felt nervous when he first met a high-ranking official of the Great Han Dynasty and didn't dare to speak. Tian Jing invited him to enter the house and sit down.

  Tian Jing saw him very constrained, smiled and said: "I have arranged for Lord Li to go to Xu Wucheng to recover from his injuries. Before leaving, Lord Li repeatedly instructed me to take good care of you. I don't know if you have any requirements?"

  Li Hong hastily shook his head.

  Tian Jing smiled and said, "Then you traveled thousands of miles back to the Great Han State, was there really no reason at all?"

  Li Hong was taken aback and blurted out, "How did you know?" He immediately thought that it must have been Li Song who betrayed him, and his face turned ugly at once.

  Tian Jing looked at him and hastily made excuses for his subordinate: "He wanted to repay your life-saving kindness, so he specially entrusted me to take care of you. Of course, I had to ask him the reason. Others are eager to make a name for themselves and let their names be known throughout the world. Why don't you not only refuse but also hide?"

  Li Hong smiled wryly and said a sentence that made Tian Jing's eyes widen in surprise.

  "There's nothing to brag about in having no choice but to kill people. I've killed so many, how many of them truly deserved to die? Many are like me, just trying to make a living and fill their bellies with three meals a day. Fame is just fame for killing, it doesn't matter whether you have it or not."

  Tian Jing gazed at the big man sitting in front of her, and suddenly felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He was not the rough and unpolished husband she had imagined.

  "Then would you be willing to stay and become a soldier?"

  "Of course, I'd be willing. When I was in Xianbei, I found out that Murong Feng Da Yuanshuai is planning to attack Lulong Pass. If he really wants to launch an attack, it should happen before the big snow this year. I also wanted to say something about it, but I guess no one would listen to me. So I thought of going around Lulong Pass and seeing if there's a chance to join the army and serve the country."

  Tian Jingda was overjoyed and repeatedly praised: "Good, good." He then asked: "Have you heard of any attack plans from Murong Feng's side?"

  "I haven't heard anything yet. But I saw him draw a complete attack formation on the map, so it should be around this time."

  Tian Jing became more and more interested in his words. He found that this young man was not simple at all. He immediately asked, "What makes you so sure?"

  "A while ago, the Xianbei state was in turmoil, with intense power struggles and fierce competition for the throne. At the most critical moment, the general managed to turn the tide and successfully stabilize the situation. However, the Xianbei state had already suffered heavy losses, and more tribes were no longer taking the Han Mountain royal authority seriously. They were all actively developing their own tribal forces, and the annexation of tribes was becoming increasingly fierce. In the long run, the disintegration of the Xianbei state was only a matter of time."

  "The great general launched a surprise attack on the Great Khanate at this time, just to stabilize and unify the Xianbei state. His purpose was very clear: through war, consume some of the major tribes' strength, while also telling those restless tribal leaders that the Xianbei state is still a whole entity, whoever dares to rebel will not have any results. Winning the war would bring many spoils, benefiting the unity and prosperity of the various Xianbei tribes. Losing the war would damage the strength of the major tribes, but it wouldn't affect the overall interests of the Xianbei state, instead, it would be greatly beneficial to its stability. Therefore, attacking the Great Khanate is a must, striking early is better than late."

  "What's more, the situation in our great Han Dynasty is very bad at present. This spring, the Yellow Turban Rebellion that broke out in various places in the Central Plains has already severely shaken the foundation of the Han Dynasty. The general said that the emperor of our Han Dynasty is muddle-headed and incompetent, indulging in pleasures and extravagance, corrupt officials are greedy for bribes and pervert the law, exploiting the people, the Han Dynasty is already a body on the verge of collapse, just waiting to be taken over. He has been planning for many years, waiting for this day, how can he let go of such a good opportunity."

  "If we can capture and control Lulong Pass before the snow falls, it will have a decisive impact on whether the general's attack next year is successful. Lulong Pass is the barrier of the eastern border of the Great Han State. Once captured, the northeastern part of Youzhou will become the riding arena for the Xianbei iron cavalry, and there will be no defensive line to resist the invasion. If the general captures Lulong Pass before the first snow falls, then Lulong Pass will be firmly under his control until next spring."

  "When the heavy snow comes, the Han army is powerless to support. Even if the reinforcements arrive, in the icy and snowy weather, how can they attack the solid Luolong Pass? When the snow blocks the mountain, how will the grain and grass of the Han reinforcements be solved? The general has a winter at Luolong Pass to redeploy defense, accumulate strength. Spring arrives, he divides his army into two routes, one route attacks Yuyang from Baideng City, and the other route attacks Youbeiping from Luolong Pass, the two armies meet in Jicheng. If it is really so, then a large area of land in Youzhou will suffer from its iron hooves, the people will be affected, and the lives will be miserable."

  "Mr. Tien, do you think what I said is right?"

  Tian Jingzheng was stroking his short mustache, deep in thought, and didn't respond. Li Hong felt embarrassed to disturb him, so he just sat down on one side and waited.

  "So you're saying that everything that's going to happen is all because of Murong Feng's behind-the-scenes machinations?" Tian Jing said slowly.

  "In the Xianbei state, those who followed Murong Feng's orders were far more numerous than those who listened to the Xianbei king and Helian. Everything that Murong Feng did for the Xianbei state was something that Helian could not match. The place where Helian lost people's hearts was in plotting against Murong Feng, resulting in rebels rising up on all sides and the national strength greatly diminishing. Now that Murong Feng has regained power, it is a nightmare for neighboring countries."

  "Yes, he is indeed our nightmare." Tian Jing said with a heavy heart, "In the sixth year of Xi Ping, eight years ago, Emperor sent General Xia Yu to defeat Xianbei Zhonglang Jiang Tian Yan and Xiongnu Zhonglang Jiang Zang Min led 50,000 troops to join forces with Xiongnu Nan Chanyu, went out of Yangmen Pass, and attacked Xianbei Tan Shi Huai outside the border. The army was divided into three routes and advanced simultaneously, sweeping across the grasslands for over two thousand miles. Who would have thought that all this was deliberately arranged by Tan Shi Huai? He used Murong Feng's tactic of luring the enemy deep, and led us into his ambush circle. The army was surrounded by 100,000 Xianbei troops at Lu Ri Yuan, suffering heavy casualties. General Xia Yu died on the battlefield, Tian Yan and Zang Min led their troops to break through the siege and escape, and in the end, only over 3,000 people returned to Yangmen Pass. And all this was thanks to Murong Feng."

  "What the adults said was the Battle of Lu Ri." Li Hong asked softly.

  "Yes, I was one of the lucky soldiers who managed to escape back then. At that time, 50,000 troops fought in the war and died. Their remains were abandoned in the depths of the desert and can never return. My greatest wish in this life is to defeat the Xianbei people, bring their remains back to their hometown for burial, and comfort their spirits in heaven." Tian Jing said with a slightly hoarse voice, her eyes reddening.

  Li Hong felt deeply sympathetic and his heart was heavy with emotion.

  Tian Jing stabilized his emotions and said slowly: "You are knowledgeable, have a good understanding of the situation, and should not be an ordinary person. Is it that you just can't remember?"

  Li Hong shook his head in disappointment, "Can't think of it. Never mind, can't we just get by and eat now? When I was with the Xianbei, I often got to eat meat, which was already very good."

  Tian Jing saw his open-minded waving hand, a look of not caring at all. Thinking about it, she felt that what he said also made sense. What's the difference? Aren't they all just muddling through life? Isn't she doing the same thing too?

  Tian Jing smiled and said, "How about you stay by my side as a guard?"

  Li Hong shook his head, "I'll go be a foot soldier. The food there is good."

  Tian Jing was stunned: "Isn't the food here good?"

  "I don't know. But their food is indeed delicious. And I also don't like being a guard."

  "Why?" Tian Jing was surprised. As long as one is a soldier, no one does not want to be a guard. The guards follow the adults, majestic and powerful, with many requests, high pay, no need for training, and do not have to charge to the front in battle. What a great job! Ordinary people don't even dare to think about it.

  "Following behind the adults, I usually can't run around everywhere. During battles, I have to protect them with all my might, but in the end, I'm not even able to fight properly myself. It's so boring." Li Hong said casually.

  Tian Jing was surprised, "Then where did you think of going?"

  "It's better if there are frequent battles." Li Hong demanded immediately.

  Tian Jing looked at him with a hint of reluctance, "Why don't you go to Commander Li's troops and become a scout?"

  "Great. Too great." Li Hong exclaimed excitedly.

  Tian Jing sent Li Hong away and immediately wrote a letter. He thought Li Hong's analysis was very reasonable. This time, the Xianbei and Wuhuan people's attack was no longer just a harassing attack, but a premeditated and planned military action.

  Look at the problem from a higher level, analyze the situation from the overall situation. Only then will the problem be analyzed more thoroughly and transparently, and the solution will be more comprehensive and stable. Tian Jing felt that he should inform his superiors of the current situation and the upcoming battle.

  He wrote two letters, one to the Governor of Youzhou, Liu Yu, and the other to the Taishou of Yibei County, Liu Zheng, requesting reinforcements. If Murong Feng was determined to take down Lulong Pass, his more than 2,000 troops would be difficult to defend.

  Tian Jing thinks Li Hong is a talent.