In the middle of the night, Black Panther Yi rushed from the camp to Chiyang.

Li Hong ordered all the troops to rest outside the city and rush to the morning of tomorrow. The exhausted soldiers dismounted and fell asleep. Li Hong led the soldiers of his personal guard to spread the situation around and took turns to patrol the court.

At this time, a group of people rushed from Chiyang City, and more than a dozen burning torches seemed particularly eye-catching in the dark night. Several servants rode horses to meet them.

"Sir, it's Lord Gyeong-young-gai."

When Li Hong heard the reply, he hurriedly rode his horse to meet him. Gai Xun looked very bad because of overwork and looked very tired.

"Why did Lord Gai come to Chiyang?" Li Hong asked while bowing and bowing.

"The first batch of food and supplies sent to An Ding will leave tomorrow morning, and I will come and see it." Gai Xun smiled, "Soci, are you confident that you can keep the Hu people outside the territory of Sanfu?"

Li Hong hesitated for a moment and bowed and replied, "Please rest assured. The emperor will never let the Hu people step into the three auxiliary steps, just..."

"Just what?" The wrinkles on Gai Xun's face suddenly squeezed together, and he asked with a slightly nervous expression, "If you have any difficulties, just say that I can't solve them, and you can still report them to Your Majesty."

Li Hong smiled gratefully and said, "The Hu people are so powerful that they have already rushed into Xiaoguan, and our army is still rushing to the road, so we will definitely lose again and again in the early battles."

Gai Xun immediately understood what Li Hong meant. He stroked his beard and smiled and said, "The people of the people will make great progress in their trip to Luoyang. You are at ease fighting in peace and don't care about the affairs of the court. With Your Majesty's trust in you, there should be no major issues in the early days of defeat. I am afraid that you will lose too much and cause morale to fall, and then it will be out of control."

Li Hong smiled and said nothing.

"I will explain to Your Majesty for you." Gai Xun sighed, "But if this happens, the Grand Marshal who is in charge of military affairs will be punished and dismissed soon. His departure may not be a good thing for you."

Li Hong looked at Gai Xun in confusion and asked in a low voice: "Everyone knows that the Hu people invaded, let alone the defeats of several battles is reasonable. Why should the Taiwei be dismissed?"

"Actually, he should have dismissed from office long ago," said Gai Xun. "If you hadn't defeated the rebels in Yicheng, he would have been gone as the Grand Marshal. But this time, no matter whether you defeat the Hu people or not, he would have been unable to maintain his position as the Grand Marshal. If you have to win a few more defeats, he would have been able to leave the post faster."

"Can the general tolerate him?"

"It's not that the general cannot tolerate him, but that the two of them are incompatible with water and fire." Gai Xun sighed, "Didn't you see it in Luoyang?"

Li Hong shook his head and said, "I think they have a good relationship."

Gai Xun glanced at him, wondering if Li Hong really didn't understand or pretended not to understand, "The official position of Taiwei was called the Grand Sima in the past. In the 27th year of Jianwu, it was changed to Taiwei, mainly in charge of military affairs and prison lawsuits and rewards. The Grand Sima was in charge of conquests and had great conflicts with the Grand Sima in military affairs. Therefore, in many cases, in order to avoid conflicts, the General worked part-time as the Grand Sima or Taiwei. The successive generals of this dynasty were royal relatives, with power surpassing and possessing power. Therefore, although the Grand Sima was prominent and ranked first among the three Dukes, they generally did not have any real power in military affairs. To put it bluntly, it was just a decoration."

"Mr. Zhang Wen and Zhang led his army to Xiliang to suppress the rebellion. Last spring, His Majesty was appointed as the Grand Marshal, thus gaining control of the real power in military affairs. So far, the Taiwei Mansion's speech in military affairs is far greater than that of the Grand Marshal's Mansion. Therefore, it is a matter of time before his resignation, but this time the opportunity was very good, and it was spared from open and secret struggles between the two mansions."

Li Hong suddenly realized and couldn't help but secretly complain about Zhang Wen. Speaking of which, he had been Zhang Wen's subordinate after all, and in terms of emotions, he was still inclined to Zhang Wen. Although Zhang Wen had a lot of opinions about his anti-corruption behavior and wanted to kill him at one time, Zhang Wen's calmness and knowledge still left a deep influence on him. In Luoyang, Zhang Wen treated him very well and asked about his well-being. In many occasions, Zhang Wen even pulled him to say a lot of words in private and taught him a lot of things in the officialdom.

"During your time in Luoyang and Jizhou, you should know what the general wants to do the most." Gai Xun continued, "I talked to you specifically before you left Chang'an, but you didn't listen to me at all. You were in Luoyang and Jizhou for a lifetime, and it was extremely dangerous. Do you know?"

Li Hong bowed and thanked, "Thank you for your concern."

A trace of mockery and disdain flashed in Gai Xun's eyes, and then said, "No need to thank me, you can return to Chang'an safely, and you are lucky enough. If Zhang Wen is dismissed from office and the general is in charge of military affairs, it may be very unfavorable to you. You must take care of yourself."

Li Hong smiled slightly and bowed to thank him again. He was not worried about what Gai Xun said at all. Not only would this happen, the general would also support and help him, because he and the general had already reconciled privately. Li Hong was a little secretly happy. He felt that he wanted to thank He Yong. Without He Yong's courage and courage, he would not only not reconcile with the general, but also fight to the death tensely.

Li Hong disliked this intrigue officialdom. He felt tired, cowardly, dirty, and never even wanted to go to Luoyang again. If he could die like Fu Xie, he would be very content. He had no interest in any imperial power, imperial rule, or power. He just wanted to let more brothers and more soldiers survive the upcoming war, so that they could still live back to their hometown to meet their families.

The two stood in the dark and talked for a long time, including Luoyang, Jizhou, Xianbei invasion, and food and grass in the rear.

"Food and weapons are being transported from nearby prefectures and counties, and there will be no problem with the supply in the short term," said Gai Xun. "We have collected about 100,000 civilians and will deliver all of these things to Anding County in the near future."

"There is an adult in Chang'an, and the officials are very at ease." Li Hong said with a smile, "Who will lead the three servants' army to the north this time?"

"It's the commander of Jingzhao Prefecture, Lord Xin Zengxin." Gai Xun said, "Yesterday he had led the five thousand troops north."

"Xin was my brother and my friend for many years. In Ayang City, Hanyang County, he and Kong Chang were the prefects of Anding County now. They led their troops to fight against the rebels of Lao Bian and Beigong Boyu. We fought to the death and forced Lao Bian to withdraw his troops. After you meet him, tell him not to worry about his family. As long as I don't die, they will ask them to have a meal."

"The Xiaguan will definitely bring it." Li Hong was infected by Gai Xun's heroic spirit and said excitedly, "The Xiaguan vows to fight to the death to the death to boost the power of my great man!"

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Spring outside the border always comes very late, and the mountains in the distance are still gray, and there is no tender green color. The morning wind is chilly, and they whistle through the endless high rivers, as if to awaken the sleeping grass.

Qu Yi opened his sleepy eyes, looked at the blue sky in a daze for a while, then got up and stretched his waist long.

"Oh, Pingshan, get up." He gently kicked Tie Yue who was sleeping beside him and shouted with a smile, "The Xianbei people are coming."

Tie Yue hummed twice in a daze, barely opened his eyes, and muttered dissatisfiedly: "The sun has not come out yet, what are your name?"

"Get up, sleep in every day." Qu Yi kicked him again, pointed at the crowd around him, and smiled, "Brothers, you Shangguan are still sleeping, what are you talking about?"

Tieyue had no choice but to stagger and climb up.

"Pingshan, you're going to shave, it's too long."

"Don't shave, keep it. Scrape it clean, like a eunuch." Tie Yue smiled, "Yesterday, did you handle the deserter's affairs?"

"It's considered a deal." Qu Yi said, "Heng Ji strongly opposed the killing. He said that the soldiers of Xianling Qiang saw that their homes were occupied and their relatives were missing. Therefore, they secretly left the army privately and wanted to go home to see it. They said that this is also human nature."

"How is this human nature?" Tie Yue said in surprise. "This seriously violates military laws. If the soldiers are like this, how can they fight?"

"The Qianfengsha didn't speak by himself. Hengji was talking to him. What should you do if you told me? Why can't I break up with them? I have to kill all the dozens of soldiers, right?" Qu Yi said helplessly, "Hengji also said that if Lord Li was there, he would never kill them."

"So you forget it?"

"One person beat ten whips." Qu Yi smiled, "At this time, it is indeed not suitable for severe punishment and killing. Once the soldiers of Xianling Qiang are angry, they do not obey the command and kill everywhere, it will be difficult for us to delay the enemy's attack speed."

Tie Yue looked at him strangely and said, "Yuntian, I see you have changed a lot. Where is the aggressive arrogance you used to be?"

"Haha, I have never been arrogant to soldiers and brothers." Qu Yi laughed, "You kid don't pack up and say a lot of nonsense here. Are you trying to scold me?"

"Okay, okay, I won't say it anymore, I won't say it anymore." Tie Yue hurriedly raised his hand and shouted, "Blow the trumpet, blow the trumpet, gather immediately and prepare to set off."

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The red sun rises eastward.

Lu Ri Yi looked at the fiery sun in the sky with all concentration, motionless. He was in his forties, tall and broad, with long beards, and gentle expressions. He looked like an ordinary herder. It was hard to imagine that he was a great commander who was a powerful hero who was intimidating the Xianbei.

"Old cow, old cow..."

Looking back at Lu Ri's deduction, it was Yan Liyou who was calling him.

"Wolf head, have you eaten it in the morning?"

Yan Liyou nodded with a smile. He is also in his forties, tall and slightly fat. What stands out is the roll of oily and shiny curly beards on his face and a round and slim skull.

"Today, should we take the initiative to attack?"

Lu Ri Desperate looked at the rising sun reluctantly, then glanced at Yan Liyou's light head, and hesitated.

"We hug each other. If we continue to advance steadily, the Han army may withdraw to Xiaoguan early." Yan Li lobbyed, "They have never found a chance to start, and the soldiers are also very tired. The possibility of retreating early is very high. Once they retreat early, the king's attack strategy will be disrupted, so we can only forcefully attack Xiaoguan, so our casualties will increase greatly."

"There is a high river ahead, a large grassland. If we fight, our casualties will not be small." The deduction of the Luji slowly said, "The Han army has leopards, the wind and cloud cavalry, the strong wind and sand Xianling Qiang, and the Western Qiang in Huangzhong. If we fight, we will not be able to take advantage of it."

"But if we don't fight, the army of the king and Lord Tuoba will be exposed." Yan Liyou advised, "Old Niu, let's attack. Anyway, they are rushing forward in the battle behind, and our losses are mainly in the battle of Gao Pingchuan."

"Is that true?" Lu Ri Dean squinted his eyes and looked at Yan Liyou, and said suspiciously, "Wolf Head, do you believe in the nonsense of He Lian?"

Yan Liyou raised his hand to touch his light head, and smiled and said, "What is he? But Tuoba Feng's words are no nonsense. Lao Niu, what do you say?"

"Tuoba Feng? Humph, Tuoba Feng?" Lu Ri laughed, "What do Tuoba Feng want to do? He just wants to expand his territory and gradually erode the border counties of the Han Dynasty. He was not strong enough, so he encouraged Helian this fool to build a fortune for Qianqiu, and ended up dragging Helian and us here. What are we doing here? Do we really want to fight for Tuoba Feng?"

Yan Liyou asked with a smile: "Old Niu, where did you get so many complaints? Since you don't want to fight, why are you here?"

"No? Can I not come? I am not here? I am the same as you, I am poor." Lu Ri sighed, "Last year's heavy snow froze to death, thousands of our livestock, and the tribe had no food, so they had to borrow from Danhanshan and Tuoba Feng. The condition they were willing to lend us livestock and food was to help them fight. If I were not controlled by them, would I come to fight?"

Lu Ri Deduction then said indignantly: "He Lian and Tuoba Feng are too stingy. What can we get when we help them fight? Apart from not having to give them livestock, they just rob as much as they want, and there is no other benefit. They have a large tract of land, and what about us? They always have to give us a little, right?"

"What are we allocated to us? Land?" Yan Liyou sneered, "Old Niu, don't dream anymore. We should just hit Chang'an early and grab it. I heard that Chang'an is full of treasures. We only need to grab a few hundred cars to be the number one in the Xianbei in the West. With these treasures, we don't have to look at Helian and Tuoba Feng's dead faces in the future."

"It's nearly a thousand miles away to Chang'an, enough to fight." Lu Ri deduced, "I heard that the emperor of the Han Dynasty had sent Leopards to Xiliang, and this person was difficult to deal with. Murong Feng, Mijia and Tuoba Feng all suffered losses under his command. We should be careful and don't fight him easily."

Yan Liyou said hatefully, "I have suffered his losses, and I will teach him a lesson if I have the chance. Murong Feng is old and his heart is soft. Why didn't this person kill him when he left Xianbei? Raising a tiger is a disaster, but now he is harming himself."

"No wonder you are so anxious to fight." Luri's deduction and teasing, "It turns out that you have suffered his losses. Well, let's take the initiative to attack. Who will go first?"

"Of course it's Xu Gui from the Eastern Qiang, otherwise how could the Han army take the bait?" Yan Liyou grabbed his bald head twice and said with a smile.

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When Qu Yi saw the Dong Qiang people attacking first, he immediately ordered the cavalry of the third battalion to form dense arrays and slowly retreat in a shape of a pin character.

Qian Fengsha saw Xu Gui's 10,000 troops chasing him very quickly, and had already distanced himself from the main army behind him. He immediately ordered the horn hand to contact Qu Yi and he asked for an attack.

The Eastern Qiang people ignored the same tribe and attacked the northern land, Anding County, with the Xianbei people, and massacred the Xianling Qiang people. This greatly stimulated the soldiers of the Xianling Qiang people and aroused their hatred.

Qu Yi, who was in the middle, flatly refused after receiving the news of the strong wind and sand. The enemy's intention to attack was very obvious, that is, the Dong Qiang people lure the enemy. Once the two sides fought, the 50,000 troops that followed would definitely rush forward, first surrounded and then divide, and then annihilate them one by one.

"Tell the strong wind and sand to keep in shape, do not contact the enemy, and continue to retreat."

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The strong wind and sand looked at the Dongqiang people getting closer and closer, and their eyes were almost filled with fire.

"The Han people have no courage, and they just want to escape." The Xinhu, the subordinate of Qianfengsha, turned out to be Xiaoshuai, and now the army Sima, he gritted his teeth and shouted loudly, "Sir, let's kill you and kill Xu Gui."

The wind and sand are hesitant.

"Sir, don't be fooled by the Xianbei people. This is their trick to lure the enemy." Jiuyangsie shouted loudly, "Once we move, the army will immediately lose its defensive formation. Without the formation, we can only fight the 60,000 troops on the opposite side."

"What are you afraid of? You have to beat me anyway." Killing horses waved their whip and shouted angrily, "Blow the trumpet, blow the trumpet, prepare to attack!"

The horn soldiers surrounding him were greatly inspired and immediately sounded the horn of charge.

"Woo...woo..."

"Sir, don't be impulsive." Jiu Sheepskin shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I will kill you." Zhan Ma suddenly pulled out the battle knife, pointed at Jiuyangsie's neck and shouted, "We have retreated from the Yellow River to Gaopingchuan, and we have retreated for 600 miles. When will we retreat? I will not retreat."
To be continued...