Chapter 995 The Obsession of Smugglers

  The winding river valley is sometimes wide and sometimes narrow, and many places are steep cliffs, just like a passage sandwiched between two high stone walls.

  At this time, nearly ten thousand Hu people were crowded in this river valley. Those in the north wanted to go south, and those in the south wanted to block them.

  They were originally from the same family, and they fought fiercely here.

  The narrow river valley cannot accommodate too many people at the same time, and the barbarians who were organized into a centurion held crude weapons in their hands.

   There are rusty iron, sharpened wood or bamboo poles, or bone.

   Some of them roared angrily, some clenched their teeth, and almost all of them turned red at the same time.

   Because there are people watching from behind them, forcing them to have no way out.

  Those who are physically strong throw javelins at the crowd on the opposite side from a distance.

   After the javelin crossed a certain distance in the sky, the sharp point of the spear pierced through the thin and tattered clothing, penetrating directly into the body.

  The person who was shot staggered back and fell to the ground.

   Soon, the two sides began to fight hand to hand.

"kill!"

   "Crack!"

  The end of the wooden stick with a stone tied to it was thrown at the opponent, but unexpectedly, the opponent blocked it with a simple wooden shield.

  The weapons in someone's hands were broken after colliding with each other, and the two hugged each other with bare hands, elbowed and bited, just like the most primitive beasts fighting for territory.

   Roaring, shouting, moaning...

   There are already many corpses floating in Fenshui.

  Liu Meng and Liu Bao personally whipped the horsewhip hard, but they were unable to drive the exhausted barbarians forward again.

   They had no choice but to send out their own generals to lead their tribe into battle.

   It wasn't until night fell that the fierce fighting in the valley came to an end.

  …

  The two who couldn't make any progress in the river valley pleaded guilty in front of General Guan with some anxiety:

   "General, the villain is incompetent!"

  General Guan is not an unreasonable person, and he did not blame them:

   "It doesn't matter, the thieves have taken precautions in advance, and they have taken advantage of the location. It is human nature that it is difficult to capture for a while."

   After hearing this, Liu Bao and Liu Meng breathed a sigh of relief.

   "However, I led the army to the south, and I caught the Wei thief by surprise. If I dragged on this mountain pass for too long, I will wait for the thieves from Guanzhong or Hebei to come to support me..."

   Speaking of which, General Guan gave the two men a meaningful look:

   "At that time, I'm afraid it will be the beginning of the real trouble. If I can't conquer this mountain pass, I can only be regarded as defeated and lead the army back to Liangzhou, but where will the two go?"

  Liu Bao and Liu Meng's expression changed drastically when he heard this.

  Liu Meng's forehead was slightly sweating. Under his quick wit, he suddenly remembered something, and quickly whispered:

   "General, the villain thinks of something, maybe he can help the general pass this mountain pass."

  General Guan's eyes flashed: "Oh? Commander Liu, please come."

   "General, apart from Guanjuejin Valley, there are actually other trails leading to the south of this mountain."

"Um?"

  When General Guan heard this, a very interested expression appeared on his face.

  Liu Meng looked at it and was overjoyed: "General, it's like this. There is a salt pond in the east of the river, and salt has been produced since ancient times..."

  General Guan directly interrupted him with a wave of his hand: "I know this better than you, let's get to the point."

   "Yes, yes." Liu Meng wiped off his sweat and continued to explain, "Originally, the salt produced by the salt pond is under the jurisdiction of the government."

   "It's just that in recent years, because of the war, the government has inevitably made some omissions, so many people have taken salt from the salt pond privately and transported it to various places for sale."

   "The villain's tribe once traded a lot of salt from smugglers. In order to avoid the government's investigation, those smugglers who can't see the light found another way, bypassing Guanjuejin Valley."

  The more Liu Meng said, the clearer his thinking became:

   "General, although the mountain road taken by the smugglers is more difficult than Guanjuejin Valley, after walking all the year round, it has become a mountain path that is barely passable."

   As he spoke, Liu Meng's expression was a little excited:

   "At that time, I will wait in the north to attract the attention of the thieves. The general will send a thousand or two thousand elite cavalry to sneak around behind, attacking back and forth, why worry about the valley's entrance?"

   "The general's fine cavalry is rare in the world. No matter how many thieves there are, I'm afraid they will be defeated!"

  General Guan showed a strange smile on his face:

   "But it's thirty miles east of Guanjuejin Valley?"

   Liu Meng was shocked: "How did the general know?"

  General Guan smiled and did not answer, but said:

   "I have already sent Liu Hun to lead 3000 fine horses to go there."

  When Liu Meng heard this, he was even more horrified.

  Looking at General Guan's calm and indifferent expression, Liu Bao and Liu Meng thought to themselves:

   That's right, this general went south all the way, and he sent his secret agents first. How could he be unprepared for such a dangerous place as Guanjuejingu?

  Thinking of this, the two couldn't help admiring and aweing.

  General Guan’s seemingly unintentional words and deeds shocked the two commanders, and she could only hear her say slowly:

   "The fact that Liu Hun led the army to leave is still a secret in the military. It should not have been said to the two of you."

   "But one of you is his elder brother, and the other is his uncle. I think I should be able to trust you."

   Liu Bao and Liu Meng quickly lowered their heads and answered:

   "Why would the villain harm my younger brother (nephew)? The villain assured the general that he would never say a word about it."

  General Guan nodded in satisfaction, then sighed again:

   "Actually, the reason why I forced you and the other two to spare no effort to capture the river valley is precisely to let you attract the attention of the thieves on the opposite side and cover Liu Hun's partial division."

   "Therefore, you must not slack off in the slightest tomorrow. This mountain pass is the last obstacle."

  General Guan's tone became low, and it sounded like he was bewitched:

   "As long as the army enters Hedong, Guanzhong will be at your fingertips. As long as the big man takes Guanzhong, you will be the hero of the big man."

   "At that time, your children and your clansmen will all benefit from it. The rise and fall of your clan for a hundred years is just in your mind."

   Liu Bao and Liu Meng swallowed their saliva, thinking of those Hu Qi under General Guan's command.

   Not to mention the naturalized Hu Qi in the Liangzhou Army, even those Yi Cong Hu Qi are enough to make people envious.

   Don't look at the short words of "eat enough, clothe and warm, and have no worries about food and clothing", but that is the biggest dream of most people in this world.

  For hundreds of years, the Huns have licked their faces and said that they are the sons-in-law of the Han family, guarding the frontier fortresses for the emperor of the Han family, and obeying the dispatch of the emperor of the Han family to fight everywhere.

  What is pictured?

  The Huns in the lower class are for the rations promised by the emperor of the Lord family.

  The middle-level leaders may want to ask for more beautiful fabrics, more exquisite clothes, and the like.

  As for the nobles of the Xiongnu, they also want to have a comfortable life—it’s just a higher level of comfort, and it’s best to benefit their children and grandchildren.

   Conversely, if patronage forces people to work hard, there will be no benefit.

  Then let alone the emperor of the Han family, even the Shanyu of his own family.

  Fifty years ago, the rebellion within the Xiongnu that killed even Shan Yu was not because the emperor of the Han family frequently conscripted the Huns, but could not pay the food?

   People have to eat and dress to live. The world view of the prairie man is so simple, honest and dedicated.

  Unlike some aristocratic clans of the Han people, they despise the stink of copper and claim to be a gentleman on the surface to describe their righteousness, but secretly they want to boil their bones to oil.

   Phew!

   Hypocrisy!

  I don’t know if the promise of General Guan in front of me can be fulfilled in the future.

  But the meeting gift given to the two of them was really thick—the kind of thick stack.

   These days, in the Liangzhou army, no matter whether they are Hu or Han, they are willing to exchange the spoils of war for the tickets in their hands.

  When his own brother Liu Hun couldn't help saying that he could also exchange the weapons seized from the Wei thief for tickets, Liu Meng regretted it.

   This note is really worth his mother's money!

  A few days ago, I accidentally changed my age with someone else, and I feel distressed when I think about it.

  Big loss!

   Cannibalism is short-mouthed, soft-handed, and things are going the other way, so what else?

  Even if General Guan lied to them, it would be worthwhile to lower the requirements in the future, as before, to serve the big man as a righteous soldier.

  Anyway, what I have seen and heard along the way makes people feel that the treatment of Yi Congjun is not too bad.

   It is much better than being bullied and robbed by the Wei people.

   Wei thief is not even willing to give him a way to survive.

  After thinking up to this point, Liu Bao and Liu Meng said in unison: "Don't worry, general, let's see how the villain will lead the army in person tomorrow, how can we fight to the death without retreating!"

   Sure enough, on the second day, Liu Bao and Liu Meng took turns organizing the clansmen to go into battle, and even rushed to the front several times in person.

  Under the leadership of the two, the two Huns on the left and right defeated the southern part.

  If the Wei army at Taniguchi hadn't forced the Southern Huns to withdraw from the Guanjuejin Valley, Liu Bao and Liu Meng would have already killed the city of Yong'an.

   (the Yong’an Palace that wasn’t Liu Bei’s, later Huo County was also called Yong’an in the Three Kingdoms period)

  This situation made Wei Jun nervous.

   Obviously, the Huns in the south couldn't stand it anymore.

  The Pingyang prefect of the Wei State seized the time to reinforce the camp on the mountain, and at the same time ordered a large number of rolling stones and trees to be placed on both sides of the valley.

  He did not extravagantly hope that the two or three thousand people on hand could stop the Shu captives, but only hoped that they could block the Shu captives in the valley for ten and a half months.

  As long as the reinforcements arrive and the danger of crowning Jingu is the key, then major events will be settled.

   At this time, in the mountains and forests more than 30 miles east of Guanjuejin Valley, a group of people was trudging through mountains and rivers.

  Especially in dangerous places, people are in front and horses are behind. Everyone is holding their own horses and carefully avoiding them.

  Liu Hun found a hillside, looked at the long line below, and looked at the mountains and deep valleys that could not be seen in front of him, with worry in his eyes, and asked Shi Bao beside him:

   "General Shi, are you sure this road can go around to the back of Yong'an City?"

  Shi Bao was a little tired from walking, he sat down regardless of his image, took a few breaths, and then replied:

   "General Liu, you can't be wrong."

  He pointed to the east and asked:

   "Do you know that there is a Zhang River in Shangdang County to the east of Xihe County?"

   "Naturally known, from Shangdang down the Zhang River, it is Jizhou Yecheng."

  Although Liu Hun grew up in Bingzhou, he has been away from here for more than ten years, and he has not taken over the position of commander-in-chief from Liu Qubei.

   Naturally, there is no chance to get in touch with smugglers from Hedong like Liu Meng did.

  In this era, when traveling abroad, not only must try to follow the official path, but it is also best to have a guard.

  If there is no escort, go with others.

  Who is full enough to go to the less-populated trails?

  Youdao is to rely on mountains to eat mountains, and to rely on water to eat water.

  Mountain people are simple people who pick up farm tools, but sometimes they see someone who is alone, and take a part-time job of "I drive this road, I plant this tree", that is not a problem at all.

  Raise a **** and knock on the head, search for the money, and then throw the body into the ravine. Isn't this a windfall?

   Otherwise, why are everyone used to walking around with swords?

  Running to challenge the law of the jungle when there is nothing to do, that is not called daring, but stupid and bold.

  After all, no one knows whether he will miss the day.

  So Liu Hun naturally had no chance to walk this road, and he had never even heard of it.

  But at this time, when Shi Bao asked about Zhangshui, he was familiar with it.

  After all, after leaving Bingzhou, Liu Hun also followed Han Long to travel in Hebei for a long time, so he must have been to Yecheng.

  Shi Bao smiled, with some emotion on his face:

   "Yecheng... When I was sent to serve in Yecheng, I never thought that the official appointment would be long-term and undecided. Under poverty, I had to sell iron for a living."

   "Later I heard that selling salt and iron in the north could bring great profits, so I also went to Zhangshui to join Shangdang, hoping to find a way to go north."

   "I didn't know the road was found, but the goods were snatched by the locals, and the people almost disappeared..."

  Talking about the events of the year, Shi Bao sighed.

  Those big dogs in the east of the river, in order to monopolize the channels for selling in the north, use all means.

  If he hadn't run fast, his bones would have been eaten up by wild beasts in the mountains.

   Liu Hun looked at Shi Bao with a vicissitudes of life, feeling a little sympathetic in his heart.

  After working together for so long, Shi Bao never shy away from expressing in front of others that Feng Junhou and General Guan are his nobles.

   Before meeting Feng Junhou and General Guan, his encounter can be regarded as a history of tragic misfortune.

   And now...

  Shi Bao stood up, patted his butt, and said to the valley in high spirits:

   "My Shi Zhongrong is no longer comparable to the past. Today, I will lead the king's teacher back, let's see who dares to stop me!"

  Especially those big dogs in Hedong!

   At that time, I will definitely report to the princes and send troops to guard the salt pond. Don’t you want to steal another grain of salt!

   "General Liu, I remember that there is a water on this road, which comes from the east, goes west, and finally flows into Fenshui."

   "The smuggler built a wooden house by the water for rest. Although I don't know if the wooden house is still there at this time, as long as we see the water, we will be halfway through."

   "OK, let's go!"

   After walking for half a day, I saw the water flow that Shi Bao mentioned.

   Overjoyed, Liu Hun ordered the entire army to rest by the water, and at the same time sent scouts to explore the way ahead.

   What people didn't expect was that on the second day, Liu Hun received a report from the scouts:

   "There seems to be Wei thieves guarding the intersection out of the mountain ahead."

   Liu Hun looked at Shi Bao in shock:

   "Didn't you say that this road was taken by smugglers? Why are the Wei thieves guarding the mountain pass?"

  Shi Bao sighed:

   "The aristocratic families in Hedong colluded with the government, so the government turned a blind eye to their sale of private salt."

   "Because of this, I am afraid that this road has been known to the government for a long time..."

  Hearing this, Liu Hun paused and said:

   "In this way, didn't we suffer all these hardships in the mountains?"

  Shi Bao laughed, not panicking at all:

   "Don't worry, General Liu. As far as I know, there is another way besides this one, which can be bypassed."

  When Liu Hun heard this, his eyes suddenly widened: "There is more?"

   "Of course there are. I think back then, I was here and I was not familiar with the place where I was born. How could the government be willing to sell me face? So I had to find another way."

  In fact, I just didn’t want to send money to the government, and I was also a poor ghost at the time, with no money on me...

  Therefore, it is not without reason that I almost fed the beast in the mountains.

  Liu Hun naturally couldn't care about so many past events, he asked pleasantly:

   "General Shi, dare to ask where is the way?"

   "Following this stream to the east, there is also a secret mountain path, which can be calculated half a day earlier than this path."

   "But after going out, you have to go west for a long way to reach Yong'an City."

  It turns out that this group of mountains, from west to east, has three roughly parallel roads.

  The westernmost Guanjuejin Valley is the official road.

  The middle one is the mountain road often used by smugglers.

  As for the easternmost one, it is the most secretive and least known valley road.

   (That is, Queshu Valley, Qianlijing, and Tongjunchuan in later generations. Qianlijing was officially opened as an official road in the Eastern Wei Dynasty. Tongjunchuan is a mountain road washed by a tributary of Fen River)

   "It's okay to be further away, as long as you can get out of the mountains safely and not be known by the Wei thieves. General Shi, please lead the way."

  PS: Liu Hun's marching picture: Click on the comment, the first floor is not easy since ancient times.

  (end of this chapter)