Three Kingdoms

The setting sun is like blood.

There is a palm-sized stone on the mountain path, which is undulating slightly on the ground. The sand and dust on the stone are also trembling slightly, jumping off the surface of the stone. Then the tremor quickly becomes larger, slightly The sound of horse hooves gradually turned into a rolling roar, and suddenly, a shadow flew past the stone!

Following them were more shadows, flying across the stone quickly, as if they were covering the sky.

Suddenly, an unknown war horse stepped on the stone and pushed it deeply into the ground. The war horse also tilted and then neighed...

One horse, two horses, ten horses, a hundred horses, a group, a nest, the galloping horse team is like a wasp emerging from its nest, rushing out along the mountain road south of Qishan Mountain, the Qiang cavalry on horseback Wearing leather robes, whistling, heading south.

Thousands of infantry have already formed a tight formation, with long spears standing out like hedgehogs behind the baggage carts. Standing in front of them with a cold light, Xu Huang looked at the speeding Qiang cavalry indifferently. Holding the battle ax in one hand and tearing off the mask with the other, he stood under the battle flag. A muffled voice sounded from behind the mask: "Mountain!"

"Drink! Dashan!"

The shield soldier shouted loudly, leaned against the baggage cart, and immediately placed the shield on his head at an angle, connecting it with the baggage cart. The spearman took a step forward and pressed the spear firmly against the baggage cart. Then he kicked the tail of the spear, causing the tail of the spear to sink into the ground. Then he lowered his body and shrank in. Under the shield.

"Whoosh——"

A white tail arrow used as a target streaked across the sky and pierced the ground diagonally.

Almost at the same time, the Qiang cavalry had already passed the arrow.

"wind!"

"Fire the arrow!"

Almost at the same time, both sides shouted loudly, and the arrows flew into the sky, and then passed each other in the sky. It was like rubbing shoulders with a first love in a turbulent crowd. After just a startled look, they went their separate ways. .

Urgent whistles sounded among the Qiang cavalry, and the cavalry of hundreds of people quickly made a turn while galloping. The sound of horse hooves splashed up large chunks of soil.

The arrows fell with a scream, piercing the baggage carts and shields, clanking like a hailstorm. A few unlucky guys seemed to have been injured in the hands and feet by the arrows, but the overall formation was still intact.

On the Qiang side, although they avoided most of the arrow coverage, several Qiang cavalry were also shot at their horses or torsos. They howled and fell off their horses, disappearing among the flying horse hooves. .

Xu Huang pushed aside the guard who raised his shield in front of him and watched the Qiang cavalry draw an arc in front of the formation and run towards the flank of the formation.

"Lin!" Xu Huang shouted again.

The spear moved slowly like branches and leaves. The spearmen who were far away from the Qiang cavalry pulled out the tail of their guns from the soil, and then followed the sword and shield men to run to the flanks of the array, still pressing against the baggage vehicles, forming a new protective formation, because the Qiang cavalry was They were running in the outer circle, so the movements of the sword-shielders and spearmen moving in the inner circle were not very urgent, and had a special beauty of neat rhythm.

The baggage train is like a circle of calyx, while the shield bearers and spearmen are like petals and cores, blooming in turn in the direction of the Qiang cavalry.

While the Qiang people were running around Xu Huang's formation, they bent their bows and nocked arrows, and shot towards the formation. The arrows fell into the formation like a rain of arrows, and there was even an arrow dangling in the sky. Coming towards Xu Huang.

"Hmph!" Xu Huang glanced at it with the corner of his eye and slightly changed the direction of the battle ax.

With a "clang" sound, the arrow pierced the surface of the tomahawk and was bounced to the ground unwillingly.

Looking at the Qiang cavalry circling the circular formation, Xu Huang suddenly shouted: "Great wind!"

The shield soldier opened his shield with a clatter, revealing the crossbowman behind him.

"Buzz——"

As the hanging knife was pulled down, the crossbow bolt roared out!

While the Qiang people were circling vigorously, they were suddenly attacked by crossbowmen in the array. Although they were somewhat mentally prepared, the crossbow arrows were too fast, and some people still had no time to dodge and were shot down.

The whistle sounded again, and the Qiang cavalry who had been hit dispersed with a crash, then withdrew a certain distance, then regrouped and launched another attack.

After the two sides exchanged a wave of arrows again, the Qiang cavalry did not give Xu Huang's crossbowmen any chance to attack, so they circled outside the formation and retreated.

The Qiang cavalry who stayed at the rear seemed to be staring at Xu Huang, and seemed to have crossed Xu Huang's forward position and looked further in the direction. After a long time, they slowly retreated.

"Complete the team!" Xu Huang stared at the Qiang cavalry retreating, lifted his mask, and pouted at the retreating Qiang cavalry.

"We're here to deliver meat again. Are these guys doing this all the time?" A few soldiers at the front put away their swords and guns and couldn't help but talk, "They deliver a few or a dozen at a time, but they don't really fight. If you go around like this, what the hell do you want to do?"

"You melon boy, what kind of trick is this?" said an older soldier, "Don't worry about how many we sent each time. If we had been a little less relaxed that time, those cavalry would have rushed into the formation. We will be the ones who die at that time! If the skin of the melon seeds collapses tightly, there will be no harm in it after all!"

After all, the shield bearers and spearmen still moved according to the order, restoring the original alert array. Some soldiers in the central array also stepped forward to replace the injured soldiers, and on the other hand, they also coordinated to move the baggage vehicles to each other. The hook was untied, the Qiang casualties of the cavalry were checked, and then the formation was moved forward again.

Ever since Fei Qian led his troops to approach Qishan, they were almost constantly harassed by cavalry sent by Han Sui. As a result, the army advanced very slowly. In the end, they even had to form a car formation and advance one by one. Make sure the army moves forward.

However, this area is surrounded by mountains to the east and west, and the battlefield area is not very large. Therefore, Fei Qian does not have to worry about Han Sui rushing out of the flanking mountains. However, such continuous cavalry harassment can sometimes even occur in one day. Three or four times, although there was not much loss, it was indeed a bit depressing.

"Han Wen is starting to get anxious..." Li Ru was riding on horseback. Even though the weather was okay, he was still wrapped in a leather robe. He seemed not to notice any heat at all. Even his voice was a little chilly. He looked at Fei Qian. He said slowly, "The general's Guanzhong reinforcements must have arrived...seeing defeat after defeat, even if Han Wenyue can endure it, he may need to boost the morale of his soldiers at this time..."

At this moment, Fei Qian was frowning as he watched the smoke and dust dissipate in front of him, and said: "It is convenient for cavalry to come and go. If I wait for the car formation to be strong, then I will leave as soon as I touch it. If I can't cope with it, I will definitely take advantage of it and kill him." I'm waiting for the soldiers. This is really..."

Fei Qian raised his head and looked at the sky. The setting sun in the west filled the sky with blood. Suddenly his heart jumped sharply. He turned to look at Li Ru and found the answer in Li Ru's eyes. He couldn't help but shouted in a deep voice immediately: " Send an order to the front troops to camp on the spot!"

…………………………

On the bank of the Western Han River, a gray fox poked its head out from the bushes in the moonlight.

This is an old fox. Its coat is no longer as smooth as it was when it was young. It looks like dry grass. The big tail has not only lost its luster, but is also matted and looks very dirty. In some places, dirt is even caked on it. into a hard lump.

The fox propped up his legs and stood by the river, observing the surrounding situation with slightly cloudy eyes. This was once its paradise. What it likes most is to catch prey with his wife. After eating, he comes here to drink some water, then crawls under the tree hole on the shore, or lies on the tree trunk. I squinted my eyes and took a nap under the speckled sun rays, covering myself with my big tail...

Until a few days ago, it saw that all the birds in the forest on the shore had flown away, and then the earth shook, and even the river water became turbid and trembled. Then many two-legged and four-legged guys came, disturbing the situation. There was sound and smoke everywhere. However, its wife, Wei Wei, had injured her hind foot a few days ago and could not run fast. So in front of her, she was stabbed to the ground by a two-legged guy with a long, thin wooden branch.

It ran away.

But it's back.

The smell of blood remaining on the ground was filled with an ominous smell.

The old fox lay down, moved his chapped and dry nose a few times, and then slowly moved forward following the smell of blood.

Then I saw it...

I saw a familiar fox skin on the river beach under the moonlight.

and a group of two-legged guys who were building a bonfire on the river beach.

The old fox shrank his head, retreated into the shadow of the bush, and then lay down blankly, staring at the riverside, staring at the familiar fur color for a long time.

I don’t know how long it took, but the old fox stood up, stood on the rock, straightened his limbs, looked at the patch of fur by the river, and screamed...

An arrow shot through the old fox's body with a swipe like a locust. The body rolled down the rock. Then, a voice was heard from the river bank: "Hey, young commander, there is really some meat delivered to your door." ah……"

In order not to let Fei Qian and others notice, Ma Chao led his team and followed Fei Qian along the Western Han River. There are two roads from Xiabian to Qishan, one is the waterway along the West Han River, and the other is the dry road along Jianwei.

The waterway is far away, and there is a section of the road that requires crossing a river because of the mountains. Therefore, the army generally does not take this road, but mostly chooses the relatively open and easy dry road. There are mountains on the east and west sides of the Jianwei road. The terrain in the middle is gentle and fertile with rippling water flowing through it. It is suitable for large armies to march. Fei Qian chose this road to march.

The soldiers who came with Ma Chao were already exhausted. Except for the soldiers on duty, the rest were either leaning against the rocks or huddled beside the campfire, sleeping soundly and snoring one after another.

The road between the West Han River and Jianwei is blocked by mountains. Unless Fei Qian, the general who conquered the West, also sent people to walk this difficult waterway, there would be no movement here at all.

Ma Chao was sitting by the bonfire and saw a soldier on duty shooting a fox. He didn't pay much attention to it, so he asked the soldier to go to the river to skin it and wash it clean, and then put it on the fire to roast.

The moon has risen, and the clear light shines from the sky, shining on Ma Chao's face and the scar on his arm. This was the wound left by the Qingni River. Although it has scabbed over now, it still seems to have remained in Ma Chao's heart forever, still bleeding and still hurting.

"Young Commander!"

A low voice came from the river bank.

Ma Chao stood up and walked over, saying, "What's the matter?"

"It seems that the river water has changed..."

In the Western Han River, due to the previous earthquake, not only the river water changed its course, but the water flow also decreased a lot, and there were even some inexplicable fluctuations in the water level. Of course, it is impossible for non-locals to know these things.

The Western Han River has become wider in this area. The river is nearly thirty feet wide, and the water is deep and flowing rapidly. Moreover, the place where you can cross the river is extremely narrow, only two miles wide. In the rest of the area, the river flows close to the cliffs. When Ma Chao came to the river, they saw that the water level suddenly dropped greatly. They walked into the river and measured the water level. It was less than three feet deep. They could almost cross the Western Han River on horseback. It turned out that the water was at least one foot deep!

"Quick!" Ma Chao shouted immediately, "Wake up everyone and cross the river immediately. They must all cross the river within one stick of incense!"

After crossing the river, you can directly go around to the back of General Fei Qian of Zhengxi. At this moment, General Fei Qian of Zhengxi must have all his attention in the direction of Qishan. As long as he sends a signal, he will attack Han Sui back and forth. , it is very possible to defeat Fei Qian, the general who conquered the west, south of Qishan Mountain!

Then, with the remaining power of victory, he gathered the tribes of Xiliang and defeated the Guanzhong reinforcements. Then he could go straight into Guanzhong and achieve his great cause.

Of course, this great cause is still Han Sui's great cause.

Ma Chao could still fight before, but now, he has no good solution. He can only rely on Han Sui and defeat Fei Qian, the general who conquered the West first.

"Quick! Quick! Move faster!"

Following Ma Chao's order, the soldiers who had been lying in plain clothes got up one after another, kicked them down and extinguished the bonfire, and quickly packed their bags. Amidst the splashing water and the sound of rushing water, Ma Chao The soldiers lined up into the water and began to cross the river.

The water in the river continued to drop, and in a short time it dropped from the horse's belly to the joints of its legs.

Ma Chao had already crossed the river bank and was standing nervously on the bank of the river, staring nervously at the flowing West Han River.

"Quick! Speed ​​up! The river is starting to rise!" Ma Chao suddenly shouted in a deep voice, "Those who are ashore, move aside! Don't block the road! Quick, move faster!"

The water in the Western Han Dynasty falls quickly and rises at a speed that is almost visible to the naked eye. It starts from the horse's legs and reaches the bottom of the horse's belly in the blink of an eye.

The cavalrymen who were still in the river also jumped into the water at this time, reducing the burden on their horses, and swam towards the other side with their horses.

The sound of the water became louder and louder, and suddenly a wave came and hit the body of the war horse, pushing the horse several steps downstream...

"Hurry up!" Ma Chao didn't need to urge any more. The soldiers who came ashore were also urging the dozen or so lagging cavalry still swimming in the river, "Hurry up! Work harder, faster!"

A war horse that was almost reaching the bank obviously stepped on the river bank and took two steps up. When all four hooves stepped on the ground, the war horse stopped habitually, then shook its neck and started to shake the water...

"Crash..."

Another wave of river water came in, and the horse that had just stood firm was supported by the river water, and was immediately pushed away from the spot. It also hit the soldiers beside it and floated downstream with it.

Ma Chao saw that the last few cavalrymen had no time to land, and were dragged downstream by the Western Han River, and then quickly lost their traces. He couldn't help but stood there in silence for a while, then turned around and waved. , said: "The whole army... mounted... let's go..."

The rushing water of the Western Han Dynasty pulled out two blood-stained fox skins stuck in the crevices of the rocks on the shore.

The two damaged pieces of leather chased each other, rose and fell, and disappeared into the sky...