Early July of the first year of Chuping

Yan Xing, the commander of the debauchery, was ordered to go out to fight, commanding the three thousand troops of his troops, rushing to Hedong, heading westward, crossing the ancient road of Guhan, and reaching Shan County.

After crossing the Dahe River in Maojin, three thousand soldiers passed the plank road in Dianzhiban in Dayang and entered Hedong. Yan Xing led his troops straight to Anyi to meet Niu Fu, the general guarding Hedong.

When Niu Fu met Yan Xing, Yan Xing could see that Niu Fu's face looked a little disappointed and ugly.

It's no wonder that last year, Dong Jun just drove Bai Bo's army out of Hedong County, and he also lost a lot of troops. Niu Fu was even in danger many times. He originally thought that Hedong would finally have a period of peace.

But unexpectedly, after the prefectures and counties that fought against Dong in Guandong, Baibo's army quickly made a comeback and turned around and became a rebel army to attack Dong's bandits. Moreover, the troops were even better. In three months, they captured the cities in the north of Hedong one by one, and then took down Puzi, Beiqu and the two places in Beiqu, faintly connecting Shangjun and Xihe counties, Qianghu, further swept across Hedong and invaded Sanfu.

Niu Fu could not resist the attack of Bai Bo's army and could only ask Dong Zhuo in Luoyang for help. Dong Zhuo was also a veteran of Rong formation for a long time. He knew the importance of Hedong. Although he was attacking Guandong Prefecture and County again, he soon sent Yan Xing to lead troops to help Hedong.

Although the soldiers were sent, Niu Fu did not feel at all comfortable in his heart.

In his opinion, Yan Xing's three thousand soldiers were not too much or too little, but it was really useless on the Hedong battlefield.

Since the war last year, Dong Zhuo has successively allocated and supplemented 5,000 troops to the Xiliang soldiers under his command, which can be said to have barely restored the vitality of Niu Fu's troops before the war.

In addition, Niu Fu also recruited Ding Zhuang from Hedong on a large scale and sent military officials such as Ganling and Dong Cheng to train their troops, forming a Hedong County soldiers with more than 10,000 troops.

In addition to the county soldiers and some powerful family soldiers drawn from each county, Niu Fu was able to control nearly 30,000 troops at hand, but the combat power displayed by this army stationed in Hedong was unsatisfactory in defending the cities in the northeast of He and resisting the Baibo army. Not only did he lose four or five thousand troops in succession, but he also lost many cities in the north.

If it weren't for the attacking Baibo army, the Baibo army, were also suffering a lot, were afraid that the Baibo army that had returned would have long attacked the county seat of Hedong County and Anyi.

Now, Yan Xing, with these three thousand soldiers, wanted to rush to Hedong and reverse the current situation where the enemy is strong and we are weak. Niu Fu had no hope for this whimsical idea.

But he also knew the current situation in Luoyang. Dong Zhuo was planning to completely solve the two difficult and difficult opponents of Nanyang Yuan Shu and Hanoi Yuan Shao. The large number of Xiliang soldiers were heading to the front line of confrontation. Dong Zhuo was able to dispatch troops to reinforce Hedong County, which originally had a lot of troops. It was because of the special attention of Niu Fu's urgent edict.

Niu Fu, who knew this, didn't have the time to say anything, and he had no intention of greeting Yan Xing. He waved his hand and sent Yan Xing's three thousand soldiers to Jiangxian, where the enemy and us confronted each other.

Yan Xing originally planned to stay in Anyi for a while, not only to contact Ganling and to observe the situation of cities and towns in the southeast of the Hebei region, but he did not expect that Niu Fu's military order was so hasty and hasty. After receiving the military order, he could only send people to send letters and gifts to Ganling, and then supplement some food and supplies in Anyi, and continued to lead his army north to Jiang County the next day.

During the march, what Yan Xing saw were all ragged and dusty fleeing refugees. After Dong's army expelled Baibo's army last year, some fugitives returned to their old places in cities in the northeast of the Hebei region, hoping to regain the farm tools of their hometowns. However, unexpectedly, shortly after the spring of this year, the Baibo army, which made a comeback, invaded Hedong again.

Among the people in Guizhou, many strong people either surrendered to the bandits or depended on the powerful people guarding the fortress. The remaining ones who were unwilling to follow the bandits or were willing to be servants could only take their families and flee to cities in the south of Hedong County that had not been affected by the war.

However, these refugees were repeatedly rejected along the way, and few cities were willing to accept and relieve them. Therefore, although some of them came from Yong'an, some from Xiangling, and some from Pingyang, in the end, they could only rely on each other and continue to flee to the south.

They hope to receive relief in the county seat of Hedong.

But Yan Xing, who passed through Anyi, knew that the Hedong Anyi, which had gathered refugees, was now overcrowded, and it was difficult for these fugitives to get real and effective relief when they went to Anyi.

But where can they go if they don’t go to Anyi? Luoyang, further south, has become a barren land, Guanzhong, which is across the river to the west, has also soared grain prices, and Hanoi County to the east, in the east, is slightly better, but it is the battlefield where Yuan Shao, Wang Kuang and Xiliang soldiers confront each other.

Yan Xing rode his horse and walked in the ranks. Looking at the panic-ridden refugees and the hungry people who were dying by the road, he couldn't help but sigh secretly.

Now is the first few years since the chaos in the world began. Most people in Hedong can no longer live. If the melee of the princes in the Central Plains breaks out completely, I don’t know how many more people will die here.

"The armor produces lice, and the surnames die.

The bones are exposed in the wild, and there is no rooster crowing for thousands of miles.

One hundred and one after another in life, and one thought can break one’s heart.”

Yan Xing can now vaguely understand the feeling of Cao Cao, who had experienced the melee of the Central Plains a few years later, when he saw the tragic situation of the people along the way on the march.

Yan Xing, who was in a heavy mood, led his army to station in Wenxi in advance near evening.

Although Wenxi Ling in this place cannot be said to love the people as much as his son, at least several porridge sheds outside the city were set up, twice a day, and porridge water was provided on time to help those refugees who had not eaten rice for many days. This also gave these homeless people a little hope to struggle to survive.

The army on the front line was as anxious as sparks. Yan Xing patroled the camp at night, and then discussed some military information with Ma Lin, Xu Huang and other military officials before returning to his mat with armor and fell asleep.

In his dream, he met many people and things. At the White Dog Gathering, he saw the Qiang people who were killed by him, saw the Yan family troupe who was full of ambitions to follow the army to the east, under the city of Ji, he saw Fu Xie and his soldiers dyed red with blood, and saw the plain clothes of the gentleman who was saved by himself in Sanfu.

Then, he saw the Han army's killing against the Liangzhou coalition forces, and saw Yan Shi and Xiao Lu who were gathering in the oxtail, and saw that on the carnival night when Sanfu captured the fort, he met the arrogant and domineering lady Dong halfway.

Finally, he came to the battlefield and saw the Xi Zhicai and his wife who were in harmony with each other. They saw Dian Wei, whose hands were covered in blood but had a confused look on his face. They met the younger sister who had been away for a long time. They heard the song of the night and walked again on the marching road with bones on the road.

At the end of the dream, Yan Xing, who had already had a little conscious consciousness, couldn't tell whether he was in a dream or whether he had experienced his own experiences in the past few years.

All he knew was that when he woke up, there seemed to be traces of tears wet around his pillow.

What greeted these unintentional tears was the sound of the horn that drove out on time in the army.

···

The next day, Yan Xing continued to set out with three thousand soldiers. After bypassing Wenxi City, they rushed along the foothills of Jieshan Mountain. Finally, before sunset, they crossed the river and arrived at the foot of Jiang County.

The Baibo army had already captured Xiangling and Linfen a month ago, and Jiang County has now become the first front-line fortress to bear the brunt.

When the former County Magistrate Jiang was approaching, he had already resigned from his seal and returned home with a light chariot. Now, a county official named Fan sent by Hedong County Government, guarding the County Magistrate Jiang, was responsible for the defense of Jiang County.

At the same time, the troops from the Three Kings of Hedong were stationed outside the city, specifically defending the Baibo army that continued to invade south from Linfen and Xiangling.

This will also be the place where Yan Xing garrison defended Baibo's army. According to Niu Fu's military order, after arriving in Jiang County, Yan Xing will take over all defenses in Jiang County, command the troops of the third battalions outside the city, and assist the county magistrate guarding Jiang from the side to stabilize the precarious defense line here in Jiang County and resist the continued southward invasion of Bai Bo's army.

Before arriving, Yan Xing had sent cavalry to the barracks outside the city and the county temple in the city to announce his arrival.

But when he arrived at the foot of Jiang County, Yan Xing found that there were only some left-behind soldiers in the military camp outside the city, and the other soldiers disappeared. After asking an old soldier guarding the camp, Yan Xing realized that the Baibo army, which was separated by the Fen River, seemed to be moving in Linfen City. The two camps of Hedong soldiers who were originally stationed outside the city had already headed to the Fen River side and deployed defenses along the coast to prevent the Baibo army from crossing the river to attack Jiang County.

In order to prevent the Baibo army from Xiangling from raiding Jiangxian or the two battalions of Hedong soldiers and horses deployed along the mountain road between Jiuji Mountain and Fen River, another battalion of soldiers also rushed to the dangerous pass of Jiuji Mountain to guard the mountain road. Therefore, these old and weak soldiers are currently left in the barracks outside the city.

After Yan Xing learned about this situation, he thought about it and then let his troops start to set up camps on the other side of the barracks outside the city. This will facilitate his mobilization of troops in the future, and can also form a defense with Jiangxian and another barracks.

Just as the soldiers under his command began to dig trenches and erect fences, the two cavalry who had sent to the command came back, and also brought a small official from the county temple, saying that it was a guide sent by the county magistrate Shoujiang to lead the way. The county temple was already preparing a banquet and summoning the big surnames in the city. They were waiting for the night to invite Yan Xing to the county temple to go to the banquet to welcome him, the storm captain.

Yan Xing looked at the sky and it was almost night. He originally planned to take the time to check the terrain outside the city, but now the invitation of the county temple in the city has come, Yan Xing has stopped his original idea.

He simply happened to meet the county magistrate Shoujiang and other big surnames in the city, and learn about the situation in Jiang County and the movements of Bai Bo’s army from them, so that he could take over the defense of Jiang County next.

So, Yan Xing took Zhou Liang and Zheng Duo, and asked Daniu to order a guard in the village, and followed the small officials who led the way to the city.

Yan Xing and his group were in great momentum. Wherever they went, the pedestrians on the road dodged and retreated to both sides of the road. When they arrived at the city gate, Yan Xing saw several people in a hurry and were coming out of the city gate with their families. Yan Xing saw this scene and his brows frowned slightly.

Then, he slowly stretched his eyebrows and sent someone to call the county temple officials who led the way in front of him. After the county officials with a low eyebrows and respectful look came over, Yan Xing pretended to ask casually:

"Why, are there refugees who are fleeing in Jiang County? Why are there so many refugees at the gate of this city?"

The county official heard Yan Xing’s question and quickly replied:

"The lieutenant needs no worries. These are not fleeing refugees, but residents in the city. Since taking office, the county magistrate has worked diligently and well aware that the responsibility is heavy. The safety of Jiang County cannot be missed. In order to prevent thieves from entering the city, these refugees have always been unwilling to enter the city."

After hearing the county officials' quick explanation, Yan Xing's eyes moved slightly. Of course, he knew that these people did not look like refugees who fled from the north.

When he came, he had already discovered the strange thing about Jiang County. It would be fine if there was no porridge shed outside the city, and the refugees along the way did not come to Jiang County. Occasionally, one or two groups of refugees rushed to Jiang County, and not long after, they would be too busy to leave.

Among them, Yan Xing thought about it and found that there were two possibilities. One was that the county magistrate of Jiang County sent county soldiers to drive away the refugees who passed through the border. The other was Jiang County. This small city had something that allowed these fleeing refugees to avoid.

Now that he heard that these people who were hurriedly leaving the city were residents of Jiang County, Yan Xing smiled slightly and continued to ask:

"As far as the captain knows, although the Baibo army is sharp, it has not crossed the Fen River. Jiang County has never suffered any disaster. Why are the residents in the city almost at night and are still rushing out of the city? Could it be that there is something in the city that makes them afraid of?"

The county official, who was depressed and delighted, changed his face when he heard Yan Xing's words. He just thought that after Yan Xing saw these refugees, he wanted to hold the county temple accountable for the loose city defenses and allowed the refugees to enter freely. He said bluntly that these people were just residents of the city.

But unexpectedly, this lieutenant who was responsible for fighting against the thieves and guarding the city seemed to have to go beyond his authority and was concerned about things that were not related to his position.

The county official thought about it, then smiled and started to answer again:

"The captain joked that there is nothing to be afraid of in the city. These residents in the city who left the city must be mostly devastated families in the city, or people who fear thieves. Although Jiang County has never suffered any war, it is after all, it is confronted with the Baibo thieves across the river. Isn't it normal for some common people to worry about their lives and want to escape from the city?"

Speaking of this, the county official smiled again and said in a compliment:

"The little people have no courage. I don't know that a captain led his army here, and there is a Jin Tang Gu in Jiang County. Thinking about those white wave bandits, and hearing the captain's power, how dare they come here to cause trouble!"

Listening to the compliment of the county official, Yan Xing immediately laughed and waved his head, as if he was very proud. The county official saw Yan Xing laughing loudly, thinking that his compliment was tickling the itch in his heart, so he relaxed and laughed a few times.
Chapter completed!