Early morning dawn.

The winter sun is like a consumer protection law.

The corpse of a Qiang man was thrown from the city wall like a dead dog. The blood quickly coagulated into lumps in the cold wind, like a layer of purple-black paint on the ground, fishy and sticky.

The exhausted soldiers of Jixian County sat on the root of the wall, twisting and falling together, ignoring the noisy noise on the side, and ignoring the corpses and dirty blood around them, they just opened their mouths like that, leaned against each other, and snored.

The archers in the city will stick arrows in front of them and wait for them, just waiting for the Qiang people to come and snatch the ladders and other equipment under the city, even if they are facing the rain of Qiang arrows on the opposite earthen platform, they will shoot all the Qiang people who are approaching.

However, this morning, the Qiang people wandered listlessly outside like coyotes whose backbones had been broken, and they had no desire to fight for the siege equipment under the city.

Under the light of the sun, the exhausted Qiang people shook their bodies, as if they had lost their souls, they were really tired, and the kind of exhaustion that went deep into the bone marrow made their current state no different from the walking dead. People are often like this, after the passion is the time of the sage, and after the arrogance of the Qiang people, the rest is the desolation all over the land.

In such a Ji county, if they can directly push and fight and capture with their flesh and blood, these Qiang people are eager to rush directly to the city, cut and pierce with knives and guns, and even hit their heads and bite with their teeth to occupy this damn city.

But after paying for an unknown amount of flesh and blood, this city is still there, quietly, like a gluttonous monster that has eaten enough, and the breath that spews out is full of blood.

The Qiang people shouted and cursed, but after venting, when the exhaustion came up like a tide, they found that they still had no way to do anything, cross over and take a city? Do you want to have a way back? And what if the next city can't be defeated?

Going deep alone has always been a strategy of dead and lifeless, and the Qiang people dare not gamble.

The sheep have been killed, and the horses are dwindling.

If you continue to kill like this, I'm afraid you won't even be able to guarantee your own mount. What's even more terrible is that winter has come, and the grass around has withered, and even the leaves of the trees have fallen except for some pines and cypresses. Without forage, in this increasingly cold winter, in the desolate snowfield, the war horses will starve to death, and without the horses, they will lose all their property, just like the displaced people who have lost their farmland.

In order to save grain and grass, the Qiang people dug three feet of ground around, ripped off the leaves, scraped the bark, and even carried the sheep bones and horse bones that were discarded at will in the past, they were reluctant to throw them, and they kept them in the pot and kettle, boiled over and over again, and even the dirty and tattered leather robes of those who died in the war were peeled off, cut into small pieces, and put into a pot to boil......

How much can you fool a hungry stomach.

In such a situation, even if Ma Chao does not propose to withdraw from the army, Quinoa Xiangli has been thinking about this issue. Quinoa Xiangli rode on his horse, looking at Ji County from afar, he pursed his mouth, the corners of his mouth were as sharp as knives, and the sunlight shone repeatedly from the gaps in the clouds, falling on his eyes full of resentment.

Ma Chao is dead.

Most of Ma Chao's clansmen were afraid of being implicated and fled overnight.

Quinoa sent a small number of people to chase after him, but left most of them behind, ready to carry out Ma Chao's plan before he died. He has put too many bets on Ji County, and these bets that have been put on him are like opportunity costs, which make him suffer from gains and losses, and it is difficult to give up.

The dead Ma Chao, Quinoa Xiangli didn't even have the idea of collecting the corpse for him, because Quinoa Xiangli thought that the main responsibility for the failure of this attack was on Ma Chao, and leaving him a whole corpse was already Quinoa Xiangli's kindness.

Quinoa Xiang Li slowly took out the last piece of dry dough cake, put it in his mouth, slowly moistened it with saliva, and grinded it with his teeth to let the dough melt in his mouth, giving off the fragrance of wheat......

In the past, Xiang Xiang had been left like this for an unknown amount of time, completely air-dried and hard like a stone, and the quinoa Xiang Li did not even look at it, but now, this past, which was difficult to swallow, is now so precious, and the fragrance of wheat blooming in his mouth soothes his heart, spleen, and stomach.

The guard next to Quinoa Xiangli swallowed his saliva as he stared straight at Quinoa Xiangli's slowly squirming mouth.

When the horse meat is cooked, the blood foam will emit an indescribable sour smell, which is not very tasty in the Qiang people, who have no spices and even lack of salt, strictly speaking, but compared to those stinking leather robes, shriveled bark and sour grass roots, it is much more upscale.

And the best food at the moment, that is, the food that is serious, such as the bread in the mouth of quinoa. Not to mention quinoa Xiangli before, even the guards around him, such food as bread, can eat as much as he wants, but now it has become a delicacy that only Quinoa Xiangli is qualified to enjoy.

Quinoa swallowed the last bit of bread residue in his mouth, then turned the horse's head, "Let's go!" ”

Hundreds of corpses were dropped, cattle and sheep were consumed, and even their own cherished war horses were eaten, and even the leather robes that were originally stored for the winter were also eaten, but there was no gain, and when this cold winter came, they retreated empty-handed......

As the cold winter approached day by day, quinoa knew that there would soon be a heavy snowfall, and once the snow fell, Longyou to Xiliang would become a cold hell, and the storm would swallow up all the animals and plants that had no reserves, and become solid ice, until the spring of the following year, it would gradually rot.

If there is still not enough food and grass when the heavy snow comes, then for the Qiang people, livestock and people will end up the same, and they will all die.

Under the brutal winter, you can even imagine what kind of scene will appear when quinoa is in the middle of the winter.

In the grassland desert, hungry wolves that can't find prey will begin to devour themselves, eat those weak wolves, and survive the harsh winter.

If it really comes to that point, the feat that the Han Dynasty has not been able to complete for thirty-four years will be completed in the hands of Quinoa Xiangli, because Quinoa Xiangli knows that in order to ensure his people, he will take the lead in raising the butcher's knife towards the weak Qiang people around him, and the first to kill must be Ma Chao's people.

The exhausted Qiang people didn't know whether to be relieved, or they packed their bags and prepared to leave, but in fact, they didn't have much to pack, so they rode on their horses one by one, lowered their heads, and staggered back to the west......

………………………………

"The Qiang people have retreated! The Qiang people have retreated! Seeing the soldiers at the head of Ji County, where the Qiang people retreated, they cheered and jumped happily, and their excited expressions were overflowing.

Yang Fu looked up to the sky and sighed, exhaled a long breath, and said: "The sky has eyes, and the Qiang people have finally retreated...... Withdrawn...... The soldiers and civilians of Ji County finally saved the ......" As he spoke, Yang Fu was also a little excited, choked up, with a little ambiguity, and said to Jiang Jian: "Thanks to Brother Jiang's bloody battle, otherwise...... Otherwise......"

Everyone in the city couldn't help but look at Jiang Jian with gratitude when they heard the words.

The Qiang people's night attack, if it weren't for Jiang Jian who was the first to gather the soldiers, blocked the Qiang people's pace, so that the city gate tower was not lost, so that the Qiang people's follow-up plan could not be implemented, otherwise if the city gate was really broken, everything in the city would have become a hell of flesh and blood.

And before the Qiang people arrived, it was Jiang Jian who advocated the strong wall and clear the wilderness, and it was precisely because of Jiang Yin's insistence that the Qiang people could not obtain food and grass supplies in the wild, otherwise if the Qiang people scavenged enough food in the wild, they didn't know how long they would besiege the city!

Jiang Jian was also very excited, but he saved some reason and said, "Send someone down to check it out and see the surrounding situation......

Yang Fu nodded again and again, and said, "Yes, yes, come on, dig up the earth and stones at the city gate!" ”

"Wait!" Jiang Jian stretched out his hand to stop Yang Fu and said, "Don't dig it yet, hang it down with a hanging basket and then talk about it!" ”

Yang Fu was stunned for a moment, but he quickly agreed, first hang a few soldiers and let them go around to check.

The soldiers soon ran back excitedly, even jumping and scurrying, grinning to the root of their teeth, "All gone!" The Qiang people are all gone! All gone! ”

"Great!" Yang Fu clapped his hands excitedly, turned his head to Jiang Jian and said, "It seems that the Qiang people are really defeated!" Do you want to send some men to chase after you? At this time, the Qiang people fled, and they had no intention of fighting, if they attacked, they would definitely win! ”

"Chase?" Jiang Jian was thoughtful.

Yang Fu nodded and said: "There are still one hundred and five war horses in the city, which can be used to chase and kill, although they can't wipe out all the Qiang dogs that come to attack, but they can also teach the Qiang dogs some lessons!" ”

As he spoke, Yang Fu was also a little excited, waved his arms and said, "From Zhongping, there is no such a big victory!" "Defending the land is my job, even if it is completed, it is not worth being proud of, but the combat exploits obtained by chasing and killing are real feats!

Jiang Jian hesitated, frowned, and said, "Brother Yang, do you think the Qiang people have exhausted their strength?" ”

The smile on Yang Fu's face stiffened, and then he turned his head to look at Jiang Yin, rolled his eyes a few times, and said, "Brother Jiang's meaning...... The Qiang people are afraid of an ambush? ”

Jiang Jian pondered, pointed to the corpse of the Qiang people under the city and said, "If the Qiang people have suffered a lot of losses, they will retreat like this...... But Brother Yang looked at the city...... The Qiang people did not lose more than eleven, so they retreated...... I thought that there must be something strange......"

"What does Brother Jiang mean?" Yang Fu asked.

Jiang Jian patted the battlements and said, "Wait a few more days, and you'll know." ”

"This ......" Yang Fu's eyes widened, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate......"

"What's wrong?" Jiang Jian said.

Yang Fu frowned and said, "The cold winter is coming, but all the combustible things in the city have been exhausted!" Now it is time to dismantle the eaves of the door panels to keep warm, even if you don't send troops to chase after you, you have to open the city gate and cut down trees to keep warm......"

Jiang Jian pointed to the surroundings with his hand and said, "Brother Yang, please see, the surrounding trees that can be cut down have been cut down by the Qiang people...... If you want to cut wood, you can only go ten miles away...... If this one is scattered, people will not be able to take it back! It's better to wait a few more days, anyway, I've survived many days before, and it's not bad for these days! ”

"This ......" Yang Fu hesitated.

Jiang Jian looked at Yang Fu and said, "Be careful, there's no big mistake!" Brother Yang! After working hard for so long, at the end, the Qiang people succeeded...... Anyway, we can survive it, but the Qiang people definitely can't survive! ”

Yang Fu looked at Jiang Yin, pondered for a long time, and finally nodded......

Three days later.

The cold wind was howling and the clouds were thick.

The coldest hour finally came, and the snow fell like powder from the sky, and scattered it on the city and the corpses in the field, as if ready to cover up the blood.

In the snow, the shadows were swaying, and the defenders in Ji County frowned and looked from afar, and then the color changed, and the gong for the alarm was sounded.

Yang Fu followed Jiang Jian and hurriedly climbed the city gate tower again, looking at the dense Qiang people, he couldn't help but take a breath: "Brother Jiang is exactly what he expected!" This Qiang man turned out to be ......"

Jiang Jian also let out a long breath, these times the people in the city are depressed, if it weren't for Jiang Yin's order to suppress, maybe they would have to go out of the city a long time ago, especially the big families who originally lived in the city, after the Qiang people left before, they couldn't stand it anymore for the surrounding people who stayed in the city, and they complained in front of Jiang Yin and Yang Fu almost every day, so they almost pointed their noses and scolded.

And now, the Qiang people are going and returning, which undoubtedly proves Jiang Yin's correctness, and at the same time gives these big families in the city a resounding slap in the face......

However, thinking about it, these big scholars don't care much about their faces, and most of them will praise Jiang Jian for how smart and wise he is, and then treat all his previous complaints and slanders as if they hadn't happened.

The city of Ji County was naturally a little surprised, but there was not much fear, because as long as people who knew a little bit of military knowledge knew that even if the Qiang people came again, they would not stay long.

On a cold winter and snowy night, in such a wild place, the temperature is so low that even pee can form a solid icicle like iron!

These Qiang people, if they want to continue to stay, they must be more than a heavy snowfall, and there are more icicle ice sculptures outside the city......

Compared with the panic but not chaos in the county town of Ji, the Qiang people led by Quinoa Xiangli are a different scene.

Quinoa looked at the county seat of Jixian County, which was still closed and waiting for the day, and couldn't help but feel sad in his heart, and the tears oozing from the corners of his eyes were frozen on his face after only a short section.

It's like quinoa's current state of mind, which has been completely frozen and has no temperature.

Quinoa Xiangli wanted to roar in the sky, and also wanted to rush to the city of Jixian, regardless of launching another siege, and even led the army to charge until the moment it fell!

But in the end, Quinoa didn't even have the strength to scold. Scolding will only make these Han people more happy, and it will also make them more pathetic.

"Go back ......" Quinoa lowered her voice and suppressed a mouthful of blood, "we...... ...... home."

The Qiang people looked desperately at the county seat of Jixian County, desperately looked at the quinoa to profit, and the desperate Mu Ran turned his head, and returned the same way in the snowstorm......

The Qiang had to go back and return to their people before the snow finally fell, but this time, unlike any before, accompanied them not by a load of goods and people, but with a deep despair that seemed to be in substance.