The urgent military report sent by General Li Mu from Yanling Pass made Chu Jiangmian very surprised. Even he didn't expect that the invasion of the Hu people this time would be so crazy.

In a sense, is this a kind of self-restraint? After reading the information in detail, Chu Jiangmian shook his head with a wry smile, feeling a little helpless.

Perhaps, Hu Qi's unreasonable actions were the only omission in his overall battle plan this time. Originally, I thought that the Hu people would take advantage of the situation to sneak in and attack the Yan Kingdom, and after looting, they would stop in time, and then return to the grassland to enjoy themselves in time. But they didn't expect that their appetite was so great this time, and while arranging some of the men and horses to transport back the people and wealth they had robbed, the more than 10,000 elite cavalry selected did not stop their horses' hooves. They drove straight from the southwest direction of Yan State, and their target was the border of Zhao State in that direction.

Fortunately, General Li Mu took advantage of the victory to pursue and captured Yanling Pass in Yan State. As a result, the border line of Zhao State was pushed to a hundred miles away, and with this buffer zone, the hooves of the Hu people were effectively blocked. Otherwise, the towns and people on the northwest border of Zhao will suffer this time.

However, even so, Hu Qi did not retreat. They actually occupied several nearby castles and killed all the Yan people there, far away from Yanling Pass. And come and go like the wind at any time, and start killing in the neighborhood. Obviously, this time they did not reach their goal and vowed not to withdraw from the army.

Li Mu had already led his troops from the rear to Yanling Pass. He personally sat in charge, lest he lose something. The land within a radius of 100 miles was obtained by him and his soldiers through bloody battles. Since the battle flag of Zhao has been planted, it is the territory that belongs to Zhao State. Now the hooves of the Hu people trampled on it, killing and capturing the people at any time, and there was thick smoke and fire everywhere. The soldiers of Zhao State, who were defending the city, could only watch, all of them were angry and unsettled.

In the final analysis, the reason why the Hu people, who are all soldiers, are brave and good at fighting and difficult to be defeated, is not only because of their strong will to fight, but also because they have the most war horses and the most elite cavalry.

The fierce horses from the grassland carry the hunting style of the Hu people for nearly a hundred years. And these men, who have been riding on horseback since birth, do not seem to know anything but to kill and rob with knives. The ferocity and greed of the wolves doomed them from being satisfied with what they were getting. And in order to survive and grow up the next generation, they will never stop plundering their surroundings.

Li Mu was a cautious general. His greatest strength is that he never takes risks and is greedy for credit. He will always put his men in safety before looking for the right time to fight.

After several skirmishes with the Hu, Li Mu began to order all his soldiers to defend the city and not to go into large-scale battles. Looking at the brigade of cavalry who came and went, Li Mu had a lot of helplessness in his heart. If he could have a cavalry force in his hands, he would definitely lead them personally and rush out to kill these brutal Hu people. However, looking at the only dozens of war horses in the city, he could only endure it for the time being.

This kind of asymmetrical force fighting, if you are willful, is just sacrificing your life in vain. However, Li Mu also knew very well in his heart that if the Hu people did not retreat for a long time, a bloody battle would be inevitable sooner or later. As a soldier's duty, it is to protect the territory and the people, and men are hot-blooded, so they should flow for this!

And what bothered him the most was that General Hu Ren, who led the troops this time, was obviously extraordinary. Those cavalrymen in leather armor not only raided everywhere and frequently provoked, but also often appeared unexpectedly somewhere behind Yanling Pass, trying to attack the Zhao army transporting heavy grain and grass. Although those were small groups of cavalry, it was very difficult to succeed. But it also posed a great threat to Zhao Jun. On several occasions, when it was difficult to get their hands on it, they set fire to the baggage that had been transported to Yanling Pass.

Li Mu quickly realized the seriousness of the matter. Although these tentative attacks would not have much impact on the front line at Yanling Pass, if General Hu Cai's intention was to cut off the support of the Zhao army, then it had to be taken seriously.

After thinking about it for a while, he decided to report the current situation to Long Cheng. Because he already had a premonition that there was likely to be a great war in the newly acquired land within a hundred miles. The 30,000 garrisons he led will also face a severe test. If sacrifice and bloodshed were unavoidable, he hoped to get instructions from Chu Jiangmian himself before another war came.

Rushing back to Longcheng from the front line of Yanling Pass was a young lieutenant, his name was Zhong Qi. The first time he saw the legendary King Zhao, after signing up for himself, his face was both respectful and a little curious. Chu Jiangmian listened to him say that he was completely in trouble, and when he turned around, he saw the injury on his shoulder. It was a penetrating wound, and although it was bandaged several times, there were still faint traces of blood oozing out.

"How did you get hurt...... So serious? ”

"King! The injury is not in the way...... It was caused by the featherless iron arrows of the Hu people. ”

Chu Jiangmian frowned. Although the captain pretended not to care, he knew that the arrows specially made by the Hu people were extremely vicious. The arrows have tiny barbed hooks, and if they are shot, the wounds are severe.

"In the army, are there many soldiers who are injured because of this?"

"Returning to the king, as long as the comrades in the army who have fought with the Hu people, five or six out of ten have suffered arrow wounds...... But everyone has long been used to it. Compared to the dead people, this little injury is nothing. Hehe! ”

Although he didn't know why Chu Jiangmian asked about this, the captain named Zhong Qi was very optimistic. It's not his posturing, it's his real thoughts. The reason why Hu Qi is so powerful is because of the three magic weapons of fierce horses, scimitars and iron arrows. Compared with the comrades in the army who died under the scimitar of the iron hoof, they were wounded by the iron arrow, and they only suffered some flesh and skin.

Chu Jiangmian's heart was a little sour. He stepped closer, patted the lieutenant's arm lightly with his hand, and whispered.

"Zhong Qi, you have suffered. It is precisely because of your unafraid bloodshed and sacrifice that the peace of Zhao is guaranteed...... For this, on behalf of the Zhao royal family and the people, I would like to express my gratitude to you! ”

Zhong Qida was taken aback. He had never heard of a king expressing gratitude to an ordinary warrior. The man, who had never frowned in the battle, felt the blood surging in his chest, he turned over and fell to the ground, and said loudly with an excited voice.

"The king is serious! It is our duty to defend our homeland and defend against foreign enemies...... Only those who hate can't kill Hu Qiye happily! ”

"I know, I know all this, and it's my fault that I didn't have enough cavalry to match, and I didn't provide you with enough protective equipment...... From now on, though, it won't! ”

Zhong Qi, who was helped up by Chu Jiangmian's hand, suddenly widened his eyes. Because, he heard different meanings from Chu Jiangmian's words.

"King! Don't......? ”

"Not bad! I've decided. In the next few years from now, the main combat target should be aimed at the Hu cavalry in the north! No matter what the price is paid or how many difficulties they have to face, they must be dealt a hard blow. Let these extremely arrogant guys no longer dare to easily step out of the grassland half a step! ”

Hear these few categorical words. The young lieutenant, who was at the forefront of the fight against the enemy, felt his arm tremble a little. He gripped the hilt of his sword tightly, filled with a thirst for battle.

"The king's spirit is heartbreaking! Sure enough, he is the successor of the martyrs of the previous king...... Although I am only a mere captain, I have experienced at least ten face-to-face battles with Hu Qi, and there is no need to say more about the bloodthirstiness and brutality of those guys. Just the sharpness of their war horses like the wind and scimitars caused great damage to our officers and men. Their iron arrows and scimitars are said to have been built with the technology of the barbarian tribes of the northwest, and they are very powerful. The knives in the hands of the soldiers, fighting against them, are often defeated. And this featherless iron arrow, at close range, can penetrate even ordinary armor...... If the king is really determined to start a large-scale war with him, all these disadvantages must be considered in advance! ”

Zhong Qi is not only brave on the battlefield, but also a meticulous warrior. Chu Jiangmian nodded, took out his knife easily, and when he looked down, he saw that there were a few small gaps on it, which should have been caused by fighting with the enemy's blades on the battlefield of iron-blooded fighting. He stuck his knife in the ground and asked casually.

"Zhong Qi, how many Hu people have you killed with this knife?"

"Thirteen horses!"

"Good! Yes, a good man. So let me ask you, do you have the ambition to become a general in the future, leading your cavalry to drive the steppe and slaughter the Hulu? ”

"King! If there really is such a day, I will definitely fight for this life and never give up! ”

"Don't worry! That day will not be far off. However, Zhong Qi ...... Hehe, this name is not majestic enough! ”

"King, I can't hide it, no one in my family is literate, and that's how the brothers come down from one to seven...... Hey! ”

"Then I'll give you a name, just call it Poyu, Zhong Poyu...... What do you think? ”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Seeing that you are born so majestic, he will definitely gallop on the battlefield one day and be a famous general of my Zhao country. Come, this sword is given to you, I hope you will use it to kill a hundred, a thousand more invading Hu people! ”

From then on, the lieutenant whose name was Zhong Poyu took the sword excitedly and felt the heaviness in his hand.

"I am willing to serve the king for the work of dogs and horses, although I go to the soup and fire, there is only death!"