The gurgling Changshui River flows quietly to the south. On both sides of the river, there are willows and flowers.

In early autumn, the scenery is still as beautiful as midsummer.

Staring at this small river, Zhang Yue's eyes were filled with nostalgia and emotion.

Sangzi, the hometown, is a place that all Zhuxia people will never forget.

Even if he is just a traverser, his feelings for Changshui Township are not very deep.

But seeing this river, the bits and pieces of my memory can't help but come to mind.

It made him have mixed feelings, and his heart was a little apprehensive.

And in front, on the side of the bridge, his father and brother who came to greet him have crowded the entire bridge deck and both sides of the riverbank.

A bustling crowd, chanting his name.

"Zhang Yingyang! Zhang Yingyang! ”

A respected old man, supported by his children, trembling on crutches, stood up.

In Nanling County, all the gentry and landlords and officials have gathered here.

Zhang Yue listened and watched this scene, raised his feet slightly, and stepped down from the carriage, the armor he was wearing had already been wiped clean, and it was like a mirror in the sun, dazzling.

The long sword tied around his waist was inlaid with three jewels and jades that he had captured from the treasure house of the Xiongnu Dragon City.

And behind him, the soldiers of Nanling who followed him on the expedition were already in formation.

Each of them wore chain mail, which only Han officers were qualified to wear, tied long swords, and the men in the front row held a wooden box in their hands.

It was the ashes or clothes of the comrades who died in battle.

At the beginning, there were more than 100 people in Nanling and Baling who went out with Zhang Yue to envoy and go on the expedition.

But there were no more than eighty returned.

The rest were killed in battle, shrouded in horse-leather, or died from wounded soldiers, missteps, and accidents.

With these soldiers, Zhang Yue moved forward steadily, walked in front of the fathers and elders, and then bowed down, took off the iron jacket, put it on the ground, and bowed: "The boy is not talented, he has been entrusted by his father, and he has not been able to return all the armor soldiers, I hope that my father will forgive his sins!" ”

Behind him, Tian Shui, Li Miao and other retainers, with Guo Rong and other representatives, sent more than 20 wooden boxes to the crowd.

Then everyone was like Zhang Yue, took off the iron jacket, took off the sword, and bowed his head again: "A certain person is not talented, he has a negative father, and he is guilty of failing to return with his comrades!" ”

The crowd was silent for a moment, and then, a respected third elder, on crutches, walked tremblingly in front of Zhang Yue, and said leisurely on behalf of the father: "Zhang Yingyang and your descendants don't have to feel guilty!" ”

"Serve the Son of Heaven, shroud in horse leather, serve the country to death, and fight the Huns outside the territory, this is the trip of the great husband!"

"How could the children of Nanling ever be afraid of sacrifice?"

"They are all my Nanling's husbands, and they will be sacrificed by my Nanling descendants for the rest of their lives!"

…………………………

Time turned back more than ten days, on Guyan Mountain, the autumn wind was blowing, and the weather had turned cold.

In another month, heavy snow will fall from the sky, and at that time, the Huns will leave here, cross the Yuwu water, and go to the foot of Yanran Mountain to spend the winter.

However......

This winter is destined to be an extremely difficult season.

"On the left flank of Mobei, seventy percent of the livestock, more than half of the population, almost all the victorious soldiers and tribal cavalry ......" Li Ling said leisurely: "In addition, almost all the gold and treasures have been taken away!" ”

"I also lost Zhao Xincheng's 10,000 cavalry, 50,000 gold, and thousands of craftsmen and merchants......"

"This winter, if you don't starve to death of 20,000 or 30,000 people, I'm afraid you won't be able to survive!"

The nobles around him lowered their heads one after another, and each of them showed deep sorrow on their faces.

This summer's defeat was second only to the defeat after the decisive battle of Mobei for the Huns!

The military and the economy were all in ruins.

What's even worse is that in order to crusade against the Western Regions, most of the grain and grass in the Xiongnu continued to be squandered.

Today, economically, the Huns could go hungry at any moment!

To add insult to injury, due to the rise of the so-called Tu Lu shaman, the religious power in the Xiongnu country rose.

A large number of shamans colluded with the Natu Shaman to brainwash a large number of herdsmen.

Many devout herdsmen, in order to worship the gods, even prefer to go hungry themselves, and sacrifice their little cheese and fur.

And this directly led to the further weakening of the national strength of the Xiongnu.

So much so that the current Shan Yuting, if he encounters the main force of the Han army to attack, I am afraid that he may not even be able to make up the cheese and milk wine for the battle!

So, in order to cover up his weakness and mistakes, Shan Yuting had no choice but to sacrifice all the nobles who had been redeemed to heaven.

More than 300 noble clans, including Youxian Wang Haoli, were tied to the stone pillar of the sacrifice to the sky by Shan Yu Hulugu and the Tu Hao shaman, skinned and cramped, and tortured to death!

He also took their skulls, made them into sacred vessels, and offered them to the holy mountain, asking the gods for mercy.

As a result, this winter may be even more difficult than any previous winter!

Because, the Xiongnu are not only short of livestock, even the existing livestock, in fact, all of them are facing the dilemma of insufficient body.

As long as the winter is a little colder, they will die in large numbers.

Even if this catastrophic event does not occur, these animals will struggle to produce much milk.

And now Shan Yuting has just fallen out with the group of the Sun Chase King Xianxian who controls the Western Regions.

This means that it will be difficult for the Xiongnu to suck blood from the Western Regions and get a lot of aid to relieve their predicament.

"I'm going to take someone on a trip to the Tianshan Mountains! Go and have a good talk with King Zuo Xian......" Li Ling said solemnly: "I am not in these days, you must be cautious, you must not let Da Dan Yu have any accidents, let alone let that Tu Xuan Shaman take the opportunity to take power!" ”

For Li Ling, this is undoubtedly a difficult choice.

Going to the Western Regions and seeking assistance was the only chance for the Xiongnu.

There was no way, the Han Dynasty in the south rose and controlled the whole of Monan.

The Xiongnu's southward path was cut off, and they even had to worry about the enemy coming from the south.

The only way to survive is only in the West!

Only the West has a way to live!

And now, the only person within the Xiongnu who can negotiate with the sages of the Rizhu King is Li Ling.

Only Li Ling had a chance to convince the king of the day.

However, as soon as Li Ling leaves, Yu Ting's side alone will lose the characters who can calm the scene.

The parties could fight at any time.

Therefore, he did not dare to take his main force.

even had to leave most of the generals and troops for the sake of the overall situation, and only took a few people to set off secretly.

even had to hide from Hulugu and the others, and quietly went to the Tianshan Mountains.

There is no way, this is the last choice of the Mobei Royal Court.

If you don't bow to the sages now, by this time next year, the authority of the Mobei royal court may have been completely swept away.

The Xiongnu Empire will split into several forces that are not convinced by each other and attack each other.

………………

Today, the thirtieth year of the Chinese New Year's Eve, I want to leave the whole family to greet all readers.

I wish you all good luck in the New Year, koi possession, good luck, and all the best.