Zhang Bin and his entourage walked along the foot of Taihang Mountain for seven days.

On the eighth day, the snow finally lightened, but the cold wind suddenly became stronger, and the snowflakes that fell on the armor no longer melted, but stuck to the armor and the horse's fur like glue.

It didn't take long for the armor on Zhang Bin and his party to turn into white armor, and the brown hair of the mount under the crotch also stood up one by one, like silver threads.

At this time, the whole world was covered with snow, so from a distance, even the eagles in the sky were difficult to find an army wandering on the territory of the Liao.

Everyone was extremely tired, Zhang Bin looked at the sky and secretly estimated that it was about noon at this time.

The sky and the earth were white, and although it covered up their whereabouts, it also made the route forward more and more difficult to argue.

Zhang Bin ordered everyone to hide behind a mountain col to avoid the wind, and looked outside the mountain col, not knowing where this place was.

"San Lang, bring the map." Zhang Bin shouted.

Han Saburo responded, and hurriedly took out a cowhide from his arms, on which a rather detailed map was drawn, which was one of the biggest gains of the secret agents of the pacification division in Liao over the years.

Zhang Bin squinted his eyes and looked at it for a while, compared the nearby terrain and mountains, put away the map and said: "This is not far from the Liao army's grain road, I ordered to go down, we will rest in this mountain col for one night, everyone will feed the last bit of grain and grass on their bodies to people and horses, and tomorrow we will give the Liao thieves a heavy blow." ”

………

………

Early the next morning, the wind and snow were still blowing.

Behind a mountain, nearly 3,000 cavalry led horses, standing there silently, waiting for battle orders, Zhang Bin, Zhemuqiu, and Snake Nu stood on the top of the mountain and looked at the mountain road in the distance.

In the wind and snow, there is an inexplicable killing atmosphere on and off the mountain.

Zhang Bin was expressionless, standing motionless on the hill. The black daze on his body made a hunting sound in the wind.

The snake slave suddenly said, "Childe, Han Saburo is back." ”

Zhang Bin and Zhemu Qiu suddenly perked up, and looked in the direction of the snake slave's fingers, and there were three knights dressed as Khitan herdsmen galloping towards this side in the wind and snow.

"At the head of the third gear, a team of Liao people transporting grain and grass was found at the location of Mapaoquan, escorted by about 2,000 cavalry."

It didn't take long for Han Saburo to come to Zhang Bin, and there was excitement and excitement about finding prey on his frozen red face.

Zhang Bin sneered: "How much grain and grass are there?" ”

Han Saburo said: "There are more than 500 carts in total, and it is estimated that it can feed at least 10,000 horses for ten days." ”

Zhang Bin said with a smile: "It is our goal, if there is too little grain and grass, it will not be distressed to burn the Liao people, and it will not achieve the effect, if there are too many, there will be more Liao soldiers escorted, and we can't eat this little force." ”

In fact, if in the past, with less than 3,000 Song troops and 2,000 Liao soldiers in a field battle, the winning side was pitiful, and it is not an exaggeration to say that he was sent to death, Guo Kui defeated less than 30,000 Liao people with 70,000 horses is an example.

However, the combat power of this team led by Zhang Bin has not changed, and the weapons and equipment have not changed much, but there are some more explosive packs.

……

……

The wind and snow lasted for most of the day, and in the evening, it gradually weakened, and the dark clouds dispersed, the sky and the earth became empty again, and the winter sun was unusually bright.

Mapaoquan is the source of a small river, and this small river is a tributary of the Yellow River, the upstream is located in the Taihang Mountains, is the territory of the Datong Mansion of the Liao State, and the downstream terrain is gentle, which is under the rule of the Zhending Mansion of the Great Song Dynasty.

The aquatic plants here are extremely abundant, and even now in winter, although there is no green, there is more festive yellow.

More than 200 years ago, the Khitan people did not have a surname, and later the Khitan people and the Han people gradually interacted more, and under the influence of the Han people, they had the surname Xiao and Yelu, and then there were several other surnames, but more than half of the Khitan people are these two surnames.

The general who escorted the grain and grass was surnamed Xiao, called Xiao Geda, who was a member of the tribe of Xiao Tianxiong, the king of the Southern Courtyard, and was a descendant of Xiao Tianxiong.

In the distance, more than 500 ox carts and a few horse-drawn carriages, which looked bulky but extremely strong, had already been lined up and waited, and the carts were piled up with grain and dried beef and mutton eaten by the soldiers, as well as various forages eaten by the war horses, which could be sent to the Liao army camp in the Zhending Mansion of the Song State in two days according to the plan.

Brother Xiao is in his early thirties, when he is at his strongest, most ambitious and ambitious.

Originally, he was going to go to the Song land with Xiao Tianxiong to burn and loot, but later because the Song people occupied Shuitou City and moved the Song people within more than 100 miles of the nine military villages to the south, the Liao army had to attack the military village first, and this was the most disgusting method of war for the Liao people, because it would make the warriors easily die in the battle of climbing the city.

Xiao Tianxiong asked his tribesmen to escort grain and grass, and let the Xijing army or tribal army from other tribes attack the nine military villages.

It was for this reason that Brother Xiao came to escort the grain and grass, but he didn't have much spirit for this task, and he only thought about looting the Song people's villages and towns, or fighting with the Song army in the field and killing the Song army.

"I heard that the king has captured six military villages, and began to prepare to lead his troops south to plunder, it seems that the journey should be accelerated on the road today, so as to catch up with the beauty of plundering the Song land." Brother Xiao looked at the sky and secretly decided in his heart.

"General, the carriage and horses are ready to set off at any time." A pro-soldier reported to Brother Xiao, who looked at the sky and said loudly: "The snowstorm has delayed us for nearly a day, pass on my order, be sure to send grain and grass to the camp before dark tonight, if anyone dares to delay the big thing, I will cut off his head and feed the wolf." ”

"Yes! Checkmate. The pro-soldiers intervened in response to the order, shouting loudly to convey Brother Xiao's order.

Brother Xiao was about to get on his horse, when suddenly there was a rapid sound of horses' hooves from their northwest direction, which was the direction of their Liao State Datong Mansion.

"It's cavalry, where are the cavalry galloping here?"

Brother Xiao wondered in his heart: "Could it be that the king lost too many troops when attacking the Song army, and sent people to transfer some tribal troops?" ”

Thinking like this, the sound of the horse's hooves got closer and closer, and Brother Xiao saw more and more clearly.

With less than three thousand people, it was indeed a tribal army of a certain tribe judging from the way they were dressed.

"Ask them, which tribe they belong to?"

The soldiers responded, urged the horses and rushed over, shouting loudly in Khitan language: "General Xiao has an order, you all stop, which tribe is it, report your name?" ”

Someone responded in Khitan language: "We are the warriors of the Wusu tribe of Huangyangtan in the west of Datong Mansion, and we were ordered to go south to the Zhending Mansion of the Song State to support the king in attacking and killing the Song army." ”