Jiuquan City at night is particularly deserted, the strong cold wind is whistling, the moonlight shines on the snow of the Xiongnu camp, and the whole camp is crowded.

Fuqu Centennial has begun to arrange for the army to retreat south, although he is extremely unwilling, but Fuqu Mengxun's royal order Fuqu Centennial has to be executed.

"Governor, tens of thousands of troops will withdraw from Jiuquan at the same time, I am afraid that it will not be until dawn, in order not to be discovered by the Xiliang army as much as possible, the last general is willing to lead a light cavalry to stay in the camp for the purpose of doubtful soldiers, and wait for the governor to withdraw after Lejuan, and then lead the army to retreat." After Fuqu explained that the army retreated, he walked into the big tent and pleaded with Fuqu.

"Good! The Governor gave you 20,000 light horsemen, and made sure that the army was safely withdrawn to Lechuan. After listening to it, he also very much agreed.

The night passed, the entire Xiongnu camp as usual, it was impossible to see that the entire Xiongnu camp had lost more than 30,000 people, and in order to prevent the Xiliang army from discovering that the army had retreated, he ordered the army to call for battle under Jiuquan City early in the morning, but there was no intention of attacking the city.

"Why are these Hun thieves so strange today?" Han Qian looked at the Hun army under the city at the head of the city, and couldn't help but feel a little strange in his heart.

Since Han Qian returned to Jiuquan City, he had been arranging to defend the Huns in the south of the city to attack the city, at this moment Han Qian had a deep scar on his face, the huge stone thrown by the Huns' trebuchet smashed on the city, and the splattered stone after the shattering cut off a piece of skin and flesh off Han Qian's cheek.

"Keep your eyes open to Lao Tzu, if you let a Hun thief come up, see if Lao Tzu doesn't kill you." Iron Hammer looked at the sergeant in front of him and said with a curse.

Although the Huns under the city did not attack the city, the Xiliang army at the head of the city still did not dare to relax in the slightest.

"Brother Han, how is it in the south of the city? Did the Hun thieves start the siege? Li Yan saw Han Qian walking into the big tent and asked with a concerned face.

"Childe, this Huns stopped attacking the city early this morning, and they just shouted and cursed under the city."

"Oh? This is a strange thing, don't pay attention to it for the time being, the Huns are estimated to need to rest for a few days in a row, remember not to be careless, in case the Huns thieves cheat. Li Yan walked behind Han Qian and admonished.

"Yes, Childe, then I'll go out first." Han Qian hugged his fists and walked out of the big tent.

"Go ahead. Report the situation in time. Li Yan responded.

It has been five days since the Xiongnu besieged the city, and the Xiliang army has lost more than 10,000 soldiers, and hundreds of people have died under the boulders thrown by the Huns' trebuchets.

At noon, Li Yan personally inspected the city, the Xiliang army was ready for battle, and the Huns under Jiuquan City were still doing all kinds of provocations and abuse.

"General, the group of Hun thieves below are scolding too ugly, I really want to go down and let them taste what my two sledgehammers are like." Iron Hammer looked at the Hun army under the city and said with a look of indignation.

"You! Be calm. Now the Huns and thieves can't attack for a long time, but I can't help it. Li Yan patted the hammer's shoulder and comforted.

Li Yan walked down from the city after inspecting the circle, and with Han Qian staring at the Huns, Li Yan was also much more relaxed. It's been a few days since he came back to Jiuquan City, and Li Yan hasn't visited Song Xuan, and today he is going to go to Song Xuan's mansion.

When Li Yan came to Song Xuan's mansion, the steward saw that Li Yan was coming, and hurriedly went to inform Song Xuan. After a while, the steward led Li Yan to Song Xuan's study.

"Yan'er meets Grandpa Song." As soon as Li Yan entered the study, he knelt down and bowed to Song Xuan.

"Yan'er, you're here. Hurry up. Song Miao got up and helped Li Yan up, and then someone brought tea.

"Thank you, Grandpa Song." Li Yan got up and bowed to Song Miao and said.

"In the past six months, you have been in the West Sea very noisy, if it weren't for the prince to cover you up, you would have been questioned a long time ago, Yan'er, do you know your mistake?" Song Xuan's face was angry, and his fingers trembled and pointed at Li Yan.

"Grandpa Song, you dissipate your anger, Yan'er knows that you are wrong." Li Yan saw Song Miao talking about a dry cough and hurriedly patted Song Xuan's back, like he had done something wrong.

"Humph! It's good to know what to do. If you hadn't taken the initiative to use the weapon you had built privately to kill the enemy and persuade the Rouran people to retreat, even Grandpa and I wouldn't have been able to protect you with this crime. Song Miao calmed down and said in a deep voice.

"Yan'er knows his mistakes, and he will never make his own decisions in the future."

"Alas! Yan'er, do you know that if it weren't for King Liang's private weapon-making matter, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would now have lost his troops and lost his generals, if he found out that he was impeaching you in the court, the consequences would be unimaginable. When Song Miao thought that Li Yan had actually cast weapons privately, the whole person was angry.

Song Miao saw that Li Yan had been silent, so he didn't continue, took a sip of tea, and then said: "Over the years, my Daliang has been at war with the Huns and thieves all year round, and the consumption is huge, and it doesn't matter if I have the assistance of the Hexi clan in the past few years. But over the years, these big clans have rarely provided assistance, and the treasury has long been empty, so your iron ore in the West Sea has also solved my urgent need for Da Liang. ”

"Grandpa, has my Da Liang reached such a point?" Li Yan looked shocked and left the assistance of the Hexi clan, and even the ordnance could not satisfy the army in front.

"Over the years, Daliang has been fighting for years and years, and the expenses are huge, and nearly eighty percent of my Daliang's fields are in the hands of major families, and the field tax is not enough for even the grain and grass of 100,000 troops for a year, not to mention the expensive armor." Song Miao sighed slightly and said.

Li Yan knew that war was not only about people, but also about having enough food and ammunition. But I didn't expect Da Liang to have reached this point.

In the past few years, the various families still provided a lot of assistance every year, but in the past two years, the Hexi clan has felt that instead of providing a large amount of grain and grass every year, it is like a huge bottomless pit, it is better to repair with the surrounding areas and stop fighting.

"I see, Yan'er understands." Li Yan bowed and saluted.

"Now my Da Liang is already an internal and external trouble, and the slightest carelessness is the point of the destruction of the country. This time the Huns besieged Jiuquan, and many families have bluntly spoken out about peace. Song Miao couldn't help but sigh as he spoke.

Back then, Li Wei relied on the support of the Hexi clan to go from a county order in Dunhuang to the current dignified Liang King, and now each family occupies more than half of the official positions in the Daliang court, Li Yan also understands Li Wei's helplessness in his heart.

"How can such a thing be? Now that the land of my Daliang is all exchanged for the blood of my Daliang soldiers, how can I cede it in order to steal peace. Li Yan felt a burst of anger in his heart after hearing this.

"That's it! These things are not something you should worry about, there is a grandfather in these people who can't make big waves, but now the Huns and thieves are besieging Jiuquan, and there will be a lot of variables after a long time. Therefore, you must defend Jiuquan City. Song Miao got up and admonished.

"If it weren't for Suo Xun's lack of success and more than enough failure, General Tang Lao would not be like this, how could General Tang Yao be a thief in the Huns, and take a step past the Le Juan camp? Alas! Song Miao looked out the window and said to himself.

"Grandpa, don't worry, my Daliang sergeant is united, and he will definitely be able to repel the Hun thieves." Li Yan stepped forward and said with relief.

An hour later, Li Yan walked out of Song Xuan's mansion, and after a conversation with Song Xuan, he finally understood Da Liang's current situation.

Li Yan thought a lot on the way back to the camp in the south of the city, and now only by repelling the Huns and relieving the crisis in Jiuquan can he have the ability to develop, and now Daliang has reached the critical point of life and death.

As soon as he returned to the big tent, Han Qian hurriedly walked into the tent, his face covered with sweat. Han Qian took a breath and said, "Childe, something seems to be a little wrong with the Hun camp, it's almost a day, and I always feel that there are a lot fewer people in the Hun camp." ”

"Oh? How so? ”

"Childe, the situation of the 50,000 or 60,000 Xiongnu army on weekdays is far from what it is now, and secondly, why the Xiongnu army under the city has been abusing but not attacking the city like the sun, Han Qian thinks that there must be something strange in this." Han Qian immediately said what he thought.

"If there are fewer soldiers and horses in the Hun battalion, then where does Brother Han think they went? Now that the Xiongnu army is besieging Jiuquan, how can there be few people for no reason? Li Yan walked back and forth in the tent, suddenly stopped and asked.

"This~. This is also true, but Han Qian thinks that the current Xiongnu army is indeed much smaller than in the past. Childe, why don't you let Han Qian lead a few brothers out of the city to investigate? Han Qian was speechless for a while, so he wanted to go out of the city to find out?

"Okay, Brother Han, you have to be careful, come back in time once you find something." Li Yan's heart moved, and he immediately agreed with Han Qian's statement.

After Han Qian went out, Li Yan looked at the sheepskin map in the tent and fell into thought, it is impossible for the Huns to disappear out of thin air, if it is unrealistic to say that the Huns bypassed Jiuquan City and took Dunhuang directly, and the food and grass supply of the Huns could not keep up.

"Where did the Huns go? Dunhuang is impossible, is it ~? Insufficient grain and grass to return to Zhangye? ”

Li Yan quickly threw away this idea, and estimated that the Huns had at least half a month's grain and grass from the well-defended grain and grass camp of the Xiongnu army, and it was impossible to lack food.

When I patrolled the city at noon, I saw that most of the people under the city were light horses, and I didn't want to continue attacking the city at all.

"Since I can't think of it, everything will be understood when Brother Han comes back."

Li Yan didn't know why the Xiongnu were like this, and he didn't have a clue after thinking about it for a long time, so he simply didn't think about it.

In the big tent, Li Yan waited for Han Qian's return with a worried face, Han Qian had been out for almost two hours, as the color gradually began to darken today, and the wind outside the tent was whistling.

Just when Li Yan was anxious, Han Qian finally returned to Jiuquan City.

"Childe, I led a few brothers out of the city from the north of the city and went around in a circle, caught a scout of the Hun thief, and recruited after cutting a few knives. Last night, after receiving a letter from the King of Beiliang, Fu Qu led the army back overnight, and the specific reason is not clear. Now there are 20,000 light horsemen left in the Hun camp, and it is estimated that they will withdraw to Lechuan tonight. ”

"What? There won't be a fraud, right? Li Yan was taken aback when he heard this, this Hun thief withdrew.

"Probably not, I changed into the clothes of the Hun scouts and went into the camp to see, and most of the soldiers and horses in the Hun camp are indeed missing."

"Childe, let's fight! Now that most of the Hun army has withdrawn, there are only 20,000 light horsemen left, and the frustration ditch evacuated Jiuquan last night. Han Qian said excitedly.

"This matter is very important, it is not up to me to decide, Brother Han, you go to the palace with me! Let's go now. ”

Li Yan walked out of the big tent as he spoke, rode on the Absolute Shadow and rushed towards the Liangwang Mansion with Han Qian.