Updated: 2013-06-29

The cold wind was howling, and the snow 'flowers' in the sky were fluttering and fluttering in all directions under the blowing of the cold wind. The end of the year has arrived, but the western half of the countries in the southern part of the Western Regions are in a state of gloom.

The alliance of more than 20 countries in the southern part of the Western Regions was swept away by Dazhao in less than half a year, which made the remaining countries tremble. The entire alliance is not the opponent of Zhao Jun, this alliance with less than half of it, can it still withstand Da Zhao's attack? All kings knew that after the Zhao army broke the city, the kings who fought against the Zhao army not only did not protect their rights and money, but even their 'lives' could not be saved.

Among the western allies, the king of Shule was the most worried. Shule is the most powerful of the southern states in the Western Regions, and it is also the main organizer of this alliance. If in the past, King Shule still had the idea of surrendering when he couldn't fight, was not the opponent of the Zhao army, and was difficult to resist. Now, then, he is definitely not going to abandon these ideas.

Of course, this was not a change in the mind of the Shule king, nor was it the determination of the Shule king to live and die with the Shule state. It was because of the result of the Khotanese state and the fate of the king of Khotan, which made him understand that the Zhao army did not need the existence of powerful countries in the Western Regions, even if these countries were prepared to surrender. And Zhao Jun will not let go of countries that dare to confront Zhao Jun, especially organizers like himself, who are the target of Zhao Jun's killing.

Knowing that the Kingdom of Khotan was destroyed and more than ten countries in the west were swept away by the Zhao army, King Shule regretted it a little. I regret that I couldn't ask for help from Khotan, so I immediately sent reinforcements. In fact, when Khotan and other countries asked for help, although Shule and other western alliance states had the pressure of Li Chenfeng's troops in the north, as well as the small number of Zhao troops that continued to appear in the territory, this did not affect Shule and other countries to send troops to rescue.

King Shule also knew very well at the beginning that Li Chenfeng was slowly advancing in the north of Shangzhou and Mozhou Mansion, but there was no tendency for a large army to 'fight', and King Shule understood in his heart that the Zhao army in the north was to contain his western alliance countries.

When Khotan and other countries asked for help, the king of Shule thought that he was holding back the Zhao army in the north, and Khotan and other countries in the east should be able to fight a draw with the Zhao army in the east, and at worst, it should be equal to the fact that Khotan and other countries were fighting with the Zhao army, and he sent reinforcements. Who would have thought that the situation in Khotan was worse than the intelligence for help, and it was destroyed by the Zhao army overnight.

'Rubbish!' Bastard! After learning that the Khotanese kingdom had been destroyed and the Zhao army had stopped advancing westward, the king of Shule breathed a sigh of relief and involuntarily scolded angrily.

Then King Shule began to worry about the situation in front of him. The Zhao army stopped its westward advance, and for a month, the Zhao army did not make any further westward advances. After receiving news from the spies, Zhao Jun began to rectify the territory of Xinna, and the soldiers welcomed the arrival of the New Year. This didn't reassure him, after all, Zhao Jun would come sooner or later.

The king of Shule was more worried that the defeat of Khotan and other countries would lead to the collapse of the resistance of the remaining states. Sure enough, when the news of the defeat and destruction of Khotan and other countries in the east spread throughout the west, all the countries began to panic. Naturally, the king of Shule would not let them disperse, nor would he let the alliance fall apart. Especially after learning that the king of Khotan would not allow the surrender of the Zhao army, he would not let these small countries waver.

Therefore, the king of Shule took Khotan and several small countries around it as an example, and told the surrounding small countries that the Zhao army had decided to use force to understand these allied states and would not accept the kings and magnates of various countries, so as to pull the nine countries around the Shule country together to resist the future attacks of the Zhao army.

"Xiangguo, go and ask for help from Wusun Country again, and encourage us to confront Da Zhao, if he wants to be a fisherman, he has to pay something now, otherwise, when this Southern Alliance completely collapses, he Wusun Country will usher in a neighbor he doesn't want to see." Before and after thinking about it, King Shule was still deeply disturbed.

"Great King, the territory of Wusun Country is not peaceful now, it is said that a large number of horse thieves are operating in the territory of Wusun Country, which has caused the eastern region of Wusun Country to begin to erode. Now, they can't take care of themselves. Shule Xiangguo bowed his head and said.

"Horse thief? Hum...... Are you afraid of Zhao Jun, worried that Zhao Jun is looking for trouble, and now you want to leave it alone? ”

"Great King, there is certainly this reason in the Wusun Kingdom, but, as far as we know, the situation in the eastern region of the Wusun Kingdom is indeed very bad. These horse thieves are different from ordinary horse thieves, they rob everything in the eastern region of Wusun Kingdom, not only money, food, livestock, but also population, and these horse thieves also loot. It is said that in the past few months, 40,000 or 50,000 people in Wusun have been looted by these horse thieves. ”

"In addition, even some towns have been attacked by these horse thieves, turning these areas into no man's land. And the army of Wusun Kingdom has also been attacked many times, not only the logistics grain and grass have been looted, but even the soldiers are often counterattacked by these horse thieves, and the losses are not small. ”

"Oh? Horse thieves? You said...... What's going on in this Wusun Kingdom? This is definitely not something that a horse thief can do. King Shule looked sideways and said, "This king guesses that this must have Zhao Jun's 'intervention', and the eastern region of Wusun Kingdom is connected to Zhao Jun. And the Suye City region in the extreme west of Zhao Junshang Prefecture was all taken from the hands of Wusun State. ”

The prime minister of the Shule Kingdom said in a sullen voice: "Great King, as far as we know, the horse thieves who are active in the eastern region of the Wusun Kingdom are not only the Wusun people, but also the people of the Zhao Kingdom, the people of other countries in the Western Regions, and even the Turks. ”

"However, Yichen guessed that the matter of this Wusun Kingdom secretly supporting us has been known to Zhao Jun. The situation in the territory of Wusun Kingdom must have been deliberately retaliated by Zhao Jun. In the Zhao Kingdom, the slave trade was encouraged. If it weren't for the fact that our Southern Alliance countries had already been regarded as a bag by the Zhao army, I am afraid that a large number of people would have been captured by the Zhao army's slave capture team and sold to the territory of Zhao and become slaves. ”

"Damn! Wusun Guo is now completely restrained by Zhao Jun's 'trick'. We want to rely on the support of the Wusun Kingdom, but I'm afraid it's impossible. "As soon as he thought of the fate of the Khotanese king Qiulin, the king of Shule's heart trembled.

"Intensify the gathering of soldiers, step up training, and after the 'spring', we will have a battle with Dazhao." After a while, King Shule asked Xiangguo to leave. Later, he summoned the commander of the pro-guard army to discuss the escape.

For the king of Shule, the current situation is extremely bad for him, and if one is not good, he will follow in the footsteps of the king of Khotan, Qiulin. Therefore, King Shule began to make backup arrangements, so that the commander of the pro-guard army secretly prepared to flee west. Beyond the Green Ridge, to the west is the 'Bo' and other countries, if you are not against the Zhao army, you can only flee to this place to avoid the difficulty of death.

Mozhou Mansion, Heilincheng, the closest place for the Zhao army and Shule and other countries, and also the place where the troops of the two towns of Li Chenfeng's department are stationed, Li Chenfeng's first town and Zhao Jie's fourth town of the Praetorian Guard are in charge of the battle on the northern front this time.

"Uncle Li, did the king issue a new military order, did he immediately attack south?" In the past few months of the war against the Southern Alliance, the battlefield on the Eastern Front was in full swing, while the soldiers of the two towns on the Northern Front were only acting, and Zhao Jie was naturally anxious to fight.

Li Chenfeng said with a smile: "It's a new military order, but it's not an immediate southern expedition." Rather, we want to bypass the Allied states to the south and occupy the westernmost city of Kedu, the five kingdoms of the Green Mountains. ”

"Covo City?" Zhao Jie hurriedly opened the map and looked at it by himself, "This is the only passage between the Western Regions and the Far Western Kingdoms, located in the green mountains. Uncle Li, the task is not simple! ”

"What? Are you kid scared? Li Chenfeng said with a smile.

"How so? It's just that this is not only to bypass the two countries, but also to go over the mountains and mountains, and go straight to the rear of the other side from the mountains and mountains, so as to quietly take this place. In addition, if we take this place, we must also resist the 'fierce' counterattack of the Shule Kingdom, after all, we have cut off their only way to retreat. According to the brothers of the Hawkeye Division, the magnates of many countries are now quietly preparing to flee west. If we were like this, it would be strange if they weren't in a hurry. ”

"The most important thing is that this raid on Keluo City is difficult to conceal due to the large number of people, and it is difficult to hold on to it due to the small number of people. But the only good thing is that there should be enough food and grass for 5,000 people a month. ”

"Huh? Uncle Li, so to speak, the king is going to take action against Shule and other countries in the near future? In winter? Zhao Jun was stunned and asked repeatedly.

"Well, half of the Southern Alliance has gone, and the remaining half is no longer much of a threat. In addition, because of the rumors of the Shule Kingdom, the magnates of other countries began to have the idea of fleeing. It doesn't matter if they flee, but it doesn't work to flee with our belongings. In addition, the king also hopes that the western countries can be controlled by us before the 'spring', and the soldiers will start 'spring' ploughing. ”

"Now that the princes of the southern part of the Central Plains have become self-reliant, the war is becoming more and more 'fierce', and there are more and more people fleeing north.

"It is not easy to hit the enemy's rear point this time, not only for some of the reasons you just mentioned, but also for the weather. Now that winter is cold, the snow is beginning to fall. The problems encountered are bound to be not small. However, this also makes it less likely for the army to be detected. ”

"Uncle Li, rest assured, this time, I will personally lead the team. Again, as some time ago, they divided into small teams and crossed the border between the two northern countries to the foot of Mount Tula. Zhao Jie said in a deep voice.

Li Chenfeng nodded and said, "It's okay, the king also likes you, saying that you know a lot of winter marching combat essentials." In this way, you go and prepare first, choose the right people, prepare the corresponding supplies, and wait for the king to give the order, and you will act immediately. ”

Li Chenfeng and Zhao Jie both understood that Zhao Xun's arrangement, in addition to the fact that Zhao Jie and Zhao Jun were sworn brothers and had learned some new combat concepts, did not mean to let Zhao Jie make a great contribution. The position of the general of the town army naturally cannot rely on relationships, but also convince.

Zhao Xun originally didn't have the idea of doing it immediately, but, judging from the news from the western countries, the magnates of this blood country were ready to flee west with their family wealth. In this regard, Zhao Xun naturally couldn't let them escape. This is not only a matter of a large amount of money, but Zhao Xun does not want these monarchs to flee and create any trouble for himself in the future. In addition, after destroying the Shule Kingdom, if you defend Kelu City, you will be able to completely hold the land of the Western Regions in your hands, and the western region will also be completely safe.

At the beginning of December, Zhao Jie led the selected 3,000 soldiers to leave quietly, they partially took off their clothes and armor, and after putting on makeup, they scattered into teams and moved towards their destinations. At the same time, several caravans of the 'Bo's people were also heading west, taking advantage of the cessation of the fighting, preparing to turn home.

Even if Zhao Jie and the others were fully prepared, there were still many soldiers injured. Of course, not because it was discovered by the enemy, but because of the weather. There were many people with frostbite, so Zhao Jie arranged for them to stay on the spot and live in the homes of residents selected by the scouts of the Eagle Eye Division. Of course, they did not 'reveal' their identity as Zhao Jun.

The original five-day journey, but Zhao Jie and the others took more than 20 days, and then waited for the arrival of the teams at the foot of Tula Mountain. On December 25, a team of 3,000 people gathered. But at this moment, there are more than 300 people missing.

But all the soldiers, including Zhao Jie, were shocked by this operation. Not to mention that in order to avoid the non-commissioned officers and outposts of the alliance army, the materials required by the non-commissioned soldiers alone were also provided for them by the Hawkeye Division, which had been prepared for a long time. If it weren't for the fact that the scouts of the Eagle Eye Division were familiar with the terrain here, I am afraid that the situation would be even worse in this snowy weather. Rao so, they also paid the price of three hundred. Of course, the vast majority of them were frostbitten hands and feet, and there were no serious injuries or deaths.

This is also thanks to Zhao Xun's early preparation, and the Eagle Eye Division provides all-round help. Of course, this is also related to the fact that the New Year is approaching, and the Zhao army has stopped advancing and is very ready for the New Year.

Then, Zhao Jie took the remaining 2,700 soldiers and began to cross the mountains. But this time, they also suffered casualties, and, moreover, there were casualties. In the mountains and forests, in the heavy snow, many soldiers still lost their 'lives' here because of various accidents.

In this regard, Zhao Jie and the soldiers could only suppress the grief in their hearts and continue to move forward. Even the corpses of the fallen soldiers could not be found, so they could only wait for the Zhao army to completely control the Eastern Alliance countries.

On January 3, the fifth year of Changping, for the people of the Central Plains, this was the official period of the New Year, and Zhao Jie and other 2,600 soldiers finally arrived in the mountains and forests on the right side of Kelu City. At this moment, Zhao Jie and other soldiers can already see Kedu City under the mountains and forests. And the soldiers who arrived at their destination could not help but think of the brothers who died on the way.

"Mu Feng, send someone to the predetermined place to have a look, and ask the brothers of the Eagle Eye Division if the person we are waiting for has arrived." Zhao Jie looked at the city built between the two mountains in front of him, and said in a deep voice to the deputy general beside him.

Half an hour later, Mu Feng took several men wearing Shule national clothes and returned with some dry food.

"Subordinate Eagle Eye Division, the Shule Country squad led Niu Ye to see the general."

"No need to be polite, General Ben needs to know if the person we are waiting for has arrived?"

"General Hui, judging from the news from Shule Kingdom, it will take two days to wait. Heavy snow made it difficult for caravans to pass. The Hawkeye Division team led Niu Ye to report in a deep voice.

"Two days?" Zhao Jie couldn't help frowning, "You guys can prepare what we need here?" Now that the generals are under the command of this general, things have run out, and they are really 'forced' as a last resort, so they can only act in advance. ”

"General direction, we have prepared enough dry food, but alas, we can't make a fire here. However, we can accommodate wounded soldiers for the general. ”

"That's fine, I've endured it for a month, and it's okay to wait for two more days, it's not a big mistake to be careful. There are more than 20 wounded soldiers here, can you properly accommodate them? ”

"General rest assured, our identity here is the Orion who lives in the city, around here, we have built a few simple hunter huts, Denton's twenty wounded, it should be okay. In addition, we have also prepared some simple 'medicines'. These were all 'handed over' by the king in advance. ”

What Zhao Jie and the others were waiting for was the batch of 'Bo's caravans, this brigade of caravans, except for a few leaders who were 'Bo'si people, the rest were all soldiers of the Zhao army. In addition, among the goods, there are also a lot of crossbow arrows, arrows, crossbow arrows, horizontal knives and other items. It's the earth-shattering thunder, and it also carries a lot. Of course, on the surface, there are still some more expensive but fragile goods transported back from the Han region.

It was also thanks to the fact that the magnates of Shule and other countries were preparing to flee westward, and because it was now winter and New Year's Pass, so these caravans were not inspected in detail by the guards of the various cities. And these materials are the key to Zhao Jie and others guarding Kedu City.

On the evening of the 5th of January, the mighty 'Bo's caravan finally appeared outside the city of Kedu, and after paying a lot of customs fees, the caravan entered the city and prepared to rest here for the night. And the defenders of Codu City were not surprised.

However, that night, Zhao Jie and others quietly appeared outside the city 'gate'. It's not a big city, but it's extremely steep. It was also to guard against the 'Bo' kingdom in the west, which was built here at a great cost.

However, under the internal response of the 400 people of the 'Bo's caravan, and the defenses of Kedu City were completely defenseless, this key point in the western part of the Shule Kingdom was quietly opened with the assistance of the Zhao army.

"The first team went straight to the 'gate' of the West City, the second team went straight to the general's mansion and the official offices in the city, and the remaining three teams, together with the general, besieged and killed the soldiers guarding the city." After giving the general defense map of the city, Zhao Jie immediately gave the order to attack.

The city of Kedu is dangerous, and in recent years, the country of 'Bo' has also been unstable, so there are not many defenders of this city, only less than 2,000. However, with this terrain, it can stop the siege of an army of 10,000 people. Of course, because of the limitation of the bottom line in the east of the city, the siege army could not be launched at all. All, even if there is an army of 10,000 people, it can only send 3,000 people to attack the city at the same time.