Updated: 2011-06-05

Wang Li half-squinted his eyes and looked at Han Xin with an interested look on his face.

"Oh?"

Han Xin took out the parchment from his bosom and presented it with both hands, "Dashuai, this is a letter written by his mistress to her husband who is in the army. ”

Wang Li took the letter with some surprise, the Huns did not have an independent script, but simply copied the text of the Central Plains and slightly modified it, so it is not difficult to recognize. Wang Li looked at it carefully a few times, but didn't find anything abnormal, so he looked at Han Xin with some confusion.

"This is an ordinary letter from home, what's wrong?"

Han Xin arched his hand and bowed down. "Dashuai, the letter said that her two elder brothers were conscripted into the army by Touman, and even her minor brother was temporarily recruited into the Wangcheng Guard, which shows that the strength of the Huns is already very embarrassed, and the rear is extremely empty, and even teenagers have to be conscripted into the army."

Wang Li heard the meaning of Han Xin's words, muttered for a while, and said; "You mean to send me an army straight into the rear of the Huns?"

Han Xin owed himself and took a slight break from Wang Li's words. "Boss, the idea of being humble is to go straight to Manchester City."

Wang Li's body was shocked, and he looked at Han Xin in astonishment, and said slowly for a long time; "It's too risky. If you want to attack Toumancheng, you must pass through the desert, the desert is changing, and our northern army has no experience in fighting in the desert, and the slightest carelessness will kill the whole army in the sea of sand. Also, if you go with light troops, you must not be able to bring more food and grass, if you are wrong in your estimation, the guard in Manchester City is not weak, then what should you do to wait for this partial division. ”

Han Xin's face was as usual, but he said lightly; "Marshal, war is a gamble, how can you win without taking risks. If the arrangements are made properly, and he finds a soldier who is familiar with the desert as a guide in the army, plus a little luck, Han Xin thinks that he can win. ”

Seeing that Wang Li was already moved, Han Xin took another step forward and persuaded him; "Marshal, think about it, as long as the division of more than 10,000 elite soldiers is defeated, it will only lose more than 10,000 people, which will have no impact on the success or failure of the army, and it will also make the Huns worry about the rear and dare not move forward. But if you succeed......"

Han Xin suddenly paused when he said this, and the words behind him were self-evident.

Wang Li was really moved, the kind of possibility that Han Xin said was indeed very tempting to him, you must know that Touman City is the dragon city of the Huns, if it is captured by the Qin army, it will definitely be a major blow to the Huns psychologically, and it will also make Wang Li gain fame and fortune.

The newly enthroned Emperor II was in great need of great feats to catch up with his unattainable father, and the new commander of the Northern Army also needed great military feats to bring his soldiers back.

Wang Li's face was cloudy and uncertain, and he said; "Let me ask you, if you are given 10,000 fine horses, how sure are you?"

After thinking about it, Han Xin said: "Sixty percent is sure, and the feint and cooperation of the army that needs to be marshal has attracted the attention of the Huns. ”

Wang Li muttered; "Sixty percent grasp ......" is another burst of contemplation.

Han Xin saw that although he had already moved, he couldn't make up his mind for a long time, so he persuaded again; "Marshal, if it is a carefully selected war horse, then the mobility of our army will surpass that of the Huns, and the supplies on the steppe can be replaced by plunder. Even if we can't take down Manchester City, the grassland is so big, we can just wait for the opportunity to get out of the south. ”

"Moreover, once we appear in the rear of the head Huns, the news will definitely shake the hearts of his army, which is not an opportunity for the commander."

Han Xin's last words made Wang Li finally make up his mind and agree to his risky proposal.

Han Xin was overjoyed, this was the first time he had the opportunity to lead a large army to fight alone, if he succeeded, then not only would he have a very important position in the Northern Army, but also become Wang Li's confidant.

Han was secretly determined to seize this hard-won opportunity no matter what.

In order to ensure that the news was not spread, Wang Li did not communicate with the generals in the army, but only discussed with Su Jiao and Shejian. Su Jiao was very appreciative of Han Xin's bold proposal, and Shijian did not say much, but only reminded Wang Li that the cold winter was coming, because he was ready to withdraw the army as soon as possible.

As for the more than 10,000 people who went on the expedition, Wang Li planned to draw them from the Chinese army and the right army, which were the third and fifth battalions of the right battalion and the first battalion of his central army, totaling about 10,000 people. The main general was not Han Xin, but Wang Jing, Han Xin was only temporarily appointed as the acting marquis of the fifth battalion and the deputy general of the army, and Xi Da was transferred to the Chinese army by Wang Li.

Seeing that the Lord would not be himself, Han Xin was inevitably a little disappointed, and he naturally knew what Wang Li meant. It's just to let his son hang up the title of the main general, if he succeeds, he will have the greatest credit, if he fails, there is naturally Han Xin, the initiator.

But in any case, from a Qu Marqu to a military marquis, although it is only temporary, there is no difference. Wang Jing is naturally an old acquaintance, and since Han Xin deliberately gave in, he has never troubled Han Xin again. The marquis of the first battalion of the Chinese army is a veteran marquis in his 40s, named Luan Ji, who has been in the army for more than 30 years and has rich combat experience. Wang Li may have been worried that Wang Jing and Han Xin were too young, so he deliberately accompanied an experienced deputy.

Since this plan for a thousand-mile attack was proposed by Han Xin, of course, he was the leader. Wang Li naturally knew that Wang Jing's talent and experience were not enough to be qualified for the post of commander-in-chief, so he told Wang Jing to listen to Han Xin and Luan Ji more and not to make claims. Wang Li personally commanded the army and continued to march slowly northward to attract all the attention of the Huns and cover Han Xin's sneak attack plan.

After the 10,000 elite horsemen were assembled, they took advantage of the night and quietly left the army.

From this matter, it is not difficult for Han Xin to see that Wang Li is not a general, and he is extremely selfish. If you believe in Han Xin, why not entrust this 10,000-strong army to him, but make this strange combination, there is no distinction between priority and priority, power and responsibility are not clear, if Wang Jing and Luan Ji cooperate, it is fine, otherwise it will be very dangerous to put yourself in danger but the orders will be different.

Fortunately, Wang Jing didn't embarrass Han Xin along the way, it may be that the incident of Baihualou last time had a good impression of Han Xin, or it may be that Wang Li gave more advice. Luan Ji is a taciturn person, he is a marquis of the Chinese army, Wang Li's personal soldier background, he basically obeys Wang Jing, a young general, Wang Jing did not raise any objections, and he acquiesced to Han Xin's command.

In order to conceal their whereabouts, Han Xin let the team rest during the day and march at night, and the scattered herdsmen of the Huns encountered on the road were all killed.

After five days of traveling north along the Woer River, we arrived at the Hanhai Sea.

Hanhai is not a sea, but a vast desert that stretches as far as the eye can see, and is called 'Urdespan' in the Xiongnu language, which means land of demons. The reason why it is called Hanhai is because it is 800 miles longitudinal and horizontal, traversing the grassland, and the eyes are full of yellow sand, just like the sea.

Hanhai divides the grassland into two, with Mo Nan to the south and Mo Bei to the north. There are three roads leading from the south of the desert to the north of the desert, one is the east of the Hanhai, which goes around the edge of the desert, and this road is also used by the Huns to go south, and is now firmly in the hands of the Huns. Since the Qin army wanted to attack it unprepared, this road would definitely not be used. The other is the west of the Hanhai Sea, but it is in the territory of the Yue Clan, because the road is too far, so I don't think about it.

The third path chosen by Han Xin is to cross the Hanhai Sea along the Dingling Ancient Road, which is also the most hidden way recently.

The road is more of a trail than a road, and in many places there is no road at all. When Ding Ling was strong and dominated Mobei, there were often caravans crossing the Hanhai Sea to trade with the Central Plains, so a post station was set up in the place where there was a well in the Hanhai Sea for the use of passing caravans. Later, the spring gradually dried up, and the Dingling Ancient Road was also abandoned.

Four years ago, in order to avoid the attack of the Qin army, the Huns moved the royal court to Mobei, and Meng Tian only chased Hanhai and stopped the pursuit. So for the Qin army, Hanhai was a completely unfamiliar land that had never been reached. Hanhai has become a trench for the Huns, and the Qin people are also shy away from it, so Touman would never have thought that Wang Li would be so bold to send a Qin army across the desert to attack Touman City, this is Han Xin's opportunity.

Moreover, the reason why Han Xin told Wang Li so confidently was because he still had a trump card in his hand.

Before Tian Shi joined the Qin army, he had been a horse thief in the desert for several years, and he was very familiar with Hanhai, and this Ding Ling Ancient Road was what he told Han Xin. He was originally half-Hu and half-Qin, until he was cornered by the Huns, so he concealed his identity and joined the Northern Army, which he told Han Xin after getting along with Tian Shi for a long time.

Although sufficient preparations had been made, the shortcomings of the inexperienced Qin army as soon as they entered Hanhai were quickly exposed. Although Tian Shi repeatedly told him to save water before entering Hanhai, many soldiers still did not understand the preciousness of water in the desert, and it took only three days to drink all the water in the soil bag. Fortunately, Tian Shi was extremely familiar with the desert and found a water source when the team was about to fall into a desperate situation, which prevented the Qin army from falling into a catastrophe.

Han Xin had always heard about the desert in his previous life, but he only felt that it was just a little hot and thirsty, and now he really realized it.

When the sun is scorching, people who are shining in the dazzling sun can't open their eyes. When I squinted my eyes and wanted to look into the distance, I felt that the hot air was also rolling, and the reflection of the distant scenery was constantly shaking. Even if there is wind, it is a heat wave, and people feel that even the moisture of the blood has been blown dry, but they are very thirsty. The nostrils were covered with yellow sand, as if the throat was about to burst into flames.

In only five days, a tiger and wolf army that was originally majestic was tortured listlessly by this endless Hanhai. Everyone moved forward calmly, clinging to the horse's back, listening to their colleagues in front of them, for fear of falling behind.

If you get lost in the desert, there is only one way to die.

Originally, he thought that this expedition was just a cross-border expedition, galloping on horses, full of passion before the expedition, but he did not expect that there would be such an experience. He was also a hard-hearted man, insisting on the same food and water as the soldiers, and after a few days, the whole person became weak, and he just followed the team mechanically on horseback. Han Xin saw that he would definitely burp before he could get out of the desert if he went on like this, so he ordered someone to find a plank, put together a simple carriage, and forcibly pulled him up.

In this way, the burden of the entire team fell on Han Xin and Luan Ji, and the two of them cheered up and kept running back and forth in the team, boosting morale, and at the same time beware of any soldiers fainting and falling behind.

In order to lighten the burden, the Qin army left almost everything that could be discarded, leaving only swords and bows and crossbows for battle. The armor has long been discarded, and they are all wearing cloth clothes, ragged like beggars, how can there be any temperament of a tiger and wolf division. The only thing that made Han Xin happy was that they were still persevering, trying to maintain their ranks, and they did not break up. The discipline and obedience in the Qin army's bones were far from being comparable to other armies, which made Han Xin see the hope of victory.

At night, the desert was unusually cold again, and the Qin soldiers, who were already short of equipment, trembled their pale lips and snuggled up to each other to keep warm, and if they were lucky, they could find some bushes and light a bonfire.

During the day, people constantly fall off their horses, and at night, when they sleep, there are often people who fall asleep and never wake up again. The Qin army silently buried the corpses of their colleagues with yellow sand, and more than ten years of conquest had made them accustomed to death. The damage of the horses was also very serious, and the thirst resistance of the horses was naturally not as good as that of camels, and the Qin army also tried to endure the thirst and supply the war horses leisurely. You must know that in this vast desert, if you lose your war horse, the hope of going out is even more slim.

Everyone can despair, but Han Shin can't. He is the backbone of this team, and if he also falls, then the fate that awaits this partial division will be complete destruction.

After Luan Ji finished inspecting the team, he only felt that his mouth was dry and his throat was dry, so he took out the water bag on the saddle, unscrewed it and drank it carefully. The sweet liquid flowed into his throat, just like a field that had been dry for a long time was poured into the rain, Luan Ji closed his eyes comfortably, and carefully fed it a small half bag next to the horse's mouth, and then put away the water bag with thirst.

Looking up, I saw Han Xin on a high sand dune not far away, looking at the slowly marching team intently, and I didn't know what I was thinking. Luan Ji waved his horsewhip lightly, rode up to meet him, and stood silently beside Han Xin.

"I heard that you proposed this expedition to the marshal." Luan Ji suddenly spoke.

Han Xin glanced at him. "Yes, yes."

"It's very risky, and the slightest mistake will wipe you out. I have been with the commander for more than ten years, and I know his temperament, if you can get him to agree to such a risky proposal, and also send a major general to accompany you, you must have worked hard. ”

Han Xin heard that there seemed to be something in his words, raised his head and said lightly; "Seeking wealth and danger to achieve meritorious deeds has been the case since ancient times. That's what the big guy thinks in his heart, and I think the same thing in my heart. ”

Luan Ji couldn't help but look at him in surprise when he heard that his heart was so firm at a young age, and he was silent for a long time before he sighed and said; "Maybe I'm old, I have too many worries and worries, unlike you young people who can fight for everything for fame."

"Han Xin, the lives of more than 10,000 brothers are in your hands, remember, they all have families and relatives. I, Luan Ji, will cooperate with you, but you have to promise me to bring them home as much as possible. ”

Han Xin looked at Luan Ji calmly, "Okay, I promise you." Not only will I bring them home, but I will also give each of them a rich military exploit, provided that you and Wang Jing both trust me. ”

Luan Ji nodded, "Young General, then I'll help you watch, Han Xin, don't forget what you promised me today." Then he turned his horse's head and whipped away.

Han Xin looked at his figure and was silent for a long time.

ps: I'm a little late today, sorry,