New Year's Day, Ren Xushuo, Emperor Jia Yuan Suit. The Empress Dowager returned to the government, amnesty, Si, 357 AD), the Empress Dowager migrated to Chongde Palace. In February, Zhu Chou, Yan Zhujun established his son Zhongshan Wang Wei as the son of the world, and granted amnesty to the territory. In March, the Beihai general Lu Zhen gathered the Heishui general Yang Su, the Wanshui general Dang Tu, and the Modong general Fei Ting, led 40,000 troops to cross the water to attack the difficult water (now the Nenjiang and Songhua River basins), and fought against the Manhan, Kolou, Wuluohou, Fuyu and Khitan tribes, until the weak Luoshui (now the West Liao River), all of which were broken, capturing more than 100,000 people, capturing 120,000 horses, and 1 million cattle and sheep. In September, the Mobei Army returned to the division through Didouyu, and all the ethnic groups in the Northeast did not dare to look west.

—————————————————— Introduction

Tiemen Pass is located in the southwest of Yuli (north of Korla City), in the mountains of strange rocks. The rapid Dunshui (Peacock River) passes down the valley, and an ancient road by the river winds through it, forming a dangerous pass with high mountains and deep valleys, and the gorge is difficult and dangerous. This canyon is more than 60 miles long, twists and turns are deep, the shore wall is like a knife splitting an axe, and the iron gate is guarding it. It is a natural danger for Yanqi and Yuli to enter the Tarim Basin, and it is also an important channel in the middle of the Silk Road opened up by the former Han Dynasty, and it has always been a battleground for soldiers.

To the east of Tiemen Pass is a gray-brown Gobi Desert, where the wind is like a knife, cutting ravines in the wilderness, and the whistling wind makes it even more desolate. The dense gravel and endless yellow sand were all silently silent in the whimpering wind.

Ding Mao stood here in tears, his ears still echoing the voice of nearly twenty days ago. Comrades and companions shouted as they moved their mounts, and roared when they swung their sabers. They were undaunted in desperate situations, and in the face of the enemy's persuasion, blood and courage were their answers.

Faced with an enemy dozens of times their size, their comrades and companions laughed loudly in the fight; In the face of the sudden attack, the comrades-in-arms and companions advanced and retreated freely in the yellow sand. One by one, the lives of the horses fell in front of the horses' hooves, and their blood melted into the gravel and yellow sand.

The caravan captain handed over the information to Ding Mao, who was the best horseman, and didn't say anything important, just patted him on the shoulder. Then he smiled and ran towards the sea with the remaining seven or eight comrades. Then he disappeared into the vast yellow sand with his pursuers.

Ding Mao and the three of them quietly left the brigade. Run northeast. The accompanying priest was hit by an arrow in the battle, and he and his deputy, who had become weakened by the bleeding, a missionary who had just graduated from Qiuchishan Theological Seminary less than a year ago, left the Lord's blessing to Ding Mao, as well as their two horses. When Ding Mao and his team returned, the two priests had been dead in the cave by the roadside for several days.

With tears in his eyes, Ding Mao told the fox slave and others about the scene that happened nearly twenty days ago. Their caravan set off from Gumo City back to Liangzhou, like all the Beifu caravans. Ding Mao's caravan was also tasked with spying on intelligence. They used their connections in Gumo City for several years to inquire about a shocking conspiracy, a conspiracy against Beifu.

After receiving this important information, the caravan pretended to dispose of the goods, and then hurried to Liangzhou. But it didn't take long for the matter to be revealed, and the caravan didn't even dare to enter the city of Kuci in the country of Qiuzi, and ran directly to the iron gate. But they didn't expect that there was an ambush here, and an ambush army with horse bandits attacked them.

In the face of the choice between life and death. The comrades and companions of the caravan did not retreat. Swinging their sabers, they bravely faced the enemy who was scattered all over the mountains. They know that there is only one road ahead. That's a dead end. But they also know that after the dead end they will embark on a path to heaven and earth. For the sake of honor, for the sake of the North Mansion, for the sake of the Holy Lord! Comrades and companions shouted and rushed to death.

Ding Mao was in tears as he searched for his comrades and companions. These warriors lay quietly in the wilderness, their mutilated bodies pounded and washed away by the fierce wind and yellow sand everywhere. Although the heroic souls are gone, they remain in the world with an unyielding body.

"Wang Erdao, what are you doing with a knife, what are you still doing with a knife?" Ding Mao, who was crying and shouting, peeled off the yellow sand, and a man who was less than twenty years old was revealed, his body was covered with wounds, and the entire shirt and robe were also stained black with blood when they turned into rags. His eyes were wide open, but the wind and sand of the past twenty days not only deformed his face, but also dried his eyes, like the eyes of a dried fish.

But the only thing that didn't change was his right hand, which had become thin and withered, and held a steel knife tightly, a steel knife that was still black in the yellow sand.

In the battle, Wang Erdao's steel knife killed more than a dozen "horse thieves", and his blade was as sharp as his shout, piercing through the wind and sand, making everyone who heard it tremble. But the steel knife that had been flying finally stopped in an instant with his cheerful shouts as the four long blades pierced into his chest at the same time,

"How can I go back and explain to your mother, she is still waiting for you to go back to marry your daughter-in-law and have grandchildren!" Ding Mao cried while looking at this friend from the neighboring county who had become lifeless.

The bodies were cleared out, and they were just lying shallow under the wind and sand, maintaining various positions, maintaining the posture of fighting until the moment of death. At this time, Ding Mao was like a chattering old woman, constantly talking about the trivial things of these familiar comrades-in-arms.

More than 300 bodies were quickly collected and placed separately. Three thousand horsemen searched for wood and dried trees from all sides, and then piled them up under the remains of the warriors. In the hearts of the people of Beifu who believe in the Holy Religion, the souls of the heroes have gone to the heavenly kingdom of the Holy Lord to enjoy eternal glory, and their bodies are only left to the world as a memorial. If you die in your hometown, you will merge with the soil of your hometown, and if you die in a foreign land, you will let the corpse turn to ashes in the flame, and then become one with the soil of your hometown.

After a busy day, Chai He was finally ready, and the fox slave raised ordered a ceremony to be held tomorrow morning to cremate the remains of the warriors.

During the night, several fast horses arrived. handed the fox slave an official document. It turned out that after Cao Yan, the captain of Dunhuang County, received the report of the fox slave, he immediately mobilized more than 3,000 cavalry from Dunhuang County to rush to Yiwu City, and now it should not be far from Yiwu City. In the official document, Cao Yan suggested that it was better to raise fox slaves than to occupy the strategic location of Gaochang City.

After reading the official document, the fox slave walked out of the tent quickly. In the darkness outside the camp, more than three hundred orange torches flickered, and their dancing flames flashed a holy light in the dark night, spilling out a circle, enveloping the remains of the warriors behind. lest these weary warriors be attacked by the wind and sand again.

Occupy Gaochang. Occupy one for the future battle in the Western Regions

Fort. It seems that this Cao Yan has not been by Daduhu's side for so long, I have suffered such a big loss, this field must be returned. The fox slave looked at the three hundred twinkling stars in the distance, and secretly made up his mind in his heart.

"Inform the captains that they will immediately send troops to occupy Elevation City after the ceremony tomorrow, and tell them to get ready." The fox slave turned to the herald and said.

As a new ray of sunlight came from the east, three thousand cavalrymen armed with weapons. Half-kneeling, facing north. They were not only facing the direction of the Holy Father and the Holy Lord, but also facing the three hundred Beifu brothers.

Ten trumpeters blew the horn in their hands, and the melodious and majestic trumpet spread all over the world, echoing in the Tiemen Gorge, and also shaking the vast Gobi, which was the trumpet of the triumphant retribution.

"Bravely brother,

You are not afraid of death.

Because you have a brave and pious heart.

After experiencing life and death.

Your unyielding eyes stare into the air.

The merciful Father and Lord are smiling at you.

Suddenly the horn of victory sounded in the distance

And our bagpipes.

You choose to die heroically.

Your soul is reborn,

Straight up to the glorious kingdom of heaven,

And the stars that do not fall to us shine together. ”

The chaplain spoke the last words of lament in a solemn and mournful voice. Then he stood there, with three thousand horsemen, and watched as the corpses of the warriors burned in the blazing fire. At this time, a sergeant with bagpipes stood in the distance, playing the latest requiem of the Beifu Army.

The lingering poignant melody echoes in the barren and desolate Gobi. The souls of the heroes fly higher and higher with the heroic requiem, and only this tragic and poignant bagpipe sound can echo in the hearts of the living with the deeds of the warriors.

Fox slaves, Ding Mao, Xu Lian and others stood there with solemn expressions, and the raging flames fluttered in front of their eyes, reflecting their eyes and illuminating their hearts. Their grief, agitated hearts were slowly flattened by the mournful sound of bagpipes, and in this melody they understood that this was the hero's song of life.

The poignant sound of bagpipes fluttered leisurely in the wind, crossing Gaochang, crossing Yumen Pass, crossing the Hexi Corridor, crossing Guanlong Avenue, and drifting to the overlord in the northeast of Chang'an.

Outside the city, a battalion of infantry troops in silver-white armor was conducting a drill, which was a guard army specially mobilized by Zeng Hua to do an experimental drill of the new ordnance and new military system.

The armor of the soldiers of this battalion, from the heavy armor of the pikemen to the standard armor of the infantry of the sword player and crossbowmen, was different from the old black armor of the past, and it was all silver-white. Since Zeng Hua improved the blast furnace, the craftsmen of the Beifu Iron and Steel Yard not only developed the steel filling method, but also invented the steel method under Zeng Hua's guidance, using wrought iron as the raw iron, placing it in the furnace, and placing the pig iron plate at the mouth of the furnace. When the furnace temperature rises to a certain level. The pig iron plate began to melt. At this time, the pig iron plate is clamped with tongs to move left and right, and the iron is constantly turned to make the iron evenly poured into the molten pig iron. In this way, it can not only produce a good carburizing effect, but also produce a violent oxidation effect, so that the iron and slag are separated, and the steel with less slag and uniform composition can be produced.

Since Zeng Hua invented the hydraulic forging machine, the craftsmen of Beifu have vigorously developed the forging process and technology in the steel frying method and the hundred refining method. Due to the application of hydraulic power, gears and other machinery, it not only saves physical strength for craftsmen, but also effectively controls the strength and duration of forging, making the forging process more accurate and effective. In addition to forging a large number of high-quality swords and spear heads using animal urine and grease quenching techniques, Beifu craftsmen also began to forge armor pieces of infantry armor.

These pieces of armor are first made of steel to form a long profile, and then forged with a hydraulic forging machine until these profiles are forged into pieces of armor, and finally sent to the assembly workshop of the arsenal, where craftsmen and the families of the sergeants are strung together to make a complete armor. After the application of "advanced machinery and technology" and advanced production technology, these seemingly very complex and cumbersome armor were mass-produced on the assembly line.

After the armor pieces were forged, they were close to silver-white, Zeng Hua considered that the heavy weight of the infantry was one aspect, and the good "heat insulation effect" was also a big influence. Especially under the scorching summer sun, the outside is heat-absorbing black, and the inside is thick cotton, and before the war is fought, his subordinates are about to suffer from heat stroke.

Zeng Hua thought about it again and again, and decided to change all the new armor to the true color of forged steel, which could not only "reflect" a certain amount of heat, but also save the process and cost of painting black paint. As a result, the armor that was being restructured for the infantry army of the Xiang army basically became silver-white armor, while the cavalry and government soldiers were still black armor.

In addition to the silver-white armor of the infantry soldiers in this battalion, there was also an additional drummer. These drummers carry a medium-sized snare drum modified from a waist drum on their backs, slung diagonally on their abdomen, and then hit them with two slender drumsticks to create a very rhythmic drum sound. The whole battalion, in all rows and columns, was commanded by the sound of drums, and they stepped on the drums in an orderly manner, sometimes forward or backward, and sometimes left or right.

Since Zeng Hua trained his subordinates to start marching in formation from the beginning of the Changshui Army, with such an improvement, the Beifu Army with an old foundation would soon be able to adapt to it.

Looking at the silver-white sea reflecting in the sun, Zeng Hua couldn't help but ponder in his heart. The reform of the entire army began in the Xiang Army for a period of time, and today I randomly selected a battalion of escort troops to do a drill to test the results and try to find some problems. Judging from the current situation, the reform of the new military system has been very effective, and the assessment of the Privy Council and the Infantry Division is that the combat effectiveness of the Xiang army has increased by one-third. Next, it is ready to start implementing reforms in the government soldiers.

Zeng Hua, who was pondering, suddenly felt a burst of bagpipes floating in his ears, and couldn't help but be stunned, and looked around. Ever since watching Braveheart, bagpipes have been one of his favorite instruments. After several years of trial and exploration, Zeng Hua finally completed the imitation Scottish Highland bagpipe composed of a blowpipe, a windbag, a tune pipe and three bass pipes the year before last, which was named the Beifu bagpipe.

As soon as the bagpipes came out, they were loved by the whole of Beifu, especially by the military and the church, and quickly became the musical instrument of the military and the church.

Zeng Hua seemed to hear the mournful echoing sound of bagpipes in the wind, he listened attentively for a while, and finally raised his head to look at the sky and was silent, hoping to catch the sound of being there in the wind.

At this time, the sound of horses' hooves interrupted Zeng Hua's thoughts. He turned his head to see an officer galloping in.

"General, Liangzhou urgent!"