Chapter 127 Heba Brothers (4k)
Among the three, Dugu Ruyuan is the youngest, but the most calm. Sima Ziru is the oldest, but the most impatient.
He really didn't understand. Dugu Ruyuan had gone through so many hardships to ask for help. It would be fine if General Yang Zhen was not in a hurry, but Dugu Ruyuan, the envoy asking for help, was not in a hurry either?
Dugu Ruyuan raised his wine glass and said, "Brother Sima, I am here to ask for help. If I report the military situation in Wuchuan to him, I will have completed my mission. General Yang Zhen will naturally have his own plans."
"Besides, how can a messenger like me be involved in such a major military matter?"
Sima Ziru was still worried about Dugu Ruyuan.
Seeing Sima Ziru's anxious look, Gao Huan spoke up for Dugu Ruyuan, "Brother Dugu is right. Heba Junzhu is from Wuchuan, and his brothers are also in Wuchuan. If Wuchuan is really in the most dangerous time, General Yang will definitely send troops."
Speaking of Heba Duba, Sima Ziru also calmed down.
Yang Jun was born into the Hongnong Yang clan. As a prominent family in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the Hongnong Yang clan did not successfully transform into a famous aristocratic family during the Wei and Jin Dynasties. After the most famous member Yang Xiu was killed by Cao Cao, the Hongnong Yang clan began to decline.
In fact, it is impossible to verify whether Yang Jun's identity as a member of the Hongnong Yang clan is related to the Hongnong Yang clan of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Nowadays, there are too many cases of people impersonating their ancestors.
Yang Jun was born into a scholar family and was not from a high-ranking Jia family. The reason he was able to hold on to his position as the commander of Huaishuo Town was thanks to his military leader, Heba Duba.
The Heba Duba family is a Dai tribe that followed the Tuoba clan of the Northern Wei Dynasty. They came to the Six Garrisons very early and have been passed down to this day. The Heba family has become the number one family in Wuchuan. They have served as tribal leaders for generations. Heba Duba has also served as the military commander of Wuchuan.
The reason why Yang Jun was able to hold on to his position as the commander of Huaishuo Town was because he brought Heba's family to Huaishuo. The tribal cavalry under Heba Duba were very elite, and the generals in Huaishuo also respected him very much.
Heba Duba was not only powerful himself, he also had three powerful sons. No one in the Six Garrisons dared to mess with this family of powerful men.
There is another family as powerful as the Heba family, the Yuwen family, in the Six Garrisons.
Also born in Wuchuan, the Wuchuan hero Yuwen Gong also had four sons. Except for the youngest Yuwen Tai, the eldest son Yuwen Hao, the second son Yuwen Lian, and the third son Yuwen Luosheng were all brave and good at fighting, and were also famous in the Six Garrisons.
In Liuzhen, relationships between superiors and subordinates, teachers and students are not trustworthy. Only fathers, sons and brothers are the most reliable.
Gao Huan knew that the Six Garrisons were different from Luoyang, and the people here believed in the law of the jungle.
This is an animal world where the winner takes all. The weak have always been despised and the strong have been worshipped. Even if it is just for show, the town commander Yang Jun should not have retreated to Huaishuo City. If he fails to take tough measures, Yang Jun's prestige will plummet after the Rouran retreat.
Therefore, Sima Ziru was not so much worried about Wuchuan Town as he was worried about the town commander Yang Jun. If Yang Jun's prestige plummeted, it would be even more difficult for him, the governor of Huaishuo Town, to do his job in the future.
Just as the three were discussing, a drumbeat suddenly sounded in the town commander's mansion. Sima Ziru immediately stood up and said, "It's the town commander's drum to gather the troops!"
Gao Huan also stood up and beat the drum to gather the troops. This meant Yang Jun was going to send out troops!
At this time, a middle-aged officer came to the tavern. When Sima Ziru saw the middle-aged officer, he immediately clasped his fists and said, "General Heba!"
The man was tall, with his back straight. In the corner of his eye, one could see an obvious arrow wound that had grazed his temple. The wound did not destroy the strong lines on his face, but instead made the enemy even more afraid, like a medal of military honor.
The person who came was none other than Heba Yun, the eldest son of Heba Duba, the current commander of Huaishuo Army and the current Lieutenant General of Huaishuo.
Heba Yun greeted Sima Ziru and said to Dugu Ruyuan, "Envoy Dugu, General Yang wants you to go to the General's Mansion."
Dugu stood up as he wished, straightened his clothes, put on his robe, bowed to Heba Yun and said:
"General Heba, is the town commander going to send out troops?"
Heba Yun straightened his back and said, "General Yang Zhen has issued a military order for my father to lead a thousand Huaishuo cavalry to support Wuchuan."
Sima Ziru was shocked: "How many people? A thousand!? Lieutenant General Heba, the Rouran people besieging Wuchuan have more than ten armies!"
One Rouran army has 1,000 people, and 10 armies have 10,000 people! Moreover, the Rouran are all cavalry. Heba Yun actually said that Huaishuo Town only sent 1,000 cavalry. With such a small number of troops to support Wuchuan, it would be better not to support it.
Heba Yun said proudly: "Quality is more important than quantity. With my father, sons and brothers here, a thousand men are enough!"
After saying this, Dugu Ruyuan stood up and said to Heba Yun, "General Heba, the drum for gathering troops has sounded, let's go to the commander's mansion."
Gao Huan suddenly asked, "Heba is a military commander. Can I go to the battle?"
Heba Yun had just followed his father to Huaishuo, but Gao Huan was very famous in Huaishuo, and Heba Yun also recognized him.
Looking at Gao Huan, Heba Yun asked, "Do you have a horse?"
Gao Huan nodded quickly, and Heba Yun nodded and said, "Since we have horses, let's go with the army!"
Seeing Dugu Ruyuan and Gao Huan follow Heba Yun, Sima Ziru gritted his teeth and followed them, saying, "Take me with you too!"
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Li Chong did not stay in Jinyang City for too long. He soon led his army out of Jinyang and headed west. From here, they entered a territory called Xiurong.
After entering Xiurong, Li Chong's marching speed increased significantly. He gathered all the troops together for marching, and summoned generals from each camp, including Su Ze, to the commander's tent to begin discussing the marching arrangements after entering Hengzhou.
This should be the last safe journey of this march. After the army leaves Yanmen Pass, it will enter Hengzhou.
Yanmen Pass was built by King Wuling of Zhao during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. Its purpose was to defend against the Huns. Hengzhou, north of Yanmen Pass, was actually considered the northern grassland.
Yu Jin's grandfather Yu Di had once been an envoy to Gaoche and was very familiar with the situation in the north. These days, Su Ze stayed in the army and asked Yu Jin about the problems of the various Hu tribes in the north.
"Xiu Rong was established by Emperor Wu of the Cao Wei Dynasty to settle the Xiongnu people who migrated to the interior. Xiu Rong is actually the slow reading of "Xiong". It is divided into two sections, north and south, with Guancen Mountain as the watershed, and named "North Xiu Rong" and "South Xiu Rong".
Yu Jin looked at Su Ze and said, "Brother Su's sworn brother, General Erzhu, his tribe is hereditary in Beixiurong."
Su Ze asked curiously: "What is the origin of the Qihu tribe that my brother Erzhu belongs to?"
Yu Jin said: "In fact, these ethnic groups in the north are the names of tribes, and Qihu are actually descendants of the Xiongnu."
"Even the so-called Rouran people are a mixture of various tribes. These are the names we in the Central Plains use to refer to the northern Hu people. In fact, if you really go to the grasslands and ask the grassland people who they are, many tribes themselves may not be able to explain clearly." "The so-called Donghu, Shiwei, Xianbei, Rouran, Xiongnu, and Turks are just the names of the most powerful tribes in the grasslands today. Now that the Rouran people are strong, the northern Hu people are the Rouran people. If the Gaoche rises in the future, the northern Hu people will be the Gaoche people."
Su Ze suddenly realized that in fact in the ancient grassland areas, there was no concept of ethnic groups based on blood lines.
In other words, the nation during this period was actually closer to tribe in terms of semantics, and was not the concept of nation that emerged after the rise of nationalism in later generations.
The tribes on the grassland also had a strong mentality of admiring the strong, and they would listen to whoever was stronger at that time.
Before the Northern Wei Dynasty was sinicized, they were Hu people, named Tuoba clan of the Daibu Xianbei. If divided by blood, "father Xianbei and mother Xiongnu" would have the surname Tuoba, and "mother Xianbei and father Xiongnu" would be Tiele. But in fact, these northern Hu people had already merged with each other, and many small tribes did not know what ethnic group they belonged to.
For example, the Rouran people are actually descendants of the Donghu Xianbei, and Anagui does not look much different from the Xianbei people.
And when the Rouran tribe declines, a new tribe will naturally rise to replace them as the overlord of the grassland. At that time, it may be the Turks, or the Uighurs, or the Khitans, Jurchens, or Mongols.
Only then did Su Ze realize how rare it was to have a general like Yu Jin who understood the situation on the grassland.
Although Yu Jin had never been to the grassland, he had a general understanding of the situation of various tribes on the grassland thanks to the documents and letters left by his grandfather. He was also proficient in several grassland Hu languages and could analyze the situation on the grassland.
After seeing Yu Jin off, Su Ze called over the purple follower he had summoned a few days ago [a Yulin scout who was fluent in the Hu language].
"From now on, your name is Su Yi. How many foreign languages can you speak?"
The Yu Lin scout lowered his head and said, "My lord, I can speak several mainstream Hu languages, and I can also communicate in some obscure dialects."
"What about the situation of the various tribes on the grassland?"
The purple follower said: "I only know the origins and customs of these tribes, but I don't know the situation between the tribes."
Su Ze was slightly disappointed, but he soon felt normal again. After all, Su Yi was just a purple follower, and naturally could not compare with Yu Jin, the future Eight Pillars of the State, but being able to speak a few words of Hu language would be of great help in entering the grassland to spy on the enemy.
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At Li Chong's urging, the army crossed Guancen Mountain a few days later. As soon as they entered the territory of Beixiurong, Su Ze felt the vibration of the valley under his feet.
Could it be that the Rouran people have already reached Bei Xiurong?
Li Chong also stood under the white tiger banner with a serious face, but when they saw the "Erzhu" military flag, everyone's nervous hearts were relieved.
However, Li Chong still ordered the entire army to be on alert and waited until they could clearly see the flock of sheep following the entire team. It was obviously the flock of sheep sent by Erzhu to entertain the troops.
Li Chong then smiled and sent Su Ze to meet them.
When Su Ze saw the officer escorting the sheep clearly, a surprised smile appeared on his face: "Brother Liu!"
Unexpectedly, the person who escorted the flock of sheep to reward the army was Su Ze's old friend Liu Gui.
When Liu Gui saw Su Ze, he also showed a surprised smile. Since they parted in Luoyang, Liu Gui went to Xiurong and served as a cavalry soldier in Erzhu Rong's military headquarters.
Today, Erzhu Rong is nothing more than a wealthy country tycoon in the eyes of the nobles in Luoyang, and no noble son is willing to serve under him.
Liu Gui's knowledge and ability naturally made him stand out among the crowd under Erzhu Rong, and he quickly gained Erzhu Rong's trust.
When the news of the Rouran invasion reached Xiurong, Erzhu Rong immediately decided to personally escort a group of fine horses to Luoyang for support, which led to the meeting between Su Ze and Erzhu Rong in Luoyang.
After the imperial army set out, Erzhu Rong sent his confidants to Xiurong first, asking Liu Gui to calculate a good day, prepare supplies for the troops, and wait for the army at Guancen Mountain.
Liu Guihe also learned about Su Ze's stay in Luoyang from a letter from his cousin Liu Bozhi. He said affectionately, "Brother Su is indeed an extraordinary person. Congratulations to Brother Su for being appointed as the Imperial Guards Captain!"
Liu Gui also felt a little emotional. When the two first met, Su Ze was just a small Yulin soldier, but in just a few months he became a genuine Yulin captain of the court and even became sworn brothers with his lord.
However, Liu Gui truly recognized Su Ze's abilities, so he was even happier that Su Ze was granted an official position in the court.
"General Erzhu sent you here to wait for the troops, right? I'll take you to see General Li!"
Su Ze brought Liu Gui to Li Chong's tent. Li Chong was very satisfied with Erzhu Rong's arrival. He ordered the army to camp in the valley near Guancen Mountain and slaughtered the sheep sent by Liu Gui on the spot as a reward for the army.
Su Ze and Liu Gui were old friends meeting again. After Liu Gui handed over the flock of sheep to Li Chong, he came to Su Ze's camp and the two talked about what happened after they separated.
After reminiscing about the past, both sides naturally talked about the current situation in the North.
Bei Xiurong is close to Hengzhou, so the news is naturally more accurate than Jinyang. Liu Gui frowned and said, "This time the Rouran invasion is different from the past."
"Different from the past?"
"Brother Su, you don't know that in recent years, the Rouran people have invaded almost every year. However, in the previous few times, they plundered the surrounding areas of the six towns and rarely attacked the town. But this time, they broke the norm and besieged Wuchuan Town. Some Rouran cavalry even crossed the Baidao and appeared near Pingcheng."
Su Ze also lowered his head and thought. The Rouran had invaded in recent years, but the court had not received any emergency calls from the border. The reason was naturally very simple. For the Northern Wei court, if the Rouran were just looting around the Six Garrisons, they would simply ignore it and even welcome it.
The Six Garrisons needed food and fodder transported by the imperial court every year for their support. Many of these lower-class surrendered tribes had gone through several generations, but still showed no signs of sinicization. In the eyes of the court in Luoyang, the border residents of the Six Garrisons were no different from barbarians and beasts.
If only the Xiongnu Gaochejiang tribe around the Six Garrisons were attacked, Pingcheng would not report it to Luoyang. After all, the Rouran people came to rob, and they would naturally retreat after looting enough.
But this time it was different. The Rouran people attacked Wuchuan, which was a provocation to the Wei Dynasty. Pingcheng was the old capital. If Rouran cavalry appeared near Pingcheng, the Pingcheng governor would definitely report it to Luoyang.
Su Ze also smelled something unusual. No wonder Li Chong became much more cautious after entering Xiurong, constantly sending messengers to Pingcheng to inquire about the situation in Hengzhou.
Su Ze opened the system map. In the Bingzhou area, the entire map was roughly a yellow area, but the Hengzhou area further north, which was shrouded in fog, was red, representing danger.
Should we send out scouts to investigate?
(End of this chapter)