The Child Emperor

Two hundred Chu troops crossed the river in the early morning, and after about an hour, they came to an abandoned pavilion and barrier, where the troops were divided into four groups, and went to different directions to observe the enemy's situation, and agreed to return here at noon tomorrow.

The Iron Shattered City defenders hadn't crossed the river for several years, and only some veterans remembered the terrain, so they were their guides.

Fifty soldiers in each direction are divided into groups of five or ten, separated by a few miles, near and far, only if they can see each other before and after, waving the flag as the number, Han Ruzi is the commander, There are more people around, and with him, there are twenty people in total.

Han Ruzi was in charge of watching the east, bypassing a hill and advancing along the riverbank.

Du Chuanyun was very excited about this action. Every time he stopped, he had to ask questions, but he usually couldn't get an answer. When he got to the front, he found that the only thing that caused the pause was a pile of rocks left a long time ago, or A few pieces of dried horse manure.

The traces left by the Chu army in Hebei have not completely disappeared, and many leftover items were seen on the first day of the trip.

Before dark, the team stopped and gathered together, each team outside, the general inside, about half a mile apart, no fire, no noise, first feed the horses, then wrap a blanket and rest on the spot.

Du Chuanyun's excitement was gone, and he didn't dare to speak loudly, so he could only ask in a low voice, "Is this what the scouts do? It doesn't seem to be of any use. I haven't walked very far all day, which is slower than the march."

"This kind of thing can't be done in a day or two." Han Ruzi also replied in a low voice. He had read the book and heard the explanation of the veteran, and knew a little more, "Let's march here, leave a mark, the next batch of scouts. You don’t have to walk so cautiously, you can move fast, and then continue to go further until you are hundreds of miles away.”

Du Chuanyun nodded. Han Ruzi used the moonlight to look at Fang Daye not far away. It usually doesn't take a hundred miles to monitor the enemy's situation. He wanted to hear the veteran's opinion.

Fang Daye's huge body rose and fell slightly, as if he was asleep, and he refused to say a word.

The first inspection was successfully completed, and no trace of the enemy was found in all directions. Han Ruzi wanted to prove that this was not a sudden whim of a child, so he formalized the inspection operation, and all soldiers and soldiers participated in turns, including the noble children.

With Cui Teng's lessons, no one dared to oppose it publicly, but Xungui is Xungui, with hands and eyes open to the sky, naturally someone will speak for them.

This afternoon, Shenxiong Guan came to another messenger as usual. Unlike before, he brought not only ordinary documents, but also a letter from Wu Xiu, the general of the gate. In the letter, he politely requested that more than ten people be seconded as staff. , the transfer order issued by the Great Sima of the Northern Army was delivered with the letter.

These more than ten people are the sons of famous nobles, but there is no Cui Teng. He is the son of the Great Sima of the Southern Army. concern.

Han Ruzi found the master bookkeeper and asked him to write a more polite reply, and he dictated the general theme: the city of broken iron hangs alone outside the fortress, the defenders are not too few or too many, and no one can let go. He also asked the clerk to remind Wu Xiu that General Zhenbei was directly under the command of General Han Xing. Although the Grand Sima of the Northern Army had a high position, he could not mobilize General Zhenbei's subordinates at will.

The next day, more than a dozen people on the list were sent out to watch for six days, bringing more horses and fodder.

Cui Teng took pleasure in schadenfreude, and publicly laughed at these self-defeating noble children, so he was also sent to watch.

Han Ruzi once again led the team in person.

As winter was getting closer and closer, the Huns showed no signs of attacking. After all, Chai Yue was inexperienced and anxious, so he also participated in the operation and led the team to another direction.

The number increased to 400 people, 100 people in each team, with 30 to 40 additional horses, which were specially used to carry food and grass, and each soldier had to carry a part of his own rations.

This is not an outing. You can't see the beautiful scenery, and you can't enjoy delicious food and wine. The so-called rations are hard noodles and fried rice. Each person has a bag of wine, which can be drunk for three days at most. Water can be drawn locally.

Cui Teng and others were not easy to control, and they were all kept by Han Ruzi. Two days later, these people changed their appearances, their lips were cracked, their faces were pale, and they confessed their mistakes to Hou Juan one by one, swearing to God, it was definitely not that they wanted to go back. Shenxiongguan, their father and brother privately decide.

Instead, Cui Teng looked away, didn't beg for mercy, didn't complain, everything was fresh, hey hey, at the end of the day, he not only drank his own bag of wine, but also fought with Du Chuanyun for jade silk, he is willing to ask, has experience Du Chuanyun was willing to answer, and the two quickly abandoned their quarrel, and Du Chuanyun even shared his wine with Cui Teng.

At noon on the third day, the team saw a grassland. The grass had turned yellow, and the view was endless. The sky was high and the air was fresh, which made the audience feel more relaxed and happy.

"Why didn't Da Chu build a city here? It's much better than the broken iron city where birds don't shit?" Grab a bag and threaten the other party not to report to General Zhenbei.

"It's too far." Du Chuanyun replied that he was used to it, and even if he didn't understand, he had to make guesses.

It was the first time that Han Ruzi had walked so far, and he was in a good mood. He smiled and said, "The construction of the city depends on the terrain. The Broken Iron City is located in a desolate place, but it is close to the river in the north, the mountains in the east, and the Shenxiong Pass in Nantong, which can be attacked and defended. The Xiongnu cavalry arrived as soon as they said it, and the rear was too late to help."

"The Huns can't come now." Cui Teng's expression changed slightly.

The previous scouts had already been here, leaving a pile of stones as a marker. After entering the grassland, the marching speed slowed down significantly. After walking for another day, you can turn around and go back after noon tomorrow.

That evening, a semaphore came from the front team, and they noticed something unusual. Soon after, another semaphore came, indicating that the situation was serious, and the teams in the back had to prepare for the battle.

Although they have practiced many times in Iron Broken City, when it comes to this kind of time, everyone is a little nervous and even scared. Even Cui Teng and Du Chuanyun, who are usually the most curious, didn't ask any questions, but gathered immediately. Next to General Zhenbei.

Han Ruzi glanced at Fang Daye, the old flag bearer was expressionless, and did not take the abnormality ahead seriously at all.

A scout in front ran back on horseback and reported that several tents were found five or six miles away. Unlike the barracks, they were probably ordinary herders.

The Huns did not distinguish between the army and the people. The herdsmen usually followed the army to move around, but there were also a few people who strayed from the group for various reasons.

Han Ruzi ordered another visit, and quickly formulated an offensive plan with a general who accompanied the army. There were frequent exchanges between the Huns, and if they arrested a few people, they might be able to ask about the movements of Prince Zhaheshan.

The attack started in the early evening, when the sun was halfway down, the 100 people were divided into three teams, one team charged, and two teams intercepted. Before the sun completely set, the attack ended.

There were a total of three tents, seven Huns, and dozens of cattle and horses. When they suddenly encountered the Chu army, the Huns ran on their horses. They were all intercepted in the middle and immediately sent to General Zhenbei.

Han Ruzi did not participate in the attack, and watched from a distance with a dozen guards. The battle was easier than he imagined. After a few shouts and a few miles of running, everything was over. He didn't even see how the Huns were caught. of.

All the noble children stayed by his side as guards. They were very fortunate at first. They regretted that the battle was so easy. Go search for tents.

Seven Huns were brought, two women, three children under ten years old, and two gray-haired old men. Seeing them fleeing on horseback from a distance, Han Ruzi did not expect it to be Such a group of people.

The woman and the old man knelt down and begged for mercy. The three children were pushed over by the soldiers. Han Ruzi couldn't understand a word of their words.

"Ask them about the movements of the Huns." Han Ruzi stepped aside, the night was rapidly deepening, and there was no need to move forward today, so he ordered to rest on the spot. According to the rules, the enemy's tents were easily unavailable.

He hoped that these Huns could provide some useful information, and after preparing in Iron Broken City for more than a month, he also hoped to achieve something.

The interpreter came quickly. "They claimed to be coming from the west. They saw the Huns retreating west more than a month ago, but they never saw the remaining Huns cavalry."

"The Huns retreated westward, why did they advance eastward?"

The interpreter scratched his head, "They said the west was haunted, so they fled to the east for shelter."

"Haunted?"

"The Hun people's argument is probably about disasters and droughts." The interpreter was also unclear.

Han Ruzi was about to ask the interpreter to continue asking, when a cheer came from the tent, as if he had found something good. Han Ruzi glanced at Fang Daye again, this was what the old flag bearer called "a group of children".

One of the noble children ran back first on horseback, shouting from a distance, "Catch, catch." He drove near to restrain his mount, and said cheerfully, "Catch a traitor of Da Chu." He suddenly remembered What, hurriedly put away the excitement on his face, "Oh, maybe it's an acquaintance of the general."

Not long after, Han Ruzi took Du Chuanyun into a tent. Cui Teng and the others formed a half circle with swords in hand. When they saw him come in, they made way for a passage.

It was dark in the tent, someone lit a candle in his hand, and the dim light illuminated a person lying on the ground.

That is Jin Chuiduo's eldest brother Jin Chunbao.

He looked very weak, his hands and feet were tied with leather straps, and it seemed that those Huns women and children were holding him captive.

Cui Teng shook the knife in his hand and said, "General, you are the most observant of military law. It's okay to let the Jin family go once before, but this time the two armies are fighting, you won't let them go again? To us, you can Never been so generous."

Han Ruzi didn't answer, staring into Jin Chunbao's eyes.

Jin Chunbao looked a little dazed, and it took a while to recognize who the person in front of him was, he straightened up, sat up abruptly, and said loudly, "Marquis Tien, hurry up and save people... No, run, the farther you run, the better. it is good!"