Volume 4 Chapter 57 Yelu
After all, Yelu Yudu was a man who once dominated the world. Although he ended up like this, he still retained some of his heroic temperament. After thinking it over, he actually gritted his teeth and led two or three hundred troops to continue westward under the banner of visiting the troops. He passed Yan'an Prefecture without entering, and headed directly for the northwest Hengshan border.
After all, as Yelu Mawu said, for him, a remnant of the Khitan, defecting to Western Xia was the best solution.
This is not to say that Western Xia was the most friendly to the Khitans. It depends on who they are friendly to... Not to mention anything else, the queen who was born in the Liao Dynasty and the prince with Yelu blood both died inexplicably. Then, I would like to ask why Yelu Yudu wanted the Western Xia ruler Li Qianshun to offend the Jin people for his sake?
The real reason is that Yelu Yudu had no choice.
In the long run, the northwest of Western Xia is the only place where he can settle down as he has nowhere else to go. And if he wants to get there, Western Xia is the safest passage.
Just think about it, with two or three hundred refugees, no livestock, no food, and no guide, in a situation of all-out war, what they really have to worry about is not just the diplomatic and political risks, but more about how to avoid the rebellious army and how to obtain supplies... Therefore, finding a reliable political environment as soon as possible, obtaining supplies, and appeasing the hearts of his subordinates, this is what Yelu Yudu needs to prioritize at this time.
Of course, going south to the Song Dynasty seems to be a way out, but the problem is that the war in the south is fierce and a large army is gathering. With his embarrassing identity as Yelu Yudu and his only two or three hundred confidants, if he encounters a regular army there, he will probably be killed by any of them.
Oh, in the midst of chaos and confusion, you came here with two or three hundred cavalrymen, and insisted that you were here to surrender. I said you were faking your surrender, so what? I don't know if I would get any credit by accepting your surrender, but I would definitely get a great credit by killing your two or three hundred Jurchen cavalrymen!
Besides, if we really go to the Song Dynasty, what can we do as a token of our loyalty? On the contrary, there seems to be some truth in Xixia. Besides, it has been said that the real final destination is behind Xixia, and the road to the Song Dynasty may not be accessible.
In this way, Yelu Yudu gathered a few people who knew about it, and then took advantage of the late autumn when the horses were fat, and under the pretext of patrolling the border, he traveled day and night, leading only two or three hundred people to the west, and came directly to the famous Pingrong Village. When he arrived here, he knew that the news was unlikely to be exposed, and he was also very bold, but he entered the village openly, first revealed his identity, asked for supplies, and then actually gave an order directly, saying that he was fighting with the Song people in front and was trying to appease the Xixia people, and he wanted the officers guarding the village to contact the Xixia generals on the opposite side and go to the border with him, that is, under Hengshan for hunting.
This was reasonable and logical, and was even what Yelu Yudu should do given his embarrassing status now. Therefore, the officers in the camp had no doubts and followed the order directly and frankly. The Xixia Hongzhou garrison commander on the opposite side also readily agreed, and things went so smoothly that it was somewhat unexpected.
Then, on the last day of October, which was also the agreed date, Yelu Yudu knew that the critical moment was approaching, so he conferred official titles and made promises to several confidants who knew the situation well early in the morning. After finally stabilizing the situation internally, he took some supplies and set out to the northwest for a "hunting meeting" early in the morning. Sure enough, the Western Xia generals came to meet him as agreed.
The two sides met in the afternoon and rode horses to shoot rabbits at the foot of Hengshan Mountain. However, after just one arrow , Yelu Yudu knew that he could not delay any longer and stopped his horse and shouted to the other party:
"General Weiming, please wait a moment. I have something to ask you."
Weiming is the surname of the Western Xia, just like Li, Zhao and Tuoba are all surnames of the Western Xia... Their ancestors were Tuoba, one of the eight Dangxiang tribes, and then they were given the surname Li by the Tang Dynasty, and then the surname Zhao by the Song Dynasty. Finally, when they started their rebellion, they used Weiming again, which was taken from the meaning of this word in the Dangxiang language "to be close to the Dangxiang", which was a typical means of stimulating nationalism.
In fact, it was because of this surname that Yelu Yudu came here instead of Longzhou, which is further north… This Hongzhou garrison commander, who was about twenty years old and called Weiming Yunge, was not only a distant cousin of the current Xixia ruler Li Qianshun from his father's family, but also Li Qianshun's cousin from his mother's family. His grandmother was none other than a Xixia princess who was a generation older than Li Qianshun. She married Lin Bubi, the eldest son of Dong Zhen, the great leader of the Xifan tribe. However, later Dong Zhen's adopted son Aligu seized power and forced the Xixia princess to return to Lingzhou with her daughter. Then her daughter became a tool for marriage.
In any case, this young Xixia general is a core general of Xixia who probably understands Li Qianshun's mind and can definitely make the decision.
"General Yelu, please speak." Weiming Yunge had to give face to the general of a great country. Besides, the other party was a noble Khitan after all, so he reined in his horse, turned back, put away his bow and smiled apologetically.
"The Jin Kingdom cannot tolerate me. Can I take refuge in the Great Baigao Kingdom temporarily?" Yelu Yudu stroked his bow and rode his horse, looking calm.
Weiming Yun Ge was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reacted... Considering the other party's embarrassing identity, this is very likely to be the truth. In fact, similar rumors about this person have been heard more than once... However, although he clearly knew what the other party meant, Yun Ge still said nothing, just smiled and looked at the surrounding scenery, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Besides, under Hengshan Mountain, the autumn weeds are everywhere. Rather than being dense, they look strong and plump. I think it is because the Song and Xia countries fought for a hundred years here, and countless corpses were scattered everywhere, filling the land. It is also because the Jin people came in the past two years. Although they have never been allies in name, they are allies in reality. That is why there are autumn grasses on the frontier, which looks peaceful.
Yelu Yu was helpless and could only rein in his horse and step forward a few steps. He stood with his horse in front of the other side, then leaned over and said earnestly: "General Weiming, it is really the Jurchens who are forcing us too much... In the past, Jin Taizu appointed me as the marshal, but when Nianhan came to power , he was narrow-minded and gradually took away my military power. Now the Wanyan clan is fighting among themselves, and killing Nianhan is not enough. Wushu wants to take my life to establish his authority. I haven't even had time to take my family, and I have hurried here... I hope that the Great Baigao Kingdom will consider the generations of marriage between the Yelu clan and the Weiming clan and allow me to retreat for a while."
Brother Weiming Yun finally responded, but after he opened his mouth and wanted to speak, he closed it again, and then continued to look around and smile.
Yelu Yudu looked at the sun gradually slanting in the afternoon, feeling anxious. He could only lower his voice and beg directly: "General Weiming, please help me... You must know that if you don't respond, the lives of the foreign generals will be in danger. If you agree, I will not embarrass the Great Baigao Kingdom, and I will directly borrow the passage to Mobei to seek refuge."
"How many riders can you bring?" Brother Yun finally spoke seriously.
Yu Du hesitated for a moment, then pointed his finger forward.
Brother Yun instinctively turned his head to look, but he only saw Yu Du's personal guards surrounding and killing the rabbits. It took him a while to realize what was happening, but he still sounded incredulous: "Only two or three hundred riders?"
I was so embarrassed that I couldn't answer.
"There are at least a dozen Khitan cavalry and Xi cavalry in the Western Army, and you personally led them to surrender to Aguda that day. Two or three years ago, you were their commander, but now there are only so many who are willing to follow you?" Brother Yun asked without caring about the other party's feelings.
"Our cavalry was captured by Yelu Ma Wu, and the Xi cavalry was divided early, and all are in Hedong." Yu Du was increasingly embarrassed, but could only bow his head and answer. "There are only about 250 cavalrymen with me."
Brother Yun sneered, reined in his horse, turned around on the spot, put his fingers in his mouth and whistled... The Xixia cavalry, who had just been chasing rabbits with the Khitan cavalry, whistled continuously upon hearing the sound, and then turned directly to the side of their own general.
Brother Yun blew two whistles and continued to ride his horse. It seemed that he was about to turn back to the north from the Hengshan Pass.
Seeing this, Yelu Yu felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave. He could not care about anything else but rein in his horse and catch up: "General Weiming, if you don't save me today, you will kill me! And be careful that Dashilin Ya is angry with the Great Baigao Kingdom for this!"
Brother Yun stopped his horse and looked at him, laughing and shaking his head: "General Yelu, I respect you as a noble Khitan... You are indeed a noble Yelu, but you are the first general and famous minister to surrender to the Jin Dynasty... And since you have become a surrendered person, it is not uncommon for people to gradually suspect you and then get rid of you. How can you blame me? If it were me, even if the enemy was powerful, I would die for my country. How could I be so disgraceful as you!"
This was almost a direct mockery and scolding, in stark contrast to the cautiousness they had just met. Yelu Yudu's face became stiff after being scolded, and then a flush rose up, but he was speechless and unable to respond. Even the several Khitan confidants who followed him looked at each other in bewilderment, unable to raise their heads for a moment.
"Let's take a step back and say that even if you are so incompetent, as long as you still have a few thousand soldiers and horses to use as capital, even if I don't like it, it's not worth it for our Dabai Gao Kingdom to fight for you with a few soldiers and horses... Two hundred and fifty cavalry, are they enough to fill the gaps between the tribes in the north of Yinshan Mountain? Do you want our king to add another 300 cavalry for you as road guards?" Weiming Yunge continued to sneer. "You use Yelu Dashi as a threat, so I guess you are still going to Khatun City this time?"
Yelu Yu was filled with shame and anger, but he could only bow his head and say, "Yes!"
"Let me ask you, do you know why my ruler did not take any action during the battle of Yaoshan last year?"
"I know." Yelu Yudu whispered. "Dashi Lin Ya killed a blue ox and a white horse in Khatun City to swear an oath to the army, and the eighteen tribes marched westward. Although the Jin people felt a little safer, because Dashi's marching route was behind the Great White Gao Kingdom, your lord and the Great White Gao Kingdom did not dare to move rashly."
"It's good that you know." Weiming Yunge shook his head and sighed. "Then let me tell you something you may not know. Yelu Dashi is different from you. He is an indomitable person. In the eyes of my king, he is almost as important as the emperor of the Song Dynasty. He arrived at Khatun City with only 10,000 people, and the 18 tribes heading west with only 20,000 people. As a result, after only a year and a half of the westward expedition, he conquered the Uighurs and Gaochang along the way, swallowed up Ye Mili (the area around Tacheng in later generations) and Alima (the area around Yining in later generations), and completely occupied the north and south of Leyuan Mountain (Altai Mountains). That area is arable and grazing, as fertile as the Hetao area. For Yelu Dashi, it is almost the foundation of his kingdom, and his troops have gradually reached tens of thousands of soldiers. His power is no weaker than our Dabai Gao Kingdom..."
Yelu Yu was stunned, and the Khitan cavalry who gradually surrounded him were also breathing heavily.
"But it's a pity." Seeing this, Weiming Yunge shook his head more and more. "Since Yelu Dashi has established his kingdom over there, although Khatun City is still under his control, it is just a Khatun City. From Yinshan to the north, there are 3,000 miles of desert along the way, and the Mongols gradually migrated over and occupied the land around Khatun City... You 250 people are doomed to die... I am a member of the royal family of the Great Baigao Kingdom, and I will never let my country become hostile to the Great Jin just for you, a dead man."
Yelu Yudu was in a daze, and looking back, he saw that the Khitan cavalry around him were also dazed.
It was impossible for Yelu Yu to be so shocked by these people. In fact, Yelu Dashi's Western Expedition could be regarded as a miracle of expedition in world history, because his starting point, Khatun City, was actually due north of Western Xia and due north of Lanzhou, the so-called Northwest Expedition Office of the Liao Dynasty in the past, and near Ulaanbaatar in later generations.
This was the fortress that the Khitans used to suppress the northern desert. After the Khitans were founded, there was a family rule from their ancestors that 20,000 troops should be stationed in Khatun City, and no matter what the situation was, they were not allowed to move... Of course, in reality, that place was still in danger of being corrupted. When Yelu Dashi arrived there, he only saw less than 10,000 soldiers and horses. It took him several years to unify the 18 surrounding tribes that were friendly to the Khitans before he got 20,000 people. However, he ultimately thought the place was too remote to accomplish his mission, so he marched westward.
Where is the Ali Ma mentioned by Weiming Yunge? In fact, it has reached the westernmost end of China's territory in later generations.
In other words, in just a year and a half, Yelu Dashi led the 18 tribes on a westward expedition of three to four thousand miles. Taking into account the deserts and mountains in between, the actual distance was probably tens of thousands of miles.
He marched thousands of miles to the west, was victorious in every battle, and even made famous countries submit to him, and then established a foundation. How could Yelu Yu not be surprised when he saw these surrendered people and Yelu Dashi's acquaintances?
Of course, neither Weiming Yunge nor Yelu Yudu would have imagined at that time that in another time and space, Yelu Dashi would go south and north, and continue to march westward to conquer without stopping, using both kindness and force along the way, and finally going straight to Hezhong, with his troops reaching the Aral Sea, a total expedition of nearly 30,000 miles!
After conquering Hezhong, Yelu Dashi officially proclaimed himself emperor and established a great Central Asian country with an area several times that of Western Xia and a population far exceeding that of Western Xia. He then continued the Liao dynasty there for nearly another eighty or ninety years.
Compared with this man, Yelu Yudu's current fate is exactly what Yun Ge mocked - he deserves it.
"General Weiming!"
After recovering from the shock, Yelu Yudu watched the Xixia people escorting Brother Yun northward in a defensive posture. He didn't care about shame or emotion, and pleaded again. "Can't you give me a way out?"
This time, Brother Yun didn't even turn his head, obviously he had made up his mind.
"No need to trouble the Great Baigao Kingdom to take us in. We just need you to pretend that you didn't see us and let us pass through Hengshan tonight and borrow land to go to Khatun City. How about that?" Yelu Yu saw that he was helpless and said something reluctantly.
Brother Weiming Yun finally turned around impatiently and said, "How is this different from accepting you?"
"I just want to go through the north side of Hengshan and use Hengshan as a shelter to cross the river." Yelu Yudu dismounted and knelt on the ground. "I beg General Weiming to give me a way out."
Seeing this, Brother Yun finally sighed, "If I don't agree to you even after all this, it would be a bit disrespectful to Yelu... How about this, you cross Hengshan from Hongzhou, and you are not allowed to enter the city, nor are you allowed to go west to the hinterland of the Great White Gao Kingdom. You can only go northeast along the border along Hengshan, and finally cross the river through Yinshan in your Jin Kingdom... You go there tonight, and I will report this to the Living Female Commander of Yan'an Prefecture in three days... This is the final condition, you can come or not, it's up to you."
Having said that, Brother Yun said nothing more. He left Yu Du on the ground and rode north. However, he left behind several hundred of his personal guards to block the mountain pass.
The autumn sky was clear and the Hengshan Mountain blocked the north wind, so it was really comfortable here on the southern slope. However, two or three hundred Khitans were suffering under the surveillance of the Xixia people. Especially Yelu Yudu, who had finally gotten up, finally announced in public his plan to go north to Khatun City to look for Yelu Dashi. It was even more so afterwards.
The news came suddenly, and many lower-class Khitans who heard the truth for the first time were obviously shocked and terrified about leaving the Jin Dynasty.
Yu was sad, but helpless. After a little comfort and encouragement, he could only climb a hill to watch the sunset to relieve his mood. However, he could not suppress his anxiety. He stood on the hill, looking west, north, south, and east. Even if his confidant brought him roasted field mice, he just waved his hand and refused.
Yelu Yudu had no choice but to be like this. After all, although Brother Yun had opened a way for him, it was almost a dead end... Why did he surrender to Xixia before? He had already thought about it. Since Yelu Dashi went west and took away 18 tribes that were friendly to Khitan, the area around Khatun City must be occupied by the Mongols. Although the Mongols had a Khan, their core control area was in the east, so the area around Khatun City would definitely be in chaos. If the two hundred people of his own joined in, they would probably be swallowed up directly.
What's more, there are thousands of miles of desert.
This desert is not comparable to the mere hundreds of miles of vast sea between Western Xia and the Song Dynasty. Since ancient times, the south and north of the desert have been referred to as this desert. It is the most serious desert for the Central Plains.
Yelu Dashi had just started his expedition to the west from Khatun City last year, and had used this as a base to harass the Jin army in the previous years. However, he could not effectively send troops to this desert, and the Mongols gradually rose to power, so he turned to the west. Nianhan had tried to go on several expeditions before, but he stopped in front of this desert.
It is difficult to say whether the Mongol Khan's eventual rebellion against the Jin people, including Nianhan's reluctance to hand over the land south of the desert promised to the Xixia people, had a direct relationship with Yelu Dashi and the desert.
But these were not what Yelu Yudu should think about at this time. He should only think about one thing... that is, without the Xixia people's guide and supplies, how could he cross the desert? Even if he was only allowed to go north of Hengshan and was not allowed to enter the city, how could he control his people and not disperse? After leaving Hengshan, how could he successfully cross the river to the north when the pursuers would definitely set up a trap to wait for him?
To be fair, Yu Du himself felt that, let alone Khanateng City, he would probably be killed on the road if he couldn't cross the Yellow River.
But if he didn't go to Khatun City and look for Yelu Dashi, where else could he go? Even if he wanted to look for Yelu Nuoge, the governor of Yunnei and a member of the same clan, wouldn't he have to go to the north?
Before they knew it, the sun had set. The Xixia people followed the agreement and left the mountain pass directly. Yelu Yudu also forced himself to put his thoughts aside and came down to gather his people.
However, at this moment, a bolt from the blue hit him again.
"General..." The trusted guard in charge of counting the number of people came forward to report, his lips trembling. "Ten people are missing! All of Tai Shi Nu's men are missing."
Yelu Yudu was in a daze and instinctively fled towards Hengshan Pass. His confidants hurriedly followed him. However, after passing Hengshan Pass, the confidants counted the number of people again and found that there were more than ten people missing. It was probably because they did not follow him at all.
Up to this point, the morale of the Khitans was getting lower and lower. It was conceivable that if Yelu Yudu did not boost morale, the team would soon fall apart.
"General!"
Things happened faster than expected. The sun hadn't even completely set yet. On the north side of Hengshan Pass, facing the obviously colder wind, someone took the initiative to question Yu Du, and this time the leader was a senior officer in the team. "My family is in Hedong, and I followed you here without knowing why..."
Yelu Yudu stared at the man in the afterglow, but said nothing.
The man seemed to feel a little embarrassed, so he let it go and continued, "But this matter is not your fault. I knew what Yelu Mawu's confidant said at the ferry that day. It's just our bad luck. But we are going to Khatun City to find King Dashi. It's so far, and there's such a wide desert in the middle. The Xixia people won't let us pass through. How can we go? Besides, Tai Shi Nu is most likely to go directly to the Jurchens to inform on us. How can we have the opportunity to go to the northeast? I'm afraid we will be blocked by the Jurchens when we reach the Yellow River?"
This question hit the nail on the head. Yelu Yudu came to his senses and had no way to defend himself. He could only avoid the question: "Saba, what do you mean? Can't you be more frank?"
"What I mean is, since it has come to this, we might as well just go our separate ways and let us go seek refuge with the Xixia people. After all, the Xixia people are concerned about you, General, not us, their subordinates. We are good at cavalry, so why shouldn't the Xixia people allow me to be an iron hawk and eat a meal in the army?" Saba said while looking around behind him.
Seeing Saba's signal, more than a dozen of his companions started to make a commotion together. Slowly, seventy or eighty people responded one after another, and then stood behind Saba, directly confronting Yu Du's men behind him.
The light gradually dimmed, and both sides were worried that the situation would become unclear after dark, so the atmosphere gradually became uneasy. Some people even began to draw their swords and curse at each other. The two sides faced each other with swords, and the atmosphere was tense and uneasy.
Yelu Yudu stood between the two teams, thought for a moment, and suddenly sighed. He raised his hand to stop his confidant, then walked forward with empty hands to Sa Bayan who was holding the knife and said, "In that case, you can go! Take half of the supplies brought from Pingrong Village... But please consider that we have been together for many years and go directly north to Hongzhou City. Don't spy on our route, and don't reveal our itinerary."
Saba and other rebellious soldiers only wanted to survive, so they were a little surprised when they heard this. However, since Yu Du promised not to fight, why would they stay? So several rebellious leaders discussed for a while, and finally took a few supplies, bowed respectfully to Yu Du from a distance, and then gathered a crowd of 180 people and headed due north.
Not only that, then, I saw him sitting at the mountain pass without moving, and simply did not light a bonfire. He just let the rest of his subordinates follow Saba and others and flee. It was not until two or three o'clock in the morning that a confidant came to report that there were only twenty or thirty riders left, and no one had fled for a long time... He wanted to ask the general to decide whether they could light a bonfire and sleep for a while, otherwise the cold wind from the north of the mountain would be so severe that they would probably get sick from the cold.
Yu Du seemed to come alive at this moment, and finally responded in the night wind: "At this point, how can we talk about making a decision? Pu Da, don't light the bonfire, let everyone gather together, surround the horses outside and the people inside, and say that I have something to discuss with you brothers."
After hearing the seriousness of Yu Du's words, the confidants did not dare to neglect and quickly gathered the remaining people. After the people and horses were surrounded, Yu Du spoke again: "Until now, there are still so many brothers who have not abandoned us. Yu Du is grateful. Even if I should have died, I would fight hard to find a place for you brothers to stay before I die... Moreover, we are really not at the end of our rope."
These words were somewhat abrupt. Even though the remaining people were all loyal to Yu Du, there was some commotion around them.
"Brothers, I have been terrified since I crossed the Yellow River. It was not until the situation became unsolvable that I relaxed and figured out some things... You said, Yelu Ma Wulao had long been disgusted with me because of the issue of military power, and he was loyal to the Jurchens. How could he be so kind as to send me across the river and persuade me to surrender to Xixia?"
There was a great uproar all around, and Pu Da could not help but ask, "Did Yelu Ma Wu deceive us? Does the Fourth Prince not want to kill us?"
"Yes and no." Yu Du's voice was slow but gradually became stronger. "How could Yelu Ma Wu have the guts to frame me like this? Don't forget that in these years in Hedong, we have been under surveillance every day, first by Xi Yin, then by Balisu... If it was just Ma Wu who cheated to harm me, how could he hide it from Balisu? How could Taiyuan let me cross the river openly under the banner of entertaining the troops without questioning or stopping me?"
The people around were all low-ranking officers, who had no idea about these things. When they heard what he said, they felt that it made sense, but at the same time, their minds were in a mess and they still couldn't figure out the pros and cons of it.
Yu Du was really ready to reveal his true feelings at this moment, but he did not hesitate and continued to answer frankly in the cold wind: "I can't think of the specific reason for the moment, but the one who can instruct Balisu and Ma Wu should be Wanyan Wushu who should have arrived in Taiyuan by now. Wanyan Wushu made an unnecessary move. Maybe he wanted to use me as a stone to test the waters of Xixia or Huo Nu, or maybe he just wanted to force me away with a legitimate reason... It doesn't matter, because he came from Yanjing and gave instructions on the way, so it is impossible for him to know all the inside stories here, so he must not have thought that we just got the specific information that King Dashi has established a foothold in the west of Xixia."
"So what if we know?" Pu Da was still puzzled, but it did not stop him from taking the initiative to convey the message for his master.
"Now that we know this information, we have the capital to negotiate with the Song people, because if so, we can also lead to the location of King Dashi from the Song people's Hehuang." Yelu Yudu responded slowly, and there was no more panic in his voice. "No matter whether Wanyan Wushu wants to use me to test the Western Xia, we insist that he means this, and he is basically preparing to lead the Western Xia to join the Yan'an battle. By then, given the century-old blood feud between the Song people and the Western Xia, they will have to believe it. Then we will use Wushu's ignorance of King Dashi's establishment as a key point, and tell the Song people that we can be envoys for the Song people to go west out of Hehuang to Hamili to meet King Dashi, and ask the Khitan army to come east to attack the Western Xia and even the Jin people! The Song people will definitely agree!"
The surroundings gradually became quiet, but several people were obviously breathing heavily. It was obvious that a few smart people realized that this move was indeed feasible logically and theoretically.
After all, in this desperate situation, even if there is only a glimmer of hope, it is worth taking a gamble at this moment!
However, there is still a problem.
"General, the battle between Song and Jin is fierce ahead, and the slave of the Grand Master has gone to inform on us. How can we easily cross the front line to find the Song people? How can we guarantee that we can find Song people who are prudent and aware of the situation? And the Xixia people, we are in Hengshan. If the Jurchens from Pingrong Village arrive and directly ask for the people from the Xixia people, then the Xixia people will not be able to hold on and will betray Jonah again. What will we do?"
"This is a gamble of life." Yu Du said in a sonorous tone. "I remember that the Baoan Army's Kaoluo Village is where the Western Army General Guo Hao is. I bet that he has not been captured by a living woman! I also bet that he is someone who knows my identity and the overall situation of the country! And then we are few in number, and now we have abandoned the baggage, while the Xixia people and the Jurchens think that we are only wandering around the north of Hengshan, we will quickly lead the horses back along the original route, and head west and south from the south of Hengshan to Kaoluo Village!"
Everyone then realized why Yu Du had been sitting motionless at the mountain pass in the chilly wind, why he had been unwilling to light a fire, and why he let everyone disperse. It turned out that he wanted to hide his whereabouts and return in a small group.
Besides, only a small group of people would be accepted by the Song people’s stronghold!
Just like that, since Yelu Yudu had explained everything and there was a glimmer of hope, and these last twenty or thirty people were indeed reliable, they did not delay any longer. They first drove away all the livestock carrying supplies, and then tied up all the remaining people and all the remaining horses with ropes, and then, regardless of everything, walked back south through the mountain pass at night.
Maybe it was God's will that the group turned back in the dark, and only one person sprained his ankle, but he was still able to ride his horse carefully and continue... They managed to successfully cross the mountain pass.
After crossing the mountain pass, the group still did not dare to delay or light a fire. They just mounted their horses and galloped along the mountain. They didn't know how long it had been, when it was still dark, they finally heard the sound of water ahead... Everyone knew they had arrived at Hunzhou River, so they dismounted and rested for a while, using some dry food and river water. After a while, the sky became a little brighter, and they couldn't wait to find shallow water to cross the river.
Only at this point did everyone take a breath, because it was already dawn and there was a river blocking the pursuers. From now on, they just had to rush to Taoluo Village as fast as they could.
What's more, they were so careful that they should not have revealed their tracks. So no matter who it was, they would probably still think they were still north of Hengshan.
After everyone had finished their preparations, they mounted their horses.
Only Yelu Yudu was about to whip his horse, but he couldn't bear it anymore, so he reined in his horse, turned around, faced northeast, and took a look.
Pu Da, the confidant next to him, came to his senses and asked everyone to swear a blood oath together, that they must seek revenge on Tai Shi Nu, Saba and other betrayers in the future.
However, just as everyone drew their daggers, Yu Du shook his head and said, "Today, there are 23 brothers who have never left me. I, Yu Du, will never forget them. As for those people like Tai Shi Nu, they were forced by the situation, but I can't say I am angry at them. Even Ba Lisu and Ma Wu were just following orders, and I can't even hate them."
At this moment, Pu Da and the others looked at each other, seemingly confused.
"Two people!" Yu Du also drew his dagger. "One is Wanyan Wushu, who treated me like a stone to ask for directions and threw me out easily; the other is that Weiming Yunge who humiliated me and treated me like dirt ... Yu Du has a mortal body and a mortal heart, but he dare not forget them at all! Today I swear that one day, I will let my brothers enjoy wealth and honor, and let these two regret treating me like nothing!"
After saying this, Yu Du picked up the dagger and cut a bloody trail on the palm of his other hand. Then, without waiting for the twenty-three followers to follow suit, he said no more and rode at full speed, heading southwest.
October 2nd.
At noon, Yu Du led 23 riders to the foot of the Taoluo stronghold, which was not surrounded tightly. He arrived at the gate with his bare hands and introduced himself under the arrows of the Shenbi bow and crossbow, and claimed to be an old friend of Guo Hao's father Guo Cheng. After Guo Hao climbed up the city wall to inquire, he heard that he was Yelu Yu Du, the former commander-in-chief of the Eastern Route of the Liao Kingdom and the right general of the Jin Kingdom. He also heard the other party talking about Western Xia and Northern Liao, as well as Wuzhu and Dashi under the city. He realized that the other party was a rare treasure, so he immediately ignored the opposition and allowed Yu Du into the city.
At this time, Wuzhu was still waiting for news in Taiyuan.
