Chapter 1470

This place not only connects to the Mayi Plain behind it, but can also go through Dai Commandery from here, enter Youzhou, move south to the Jizhou Plain, and sweep across the north of the Yellow River all the way.

Pingcheng Pass is less of a pass and more of a city.

A city built between two mountains.

The north city wall facing the northern desert is full of mottled traces.

The moss crawling on the city wall cannot completely cover the bluestone that was once invaded by the flames of war.

The arrowheads embedded in the cracks of the city wall are rotten, leaving only the arrowheads stuck in the cracks.

The dark red marks on the battlements represent the blood that was once stained here and could not be washed away.

It was noon, and the scorching sun was hanging in the sky.

The north battlements of Pingcheng Pass were densely packed with Han soldiers.

There were as many as a thousand of them.

On the side leaning against the battlements, there were thorny rolling logs and boulders.

Hot oil was burning in the bronze tripod, emitting thick black smoke.

In the middle section of the north city wall, a middle-aged man stood among dozens of elite Han soldiers.

The middle-aged man was dressed in a black robe, wearing chainmail on the outside, with a sword at his waist, and his gaze was looking at the Xianbei army, which had been camping for dozens of miles to the north at this time.

The middle-aged man, who was over seven feet tall, was named Shentu Bei, with a fair face and regular features.

The surname Shentu can be traced back to the founding of the Western Han Dynasty.

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, Shentu Jia followed Liu Bang to fight in the south and north in the army of Emperor Gao Zu of Han, Liu Bang.

After Zhang Cang was appointed Chancellor, Shentu Jia was promoted to Censor-in-Chief. After Zhang Cang was dismissed as Chancellor, Emperor Xiaowen of Han, Liu Heng, appointed Shentu Jia as Chancellor and enfeoffed him as the Marquis of Gu'an with his original fief.

Shentu Jia experienced five dynasties in his life: Emperor Gao Zu of Han, Liu Bang; Emperor Hui of Han, Liu Ying; Empress Gao of Han, Lü Zhi; Emperor Wen of Han, Liu Heng; and Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi. He was undoubtedly a veteran of five dynasties.

During the replacement of the Xin Dynasty, his ancestor Shentu Jian was even enfeoffed as the King of Ping.

The "Eastern Han Records" says: "Shentu Zhi was enfeoffed as the King of Ruyin for his merits, petitioned that he was not of the Liu clan, returned the royal seal, and was changed to the Marquis of Yingyang."

The Shentu clan had passed down to Shentu Bei's generation for twenty-four generations.

To say that Shentu Bei could serve as the Administrator of Yanmen Commandery, it also had to do with Duan Yu.

It was precisely after Duan Yu killed Wang Rou that Shentu Bei was promoted to the Administrator of Yanmen Commandery.

Four years as the Administrator of Yanmen, and now his term was about to expire.

The first four years were also because of Duan Yu, so the Xiongnu and Xianbei were very quiet.

And just as his term was about to expire, he was met with an army of tens of thousands of Xianbei, and it was because of Duan Yu.

Shentu Bei didn't know how to describe his current mood.

Just a few days ago, Shentu Bei, who was still in Mayi, received an order from the imperial court, asking him to go to Pingcheng and prepare to open Pingcheng to let the Xianbei army enter Yanmen Commandery.

Upon receiving this order for the first time, Shentu Bei didn't think much of it.

The imperial court was fighting with Duan Yu, and it was possible that they were letting the Xianbei cavalry enter Bingzhou to help attack Duan Yu.

After all, hiring alien cavalry was not a new thing.

Alien tribes such as the Qiang, Xiutu, Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan had all been hired by the Han.

Therefore, Shentu Bei took his subordinates and headed to Pingcheng on light horses and fast horses the first time he received the imperial court's order.

When Shentu Bei first came to Pingcheng, the Xianbei cavalry had not yet arrived.

However, three days ago, the Xianbei cavalry arrived.

When Shentu Bei was about to order the gates to be opened to let the Xianbei cavalry in, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Hiring alien cavalry to fight was not a new thing.

But hiring tens of thousands of alien cavalry to fight was something Shentu Bei had never heard of.

The Xianbei army that crossed the Yinshan Mountains and arrived outside Pingcheng Pass was roughly estimated to be more than sixty or seventy thousand.

So many Xianbei cavalry were already more than the number of people in Pingcheng Pass.

Even more than the people in the entire Yanmen Commandery.

If so many Xianbei cavalry were let in at once, who knew if there would be trouble?

After all, the Han and Xianbei were blood enemies.

Letting sixty or seventy thousand Xianbei cavalry into the pass at once, if these Xianbei cavalry caused trouble or rebelled because of something, it would be a devastating disaster for the entire Bingzhou.

And not just Bingzhou; once they entered Pingcheng Pass, behind them was the flat Mayi Plain, which could enter Youzhou and Jizhou at any time.

If there was a riot, then even if he, Shentu Bei, were nailed to the city wall of Pingcheng Pass for a hundred years, it would not be enough to erase his sins.

Therefore, Shentu Bei made a decision.

Do not open the pass.

Do not let the Xianbei army in first.

When the imperial court sent the order, it did not specify how many Xianbei cavalry were coming.

Shentu Bei had to send someone to Luoyang to confirm, to confirm whether Luoyang really knew the number of the Xianbei army.

If the Luoyang imperial court knew and issued an imperial decree, then he would act according to the imperial decree.

Even if there was a big riot, it would be the problem of the Luoyang imperial court, and history books would not record that it was Shentu Bei who let the Xianbei army into the pass.

But Luoyang was currently fighting with Duan Yu, and Bingzhou was also within the scope of the war, so how long it would take to send someone to Luoyang and back was hard to say.

However, Shentu Bei still decided to wait.

Wait for the Luoyang imperial court to confirm and send the imperial decree.

Outside Pingcheng Pass.

In the Xianbei and Xiongnu coalition camp, which gathered fifty thousand Xianbei troops and twenty thousand Xiongnu troops under Yu Fuluo, a total of seventy thousand troops.

Budugen was sitting on a seat covered with tiger skin.

To his left and right, not far below, were the leaders of the Xianbei tribes.

"Chanyu, the Han people refuse to open the pass until now. If you ask me, let's just fight our way over. Anyway, the garrison in the city is only that small, it's so troublesome."

A middle-aged Xianbei leader in the second row of the yurt frowned and said.

Tuoba Lin wore a leather hat made of a wolf's head and was wrapped in a black bear-skin cloak.

Beside him was a young man with four circles of baldness on his head, but only a small braid on the pointed top of his head.

The young man was named Tuoba Liwei, the grandson of Tuoba Lin.

Although he was not old, his body was extremely sturdy, and his short stature had thick limbs.

Budugen, sitting on the tiger-skin seat, chewed the maltose in his mouth.

This kind of maltose that could be chewed was a luxury even in the Han.

The nobles on the grasslands quite liked it.

After Tuoba Lin's words fell, Fuluohan and Kebineng, who were sitting in the first row on the left and right, also looked at Budugen.

Budugen shook his head slightly and said: "The time agreed with Mr. Guo has not arrived yet. Let's wait a little longer. It won't be a day or two. If there is no news from Mr. Guo in two days, then we will attack the city. Don't be anxious."

Since Guo Tu kept his promise and persuaded Yu Fuluo last time, Budugen had changed his view of Guo Tu.

Capable people can get respect anywhere.

On Pingcheng Pass.

Shentu Bei, who had patrolled the city defenses, called over several garrison captains who were guarding the city.

"Do not be slack, do not be negligent," Shentu Bei said with a serious expression: "Without this official's order, no one is allowed to approach the pass gate."

"If anyone violates the order, they will be executed on the spot. Do you all understand?"

Shentu Bei's stern gaze swept over the several captains one by one.

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

The garrison captains all nodded in agreement.

After glancing at the Xianbei army camp to the north outside the city, Shentu Bei, who had a weary look on his face, turned and walked down the city.

Just as Shentu Bei was about to go down the city, a guard ran to Shentu Bei's front.

"Report to the Administrator, a team of troops came from the south of the city, saying they were sent by the imperial court."

The guard bowed and stood in front of Shentu Bei to salute.

Hmm?