Chapter 250

Night diversion of the Shuoqoushui, fire burning Mount Tanhanshan!

Night fell.

The thousand-plus Liangzhou soldiers led by Duan Yu had arrived at the Shuoqoushui River, which passed through the upper reaches of Mount Tanhanshan.

At this time, they were only a little over twenty li away from the Xianbei tooth tent on Mount Tanhanshan.

In the second year of Yongshou, the Xianbei Shanyu Tanshihuai established the Xianbei royal court tooth tent on Mount Tanhanshan.

In the nearly thirty years since then, Mount Tanhanshan had always been the center of the Xianbei.

The Xianbei Shanyu Tanshihuai imitated the Xiongnu who dominated the northern and southern deserts in those years, using the location of Mount Tanhanshan to divide the entire area he controlled into three parts.

"After Tanshihuai died, his son Helian inherited the position of Xianbei Shanyu, but because he was shot and killed by an arrow while plundering Beidi Commandery."

"Helian's son could not inherit the position because he was too young."

"So now the Xianbei Shanyu is nominally Helian's brother, Kuitou."

On the grassland under the night, Duan Yu rode on the Ink-Jade Qilin Beast, his gaze fixed on Mount Tanhanshan in the distance.

Mount Tanhanshan belonged to a part of the Yinshan mountain range.

With greenery everywhere and connected peaks, it was a place like a pearl on the grassland.

In addition to the connected peaks, the Shuoqoushui River passing through the entire Mount Tanhanshan nourished this land, providing rich products and water and grass.

Making this an excellent place for grazing.

And in winter, because there were connected mountain ranges here, it would not be like the northern desert or the flat grassland with wind and snow everywhere.

With mountain ranges to block the cold wind, and firewood that could be used anytime, anywhere.

Therefore, it was easier for the Xianbei people to survive the winter.

Under Tanshihuai's leadership, as many as hundreds of thousands of Xianbei people once gathered here.

At this time, Duan Yu, who was still a few li away from Mount Tanhanshan, could still vaguely see the firelight in the mountains in the distance.

"Brother Duan, although Kuitou is now the Xianbei Shanyu, it is only in name."

"In Tanshihuai's time, the three areas he once divided are now each governed by themselves, and no one obeys Kuitou."

"The eastern part, from Youbeiping to Liaodong, with more than 20 towns, is led by several tribes such as Mijia, Queji, Suli, and Huaixing, forming the Xianbei eastern alliance."

"From Youbeiping to Shanggu, there are more than 10 towns in the middle, among which the Kezui tribe, Queju tribe, and Murong tribe are the leaders."

"From west of Shanggu to Dunhuang, there are more than 20 towns in the west, led by the Jianluoluo tribe, Rilü tribe, and Yanliyou tribe."

Duan Yu listened carefully from the side.

If it weren't for Zhang Xun's explanation, he obviously wouldn't have known these things.

These histories from more than two thousand years ago, if he were asked to name a few familiar people from the Three Kingdoms, it would be about the same.

Besides that, what he knew was really limited.

Not to mention these Xiongnu and Xianbei.

Knowing the Xiongnu and Xianbei and understanding the Xiongnu and Xianbei were two different things.

So many tribes, such complex power interweaving, only then did it conform to a system of a country.

The Han-Xiongnu war had been fought for decades without saying that the Xiongnu had been completely eliminated, only driving the Northern Xiongnu to the northern desert.

In the end, it achieved another rise, a grassland hero Tanshihuai who could be compared to Modu in the early Han period.

Facts had proved that wanting to completely eliminate the Xiongnu or the nomadic people on the grassland was impossible from the beginning.

"When Tanshihuai was still alive, it was said that there were more than two hundred thousand Xianbei people on Mount Tanhanshan."

"It's just that there aren't that many now, but I estimate that there are probably about one hundred thousand around this Mount Tanhanshan, plus the tooth tent."

Duan Yu raised his eyebrows when he heard this and turned his head to look at Zhang Xun and asked: "Is the Xianbei tooth tent still here now?"

Zhang Xun nodded: "It should still be here."

"It is early spring now, the pasture has not fully grown, and it is not yet time for full grazing."

"The tooth tent should still be in Mount Tanhanshan at this time, but it is not clear where exactly it is."

Duan Yu nodded.

Mount Tanhanshan was not a single hilltop, but a small piece of connected mountain ranges.

The area was fifty square kilometers, and the highest peak was nearly two thousand meters above sea level.

Wang Rou's destination for this trip was Mount Tanhanshan, so he must have contacted the current Xianbei Shanyu Kuitou.

Through Chen Pingwu's confession, Wang Rou's purpose was to borrow the eastern region of the Xianbei, and then wanted to detour to Liaodong, take a boat from Liaodong, and go to Jiaozhou to take refuge.

Wang Rou was a Han person after all, even if he was fleeing, it was impossible to live on the grassland forever.

Although Jiaozhou was wild, it was still a place where the Han family was in charge.

With the wealth accumulated by Wang Rou and Wang Ze over the years, as long as they arrived in Jiaozhou and then operated for a period of time, they could still live like an emperor.

Entering the vast mountains in front of him to find the Xianbei tooth tent and Wang Rou was obviously unrealistic.

There were at least one hundred thousand Xianbei people in this Mount Tanhanshan.

And Duan Yu now only had a thousand-plus cavalrymen.

Even if they were all thrown into Mount Tanhanshan, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Not to mention, if they were discovered by the Xianbei, they might face a situation of being surrounded.

Duan Yu, riding on his horse, rubbed his chin.

Then he reached out and asked Tie Shitou for the map and unfolded it.

By the cold moonlight in the sky, Duan Yu glanced at the general topographic map of Mount Tanhanshan.

In the sixth year of Xiping, Liu Hong sent thirty thousand cavalry to attack Mount Tanhanshan, but they were easily commanded and eliminated by Tanshihuai.

Although Tanshihuai was dead now, the Xianbei cavalry on Mount Tanhanshan were not as numerous as they were back then.

But he only had a thousand-plus cavalry.

If he wanted to intercept Wang Rou, relying on brute force would definitely not work.

But since active searching wouldn't work, there was only one way.

"Boping, Wenyuan, Wenze, Qing'an." Duan Yu called out softly.

Gao Shun, Zhang Liao, Zhang Xun, and Chen Qing'an, who were following Duan Yu, cupped their hands and responded.

After Duan Yu let them come forward, he reached out and pointed out four directions on the map.

They were the southeast, west, and north of Mount Tanhanshan.