Yuexi County is the Daliang Mountain area in later generations. It has complex terrain and changeable climate. Because of its high altitude, the overall temperature is cooler.

To describe this place in one word, it is mountainous.

Zhou Mo's army went south along the Lujiang River from Bodao, passed through Anshang and Mahu, abandoned its ship at Beishui, and went deep into the mountains. Except for some flat land on both sides of the river valley, there were mountains all along the way.

Holding a telescope and looking far into the distance, there are mountains and mountains in the distance, with no end in sight.

The first goal of the army is to occupy Beishui County, which is located in the valley on the south bank of Beishui.

Then use Beishui County as the bridgehead, advance westward along the mountain road, and attack Qiongdu, the county seat.

At the same time, Zhou Mo ordered the Huang Yuan tribe and the Yanniu tribe to cross the Moshui River and go south, approaching Taideng County and Suqi County in the north of Qiongdu. The goal was to join Zhou Mo's main force in Qiongdu, one from the south and the other from the north, to achieve a pincer attack from two sides.

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Zhou Mo's army crossed mountains and ridges and marched westward, passing many villages and villages along the way, but did not encounter any resistance organized by southerners.

In every village we passed, there were only old, weak, women and children, and almost no adult men.

Zhou Mo's army included many guides sent by the Yanniu tribe who were familiar with the local dialect and customs. After asking them, they learned that all the men in the village had gone to war, and many of them had not been back for more than a year or two.<

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I don’t know who they are fighting with. Of course, it is better for the barbarians to fight among themselves instead of all being organized to resist Zhou Mo’s army.

These remote villages are as poor as primitive societies.

The children are all naked, and the clothes worn by adult women are all tattered and patched. Many poor people still maintain the tradition of wearing animal skins, barely covering their private parts.

Since the end of Jian'an, contact with the Han Dynasty was cut off. Because these locals did not do mulberry and hemp, nor did they know how to weave, the already expensive cloth became an even rarer treasure.

The rags and rags worn by the soldiers to tie their legs and feet were smelly and were discarded on the roadside. They were all robbed by the locals as if they were treasures.

As for food, it mainly consists of pickled wild vegetables, wild fruits, a small amount of millet, and very little meat.

There are many animals in the mountains. They used to have no shortage of meat, but now the men are away from home for a long time, no one hunts, and the amount of bacon stored is limited, so the meat is naturally less and less.

For many children, two rows of ribs are clearly visible, indicating malnutrition at first glance.

Ma Su suggested to Zhou Mo: "General, the priority is to attack the heart, and the second is to fight with soldiers. Although we have not encountered the enemy yet, it is a great time to attack the heart."

"Oh?"

Ma Su said: "I see that there are a lot of wild animals in the mountains. I can order hundreds of soldiers to go hunting in the mountains. If they get meat, they will keep some for food. The rest that are inconvenient to take away will be given to these villagers."

Zhou Mo thought about it and thought it was feasible. He added: "First, order each battalion to restrain the soldiers and not harass the villagers. Second, make sure they know that the meat is sent by the Han army."

Ma Su accepted the order and went on his errands happily. In the next few days, Zhou Mo often saw this guy eating so hard that his mouth was dripping with oil, and his figure was getting fatter day by day.

The army continued to advance slowly in the hinterland of the mountains. On this day, they passed a mountain col and came to a large stockade called Shanyingba.

Although Shanyingba is a large place, like the previous small villages, everyone is naked, skinny, and extremely poor. There are only a few adult men in the village. When asked, they only say that they are gone to fight.

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After passing Shanying Dam, Beishui County only has more than 40 miles left.

Therefore, Zhou Mo ordered the army to stop for a while and wait for news from the outpost.

Soon, Zhang Ni's outpost reported that a large number of enemy troops were found in Beishui County, digging ditches and building forts, and actively setting up defenses.

Beishui County is located on the south bank of the bend of Beishui River, surrounded by mountains and rivers. The terrain is very suitable for defense.

Zhang Ni's news also confirmed Zhou Mo's conjecture. The reason why there was no resistance along the way was precisely because the enemy had few troops and could only concentrate its troops on defense, and Beishui County was the best place to defend.

Zhou Mo ordered the army to stop at Shanyingba and set up camp for repairs.

Zhang Yi was ordered to lead the sentry to continue to investigate and find out as much details about the enemy as possible before making the next plan.

Fu Xu divided his troops and stationed them behind the main army to prevent the enemy from attacking from the mountain roads and at the same time ensure the smooth flow of supply routes.

Ma Di continued to implement his strategy of attacking the hearts of Shanyingba, and asked Zhou Mo to allocate him two hundred soldiers to go hunting in the mountains, sell meat everywhere in the dam, and win people's hearts.

The war is just around the corner. On this day, Zhou Mo and Chen Dao were discussing the tactics of attacking Beishui County in the camp. Suddenly, Ma Su hurried in.

"General, there is a situation."

"What's wrong with you?"

"I was distributing meat to the villagers in Bazi, and I met an old woman in a house. She actually said, thank you."

Chen Da said: "What's so strange about this?"

Ma Di said: "She can speak Chinese. Moreover, her clothes are very clean, the weaver is good, and there are no patches on them. I felt that this old woman was unusual, so I asked her, Mom, are you Han? But she said nothing.

Ignore me anymore."

"I asked someone to go nearby to inquire about her identity. But the people in Bazi were very secretive and unwilling to say it openly. But it can be seen that people respect her very much."

Zhou Mo said: "It seems that this old woman has quite a status in the dam."

Ma Su smiled and said: "The general is really a smart person. This old woman does have a good status in the dam. Moreover, if she is really Han, she will be the perfect target for my heart-attack strategy."

Zhou Mo asked: "Then why not continue the investigation?"

"The general's order has nothing to do with Minqiu. Once the old mother closed the door, how could I dare to break in. So I came to ask for instructions."

Zhou Mo had a gut feeling that this old woman might be of value, so he stood up and said, "Let's go, You Chang, I'll go with you to take a look."

Ma Su took Zhou Mo all the way to the old woman's home.

This house is only slightly larger than the ordinary houses in Bazi, but the tiles on the door lintel clearly come from the Han region, making it stand out compared with the surrounding Nanman houses.

So Zhou Mo was sure that she must be related to the Han people.

Ma Su called a local man to call the door and said that General Han came to visit his old mother.

After a while, the old woman finally opened the door tremblingly.

Ma Di smiled and said: "Old mother, this is our General Zhou, coming to visit you."

The old woman could obviously understand Ma Su's words. She looked at Zhou Mo with a suspicious look on her face. After a long time, she said in Chinese: "Too young, fake."

Ma Su said: "Although this man is young, he is really our general."

Zhou Mo stepped forward and said: "Old mother, I am already twenty-two this year. Was it also a lie that Huo Qubing was a general at the age of eighteen?"

The old woman was stunned for a moment. Although she did not speak, Zhou Mo could tell that she knew Huo Qubing.

This is not easy.

The old woman said: "I am old and don't like crowds. If you have anything to ask, just you two can come in and talk. Others please stay."

The old woman stepped aside half of her body, and Zhou Mo and Ma Su went through the door. The old woman closed the door and locked the bolt.

In the yard, there is a shed, and more than ten dilapidated looms are piled under the shed. These machines have been broken for a long time at first glance. After being exposed to wind and sun, the copper and iron parts have long been rusted, and the wooden structure has also deteriorated.

Rotten.

Ma Su asked: "Can the old mother weave?"

The old woman said: "These were all worn out before. Since the war, the Han people have been driven away, and no one will repair it if it breaks. I still have the last one in the house. But like me, I can only make do with it."

Use it, but it might break someday."

The two followed the old woman into the house. As soon as they entered the door, they saw a loom placed there.

Zhou Mo and the two were looking around when they suddenly heard a "bang" behind them and the door was kicked open.

When I looked back, I saw a middle-aged man, holding a knife in his left hand, standing at the door, glaring angrily.
Chapter completed!