The North City Pass is about 180 miles away from Zhiyang, Shaoliang. In fact, even if you march 60 miles a day, it doesn’t matter if you arrive in three days. However, Li He thought this was a good emergency marching training.

So he issued an order to the surprise soldiers: "Arriving at the North City Pass within two days, those who are overdue will return to the camp and practice for one more month!"

As soon as this order was issued, the surprise soldiers wailed, but no one really resented. After all, they knew that there was indeed an army that could travel a hundred miles a day and even immediately enter the battle after a rushing march. This army was the target of his Shaoliang surprise soldiers chasing, Wei Wuzhang!

In addition, the previous competition with ordinary soldiers of the Wei camp also sounded the alarm for the surprise soldiers, which made them deeply aware of the urgency, so the surprise soldiers carried out Li He's order without hesitation.

On July 29, more than 200 surprise soldiers set out from the Zhiyang area and marched 180 miles within two days. On the first day of August, they arrived at the North City Pass.

"Look! What Wei Wuzhang can do, my Shao Liang Qibing can do, too!"

The moment he arrived at the North City Pass, Li He said this to the surprise soldiers. Although the surprise soldiers were exhausted, they felt a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Although they also knew that they still had a gap with the most powerful army in the world, in Li He's encouragement, they at least saw hope of catching up.

The North City Pass built by Rong Kingdom in Hexi is actually a castle specially used for garrisons. From a distance, it looks like a small city. The only difference is that there are no crop-planted fields around the city Pass. Only many ragged people are pulling carts to carry stones, and soldiers holding soldiers are guarding them from the side.

"That's the soldiers of Rong State? It doesn't look different from us."

While approaching the North City Pass, Hu Ben said curiously.

He was originally from a Wei family and had no idea that there was a Rong country in Hexi before. He thought that the "Rong people" were all a group of barbarians who ate raw meat and drank blood.

Seeing his face full of confusion, Han Yan spoke up and said, "The Rong people in Hexi are different from the general 'Rong Di'. It is said that after they were defeated by Jin and fled to Hexi, they admired the prosperity of the countries, so they spontaneously learned the culture of Jin. Now, in terms of writing, clothing, etc., there is no big difference compared with the Central Plains countries, not what you think."

"It seems that this is a Rong Kingdom that has been ‘naturalized’ by the Central Plains.

Listening to Han Yan's explanation behind him, Li He thought to himself.

At this time, Han Yan looked at the soldiers of Rong State in the distance, and whispered to remind everyone: "I tell you, it is best not to mention the 'Rong State' here, 'Rong State', just call the Hexi State. Most people here are quite resistant to the word 'Rong'. If you call them Rong, you will definitely infuriate them."

Li He was not surprised by this. After all, the "Rong Di barbarians" are all despicable names for the tribes and nations of the Central Plains people in the backward areas. It would be fine if the other party did not understand the Central Plains culture, but those who understand the Central Plains culture like the Rong people in Hexi are like humiliating in person. The other party will definitely not give you a good face.

Afterwards, after being interrogated by several soldiers of Rong, Li He and his team of more than 200 people came outside the East City Gate of the North City Gate, took out the letter written by Zhai Hu and explained the purpose of the visit to the soldiers guarding the city gate: "I learned that the Qin army invaded your country, Shaoliang sent us to inquire about the situation of the war. This is my Shaoliang Little Sima Zhai Hu and Zhai Sima's recommendation letter by Zhai Sima. Please give it to the general in your area."

A soldier from Rong, who looked and dressed like the people in the Central Plains, took the letter, looked up and down at Li He and others, nodded and said coldly: "Wait, I'll go and report."

"What attitude!" Hu Ben muttered with an unhappy look, but Li He was not surprised. After all, he heard Zhai Hu remind him when he came. The relationship between the Rong Kingdom in Hexi and their Shaoliang was not so harmonious, although it is not clear what the reason is.

After waiting for a moment, the soldier returned to the East City Gate and said to Li He without expression: "The general asked you to go in... the others are waiting outside."

This bad attitude annoyed the surprise soldiers, but Li He didn't think there was anything. He restrained everyone and asked everyone to take a break outside the city. Then he followed the soldier into the city and entered the city.

As he originally thought, this northern city was built specifically to resist the invasion of Qin. There were no people living in the city. There were only soldiers from Rong and ragged criminals who were taken by these soldiers. I am afraid that most of them were criminals sent by Wei to build the Great Wall of Luoshui.

Along the streets in the city, Li He came all the way to the west gate of the city. At this time, the soldiers leading the way turned to Li He and said, "The general is on the city gate tower."

After saying that, he led Li He to the stone steps beside him, walked up the city wall along the stone steps, and led him to the viewing platform in front of the Xicheng Gate Tower, next to a middle-aged man dressed in a general.

"General, I'm bringing the Shaoliang people." The soldiers leading the way clasped their fists at the middle-aged general.

Hearing this, the middle-aged general turned his head and looked up and looked at Li He a few times, then glanced at Li He's gaze at the '100' mark on the armor on Li He's chest, and snorted coldly: "Don't the Shaoliang people understand the truth that the lips are dead and the teeth are cold? Qin has launched an attack on our Hexi, but Shaoliang has only sent a hundred generals?"

Li He didn't care, and explained according to the statement he had discussed with Zhai Hu in advance: "We are just a scout team that came to explore the strength of the Qin army. If the situation here is serious, my Shaoliang will support your country as appropriate."

“The situation is serious?”

The middle-aged general sneered: "Did Shaoliang hear about Qin the day before? A big country that can use 500,000 troops to attack Hexi. It's ridiculous that you are still talking about 'If the situation is serious'?"

Although he mocked Shao Liang, after mocking him, his attitude slightly eased: "You are called Li He, right? I have read Zhai Hu's letter. He hopes that my North City Pass will provide you with some dry food. This is OK, but I want to know when Shao Liang will send troops to reinforce?"

"This..." Li He thought for a while and replied: "Please rest assured, General. I will report the battle situation I have seen here with my own eyes. But when will I send troops to reinforce? This is not something that only one hundred generals of my country can make the decision. Please forgive me."

"snort!"

The middle-aged general showed displeasure again, staring at Li He for a while, but in the end he didn't say anything. He thought that a mere 100 general could not control Shao Liang's decision.

Taking a light breath, he said lightly: "Since that's the case, go and do what you should do. I will greet the military officers in the city and provide you with food."

"Thank you!"

Li He hugged his fists and then asked again: "I don't know what the general calls him?"

“Busha.”

The middle-aged general looked out at the west side of the city and said without looking back.

Following his gaze, Li He noticed the winding and long Luoshui Great Wall on the west side of the northern city, and countless criminals and soldiers who were carrying something with cars.

There are a lot of people, and there are probably thousands within the field of vision.

After saying goodbye to the cold general, Li He returned to the outside of the East City Gate.

Soon, a grain official in the city came to meet Li He and others with a truckload of grain.

"You are the scout team from Shao Liang, right? The general ordered me to hand over this cart of food to you."

After leaving this sentence, the grain official left with his people. His cold attitude made the surprise soldiers very angry and couldn't help but curse.

"What attitude!"

"We're here to help them!"

"These guys..."

Seeing the strange soldiers all looked angry, Li He suppressed his hands and comforted him: "Okay, after all, we are just taking the opportunity to come to the battlefield to hone ourselves. At least they have given them food."

As he said that, he walked to the grain truck, looked at the goods on the truck a few times, and found that in addition to a few buckets of grain, there was also a jar of pickled vegetables and two pots.

A rough estimate is that this truck of grain should be able to eat more than 200 people in his surprise army for four or five days.

"Let's go."

With Li He's order, the surprise troops bypassed the North City Pass and headed upstream along the Luoshui Great Wall.

According to the situation described by Zhai Hu, the Rong Kingdom of Hexi originally planned to build a 180-mile-long Great Wall along the Luoshui River, but so far, only about 60 miles of "middle section" has been built, and there are still huge gaps in the upper and lower reaches.

There is no doubt that these two places will be the direction of the Qin army's active assault. Compared with the flat downstream, Li He chose a complex terrain with many mounds, and the upper reaches of the mountains and forests are the temporary shelter of his surprise troops.

After about an hour of travel, Li He and his party finally arrived at the upper end of the Luoshui Great Wall.

I saw that here, thousands of criminals were acting as coolies. Under the wanton whipping, scolding and urging of the soldiers of the Rong Kingdom, they were numb and resistant, or carrying huge stones with tools, and were building the Great Wall.

During this period, a coolie might fall to the ground. Soon the soldiers of the Rong Kingdom came quickly, kicked with their feet, beat them with whips, and drank the coolie who had fallen to the ground and continued to repair the Great Wall.

Not far away, there were a few corpses of coolies piled up, and the body was covered with whipping, and the marks and bruises of beating were exposed to the scorching sun.

"I don't treat people like human beings..."

Li He frowned with some discomfort.

Just as he was wondering whether to stop the atrocities of these soldiers of the Rong Kingdom, a few men in straw sandals and short brown-seeded clothes quickly walked up from a distance.

The leader shouted loudly: "Stop!"

『Uh?』

Li He looked in surprise, and then saw the man rushing to a soldier in Rong State quickly and snatching the whip from the other party's hand. He immediately started a fierce argument with the soldier in Rong State.

And this man's companion helped the coolie who fell to the ground.

"The Ink?"

Li He whispered softly.

If he had guessed correctly, these men in short brown cloaks would probably be the most famous "friends of small countries" in the world...
Chapter completed!