The sound of galloping hooves arises.
Lai Bao'Er heard the distant eerie and painful screams, his face changed instantly and he exclaimed in fear, "No good! The Qidan dogs are raiding again!"
"New Five Dynasties History·Four Barbarians Supplement One" records: Loose mounted Hu riders pillaging in all directions, calling it 'Grass Valley Raid'.
Since the fall of the Tang Dynasty, the Central Plains have experienced five short-lived dynasties: Later Liang, Later Tang, Later Jin, Later Han, and Later Zhou, each lasting barely over ten years on average. Frequent wars resulted in the mid-lower reaches of the Yellow River area becoming "devoid of fire and smoke, villages desolate."
During the Later Jin period, Shi Jingtang ceded the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan Yun to the Liao state, causing North China to lose its barrier.
