The five thousand cavalry all attacked lightly. Although there were mules and horses to carry supplies, in addition to weapons and armor, they only carried dry food and water. Therefore, they must quickly switch to war and feed war with war.
Although there is no problem of lack of food for the time being, the soldiers have traveled long distances and are under the pressure of breaking the cauldron and sinking the boat. They don't know whether they will return to their hometown, so they all become extremely depressed.
Especially reckless men like Wen Chou and Xu Chu became even more irritable and restless, and the war machine itself was a beast.
Yuan Xi and several generals paid great attention to the condition of the soldiers. They knew that if they were not handled well, there would be the possibility of mutiny and bombing of the camp. Not every soldier was loyal.
Generally speaking, plundering and killing are the best ways to vent one's anger, but it is not suitable to carry property on the way to war, so Yuan Xi just promised to plunder again after the war, but he had no good way.
In his opinion, most of the Wuhuan people's belongings were plundered from the Han Dynasty, so they were returned to their original owners.
Darkness swallowed everything in the world, and under the moonlight, groups of Wuhuan men were being killed. They were unarmed, and they regretted resisting. Facing rows of halberd bearers, only death and fear were waiting for them.
"Drink!" A Wuhuan soldier rolled on the ground and grabbed a halberd pole. The angry Wuhuan soldiers actually kicked away the halberd soldier, and he used his halberd to block the tips of several other halberds.
"Ah!" When he was about to step forward to stab, a sharp arrow pierced his heart.
Wen Chou smiled evilly, added another feather arrow, raised his hand and shot at the next target.
The night wind blew by, and the entire bald tribe was filled with the smell of blood, which lingered for a long time.
A bunch of stupid literati in later generations ridiculed Emperor Taizong Xuanwu for his ruthless determination and inhumanity. Hehe, when the prairie cavalry insulted the Central Plains, what did these stupid literati do? They were just joking.
Yuan Xi looked at the bright moon in the sky, his eyes were cold and deep, but his mind was tumbling like waves. He didn't know what kind of evaluation future generations would give him, but which dynasty was not built on dry bones, so why not leave such an imperfect mark for the sake of stability in the border areas for future generations.
Therefore, later generations' evaluation of Emperor Xuanwu Yuan Xi is destined to be two extremes. Some people even think that Emperor Xuanwu Yuan Xi is a combination of Emperor Yang Guang of Sui Dynasty and Emperor Taizong Li Shimin.
A strong, dark young man with a tiger-like head walked up to Yuan Xi and reported back, "General, I have led people to search Shu Jian's lair and captured his five sons and four daughters. In addition, there are also a lot of wives, concubines, and slaves. , please give me your instructions, General."
"Just kill all the men. Leave the women alone for now. They can't run away without the horses. After defeating Tadun, reward them to the soldiers." Yuan Xi said lightly.
"You kid, you don't have a long memory. The general has already ordered all men to be killed, and you are here to report this!" Xu Chu scolded from the side.
"Dad, I killed them a long time ago, I don't need your orders!" the dark young man replied. He is Xu Yi, Xu Chu's son. He had just been transferred to Huwei not long ago. Xu Chu's son Xu Yi is only fourteen or fifteen years old, but he is as strong and strong as Nai's father. He looks like a strong man in his twenties.
"General, someone wants to see you!" Xu Yi looked a little confused.
"Oh? Who is it?" Yuan Xi became confused and asked.
"Ah. They are Han people who were captured as slaves by the Wuhuan people. They wanted to see the general and said that they would return south to Youzhou with the army." Xu Yi said.
"There are still Han people?" Yuan Xi was not surprised, because when he attacked Gongsun Zan, Tadun captured a group of Han people as slaves. He was just worried about resettling these people. After all, it didn't cost money.
"There are more than two hundred men and more than three hundred women." Xu Yi said truthfully.
"Give them some collected weapons and let a few soldiers lead them to take care of the cattle, sheep and Wuhuan women. After the army is victorious, they will come to take them back home." Yuan Xi ordered.
"Here!" Xu Yi took the order and left.
Bashan is a stretch of hills stretching for five miles, and it is also an important road leading to Liucheng. Tadun did not order 50,000 Wuhuan cavalry to attack the enemy's formation. Instead, he led his troops to occupy Bashan. They wanted to wait for Yuan's army to pass through and use the high ground to launch a strong attack.
Central Military Department. Tian Chou said to Jia Xu and others: "After the Bashan Mountain and all the way to Liucheng, there is a flat plain. Although it is more conducive to cavalry operations, there is water there. So our army must rush over, otherwise we will be in embarrassment after the water is used up. .”
Everyone was silent for a while. If there was no water here, it would be very good for them to stick to the spot. However, the infantry must find water sources to replenish their troops, and they must also assume a posture of marching towards Liucheng in order to contain Wuhuan's main force.
"We can't wait any longer, we must pass through the night!" Jia Xu said decisively.
"But the Wuhuan people have a good location. We are all infantry. It's not easy to rush over." Guo Tu shook his head.
"Precisely because they occupy the advantageous location, if our army does not break through the mountain, then Tadun can send more than half of his troops to fight back against the general and the others!" Tian Yu retorted.
Jia Xu narrowed his eyes and said: "Mr. Tian and I observed the terrain and found that there is a mountain road that can go around the back of the mountain. General Yan can lead his troops and sneak behind the enemy in secret, and wait until the infantry passes by. Charge out from behind."
"Well, the last general takes command!" Yan Rou replied.
Guo Tu rolled his eyes and said: "The Wuhuan people are greedy for money and profit, and the cattle and sheep carried by the army have become a drag. It is better to let them out and let them plunder, which will cause chaos in their ranks."
"This method is not bad." Jia Xu nodded and said, "But only let out the sheep and leave the cattle. They are still useful."
Tian Yu agreed and immediately ordered his soldiers to do it.
On the hilltop in the middle of the mountain, Tadun, Yuan Tan and others were watching Yuan's army's formation.
"This formation is called the Circle Formation. It is a formation passed down by Sun Bin during the time of the various nations. It can withstand attacks from all directions and is best used for defense." Xin Ping explained to Tadun.
Tadun nodded. He had previously dismissed the so-called battle formations of the Han people. He thought that the Wuhuan people's nomadic hunting formations were a good attack formation. I saw the power of the circle formation today and couldn't help but pay attention.
But what Xin Ping didn't know was that Jia Xubu's circular formation had many changes compared to the one handed down by Sun Binliu. This was the result of long-term research and training by the Qingzhou Army.
"Khanyu, why don't you think about the formation? Our rear is being attacked by them, so we should quickly return to the army and rush for reinforcements!" Que Li said anxiously.
Tadun glared at him and said displeasedly, "What do you know? The Han soldiers in front of us are trapped here by us. Even if they have enough food and grass, they will definitely run out of water in three to five days. Then it won't be a problem to annihilate them all." .****If we give up at this time, wouldn’t the previous warriors have died in vain?”
Tadun only received an unknown number of enemy cavalry appearing north of Liucheng, but he did not know that Yuan Xi's two men had already begun to attack and fight.
"But if your home is attacked, the brothers will feel uneasy!" Ke Bili also advised.
Tadun's eyes were gloomy. He ordered, "Yuan Xi'er's sneak attack method really surprised me. In a moment, Ke Bili, you will lead half of the troops back to Liucheng. I have sent people to unite the tribes on the grassland and let them all move to Liucheng. Gather all your troops to guard there."
"I don't expect them to have many riders. If two or three men and horses gather together, they can be defeated!" Bei Suji said.
"Hmph! If everyone is as careless as you and underestimates the enemy, how many of my troops can die!" Tadun said angrily.
Bei Suji lowered his head. He was extremely merciful by not killing him. He didn't dare to speak anymore.
Kebili had just set off with his troops. When Jia Xu and others boarded the sidecar, they vaguely noticed the movement. Jia Xu immediately sent his scouts to investigate. After learning that Tadun sent troops to come back for reinforcements, everyone became anxious.
Although their pressure is reduced, Yuan Xi's two cavalry will face greater danger.
The sidecars and Wuhan Iron and Steel carts moved slowly toward the mountains, with crossbowmen and gun and shield men behind them. At the back is the baggage and grain team passing by.
"Shè!" Tadun ordered.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The Wuhuan soldiers were condescending, relying on the angle of their heads to keep firing arrows at Yuan Jun's side. Because of the terrain, the Wuhuan soldiers neutralized the power of Yuan Jun's crossbows, and the shooters from both sides engaged in a large-scale confrontation.
"Grumpy!" Stones on the mountain were also thrown down.
However, with the cover of sidecars and shields, the lethality of the Wuhuan soldiers' stones and arrows was not as good as expected. Although Yuan Jun was damaged, he was moving forward steadily.
Tadun drew out his spear and shouted: "Wuhuan warriors, the time has come to show your bravery to the mountain gods. Crush the Han army in one fell swoop. Charge for me!"
"Woohoo!" Wuhuan soldiers responded one after another.
The Wuhuan soldiers took advantage of the mountains to increase their impact, but after all, there was still a flat buffer area. This area was the best shooting distance for the Yuan army's crossbowmen.
Yuan Jun's soldiers kept stringing arrows and firing again.
Although Yuan Jun shot and killed a large number of Wuhuan soldiers at this distance, they were still rushed to the front of the sidecar.
"Back off the crossbow!" Tian Yu shouted.
The crossbowman retreated quickly. Keep the distance and then shoot the enemy soldiers who have passed the sidecar. The halberdiers and spearmen made up for it in time. He used his long weapon to assassinate the Wuhuan soldiers on horseback.
Because after passing the side-cart, the impact of the war horses was almost non-existent, so the Wuhuan soldiers had to fight hard with the halberdiers and spearmen. The impact of the war horse is gone. They had no advantage against the spearmen, and were even forced back by Yuan Jun.
"Herd the sheep!" Jia Xu ordered decisively.
Xian Yuyin asked the soldiers to retreat for a while. drove the sheep out. For a time, sheep were running around, filling the war zone.
A wave of Wuhuan soldiers who came from behind couldn't help but hesitate when they saw that the enemy had released their flocks of sheep. They unconsciously slowed down their horses. Relying on his superb riding skills, a Wuhuan soldier leaned down and grabbed a sheep.
If there is one, there will naturally be a second one. These Wuhuan soldiers are usually herdsmen. They are exploited so much by the nobles that they are even half slaves and half free people.
In this way, their families often don't have much property, and lambs have always been valuable to them, so they not only stagnate, but even rob them.
Jia Xu, Tian Yu and others continued to urge the soldiers to pass quickly, and the soldiers also repaired the broken defense line.
Tadun was so angry that he stabbed to death a Wuhuan soldier who was holding a lamb, and shouted: "Anyone who dares to touch those sheep will be killed without mercy!"
Tadun's soldiers and generals stopped their subordinates one after another, and Wuhuan soldiers were in chaos again. By the time they regrouped their troops, Yuan Jun had already passed most of the way.
"Take down the Han army behind!" Tadun said angrily. The soldiers and generals did not dare to slack off and mounted their horses to attack again.
At this moment, Yan Rou finally appeared behind the mountain. Hu Qi, who had less than two thousand men, suddenly came out and chased and attacked the rear of the Wuhuan soldiers.
The Hu generals, including Tadun, were shocked for a while. They wanted to stop Yan Rou's cavalry, but Yan Rou's cavalry followed the mountain and had already chased the Wuhuan soldiers.
Although there were not many more than a thousand cavalry, the surprise effect was very significant. The Wuhuan soldiers were panicked and dodged to both sides.
Yan Rou led these Hu cavalry and rushed to the gentle land, escorting Yuan Jun's infantry through Bashan.
After receiving Tadun's order, all the tribes in the pastureland gathered together in twos and threes. After receiving the news that the three tribes had been massacred, all the tribesmen were even more shocked and angry with a bit of fear.
If you get the news later. Or if they are less lucky, they may be the ones who are exterminated.
Seleng tribe camp.
Uguna paced back and forth anxiously in the tent, and from time to time he went out to the tent door to investigate.
"Sir, Miss Nayun is back safely!" A servant shouted all the way.
Uguna's brows relaxed and he hurried out of the tent.
More than a dozen riders came running from a distance, and the first one was a bright-eyed girl of sixteen or seventeen years old. As soon as the girl got off her horse, she threw herself into Uguna's arms and sobbed.
"Child, what happened!" Uguna asked in shock.
"Han soldiers attacked the Bald Hair tribe, and my uncle died in the battle... The third cousin and the others risked their lives to let their daughter escape." Wu Nayun sobbed.
"Ah! Did they escape?" Uguna asked anxiously.
"No. No!" Wuhuan girl cried with her eyes red. Then he said, "The people who escaped later said that the Han army was killing people everywhere, even the elderly and children. My uncle's family was probably killed."
"Ah!" Uguna had complicated thoughts. His deceased wife was a bald lady. = ==Shu Feng is his brother-in-law.
But the bald tree function can kiss Taton, so the two are not at odds with each other. When he heard that the Bald Tribe was exterminated, Uguna felt both hatred and indifference in his heart.
"You go down and have a good rest. Dad will take care of it." Uguna advised.
Wu Nayun grabbed her father's arms and said sadly, "Father must avenge the bald man from top to bottom!"
Uguna patted his daughter on the shoulder and asked the slave girl to wait for her to go down and rest.
"Sir, Mr. Guo's people are here again." A close lieutenant reported.
Uguna looked cold and ordered: "No one is allowed to come near the tooth tent!"
The deputy general took the order and left. After a while, a middle-aged Wuhuan man was brought.
"How are you, sir?" a young man saluted, using authentic Wuhuan etiquette.
"Hmph! What are you doing here again? I will not surrender to the Yuan family." Uguna said coldly.
"Oh, I feel so sorry for you! Look at the adults of the previous tribes. They are now lying on the cold ground. Their wives, concubines, and daughters were all taken into the royal court of Tadun. Their cattle and sheep were all taken away. Encircled into Liucheng, their people were also tamed by Tadun." The young man couldn't help but shake his head.
Ugu's face turned white and blue in turns. It's obviously something that hurts my heart.
"The reason why Tadun didn't clean up the three groups of Seileng is because you were twisted into a ball. Tadun didn't want to pay too many casualties. But one day, he will do something black like before and murder you to death. If Sir If you don't seize this opportunity, then when Tadun settles down, you will be next!" the young man said quietly.
"That's enough!" Uguna was pierced by his words, so he used anger to cover up his fear.
The young man laughed and said, "Sir, you are still afraid of being stunned!"
"I'm not afraid of him, I just don't want to use the lives of my tribe as a bargaining chip!" Uguna retorted.
"Hmph, what's so scary about Tadun! Sir, look at what's happening to the three tribes in the friendly Tadun region now."
Wu Guna slapped the Hu table in front of him and said angrily: "You are too cruel. The three tribes cost tens of thousands of lives! Don't the Han people believe in benevolence and righteousness? How could they do such an animal thing!"
The young man couldn't help but sneered, "Don't we Wuhuan people often fight with each other? The defeated are often exterminated, and the captured men and women are all slaves. My general is merciful. He just wants those cheap slaves to die. , I didn’t kill your men, sir, did I?”
Wuguna could not refute, so he shouted angrily: "You, a traitor among the Wuhuan people, actually stand on the side of the Han people! Do you still remember your identity?"
"On our grasslands, the strong are respected, and whoever can make our lives better will naturally go to him. Since our ancestors, haven't we been serving as soldiers for the Han people for many generations? Since we are taking money from our general, we will naturally be loyal to him. There is nothing shameful about working for him, it is shameful for those who betray the Lord!" the young man retorted.
The essence of grassland civilization is to obey and follow the strong. As long as they are conquered, they will be loyal, which is different from the nine-winded ileum of the Central Plains civilization.
