Han Khan

Chapter 24, Fire Bull Charges

The sky is vast, the wilderness is boundless, the wind blows the grass low and cattle and sheep can be seen... This Chi Le song that has been passed down through the ages is also applicable to the beautiful and magnificent hilly grasslands of the Qilian Mountains before our eyes.

Upstream of Ganquan River, in the camp of the Tubo tribe, Zhang Sheng looked at the Tubo captives, including men, women, and children, kneeling on the ground.

"An Shilang, Kang Xintong, you two lead your troops to count the cattle, sheep and other valuables and make a list. Report to me later how many have been captured." Zhang Sheng ordered.

"Yes, Your Highness." The two of them were very familiar with this job and quickly took their people to get to work.

"Disperse all the people and mix them among the Uighur captives and keep them under guard. Hunzi Ji and Hunzi Ying, captains of the hundred troops, you two will be in charge of this matter."

"Yes, Your Highness." The two of them immediately took two hundred cavalrymen to do this. It seemed that His Highness wanted them to specifically do the job of guarding the prisoners.

"Saru, can you please report how much damage the five slave soldiers' centurions suffered?" Zhang Sheng, sitting on a tree stump covered with fur, asked the blood-soaked Uighur slave soldier centurion.

Salu knelt respectfully on the ground, his hair disheveled and his leather armor already in tatters.

He raised his head and said carefully: "Special forces, 178 slave soldiers died in the battle, and 126 were seriously injured or unable to fight."

"Well, that means we lost about 3 people, half of them were killed or wounded. These Tibetans are really brave." Zhang Sheng said to him solemnly.

And Salu felt bitter, he had just become the captain of the Centurion Team, but now almost all his men were gone. He was left alone, how could he not be depressed?
And can this be called the Tibetans' bravery? If they had armor, horses, and sophisticated weapons, these Tibetans would have been killed long ago. Isn't it just because they don't trust us? ! Of course, he only dared to think about it in his heart.

At this time, Zhang Sheng stood up and walked to the Uighur slave soldiers who were in a somewhat depressed mood. In front and behind him were the Jinhan guards who were all in iron armor.

"In today's battle, you have proved that you are still warriors. Now I ask you, do you want to be lowly slaves or warriors? If you want to be slaves, then I won't say much, just do what you should do. If you want to be warriors who fight for me, then stand up!!"

Zhang Sheng looked at these Uighur slave soldiers who had just survived a bloody battle and said.

Afraid that they might not understand, the slave centurion Salu stood by and translated for them.

As soon as he finished speaking, all the slave soldiers stood up. They did not dare to look Zhang Sheng in the eye, for fear that their eyes would betray their anger and they would be hacked to death.

"Today each of you will have meat and naan." Zhang Sheng said to them.

The eyes of these wounded slave warriors lit up when they heard about meat and naan, but the surprises did not end there.

Zhang Sheng continued.

"From today on, all of you will be promoted to Jin Han's soldiers and no longer slaves. The same applies to your families, if you have any.

Armor, swords, bows and arrows, and horses will be delivered soon.

At the same time, those who were wounded or killed in battle were no longer slaves.

If the family members of the dead are slaves, then they will be my subjects from today on, and will be protected and ruled by me.

After listening to Salu's translation, the slave soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and looked at each other in surprise.

The rewards are generous. Although there is nothing material, at least you don’t have to be cheap cannon fodder.

Then, at Salu's reminder, they all knelt down to show their loyalty.

The shock and joy disrupted the slaves' minds and made them seem to have forgotten their recent anger.

"There is another tribe ahead. We have to continue fighting today. Can you still fight?" Zhang Sheng smiled slightly and continued to ask.

These Uighurs, who were no longer slave soldiers, shouted, "Fight again! Fight again!"

Zhang Sheng laughed and continued talking.

"Very good, this is what a true warrior is. If you continue to perform meritorious deeds, I will personally baptize you and you will become glorious saints.

I will promote you to captains of tens, fifties, and hundreds under my command, send your troops under your command, and reward you with cattle, sheep, horses, and slaves. "

This is the real hook.

The surviving Uighurs were stronger than other slaves and captives, and it was easier for them to improve their status than other captives and slaves.

Now that I have heard the promise from the leader with my own ears, I am even more motivated to fight.

They had witnessed with their own eyes the excellent treatment of the Jin Han people, with meat provided every day, excellent armor, sharp weapons, and high status, and they heard that they could also become such warriors.

"Long live! Long live the leader......"

Looking at the Uighur warriors who were wolfing down the meat and naan, Zhang Sheng smiled slightly and left.

There is a place at the foot of Qilian Mountain, with its back against the Qilian Mountain, where icy springs flow down from the mountain, making a gurgling sound.

There are mountains, water, forests and rocks. You can tell at a glance that this is a place that is easy to defend but difficult to attack. It is an excellent place to camp and station troops near the sweet spring water at the foot of the Qilian Mountains.

Zhang Sheng led the newly organized 194 Jinhan warriors and five newly organized slave soldiers to replenish water and dry food, and continued to march southward and up the hillside with his people. There were countless tribes living in the mountains. He was still thinking about how to find the station of Tugel, and met some young and strong Uighurs along the way.

After arresting some of them and questioning them, we found out that the so-called Tugerdagan was convening many Uighur tribes on and below the Qilian Mountains to hold a meeting. These people were sent to invite Peiluodagan's troops who were defeated by Zhang Sheng.

Now, there are about 3,000 tents and tens of thousands of people gathered in the valley.

Zhang Sheng and the captains and guards behind him all looked grim when they heard this. These Uighurs were definitely not holding a meeting to entertain guests. Their goal was Dunhuang, or to go to Ganzhou through Dunhuang.

Can we defeat tens of thousands of Uighurs?

How to do?
Zhang Sheng thought that it was because of the arrival of these Uighurs that Dunhuang eventually became the Shazhou Uighurs in history, and Hexi eventually became a bloody place, although he could ignore this matter.

Because he himself was betrayed by the aristocratic families of Dunhuang and left Dunhuang, but the concept of the Han family in his heart made him feel that he could not just stand by and watch! But he was a little anxious in his heart.

Jin Han's troops stopped as Zhang Sheng and others hesitated and grazed on the hills outside the valley.

Zhang Sheng stood on a huge white stone by the river, facing the sky and praying, but in fact he was thinking about how to defeat the Uighurs in the valley.

The Uighur slaves, on the other hand, seemed somewhat agitated.

Suddenly there was a thunderous roar in the valley. (That was the sound of the improvised bomb made of black powder that he had thrown.)
The grass and trees all over the mountains seemed to tremble with the roar, and countless birds were startled from the forest and flew into the sky.

He was using the name of God to inspire his people and suppress his slaves. (Of course, he was just playing tricks on me.)
"Soldiers, the gods have responded to me and said that the Jin Han people will definitely win. Are you willing to lend me a hand?" When the time came, Zhang Sheng had no intention of retreating. He shouted fanatically to all the Jin Han people.

The blood in my heart is burning in my chest.

The brave soul of the past seemed to awaken, and the timidity in my heart disappeared.

The breath of the guards and centurion captains behind him gradually became heavier, and they responded to him enthusiastically and firmly, "God of Heaven, we fight for the gods and for the emperor. Your Highness has ordered us to do what you want, and we will follow you. There is no life without death, and we have no regrets even if we die!"

"Shanxiong, you go and arrange people immediately, drive the cattle here, tie flammable materials on their tails, and have your men light them. Let the cattle rush towards the valley, and we will follow them!" Zhang Sheng turned and said to his personal guard Yin Shanxiong.

Hearing what Zhang Sheng said, the eyes of the guards and centurions behind him lit up.

They all looked at their master with admiration.

As the scouts reported the enemy's concentrated location,

Yin Shanxiong immediately ordered people to bring a thousand oxen and tied them up, then asked his men to collect dry firewood and grass from all around and tie them to the horns and tails of the oxen.

Then he used a torch to light the firewood on the cow's horns and tail. Suddenly, flames rose. When the cow saw that its head and tail were on fire, it ran wildly towards the valley.

The tribesmen watched and shouted wildly: "Long live! Long live Haotian, long live the emperor!"

After a while, it seemed like the time was almost right.

Zhang Sheng pulled the reins, and the warhorse stood up, neighing loudly, and waved the lance in his hand, pointing at the valley. "Warriors of the Lord Haotian, follow the emperor to charge and defeat the enemies of the gods."

When the horse's hooves landed on the ground, Zhang Sheng patted the horse's belly lightly, and the Hexi horse rushed from the hillside to the valley like an arrow.

The generals and soldiers behind him rode their horses to follow.

In the empty valley, the neighing of war horses rose and fell, and could be heard from far away.

The hurried sound of horse hooves breaks the early morning, breaks the tranquility of the valley, and breaks the sweet dreams of the ambitious.

More than a thousand cavalrymen charged forward like a swimming dragon, and more than 200 Uighur cavalrymen also followed.

The sword flashed with cold light.

The Jin Han people came like divine soldiers from heaven.

How can a man not strive to become stronger when he is born in troubled times?

"who?"

"Be bold!"

Various Uighur roars sounded at the same time.

They immediately organized themselves into battle formation to prepare for the enemy.

However, at this moment, a shocking roar suddenly came.

In a moment, a group of crazy cattle came rushing in like a tide! Their eyes were bloodshot, they were panting, and they kept running wildly, as if they wanted to destroy everything.

In an instant, the entire Uighur camp seemed to have been hit by a terrible storm and was torn to pieces by the mad cattle.

(End of this chapter)