The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 276: Zhao Guo's Flying Soldiers, Damn Li Mu

Since King Wu conquered Shang and established Zhou, and enfeoffed 800 princes, the territory of the Central Plains has expanded year by year, constantly eroding the territories of the surrounding Hu people.

To the Hu people, the Central Plains was like a virus that continued to spread.

The land contaminated by the Central Plains virus will never belong to the Hu people.

The Hu people have always been at a disadvantage when facing the Central Plains.

The Yan State, which had little presence in the Central Plains War, defeated the most powerful of the Hu people, the Donghu, and made them kneel down and call them father.

The three Central Plains kingdoms of Qin, Zhao and Yan, which bordered the Hu people, could not defeat any of them. The brave and warlike Hu people in later generations seemed like weaklings in the Warring States Period.

There are many reasons for this phenomenon.

One of the most important reasons is that the Central Plains would build a city.

Every time the Central Plains occupied a piece of land, they built a city on that land.

Instead of engaging the Hu people, who were skilled in archery and horsemanship, in a field battle, they forced them to fight a siege war.

The Hu people are a nomadic people who live wherever there is water and grass, using the sky as a blanket and the ground as a mat.

All the attacks between the Hu people were fought in the field.

They cannot build or attack cities.

This created a very interesting situation.

The land of the Hu people has always been occupied by the Central Plains, but the Hu people have always looked down on the Central Plains.

Because the Hu people have always suppressed the Central Plains in field battles, the Hu people worship the strong.

As for the Central Plains, they looked down upon the Hu people even more.

I won’t talk about the cultural aspect. Who can beat whom? If you can beat me, you will lose your land? If you have lost your land, why are you pretending to be so arrogant?
The Central Plains advocates the expansion of territory, and winning a war is for the purpose of occupying land rather than simply winning the war.

We have to exclude Bai Qi, the founder of annihilation warfare, here. Although this boss's ultimate goal is also to occupy land, his means to achieve the ultimate goal are very different - annihilate the enemy's manpower.

Since the Central Plains has activated the "city building" skill, and this skill is absolutely useful when fighting against the Hu people, the Central Plains' tactics against the Hu people have not changed for thousands of years.

Advance and build a city.

Relying on the city, we advance step by step.

Advance and build a city.

Relying on the city, we advance step by step.

……

Just this one move, infinite loop.

The trick doesn't have to be new, as long as it is useful.

The Hu people were dissatisfied and shouted and cursed outside the city.

Qin/Zhao/Yan dogs, if you have the guts, come down and fight! What kind of warriors are you if you hide in a turtle shell!
The Qin and Yan states didn't pay much attention.

It's just the impotent rage of a barbarian dog.

Zhao couldn't stand it.

Who are you scolding, you dog or bird? If I don't beat you, you bird man, you really think I can't beat you, right? Just wait! I'll chop off your dog's head right now!
And then... no more.

The results of field battles were mostly that Zhao was defeated and Hu won.

This phenomenon on the border of Zhao State continued until Li Mu took charge of the army.

This man stayed at home and vigorously developed agriculture, animal husbandry, and commerce, bringing shame to the brave Zhao border army and making them look weak.

This man led more than 10,000 Zhao cavalry deep into the desert, leaving the imprint of Zhao on this forbidden land in the Central Plains and overturning the Central Plains' unchanged tactics against the Hu people for thousands of years.

Under the moonlit night in the desert, Li Mu's eyes were even colder than the weather, in stark contrast to the scorching gazes of the tens of thousands of Zhao cavalrymen around him.

Before the war.

Li Mu has great ambitions and great courage:
"I will achieve fame and honor on horseback, and let the world know my name, Li Mu!"

After the war.

Li Mu is like a cold machine:
“The first, third, and fourth battalions remain motionless.

"Second camp is southwest, fifth camp is southeast, sixth camp is west, tenth camp is east, seventh camp is south, eighth camp is northwest, and ninth camp is northeast.

“When the drums sound, the horses gallop without stopping and the men do not rein in the reins.

“We only kill, not chase; we only charge, not block.

“Within a moment, falling off a horse is half the battle.

“After half an hour, the fight was fruitless.

"..."

The order was transmitted to the ears of ten Pi generals carefully selected by Li Mu.

Nearly half an hour later, Zhao Bing untied the cloth on the horse's feet and spit out the cloth in his mouth.

Turn over and get on the horse.

The two bow legs are pressed against the horse's belly, fitting perfectly, as if the man and the horse are one.

Just pinch it gently.

Sensing their intentions, the warhorse breathed heavily and let out two long white streams of air.

then.

Boom~!
The roar of thousands of horses galloping is louder than thunder, and the earth trembles and wails.

Because Zhao State had been extremely weak in recent years, the Xiongnu's garrison on the Zhao side was not in the depths of the desert.

But if you take a step back, it belongs to the desert, and if you take a step closer, it belongs to the edge of the desert.

This stationing location has many benefits.

It is convenient to go south to plunder the Central Plains - not all people in the Central Plains live in cities.

He can also be summoned by the royal court deep in the desert and quickly arrive at the scene when a war breaks out with the Linhu and Donghu.

There are many disadvantages, but the biggest disadvantage is that it is close to the Central Plains and is easy to be raided.

But people from the Central Plains had never entered the desert, and the Huns were facing the Zhao border troops who had not been able to fart for five years. What was there to be afraid of?
When the horses' hooves of Zhao State landed on the heads of these Huns, they did not think that it was the Zhao army coming, but only thought it was other Hu people.

The war horses galloped freely in the cold wind, and the Zhao soldiers harvested lives on horseback.

"Kill! Kill!"

"Hahaha! Hun dogs! Who is brave? Ah!"

"Your great father is here! Hahaha!"

"..."

More than 10,000 Zhao cavalrymen intersected from all directions, like sharp knives, piercing the big cake of the Xiongnu.

They strictly abided by military orders, never stopped, and did not engage in fierce battles with the Huns, thus maximizing the mobility of the cavalry.

The cavalry is terrible when they are running.

The Zhao soldiers discovered that they did not need to swing their swords, the impact force of their horses alone was enough to kill all the Hun dogs on the route!

These usually brave and warlike Hun dogs dismounted from their horses and fell to the ground, just like the grass fluff they crashed into during their usual training.

Grass fluff will scatter if hit, and a Hun dog will die if hit!
Some Zhao soldiers wanted to see the miserable plight of the Hun dogs under the hooves of their war horses, but they couldn't see it.

The warhorse is too fast.

Hitting one after another, stepping on one dog after another.

He could only hear the howling of the Hun dogs.

And the scream that made him feel comfortable all over could only be heard after the horse ran ten steps.

Every Zhao soldier could not see the situation under his own horse. He could only see the blood, intestines, and rotten meat under the horses of others that had been trampled so continuously that they could no longer be seen in human form!

Li Mu suppressed them for five years! Five whole years!
These repeated charges contain five years of evil fire. Can the Huns withstand it?
Can't bear it.

When they heard the Zhao language, the brave Huns were filled with fear and resentment.

When did Zhao Gou dare to attack?

They tried to resist, but were hit and trampled to death.

The rest are the cowardly Huns.

They don't care about women, children, or the elderly.

They were bare-butted and bare-chested.

They are drenched in the blood of their companions and step on their hearts, livers, spleens, lungs and kidneys.

He found his warhorse, mounted it, and fled away quickly.

They panicked and died on many dead ends.

At first, only a few lucky ones escaped, fleeing to the depths of the desert and to the north.

The lucky ones who managed to escape shouted in a way that only their own people could understand, and more and more Xiongnu rushed to the north. These fleeing Xiongnu called the attacking Zhao army "flying soldiers" - there was no sign in advance, they suddenly came, just like soldiers flying down from the sky.

In the darkness, Li Mu's eyes were shining as he watched these Hun dogs fleeing northward quietly, like a statue.

Beside Li Mu stood three deputy generals, who were in charge of the first, third and fourth battalions respectively.

Seeing that the battle was almost over but the general had not issued any orders yet, they were very anxious.

Who hasn’t been holding it in for five years?

Sima Shang, the lieutenant commander of the battalion who was the most valued by Li Mu and the one closest to Li Mu, stepped forward, wiped his running snot with his big hand, and said in a muffled voice:

"General, you have surrounded three sides of the city and left one side open, leaving the northern side open to prevent these Xiongnu dogs from jumping over the wall in a hurry. I understand.

"But now that the war is over, we can leave all these Xiongnu dogs here..."

Li Mu's eyelashes fluttered, and the frost rustled:
"not enough."

"What did the general say?" Sima Shang actually heard what Li Mu said, but he did not understand it.

"I have suppressed you for five years, but these Huns are not enough." Li Mu's voice was calm, without any emotion.

But Sima Shang's emotions were greatly aroused, and he suddenly became excited:
"General, what you mean is..."

"Giving them the northern route is not to let them live, but to let them bring people to seek death." Li Mu's nose was running, and he raised his hand to wipe it away: "We Zhao people are not Hu people. We can't do such a dirty thing as taking women and food and running away after a battle. If we have to fight, we will fight to the end."

The three words "fight to the end" were heard by the three deputy generals and by Li Mu's personal soldiers nearby.

A circle of flames was ignited with Li Mu, the piece of ice, as the center, burning fiercely.

Fight to the end?
Fight to the end!
War comes quickly and ends quickly.

In less than an hour, the camp of this Hun army of more than 10,000 people, composed of more than ten Hun tribes, was captured.

There is no need to say much about cleaning up the spoils, the soldiers will do a good job themselves.

Every Xiongnu man who was still alive was a plaything for the Zhao soldiers.

A Zhao soldier with a grim smile on his face held a dagger and thrust it forcefully into the mouth of a Xiongnu man, stirring vigorously while howling:

"Bark! Bark again! Dog-bird Hun dog!"

The Hun man's mouth was full of blood and he was howling in pain.

The blood choked him and he coughed repeatedly. While spraying blood spots all over the face and body of the Zhao soldier opposite him, large and small pieces of tongue also slid into his stomach.

A moment later, the Zhao soldier laughed loudly on the corpse of the Xiongnu man, and his tears froze into ice.

"Shitou, Nai Gong has reported it to you! The general has reported it to you!" The tears of the new life were wrapped in ice. Zhao Zu touched his face, blood and tears mixed together: "You bastard... why can't you wait for another half a year..."

Half a year ago, his brother Shitou disobeyed orders and left the country, but was captured alive by the Huns.

The Huns tied stones to the horses' tails and dragged them to death in front of Zhao Pass.

Death was a quick pleasure for the Hun men in the camp.

In addition to Hun men, there were also old people, women and children in the camp.

Most of the Hu people were soldiers when on horseback and civilians when dismounted, and the Xiongnu were no exception.

This Xiongnu army was self-sufficient in daily supplies, and many of them came here with their families.

The fertile pastures deep in the desert had already been divided up. Although this piece of land, which was close to the edge of the desert, was not as good as the land deep in the desert, it had the advantage of having fewer competitors - except for the Huns who mainly faced Zhao State, other Hu people's gathering places would not be so close to the Central Plains.

Life on this grassland is better than that of most Huns of medium-sized tribes.

Before going into battle, Li Mu had issued a military order prohibiting the killing of the elderly, children, and women.

The Zhao soldiers listened to their general very much. They poured all their hatred on the young and strong men of the Xiongnu and released all their energy on the Xiongnu women.

This is customary.

After the war, the soldiers should be allowed to vent.

After the wailing of the Hun men ended, the screams of the Hun women began.

Li Mu heard it and found it very pleasant to the ear.

"Everyone go down and watch." The war paused, Li Mu regained his emotions, and scolded with a smile: "Don't kill them all."

Don't kill them all means that it doesn't matter if you kill a few, a dozen or dozens of them.

We must make these soldiers, who are as ferocious as wolves and tigers and have been holding back for five years, restrain themselves when it comes to women.

Li Mu knew that was impossible.

Even if it were possible, he would not give the order.

He did not want.

That would be too cruel for the Zhao soldiers.

The three deputy generals laughed "hehe" which all men understand, and led the soldiers of the three battalions to join in this grand carnival.

The general asked them to go down and watch over it. The key point is not "watch over it" but "go down"!
Under the cover of night, only Li Mu's personal guards did not join the battle.

It’s not that these soldiers don’t want to play.

But the general's orders are above all else.

Li Mu allowed the army to indulge itself but did not allow its personal soldiers to indulge themselves.

On the battlefield, his personal guards must not lose themselves at any time.

After leaving the battlefield, Li Mu would reward his personal soldiers greatly and let them vent their energy on the beauties in the Qinlou and Chuguan. Aren't those beauties much better than these Hun women?
The sky in the desert gradually brightened, and the Hun soldiers had already died.

The Zhao army set out.

Their horses were loaded with food, dried meat, and various dairy products looted from the camp.

They drove the cattle, sheep and horses captured from the Xiongnu territory, among which were Xiongnu women, Xiongnu children and Xiongnu elders.

They moved slowly southward.

Set out on the journey home.

It took the Zhao army three days to travel this road.

Three days later, the Zhao army had not yet left the desert.

Because there is a burden, a happy burden.

Ten miles behind them, an army of 100,000 Huns arrived.

Although these 100,000 troops are hiding in plain sight, please keep your whereabouts in mind.

But Li Mu would leave behind a squad of scouts for every mile he traveled, with twenty miles being the limit.

The Zhao army had such a large number of scouts, and the Xiongnu army was chasing after them, so how could they hide it?

One by one, the scouts came to report the general situation of the Huns, which they had paid for with their lives, to Li Mu.

Li Mu listened and kept it in mind.

His expression faded.

His eyes grew colder.

Zhao State, Handan.

When the news of Li Mu's unauthorized departure for war reached the country, the entire nation was shocked.

King Yan of Zhao rarely reprimanded Guo Kai, saying that it was because he believed Guo Kai's slander that he did not take action against Li Mu, which led to the disaster today.

Guo Kai felt very aggrieved.

The new king has ascended the throne, but he has used unfair means, so how can he touch the generals on the border?
Besides, he also knew that Li Mu dared to go out of the border.

King Yan of Zhao, who had consulted Guo Kai on everything, bypassed Guo Kai for the first time and issued a royal order directly to Zhao general Yan Ju, ordering him to go to Yanmen to replace Li Mu.

Yan Ju, who came from an aristocratic family, responded to the call.

Yanmen.

Yan Ju has arrived.

No one cares about him.

Facing the royal decree presented by Yan Ju, the generals that Li Mu left behind to guard Yanmen did not even bother to look at it, and replied stiffly:
"I am illiterate and do not know the king's order. I only know the order given by the general himself.

"If you dare to hinder me from executing the general's order, it means I will disobey the general's order and kill me. Then I will kill you first."

Yan Ju was helpless and could only watch as chariots and large numbers of Zhao soldiers left the pass.

Yan Ju, who had been to the border, was furious.

In the endless desert, facing the Hu cavalry who came and went like the wind.

What is the use of infantry?

What is the use of chariot soldiers?

They are all targets!

Damn Li Mu!

(End of this chapter)