Tiger Guards

Chapter 509 Snowstorm
On the 18th, Xianglibao led his transport troops to the Sheyan royal court.

Zhao Ji officially began his journey towards Fushi. He sat on a sled chariot, his eyes covered by black veils on both sides.

His eyesight is so sharp that it becomes a disadvantage in this situation.

Even at night, one cannot gaze at the snowfield for long.

Not only him, but all the Han and Hu officials and soldiers under his command either painted their faces with black oil paint and applied thick black eye shadow, or simply covered their eyes with black veils.

Most of them had never fought in icy and snowy lands, and neither had Zhao Ji. Fortunately, the entire army had the best supplies available at the time.

If there are any needs that cannot be met by the rear transport, they can be resolved manually on the front line.

The icy wind whipped at his face. Zhao Ji wore a double-layered deerskin glove on his right hand, with nail plates on the back of his hand and fingers. At this moment, the white breath he exhaled was tinged with frost.

Relying on sleds, Zhao Jizhong's army group advanced rapidly.

The further north they went, the closer they got to the designated battleground, the more depressed Zhao Ji felt.

This repression wasn't due to fear of war or death; he felt he might smash the hardened layer on the surface of the cesspool with a stone.

That description isn't quite accurate. The Xianbei people are more like a volcano about to erupt, and you're preparing to throw a huge bomb into it.

The fragile balance within the crater could very well be broken by itself.

He previously held the preconceived notion that the Han dynasty perished because of its strength, and that local warlords could still suppress the various nomadic tribes.

This perception may have been formed because some people criticized the lax military preparedness brought about by centralized power, or something else, deliberately exaggerating the fighting capabilities of the warlords at the end of the Han Dynasty.

The more we learn, the more we can perceive the Xianbei people's war potential.

The deaths of Tan Shihuai and his son Lian seemed to occur at the perfect time, as if by some divine intervention.

If we eliminate Kui Tou now, the Xianbei people will lose their internal checks and balances and start fighting amongst themselves. Under the influence of power and violence, a regional hegemon will inevitably emerge in the short term.

Just like the Xianbei vanguard, Uyghur Dou, who marched south and frightened the Xiongnu retinue into fleeing in panic.

As a result, the Uyghurs only forced the Qiang people to launch a probing attack once, a night battle, and the vanguard captured or killed only a little over five thousand people.

After that, the Uyghur leader Dou stopped his troops from moving, clearly indicating that he did not want to take the initiative to fight.

This is just a glimpse into the bigger picture; if this is the case in one place, it is probably not an isolated case, and there are probably many similar people in other places as well.

If Kui Tou dies, the Xianbei royal court establishment will be unable to suppress the various Xianbei tribes. After these people complete the regional unification, they will inevitably invade southward, westward, or eastward.

In other words, we will be facing a border region with a very strong desire to attack.

The people of Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and the Xiongnu, as well as Yuan Shao, Xianyu Fu, Gongsun Zan, Gongsun Du, and even Goguryeo, will all suffer fierce attacks from the Xianbei.

This might actually be a good thing.

Only under external pressure can one quickly and efficiently unify Liangzhou, Bingzhou, and the Xiongnu people, and even the Western Regions are possible.

Although it's prone to exploding under high pressure, it's really efficient.

Zhao Ji sentenced the Xianbei chieftain Kui Tou to death again. After replenishing their fodder near Yulin, Kui Tou and his more than 30,000 Xianbei followers from Shuofang and Wuyuan were almost at full speed, heading towards Fushi along the Qin Straight Road.

On the 19th, Zhao Ji arrived at the front line and established a fortified camp along the road.

The army of the leader also arrived and set up camp along the road. The sky was no longer clear; it changed in an instant, and heavy snow began to fall.

Visibility was less than forty paces in the heavy snow, and both sides sent out scouts more frequently.

The Han army scouts were supported by roving sled crossbowmen. Even if they were hit by arrows and fell off their horses, the sled crossbowmen could still rescue them and bring them back to their own controlled area in the south.

Zhao Ji also came to the front line to scout. The wind and snow were swirling, and it was impossible to hear the sound of horses' hooves. Often, the riders' figures were seen first before the sound of hooves could be heard.

Even if you lie on the ground and listen, the snow on the ground and the sound of the horses' hooves from both sides interfere with each other, making it impossible to predict the outcome.

The Xianbei people were even more accustomed to the wind and snow. When Zhao Ji arrived at the front line, he casually shot and killed three Xianbei knights. As he advanced north along the road, more than a dozen Xianbei people suddenly stood up from the snow and drew their bows to shoot at Zhao Ji and his dozen or so riders.

Zhao Ji and his men immediately retaliated. Within two breaths of a distance of more than twenty paces, all the Xianbei people were shot dead.

Zhao Ji rode closer and initially thought the Xianbei people had dug a pit to hide in. However, he was surprised to find that they had laid pine branches and leather in the snow by the roadside, wrapped themselves in felt blankets, and then ambushed the roadside. Subsequent snowfall covered up the traces.

Guan Shang drew his sword warily, but only sheathed it after the others finished off the enemy and took their heads. "Grand Marshal," he said, "this must be a Xianbei sentry."

Cheng He, the swordsman searching the corpse, pried a bone whistle out of the mouth of a middle-aged Xianbei man before removing the man's head and holding the whistle between his fingers: "It's a hidden sentry, not far from the Xianbei camp."

Immediately someone spoke up: "Grand Marshal, we must not go any further."

"Yes, the wind and snow obscure our vision, making it difficult to discern the true nature of the Xianbei stronghold even when we are close to it."

Guan Shang also offered his advice, and Zhao Ji nodded in agreement: "Then let's retreat."

A senior horseman led over a warhorse, and Zhao Ji mounted it with agility. He gripped his bow and looked to the north, when suddenly he saw a Xianbei knight charging towards him with a spear. Without thinking, he drew his bow and fired an arrow, striking the Xianbei cavalryman at the front of the charge in the face, his head exploding.

The Xianbei cavalry that followed were also seeing such a scene for the first time in their lives. Before they could take cover, Zhao Ji fired seven arrows in quick succession, and the knights in sight immediately stopped, remaining forever at a safe distance with blurred figures.

Seeing a stable boy about to spur his horse forward to gather the Xianbei's horses, Guan Shang raised his whip and lashed him hard: "Withdraw!"

The knight looked indignant and turned to observe Zhao Ji. Seeing that Zhao Ji didn't care at all, he could only lower his head and follow the other knights to join Zhao Ji.

"withdraw."

As Zhao Ji spoke, a dozen arrows suddenly flew towards them, followed by more arrows and more Xianbei knights.

Several elite guards reined in their horses and stopped in front of Zhao Ji, turning their backs to the north as much as possible in an attempt to use their sturdy back armor to defend against arrows.

Without hesitation, Zhao Ji kicked off his horse and rode away, immediately turning back to fire at any Xianbei who might be present.

In such low visibility conditions, most people shoot based on their predictions, and their own lives are obviously more valuable than the arrows they consume.

After Zhao Ji withdrew, more Xianbei people arrived nearby. Upon seeing the sentries shot dead, they generally looked gloomy and unhappy.

"The victory will be achieved tonight."

On the way back, Zhao Ji grabbed a wine flask, took a sip, and tossed it to the others, saying, "I'm eager for battle and can't wait for the snow to stop; I don't know what Kui Tou is thinking."

Guan Shang also drank, and passed the wine bag around: "Will Kui Tou also send out troops tonight?"

"Well, the situation is unclear. Fighting in the snow at night is not the best option, but it's not the worst either."

(End of this chapter)