The Soldier of the Red Mansion

Chapter 226 The Dumbfounded Messenger

"kill!"

We found another tribe, but this time the tribe was already packing their belongings. The carts were already loaded with stacked tents and timber, which are valuable assets in the grasslands and deserts.

Clearly, the tribe received the message, but unfortunately, it was delayed for too long.

Zhang Can gave the order without hesitation.

Hundreds of armored cavalry charged toward the tribe, giving them no further chance. They were forced to abandon their cattle, sheep, and possessions and flee alone. Without supplies, how long could they survive on the grasslands? Many of the elderly and weak were unable to escape.

Since escape is impossible, the only option is to turn around and charge back into battle.

"Swish swish."

The Hu cavalry drew their bows and fired arrows at the armored cavalry, hoping to slow their advance. However, after a volley of arrows, luck was clearly not on their side, and not a single armored cavalryman was injured.

On the vast grasslands, armored cavalry are the most effective in such encounters. Otherwise, Feng Yong would not have spent so much money to build an armored cavalry force. The main purpose of this armored cavalry force is to suppress the Shu tribes.

The Shanyu tribe and the Dabansheng region dared not disobey Feng Yong, precisely because they feared this armored cavalry.

Hu Qi abandoned his bow and arrows, raised his scimitar and charged forward with gritted teeth. The collision between the two sides was like an egg hitting a rock. Zhang Can personally led the charge, but was firmly protected by his subordinates, like a boulder thrown into a puddle.

One by one, the Hu cavalrymen were knocked off their horses. Death was a relief, but survival was even more painful, as they had to endure the agony of being trampled into mincemeat by countless hooves.

Liu Ying was originally a sentry officer, and he is still a sentry officer. He used to be a member of the Yongxing Army, but now he is a member of the Jingying Army. Wearing golden armor, he took the lead and charged straight into the enemy's ranks.

The Hu cavalry was quickly routed by the successive onslaught of armored cavalry. Liu Ying wielded his heavy sword, hacking and slashing repeatedly, as if blood were raining down on him. Limbs flew everywhere and fell to the ground, and he killed with great relish.

An arrow was stuck in the gap of the iron armor on the horse's rump, concealed by the thick cotton armor.

Liu Ying was startled. After checking that his horse was not injured, he pulled out the arrow and threw it on the ground. At this moment, he felt his horse's breathing become heavier, so he immediately controlled his speed and stopped charging.

Why are warhorses so rare? Because it's best to choose warhorses of equal quality.

They were all about the same size, their horses were about the same speed, and their stamina was about the same. Liu Ying was a sentry officer, leading ninety infantrymen and sixty cavalrymen. Following Liu Ying's speed, the sixty armored cavalrymen all slowed down.

Although slowed down, the momentum of the horse and the protection of the armor still made him a reaper who reaped lives.

After scattering the Hu cavalry, Zhang Can looked at his own troops and charged towards the largest group of Hu cavalry, with Ma Fan cooperating. Liu Ying knew that going there would be a waste of troops and that he would have no use for his own abilities, so he turned around and went elsewhere.

The fleeing Hu cavalry tried to regroup, but Liu Ying charged in.

Someone shouted for help to maintain order, and Liu Ying rushed over.

Zhang Can once again routed most of the Hu cavalry. Looking back, he saw Liu Ying in the distance. He had been keeping an eye on the situation of each unit. Zhang Can was very satisfied with Liu Ying's performance. This man was no ordinary sentry officer. He was very quick-witted and a promising talent. No wonder the general valued him.

"Where are my men?!"

Ignoring the sweat on his forehead, Zhang Can raised his spear and shouted.

"here!"

Hearing their commander's shout, the armored cavalrymen around them knew that their commander was about to attack again, and they all responded and regrouped around Zhang Can.

Once there were enough people around him, Zhang Can shouted again and pointed to the convoy in front.

"kill!"

Zhang Can rushed forward.

This time, no Hu cavalry came to stop them, because they were all dead. The next moment, the tribe collapsed, and no one cared about the tribe's life or death anymore. The old and weak were ignored, and everyone rode away to save their lives.

With just one charge, they easily wiped out an entire tribe.

This is the power of armored cavalry.

"Why did you have to do something so stupid when you could be familiar with the place?" Zhang Can said, panting heavily. He took off his helmet, lay down next to a rock to rest, and couldn't help but curse.

The Shu tribe can trade with the Great Zhou, obtain stable supplies, and live a stable life, but this also means giving up security. Those Sheng tribe members who would rather lose profits and trade with the Great Zhou through the Shu tribe are homeless and live in poverty, and are actually the biggest threat to the Great Zhou.

The two forces are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining. If it were the Sheng tribe that caused the trouble, the Great Zhou would have a hard time dealing with it. But it was the Shu tribe that was causing the trouble. Zhang Can, who had served in the military in Datong for many years, really couldn't understand it.

Perhaps too much stability has made them lose their minds. Or perhaps they've had too much good life and forgotten who they are. Or maybe they don't know how powerful a general can be.

After thinking it over, Zhang Can concluded that it should be the latter.

Having reached the Qingshui River area, Zhang Can did not continue his journey but stayed behind to wait for the main force. This time, the captured cattle and sheep were not slaughtered, and they could be transported back to the interior of the pass.

Day two.

Wang Xin led the chariot battalion, following the tracks left by the cavalry, and joined up with Zhang Can.

With the protection of the wagon camp, the cavalrymen could finally rest. Many cavalrymen lay on the grass in the wagon camp and slept in broad daylight, and their warhorses also became thinner.

It had only been four or five days, yet many horses had lost several pounds.

Zhuo Zhi and his men took over the warhorses, took out soybean concentrate to care for them, and the accompanying veterinarian checked the horses' physical condition.

"General!" The soldiers rested, but the generals could not. Zhang Can, Ma Fan, Liu Ying, and many others had marks and bloodstains on their armor, indicating that they had been through fierce fighting.

Zhang Can cupped his hands in greeting and said with a smile, "We wiped out two tribes and eliminated five or six hundred people, but unfortunately many of them escaped."

"What are the casualties?"

Wang Xin sat on a cart. The cart camp had many large carts that could provide rest for the soldiers. Zhang Can and the others also sat on the cart frame. Although they had smiles on their faces, they could not hide their fatigue.

"The casualties weren't too high, but two of our brothers were unlucky; their horses stepped into rat holes, not only limping their legs but also injuring themselves," Zhang Can said bitterly. Rat holes are the worst thing on the grasslands; they can easily cause horses to slip and injure livestock, and even the riders. Nobody wants these non-combat injuries.

A total of six people were injured and two died.

"Take him back and give him a proper burial," Wang Xin said in a low voice.

No one spoke much, but no one paid much attention either. It was fine for officers and generals, but casualties among soldiers were inevitable. Even training could easily result in injuries and deaths, let alone on the battlefield.

Moreover, compared to the gains achieved, their own casualties were already very small, which was acceptable to the generals present.

Wang Xin didn't want to damage morale, so he didn't bring up the topic again.

Sudden.

Several scouts rushed back and reported: "General, we have encountered a group of Hu cavalry who claim to be envoys of the Chanyu and want to see you."

"So fast?"

Wang Xin's face darkened.

The generals did not understand why their general was unhappy.

Having arrived at this place, Wang Xin no longer concealed anything and said to everyone, "I expected the Chanyu to send someone to see me. We scared him badly last time."

"Haha."

"The general is right, the Chanyu is afraid of us."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Wang Xin laughed and said, "This time we will strike again, unless he is reckless and doesn't care about the depletion of his strength, and is determined to fight us to the death."

Liu Ying, being an armored cavalryman and only a sentry officer, stayed behind because he had come with Zhang Can to report his achievements. Upon hearing Wang Xin's explanation, he understood and couldn't help but ask, "General, are you planning to use war to force peace?"

“Impossible,” Ma Fan denied, then looked at the general and said confidently, “The general wouldn’t do that.”

Everyone looked at Wang Xin.

Wang Xin nodded.

If the Chanyu disregards everything and insists on eliminating him, he is not worried. As long as the Dabansheng region does not send reinforcements, Wang Xin is confident that he can defeat the Chanyu with his own strength.

As for Osaka Noboru's reinforcements, that was also impossible, because his planned marching route and return time meant that Osaka Noboru's reinforcements would not arrive in time.

Fighting was out of the question, and the Shanyu tribe was eager for peace. Therefore, his approach seemed more like using war to force peace.

However, using war to force peace was not their goal; rather, it was a means to lure people in.

His plan was to return to Weiyuan Pass, deal with Feng Di, and then wait for the Chanyu's envoy. He was betting that the Chanyu would definitely send someone to sue for peace.

Unexpectedly, the Chanyu's envoy arrived first. Where did things go wrong? Wang Xin let the Chanyu's envoy in.

The Chanyu's envoy also brought two people who were bound hand and foot.

The envoy pointed to the two prisoners and looked at Wang Xin with a sincere expression, introducing them as follows: "These two are from Weiyuan Pass. They were ordered by Feng Di, the garrison commander of Weiyuan Pass, to reveal General Wang's whereabouts to our Chanyu, hoping to use the Chanyu to get rid of General Wang. To show our sincerity, our Chanyu sent these people to the general."

The crowd was furious, glaring at the two Zhou soldiers on the ground whose mouths were gagged.

The envoy was very satisfied with everyone's performance and said smugly, "General Wang should not attack the Shanyu tribe. The Shanyu tribe is loyal to the court. If General Wang needs it, the Shanyu will definitely cooperate with you."

Does this person not want to become the next Feng Yong?

The trouble in the Dabansheng region is quite big, and the court's attention should be on Ouyanhu. Ouyanhu wants to ease relations with the Great Zhou, so how could the Chanyu miss the opportunity?

In order to control Dabansheng, the imperial court should try to win over the Shanyu tribe.

They had already analyzed it.

Just like Datong a decade or two ago, the Shanyu tribe was in sync with Feng Yong because of the situation outside the Great Wall, and the two cooperated for more than ten years.

Upon learning the prisoner's identity, Wang Xin understood that although his plan had taken a slight turn for the worse, it wasn't a major problem.

Wang Xin was still somewhat displeased that Feng Di had made a choice he had no expectations of, even though the other party had actually done so.

As long as the person is talented and obedient, I can let them go and even use them as a trusted confidant. I have the confidence to do so and I am not worried about being deceived.

Since things had come to this, there was no point in thinking about it further. Wang Xin remained calm and said indifferently, "If the Chanyu wants to cooperate with me, he should come and see me in person. Otherwise, why should I trust the Chanyu?"

The fact that the Chanyu came to see him was tantamount to entrusting his life to his own hands; this was the greatest show of sincerity.

The envoy paused for a moment, then retorted, "The Chanyu's strength is no less than that of the general. The general is ultimately not Feng Yong. The Chanyu and the general have a cooperative relationship." The envoy emphasized.

“Two choices.” Wang Xin said decisively, starting with the first: “Either the Chanyu comes to see me in person, or I will wait for him at Weiyuan Pass for ten days.”

The envoy immediately asked, "What about the second one?" Clearly, he disagreed with the first option and was considering the second.

"Give me Ou Yanhu's head."

Wang Xin's words caused everyone present to feel a pang of unease; even his own people felt that the general's second choice was far too much to ask. If the Chanyu (ruler) had such ability, he would have been the one to kill Mo Bisheng and declare himself Khan; it wouldn't be his turn.

The envoy didn't react, staring blankly at Wang Xin, his eyes lifeless, almost fuming from those words.

Finally realizing what was happening, the envoy was at a loss for words and felt a sense of powerlessness, even though he could refute the young general's words at every turn.

(End of this chapter)