Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 369 The Decisive Battle in the Northern Desert
"This is your war."

Lin Dao put down his binoculars and pointed to the Hunnic army formation on the edge of the distant desert.

"I'm here to see you off!"

Huo Qubing nodded vigorously and spurred his horse toward the army formation.

The Han soldiers gathered together, took weapons, armor, and horse armor from their packhorses, and helped each other put on their gear.

No soldier would wear armor and carry weapons while marching.

Unless it's for a staged photo.

Lin Dao is also busy here.

He was debugging and setting up various equipment, especially two huge sound systems.

He has recently developed a fondness for photography, not just taking pictures, but also creating professional video records.

Instead of a mobile phone, they used a professional camera.

After connecting the power supply and making some adjustments, Lin Dao selected a piece of music on the control computer and waited for the Han army to launch their attack.

He himself wore a Steadicam stand and filmed with the camera mounted on his head.

No historical record can compare to one's own on-site photography.

The preparation time for the great battle involving more than 100,000 people on both sides was very long.

The Han army, in particular, took months just to assemble from various places to reach Youbeiping County, and then travel thousands of miles north to the Gobi Desert.

But when the main forces of both sides collide and engage in a fierce battle.

The outcome can be decided in a morning or an afternoon at most, which can also determine the fate of one or several countries.

Battles involving the main force are just that brutal and terrifying.

"Okay."

Lin Dao was far from the battlefield, and he saw that both sides were ready and about to engage in a direct confrontation.

He stood on the roof of the car and pressed the confirmation button on his laptop.

Music emanated from the enormous speaker.

At the age of twenty, what use is empty fame?

'It's just the cycle of flowers blooming and withering, and all living beings living in it~'

'Cause and effect come and go in a hurry~'

'Just a wild goose returning home~'

'A few heroes, however few, can handle anything with ease.'

The melody, accompanied by guitar and flute, echoed through the wilderness.

This song, specially composed for Huo Qubing, combined with the increasingly intense battle in the distance, certainly creates an atmosphere.

Music and photography are just Lin Dao's personal hobbies.

His battlefield experience was incredibly rich; although he made a lot of noise, he was far from the battlefield and sheltered from the wind.

This was to avoid interfering with the sounds of war drums and bugles that convey military orders on the battlefield.

"The Han army has begun their charge!"

"They marched in like an iron wall."

"The other side is clearly hesitant; they're probably intimidated by these heavily armored steel fortresses."

"The Hun cavalry also began to accelerate their counterattack; they're not stupid."

"The two sides are about to collide head-on!"

Lin Dao, wearing a microphone, had a camera mounted on his stomach, filming while simultaneously providing live commentary.

Even though he's the only one who's watching these videos, the atmosphere still needs to be there.

He works out of passion and interest, not for a paycheck, so he's very enthusiastic.

On the distant battlefield, the fighting was extremely fierce.

However, it seems that the roles on the offensive and defensive ends have been reversed.

The Han army, composed entirely of cavalry, galloped across the battlefield, roaring and charging, with arrows raining down from bows and crossbows, looking every bit like a powerful nomadic legion.

Meanwhile, the army of the Xiongnu Chanyu's royal court on the opposite side was trying to concentrate its forces to fight against the Han army.

Yizhixie even conscripted uncivilized tribes from the north, such as the Dingling and Jiankun, to fight.

As a result, although the Xiongnu had a large number of people, a large portion of them were infantry.

Moreover, these tribes that only know how to hunt have no idea about military formations.

Despite their large numbers, they were all a mob.

Huo Qubing keenly perceived this, and under the command of horns and numerous banners, he dispatched a heavily armored cavalry force clad in horse armor, which roared in and directly crushed this rabble, driving them to break up the Xiongnu army's formation.

"damn it!"

Upon witnessing this scene, Yi Zhixie's eyes widened in fury.

"Go! Go! Go!"

"Charge forward and slaughter all the Han people!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved like boiling water.

This battle was extremely important to him.

Not only are the main forces participating in the war the core of his royal court, but more importantly, if they fail again, the Chanyu's position will inevitably be unstable!

Although the Xiongnu people also valued bloodline inheritance, they placed even greater emphasis on prestige and strength.

A Chanyu who keeps suffering defeats cannot hold his position securely.

Whatever the reason, he was going all out in this battle.

He sent all his troops out to fight.

On the vast battlefield, more than 100,000 people fought each other, and the battle was extremely fierce.

"As expected of my second brother."

Lin Dao, who was filming the battlefield from a distance, also exclaimed in admiration, "They're really capable."

To be able to successfully command one's troops in such a complex environment and continuously maneuver them in battle—that is the mark of a true master general.

Despite Lin Dao's extensive experience in battlefield command, he may not be able to command as skillfully as Huo Qubing.

Although the Han army was not as numerous as the Xiongnu, its all-cavalry force made it highly mobile.

Under Huo Qubing's command, they were always able to gain an advantage in local areas and continuously defeat and devour the Xiongnu army.

In particular, the thousands of heavily armored cavalrymen equipped with horse armor completely ignored the rain of arrows from the Xiongnu, charging back and forth with long weapons in both hands, breaking the Xiongnu's formation time and time again.

"Those were Han Chinese armored cavalry?"

Yizhixie Chanyu, who was also observing the battlefield, gritted his teeth in hatred.

The spies in Chang'an had already passed on this information, and even provided a map.

Yizhixie also wanted to equip the Xiongnu with gear, similar to the three-piece cavalry armor set he had previously acquired. However, horse armor required a high level of technology and a large quantity of iron.

This was difficult for the Xiongnu people, who had severed trade ties with the Central Plains, to popularize on a large scale.

It took a lot of manpower and resources to create more than a hundred sets of horse armor.

Moreover, the leaves are rough and have no luster whatsoever.

Seeing that there were several thousand sets of Han cavalry, Yizhixie was both angry and envious.

'The Han people have such a high productivity, and there are just too many of them.'

'If it weren't for the fact that the Xiongnu had many mounted riders, they would have been no match for the Han people.'

'What if one day we lose the advantage of cavalry?'

He dared not think about it anymore.

In the fierce battles, countless lives are lost every moment.

Having received a promise from the emperor before the expedition that meritorious soldiers would be given massive rewards, the Han army unleashed terrifying fighting power.

They fought bravely and ruthlessly slaughtered all the Xiongnu people in front of them.

The fierce battle began at noon and continued until dusk.

Filming and music have stopped at the forest road.

He set up a sunshade and prepared some fast food and drinks to cool off.

"What prevented Huo Qubing from reaching the pinnacle was his failure to completely eliminate the Xiongnu and kill the Great Chanyu."

"Today, I'm here to help my second brother make up for this regret."

After putting down his Mixue lemonade, Lin Dao set off to assemble the drone.

This is a large drone, which not only has a longer range, but also has various equipment added, including xenon lights.

After the drone took off, the battlefield survey quickly located Izhixie's figure.

Finding a commander-in-chief on the battlefield is not actually difficult.

Because the commander-in-chief needs to direct the army and stabilize morale, he must be conspicuous, at least his banner must be visible to the soldiers.

Finding it isn't difficult, but capturing it is a different story.
If one doesn't possess the strength of a hegemon, then Guan Yu's courage is best left unmentioned.

Having locked onto his target, Lin Dao stared at the screen for a while before reaching for the walkie-talkie.

"Huo Qubing~"

"Huo Qubing, please respond!"

A short while later, Huo Qubing responded over the walkie-talkie, "Please speak if you hear me."

“Yizhixie fled northwest, accompanied by about three or four hundred riders.”

"Roger that!"

Huo Qubing, having received the news in time, looked around.

At this moment, only Zhang Qian, who had been fighting for a long time and was now resting, remained by his side.

"you!"

Huo Qubing immediately ordered, "Yizhixie has fled northwest! Lead your troops to pursue him immediately! We must capture him!"

Zhang Qian was stunned for a moment, then bowed.

"Here!"

Huo Qubing himself was not idle either.

After surveying the battlefield, he spurred his warhorse and led the reserve force, which had not been used, to charge towards the main battlefield.

The time to decide the outcome has come.

The Xiongnu people also demonstrated their tenacity and fighting prowess.

Unfortunately, they encountered the strongest Han army of the era and were ultimately defeated.

The heavily armored cavalrymen were already exhausted to the point of collapse, and many of the strong horses that had been fed hormone-enhanced feed had even died from exhaustion.

However, their results were extremely fruitful.

Whether they were infantry or cavalry, none of the Xiongnu could withstand the impact of the charge.

At this moment, all the heavy cavalry stopped to rest and regroup, while the light cavalry, taking advantage of the afterglow of the setting sun, frantically pursued and killed the fleeing Xiongnu.

At this point, military achievements were practically as easy as picking them up for free.

Zhang Qian has gone mad.

He relentlessly pursued Yizhixie like a madman.

Although he was granted the title of Marquis of Guannei, his desire for advancement was even stronger.

The fact that he captured the Xiongnu Chanyu alive was enough to drive him mad.

The sunset finally disappeared completely, replaced by night.

In this situation, Yizhixie, who keeps sending out bait, has a high chance of escaping alive.

But he was unlucky, and Lin Dao had no intention of letting him go.

Lin Dao drove the car with one hand, while using the other to operate the drone control panel and turn on the xenon headlights he carried.

A bright beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping Yizhixie's figure.

The crazed Zhang Qian led the Han cavalry in relentless pursuit of the beam of light.

Meanwhile, Yizhixie, who was on the run, was going crazy.

He never imagined that a beam of light could fall from the sky and be specifically aimed at him.

No matter how you change direction, or how you accelerate or decelerate, you can't get rid of it.

"Is this a divine punishment ordering my death?!"

Having lost the main force of the royal court, there's no way to escape even if you try.

Having suffered a series of devastating blows, Izhixie was now plunged into despair and madness.

They saw countless Han soldiers carrying torches closing in from all directions.

Looking around, he saw that only a few dozen riders remained.

Yizhixie reined in his horse and let out a strange laugh like that of an owl.

The Han army did not use their bows and crossbows, clearly indicating their intention to capture him alive.

The thought of being dragged before the Han emperor like a dog and subjected to humiliation was unbearable.

The proud and arrogant Yi Zhixie felt a wave of nausea.

"The Great Huns~"

"Only the Great Khan who died in battle!"

"You think you can catch me? Dream on!"

He resolutely raised his weapon, held it to his neck, and slashed it hard!
(End of this chapter)