The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 164 Sneak Attack
But when the news reached Jinling that Li Jingxiao had been restored to his ancestral earldom for his merits, Wang Boteng was filled with regret.

Then came the news that Li Jingxiao had been promoted to marquis, and that the title was hereditary. Wang Boteng wanted to slap himself a few times.

Even Wang Ziteng regretted it.

Wang Ren naturally regretted it as well. After thinking for a moment, he hurriedly asked the courier if he knew why Li Jingxiao was here alone on horseback.

The courier dared not offend Wang Ren, but was even more afraid of being blamed by Li Jingxiao.

Therefore, he only said that he knew that the gentleman had come from Jizhou at noon.

Unexpectedly, they returned to the post station by horseback in the afternoon, which seemed to indicate that they were rushing back to Jizhou.

Wang Ren couldn't figure it out, so after thinking for a while, he hurriedly arranged for his servant to ride back to the capital to inquire about the news.

They even sent someone to ask Madam Wang, hoping to find out some useful information.

When the Wang family arrived at the Jia mansion at full speed, Grandmother Jia and Lady Wang had just come out of the Li family and returned to the Rongguo Mansion.

Upon hearing that it was her nephew Wang Ren, Madam Wang sent someone to inquire about her son-in-law.

The smile on his face immediately brightened by three points.

Even though Madam Wang was loyal to her own family, women are bound to have a tendency to show off.

Fortunately, Lady Wang wasn't too stupid. She only mentioned that Li Jingxiao had led his army north, and the rest was beyond what a woman confined to the inner quarters could know.

He then emphasized that Li Jingxiao was appointed as the 'Right Commander-in-Chief' of the Five Military Commissions by the emperor.

The servant of the Wang family, upon hearing this, indeed showed a look of horror.

This is a first-rank military official, basically the limit of military official rank.

Moreover, the Marquis of the Li family is only 16 years old, which is too exaggerated.

Even the servants of the Wang family thought that the Jia family was really lucky to have such a capable son-in-law.

By the time Wang Ren learned of this, Li Jingxiao had already returned to Jizhou.

The army prepared for three days, and all the provisions and horses were ready.

Due to limited transport capacity, the army could only carry a limited amount of supplies, yet surprisingly, there was still a considerable surplus of grain and fodder.

It is clear that the imperial court is truly giving its full support to this northward expedition.

Li Jingxiao simply spent money and used his connections to privately purchase enough food to feed three thousand people for five days.

He also added five days' worth of wheat bran, soybeans, black beans, and salt for the three thousand horses to his inventory.

Only then did he lead three thousand cavalrymen out of the Great Wall.

But this time, the entourage consisted of a full 9 horses.

Light cavalrymen had three horses per person, heavy cavalrymen had five horses per person, and with the support of pack horses, there were a total of 1.2 horses.

Not only were all the horses from Jizhou collected, but 4 horses were also transported from the capital.

Two days before the main army left the pass, Li Jingxiao had already dispatched five small flags from the Left Garrison Command to scout ahead of the pass.

Li Jingxiao was satisfied with and trusted Zhao Junming, Lu Erfu, and others, so he naturally favored the elite soldiers who came from the border guerrilla forces.

Therefore, the expansion of the Left Garrison Command mainly involved selecting personnel from the nine border garrisons.

Among them were scouts from Liaodong and Jizhou. Before leaving the pass, these people gave Li Jingxiao a detailed explanation of the distribution of Tatar tribes outside Jizhou.

Within a range of two or three hundred miles outside the border, there is not much to worry about regarding water sources.

However, there are not many grasslands north of Jizhou.

Vast expanses of forest are actually unsuitable for grazing.

However, there were actually quite a few small tribes, and many of them had a fairly good relationship with the Great Zhou.

However, once the Tatar army marches south from the direction of Jizhou, these people, whether forced or willing, will still follow the Tatar army south to plunder.

To put it bluntly, these small tribes have no concept of factions; they side with whoever is stronger.

Li Jingxiao's target was not these tribes.

After all, the Great Wall of Jizhou had not seen the Tatars march south for more than ten or twenty years. Many of the towns and passes looked abandoned and there were not many soldiers stationed there.

But this was enough to deter the nomadic tribes north of Jizhou, who had no interest in raiding southwards.

Many tribes even learned from the Zhou Dynasty to reclaim wasteland and cultivate crops.

In addition, with private transactions and exchanges among ordinary people, they could buy or exchange for necessities, so even nomadic tribes would not easily resort to raiding.

After all, the people of the Great Zhou were not to be trifled with.

Ordinary people fear the government because they know they can't fight it.

Even ordinary people fight tooth and nail over water, and small tribes dare to plunder.

In the end, they either get driven away or are wiped out.

Moreover, with Xingzhou Guard to the north and Jizhou Garrison to the south, the small tribes living in this area naturally had to behave themselves.

The Tatars were unwilling to travel south along this route because the area was mountainous and difficult to traverse.

In addition to the Tatars, there are also many Han Chinese living in this area.

It was difficult for the Tatars to conceal their marches from the spies of the Great Zhou.

We need to take Xingzhouwei first, otherwise our supply lines will definitely be cut off.

Since the small tribes north of Jizhou were well-behaved, Li Jingxiao naturally wouldn't touch them. He even sent the captains of the Left Garrison Command who accompanied the army to recruit soldiers.

As long as you're willing to spend the money, there will always be someone in these tribes willing to take a gamble.

Five days after the army left the pass, it had recruited 800 cavalrymen.

Some were Tatars, and some were Han Chinese border people seeking a living outside the Great Wall.

Only after crossing Xingzhouwei did they truly enter the grasslands. Then, the scouts sent back a message saying that there was a Tatar tribe of several thousand people 70 li away from the main force.

Moreover, judging from the situation of the tribe's members, there must have been many men who were conscripted by the Tatars and went to Datong and Xuanfu.

Li Jingxiao immediately became excited.

However, he did not rush to attack, but instead ordered his army to find a suitable place to rest their horses and have a meal.

Then he summoned all the officers to his side and said, "Five taels of silver per head."

Once we take that tribe, 6% of the spoils will go to the soldiers.

Those who have heads in their possession get priority for the silver, and the rest are divided equally.

Even as head coach, Lee Kyung-hyo only has a 1% chance of winning.

The remaining 3% went to the generals, centurions, or lieutenants.

Anyone who delays military operations by looting money will not only be beheaded, but will also have their entire family punished for three generations.

This statement immediately stunned and frightened all the officers.

However, as everyone knows, Li Jingxiao only took 1% in order to boost morale.

For ordinary soldiers, receiving 6% of the profits was simply unheard of.

Moreover, each person received 5 taels of silver, and was given priority in allocation.

Naturally, morale was soaring, and everyone was pushing forward.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, it was said that a force of ten thousand Jurchens was invincible.

But as long as the Ming army has sufficient funds, they are invincible.

To put it bluntly, soldiers fight for money; only officers think about getting promoted.

This time, Li Jingxiao did not send the heavy cavalry to the front, but instead sent 800 recruited auxiliary soldiers to the front, followed by a second wave of 1 heavy cavalry.

Two thousand light cavalrymen in leather armor circled around to the sides and surrounded and killed the fleeing people.

Niu Zhanpeng and Chen Hongsheng, who were in charge of the 800 recruited auxiliary soldiers, immediately felt the pressure.

The two men naturally wanted to earn merit by going north with the army, but Li Jingxiao would not allow them to command the heavy cavalry of the Palace Guard and the 2,000 light cavalry drawn from the Five Armies Commandery.

So the 800 auxiliary soldiers were under their command. Fortunately, Li Jingxiao was willing to spend money and required them to have horses when recruiting auxiliary soldiers.

A settlement allowance of 20 taels for the person and horse.

Horses are much cheaper outside the Great Wall than inside.

Moreover, although the horses that the herders use are important to them, they would fetch a lower price if they were to actually sell them.

The principle is the same as with future fruits; the price in the city will be several times higher than in the place of origin.

So all 800 men were on horseback; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to keep up with the army's pace, let alone fight. Fortunately, most of these mercenaries were willing to follow the army because they were after money.

Each person received 5 taels of silver, and they all shouted excitedly.

Nobody cared whether Li Jingxiao was using them as cannon fodder.

Ordinary people aren't stupid; many understand the principle that if you want to be valued or make money, you have to prove your loyalty.
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Don't be fooled by the fact that the army's target was a tribe of a few thousand people.

However, when attacked by a surprise attack, there are actually not many who are truly capable of resisting.

Moreover, the intelligence gathered by the night scouts indicated that there were not many adult males in this tribe.

It's not too difficult to break through the tribe.

The real charge was actually made by 1 heavy cavalry.

The vanguard was followed by 1 heavy cavalry, and two thousand light cavalrymen flanked them on both sides.

It's easy to imagine that many people in this tribe would be drawn to heavy and light cavalry.

Focusing on the immediate issue without considering the bigger picture will prevent the formation of an effective defense.

When the 800 auxiliary soldiers return, they will encounter even less resistance.

Let alone a tribe of a few thousand people, even a tribe of tens of thousands could be conquered.

The army set off at 3 a.m. Under the leadership of the night guard, the entire army dismounted and walked, leading their horses.

They slowly moved to a place 10 miles away from the tribe before starting their final preparations.

They fed the horses some beans, but they only ate about three or four tenths of their fullness. Meanwhile, the logistics soldiers began to help the heavily armored cavalry and their horses put on their armor.

Each horse had cloth wrapped around its hooves and its mouth covered with strips of cloth.

Even the soldiers had twigs or wooden sticks in their mouths.

With everything prepared, and as the sky was just beginning to lighten, the 3800 cavalrymen began to jog.

As Li Jingxiao watched the orderly army slowly march forward, his heart surged with excitement.

He led several dozen men from the Left Garrison Command, running ahead of the light cavalry.

Moreover, he was accompanied by Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong, who were disguised as men, as bodyguards.

Although these two fairies said they wouldn't kill anyone, they were more than capable of being guards.

When the army was still 5 miles away from the tribe, they began to jog faster, and the huge tremors had already alerted the people in the tribe.

But by then there was no longer any opportunity or time to effectively organize enough people to form a line and resist.

When they were still a few hundred meters away from the tribe, the bugle sounded, and the entire army sped up.

Although the formation of the 800 auxiliary soldiers was messy, their morale was high.

Moreover, these guys were quite clever. Wielding their sabers and spears, they swarmed into the tribe, killing everyone they saw.

Then, following Li Jingxiao's instructions, they didn't linger at all.

They slaughtered their way through the tribes, creating chaos.

The second wave of heavy cavalry, following the path they had fought their way out, charged into the tribe's territory.

The battle is actually over.

The heavy cavalry split into more than a dozen squads and continued their charge.

With just one charge, the tribe was thrown into complete chaos.

Li Jingxiao did not rush in, but waved his hand, and the two thousand light cavalrymen split into two groups.

They circled around the tribe, continuously shooting arrows.

Li Jingxiao was accompanied by 200 light cavalrymen and dozens of captains from the Left Garrison Command, who drew their bows and shot arrows at the Tatars who were fleeing from the main gate.

Li Jingxiao also took out the level 30 Iron Bow that he had obtained from the level 30 map in the game.

They specifically targeted the most powerful Tatars, sending them flying with a single arrow.

Just a few arrows were enough to shock not only the light cavalry and the Left Garrison Commander.

The Tatars dared not flee from Li Jingxiao's direction any longer.

The 1800 light cavalry on both flanks fired several rounds of arrows and then began to charge into the tribe.

The 800 auxiliary soldiers who had already slaughtered their way through the entire tribe were now facing heavy and light cavalry constantly stealing kills.

He immediately panicked.

For these hired Tatars and poor Zhou people, five taels of silver per person was enough to feed a family of five for several months.

Kill two enemies, and you'll have enough to eat for a year.

Moreover, the entire tribe is now in complete chaos, with cries and fleeing figures everywhere.

The 800 auxiliary soldiers immediately turned around with a roar and charged back from the rear.

But halfway through the killing, a large number of herders knelt down and surrendered.

Li Jingxiao waved his hand, ordering his 200 light cavalrymen to pursue and kill the fleeing men.

Then, sitting on his horse, he sighed. In just about half an hour, at least a thousand people had been killed.

Once the heavy cavalry charged, no one could stop them.

Li Jingxiao also strictly ordered that the heavy cavalry not to stop.

If the heavy cavalry circle back and charge in again, even more people will die.

An hour later, Li Jingxiao sat in a large tent, drinking tea brewed by Hu Xian'er and Liu Cuitong.

While listening to his subordinates, including officers and centurions, report their casualties and the number of enemy soldiers killed.

There were also seized horses, cattle, sheep, and money.

The three brothers, Jia Rong and Shi Delong, who were in charge of logistics, also followed with 9,000 horses, 3,000 logistics soldiers, and more than 1,000 wagons carrying supplies.

Start taking stock of the spoils.

After the officers and centurions finished their reports, Li Jingxiao breathed a sigh of relief.

None of the heavy cavalrymen died; the dozen or so who were wounded mostly suffered minor injuries like sprains.

The three-layer armor is indeed extremely defensive.

Sabers and spears are unlikely to harm heavily armored knights.

Many heavily armored cavalrymen, with several arrows stuck in their bodies, still charged into battle with great vigor.

Only a 150-pound Qing bow from the Braided Army could penetrate three layers of armor.

But very few people can actually pull such a heavy bow and arrow.

This made Li Jingxiao wonder if he could recruit some wild Jurchens, also known as the famous Solon soldiers.

It can be said that the main force in most of the wars during the reigns of the three Qing emperors was the Solon army.

If Li Jingxiao had 1,000 heavily armored Solon soldiers, he would have dared to charge into a Tatar army formation of 10,000 men.

The light cavalry suffered only 9 dead and about 50 wounded.

Li Jingxiao ordered someone to find a large wooden barrel and took out a bottle of Sanqi Blood-Replenishing Powder from the game inventory.

Pour it into a wooden bucket, then add water and stir.

Drinking water mixed with Panax notoginseng powder will make you feel better in just a few hours.

Of the 800 mercenaries, 31 were killed and more than 70 were wounded.

These people were also outside the main tent, drinking diluted Sanqi Buxue San (a traditional Chinese medicine formula).

Each of them felt their injuries healing rapidly. For the two most seriously injured, Li Jingxiao directly rewarded each of them with a Three-Flower Jade Dew Pill.

Then, after applying the Sanqi powder solution, the wound began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The mercenaries witnessed the two men being pulled back from the brink of death.

A series of exclamations immediately followed.

Niu Zhanpeng and Chen Hongsheng took the opportunity to say that this kind of medicine costs 1 taels of silver per dose in the capital, and there is no market for it.

Instantly, the mercenaries became extremely grateful to Li Jingxiao.

Once they actually received the reward, their trust in Commander Li Jingxiao skyrocketed.

(End of this chapter)