A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

The Tartar "Yuanlanzi" felt a sharp pain on his face, a warm liquid flowing from his nose, a mouth full of a sweet, metallic taste, and stars flashing before his eyes.

Chen An stood aside and simultaneously translated Li Erlong's words into the Hu language.

Upon hearing Chen An's voice, the Tartar man's face showed a hint of contempt. His eyes darted around, and he spoke sharply.

"Xia dogs, you're doomed! We have an army of thirty thousand, and our iron cavalry will crush your homes!"

A flash of anger crossed Li Erlong's face. He could understand the gist of what the Tartars were saying, and they actually thought they could bluff them?

Is this all the power of an army of 30,000? Do you really think they're blind?!

He immediately drew the dagger from the Tartar's waist, stepped on the Tartar's right hand, and pressed the dagger against the Tartar's little finger. The Tartar immediately showed a look of panic.

Before he could beg for mercy, Li Erlong grinned maliciously, gripped the dagger tightly in his hand, and pressed it down with his wrist.

"Pfft!"

His right little finger was severed instantly.

The dagger's owner frequently sharpened it, making it exceptionally sharp; with a single press, it effortlessly severed the opponent's little finger.

Blood gushed out instantly, staining the surrounding ground red, and screams rang out.

Li Erlong's expression changed, fearing that the screams would attract more Tartars.

He grabbed the other man's hair and slammed his face to the ground, turning his screams into muffled groans.

After a few breaths, he released his grip, pressed the dagger against his ring finger again, and spoke in a cold voice once more.

"If you want to try again, then keep talking nonsense."

The Tartar's facial muscles were tense, his lips were tightly pursed, and his eyes revealed a venomous look.

Because of the pain, a layer of cold sweat seeped from his forehead, and blood kept flowing down.

Li Erlong, too lazy to waste words, thrust his dagger again.

Before the Tartar could even scream, he had already grabbed his head and pressed his face firmly to the ground.

Feeling the excruciating pain shooting through his nerves, the Tartar man trembled violently, his face drained of color, and the muscles in his cheeks twitched involuntarily.

He tried desperately to pull his right hand back, but Li Erlong pressed it firmly to the ground.

"I don't have time to waste with you, are you going to tell me or not?"

The Tartar felt the cold touch of the dagger's blade on his middle finger, and could no longer suppress the fear in his heart.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!"

"This expedition comprises eight thousand cavalry, plus ten thousand auxiliary troops!"

"A thousand iron cavalrymen have already set off as the vanguard, departing half a day earlier than us. The central army now numbers seven thousand, with auxiliary troops carrying supplies following closely behind."

Upon hearing this, Li Erlong breathed a sigh of relief. The claim of 30,000 troops was indeed exaggerated. If there really were 30,000 iron cavalry, then Zhenbei City would be in grave danger.

"Didn't you claim to have an army of 30,000? You're really good at bragging!" Li Erlong said, pursing his lips.

Upon hearing this, the Tartar explained, "This time, Khan Möngke is indeed preparing to gather an army of 30,000, but the tribes in various regions are still observing."

"If this campaign of eight thousand cavalrymen to the south succeeds, other tribes will immediately send out a steady stream of cavalry. I advise you to surrender as soon as possible!"

Li Erlong snorted coldly, "That's only if you can achieve any results! Enough nonsense, how much food and weapons did you bring?"

"This time, during this forced march, each of us carries five days' worth of rations, two quiver of arrows, and a sword." The Tartar did not hide anything; this information could be seen from the baggage on his horse.

Li Erlong nodded and then asked for other information. After asking for a few key pieces of information, he turned to report the situation to Zhao Daxuan.

While Li Erlong was reporting, the questioning of the other two teams had also basically ended, and the information obtained by all parties was basically the same.

Aside from the number of enemy troops, the most important factor is their objective for this mission.

Judging from their answers and the weapons and food they were equipped with, their biggest goals for this trip were to sustain the war through warfare and to plunder resources from villages and towns.

After obtaining this important information, Zhao Daxuan looked solemnly at the yellowish-brown dust cloud that was getting closer and closer to the north.

"The main force of the Tartars is getting closer and closer!"

"Erlong, you immediately take your men and head straight to the woods three miles to the west to wait for me. After I get close to the main force to scout out the situation, I will come and meet up with you."

Upon hearing this, Li Erlong opened his mouth to try and dissuade him, but a cold glare from Zhao Daxuan made him obediently shut his mouth and fall silent.

"There's no time to lose, act now!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Daxuan squeezed his legs together, and his black-maned horse galloped off like an arrow toward the central army.

Li Erlong watched Zhao Daxuan's retreating figure, gritted his teeth, turned around, picked up the prisoner, and threw him onto the horse's back, preparing to ask for other information later.

He pulled on the reins, mounted another horse, and with a wave of his hand, the five of them headed west.

Zhao Daxuan fully opened his perception range, clearly incorporating objects within a three-kilometer radius into his perception.

He deliberately avoided the other "distant obstacles" he sensed, and soon he was able to perceive the situation of the Tartar central army.

A torrent of iron-gray water rushed into Zhao Daxuan's perception range. Within the torrent, banners embroidered with wolf head totems fluttered in the wind.

The central army was divided into three columns: the large central force was wide and dense, while the columns on the two flanks were narrow and sparse.

Most of the Tatar cavalry wore a large felt robe to protect against stray arrows, and their horses were equipped with two quivers of arrows and a scimitar. They pressed their bodies against the backs of their horses and kept their eyes fixed on the command flags in front of them.

Zhao Daxuan sped backwards along the direction of the central army, and it took him a full half-cup of tea time to scan the central army through his perception field.

The main force of 7,000 people stretched for 7 kilometers, with no end in sight.

A rough estimate suggests that there were indeed only seven thousand cavalry. There were no large-scale siege facilities in the main force, nor much food or provisions. Each rider carried only a bundle of dry rations.

It seems the information obtained from the interrogation was correct. Although the pressure on Zhenbei City will be less, the surrounding villages and towns will face annihilation.

At the forefront of the central army, a man riding forward rode in a brocade robe over a bright silver fish-scale chainmail with gold trim and a mask on his head.

The area was surrounded by a dense array of guards, who were on high alert and held up shields to block most of the view.

When Zhao Daxuan first saw this man, his eyes flashed with a sharp light. This man was either the Great Khan Möngke of the Tartars or the most important leader of this expedition.

He had considered shooting the man from a distance, but three kilometers was too far. The success rate of shooting the man, who was protected by fine chainmail, was not high.

If a single blow fails to kill the target, it might attract even tighter defenses. It's better to wait for a better opportunity to strike.

After surveying the basic situation of the Tartar central army, Zhao Daxuan no longer lingered. Instead, he bypassed the central army and rode his horse swiftly towards Li Erlong and the others.

While pondering the next steps and searching for Li Erlong and the others in his sensory field, Zhao Daxuan's expression suddenly changed after a short while.

He had sensed the location of Li Erlong and the others, but at the same time he discovered that they were not alone; they were also surrounded by several "Yuanlanzi" teams.