The Tyrant of the Great Qian Dynasty: Not only will I refuse to arrange a marriage alliance, but I w

The biting rain poured down on the earth like a dam bursting from the sky.

The muddy road, trampled by horses' hooves, turned into a sticky swamp, making the march extremely difficult.

Three thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders, led by Commander Chen Baipao, have quietly left the city.

Both the people and their horses were covered with a thick layer of black felt that absorbed most of the sound.

The hooves of each warhorse were also wrapped in several layers of thick cotton and linen.

Under the cover of the torrential rain and rumbling thunder, the cavalry marched through the night without making much noise.

They were like a ghostly army from the underworld, silently and rapidly maneuvering along the predetermined route towards the west side of the Northern Barbarian camp.

The rain blurred everyone's vision, becoming their best disguise.

During the march, several urgent barks suddenly came from the front of the group.

That was a mobile sentry squad deployed on the outskirts of a northern barbarian army.

They sensed something amiss on the earth, or perhaps they caught a glimpse of those blurry black shadows in the rain during the fleeting moment when lightning ripped through the night sky.

A sentry immediately took out a specially made bull horn whistle from his pocket, brought it to his lips, and blew it with all his might.

"Waaah—"

A sharp whistle rang out in the rainy night.

Most of the sound was muffled by the wind and rain, but in the open field, there was still a risk that it would travel a long distance.

If the patrol team from the direction of the main camp hears this, tonight's operation will be in vain.

Almost at the same instant the siren sounded.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Several arrows, already nocked, were silently fired from the very front of the Snow Dragon Riders' ranks.

The arrows were not imbued with any internal force; they relied solely on the archer's own strength and accurate prediction.

The few northern barbarian sentries who had just sounded the alarm didn't even have a chance to blow it a second time before the cold arrows pierced their throats and chests with perfect accuracy.

Their bodies swayed, then collapsed softly into the mud and water, quickly submerged by the rain.

The ranks of the Great Snow Dragon Riders did not pause or become chaotic for even a moment because of this minor incident.

They seemed to have merely crushed a few ants in their path, continuing at their original pace, silently advancing forward.

The closer they got to the Northern Barbarian camp, the denser the patrol teams they encountered along the way became.

The heavy rain provided excellent cover, but it also severely reduced visibility for both sides.

Finally, a patrol of about a hundred northern barbarian cavalrymen almost collided head-on with the vanguard of the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry as they rounded a small hill.

The two sides were now less than fifty paces apart.

At such close range, it was no longer possible to carry out a silent assassination using a bow and arrow.

When the centurion of the northern barbarian patrol saw the large black shadows that suddenly appeared in the rain, his pupils contracted sharply, and he instinctively wanted to shout.

But Chen Baipao reacted even faster than him.

He simply made a cold gesture toward the team behind him.

At the very front of the column, the dozens of battle-hardened dragoons moved the instant they received the order.

They did not choose to charge on horseback, because that would have made a huge noise and revealed their position.

They moved like ghosts, silently sliding off the backs of their fast-moving horses, leaving only one foot hanging in the stirrup, their bodies pressed tightly against the horse's belly.

He had already drawn the short blade that hung from his waist for close combat.

While the northern barbarian patrolmen were still shocked and confused by what they were seeing, and had not yet realized what was happening, a short but efficient massacre had already quietly unfolded in the pouring rain.

Dozens of dragoons, like death in the night, silently approached their target.

There was no loud clang of clashing weapons, no screams of agony before death.

Only the faint sound of a sharp blade cutting through flesh and bone was heard, but these sounds were quickly drowned out by the "whoosh" of the rain.

By the time the northern barbarian soldiers realized something was wrong, all they saw were their comrades falling off their horses one by one.

The black shadows had already finished harvesting and nimbly mounted their horses again, the whole process completed in one go without the slightest delay.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the hundred-person patrol team was completely cleaned up.

After overcoming all obstacles along the way, Chen Baipao's team finally arrived at their predetermined destination—the outer perimeter of the horse farm located on the westernmost side of the Northern Barbarian camp.

Just as Su Zhe had predicted, the defenses here were much lax compared to other important areas.

Most of the garrison soldiers were hiding in makeshift shacks, huddled around fires, trying to escape the damned wind and rain.

However, the horse ranch covered an extremely large area and housed tens of thousands of warhorses of the Northern Barbarian army.

Completing the two tasks assigned by Su Zhe here without alerting the main force remains a tremendous challenge.

Chen Baipao raised his hand, signaling the main force to stop in a small grove of trees in the distance and conceal themselves.

He did not order a direct assault.

He divided the team into several parts and gave clear instructions.

He dispatched one hundred of his most agile soldiers, who carried cloth bags filled with specially made fodder powder given to them by Su Zhe, and quietly infiltrated from different directions near several large water troughs on the outskirts of the horse farm.

Meanwhile, another group of several hundred men, carrying large quantities of oil and tinder, quietly circled around to the downwind side of the horse ranch, taking advantage of the wind and terrain. There, piles of hay, as high as mountains, were stacked up for the warhorses.

Their goal was very clear: to create maximum chaos, not to kill the defending enemy.

Everything is ready.

Everyone held their breath, waiting for the final command to be given.

Chen Baipao raised his head and glanced at the sky.

It's midnight.

He raised his hand, then swung it down hard!

With his silent command, another team of archers, already prepared, aimed their oil-soaked fire arrows at the distant piles of hay.

"put!"

A low shout.

Dozens of rockets, trailing faint flashes of light, pierced the gloomy rain and shot into the haystacks.

Hay soaked in kerosene is almost instantly flammable.

Even in the torrential rain, the flames only paused for a moment before bursting into a raging inferno with a "boom"!

Fueled by a strong southeast wind, the fire spread rapidly throughout the entire racecourse at an incredible speed.

Meanwhile, the soldiers who had infiltrated the vicinity of the water troughs successfully poured all the specially made powder into the water.

After doing all this, they quickly withdrew without the slightest hesitation.

Tens of thousands of warhorses resting in their stables were terrified by the sudden fire and intense heat. Being timid animals by nature, they immediately panicked.

"Hiss—!"

The mournful and terrified neighing of horses rose and fell, echoing throughout the night sky.

The frightened horses began to frantically charge and run within the narrow enclosure, trying to escape the inferno.

Some sturdy wooden fences were even smashed through by herds of warhorses.

In the blink of an eye, the entire western side of the Northern Barbarian camp was completely engulfed by towering flames and deafening noise.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The piercing alarm bell finally rang urgently in the Northern Barbarian camp.

Immediately following this was the sound of bugles, one after another.

Countless Northern Barbarian soldiers, who were fast asleep, were awakened by the commotion.

They rushed out of the camp, disheveled, and when they saw the fire in the west that almost turned half the sky red, everyone's first reaction was the same.

"Enemy attack! It's the Southern Dynasty attacking!"

"Quickly! To the western camp! The main force of the Southern Dynasty is attacking from the west!"

Hu Yanba, who was unable to sleep in his tent due to his injuries, was also startled by this sudden turn of events.

He pushed open the tent flap and rushed out of the main tent. When he saw the chaotic scene to the west, his judgment was exactly the same as that of his soldiers.

"Pass on my order! All main forces must immediately assemble on the western flank! At all costs, hold off the Southern Dynasty's attack!"

He naturally assumed that Su Zhe was desperate and trying to break through from the weak point on the west side under the cover of rainy night.

Within a short quarter of an hour, the focus of the Northern Barbarian camp was successfully drawn to the west.

Looking at the enemy camp in the distance, which was in complete chaos, and at the countless torches that flowed westward like streams into the sea.

Chen Baipao's eyes remained completely calm.

He deftly turned his horse around and slowly raised his spear towards the three thousand dragon riders behind him who had already assembled and were ready to go.

The tip of his spear gleamed coldly in the firelight.

The spearhead was pointing towards the far east.

That place was the most vulnerable and vital lifeline of the Northern Barbarian army—the grain and provisions camp.

"Send the order to the entire army!"

His voice pierced through the rain.

"Follow me, charge!"