I asked you to go hunting, and you ended up wearing a yellow robe?

"Yes, when they arrived at the ruins of the camp and saw the scene, they didn't dare to approach. They sent people to scout around, and now they are chasing after Yelü's defeated troops."

Meng Da's expression changed drastically: "This is bad! These bandits are trying to take advantage of the chaos! What if they join forces with the Yelü people..."

Two thousand defeated soldiers, plus five hundred fierce bandits, their strength should not be underestimated.

"Joining forces?" Qi Shan's lips curled into a cold smile. "No, he's not going to join forces."

Meng Da was puzzled.

Qi Shan didn't explain; he had already clearly outlined Zhao Wuji's plan in his mind.

What would a clever bandit leader think if he saw Yelü's main camp wiped out by two hundred men and his commander beheaded?

He would think the Yelü people were useless, while the two hundred Han cavalrymen were the real threat.

But he also discovered that he only had two hundred riders.

Two hundred cavalrymen, no matter how skilled they are, could they withstand the charge of more than two thousand men?

Therefore, Zhao Wuji will not confront things head-on; he will choose a smarter and more greedy approach.

He would find Yelü's defeated soldiers and tell them that their commander was dead, the Han Chinese imperial army was approaching, and that following Zhao Wuji's ideas was the best way to survive.

They have food! Enough to temporarily feed and drink several thousand people, thus preserving their livelihood.

The Yelü people are not stupid, so they will naturally accept Zhao Wuji's opinion for the time being.

He wanted to use the Yelü people to conquer Qingyang County and then seize all the credit and spoils for himself.

What a clever trick of the mantis stalking the cicada.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that there was another predator lurking behind him.

A sparrow even crazier and more unreasonable than him.

"Boss, what should we do? Should we go back to Qingyang County to set up defenses?" Meng Da asked urgently.

"No." Qi Shan dismounted, picked up a stone from the ground, and drew on the mud, "We'll eat them."

"You heard me right! The Yelü people frequently invade our borders, abduct our Han sons, and humiliate our Han women!"

"Today, I, Qi Shan, will completely wipe out the Yelüda tribe and the Black Dragon Village!"

Meng Da and the several squad leaders who had gathered around all gasped in shock.

Eat them?

Two hundred men were used to devour more than two thousand defeated soldiers and bandits.

He wouldn't believe it if this came from any other Han general.

But the one who spoke was Qi Shan!

Their backbone!

Today is another great victory!

Having already created an impossible myth, what else is impossible?

"Meng Da." Qi Shan didn't even look up.

"exist!"

"Take a hundred men, put on the captured Yelü leather armor, smear soot and blood on your faces, and pretend to be stragglers we defeated." Qi Shan drew a circle on the ground to represent the defeated soldiers, and then drew an arrow outside the circle to represent Meng Da's troops. "Infiltrate them."

"What are you going to do in there?"

"Spread rumors." Qi Shan raised his eyes, a terrifying light flashing in them. "Say that the assassins who killed Yelü Da were not some county soldiers, but an elite army of five thousand men sent by the General of the Jiangnan Border Defense, with reinforcements arriving soon. The assassination of the commander-in-chief was a scheme by the court, with the aim of wiping out all the Yelü people in one fell swoop."

He paused, his voice growing increasingly chilling: "Make them afraid, make them feel that following those centurions is a dead end, and that their only chance of survival is to flee back to the grasslands immediately."

Meng Da understood instantly. This was an attempt to undermine the enemy's morale from within.

"And what about me? Boss, what are you going to do with the rest of the men?"

Qi Shan marked the route of the routed soldiers to Qingyang County on the map with a heavy dot.

"A narrow gorge".

He stood up, dusted off his hands, and said, "I'll take the remaining hundred elite troops there and prepare a big gift for them."

……

Night was falling.

The One-Line Sky Canyon is flanked by steep cliffs tens of meters high on both sides, with the narrowest part of the passage only wide enough for three or five riders to ride abreast. It is the only way to reach Qingyang County.

Zhao Wuji rode a tall, magnificent horse, full of pride and satisfaction.

Things went even more smoothly than he had imagined.

Those centurions of Yelü were already disoriented upon hearing the news that the Han army was "approaching." He easily persuaded them with just a few promises: "Follow me, we'll take Qingyang County, seize enough money, grain, and women, and then we'll flee far away."

The nearly one thousand men he had assembled marched in a grand procession towards Qingyang County. He could already imagine the scene after capturing the county town, with gold, silver, jewels, fine wine, and beautiful women all within his grasp.

As for that county magistrate named Qi Shan?

Two hundred cavalrymen, no matter how capable they are, would they dare to confront my thousand-strong army head-on? Once I occupy Qingyang County, they will be nothing but stray dogs.

"Everyone, perk up! There's a narrow passage ahead. If we go through it, we'll be at the foot of Qingyang County before dawn!" Zhao Wuji shouted, urging the group to speed up.

The mixed group stretched out in a long snake and surged into the narrow canyon.

Just as the group entered the narrowest part of the canyon, something unexpected happened!

"Pfft!"

A Yelü centurion, who was swaggering around, was suddenly stabbed through the back of the head with a curved blade. He turned around in disbelief, only to see the face of one of his own, smeared with soot and unrecognizable.

"An ambush! The Han army has broken in!"

A piercing shout ignited a powder keg.

Hundreds of Qingyang County soldiers mixed in with the troops launched an attack at the same time, their curved swords mercilessly slashing at their unsuspecting "comrades".

Chaos erupted instantly!

"Stay calm! Everyone stay calm!" Zhao Wuji was both shocked and furious. Before he could understand what was happening, a sharp sound of wind breaking came from the night sky above his head.

He looked up sharply.

Suddenly, flames lit up the cliffs on both sides of the canyon.

Countless burning arrows and boulders the size of human heads, accompanied by the howl of death, poured down like a torrential rain!

boom!

The boulder crashed into the dense crowd, the sounds of bones shattering and agonizing screams filling the air. The rocket ignited the leather armor and clothing, instantly transforming the entire canyon into a raging fire dragon.

The formation completely collapsed under the first wave of attack.

Zhao Wuji was horrified. He desperately turned his horse around, trying to rush out of this death zone, but he saw a black iron torrent appear at the entrance of the canyon.

One hundred elite cavalrymen stood silently, blocking his only way out.

The leader, mounted on a black horse, wielded a long sword, his black armor gleaming coldly in the firelight. His eyes pierced through the chaotic crowd and flickering flames, locking onto him with pinpoint accuracy.

Zhao Wuji trembled all over, as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

He's not a praying mantis, he's not even a cicada, he's just a dish on the oriole's plate!

On the cliff face, Qi Shan took the lead, his long sword pointing forward, the blade aimed directly at the black dragon flag fluttering in the wind amidst the chaotic army formation below.

The sound pierced through metal and split rocks, echoing throughout the entire canyon.

"I'll take your lives!"