Chương 220: Fight the big ones, not the small ones

The wind from the grassland brushed against my face, carrying the scent of grass clippings and earth.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu stood on either side, like two iron towers; Luo Cheng and Taishi Ci were a little behind, one with a cold face and the other with narrowed eyes; the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun were at the forefront, dressed in black robes and riding black horses, silent as shadows; behind them were eight hundred Longxiang Camp and three thousand Jingsai Iron Cavalry, all in bright armor, dazzling in the sunlight.

Liu Ce reined in his horse, took out a map drawn by the Imperial Guards, and looked at the distribution of the various Xianbei tribes.

"My lord, how should we fight?" Taishi Ci rode over and asked.

Liu Ce stared at the map for a while, then suddenly laughed and said, "We won't fight the small ones, we'll only pick the big ones."

He pointed to the map with his finger: "The eastern Xianbei are Mija, Queji, and Suli; the central Xianbei are Kezui, Queju, and Murong; and the rising star Kebineng; and finally, the royal court's Kuitou and Qianman's lair. These are the targets."

"What about small and medium-sized tribes?" Luo Cheng asked.

"Never mind." Liu Ce put away the map.

"Save our energy for something bigger. We only have 3, 800 men; we can't waste it on small fry. If we're going to attack, we should attack their heart, wipe out their leaders, families, and tribal elders all at once, and throw their frontline troops into chaos!"

He cracked his whip and ordered, "Pass on the order! Head straight for the strongholds of the major tribes! If you encounter small or medium-sized tribes along the way, bypass them and don't engage them!"

"promise!"

The order was given, and the troops adjusted their direction.

For the rest of the journey, they deliberately took shortcuts, avoiding the chattering small and medium-sized tribes.

On the way, Liu Ce turned to look at Dian Wei, who was actually dozing off. The horse was running steadily, and his head was nodding off.

"Evil come!" Liu Ce shouted.

Dian Wei suddenly woke up with a start, his eyes widening as he asked, "What's wrong, brother? Are there enemies?"

"No, I was just asking if you were sleepy."

"Oh, it's alright," Dian Wei said, scratching his head.

"It's just that sleeping on horseback is uncomfortable; I keep dreaming of falling off."

Xu Chu chimed in from the side, "I had a dream too. I dreamt of roasting a whole lamb. Just as I was about to eat it, the horse jerked off and the lamb ran away."

Luo Cheng's lips twitched.

Taishi Ci couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Liu Ce laughed and said, "After this battle, when we return to Youzhou, I'll treat you to three days of roasted whole lamb, all you can eat!"

"Really?" Xu Chu's eyes lit up.

"real."

Low laughter rippled through the ranks, making the march less tedious.

The team then galloped across the grasslands for several days, with each person riding three horses in turns. The system space had plenty of food, water, and fodder, and even several large boxes of horseshoe nails. Without the burden of baggage, their marching speed was several times that of ordinary cavalry.

...

"My lord, the eastern Xianbei camp is just ahead." Taishi Ci pointed to the faint outline of tents in the distance.

Liu Ce reined in his horse and raised his binoculars—this thing was practically a divine artifact in this era.

In the footage, the eastern Xianbei camp is spread out, with tents densely packed together and herds of cattle and sheep. However, the defense is clearly lax—the main force has all gone south, leaving behind mostly the elderly, women, children, and a small number of soldiers.

"The scouts report that the main forces of the Mija, Queji, and Suli tribes, totaling 20, 000 men, have marched south, leaving less than 10, 000 troops behind, scattered among various tribes," Luo Cheng reported from the side.

"The actual number guarding the main camp is less than 4, 000, plus the elderly, weak, women, and children, so their fighting strength is halved."

Liu Ce put down his binoculars and grinned, "Four thousand? That's not even enough to fill our teeth."

He turned to his generals: "Order the entire army to rest, eat and drink their fill, and recharge their energy. Move out at midnight—remember, head straight for the families of all the tribal chiefs and elders, leave no one alive!"

"yes!"

The order was given, and the cavalrymen dismounted to rest. Some took out dried meat and bread from their packs, while others fed their horses hay...

Dian Wei squatted on the ground, gnawing on a leg of lamb, his mouth greasy, and said, "Brother, after this massacre, the Xianbei should behave themselves, right?"

Xu Chu chimed in from the side, "Honest? They'll only be honest if they're beaten into submission! I think we should kill all the Xianbei men and take the women and children back to farm!"

Liu Ce laughed and said, "Zhongkang, not bad."

He knew in his heart that appeasement was useless when dealing with nomadic tribes, while slaughter was effective, but he didn't have the energy for that right now. This raid was aimed at breaking the backbone of the Xianbei—eliminating all the leaders, their families, elders, and elites of each tribe, leaving the Xianbei unable to recover for decades.

As for the small and medium-sized tribes? Leave them be. After the war is over, these tribes without leaders will naturally split and fight amongst themselves, and then Youzhou can slowly subdue and assimilate them.

"My lord, it's almost time." Taishi Ci glanced at the sky.

Late at night.

The night on the grassland was very dark; the moon was obscured by clouds, and only a few stars shone faintly.

Liu Ce mounted his horse: "All troops, mount up! Remember the tactics—I, E'lai, Zhongkang, Luo Cheng, and Ziyi, along with the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, will head straight for the leader's tent and the elders' residence! The Longxiang Battalion and the Jingse Iron Cavalry will deal with the outer defenses! A swift and decisive victory, leaving no survivors!"

"yes!"

More than 3, 800 cavalrymen mounted their horses, wrapped their hooves in hemp cloth, and put bridles over their mouths, and silently made their way towards the Xianbei camp in the east.

When they were still a mile from the camp, Liu Ce raised his hand and then suddenly swung it forward…

"Rush!"

The linen cloth on the horses' hooves was torn off, and the more than 3, 800 cavalrymen suddenly accelerated, rushing towards the camp like a black torrent!

It was midnight, dark and windy.

The eastern Xianbei camp was quiet, with only a few scattered campfires still burning. The soldiers on night watch yawned and chatted idly.

"Should Lord Mi and the others have arrived in Youzhou by now?"

"I've heard that grain is piled up like mountains in Youzhou, and ironware is readily available..."

"And there were Han Chinese women whose skin was as white as goat's milk..."

While I was having a sweet dream, suddenly—

"Rumble, rumble—" The ground shook, like muffled thunder rolling by.

Before the soldiers on night watch could react, they saw countless cavalry rush out of the darkness, attacking the camp like ghosts!

"Enemy attack—!!!"

The piercing alarm had barely been uttered when an arrow pierced his throat.

Liu Ce took the lead, his black horse as fast as lightning, smashing through the wooden fence of the camp gate. With a swing of his Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd, two Xianbei soldiers who charged forward were swept away, swords and all.

The Longxiang Battalion and the Jingsai Iron Cavalry were responsible for clearing the outer perimeter. The equipment of these two cavalry units was, in this era, a complete technological leap: their Mingguang armor was impervious to swords and spears, their horse lances and crossbows were incredibly sharp, and their composite bows had an extremely long range. The Xianbei people's bone arrows and leather armor were like paper in front of them.

Liu Ce, along with Dian Wei, Xu Chu, Luo Cheng, Taishi Ci, and the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, completely ignored the battle on the periphery and rushed directly to the center of the camp, where there were several of the largest tents, clearly the residence of the leader.

"Stop them!" a Xianbei general roared as he led his men forward.

Liu Ce didn't even look. With a flick and a thrust of his Heavenly Dragon City-Breaking Halberd, the general was pierced through, armor and all.

Dian Wei's twin halberds danced like a whirlwind, Xu Chu slashed with his broadsword, Luo Cheng's silver spear moved like a dragon, and Taishi Ci's twin halberds flew—these five men, along with the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, were like a red-hot knife cutting through butter, instantly charging into the central tent.