Chương 601: How to fight this battle?

Three days later, just as dawn was breaking and the eastern horizon was beginning to lighten, the 100, 000 Han troops broke camp and set off in two columns towards Kangju.

Cheng Yaojin led five thousand musketeers at the forefront, each riding a tall horse, carrying brand-new "Shenwu" flintlock muskets on their backs, the barrels gleaming in the morning light, and with swords at their waists, the scabbards patting the horses' bellies at their sides.

They were dressed in uniform black military uniforms, their armor gleaming, looking imposing and running like a black torrent.

"Brothers! Run!" Cheng Yaojin shouted, waving his whip, his voice echoing across the wilderness.

"If we're too late, the Xiongnu will escape! Their heads and livestock will be ours! His Majesty said that 30% of the captured livestock will belong to each person! Whoever gets it keeps it!"

"Charge!"

The soldiers shouted in unison, spurred their horses to gallop, and kicked up a cloud of yellow sand that blotted out the sun, making it appear dim and yellow.

The ground trembled wherever the horse caravan passed.

Seven days later, the main force of the Han army arrived at the location of the Northern Xiongnu royal court, an oasis in the lower reaches of the Syr Darya River.

From a distance, the Hun tents stretched for miles, densely packed together, their white tents like clouds spread across the green grassland.

Herds of cattle and sheep grazed on the grassland, while sheepdogs ran around them.

Everywhere there was smoke rising from chimneys, and the aroma of roasted mutton filled the air.

The Xiongnu Chanyu was still drinking and making merry in his tent, embracing two beautiful women he had captured. His face was flushed from drinking, and he had no idea that the Han army could actually cross the Gobi Desert and reach his lair.

His impression of the Han army was still stuck decades in the past...

It wasn't until the vanguard of the Han army was only ten miles away from the royal court that a few Xiongnu soldiers on lookout duty spotted them. Terrified, they scrambled back to report, one of them even falling flat on his face.

"Chanyu! It's terrible! The Han army is here! So many Han soldiers! A dark mass, stretching as far as the eye can see!" The sentry rushed into the tent, knelt on the ground, and trembled all over.

"What? The Han army?" The Chanyu's wine cup clattered to the ground, spilling wine all over himself...

"Why would the Han army come here? Aren't they fighting the Xianbei? They're thousands of miles away!"

He quickly ran out of the tent, even losing one of his shoes in the process.

Looking up, one could see a dark mass of Han soldiers approaching on the distant horizon, their black banners bearing the character "Han" fluttering in the wind, obscuring the sky.

I was so scared my legs went weak, and I only managed to stay upright by holding onto the tent pole.

"Quickly! Assemble the army!" the Chanyu shouted hoarsely, his voice cracking.

"Awaken all the warriors! Prepare for battle! Go now!"

The Xiongnu were thrown into chaos.

The men hurriedly grabbed bows and arrows and bone spears, some without even having time to put on their trousers...

The woman, clutching her child, screamed and ran around, knocking over tents and pots and pans...

The cattle and sheep were so frightened that they ran in all directions, trampling several children to death.

After much difficulty, they managed to gather more than 30, 000 cavalrymen, who lined up in a chaotic array, like a swarm of headless flies, with those in the front pushing those in the back and those in the back pushing those in the front.

Cheng Yaojin led 5, 000 musketeers to a point 300 paces from the front of the Xiongnu formation.

"Stop!" Cheng Yaojin waved his hand, and five thousand musketeers simultaneously reined in their horses, dismounted, and moved in perfect unison, as if they were a single person.

They quickly formed five horizontal lines, raised their guns, and aimed at the charging Xiongnu cavalry.

"put!"

At Cheng Yaojin's command, the first rank of musketeers pulled their triggers in unison.

"Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!"

Gunfire erupted, smoke billowed, and dense bullets rained down on the Xiongnu cavalry, instantly felling a large number of them. The front ranks fell in unison like harvested wheat.

The Huns' leather armor was like paper in front of bullets... Horses neighed and men screamed, chaos reigned.

The Xiongnu cavalrymen in the front row fell to the ground along with their horses, their screams echoing throughout the area.

Some were shot through the chest and died instantly...

Some had their arms broken, and they were rolling on the ground clutching their severed limbs...

Some of the warhorses were hit by bullets, throwing him off and breaking his leg.

"Fire arrows! Fire arrows!" shouted the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu, waving his saber to direct his soldiers to fire arrows, his face turning a deep purplish-red.

A dense barrage of bone arrows rained down on the Han army, whistling and swooshing, a dark mass of them.

Most of the seeds fell dozens of paces away from the Han army, stuck in the ground like withered grass.

The few that were hit were deflected by the Han army's iron armor, making a clanging sound, leaving not even a white mark, like a tickle.

"Second row! Place it!"

"Third row! Place it!"

Two more volleys of fire followed, and the front ranks of the Xiongnu were already filled with corpses, piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers.

The remaining people were terrified, their legs trembling.

They had never seen such a weapon before. They only heard loud "bang" sounds, like thunder, and then their own men fell in droves, like harvested wheat, without even touching the shadow of the enemy.

How do we fight this battle?

"Sorcery! This is sorcery! The Han army knows sorcery!"

Someone shouted, which seemed to ignite a fuse, and the Xiongnu people instantly erupted into chaos.

"The Han army uses sorcery! Run! Run or it will be too late!"

It's unclear who turned and ran first, but the Xiongnu cavalry scattered instantly, abandoning their helmets, armor, and even weapons, and ran desperately backwards, trampling each other, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

"Charge!" Cheng Yaojin shouted, grabbing his Bagua Xuanhua axe, which gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

"Brothers! Charge in and chop people down! Steal cattle and sheep! Whoever gets them keeps them!"

Five thousand musketeers mounted their horses, brandishing their swords and charging forward, chasing down the fleeing Xiongnu as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

One slash, one kill; blood splattered everywhere.

Just then, Li Jing's main force arrived.

The sound of horses' hooves thundered, and the ground trembled.

"Fire!" Li Jing gave the order.

Hundreds of "Divine Might General" cannons fired first.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of loud bangs shook the earth and mountains, and even the distant snow-capped peaks seemed to tremble.

The shells whistled down on the Hunnic tent area, instantly blasting the tents into pieces, with flames shooting into the sky and thick smoke billowing out.

The Xiongnu royal court was engulfed in flames, filled with screams and explosions.

The tents were blown into the air, the cattle and sheep were torn to pieces, and debris was everywhere.

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei led 30, 000 cavalrymen, who also circled around from the north, blocking the Xiongnu's escape route.

They flanked the Xiongnu from both sides, like an iron clamp, trapping them in the middle.

"Where do you think you're going!" Zhang Fei roared, his voice like thunder. Holding his eighteen-foot spear, he charged into the Xiongnu crowd, stabbing and slashing left and right, killing the Xiongnu until they cried out in agony.

Wherever the spear struck, men and horses fell, and blood splattered everywhere.

Guan Yu rode the "Fire Dragon" horse, a red horse with a red face and red beard, like a ball of fire.

Wielding his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, he cleaved the Left Wise King, who had just been directing the archery, in two with a single strike, spraying blood all over the ground.

Holding his head, they shouted, "Those who surrender will not be killed!"

"Lay down your weapons, and we'll spare your lives!"