SEC Chapter 429 Yellow Avenue
Chapter 429 Yellow Avenue
Zhang Fan quietly looked at Fusu, at his face which was slightly flushed with excitement, and nodded silently in his heart.
"All right!"
Zhang Fan smiled helplessly, stood up, and said, "Since you have such courage, then let's go together. But let's make it clear first, once we get to the front lines, you must stay close to me and the Xuan Niao Guards, and you must not act on your own."
"Thank you, teacher!" Fusu was overjoyed and quickly clasped his hands in thanks.
As the bugle sounded, the Qin vanguard cavalry, well-fed and spirited, charged straight towards the valley where the Xiongnu were located.
……
the other side.
As dawn broke, the horrific scene in the Xiongnu camp was fully revealed.
The ground was littered with filth, warhorses collapsed from exhaustion, and soldiers groaned with deathly pale faces.
A Xiongnu scout stumbled and crawled into the main tent: "Princess! Qin army! The Qin cavalry are advancing! They're less than ten miles away!"
Luan Diyun was slumped on the soft couch, her face deathly pale, as if she had collapsed from exhaustion.
Upon hearing the news of the Qin army's approach, she felt an overwhelming surge of anger, but even more so, a deep sense of fear.
"Retreat...retreat immediately!"
Luan Diyun bit her lip until it bled, and roared with all her might.
But issuing a retreat order at this point would be a disaster.
The Xiongnu camp was thrown into chaos instantly. Many soldiers had just climbed onto their horses when their stomachs tightened, and they could only ride away for their lives while simultaneously pulling themselves down their thighs.
The warhorse was in no better shape; its limbs were weak, it couldn't run fast, and it even vomited while running.
In contrast, the Qin soldiers were all full of energy and exuded a fierce killing intent.
The Qin warhorses had eaten carefully selected grains and were at their peak physical condition.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Qin army's black bird battle banner appeared on the snow-covered horizon.
The distance between the two armies was rapidly closed.
The heavy thud of hooves struck the hearts of the Xiongnu people.
Luan Diyun glanced back and saw that the Qin army's heavy crossbows had begun to be raised horizontally.
"There's no escape..."
Luan Diyun felt a chill in her heart. She knew that with the army in its current state, it was only a matter of time before they were caught up.
She suddenly drew her scimitar and pointed it at a tribal cavalry force of about five thousand men behind her.
"Hulan tribe! You stay behind to cover the rear! Hold off the Qin army!"
The five thousand soldiers who were named looked utterly desperate.
Their hands are trembling so much they can barely hold a knife. How can they possibly stop the ferocious Qin army?
This is clearly sending them to be scapegoats!
Before they could refute him, Luan Diyun, along with his royal guards and the remaining ten thousand soldiers, fled northwards in a frantic manner without looking back.
"kill!"
The Qin army has arrived.
The 5,000 Xiongnu troops left behind to cover the retreat couldn't even withstand a single round of Qin cavalry charges.
Amidst the flashing swords and clashing blades, the five thousand men were quickly routed, and the main force broke through the enemy's obstacles.
Meng Tian reined in his warhorse, looked at the Xiongnu main force receding into the distance on the horizon, and immediately turned to look at Zhang Fan sitting in his specially made chariot.
"Immortal Master, the enemy's main force is still fleeing! Their strength is weakened, and in at most another hour, we will be able to completely annihilate them!" Meng Tian gripped his spear tightly and roared with high fighting spirit.
To everyone's surprise, Zhang Fan looked at the distant snowstorm, smiled faintly, and gently raised his right hand.
"Cease the pursuit. The entire army shall gather the prisoners on the spot and clean up the battlefield."
"What?"
Meng Tian was greatly alarmed. He spurred his horse closer to the chariot and asked urgently, "Immortal Master, why don't we pursue them? This is the perfect opportunity to annihilate these 30,000 elite troops! If we let them escape, the consequences will be dire!"
Fusu looked at Zhang Fan with some confusion.
Why give up at the last moment when victory was already assured?
Zhang Fan did not answer directly, but instead pointed to the vast snowfield outside the chariot.
"Commander Meng, look at the ground."
Meng Tian looked down and felt a pungent smell rise into the sky.
The route the Xiongnu people took to escape was extremely clear.
Not only were there messy hoofprints on the snow, but also a continuous, extremely conspicuous yellowish-brown stain.
Zhang Fan patted the hand warmer in his hand and smiled.
"Commander Meng, in this vast northern desert, amidst wind and snow, we still can't find where Touman Chanyu's main force is hiding."
Zhang Fan squinted, looking north. "These 30,000 men are Touman Chanyu's most elite troops. Now they're out of ammunition and food, and poisoned. In this desperate situation, their only way to survive is to escape back to the royal court as quickly as possible!"
"I spared their lives so they would lead the way!"
After listening to Zhang Fan's analysis, Meng Tian gasped in shock.
He looked at the yellow road on the ground with admiration in his eyes.
"Wonderful! Wonderful!"
Meng Tian slapped his thigh suddenly, "Cast a long line to catch a big fish! I am completely convinced by the Immortal Master's plan!"
Immediately, Meng Tian turned around and gave military orders to the generals behind him.
"Pass down the order: select three hundred scout cavalry!"
Meng Tian's gaze was cold and sharp as he pointed to the stained snow-covered road ahead. "Give them ten days' worth of dry rations and follow these tracks at a distance!"
A lieutenant stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "General Meng, shouldn't we attack directly? If the scouts reveal their location, it could be dangerous."
"No attack."
Meng Tian waved his hand, "The enemy is currently in a state of extreme panic and will surely flee for their lives, so their defenses will be extremely tight. The three hundred scouts should not get too close; just keep an eye on them!"
Our sole objective is to pinpoint the exact location of the Xiongnu royal court!
Meng Tian gazed into the distance, his eyes gleaming: "Once the location of the royal court is exposed, it will be entirely beneficial to our Great Qin's next move to secure victory. Go, and tell them to proceed with caution."
"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant accepted the order and immediately turned to select men.
Zhang Fan stood aside, watching the Qin Dynasty's war machine operate smoothly, and nodded slightly.
……
at the same time.
Hundreds of miles away from the battlefield, deep in the northern desert.
On the vast snow-covered plain, the cold wind howled.
At the command of Touman Chanyu to assemble with his golden sword, the entire Xiongnu steppe was mobilized.
Upon receiving the urgent letter from the Chanyu, the Left and Right Wise Kings of the Xiongnu dared not delay and immediately returned to their respective territories, forcibly conscripting young men from various tribes.
Soon, two massive cavalry forces, each numbering 100,000, braved the bitter cold and marched from the depths of the western and northern grasslands toward the royal court.
Two days later.
The main business is Wangting.
Inside the main tent of the Chanyu (ruler) in the center, the fire in the stove burned extremely brightly, dispelling the severe cold outside.
On the huge grill, several fat sheep were dripping with oil.
Touman Chanyu sat in the main seat, his face rugged.
He raised his golden goblet and clinked it with the Left Wise King and Right Wise King, who were seated on either side of him. Then he tilted his head back and drank the strong mare's milk wine in one gulp.
"That Meng Tian is truly going too far!"