To the First Emperor of Qin: The state has decreed this!

Chapter 423 The Vast Snowfield!

Fusu breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "It seems to be the remnants of the Xiongnu army, trying to bluff. Now that they've retreated, everyone should continue to rest."

Zhang Fan walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and glanced at the military camp.

Although he felt things weren't that simple, since there was no battle going on at the moment, he ordered the Black Bird Guards to retreat outside the tent and wait.

The soldiers put away their weapons and crawled back into their cold tents.

Being startled awake on a snowy night makes it difficult to fall back asleep.

The soldiers had finally warmed up their bedding, and their eyelids were just beginning to droop.

However, less than two hours later...

The sky was at its darkest hour before dawn.

"Ugh!"

The sound of the horn rang out again.

"Enemy attack! The Huns are here again!"

The Qin soldiers, who had just lain down, were awakened once again.

This time, the soldiers' reactions included not only panic, but also anger and frustration.

Meng Tian rushed out of the camp again to direct the firefighting efforts and instructed the archers to fire blindly to the east and west.

As the Qin army, fully armed and ready to march out of their camp to meet the enemy, the damned bugle call faded into the distance once more.

This group of Xiongnu cavalry did not engage in battle at all, but simply roamed outside the range of the Qin army's crossbows.

When you retreat, he advances; when you attack, he immediately flees.

The soldiers' eyes were bloodshot, and they had a burning anger inside them with nowhere to vent it.

Until dawn broke and the wind and snow stopped.

Inside the central command tent.

Zhang Fan and Fu Su sat by the charcoal fire, both of them exhausted from not sleeping all night.

The tent curtain was lifted, and Commander-in-Chief Meng Tian strode in.

His eyes were bloodshot, his armor was covered in ice and snow, his face was ashen, and he was filled with rage.

"Commander Meng, what are the casualties?" Fusu asked as soon as Meng Tian entered.

Meng Tian walked to the brazier, his voice hoarse: "There was no direct confrontation. A dozen sentries died on the outer perimeter, and several empty tents were burned. But..."

Meng Tian gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the wooden table next to him. "But the morale and physical strength of the army have been severely damaged! Three hundred thousand soldiers have not been able to close their eyes all night!"

The entire army is in a state of high agitation; many soldiers can't even eat breakfast. If I hadn't personally patrolled the camp with my sword, it would have rioted last night!

Seeing Meng Tian's furious expression, Zhang Fan pondered for a moment before saying, "The enemy is deliberately tormenting us. They are few in number and dare not confront us head-on, so they are using this tactic to wear down our people."

"It's not just the exhausted people!"

Meng Tian turned to look at Zhang Fan, his eyes filled with urgency and helplessness, "Immortal Master, the scouts reported this morning that it wasn't just the attack on the camp last night!"

Our three grain transport teams, each consisting of 100 men, which we sent to the rear to expedite the transport of grain, were attacked by light cavalry of the Xiongnu on the way!

The grain wagons were burned, and the entire escorting army was wiped out!

Meng Tian took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down: "Their numbers are definitely in the tens of thousands, but they have been broken up into dozens of groups!"

They didn't even make contact with our main formation. Our heavy infantry couldn't catch up with them!

We sent light cavalry to pursue them; they were familiar with the terrain and immediately disappeared into the deep snow!

As soon as we retreated, they immediately came back to take another bite.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fan was startled.

As he looked at the tactical details Meng Tian described, an extremely familiar feeling quickly amplified in his mind.

They don't fight tough battles, they just engage in harassment.

They target those who are exhausted, and specifically cut off supply lines and logistics.

This playing style looks so familiar.

Seeing Zhang Fan's changing expression, Meng Tian took two steps closer and said directly, "Immortal Master, does this tactic seem familiar?"

Zhang Fan raised his head: "Commander Meng, please speak frankly."

Meng Tian sighed: "During the military exercises in Xianyang, I casually mentioned a rogue tactic for lightly armed troops. You summarized it in sixteen characters, and I've kept it in mind ever since."

Meng Tian stared into Zhang Fan's eyes and recited, word by word: "When the enemy advances, we retreat; when the enemy camps, we harass; when the enemy tires, we attack; when the enemy retreats, we pursue!"

The tent was deathly silent!

Zhang Fan's pupils contracted slightly.

These sixteen words of truth were indeed spoken by him.

It was only meant to illustrate the advantages of mobile forces at the time.

But how could the Xiongnu people understand this?

Grassland tribes have always valued individual bravery, and their battles often involve a mass charge or hit-and-run tactics relying on mounted archery.

But they had never received such systematic tactical guidance.

Every move of the Xiongnu cavalry last night perfectly matched the core of these sixteen characters.

"The Xiongnu have actually mastered this tactic..."

Fusu, listening nearby, was terrified. "They have a mastermind behind them!"

Zhang Fan put down his teacup, his expression turning serious.

Meng Tian clasped his hands in a deep bow to Zhang Fan, his tone anxious, "Immortal Master, this battle tactic is too effective against us. Our 300,000-strong army is mainly composed of heavily armored infantry and powerful crossbowmen!"

In this snowy terrain, although snowshoes are available, they can only ensure that the troops don't sink into snowdrifts. In terms of agility and speed, they are nowhere near as good as the light cavalry native to the grasslands.

Meng Tian listed the current predicament: "They fight and run away, and we can't catch them. Right now, the soldiers can't rest at all, and they're on edge. What's even more critical is the supply line."

If we allow them to cut off the supply convoys like this, the 100,000 vanguard troops will run out of food in less than ten days!

Meng Tian looked up at Zhang Fan. "These sixteen-character mantras were proposed by you; the one who tied the knot must untie it. Immortal Master, you must have a way to break this guerrilla warfare tactic, right?"

Zhang Fan stood up and walked to the brazier at the entrance of the tent.

Looking at the burning charcoal, Zhang Fan fell into deep thought.

In the era of cold weapons, guerrilla warfare, especially on plains and snowy terrain, was almost unbeatable when carried out by pure light cavalry.

During the reign of the powerful Emperor Wu of Han, the Han army only managed to drive away the Xiongnu by relying on a large number of cavalry and the depletion of national resources.

Although the Qin army was well-equipped and the Mitsubishi army had great bayonet killing power, these advantages could not be utilized when the enemy did not engage in close combat.

If you punch cotton, you'll end up getting pricked by needles hidden inside and bleeding profusely.

Fusu also stepped forward, his tone worried: "Teacher, the soldiers are very resentful. If they attack again tonight, the army may not be able to withstand this war of attrition."

Zhang Fan did not answer immediately.

The only sound inside the tent was the crackling of burning charcoal.

After a long while, Zhang Fan turned around.

His face remained calm.

"Commander Meng," Zhang Fan said, his voice steady.

"What are your orders, Immortal Master!" Meng Tian replied, standing at attention.

"Since they want to play games, then we'll play along with them to the end."

Zhang Fan looked at the map. "The core of guerrilla warfare lies in space and mobility. They think we can't catch them on this snowy plain."

Zhang Fan pointed to several points on the map: "However, they overlooked one thing. Another core element of guerrilla warfare is logistics!"

How will 30,000 light cavalrymen maintain their supplies in this heavy snow, with men and horses struggling to feed themselves?

Meng Tian was taken aback: "They are grassland people, perhaps they have dried meat, or they may have been plundering on the spot..."

"right!"

Zhang Fan nodded. "Heavy snow has blocked the mountains, and the animals have frozen to death, so they can only plunder!"

Or, there must be a dedicated supply line, or they need to replenish their arrows and food regularly.

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Fan's eyes: "They cut off our supply lines, so we'll go find their roots."

Meng Tian asked urgently, "How can we find it in this vast snow-covered plain?"