At noon, the sun rarely comes out, but the cold wind still hits the vast snowfield like an enemy of life and death, making a terrifying howl and sending snowflakes flying all over the sky.
Konoha Mountain and Zimeng Lake have been frozen and are completely white. They have lost their past blue and clear colors. The surrounding mountains are rolling and continuous, but they are also covered with white snow, making everything as white as possible.
Legend has it that the god rode a white horse to the east of the Tu River, and a goddess drove a green ox chariot down the Huang River from the plain pine forest to the Konoha Mountain. The two rivers merged, met, became spouses, and gave birth to eight sons. After that, the clan gradually prospered and became
The Eight Tribes of the Khitan, it can be said that this is the birthplace of the Khitan and a holy land, but today they ushered in an army.
The troops did not put up flags. They were all dressed in white coats, making it difficult to identify their identities. However, they stepped on sleds and took firm and powerful steps. Their eyes were full of fighting spirit, and the thick snow could not stop them.
Not long after, the troops came to a stop on a hillside upwind and stood still. The generals gathered together and looked up. In front of them were countless tents and yurts set up near the lake, like countless white mushrooms growing out of the snow.
It is well-proportioned, with smoke curling up from the cooking pots, and it is peaceful.
Zhi Huansi Li looked at this scene, his eyes full of excitement: "General, how do we fight?"
"First use fire to burn down some yurts to attract tribal soldiers to rush out. Kill them and then negotiate."
"Negotiation?" Everyone's expressions changed.
"Believe me, Cheng Chumo will take the lead with a thousand soldiers and horses, and two two thousand soldiers and horses will be separated from the rear to press the formation in a triangular formation. The forbidden troops are on standby. Let's execute it." Qin Huaidao spoke firmly and did not explain much.
During this period of time, Qin Huaidao's prestige had been established, and no one questioned him. He acted quickly. Soon, the Turkic army was divided into three and moved forward. Cheng Chumo brought a thousand heads and fired a rocket when he went up. The tribe was burned into chaos.
Few people rushed out.
It was freezing cold and the roads were blocked by heavy snowfall. No one expected that someone would sneak up on us in such a harsh climate. They didn't even put a simple sentry in place and were suddenly attacked.
Just like Goguryeo's reaction, an army rushed up soon, but was trapped in the thick snow and became a living target. It was shot to death by several rounds of crossbow arrows. The soldiers were already very skilled in the same tactics and their performance became more and more effective.
good.
More and more warriors in the tribe gathered, and they used their bows and arrows to fight back. However, the arrows were blown by the cold wind and could not shoot very far. They landed more than ten meters in front of everyone. There was no pressure. Everyone prepared a lot of rockets before setting off.
Standby, no one was saving at this moment, they drew their bows and started shooting.
More sheepskin and cowhide yurts were set on fire, and when blown by the cold wind, they burned quickly. Countless people rushed out of the yurts, shouting and crying, and became a mess. The tribesmen were not the regular troops of Goguryeo.
Unable to remain calm until attacked.
Many people rushed up on horseback, but their way was quickly blocked by thick snow and became a living target. The dense crossbow arrows rushed towards them, and a large number fell down instantly. What was even more frightening was that the crossbow arrows continued non-stop. Except for the survivors,
He dodged and couldn't take the time to counterattack, so he was shot quickly.
In a short time, nearly a thousand cavalry were killed.
However, the killing also aroused the ferocity of the tribesmen. Many people rushed over to shoot at each other. There were also many cavalry who divided into several groups and tried to outflank them. The total force was no less than 3,000, but the thick reserves were
Snow blocked the march, making it difficult and slow.
When Qin Huaidao saw this scene, he gave a decisive order and the other two teams also moved forward to block the enemies on both sides so that they could be shot. However, more people in the tribe reacted and came forward from further away.
The tribe occupies a large area and has too many people, but no matter which direction you come from, as long as you get closer, the chance of defending the area will be reduced. Qin Huaidao actually ordered that Yuchi brother lead a thousand forbidden troops to attack, one on the left and one on the right, five thousand people,
It is divided into five directions, forming a long arc invisibly, blocking the enemies coming up in a roundabout way.
In this way, there is no blind spot unless the enemy attacks from behind, but that is impossible.
Qin Huaidao stood with his back to the wind, watching the soldiers going on a killing spree, leaving the enemies unable to fight back. He was secretly glad that he had brought a repeating crossbow with dense firepower and a fast rate of fire. If it were a bow and arrow, it might not be like these from a pony.
Growing up, I played with people who played bows.
The battle was almost one-sided.
After a while, four to five thousand tribesmen were shot and killed. The tribes fell silent. There was no resistance, no crying, and no shouting. They seemed to be shocked and frightened by everyone's terrifying fighting spirit.
Without orders, everyone stayed put and did not attack.
But this kind of intimidation was even more frightening. Soon, a man from the tribe came over holding a flag and no weapons. This meant negotiation. Cheng Chumo was the closest and signaled everyone not to take action.
The visitor came closer and stopped and muttered something. Cheng Chumo didn't understand a word and shouted: "Go back and send someone who can speak Tang."
Little did they know that the other party shouted in less proficient Tang dialect: "Dear Sirs, who are you, and why did you attack my He Da He tribe?"
"Tang Jun, because you attacked our country, the Tang Dynasty." Cheng Chumo shouted.
The other party was stunned for a moment and continued: "You are very powerful. We are not opponents. We are willing to put down our swords and arrows to negotiate. According to the rules of this grassland, we are willing to give out enough cattle, sheep and horses to find a way to survive. How about it?"
"Kill all of you, everything still belongs to us, why should we agree?" Cheng Chumo shouted disdainfully.
"A wolf without a way to survive is crazy. We will fight back."
"Your army is not in the tribe. They are just a group of sheep to be slaughtered. They are not opponents at all. What are you talking about with us? Unless you surrender unconditionally and comply with our requirements, we will kill you all. Some of the tribe will still belong to us. Get out.
Go back and send a message, or I will kill you." Cheng Chumo shouted fiercely.
Everyone raised their repeating crossbows.
The other party was so frightened that he hurried back.
Cheng Chumo nodded to Zhi Shensi Li who was not far away, and hurried back, came to Qin Huaidao, recounted the conversation just now, and finally asked: "General, if they still come to talk, how will they talk?"
"Put down your weapons, become a prisoner, obey any orders unconditionally, and you will live."
"I understand!" Cheng Chumo felt confident and was about to leave.
"Wait, don't wait, continue to attack and put pressure on them until they send out negotiators. I don't want to stand here for too long. Take it as soon as possible. We don't have much time left." Qin Huaidao warned.
Cheng Chumo was a little surprised, didn't he have a lot of time? If the snow didn't melt and the road was blocked, the enemy army would not come. But without asking any more questions, he hurried back to the command position and led his team to attack again. Several other teams also quickly received the message.
Order, press down below.
As a result, more yurts were set alight, and more people rushed out in a panic, shouting, and chaos became a mess. However, no soldiers rushed out to stop them. Instead, they retreated in panic, keeping distance, for fear of being hit by rockets.
.
After waiting for a while, Qin Huaidao saw that there were still no soldiers coming out. It was estimated that there were only about 5,000 soldiers left to guard them. They were all killed by a single shot. Just as he was about to signal the team to continue advancing, he saw someone coming out with a flag.
The attack slowly stopped, and everyone was ready.
Cheng Chumo warned the visitor, the same one from before, who shouted dissatisfiedly: "Besides surrender, I won't accept any other conditions. Tell me, how do you choose?"
"We are willing to surrender," the other party shouted with a tearful face.
"It would have been over if it had been like this. Thousands of soldiers died in vain, just wait." Cheng Chumo dropped a word and hurried back. Soon he came to Qin Huaidao and said happily: "They are willing to surrender."
Qin Huaidao nodded and asked people to notify Brother Yuchi, Cheng Chuliang, Cheng Chubi, and Duke An Guo to come up. Everyone gathered together. Qin Huaidao held a few snow balls and placed them on the ground.
Thousands of people are in front, acting as arrows. The two brothers Yuchi are on the right, Cheng Chuliang and Cheng Chubi, and you two are on the left. The whole group will advance slowly in an attack formation. If there is any resistance, shoot them directly." Qin Huaidao warned.
"Understood." Everyone looked at the formation of snow masses on the ground and understood.
Qin Huaidao continued: "After the team went down, the formation spread out a little, and everyone was driven forward to keep a certain distance to prevent enemies from rushing to kill them. After the tribal leaders came out to surrender, Cheng Chumo's subordinates controlled the people and asked them to pass on the order to the tribe.
Everyone goes to the rear, and you guys continue to drive until the very back of the tribe. Let people enter the yurt and tell them that they are not allowed to come out. Anyone who comes out will be killed!"
"Follow the order!" Several people responded and understood. As long as they drove the people in the tribe forward and blocked them in front, even if there were soldiers, they would not be able to kill them unless they killed their own people first. This was a safe method.
"Action!" Qin Huaidao didn't waste any words.
Everyone left quickly and rushed down with all their troops.
Qin Huaidao watched the army form formation, like an eagle with spread wings, flying into the tribe, driving people forward, but there was no indiscriminate killing, and no one was seen fighting back. He felt relieved and thought about how the eight Khitan armies heard from the rear.
After being detained, I don’t know if he will incite them all to the Taiyuan Wang family?
The Wang family of Taiyuan encouraged the Khitans, and Goguryeo sent troops, leaving the rear empty. It seemed that he had made the right move. If he captured the He Dahe tribe, he would have a way to get the alliance. At least he could drive a wedge between the He Dahe tribe and the Wang family of Taiyuan.
The relationship and situation are good for you.
Next to her, Fang Yiai saw that Qin Huaidao had not given the order to lead the attack. She became anxious and couldn't help but said: "General, let us go up?"
"The duty of the pro-army is to protect my safety." Qin Huaidao said with a smile.
Fang Yiai looked aggrieved. With so much force, he still needed protection? But he didn't dare to say the words.
After waiting for a while, Qin Huaidao saw that it was almost done. Cheng Chumo had surrounded a large group of people and said with a smile: "Let's go, it's windy here, find a place to eat, I'm starving."
Yu Lin guard escorted Qin Huaidao down the mountain, and soon arrived at the tribe. As they walked forward, they saw pairs of cattle, sheep, and horses everywhere. This tribe was very wealthy and they didn't have to worry about food.
Cheng Chumo came up to him and said: "General, we have taken it. Several clan elders, one of them can be defeated!"
Ketun is the honorific title of Khan's wife. She has a high status in the tribe, and the clan elders have a high say. Qin Huaidao nodded with satisfaction, and his eyes fell on a large tent. It was unique. It must be the meeting place of He Da He tribe.
place and said: "Take them with you and go to the big tent."
"Follow the order!" Cheng Chumo agreed.
Qin Huaidao went directly over and soon came to the big tent. Li Yixie rushed in to check with great experience and asked Fang Yiai to lead the troops to encircle martial law. After all, he was from a major. No wonder Li Er asked him to follow him. He only knew how to fight.
Fang Yiai is much more professional.
Soon, Li Yixie came out and nodded to Qin Huaidao to indicate that it was okay.
Qin Huaidao walked in and saw a bonfire burning inside, roasting people, and a lot of leftovers. It seemed like someone had eaten here before. He sat down on the main seat and saw that the utensils were all made of silver, which was very exquisite.
It's worth a lot of money, and I can enjoy it better than myself. I pick up a knife and cut a piece of meat and throw it into my mouth. The taste is just enough to make it edible.
At this time, Cheng Chumo led people to press the prisoners in. One of them was a woman in her thirties, dignified and beautiful. She looked over with a bit of curiosity and a bit of anger in her eyes. She must be Ke Dun. The others were all older.
, I guess he is a clan elder.
"Sit down." Qin Huaidao said nonchalantly, as if he was the master.
Everyone hesitated for a moment and sat down cross-legged around the bonfire. Cheng Chumo, Fang Yiai and Li Yixie were worried about their safety and did not leave. They stood behind several clan elders, holding knives in their hands. Li Derjian and Xue Feng came hand in hand and saw this scene.
He quickly stepped forward and stood on the left and right sides of Qin Huaidao, just in case.
Invisibly, everyone cared about Qin Huaidao's safety.
Qin Huaidao felt a little moved and said while eating: "Do you understand what I said, general?"
"Who are you? Why did you attack us?" the woman asked, her pronunciation was a bit strange, but she could understand it.
If you can understand, it's easy to handle. Qin Huaidao smiled and said, "Are you Khitan Ketun?"
"Exactly!" the other party responded, somewhat magnanimously.
Qin Huaidao said while eating: "That's easy to handle. We are the Tang army. Your men will lead the troops to attack the Tang Dynasty. I will lead the troops to attack you. Is there any problem?"
"No...no." Ke Dun had a cold face, unable to accept the words.
"It's fine if you don't." Qin Huaidao continued with a smile: "According to your rules, from now on, you are my captives, slaves, and property. Your life is determined by me. You must obey any of my orders. Is there any problem?"
"No...no." Ke Dun held his breath and almost died of anger.
Qin Huaidao continued nonchalantly: "It's okay if you don't have any. Tell your tribesmen that this general will dig up the snow and clear a road from here to Yingzhou. If you are willing to do it, you will be fed. If you don't want to do it, you will be killed. If you don't have it, you will be killed."
Slaves are not worth wasting food, including you, is there a problem?"
"This is too far and cannot be done."
"This is not a problem you should worry about. You only have one choice, do it or not?"
"I..." Ke Dun's face changed drastically. Has the dignified Khitan Ke Dun actually been reduced to digging snow in exchange for food? Damn it, doesn't this damn man know how to show mercy at all?
"Not willing?" Qin Huaidao's eyes turned cold and he stopped eating.
A cold murderous intention suddenly broke out. Ke Dun had no doubt that the man in front of him who seemed to be chatting and laughing would kill him, but if he agreed, where would he put his face? Besides, he couldn't do the job.
At this time, a middle-aged man said: "Dear general, am I willing to do it for her?"
"Who will replace you?"
"This...I can do double duty." The other party said quickly.
Qin Huaidao stared at the other party and said coldly: "No, everyone has to work. Digging snow and clearing roads wastes time. It will take about six days to get from here to Yingzhou with the strength of the whole clan. I only give you five days.
Anyone who dares to be lazy will be killed without mercy. This is not a discussion, but an order."
After speaking, Qin Huaidao said to Cheng Chumo: "Take them down and ask them to inform the tribe. Except for the elderly with physical disabilities and children below the wheel, everyone else has to work, regardless of men and women. Collect tools and distribute them. Go directly south from the tribe.
Dig it five meters wide and deep enough for a horse to pass."
"Understood!" Cheng Chumo agreed.
Ke Dunqi's face turned pale, but he sensed Qin Huaidao's cold and murderous intent, so he did not dare to show his temper and followed him out. Several clan elders did not dare to speak. The grassland tribes had long been used to annexing each other, and they all had the consciousness of being prisoners.
After the others left, Li Derjian couldn't help but ask: "General, what are you going to do?"
"It's not appropriate to stay here and wait for the Khitan armies. Once we return, it means the ice and snow melt, and we have no advantage. We must go back quickly. We only need to take away all the horses, cattle, sheep, and other supplies here to feed the people of this tribe for a while.
There is no problem with time. With so many prisoners in hand, I don’t believe that the great and powerful Khan will not hand over the alliance." Qin Huaidao said coldly.
Hearing this, Li Derjian understood everything. No wonder he wanted to take prisoners. No wonder he took the time to clear the snow road. He thought about it and said: "Five days are a bit tight, but tens of thousands of people are digging at the same time, and it is not digging soil. Digging in the snow is much easier.
It shouldn’t be a big problem.”
"Go and count the spoils, let the imperial army help guard them, and be ready to go at any time. Food is the key and there is no room for loss." Qin Huaidao warned.
"Understood, go this way." Li Derjian hurried away.
Qin Huaidao looked at Xue Feng and said with a smile: "You are hungry, eat something."
"General Xie, after taking over the He Da He tribe, it will be difficult for the Khitan to avoid chaos. However, once we go back, the Khitan army will definitely surround Yingzhou. What should we do then?" Xuefeng asked, as a member of Yingzhou,
Of course, what we are most concerned about is the safety of Yingzhou.
Qin Huaidao smiled and said: "Goguryeo's 50,000-strong army can't do anything to Yingzhou. The Khitan is nothing. It is estimated that the Khitan only has about 50,000 people. We have captured so many cattle, sheep and trophies. We don't have to worry about eating. We are hiding in the city and are not afraid of the cold. There are also
There are tens of thousands of prisoners, what are you worried about? Just afraid that they won't come."
"That's right, with the general here, Yingzhou is really safe. However, if we kill the five major armies of Goguryeo, Goguryeo will definitely not give up. Once Goguryeo and Khitan encircle Yingzhou again and wait for the ice and snow to melt, what should we do?" Xue Feng responded
He came over, but couldn't help but continue to ask.
"Don't worry, they have no chance." Qin Huaidao said with a smile, not worried at all.
Xue Feng didn't know where Qin Huaidao was confident. He guessed that he had a countermeasure, but he didn't want to say anything and didn't want to ask again. The two chatted casually for a while. An Guo Gongzhi lost his mind and rushed over happily, sat down by the campfire, and said with
He cut off a piece of mutton with a knife and chewed it, while saying: "Shu Tan, General, I didn't expect to capture the He Dahe Department so easily. Do we really want to open a road back and stop fighting?"
"Time is a bit tight, so we won't fight anymore."
"Why are we going back in a hurry?" Zhi lost his mind and asked curiously.
"Go back to clean up the Khitan. If there are prisoners, it is impossible for the Hedahe tribe not to go to Yingzhou. The Mohuige cave of the Hedahe tribe is the Khan. Once he goes, other tribes will definitely go and hide in the city to fight with them.
Wouldn't it be easier? Why take risks?" Qin Huaidao asked with a smile.
Zhi lost his mind and nodded, thought for a while, and asked: "But what if the Siwandan tribe takes the opportunity to become bigger?"
"The Xiwandan tribe will definitely bring troops back when they hear that their tribe has been beaten. Once we leave, no one will be his opponent. What if the Xiwandan tribe takes the opportunity to annex other tribes, expand its strength, and become bigger?"
Qin Huaidao smiled: "This is the effect we want, just wait and see the show."
Zhi lost his mind and saw Qin Huaidao smiling and saying nothing. He didn't want to tell the truth, and he didn't ask stupid questions. Anyway, the general had made a decision, and he just had to obey. He had already captured so many departments and had done so much, so what else could he do?
There are so many trophies, it can be said to be a bumper harvest, why bother so much?
After eating and drinking, Qin Huaidao walked out of the tent and saw that the prisoners had been organized and were clearing the snow. Although it was very cold, no one dared to resist. Countless soldiers behind them were staring at them with crossbows.
Five meters wide is enough for two war horses to drag supplies and pass side by side. No one is coming anyway, and there is thick snow blocking the way. No one dares to escape. It is no different from seeking death. It doesn't matter if the team is longer when we go back.
Cheng Chumo directed everyone to dig at the scene. He first dug a small passage that could be passed by one person. Others followed and dug on both sides. The longer the passage, the more people entered and the faster the digging. In order to improve efficiency, some people even
Cheng Chumo asked him to crawl to the front and dig in sections.
Qin Huaidao observed for a while, and then asked Cheng Chumo to call for Cheng Chumo and warned: "Find some women to cook and give them meat. Only when they are full can they work. Don't save. Anyway, a lot has been seized. We must eat by ourselves."
, Don’t take prisoners with fake hands, be careful something happens.”
"Understood." Cheng Chumo quickly wrote it down.
Qin Huaidao looked at Zhi Shensi Li who came with him: "Mr. An Guo, your department is responsible for supervision. You are not allowed to beat or scold you at will, but you cannot be used to being lazy. The prisoners are of great use alive."
"Then I'll keep an eye on it personally." Zhi lost his mind and said quickly.
"There is a problem." Cheng Chumo reminded: "After the passage is built far, commuting will be a problem."
"It's okay, bring your tents and yurts, and we'll set up camp wherever they are built. The Imperial Army will be responsible for protecting the trophies and accompanying them with us," Qin Huaidao said.
"That's no problem." Cheng Chu replied silently.
Qin Huaidao motioned for everyone to get busy. He looked across the vast snowfield as if he wanted to see Yingzhou. He wanted to know how the army going south would make a choice after Goguryeo's grain was burned. Should they take Pingzhou at all costs? Or go everywhere to plunder food and grass to survive? Near Pingzhou
There aren't many villages, so even if we rob them all, we won't be able to survive, right?
What choice will Goguryeo make at home? Should it urgently raise food supplies and transport them to the front? Or should it consider withdrawing its troops?
"You still want to run after you are here? You have to ask yourself if you agree. However, you have to hurry up and rush back." Qin Huaidao became more determined and decided in his heart that if he defeated the Goguryeo army going south, this battle would definitely usher in a huge turn.
.
The Khitans are already on the verge of chaos and can be captured if they operate properly. If they eat Goguryeo's southward army again, the situation will be reversed. Unfortunately, there are too few troops in Yingzhou. Otherwise, the Khitan can directly recruit a large army to march eastward, taking advantage of the heavy losses of the Goguryeo army and the lack of food.
If we fight against each other and burn the flames of war in Goguryeo, we may be able to decide the outcome in one battle. Even if we are this little butterfly, we can fan the storm!
Without military symbols and imperial edicts, soldiers and horses from other places cannot be seconded. How can a great opportunity be missed like this?
But where can we get an army of 30,000 to 50,000 people?