The horsewhip hit a tribal leader hard on the shoulder, tearing the leader's sheepskin jacket to pieces.
The tip of the whip passed over his cheek with the sound of howling wind, and a red mark soon appeared on his cheek.
"Why don't you just rush over?!"
When chasing the defeated troops of the Mo Lu Hui tribe, instead of breaking through the enemy's rear as planned, they lost more than 200 cavalry and were driven back.
This made Tuoba Liwei, who had already been unable to hold back his anger, become furious. Without thinking, he took out his horsewhip and whipped it on the leader who came to return his life.
"Da Kehan, spare your life!"
The leader buried his head in the snow, not knowing whether he was afraid or feeling cold, "Dou Bin is very cunning. He has an ambush behind the defeated soldiers."
"We followed Kehan's orders to chase the defeated soldiers, but we didn't expect that we would be ambushed by them."
Unexpectedly, when Tuoba Liwei heard this, he became even more angry. He raised his whip and whipped the leader hard again:
"You mean to say that my military orders are wrong?"
"No, I don't dare, I don't dare..."
Hearing Tuoba Liwei's words, the leader's body shook even more.
Fortunately, Tuoba Dakehan didn't seem to pursue the crime of his gaffe, but asked:
"How many soldiers are in ambush?"
The capital city originally wanted to say Wanqi.
But this time, in addition to him, there were several people who came to recover this time and were lying behind him.
So he could only answer honestly:
"Even if there are not ten thousand cavalry, there are still six or seven thousand cavalry."
Six or seven thousand?
Recalling what Ku Xian reported, the reinforcements Dou Bin invited included five thousand Han troops.
Not bad at all.
After all, Tuoba Liwei can be regarded as someone who has led troops and fought in wars his whole life.
Naturally, we know how difficult it is to count the number of people on the opposite side in front of the formation - it is extremely difficult to estimate how many people are on the opposite side without being deceived by the enemy.
The art of war is a secret secret among military strategists.
"Go away, go away, reorganize your troops and horses, and listen to my orders at any time."
"If there is a next time, let's see if I don't beat you to death!"
Tuoba Liwei's riding crop whipped at the leaders lying on the ground indiscriminately.
Several people with more or less whip marks on their bodies retreated in embarrassment.
"Kehan, their defeat this time was not a crime of war, why should they be so angry?"
After everyone retreated, the black-clothed deacon said, "Although Dou Bin is old and no longer ambitious, he has been leading troops on expeditions all year round and has rich experience."
"In addition, there are Han troops to help, but Han wants to fight against them. How difficult it is."
After the defeated leaders, big and small, retreated, the angry look on Tuoba Liwei's face also dissipated:
"I am not as good as the deacon in planning strategies, but in driving the troops in front of the battle, the deacon is not as good as me!"
"These outsiders are not completely loyal to our Tuoba tribe. Otherwise, they would not have lost more than two hundred horses and would have taken the opportunity to retreat."
"If I don't punish them and make them fearful, I'm afraid they will lie about the military situation and exaggerate the enemy's situation in an attempt to escape responsibility."
"Not to mention that I will do my best in the subsequent battles."
The black-clothed deacon heard this and nodded slowly:
"Since Ke Han knows what's going on, I'm relieved."
Tuoba Li pointed his riding whip forward and sneered:
"The Wuluhui tribe has been defeated, and as I expected, the Han army formed a formation behind them. Firstly, it was to urge the Wuluhui tribe to advance, and secondly, it was to take advantage of the conflict between the two tribes and benefit from it.
"
"They have a good idea, but they don't know how to stop the surprise troops I sent out."
The deacon reminded:
"Kehan, Dou Bin may not be aware of Kehan's arrangements."
Tuoba Li smiled slightly: "Of course he knows, but doesn't he know that the weather is not as good as the right place, and the right place is not as good as the people."
Dou Bin recruited reinforcements from outside and betrayed him at such a time, which can barely be considered as taking advantage of the opportunity.
But he came in a hurry, appeared on the Tuoba tribe's territory, and gave himself a lot of time to gather all the tribes, but he allowed himself to take advantage of the favorable location and people.
Even if he knew that he would send surprise troops, how would he know from which direction they were coming?
Do we need to be on guard at all times?
Being on guard at every turn will lead to being unprepared at every turn.
The Luhui tribe would not be as good as the Tuoba tribe without the Luhui tribe - even if half of the warriors go to Southern Xia, it cannot be easily shaken without the Luhui tribe.
What Tuoba Liwei was worried about was the five thousand Han troops.
Now that the location of the Han army has been explored, the last big stone in my heart can already fall to the ground.
After listening to Tuoba Liwei's analysis, the black-clothed deacon couldn't help but agree.
Tuoba Kehan was able to lead a small tribe to become the largest tribe in the grasslands. In addition to the help of his own tribe, his own talents were also considered outstanding.
"Then what's Kehan's next plan?"
"Dou Bin's defeat is no longer a cause for concern."
Tuoba Li sneered slightly, showing disdain and ridicule.
The Han people have always looked down upon the Hu people.
Dou Bin actually dared to collude with the Han people. How is this different from opening the door to a thief?
On weekdays, after claiming to be Fufeng Dou's family, he only clings to a famous family, promotes his identity, and deceives the ignorant people on the grassland.
Do you really think that the Han people will recognize you and look up to you?
How is it now?
Aren't they still driven like dogs by the Han army, working hard in front of the battle line?
Tuoba Liwei believed that if the Luhui tribe had not been forced forward, even if it was about to be defeated, it would never be as defeated as it is now.
"What we have to do now is to attract the attention of the Han army and wait for the opportunity."
As long as the sent surprise troops appear somewhere behind the battlefield, that is the best time.
"Someone is coming!"
"Ke Han?"
Tuoba Liwei did not hesitate at all and once again selected five peripheral tribes and asked them to continue to attack the Han army.
Compared with the Han army, the tribes outside the Tuoba tribe may have insufficient armor and crude weapons, but they are better in numbers.
Tuoba Liwei didn't expect them to really break through the Han army's formation - of course it would be best if they could - he just wanted them to tire out the Han army, and that would be considered as achieving his goal.
When the time comes, all they have to do is wait for the surprise troops to appear on their flanks, and then attack them from the front with elite troops. Why worry about winning?
There are sixty-eight tribes of Tuoba tribe alone with different surnames, that is, peripheral tribes.
Tuoba Liwei didn't believe that a mere five thousand Han soldiers could withstand the attacks of so many of them.
Of course, in addition to bringing down the Han army, Tuoba Liwei also had other ideas.
In addition to the eight major tribes with the same surname in Tuoba Xianbei, the remaining 68 tribes with different surnames can only be described as loose alliances.
The leaders of these tribes with different surnames still have great autonomy over their own tribes.
Therefore, there is still a long way to go before we can integrate these tribes with different surnames into the real Tuoba tribe.
In daily life, in addition to luring them for profit, we also need to capture them for fear.
At the same time, we must also pay attention to secretly limiting the strength of these tribes so that they cannot threaten Suo Tou's status.
At this time, it was a good opportunity to adjust their strength.
Just when Tuoba Li was fine-tuning his troops and sending generals to fight the Han army.
Several tribal leaders with whip marks on their faces were passing a certain camp dejectedly.
"Choo! Boom! Boom..."
There was a sound that made people feel sour.
Several people subconsciously followed the sound and saw that the door of King Karasuma's tent was wide open, and King Karasuma was sharpening his sword expressionlessly inside.
On a normal day, they would have ridiculed King Karasuma who had returned from the previous defeat.
After all, we are all members of a different tribe from the Tuoba tribe. How come you, King Karasuma, can gain the trust of Da Kehan?
If they finally get a chance to ridicule each other, they will definitely not miss it.
In fact, when King Karasuma returned from defeat, someone had already come to mock him.
It's just that these people were also defeated, so naturally the eldest brother didn't laugh at the second brother.
Not only was there no ridicule, but probably out of sympathy, the leader also said hello to King Karasuma:
"King Ku Xian, what are you doing?"
Ku Xian seemed to turn a deaf ear and continued sharpening his sword.
Several people were bored and were about to leave when they saw Ku Xian suddenly stop sharpening the knife, raised the polished knife, stretched out his thumb and tested the edge.
Then he glanced at a few people and said unexpectedly:
"Sharpening the knife on Kehan's orders."
The few people who were about to leave heard this unexpected answer, and their feet were immediately attracted by magnets.
Several people looked at each other, and without any hesitation, they all turned around and walked into Ku Xian's tent.
He lowered his body and asked humbly:
"King Ku Xian, what do you mean by this?"
Ku Xian looked at them strangely and replied:
"I sharpen the knife under Kehan's orders. Didn't I make it clear enough?"
I understand, but...
"Why did Kehan ask Master Ku Xian to sharpen his sword?"
When Ku Xian heard this question, he snorted from his nose. He didn't know whether it meant a sneer or something else.
He stretched out his thumb again, slowly tried it on the edge of the knife, and asked a question instead of answering:
"Do you know why Luhui tribe suddenly betrayed Kehan?"
this……
Someone said hesitantly: "I heard that Dou Bin colluded with the Han people..."
Ku Xian sneered. The meaning of this sound was very clear, it was a sneer:
"Master Dou Bin has always been on good terms with Ke Han, and the two are uncle-in-law. Why did Master Dou Bin suddenly collude with the Han people and betray Ke Han?"
"How do we know this?"
To be honest, this dispute between the Luhui Tribe and the Tuoba Tribe actually left most people scratching their heads.
The two have always had a harmonious relationship, and they are in-laws. Why did they suddenly start fighting at the first thought, and it was a life-and-death kind of fight.
Fortunately, Mr. Ku Xian has always been straightforward and does not like to show off. He explained:
"Isn't it because of the eldest prince?"
"The eldest prince?"
Tuoba Desert Khan?
"The eldest prince is the eldest grandson of Dou Bin. He was slandered and slandered by some people in our tribe. In the end, his life and death are unknown and his whereabouts are unknown. When Dou Bin heard about this, he sent an army to come to question him."
After hearing this, someone said unconvincingly:
"What happened to the eldest prince is Da Kehan's acquiescence. What does the second prince's action have to do with us? How can we say that it is slander?"
Ku Xian looked at the person who said this as if he were an idiot, and uttered:
"The second prince is also Dou Bin's direct grandson."
Of course, this is not important.
After all, let alone brothers, even if they are father and son, when it is time to be ruthless, they must be ruthless and show no mercy.
"Ke Han already feels remorse for what happened to the eldest prince, but it just happened that Dou Bin came to question him, so he will not admit his mistake in public."
Ku Xian's voice was not loud, but it was like thunder, ringing in the ears of several people, shaking them to their core:
"However, Kehan already has the intention of accepting Ru Cao's eldest son to comfort the eldest prince, so he asked me to sharpen my sword and axe."
Several people said almost in unison: "Impossible!"
Ku Xian glanced at a few people and smiled contemptuously:
"This time Dou Bin, with the help of the Han army, you and I suffered defeats one after another, which is enough to show that the Luhui tribe is no longer what it used to be."
"As for the warriors of our clan, when most of them were heading south, they were at a time when their strength was weak. One is declining and the other is rising, so the victory or defeat of this battle cannot be determined."
"Even if we win, I'm afraid it will be a tragic victory. How will the Tuoba tribe make up for their losses when the time comes?"
The so-called Tuoba Eight Tribes naturally refers to the eight core tribes with the same surname as Tuoba.
They are also the eight most powerful tribes in Tuoba Xianbei.
If not, how can we convince the sixty-eight tribes with different surnames?
Ku Xian asked this question, but no one answered.
But everyone present knew that as long as they were members of the Tuoba Xianbei, the sixty-eight tribes with different surnames would never be stronger than the eight Tuoba tribes.
When Ku Xian saw no one answered, he didn't force it and just continued:
"If this battle is defeated, Ke Han, in order to protect the Tuoba clan, will send out those who slandered the prince in the past to appease Dou Bin's anger. Do you think it is feasible?"
"Kehan, Kehan has always been a hero, how could he do such a thing that ruins people's expectations?"
Some people expressed disbelief.
Ku Xian laughed, without even looking at the speaker, his expression became more and more contemptuous.
The knives and axes were sharpened, reflecting the light of the snow, and could even reflect the panic on the faces of several people who could not hide their faces.
Scratching the blade with his fingers and blowing another breath, Ku Xian showed a satisfied smile.
But in the eyes of a few people, this expression was extremely penetrating.
At the moment of the war, Tuoba Xianbei suffered successive defeats and finally managed to stabilize the front. Except for the eight core members of Tuoba, no one dared to easily ask Tuoba Liwei for confirmation.
Because Ku Xian himself was the head of the sixty-eight tribes with different surnames, he was favored by Tuoba Li WeChat in the past and was quite powerful among the tribes with different surnames.
Now from what he has seen with his own eyes and heard with his own ears, no one dares not to take it to heart.
Because no one dares to bet.
This is something related to the fate of the entire clan.
After all, everyone relies on you to steal their heads in order to better survive on the grassland and even live.
Da Kehan is fair and just, and leads everyone towards a better life. He is naturally a wise man, a hero of his generation.
But when the benefits gained are not enough to make up for the sacrifices of dependence, tribal leaders who originally have great autonomy will naturally easily become disloyal.
The grassland is so big, do we have to graze on your Tuoba clan's territory?
Of course, intimidated by Tuoba Liwei's usual prestige, it was impossible for these tribal leaders with different surnames to dare to lead their tribesmen to flee on the spot.
But certain thoughts were finally planted.
The shortcomings of the tribal alliance on the grassland are not only exposed at this time.
Moreover, as tribes with different surnames were constantly transferred to the front to attack the Han army, their numbers were continuously amplified.
"Waste, incompetent!"
Another group of leaders were slightly slapped on the face by Tuoba Li.
The wheel tactic did not achieve the goal Tuoba Liwei expected.
And the number of people on the opposite side also increased from six or seven thousand to seven or eight thousand, eight or nine thousand, and then tens of thousands...
But no matter how many there were, every tribal warrior sent out to charge into the battle was driven back.
"Where did so many Han troops come from? Did they fall from the sky? The more they fight, the more they get!"
"Damn it! How dare you bully me!"
After firing the real fire Tuoba Liwei, he cursed loudly, "It's just a bastard with no Luhui tribe mixed in to deceive others, and he actually scared you like this!"
In addition, Tuoba Liwei could no longer hold back any movement from the surprise troops sent out from the flanks.
Looking at the sun that had turned westward on the horizon, Tuoba Liwei felt a little anxious:
The weather at this time is still cold at night, making it impossible to spend the night outside.
If Qi Bing still can't find the opponent's flaw, he may have to turn around.
Just as I was thinking this, I saw a message from the front:
"Kehan, Kehan! It's broken, the formation is broken!"
"What?"
Tuoba Liwei quickly looked up. He originally wanted to observe the Han army on the opposite side, but unexpectedly he saw several plumes of smoke rising in the distance.
But when he slapped his thigh, the anger on his face had long since disappeared, replaced by ecstasy:
"The surprise army is ready!"
The Han army, which had been like a dam withstanding Tuoba Xianbei's wolf pack attacks in turn, no longer knew when their front line began to waver.
Even in the middle position, there has been quite a vacancy.
Obviously, the defeat at the rear affected the morale of the troops at the front.
"Attack! All the warriors of Tuoba Ba tribe will attack with me!"
Tuoba Liwei knew that the opportunity to fight was fleeting, especially with Dou Bin, an old fox on the opposite side. If he was allowed to stabilize the battle line again, it might not be so easy next time.
Although he was seventy-three, Tuoba Liwei was still extremely strong and personally led the Tuoba clan's most elite warriors to rush toward the gap in the Han army.
The general of the Han army seemed to be a mediocre person and did not make up for this gap in time.
The Han army might even have been frightened. Seeing the Tuoba clan's bravest warriors rushing forward like a tide, the gap was even growing.
Tuoba Liwei looked at the growing gap, his eyes shining with excitement.
As long as this Han army is defeated, Tuoba Xianbei will soon own Liaodong, which means...
Before he could continue to think about it, a red tide suddenly appeared at the gap between the Han army.
The Xianbei Jingqi who rushed at the front was shot in the throat by an arrow.
Then, a general riding in white robes and white helmets led the blood surge out, raised his silver spear high, and shouted loudly:
"Changshan Zhao Yiwen is here, who dares to fight to the death with me!"