Even if the people of the Left Khan's tribe fled, they were traveling with their families and could not run fast on the grassland.

Before long, some of the elderly, women, and children had been caught up by the 4th Cavalry Division.

Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who surrender will not be killed!

One order after another was passed down.

The bandits who were surrounded had no choice but to stop and surrender to the 4th Cavalry Division.

Meanwhile, the 4th Cavalry Division continued to pursue the remnants of Shumutaiji's forces.

After pursuing them for most of the day, they tore down thousands of grassland bandit cavalrymen like hungry wolves.

Seeing such a large group of prisoners, most of whom were elderly, women and children of the grassland bandits, these people naturally needed to be properly taken care of.

After returning to the Left Khan's tribe, the prisoners were placed under guard.

Zhang Le and the others were also waiting there.

After the initial victory on the grassland, Zhang Le did not rush to pursue the enemy. After all, if the army was deep in enemy territory and logistical support failed, it would be a very serious disaster.

Therefore, Zhang Le's 4th Cavalry Division was waiting here for the arrival of Wang Qinggu's 6th Infantry Division.

While waiting, the soldiers of the 4th Cavalry Division built defensive fortifications around the area.

Throughout the entire army, whether infantry or cavalry, all recruits underwent earthwork during their basic training.

Therefore, the 4th Cavalry Division also commanded the captured steppe bandits to begin digging trenches around the tribal king's tent. The excavated soil was piled up to form an earthen wall.

With six or seven thousand captured grassland bandits and tens of thousands of their families, the trenches were dug quite quickly.

When Wang Qinggu's 6th Infantry Division arrived here, it had already taken initial shape.

Upon arriving at the Left Khan's tribe, Wang Qinggu's eyes widened as he looked at the completely transformed scene around him, his face filled with barely concealed envy.

Upon arriving at the camp of Zhang Le, commander of the 4th Cavalry Division, Wang Qinggu said with a smile, "Commander Zhang is incredibly swift! In such a short time, you've won such a great victory and captured so many people. And this defensive fortification outside is truly astonishing!"

"Commander Wang is joking."

Zhang Le waved his hand with a smile and said, "If you had come to this battle, it would probably have been even faster! After all, our 4th Cavalry Division isn't equipped with artillery!"

"Hey!"

Wang Qinggu shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Commander Zhang, cannons aren't anything special. On this vast grassland, the journey is long, and unlike the roads around Beijing, they're not paved. Cannons are too slow and have poor mobility. On the grassland, when fighting against grassland bandits, poor mobility means no initiative in the battle, which is a huge disadvantage."

"Unlike you people,"

Looking up at Zhang Le, Wang Qinggu continued, "A whole fleet of elite cavalry, extremely fast, and equipped with machine guns and rifles, their firepower is not bad either. In just a few days, they achieved their first victory and captured the Left Khan's tribe. That's truly remarkable!"

"Alright, alright, Commander Wang, let's stop flattering each other!"

Zhang Le smiled and said, "Cavalry and infantry each have their own strengths!"

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Zhang Le looked at Wang Qinggu and said, "Cavalry has its strengths, and infantry has its strengths. After we captured the Left Khan's tribe this time, some of the steppe bandit cavalry fled. Now that you're here, I'll leave this place to you. Tomorrow, I'll lead the 4th Cavalry Division northward. Commander Zhang, what do you think?"

"ah?"

Hearing Zhang Le's words, Wang Qinggu frowned.

Looking at his staff officer, Wang Qinggu asked, "Staff Officer Liu, where are the other units?"

"Commander,"

Staff Officer Liu Huaming began, "We received news this morning that the 7th and 8th Infantry Divisions have arrived at Huangqihai and Tuchengzi respectively, and the 5th and 6th Cavalry Divisions are also nearby."

Hearing what Staff Officer Liu Huaming said, Wang Qinggu frowned and said, "Commander Zhang, the friendly forces are still quite far from us. To be on the safe side, I suggest we set off a little later."

"Just in time, the Zhili Militia Corps has transferred 15,000 people from various prefectures and counties to transport logistical supplies northward. They are expected to arrive here in another six or seven days."

"Let's wait and make a decision later."

Wang Qinggu spoke first.

Hearing Wang Qinggu's words, Zhang Le nodded slightly and said, "That's fine too!"

Immediately, Zhang Le and Wang Qinggu ordered their soldiers to join in digging trenches and reinforcing defensive works.

On the third day, Mu Yunyan, the commander of the Northern Military Region, arrived at the Left Tent Khan's tribe. Looking at the earthen wall that was already more than a person high, and the two well-organized trenches outside the wall, Liu Deming smiled.

"Not bad!"

Mu Yunyan said with a smile, "Commander Zhang, your unit did a good job!"

"hey-hey."

Zhang Le smiled and replied, "It's all thanks to the commander's excellent guidance!"

As a veteran under Mu Yunyan's command, Zhang Le held Mu Yunyan in high esteem.

Upon seeing Mu Yunyan arrive, Zhang Le asked, "Commander Mu, what should we do next? Division Commander Wang suggested that we wait a while until the logistical supplies transported by the Zhili Militia Corps arrive here before taking action."

"Okay, let's do it that way."

Mu Yunyan nodded and said, "This time, our northern expedition to the grasslands is aimed at achieving a complete victory in one battle. We not only need to eliminate the grassland bandits, but also establish officials to govern them, so we cannot rush it!"

"This time, the 15,000 militiamen dispatched by the Zhili Militia Corps are not only responsible for transporting logistical supplies, but more importantly, they are to take over the Left Khan's tribe and the defense of this area!"

"Old Zhang,"

Looking at Zhang Le, Mu Yunyan continued, "News came from the capital today that a city is to be built here to guard the Left Khan's tribe. The city is here, and I see that the area enclosed by this earthen wall is quite large. After the militia of the Zhili Militia Corps arrives, they will start building brick kilns and cement kilns to expand the city."

"Yeah?"

Zhang Le's eyes widened in disbelief; he hadn't expected His Majesty to do such a thing.

In this way, with the city in place, the territory under the Left Khan's control will forever belong to the Great Khanate!

Looking at Mu Yunyan, Zhang Le asked, "Commander Mu, what should we name this city?"

"His Majesty said,"

Looking at the distant Daqing Mountain and the surrounding white clouds, Mu Yunyan said, "This is the ancient land of Yunzhong. Since the rise of the grassland bandits, they have repeatedly invaded our Great Gan Kingdom, and the ancient land of Yunzhong has been lost. Now that it has been recovered, it is only natural that the ancient land should be restored. Therefore, this city is named Yunzhong City! At that time, Yunzhong Province will also be relocated here!"

Zhang Le quickly replied, "Cloud City, good!"