"Thump thump thump!!"

The urgent drumbeats resounded at Duan Jiong's camp, and squads of cavalry were dispatched to gather scouts from various places.

Before sunset, Duan Jiong's 10,000-strong army had all assembled.

Duan Jiong then ordered the entire army to have a hearty meal, put on their armor, and go to sleep.

We are preparing to head into the territory of Dongqiang early tomorrow morning.

The soldiers on patrol at night could often hear the sound of sharpening knives coming from various tents.

Especially the auxiliary troops that Duan Jiong had recruited from the Qiang and Baihu tribes, these men were polishing their weapons with shining eyes.

They have now been registered as Han citizens, and their families and children have been brought to Anding County. The local government has also sent people to teach them farming, and they live a very stable and happy life.

Thinking of the happy smiles on the faces of their family and children, they yearn more than anyone else to achieve great things and to bring a better life to their wives and children.

At this moment, inside the central command tent, Duan Jiong sat in the position of the commander-in-chief, with all the officers and soldiers of the army lined up on both sides.

Duan Jiong held the imperial edict in his hands and looked at Yang Feng on his left.

"Yang Feng!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Yang Feng, clad in armor, stepped forward from the ranks.

"I hereby appoint you as the vanguard. You shall depart early tomorrow morning and head towards Zhang Qiao's forces to read the Emperor's edict to them!"

"promise!"

Yang Feng responded loudly, then strode up to Duan Jiong, respectfully extended both hands to receive the imperial edict, and returned to his position amidst the envious gazes of the other generals.

"Song Guo!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Upon hearing Duan Jiong call out a name, a burly young man stepped forward.

"I hereby order you to lead a thousand men to Shaohe's territory early tomorrow morning to recruit Qiang herdsmen, and then proceed to Jincheng to be responsible for escorting grain supplies!"

"Your subordinate obeys!"

Then Song Guo came to Duan Jiong, about to receive the order, when he heard Duan Jiong instruct: "Remember, you must pay them their wages!"

Song Guo: "Please rest assured, General! This humble general understands!"

"Okay!"

Duan Jiong nodded, then handed the general's order to Song Guo with peace of mind.

"Hu Cai, Li Le!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

As soon as Duan Jiong finished speaking, two more young officers stepped forward, one on the left and one on the right.

"I hereby order the two of you to jointly lead three thousand guard cavalry as the central army. You will depart only after the vanguard has left!" (These were the Qiang and Hu cavalry.)

Then Duan Jiong, holding the military order, looked at Hu Cai and Li Le and said earnestly:

"You two must remember this: once you enter the Qiang territory, you are strictly forbidden from looting! Violators will be punished according to military law! However, if any Qiang herders ask our Han army for help, you must do your best to assist them!"

"This humble general will obey the general's orders!"

"good!"

General Duan Jiong then handed the order to Hu Cai, and the two returned to their ranks.

Finally, Duan Jiong looked at the remaining men and said in a deep voice, "The rest of you generals, go back and prepare. Tomorrow, lead the remaining five thousand men and set off with me."

"promise!!"

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Yang Feng led a thousand men to leave the camp and head towards the territory of Dongqiang.

Because Zhang Qiao and others had cleared the way, Yang Feng's thousand vanguard did not encounter any accidents.

After marching for less than half a day, Yang Feng's army arrived at the small tribe where the mother and child had lived. This tribe was located on the way to Zhang Qiao's troops.

"Tell the brothers in the rear to pass through the tribe ahead quickly. No one is allowed to leave the army without permission, and no one is allowed to disturb the people! Anyone who violates this rule will be dealt with according to military law!"

Looking at the small tribe with fewer than a hundred households not far ahead, Yang Feng immediately ordered his troops to prepare to pass through quickly.

"promise!"

After receiving the order, the guards beside him turned to the rear and loudly announced Yang Feng's command.

Upon receiving the order, the soldiers focused their attention and followed the troops forward.

In fact, Yang Feng's order was somewhat superfluous. Judging from the poverty of this small tribe, the soldiers of Liangzhou were well-paid and well-fed. They really had no interest in robbing such a dilapidated tribe.

Although this tribe may have some cattle and sheep, the Liangzhou army has no shortage of such things at all.

Soon, Yang Feng's vanguard arrived at a place less than five miles away from the tribe.

Many of the tribe's herders spotted the Han army from afar and quickly ran back into the tribe.

"Captain, what did General Zhang Qiao do to them? Why did they run away as soon as they saw us from afar?"

One of Yang Feng's personal guards looked at the Qiang herdsmen who had fled back to their tribe with some confusion. They hadn't fired any arrows or charged, so why were they running?

"As long as they don't attack us, let's ignore them!"

Yang Feng, who was leading the team, also spotted the fleeing herdsmen, but he noticed that the herdsmen who were running did not look panicked. Instead, they seemed to be excited.

Yang Feng then chuckled, shook his head, and ordered the speed to increase again.

"Mother! Look, the Han army is here again!"

The little boy from back then called out to his mother with excitement.

Where are they?

The little boy's mother also came out of the house with a happy expression. In the dust and smoke rising not far to the east, a large flag with the Chinese character "汉" (Han) was faintly visible.

As the Han army troops drew ever closer, a smile appeared on the woman's face.

Then the woman looked at her son and said urgently, "Go quickly and fetch the milk wine that I brewed a few days ago!"

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