Outside Gaoping City, Dong Zhuo and his two thousand cavalrymen lined up in formation, silently gazing ahead, with only the whistling wind around them.

Before long, a cloud of dust rose in the distance, and accompanied by the thunderous sound of horses' hooves, the Qiang cavalry appeared in everyone's sight.

As the saying goes, with tens of thousands of men and horses, there is no end in sight. Although the Qiang people only had three thousand men and horses at this time, they were still quite impressive from a distance.

In contrast, Dong Zhuo and his soldiers showed no signs of tension before the battle. On the contrary, many of them had excited expressions on their faces. In their eyes, what was rushing towards them was not the ferocious Qiang people, but heads and battle achievements.

Before their departure, Duan Jiong and Dong Zhuo told all the soldiers that the Emperor had said that anyone who bravely killed the enemy would be rewarded. Killing one enemy would earn them 10,000 coins (five-zhu coins, roughly equivalent to ten taels of silver) and ten mu of land. Killing ten enemies would earn them 100,000 coins, 100 mu of land, and a promotion to squad leader. Those who could kill a hundred enemies were exceptionally brave and fierce generals.

Therefore, nowadays ordinary soldiers not only have a path to advancement, but also can ensure their entire family's livelihood by killing just one enemy. With such a huge reward and a way to change their destiny, how could they not yearn to go to the front lines and kill the enemy?

The soldiers guarding the city looked on with envy at their cavalry brothers outside the city. They also longed to kill the enemy and make merit, but they were just infantrymen and had to shoulder the heavy responsibility of defending the city. However, when they thought of the enemies they had killed while defending the city, they felt much more at ease.

The Qiang cavalry rushing towards Gaoping were shocked to see the Han cavalry outside the city.

The Qiang cavalry that came this time was a small tribal leader who had surrendered to Dianmu. He had not participated in the previous sieges, but he had heard that the garrison of Gaoping was already at its last gasp. In order to show off in front of Dianmu, he volunteered to come and take Gaoping.

But when he saw Dong Zhuo and the Han cavalry waiting in battle outside the city, he was immediately enraged, and his simple mind immediately came up with the phrase "to kill someone with a borrowed knife".

"Damn it, I was so loyal to him, but I never expected him to try to harm me...!" The Qiang leader cursed under his breath.

The reason he sought refuge with Dianmu was because his tribe was located at the junction of the Western Regions and the plateau, where commerce and trade were very prosperous. Both Dianmu and other Qiang leaders coveted it. He realized this and, in order to protect himself, he sought refuge with Dianmu, a nominally powerful Qiang leader, and even gave half of his tribe's income to Dianmu in order to gain Dianmu's protection.

But when he saw the Han army waiting in full battle formation outside the city, he immediately realized that he might have been tricked. In his opinion, Dianmu deliberately leaked the information about the Han army to him, and then lured him into a trap, waiting for his troops to suffer heavy losses before taking the opportunity to annex his tribe.

Thinking of this, the Qiang leader suddenly had a brain fart and shouted loudly:

"An ambush has been set up ahead; our army has fallen into a trap. The entire army must retreat!"

The Qiang leader immediately turned his horse around and changed direction.

The Qiang cavalry, who were on a rampage, were suddenly stunned. They couldn't understand why their leader would suddenly issue such an absurd order.

However, seeing their leader suddenly turn his horse around and gallop to the side, his personal guards followed closely behind.

What's going on...?

The Qiang soldiers charging from the rear couldn't help but change their expressions upon seeing this. Having fought countless battles, this was the first time they had ever witnessed a turnaround in the midst of battle. Inevitably, a moment of chaos broke out at the rear of their ranks.

"General, look!"

A lieutenant approached Dong Zhuo and pointed to the Qiang troops who were beginning to fall into disarray.

Dong Zhuo naturally noticed the chaos among the Qiang people. Although he didn't understand the reason, he knew it was a rare opportunity.

Immediately, Dong Zhuo drew his long sword and shouted, "My men, kill the enemy and make meritorious contributions, and your wives and children will be rewarded and your families honored! Follow me and kill!"

After saying this, Dong Zhuo took the lead and charged towards the Qiang people.

"kill!"

Dong Zhuo's soldiers shouted and followed closely behind.

Before long, the Han soldiers rushed into the chaotic Qiang ranks and held them firmly in their grasp.

In an instant, shouts of killing echoed all around, and blood, as black as ink, stained the yellow sand on the ground.

Although a small number of Qiang people rose up in resistance, the excited expressions and fearless charge of the Han soldiers terrified them. After only a short while, they fled back.

Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo revealed a bloodthirsty smile, urging his warhorse to speed up and head straight for the Qiang leader. Along the way, any Qiang who stood in Dong Zhuo's way were cut down from his horse, and blood had already stained his front. Dong Zhuo's ferocity terrified the surrounding Qiang people, who all hid to the side.

After a short chase, seeing the Qiang leader close at hand, Dong Zhuo immediately swung his sword at the Qiang leader's neck. The Qiang leader felt a cold wind on his back and immediately bent down on his horse, dodging Dong Zhuo's blade.

Seeing this, Dong Zhuo squeezed the horse's flanks with both legs, and the horse, in pain, charged forward. Dong Zhuo also leaped out and jumped directly onto the Qiang leader's horse. With a quick movement of his right arm, he tightly wrapped his arms around the Qiang leader's neck, instantly subduing him.

Before Dong Zhuo could even rejoice at having subdued the Qiang leader, he noticed that he was surrounded by Qiang cavalry. His heart trembled, and he looked around and shouted, "I am Dong Zhuo of Xiliang! Your bandit leader has been captured alive! Why don't you dismount and surrender?"

Many Qiang people had heard of Dong Zhuo's name before, and now, seeing how brave Dong Zhuo was, and with their own leader captured, many who were intimidated by Dong Zhuo's fierce reputation laid down their weapons and surrendered.

Soon, this almost comical battle came to an end. With the surrender of the Qiang people, the Han soldiers, disheartened, drove the Qiang prisoners toward Gaoping City.

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