In the north, where the four seasons are distinct, after winter sets in, most things, except for a few species, will temporarily enter a period of hibernation.

This applies to animals as well as humans.

The winter cold is particularly pronounced on the grasslands of Northwest China, where the constant howling north winds test the endurance of those outdoors.

In such cold temperatures and such terrible weather, most people would choose to stay at home to avoid causing trouble for others or adding to their own stress.

The Northern Xiongnu were like this, the Xianbei were like this, and even the Northern Wuhuan, who suffered a great defeat, were the same.

But some people do things that defy common sense during this season.

About two hundred miles northwest of Juyan, in a medium-sized tribe belonging to the Northern Xiongnu, shouts of battle and screams of agony could be heard incessantly.

A raiding force composed of soldiers and guards under Juyan King Tuoqi and a group of Juyan nobles and officials is attacking this tribe with a population of about five thousand.

Outside the tribe, Tuoqi's captain of the guards was leading his soldiers to watch the battle. The tribe fighting against the Xiongnu were the newly recruited Juyan people.

In the Xiongnu tribe, apart from the elderly, children, and women, there were more than a thousand able-bodied men.

"Warriors! These lowly Juyan people dare to attack our tribe! Follow me and kill them all!!"

Seeing that the cavalry had surrounded their tribe, and knowing that there was no way to escape, the young and strong Xiongnu men, led by a middle-aged man, charged towards the Juyan people's ranks with fierce expressions.

Faced with the sudden counterattack of the Xiongnu, the Juyan people who had been newly recruited into the army were almost routed.

"Hmph~ What a bunch of useless trash!! They outnumbered the enemy four to one and still managed to fight like this?"

Tuo Mao, the captain of Tuo Qi's guards, couldn't help but snort coldly as he watched the battle remain deadlocked.

Just moments later, dozens of the newly recruited young men retreated out of fear.

"Kill them!!"

Tuo Mao's eyes turned cold, and he immediately gave an order. The guards beside him rushed towards the retreating people.

"Tell them that there will be a reward for killing the enemy, but anyone who dares to retreat... will be killed without mercy!"

After all those who had retreated were executed, Tuo Mao looked at the soldiers fighting each other in the arena without any emotion in his eyes.

"yes!!"

Upon hearing Tuomao's order, the soldiers in charge of supervising the battle began to loudly announce Tuomao's command to the Juyan youths and men engaged in combat.

"Retreat means death, kill the enemy and live!! Brothers, follow me and fight!!"

Upon hearing the order, the young men of Juyan overcame their fear and began to fight fiercely.

Moments later, the Hun counterattack was completely crushed. More than a thousand young Huns were killed, and the Huns also killed or wounded more than eight hundred of them.

Despite the high casualties, Tuo Mao and his subordinates were unconcerned. In their view, the more people died, the less they would have to give away, which was a good thing!

Soon, all the elderly and children in the tribe were killed. After confirming that no one had escaped, a group of people were left to guard the area. Tuo Mao then led the remaining 5,000-plus people to the next Xiongnu tribe.

Meanwhile, Dong Zhuo and Jian Shuo led Liangzhou cavalry disguised as Juyan people to conquer three small tribes. After deliberately letting some messengers go, they led the remaining 500-plus cavalrymen toward Jincheng.

A few days later, Tuomao led the remaining four thousand Juyan soldiers back home, carrying with him about six thousand women, cattle, sheep and horses!

Although the looting trip did not yield the expected results, it still greatly excited Juyan King Tuoqi and his noble officials. They paid no attention to the dead young men.

There are plenty of people! If we lose them, we can just recruit more. As long as our own men don't die, that's fine.

Seeing the mountains of grain and various supplies piled up in the warehouse, King Juyan and his noble officials became extremely excited.

In addition to giving the surviving soldiers the necessary rewards, the families of those who died in battle were also given a symbolic amount of compensation, since manpower was still needed for the looting!

Soon, Tuo Qi and a group of noble officials began recruiting young men to continue raiding the grasslands, offering extremely generous terms.

The news quickly spread throughout the surrounding area. Now that most of the women had been sold, the only way to survive was to join them in robbing. Moreover, the rewards brought back by those who survived were the envy of the villagers. As soon as the news was heard, the people of Juyan flocked to volunteer.

Within a few days, nearly 10,000 soldiers had gathered in Juyan City again and headed towards the grasslands once more.

"Tsk tsk... These greedy bastards are really courting death. Last time, nearly half of the seven thousand men died. I wonder how many will die this time?"

Watching the excitedly departing group, Guo Si couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, a strange smile appearing on his lips.

"Hehe~, this rabble, although it looks like there are many of them, they are skinny and hungry, what fighting power do they have to speak of....! Taking them out without training, they will definitely suffer heavy losses if they encounter resistance."

Liu Jing, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but sneer. The stupidity of the King of Juyan and his nobles had really broadened his understanding of the world.

"Sigh... yes! If this continues, it won't be long before most of the able-bodied men of Juyan are dead..."

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