At the border between the Northern and Southern Xiongnu, the thousand Imperial Guards led by Gongsun Zan and Ma Teng had all changed into the clothing of the Southern Xiongnu, which belonged to Qiangqu.

“Bo Gui, let’s split up, one going west and the other east.”

"good!"

Gongsun Zan nodded, and then the two of them each led five hundred cavalrymen into two groups, rushing off in different directions.

At this time, the Southern Xiongnu were nominally still subordinate to the Han Dynasty. Although they occasionally raided the borders, they were not as cruel as the Northern Xiongnu.

Therefore, they decided to directly destroy the Northern Xiongnu tribes, which would surely cause a conflict between the Northern and Southern Xiongnu, letting them fight each other.

Their targets were the small and medium-sized tribes of the Northern Xiongnu.

After a two-day raid, Gongsun Zan's troops conquered a small tribe in one fell swoop. Except for a few men who were deliberately let go, all the men in the tribe, regardless of age, were ordered to be killed by Gongsun Zan.

"General, what should we do with these women and livestock?"

"Kill all the cattle and sheep, and get enough food for us!"

Then Gongsun Zan glanced at the women huddled together, trembling, and said in a deep voice, "As for these women, let them go and seek refuge with those large tribes. Whether they survive or not is up to them."

After making all the necessary preparations and recording the geographical details of the surrounding area, Gongsun Zan led his team toward the next destination.

In just one month, the northern Xiongnu tribes near the border were wiped out by Ma Teng and Gongsun Zan, and the homeless women went north in groups to seek refuge with the larger tribes.

Grassland tribes are sparsely populated and face intense competition, so they do need to replenish their population, and women are indispensable. However, if too many women without the ability to survive suddenly flood in, it will undoubtedly put pressure on the survival of larger tribes. After all, population growth and development cannot be achieved in a short period of time.

That's why Gongsun Zan and Ma Teng drove those women north, so they would seize those limited resources for survival.

However, Dong Zhuo on the other side did not seem to think so. Before setting off, he made sure that the emperor and Zhang Huan would not give them any instructions, and they could make all their own decisions.

Such actions undoubtedly unleashed the savagery hidden in Dong Zhuo's bloodline.

In Dong Zhuo's eyes, there was no distinction between the Northern and Southern Xiongnu; as long as they were not Han Chinese, they were all his targets for attack.

Northwest of Shuofang Commandery, Dong Zhuo led a thousand Xiliang cavalrymen disguised as bandits and appeared on a hill not far from a medium-sized tribe.

Looking at the harmonious scene of the tribe below, Dong Zhuo revealed a cruel smile.

"attack!!"

Dong Zhuo drew his long sword, shouted, spurred his horse and charged forward, followed closely by his thousand cavalrymen.

The Xiongnu people who were herding their livestock felt the ground beneath their feet tremble and looked in astonishment at the bandit group rushing towards them.

The herdsman quickly untied the horn from his waist, and a series of urgent horn sounds echoed all around.

The horn sounded abruptly and the herdsman fell from his horse, riddled with more than a dozen arrows.

The Southern Xiongnu people in the tribe who heard the horn also felt the tremor coming closer and closer. In a panic, they grabbed their weapons and ran out of their tents, but it was too late.

Dong Zhuo led the charge into the tribe, raising his long sword to slash at the armed Southern Xiongnu people, and shouts of battle erupted everywhere.

Although these Southern Xiongnu people fought back fiercely, the Xiliang cavalry lived up to their reputation as the strongest army of the Han Dynasty. In a short while, all the able-bodied Xiongnu were killed, and the remaining women, the elderly and weak in the tribe were gathered in the center of the tribe.

After giving the group of women, the elderly, the weak, and the disabled a cold look, Dong Zhuo turned to the military commander who was walking over.

What are the battle losses?

"Reporting to the general, apart from a few who escaped, all the able-bodied men in this tribe have been killed!"

"Hmm! What were our losses?"

"One hundred were lightly wounded, two were seriously wounded, and thirty died in battle."

Dong Zhuo frowned. In just one battle, he had lost thirty-two men, and that was under a surprise attack. If this continued, he feared that soon he would have very few men left.

"Where are those two seriously wounded brothers? Take me there to see them."

Soon, Dong Zhuo was led to a tent, where he immediately saw two seriously wounded men on a bed.

One of them was covered in knife wounds and had a broken leg; he had obviously been accidentally pulled off his horse and was then surrounded and attacked.

The other one had lost his right arm; although the wound was bandaged, blood was still seeping out.

Judging from his appearance, he was clearly exhausted and on his deathbed.

However, both of them were just panting heavily, without uttering a single cry of pain.

"General?"

Upon seeing Dong Zhuo enter, the two men immediately struggled to rise and pay their respects.

"Brother, don't move!"

Upon seeing this, Dong Zhuo hurriedly stepped forward and helped the two men up. Seeing their pained expressions, Dong Zhuo felt a pang of pity and a hint of reluctance flashed in his eyes.

"Do you... still have any unfulfilled wishes?" Dong Zhuo asked, his lips trembling slightly.

"I am all alone, but to be able to follow the general and spread the glory of our Han Dynasty is enough for me. I have no regrets in this life. I only wish that the general can let everyone in the world know the loyalty and bravery of the men of Xiliang!"

The soldier with the broken leg shook his head slightly, a satisfied smile appearing on his pale face.

"Brother, rest assured, one day, the men of Xiliang will be renowned throughout the world!!"

Dong Zhuo nodded heavily, his eyes slightly red.

"And you?"

Dong Zhuo looked at another soldier with a missing arm and asked.

The man reached out and grabbed Dong Zhuo's arm, his voice trembling, "General, I know I will die this time, but this is not my hometown... I am unwilling to accept this fate..."

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