"Beasts! I'm going to kill these beasts!"

Not far from the oasis, two cavalry scouts lay in ambush on the sand dunes.

They were originally scouting around about five miles away, but unexpectedly discovered a few suspicious people leaving from not far from Huze.

So the two of them followed them all the way here, and unexpectedly discovered this gathering place of the Hu people.

They witnessed Han Chinese civilians being shoved and imprisoned like livestock, and being severely whipped for the slightest disobedience.

Several women were taken to the main tent, followed by screams of agony.

The two scouts couldn't understand the language of the Hu people, but they could still vaguely hear the Han woman crying for help.

Upon hearing these heart-wrenching screams, one of the younger scouts glared angrily, his teeth clenched so tightly they seemed to grind.

"Don't act rashly. Our duty is to gather intelligence."

Another, more experienced scout immediately restrained him, saying, "We mustn't alert them. We'll report to General Xue immediately that there are a large number of Hu people here."

The two of them were unaware that the Jie people planned to attack them in the desert.

"As for whether or not to wipe them out, that depends on General Xue's decision!"

The two inquired for a while longer.

Two hours had passed since they returned to the Huze camp.

Xue Rengui, still wearing his armor, was resting in his tent.

"Barbarians? How dare they rob our Han people and bully women?"

"They're either bandits or the Jie people the guide mentioned during the day."

When he was awakened and learned of the situation, he immediately flew into a rage and wanted to send troops to kill people.

"General Xue, please do not act rashly. It is late at night, and the place where those Hu people are located is close to the desert, making it difficult to discern directions and easy to get lost."

The military commander quickly tried to dissuade him.

Xue Rengui immediately asked the two scouts, "How did you two find your way back and forth without getting lost?"

The two scouts quickly recounted how they had been following the man.

As for their return, the two could only express their relief.

On their way back, the two got lost for a long time and stumbled back by sheer chance.

Upon hearing that the two had also gotten lost, Xue Rengui fell silent for a moment.

"General, the scouts have gathered intelligence. They were few in number and small targets, and they were able to find their way back. It is all thanks to the lord's good fortune."

Seeing that Xue Rengui remained silent, the military commander seized the opportunity to persuade him again.

"If our large army goes there, it will be a march and a battle."

"It's not that I want to stop you, but if we rush in now without knowing the terrain, any losses will delay the march and ruin our lord's important plans."

Hearing the military commander bring up Liu Wei to intimidate others, Xue Rengui had no choice but to suppress his anger, and said with some resentment:

"But Sima, look, these people are also watching us! They might be spies sent by the Xiongnu, we must be careful."

"Right now, the Xiongnu might have been routed by our lord in Yunzhong, and they might not have time to care about us."

The military commander smiled and said, "You two go and scout again. If they are still on our marching route, then we'll discuss whether to attack them. What do you think, General Xue?"

The two scouts left as instructed, and Xue Rengui tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

Nothing was said that night.

The next day, the entire army set off westward.

The army sped along the edge of the desert on the south bank of the Yellow River, encountering no obstacles on the flat terrain.

Xue Rengui thought about it all night and decided that while marching, he would send another cavalry unit to find the Jie people from the previous night.

But the two scouts reported that the Jie people had left early that morning and had disappeared.

All that remained of that oasis was a smoldering fire and a mess of excrement.

"They must have seen my army coming and fled," Xue Rengui said regretfully, pounding his fist in frustration.

The military commander was afraid that the general would want to kill the Hu people again and delay the march.

Hearing that the Jie people had left, he felt relieved.

After marching for half a day, the sun was shining brightly. The troops had drunk their fill at Huze yesterday and had brought back full water bags, so the whole army was not short of water.

Even without water, a journey of about thirty miles north will take you to the Yellow River.

A mountain range appeared ahead of the road, stretching out in front of us.

"General, after crossing this mountain and traveling another ten miles, we will enter the territory of Wuyuan County."

"Helang is located twenty li west of this mountain, on the south bank of the Yellow River. On the opposite bank is Linwo, an important town in Wuyuan, which is just across the river."

The guide said from the side.

It turns out that Wuyuan County also includes Helang, which is on the opposite bank of Linwo.

This mountain, however, is a spur of the Daqingshan Mountains on the opposite bank of the river, cut off by the Yellow River.

Why did Xue Rengui's cavalry battalion have to go to Helang?

Because there is a ferry crossing there, and you need sheepskin rafts to cross the river.

"Hehe, after a ten-day long journey, we have finally arrived at Wuyuan County."

"I wonder what the scenery of Manyi Valley is like."

The thought of blocking the retreat route of the Xiongnu people in Yunzhong at Manyi Valley and tightening the noose filled Xue Rengui with emotion.

Soon, we will be able to join forces with our lord at the foot of Cloud City.

"However, there are two routes ahead."

"It will take two days to cross this mountain; but only one day to traverse this desert!"

"I wonder what the general's choice will be?" the guide asked.

"In the past, when you were merchants, which route did you take?" Xue Rengui asked in return.

"We're going through the desert because it's difficult for horses to travel over mountains."

Xue Rengui immediately said, "Then let's go through the desert too!"

"It's only a day's journey, about fifty or sixty li. With you leading the way, we should be able to reach Helang by tomorrow!"

"There must be some Xiongnu soldiers guarding there."

He licked his lips. "How many days has it been since you last killed someone?"

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