Chapter 72 Two Thousand Banners Rise Amidst the Wind

"Pour oil onto the barricades!" Wang Yuying shouted to Jing Ye. The so-called barricades were heavy wooden frames with spikes specifically designed to counter cavalry. Many were set up in the camp, but the Di horses had not used them before and charged as usual.

However, Wang Yuying had just discovered that Di Ma was afraid of fire.

Jing Ye then gave the order, and the soldiers threw torches at the barricades, instantly creating a wall of fire ten feet high. The Di horses neighed and sneered, retreating on their hooves, clearly trying to avoid the fire.

Seeing this, Jing Ye hoarsely gave another order: "Light the arrows!"

The archers moved forward again, but this time their arrows were all covered in sparks, like a thousand shooting stars streaking across the sky. Taking advantage of the chaos, the generals also performed their duties, aiming their spears at the hooves of the Di horses, which were burning and running wildly, and stabbing them deeply. The Di horses screamed and fell, throwing their female riders into the air. Once they hit the ground, Han soldiers with swords and shields surrounded them and hacked them to death.

The incident happened swiftly, and in an instant only two female riders remained. Commander-in-Chief Yuan Wancheng, who had also entered the battle, hurriedly interrupted and shouted, "Leave one alive!"

The swordsmen obeyed the order, but their hands couldn't stop. They continued hacking and slashing until they killed another female rider before halting their movements, their blades held a mere millimeter away from the last remaining female rider. In that instant, the female rider stretched her neck forward, twisted it, and decisively committed suicide.

Not a single one survived.

The Di horses still neighed in the camp, and the flames crackled, but everyone present felt a profound silence.

Finally, Yuan Wancheng spoke up: "It's good that the grain and fodder were not damaged."

The rear army commander immediately echoed this, sending laborers to clean up the battlefield. The towering flames were quickly extinguished, and the once fiery red sky returned to the pale blue illuminated by the night snow.

No one was sleepy, and since it was past the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), they went straight to breakfast. Locals always drink tea milk in the morning, along with some fried rice and dried meat. Well-off families would also have an extra dish of lamb liver and a dish of lamb skewers.

The camp served it to everyone and placed it on the table. Wang Yuying frowned slightly—today, the tea and milk tea looked so cloying that she couldn't drink a single drop.

When Jing Ye took his seat, he sat next to Wang Yuying, so he saw everything. He could understand—the battle just now had left her bloodied and mangled. She hadn't been on the battlefield for a long time, so she must have been just like any other person and couldn't bear it, and had no appetite.

Jing Ye knew Wang Yuying loved lamb skewers, especially the kind with lots of fat that would render mutton fat, so he quietly pushed the plate of lamb skewers toward her. Wang Yuying immediately pushed the plate back. Jing Ye glanced at her questioningly, and Wang Yuying said softly, "Too fatty."

Today, even the sight of fatty meat made her feel nauseous.

Jingye remained silent for a moment, then asked softly, "Would you like some cheese porridge?"

Plain congee, please.

She replied with a single, soft sentence, and Jingye went out to find the kitchen to cook congee. Not long after breakfast, Yuan Wancheng summoned everyone to the command tent for a meeting. The sand table was set up and the map was hung up. Now, most of the fortresses in the northern frontier were in a defensive posture, with deep trenches and high walls, guarding against the Di people's repeated raids.

"What are your thoughts? Share them," Yuan Wancheng encouraged everyone to speak freely.

After Wang Yuying and the other two generals finished speaking, they said, "In my opinion, we should just play along and wait to be beaten."

Previously, not all the generals in the tent listened to her, but after she spoke these words, they all listened attentively.

Wang Yuying continued, "This will lull the Di people into a false sense of security and exhaust the enemy."

Jing Ye glanced at her and continued, "Yingniang said last time that the Di people rely on plunder for their supplies. As long as we destroy their reserves and prevent them from plundering again, it will be easier to fight them. We can pretend to defend while sending an elite force to infiltrate behind the Di people's lines. We can launch a surprise attack, destroy their supplies and equipment, and shake their morale. This is what is meant by 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass.'"

Wang Yuying looked at Jing Ye quietly, her eyes filled with a smile.

Yuan Wancheng was also pleased, but he didn't show it on his face. He continued to handle business as usual. After discussing for a long time and going around in circles, he rejected everyone's suggestions. Finally, he had no choice but to say, "It seems that we can only try A-Ye's idea first."

Jing Ye immediately nodded: "I will personally lead the team."

The rear army commander also laughed: "General, I have an interpreter in my camp who is most proficient in the Di language and has traveled all over the Di territory. Now that the surprise attack is about to take place, we might as well take him with us."

"With such a talented person recommended by the Commander-in-Chief, we will surely be even more powerful!" Yuan Wancheng said happily, glancing around at his generals. When his gaze met Wang Yuying's, it lingered for a moment. Wang Yuying immediately understood that Yuan Wancheng did not trust the Commander-in-Chief and wanted to find someone else familiar with the Northern Frontier and the Di Kingdom. She pursed her lips and said, "Commander-in-Chief, this humble general is also willing to go!"

Yuan Wancheng nodded.

Wang Yuying continued, "If we want this surprise attack to be effective, we must keep our mouths shut and not let any news leak out. It would be best to keep it only known to the generals in the tent."

Yuan Wancheng nodded again: "Of course."

She pursed her lips: "Currently, I am the only woman in the army. If I suddenly disappear, it will surely arouse the suspicion of the Di people. Therefore, we need to choose a woman of similar build to me to impersonate me and take charge of the central army."

Upon hearing this, many of the generals in the tent murmured to themselves: With so many outstanding generals in the Northern Expeditionary Army, why would the Di people pay special attention to a woman? Deposing the empress seems to be overestimating herself!

However, being meticulous in one's actions is not a bad thing, so none of the generals objected, and most remained noncommittal.

Only Jing Ye knew that Wang Yuying was wary of Hugu Xumi. He lowered his eyes and then said, "What Yingniang said is very true. As Sun Tzu said, 'Those who are good at defense hide themselves nine times underground.' In fact, not only Yingniang, but all those who launch surprise attacks need to use shadow warriors so that the Di people will not easily notice anything amiss."

Yuan Wancheng immediately approved the plan and proceeded according to Jing Ye's advice. Thus, the Northern Expeditionary Army planted flags everywhere during the day and set off fires and beat drums at night. Whenever they encountered Di people raiding, they would adopt a completely defensive posture, meandering and winding their way towards the central region of the northern frontier.

With such a mix of deception and reality, the Di people dared not be negligent. They reinforced their troops along the route of the northern expeditionary force, attempting to obstruct the reinforcements. At the same time, the main forces of various routes intensified their siege of our dynasty's fortresses, attempting to break through them before the arrival of reinforcements.

As a result, the Di people's forces were mainly concentrated on the central and left routes. Wang Yuying and Jing Ye led an elite squad, taking a secluded path on the right, and traveled day and night. In just five days, they sneaked out of the northern border and quietly entered the Di country.

Perhaps because it was near the border, everyone felt it was no different from the northern frontier, with snow-capped mountains and howling north winds. The interpreter surnamed Ling who was sent was a chatterbox, babbling on and on. Even now, with snowflakes almost filling his mouth, he still insisted on speaking: "Do you see that mountain in the farthest distance? It's called Ramos. In the Di language, it means an ancient behemoth. The Di people believe that the north wind is the breath of Ramos."

At the foot of Mount Ramos, birch forests resemble iron swords piercing the snowfield, and in the distance, one can see the villages of the Di people. Although the smoke from their chimneys has condensed into ice crystals, one can still feel the tranquility and peace.

Not only Wang Yuying, but all the generals in the team felt indignant—because the Di people had invaded, the people of the northern frontier had all stopped cooking and were suffering terribly, while the Di people themselves were still peaceful and prosperous, and the people were far away from the flames of war and were even holding weddings.

The elite squad members were all hidden behind the craggy rocks, silently watching the north wind swirl up the jade dust, and the newlyweds tread on the jade dust.

The Di people's groom and bride both wore red cloaks. The bride of the Northern Di did not wear a red veil, but instead wore a fur hat with several white fox tails attached to the bottom, hanging down to the snow of the same color. The groom carried his bride home in the wind and snow, followed by the wedding procession, with music and singing, and four deer pulling a sled to transport the dowry.

The crowd only appeared after the wedding procession had gone far away. One of the young soldiers couldn't help but sneer, "The snow is up to their ankles, and they're still carrying their bride on their backs, not riding in a carriage or sedan chair. Isn't that just plain stupid?"

Upon hearing just that one sentence, Wang Yuying spurred her horse forward, refusing to listen any further. Seeing this, Jing Ye caught up, while the others in the elite troop discussed behind them: "Who's stupid? Maybe it's just a custom? The groom even has four deer pulling the dowry behind him; wouldn't they know to let the bride ride on the sleigh too?"

"Yes, this is the ancient custom of the Di people!" the interpreter interjected. "When the Di people welcome a bride, the groom must carry the bride on his back with sincerity and plead with her personally before they can go home together."

The crowd burst into laughter upon hearing this, shaking their heads and saying that the barbarian customs were still uncivilized. The interpreter, who had also been laughing, suddenly focused his attention and asked, "Did you hear any song?"

The crowd fell silent. After listening for a moment, they asked, "What kind of gibberish are those Di people singing?"

“It was the groom who sang it just now,” the interpreter said. He used to have a long beard, but he shaved it off to avoid the cold. However, he still kept stroking his beard. “It seems he really likes his bride.”

He then smiled without saying a word.

The crowd booed him, "What are you waiting for? Can't you just tell us everything at once?"

"Hurry up!" Jing Ye suddenly urged from ahead.

The group dared not joke anymore, spurred their horses to catch up, and after they reunited, Jingye asked, "What were you whispering about behind me?"

"It is said that... the Di people sing."

“What’s there to talk about!” Jing Ye frowned and scolded, “This is not the time for jokes, otherwise we’ll slow down without realizing it and delay our business.”

Everyone admitted their mistakes, so Jingye stopped criticizing them.

After traveling for about half an hour, they spotted in the distance a grain and supplies depot of the Di people, named Kapoor, which was the closest to the border.

It was late afternoon, and the surprise attack team waited until between midnight and 9 PM, when the sky was pitch black, the wind howled, and the snow raged, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. Then they launched a thunderous night attack. The horses' hooves were already wrapped in felt, making no sound, and the howling north wind further masked their presence. When they infiltrated Kabor, the few garrison soldiers were completely unaware of their presence.

The group quickly lit one tinderbox after another and threw them into the Di people's granary.

The mountain of hay and grain ignited instantly, crackling and popping in the strong wind, with flames shooting up several meters high. Only then did the defenders realize what was happening and rush over, following the light of the fire.

"Retreat!" Jingye ordered.

Wang Yuying said, "Wait a little longer!"

Only after infiltrating Kabor did I realize that it contained not only granaries but also stables, with about a hundred Di people's spare warhorses tethered there.

Time was of the essence, and she didn't have time to explain to Jingye. She left behind three words and rode her horse to the stable. She opened the gate, blew a few command whistles, and the warhorses, thinking they were about to go to war, rushed out of the stable. But they saw a sea of ​​fire. Di Ma was most afraid of fire, and in fright, he charged around wildly, spreading the flames and panic to every corner of Kapoor.

"Go!" Wang Yuying spurred her horse, and Jing Ye and the others galloped like the wind. Behind them, the wind fueled the fire, and the fire, aided by the wind, caused the wooden granaries to collapse in the flames, and even the felt tents became fuel. The towering flames ignited the sky, and the air was filled with the acrid smells of burnt blood and leather.

Wang Yuying glanced back and nodded at Jing Ye. Jing Ye understood, took the large bow from his back, and fired a cloud-piercing arrow into the sky. It had been agreed with the people in the territory that once the matter was accomplished, they would start spreading the news that the Di army's food supplies had been burned. The news would be a mix of truth and falsehood, which would both disturb the morale of the Di army and cause them to panic, and also boost the morale of our army.

The surprise squad left Kapur and sped toward the border when they suddenly heard a desolate, deep, and low horn that seemed to come from the depths of the earth. It was not sharp, but it pierced through all barriers and struck directly into the chests of everyone, causing their hearts to resonate and tremble involuntarily.

Even the warhorse she was riding seemed to sense the killing intent and began to paw restlessly. Wang Yuying pulled on the reins, and even the Akhal-Teke horse she was riding began to breathe heavily.

Everyone guessed to some extent what was going on, their expressions grave, and they silently quickened their horses' pace. Only the interpreter exclaimed in surprise: "Oh no, we've run into the King of the Northern Barbarians!"