At dawn the next day, three thousand infantrymen led by Shi Yong and Guo Luo, holding high their flags and beating their drums, marched in a mighty procession along the road leading to Heidu Mountain.
They deliberately slowed down their pace, forming a long team that raised a cloud of dust. Scouts were patrolling everywhere, and they looked like the main force was heading north, determined to lift the siege of Heidu Mountain.
Shi Yong followed Zhao Muyun's instructions and sent several small troops to the outskirts of Wumuchi's camp to provoke and harass, making a gesture of tentative attack.
This bluff really worked.
At the Wumuchi camp at the foot of Heidu Mountain, the morale of the army, which had just calmed down a little due to the fall of Shandan Town, became tense again.
The scouts reported the movements of the Hedong Army in a constant stream. The noisy momentum and clear marching route cast a heavy shadow over Wumuchi's heart.
"Zhao Muyun...he is really coming to kill us!" Wumuchi clenched the horsewhip tightly.
He knew very well that the Hedong Army was quite powerful, especially its cavalry and mysterious firearms.
Now the enemy is coming with the power of a great victory. Although their troops seem to be small, their morale is high. We have been attacking Heidu Mountain for a long time without success. Our division is old and our soldiers are tired, and our retreat is threatened. The situation is unfavorable as one side gains strength while the other loses strength.
"Order all camps to tighten the encirclement and strengthen vigilance! Set up more antler barriers to prevent enemy surprise attacks! Send swift horses to ask for help from King Loufan and the Chechi Kingdom!"
Wumuchi had to focus his main energy on dealing with the "threat" from the north, and the siege of Heidu Mountain changed from active attack to close surveillance and holding on for reinforcements.
The pressure faced by Pei Lun and Guo Xiaoti suddenly eased a lot.
While Shi Yong and Guo Luo's troops attracted the attention of Wumuchi and various forces in Longyou, Zhao Muyun personally led Wu Shangzhi's two thousand elite cavalry and Liu Yi's Shenjiying. With their men holding their mouths shut and their horses' hooves wrapped, they took advantage of the terrain to quietly gallop towards the southwest.
Their target was the 10,000 arrogant Qiang and Rong cavalry stationed in the Yemachuan area in the southwest of Liangzhou.
......
Yemachuan, with its abundant water and grass and open terrain, is an excellent natural pasture.
Namtso, the leader of the Qiang and Rong tribes, set up his camp here. Ten thousand plateau cavalrymen were scattered on the grassland, galloping freely, drinking and having fun, without caring at all about the upcoming mission of attacking Liangzhou and the possible threats.
In their view, the defenders of Liangzhou were trapped, the Dafeng Army was a temporary ally, and the Hedong Army far to the north was even more out of reach.
Namtso was even imagining how, after conquering Liangzhou, he would plunder the wealth and population of the Hehuang area in accordance with the agreement with Yang Yan.
However, he never dreamed that the shadow of death was looming over him at an alarming speed.
After two days and one night of forced march, the two thousand Hedong cavalry led by Zhao Muyun appeared like ghosts on the high ground on the northeast side of Yemachuan.
It was afternoon, and smoke was rising from the Qiangrong camp. Many soldiers were still taking their lunch break, and the scouts seemed relaxed.
Zhao Muyun stood on his horse, looking at the scattered Qiang and Rong camp in the distance with cold eyes.
He took a deep breath and ordered in a deep voice: "Wu Shangzhi!"
"I will be here!"
"Lead the cavalry, form a spearhead formation, and charge straight at the central army tent at Namtso!"
"Understood!" Wu Shangzhi's eyes flashed with excitement and he raised his spear.
"Liu Yi!"
"I will be here!"
"Shenji Battalion, concentrate all your thunder bombs! When the cavalry disrupts the enemy formation and the crowd gathers, detonate them relentlessly!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Entire army - attack!" Zhao Muyun drew his sword and swung it forward.
"kill--!"
Two thousand black iron-armored Hedong cavalry swooped down from the high slope like a flood bursting through a dam or a diving falcon!
The iron hooves hit the ground, making a thunderous roar, instantly breaking the tranquility of the grassland.
The Qiang and Rong people were caught off guard!
When they saw the cold light flashing from the swords, the Hedong cavalry had already rushed in front of them!
"Enemy attack! It's cavalry!"
"Hurry up and mount your horses! Fight!"
Confused shouts rang out everywhere, and the Qiang and Rong soldiers frantically searched for their horses and weapons, and the camp suddenly became a mess.
Wu Shangzhi took the lead, and the spear in his hand was like a poisonous dragon emerging from a cave, easily defeating several small Qiang and Rong leaders who tried to organize resistance.
The torrent of cavalry effortlessly tore through the fragile perimeter of the Qiangrong camp and penetrated straight into the heart of it!
Namtso was drinking in the big tent when he heard the deafening sound of killing outside and was so frightened that he smashed his wine bowl.
He rushed out of the tent and saw a powerful cavalry galloping through his camp, invincible, while his own men fled in all directions like headless flies.
"Where did the cavalry come from? Is Yang Yan treacherous and wants to destroy us?" Namtso was shocked and angry.
At this moment, a scene that made him even more heartbroken occurred.
After completing the first round of penetration, the charging cavalry did not engage in a deeper entanglement, but quickly dispersed to the two wings, revealing a group of dismounted soldiers behind them. Those soldiers held black, round iron lumps in their hands, lit the fuse with a fire stick, and then threw them forward with all their might!
“Swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—”
Dozens of thunder bombs streaked through the air and fell into the crowd of Qiang and Rong soldiers who had gathered in panic.
“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM—!!”
A series of deafening, earth-shaking explosions suddenly erupted!
Flames shot up into the sky, thick smoke billowed, and pieces of iron and gravel shot in all directions like a death storm!
In an instant, broken limbs flew everywhere, blood dyed the grass red, and the shrill screams even drowned out the sound of the explosion.
The Qiang and Rong people, who had never seen such a horrific scene, were completely terrified.
They couldn't understand what kind of weapon it was, they just thought it was thunder from heaven and the gods were angry.
The great fear instantly destroyed their will to resist.
"It's the thunder from heaven! They are sent by the gods!"
"Run! We've angered the gods!"
Crashes spread like a plague.
The surviving Qiang and Rong soldiers no longer cared about their leader or the battle. Some dropped their weapons, knelt on the ground and kowtowed, while others fled in panic with their heads in their hands. The entire camp was completely out of control.
Namtso himself was knocked to the ground by the blast wave that was so close to him. His ears were buzzing, his face was covered with smoke and dust, and his eyes were full of confusion.
He looked at the tragic scene of corpses strewn all over the ground and his subordinates wailing and rolling in the explosion, and a fear from the depths of his soul gripped him.
This is a force that cannot be countered by human power!
Zhao Muyun, surrounded by his personal guards including Li Si, rode his horse slowly to the front of the battle formation. His cold eyes swept over the Qiang and Rong people kneeling on the ground, and finally fixed their gaze on the disheveled Namtso.
Namtso looked up and saw Zhao Muyun, who was sitting upright on his horse and looked extraordinary and heroic, with a mysterious aura all over his body.
He no longer had any intention of resisting.
He rolled and crawled forward a few steps, touched the ground with his forehead, and said in a stiff Da Yin language with a trembling voice:
"Your Excellency...your Honorable Divine and Mighty General! Namtso is blind and has offended the Majesty of Heaven!"
"Please, General Shenwei Tian, spare my life! My Qiangrong tribe is willing... willing to submit to General Shenwei Tian and serve him forever!"
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