Sheep driving strategy
Deathly silence. Like a frozen lake, it enveloped the entire drill ground. Only the fluttering of the banners in the cold wind and the executioner's body lying on the execution platform, still twitching slightly, the blood gushing from the huge wound dripping onto the wooden planks, making a monotonous and eerie "tap...tap..." sound.
Countless gazes, as if drawn by a magnet, were fixed on the area below the execution platform, on the general in black armor, sword at his side, his expression serene and imposing. Bai Yu's hand remained firmly on the hilt of his sword, that ancient and heavy bronze short sword. Now, on the scabbard, a rough linen talisman stained with dark red blood and crookedly embroidered with the character "安" (peace/safety) was prominently displayed! The bloodstains spread across the dark leather and bronze taotie patterns, like a glaring, weeping brand, silently accusing this bloody execution ground under the dim light.
The magistrate's fair face was contorted with extreme shock and unfulfilled rage, making him look like a vengeful ghost. He pointed at Bai Yu, his fingers trembling violently with agitation, his lips quivering, as if he wanted to rebuke this blatant act of defiance against military law, an act tantamount to rebellion. However, Bai Yu's sudden, piercing gaze, like a tangible blade, froze his words in his throat! That gaze, cold and sharp, contained the iron-blooded authority of commanding thousands of troops and wielding the power of life and death, leaving no room for doubt!
Bai Yu's gaze swept past the clerk's distorted face and finally landed on the execution platform. Xiao Yuxuan was covered in blood and bound by ropes. Due to exhaustion and his desperate struggle, his body swayed slightly, but his head was still stubbornly held high. His crimson eyes pierced through space and were fixed on Bai Yu's face, burning with an unquenched flame and an almost tragic determination.
“This boy…” Bai Yu finally spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying a strange penetrating power, clearly echoing in the deathly silent training ground, “Roaring in public at the execution ground, his actions certainly deserve to be punished. However, his heart… his will…” His gaze lingered for a moment on the blood talisman tied to his sword sheath, the crooked character “安” making his pupils shrink slightly, “…there is still something to be commended for. Moreover, his words…I have also heard about the events in Longxi.”
He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping over the shocked, bewildered, and numb faces below the stage. His voice suddenly turned stern, carrying an undeniable decisiveness: "A great battle is imminent! This is the time when manpower is most needed! He may be spared the death penalty, but he will not escape punishment! One hundred lashes! Send him to the hard labor camp to await orders! Dismissed!"
"General! This is blatant defiance of the law! Disregard for military discipline!" The clerk finally broke through the invisible pressure and roared hoarsely.
Bai Yu abruptly turned his head, his hawk-like gaze like two cold lightning bolts piercing the magistrate: "Military law? Magistrate, last night's riot nearly shattered morale, how many were killed or wounded? Did the military law manage to suppress it?! In this critical situation, is it better to kill a soldier to satisfy your ego, or spare a life to replenish the army's supplies? Which is more important? Magistrate, do you not know?!" His words were like heavy hammer blows, each one striking the magistrate's heart, and even more so, the hearts of all the officers present. The horrific scene of last night's riot was still vivid in their minds; the out-of-control madness and the enormous losses made any grand "military law" seem pale and powerless.
The judge's face turned from red to white, his lips trembling. In the end, he didn't dare to utter another word in rebuttal. He slumped back behind his desk, his eyes filled with resentment like a venomous snake.
Bai Yu stopped looking at him and said in a deep voice to the execution platform, "Execute!"
The chilling command was like a pardon, yet also like new shackles. The other executioner, still reeling from the shock, snapped out of his daze, hastily dropping his executioner's blade and picking up a leather whip soaked in salt water. The heavy whip, accompanied by a piercing whistle that tore through the air, struck Xiao Yuxuan's already battered back with a brutal thud!
"Smack!"
Skin torn and flesh ripped open! The excruciating pain was like a raging inferno! Xiao Yuxuan's body arched violently, his teeth clenched, a muffled groan escaping his throat, but he didn't scream out loud! He held his head high, his gaze still piercing through the whip's shadow, fixed on Bai Yu, on the blood talisman on Bai Yu's sword sheath that fluttered slightly in the wind! Each lash felt like a blow to his soul, but the obsession with the "truth" ignited in his chest by the blood talisman burned brighter and harder than the whipping itself!
The whip flashed like rain. One hundred lashes. The time stretched on like an eternity. When the last lash fell, Xiao Yuxuan collapsed like a tattered sack into a pool of cold, sticky blood, his consciousness teetering on the edge of excruciating pain and chill. He was roughly dragged off the execution platform and thrown into a supply wagon, which jolted and lurched toward the deepest part of the camp, near the mountains of rotting hay and excrement, the penal colony reeking of a pungent stench.
Life in the hard labor camp was a darker abyss than the training in the military camp. There was no drill or combat, only endless, relentless hard labor that drained the last ounce of strength from one's life. They chiseled heavy, cold stones, hauled foul-smelling mud, and dug bottomless trenches… The heavy shackles chafed their ankles and wrists, forming thick scabs that would burst open with each new friction. The coarse food barely kept them alive; the cold, drafty shacks provided frostbite that clung to their hands and feet like maggots. The guards' whips were like venomous snakes, ready to strike the back of anyone who slowed their pace.
Xiao Yuxuan endured it all in silence. His body was numb with excruciating pain and exhaustion, but his spirit remained like an undercurrent beneath the ice. With each swing of the heavy stone hammer, each lash of the whip, each shiver of cold in the stinking shack, he would instinctively touch his chest—it was empty, save for the still-burning touch of the character "An" (安), seemingly branded onto his skin by the crisscrossing whip marks, and the cold, illusory image of the blood talisman tied to the scabbard of Bai Yu's sword. Live on. See the truth. This thought, like an inextinguishable spark, sustained his will on the verge of collapse.
Sheng Guo secretly visited him once, bringing a hard, crumbly bread, her eyes filled with fear and worry. Xiao Yuxuan silently accepted it, chewing it forcefully as if chewing on hatred and hope. He said nothing.
Time slipped away amidst endless toil. The atmosphere in the camp, far from easing with the warmer weather, grew even more somber and oppressive. The brutality of the battle in the Ice City, the shadow of plague, and the wounds of the riots loomed like a heavy haze. On the opposite bank of the Gobi Desert, deep within the desert, the enemy forces, like lurking vipers, showed increasingly frequent signs of activity after a brief period of silence. The scouts' reports grew ever more urgent, and the air was thick with the tension of an impending storm.
On this day, the dull sound of horns rang out in the camp, summoning a military council.
Inside the central command tent, the lights shone brightly. A massive sand table occupied the center, meticulously depicting miniature terrains of rivers, mountains, and deserts. Bai Yu, clad in black armor, sat regally in the main seat, his face serene, only his hawk-like eyes sharply sweeping over the generals and key advisors in the tent. The legal officer sat below, his face still somber, his gaze occasionally sweeping over the bronze short sword with a blood-stained talisman at Bai Yu's waist, his expression complex and unfathomable. Ji Zhai of the Mohist school and Xuan Weizi of the Daoist school were also present. Ji Zhai's brows were slightly furrowed, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the table, as if he were deducing something. Xuan Weizi appeared even thinner, his face pale, his eyes carrying an inescapable weariness and a trace of bewilderment. Since that night of the camp riots and blood-stained banners, he had become even more taciturn.
The atmosphere was heavy. The scout captain knelt on one knee and reported in a hoarse voice:
"Reporting to the General! The enemy's main force has retreated to the Black Stone Mountain Pass (marked as a narrow mountain pass on the sand table), relying on the terrain, fortifying the area with deep trenches and high walls, avoiding battle. However, their cavalry are roaming everywhere, especially frequently harassing our rear supply lines leading to Linzi (marked as another location on the sand table)! In half a month, three supply convoys have been attacked, suffering heavy losses! According to the confessions of captured enemy prisoners, their army... has a shortage of livestock, and they rely heavily on sheep grazing in the rear pastures as a vital source of their daily meat supply!"
"A flock of sheep?" Bai Yu tapped his fingertips lightly on the armrest, making a soft tapping sound. His sharp gaze fell on a gentle slope marked "pastoral area" on the sand table, representing the enemy's rear, his eyes thoughtful.
“Exactly!” the scout captain added. “According to our investigation, their flock is quite large and requires a lot of pasture and water every day. Therefore, their pasture is located in a relatively fixed location and is heavily guarded.”
A brief silence fell over the tent. A direct assault on the Blackstone Pass? The cost would be immeasurable, and the enemy held a fortified position; victory was unlikely. Allow the supply line to be attacked? The army would be cut off from supplies and collapse without a fight. The legal officer frowned, his lips moving as if he wanted to emphasize the severe punishment under military law for those who robbed the supplies, but considering the consequences of cutting off the supply line, he ultimately remained silent. Ji Zhai's fingers moved slowly along the edge of the sand table, seemingly calculating some path and distance.
Just then, a man who had been silently standing in the shadows beside Bai Yu slowly stepped forward. This man was about forty years old, with an ordinary, even somewhat gaunt face. He wore a faded ochre-colored robe over ordinary leather armor, nothing particularly remarkable about him. Only his eyes, calm as a deep pool, seemed to flash with cold stars when they opened and closed, revealing a wisdom that seemed to see through everything. This was none other than the military strategist—Sun Qian.
“General,” Sun Qian’s voice was not loud, but it carried a strange penetrating power, instantly attracting everyone’s attention, “The enemy relies on the terrain to hold key points, and their supplies are constantly replenished from the rear. This is a situation of ‘waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out.’ If our army launches a strong attack, it will play right into their hands. Harassing the supply lines is their way of ‘attacking what we must defend,’ intending to force us to divide our forces and exhaust us.”
He walked to the sand table, his finger precisely pointing to the location representing the enemy's rear pasture, then slowly tracing a line towards the Black Stone Mountain Pass: "Their Achilles' heel is not in their supply lines, but in what they themselves 'rely on'! They rely on the mountain's natural defenses, and also on the security of their flocks! The sheep are their daily source of meat, and also a crucial element in maintaining their morale. If the sheep are lost..." Sun Qian lightly tapped the pasture location with his fingertip, then suddenly traced a line towards Black Stone Mountain, making a shooing gesture, a cold glint in his eyes, "...then their morale will surely collapse! The mountain pass they rely on as a shield will instead become a prison trapping them!"
The eyes of all the generals in the tent lit up! Even Ji Zhai, who had been tapping his fingers on the table, stopped and looked thoughtful.
"What does Military Advisor Sun mean...?" Bai Yu asked in a deep voice, his gaze sharp as lightning.
"Drive the sheep to confuse the enemy and disrupt their formation!" Sun Qian's voice was resolute. "Send a crack squad of elite assassins to infiltrate the enemy's pastures under cover of night! Not to kill the defenders, nor to burn the fodder!" His eyes gleamed with the cold, precise calculation unique to military strategists. "Simply disturb their flock! Cause them to panic and lose control! Then… drive them! Drive them towards the enemy's main force at the Black Stone Mountain Pass!"
He paused, his voice carrying a confident air of complete control: "Sheep are timid by nature. Once startled, they will flee like a landslide or tsunami, disregarding everything! Their pasture is in a favorable position. At that time, our army only needs to lay an ambush outside the pass. When the sheep, billowing dust and wailing, charge in, disrupting the enemy's lines and causing chaos and panic, our ambush troops will emerge! We will unleash a barrage of powerful bows and crossbows! We will launch a surprise attack with chariots and elite soldiers! We will surely be able to break through their defenses amidst the chaos! This is 'taking advantage of the situation and attacking when they are unprepared'! Their 'waiting in comfort' posture can be broken in an instant!"
The tent was silent, save for the crackling of the flickering lamplight. Everyone was stunned by Sun Qian's seemingly whimsical yet meticulously crafted and incisive strategy! The legal officer opened his mouth, as if to say something like, "Strange tricks and ingenious schemes go against the right path," but looking at the clear deduction path on the sand table, he ultimately let out a cold snort. Ji Zhai's eyes flashed with admiration, and he nodded slightly. Xuan Weizi remained silent, his gaze blankly fixed on the empty space outside the tent, seemingly detached from worldly affairs, or perhaps lost in some indescribable thought.
"Excellent!" Bai Yu slammed his hand on the table, his eyes gleaming. "Military Advisor Sun's plan is brilliant!" His gaze swept across the tent like lightning. "Who is capable of this task? They must be bold and meticulous, familiar with the habits of livestock, and unafraid of death!"
A brief silence. Venturing deep behind enemy lines, disturbing the sheep, and then driving them towards the enemy's main lines—this was tantamount to a near-certain death! It required not only bravery, but also resourcefulness and a profound understanding of animal instincts.
“General!” A deep, hoarse voice rang out from the ranks of guards at the tent entrance.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a figure, dressed in tattered, filthy labor camp uniform, his hands and feet shackled with heavy chains. His face and neck were covered in unhealed whip marks and frostbite, and his back was streaked with scabs—a gruesome sight. It was Xiao Yuxuan! He had been allowed to wait outside the tent for orders at some point (or perhaps it was due to negligence on the part of the labor camp guards). Now, he straightened his scarred back, dragging his heavy shackles, and walked slowly to the center of the tent. Under the astonished, scrutinizing, and even disdainful gazes of the generals, he knelt on one knee. The shackles struck the ground with a heavy thud.
He raised his head, the blood and frostbite on his face unable to conceal the flame in his eyes—a near-obsessive yearning for the "truth," ignited by humiliation, pain, and the blood-stained talisman! He ignored the venomous gaze of the legal officer, ignored the doubts of the surrounding generals, his gaze piercing through the crowd, fixed on Bai Yu in the main seat, on the bronze short sword adorned with the blood-stained talisman. His voice, hoarse from excitement and shouting, was exceptionally deep, yet carried an undeniable power:
“Xiao Yuxuan, a talented scholar! I am willing to go!” He paused, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying the deep imprint of the wind and sand of the Longxi Plateau and the instincts of a farm boy towards livestock:
"A farmer's son from Longxi, I've herded sheep since childhood! I know sheep like the lines on my palm! Startling the flock, causing them to panic, driving them away... all of this is second nature to me! I fear not a hundred deaths! I only ask... I only ask the general to allow me... to witness the success or failure of this plan! To witness what lies behind this battle!"
A deathly silence fell over the tent. Bai Yu's gaze, sharp as a physical object, scrutinized the kneeling youth at his feet. The wounds covering his body, the fire in his eyes, the unwavering obsession in his words… and the silent blood talisman tied to his sword sheath. He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze to Sun Qian.
Sun Qian was also looking at Xiao Yuxuan. A subtle glint flashed in his insightful eyes, like a chess player spotting an unexpected piece that could potentially disrupt the entire game. He nodded slightly.
"Very well!" Bai Yu's voice was like the clang of metal, carrying a resolute authority. "Xiao Yuxuan! You are appointed as the guide for the suicide squad! Atone for your crimes through meritorious service! If you succeed, all your past offenses will be forgiven! If you fail... only death awaits you!"
"Thank you, General!" Xiao Yuxuan kowtowed heavily, his forehead striking the cold tent floor with a dull thud. The shackles clanked. Not for a pardon, but to get closer to the truth behind that bloody battlefield—closer! Just a little closer!
Three days later, in the dead of night. No stars, no moon, the sky as black as lacquer. A cold wind howled across the vast Gobi Desert, whipping up sand and lashing at exposed skin.
A small squad of ten Qin soldiers, like phantoms blending into the night, moved silently through the rugged rocks and withered grass. They wore tight-fitting dark armor, smeared with reflective mud, and carried crossbows, short blades, and specially made tinder, sulfur, and other fire-starting materials. The squad leader was an old scout with hawk-like eyes. Xiao Yuxuan followed closely behind. His shackles had been temporarily removed, but the heavy stone-carving labor and the excruciating pain from whipping wounds still tormented his muscles. He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to keep up with the group. Each step on the cold gravel aggravated the wounds on his back, bringing a tearing pain. Yet, his spirit was unusually high. His eyes strained to discern directions in the darkness, and his mind repeatedly recalled the route map drawn by the scout and every detail given by Sun Qian.
The wind grew stronger, blowing from behind, carrying the dry, dusty scent unique to the Gobi Desert. This was precisely the upwind spot Sun Qian had chosen! The wind drowned out their faint footsteps.
Ahead, a relatively gentle, leeward slope appeared at the edge of the field of vision. In the darkness, a low, slowly moving outline, like a dark cloud, was vaguely visible! The air was filled with the strong smell of mutton and animal manure!
Enemy's ranch! We've arrived!
The squad leader abruptly gave a hand signal, and the squad instantly crouched down like stone statues behind the cold, jumbled rocks, holding their breath. In the dim light of the night, several makeshift leather tents could be seen at the edge of the pasture, a few weak campfires flickering in the wind, illuminating the figures of several sentries carrying weapons, their necks hunched, pacing back and forth. Most of the sheep lay nestled on the sheltered slope below, a dark, slumbering mass, like a sleeping black ocean.
Time ticked by in the tense standoff. The wind was biting, yet sweat soaked through Xiao Yuxuan's inner shirt. Finally, as a sentry yawned and turned his back by the campfire, the platoon leader decisively waved his hand!
Several dark figures, like arrows released from a bow, silently pounced on the nearest leather tent! Their movements were as swift as lightning! A cold dagger flashed almost imperceptibly in the darkness!
"Ugh..." A few extremely short, muffled groans, masked by the wind, rang out. The sentries beside the leather tent collapsed limply to the ground like sacks with their bones removed.
Almost simultaneously, several other assassins scattered like ghosts, rushing towards several haystacks piled up at the edge of the pasture for night feeding! They quickly scattered the sulfur, saltpeter, and other tinder they carried into the gaps in the haystacks, and then lit the specially made tinder that burned slowly but produced a lot of smoke!
"Hiss..." A faint light appeared deep within the haystack, and then thick plumes of white smoke, carrying a pungent odor, rose rapidly! Driven by the strong night wind, the smoke, like a rolling white python, quickly spread and enveloped the large flock of sheep resting on the ground!
The pungent smoke instantly assaulted the sheep's senses! A commotion spread rapidly like ripples! Uneasy bleating began to rise sporadically, quickly merging into a chorus of sounds!
"The time has come!" the squad leader shouted in a low voice, his gaze fixed on Xiao Yuxuan.
Xiao Yuxuan's heart pounded! Now! He leaped out of his hiding place, no longer concealing himself! He grabbed a sharp-edged stone from the ground and, with all his might, hurled it at the densest part of the sheep flock! At the same time, he used every last breath in his chest to let out a howl, the most piercing and ferocious sound imitating a wolf hunting its prey!
"Awooo—!!!"
This sudden and threatening howl was like a spark thrown into boiling oil! Stimulated by the thick smoke and driven by the alpha sheep's instinctive sense of a deadly threat!
The entire huge flock of sheep instantly erupted into chaos!
"Baa—! Baa—! Baa—!"
The terrified bleating erupted like a tsunami! Thousands upon thousands of sheep were plunged into hysterical panic! They no longer cared about direction, but driven only by their survival instinct, they fled frantically in the opposite direction from the sound of their bleating—that is, upwind, where the smoke was thinner, and with their backs to the Black Stone Mountain Pass!
Rumble, rumble—!
The earth began to tremble! Countless sheep hooves pounded the frozen ground, creating a muffled and terrifying sound, like thunder rolling across the Gobi Desert! The black flock of sheep, like a flood bursting its banks, carried billowing dust and smoke. Driven by the thick smoke and led by the lead sheep, they formed an unstoppable, chaotic, and violent wave of death, sweeping towards the enemy's main force at the Black Stone Mountain Pass like a landslide and a tsunami!
"Success! Retreat!" The squad leader's eyes flashed with wild joy as he roared. The suicide squad quickly regrouped and retreated along the predetermined safe route, like water droplets merging into the night.
Xiao Yuxuan ran at the back of the group, panting heavily. The wound on his back ached terribly from the intense running, but he was oblivious to it. He couldn't help but look back.
The scene was so breathtaking it was almost unbearable!
Enveloped in thick smoke and dust, the out-of-control torrent of sheep, like a black mudslide, surged toward the distant Black Stone Pass, which resembled a crouching beast in the night! The bleating of the sheep, the thunder of their hooves, and the sudden, panicked horns and warnings from the alerted enemy camp mingled together, forming a chaotic yet grand symphony of death!
Success! Sun Qian's ingenious plan succeeded!
A tremendous surge of emotion, a mixture of participation, destructive urges, and a twisted sense of pleasure, overwhelmed Xiao Yuxuan! However, just as he was about to withdraw his gaze and follow the team into the darkness—
By the chaotic light of the enemy camp suddenly blazing in the distance, he spotted several figures struggling in the mud, knocked down by the frantically charging sheep, at the very edge of the raging torrent.
Those were several herders in tattered fur coats, trying to stop the flock of sheep but being knocked to the ground! In the flickering firelight, Xiao Yuxuan could clearly see the face of one of them—a typical face of an old farmer from Longxi, sculpted by wind and sand, wrinkled and distorted with fear! The eyebrows, the contours… were seven or eight parts similar to the old farmer in his memory who was shot and killed at the entrance of Longxi village for resisting the court official's forced seizure of farmland!
Immediately afterward, another young herdsman, struggling to his feet, let out a desperate and familiar cry, thick with the Longxi accent: "Stop them! Stop the livestock! They're our family's lifeline!"
The Longxi accent! Like a cold steel needle, it pierced Xiao Yuxuan's eardrums! And it pierced his heart as well!
His running steps abruptly halted! As if struck by an invisible giant hammer! His blood seemed to freeze instantly! The excitement and pleasure on his face solidified, turning into a deathly ashes!
Sheep flocks…herdsmen…Longxi accent…lifeline…
The faces of the enemies scalded to death by boiling water beneath the ice city… the prisoners waiting to die in despair in the surrendered soldiers’ camp… and the herdsmen crying and struggling in the out-of-control flock of sheep before him… their faces spun and overlapped wildly in Xiao Yuxuan’s mind!
Who are they? Are they enemies? Or... fellow countrymen, like his father, mercilessly crushed by the wheels of war, losing their land, their homes, and even the last of their livestock to survive?
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