"Damn it!" Ashina Duobi kicked over a table in the tent in anger again. He was angry at Yinan, who had sent a group of men past him without him even noticing.
“Your Majesty, please don’t let anger ruin your health. The most urgent task is to send someone to wipe out this force to prevent it from disrupting the morale of the army,” said Zhao Deyan, one of Ashina Duobi’s strategists and a traitor.
"Who is willing to go and exterminate those rats?" Ashina Duobi asked, looking around with disgust.
"I am willing to share your burdens, Uncle!" A young man who looked very much like a human said, clasping his hands in greeting.
“She’er, if you’re willing to go, of course there’s no problem. I’ll give you 50,000 men. Make sure you wipe out those rats behind you.” After looking at the young man for a while, Ashina Duobi’s expression softened, and he forced a smile as he spoke.
This young man was Ashina She'er, the son of his elder brother. Logically, the Khanate should have passed to him, but the Wolf Clan had just experienced the Li Yuanba incident, resulting in low morale. Furthermore, Ashina She'er was young, so the elders of the Golden Wolf Clan recommended Ashina Duobi for the position. Over the years, as Ashina She'er grew older, Ashina Duobi began to intentionally or unintentionally suppress his development, although he was given the title of a minor Khan.
Ashina She'er came out to ask for orders. Ashina Duobi thought that this would be a good way to get rid of him, prevent him from going to the front lines to do his work, and also solve the problems at the back. So, after thinking about it for a moment, he immediately agreed.
"Your subordinate obeys!" Ashina She'er lowered his head to hide the joy on his face, clasped his hands tightly, and responded loudly. Of course, he wasn't stupid. Going to the front lines would not only fail to bring him much merit, but he would also be suppressed. It was better to settle for second best and perhaps gain some unexpected benefits.
Of course! The risks were enormous; if he failed to eliminate the enemy who had penetrated deep into the grasslands, he would surely face Ashina Duobi's punishment. However, in his view, it was all worthwhile.
"Order Ashina Simo to gather troops and attack that force from both sides." Ashina She'er walked out of the tent, and Ashina Duobi's face turned cold as he gave the order.
“Yes, sir!” A guard immediately stepped forward and responded.
"Speed up the march! I must conquer Guanzhong as soon as possible!" Ashina Duobi grabbed a jewel-encrusted riding whip hanging from the tent flap and pointed to the entrance of the main tent, speaking with domineering authority.
Before long, the wolf clan camp began to rise from the ground, and the vanguard rode off into the distance!
“Little Khan, you’ve been a bit reckless this time! Before we wipe out that Tang army, there will definitely be other tribes destroyed, and you will be blamed for all of that.” A hairy man shook his head and said.
"Haha! Chief Qibi Heli, of course I know what you're saying, but so what? As long as your Qibi tribe and Zhisi tribe suffer no losses, it's none of our business if others are harmed!"
As for punishment, would he dare kill me? Looking back at the distant camp, Ashina She'er laughed loudly, secretly hoping that Ashina Duobi's men would suffer more losses.
Although he was somewhat unhappy, Qibi Heli nodded in agreement. Over the years, Ashina Duobi's tribe had exploited them, and the Silver Wolf Clan and Gray Wolf Clan had become increasingly difficult to live in. Otherwise, they would not have supported Ashina She'er.
"If I'm not mistaken, that old wolf has already sent people from his family to search for that branch of the Central Plains human race. He won't let me make a great contribution!" Ashina She'er said with a sneer.
"Then what should we do? Just let it go?" Qibi Heli asked.
"Chief, first inform your tribe to retreat north! Ensure the safety of our people first! As for that group of people, find them if you can. If you can't, it's not our problem, after all, the grasslands are so vast," Ashina She'er said.
Qin Mu and his group had conducted numerous simulations of the battle. It was certain that the wolf clan would come to ambush them; concealing their movements on the grasslands wasn't easy either. Therefore, they never stayed in one place for too long, at most sleeping one night before setting off again. Recently, they changed their approach again, resting during the day and traveling at night. On the grasslands, nighttime didn't have much of an impact, at most slowing them down a bit.
Resting during the day has another advantage: the field of vision is wider during the day, scouts can see farther, and it is not easy for them to be caught by the enemy.
Even so, they discovered that more and more scouts were appearing on the grasslands.
"That's enough! We should go." Looking at the tribe engulfed in flames, Han Chen said calmly. This originally gentle healer had grown increasingly murderous after a long period of killing.
"Yes! With the smoke indicating our location, the wolves will catch up soon. We won't stop here! Let's head straight for Golden Wolf Mountain." Cheng Huaimo nodded.
"Mount up! We'll change our course. The wolf clan will surely guess our purpose. We'll change horses but not riders along the way, heading straight for Golden Wolf Mountain!" Qin Mu leaped onto the one-horned rhinoceros, pointed his bronze sword to the northwest, and shouted loudly.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" Everyone excitedly raised their weapons and shouted in unison. The past two weeks had seen the slaughter of twenty-one tribes, large and small, and the killing of over twenty thousand wolf warriors, which had already made them bloodthirsty. Hearing of the impending attack on Golden Wolf Mountain, they showed no surprise or fear, but rather great anticipation; everyone was incredibly excited. After all, conquering Golden Wolf Mountain was one of the greatest desires of all the generals and soldiers.
"Giddy up!" Everyone leaped onto their mounts and charged forward. Along the way, they had not only captured food but also warhorses, enough for each person to ride three. One mount carried weapons, armor, and miscellaneous items, while the other two were ridden in turns. This way, it wouldn't be so easy for the pursuers to catch up.
Qin Mu and his group deliberately went to a mountainous area to make the wolf clan think they were going to break through and return. Then they changed course and headed towards Golden Wolf Mountain. This way, it would take the wolf clan at least half a day to find their whereabouts.
Qin Mu once again thanked himself for the time he had spent studying astrology and the Book of Changes. Although he hadn't mastered it, he still had no problem with observing directions by starlight. In addition, with the prisoners he had captured along the way, he wasn't worried about getting lost at all.
Ashina Simo frowned. He had been leading 50,000 cavalrymen in pursuit of this enemy force for over ten days, nearly encircling them several times, only to have them escape the encirclement each time. Then, three days ago, after disappearing for most of the day, he realized that this force had not strayed from its course and was heading in a direction far from the Central Plains.
Ashina Simo looked up into the distance, towards the direction of the ancestral temple, Golden Wolf Mountain.
Ashina Simo's heart skipped a beat, and he loudly ordered, "Half of the men shall walk to the nearby tribes to borrow horses! The rest of you shall each ride two horses and catch up with the enemy!"
“Isn’t it inappropriate to use this as a tool?” a general standing next to Ashina Simo said hesitantly.
"The enemy is heading towards Golden Wolf Mountain! If we don't hurry, how can we catch up? If something goes wrong, will you take responsibility?" Ashina Simo knew that he was not trusted by Ashina Duobi, which was why these generals dared to question him. He couldn't help but ask with a sneer.
"Your subordinate wouldn't dare!" Cold sweat broke out on the man's forehead, and he hurriedly bowed and clasped his hands in thanks.
Ashina Simo was deeply trusted by the previous two Khans and often served as their chief advisor. He still held considerable prestige. Upon hearing his command, half of his men immediately dismounted and moved aside.
Once the team was regrouped, Ashina Simo couldn't wait to lead his men to chase after them.
The more they pursued, the more alarmed they became. The enemy's objective remained unchanged: a straight line heading towards Golden Wolf Mountain. They merely slaughtered the tribes along the way before passing through, leaving no spoils behind. Judging from the tracks on the ground, the enemy was getting further and further away.
Ashina Simo knew the reason: the enemy ahead had enough horses to rotate.
In fact, Ashina Simo did not know that Qin Mu not only had enough horses for rotation, but also enough food and water. He could provide his warhorses and men with water and food without having to search for water.
The mounts replenished their strength with water infused with salt water and medicinal pills, and did not slow down at all due to the long journey.
Qin Mu didn't even send out scouts. Everyone just headed in one direction without paying attention to anything else. Except for feeding the mounts at fixed times, the most they did was slow them down.
“That’s right! All the prisoners have been identified! We’ll reach Golden Wolf Mountain in half a day!” said Cheng Huaimo, who had a stubble beard.
"Order a rest! Attack tomorrow!" Qin Mu said with a sigh of relief. They had rushed all the way and finally arrived, the key being that they hadn't gone to the wrong place! If they had deviated from their destination and the enemy caught up, it would have meant all their efforts were in vain.
Along the way, they captured over a hundred prisoners, separated them, and led them around to point out directions. If anyone acted strangely, they were immediately killed! After killing several dozen, the rest obediently accepted their fate.
Upon hearing the order, everyone dismounted, stretched their numb legs, and then began feeding their mounts before feeding themselves, because everyone knew that on the grasslands, a mount was the most important thing for survival.
Many people, having finished preparing their mounts, collapsed into bed and fell asleep immediately, not even bothering to eat. Even the cooked beef they were allocated couldn't wake them. Keep in mind that for the past ten days, they'd been dozing off on horseback, with many using various means to secure themselves to their horses.
Everyone else slept, except for Qin Mu and a few other generals, who silently guarded the mountain pass. The more critical the moment, the less they could relax. Although the mountain pass was relatively secluded, if someone happened to pass by and discover them, the surprise attack might fail.
Qin Mu silently gnawed on the beef in his hand, chewing very lightly, afraid of waking the beauty in his arms. Over the past month, the most arduous task had been for Princess Changning and the other six girls. To take care of them, they were specially allowed to spend their time on the backs of triangular oxen. The broad backs of the triangular oxen provided them with ample rest.
It must be said that the hornbill had much better stamina than the warhorse, and it didn't fall behind the whole way. The only downside was that it ate a lot.
As night fell, Qin Mu felt much more relaxed. Looking down, he saw Princess Changning's gentle gaze fixed on him.
Qin Mu smiled slightly, lowered his head and kissed her, then asked softly, "Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat?"
It's impossible to sleep well on the back of an ox; you can only take a nap when you're extremely tired, so hardship is inevitable.
"Mmm." Princess Changning snuggled closer to Qin Mu, hugging his waist tightly, and responded softly.
Although the piece of roasted meat was already a bit cold, Princess Changning ate it very seriously. She stubbornly pressed Qin Mu onto her lap and said gently but firmly, "You should sleep for a while too. I'll keep an eye on you."
Qin Mu did not refuse, but he took out two sheepskins, rolled them up and put them under his head, because he did not want to tire Princess Changning out.
Seeing how thoughtful and caring Qin Mu was, Princess Changning smiled happily and sweetly, her eyes revealing intense love.
Qin Mu closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep. When he woke up again, he could see the morning star on the horizon. Princess Changning was sleeping beside him, her head bowed. It was clear that she was afraid of waking him, as she did not change her position all night.
Feeling someone's gaze on him, Cheng Huaimo turned around and gave a silent smile.
Upon seeing Cheng Huaimo's smile, Qin Mu was completely awake and slowly sat up.
Although they were all cultivators, the commotion still woke Princess Changning, who jerked her head up. Qin Mu had been able to sleep soundly last night because he knew someone was on guard around him, and subconsciously he knew he was in a safe place.
Actually, it wasn't just Qin Mu who woke up; most of the camp had woken up, but everyone moved very quietly because some of the people who had been on duty the night before were still sleeping.
Qin Mu gently patted Princess Changning's hand and walked downstairs. The camp was waiting for him to bring out supplies.
As Qin Mu waved his hand and tossed out a large amount of firewood, meat, and buckets of water, everyone lined up to receive the items and got busy in different ways.
They were already used to Qin Mu bringing out so many things, and Qin Mu had no intention of keeping it a secret, because these people were all willing to come together to break into the wolf clan's lair, and could be called partners who would share life and death.
A large amount of meat was placed on the fire, and soon the valley was filled with the aroma of meat. People ate meat in big bites and drank wine in big bowls! It was the Qin Mutianji Tower's stock, and there wasn't much, so each person only had a small sip.
After finishing our meal, we started organizing our equipment, taking stock of our weapons, and placing the bows and arrows and other weapons in easily accessible locations.
Mounting their steeds, they set off once more. The warhorses galloped, their massive hooves filling everyone with a sense of pride, for they all knew that today they were about to accomplish something earth-shattering.
He fed his mount water and fodder once more, took a few sips from his water pouch, then jumped onto another mount, straightened his armor, and gazed intently at the distant rows of tents.
Qin Mu stroked the rhinoceros's neck, flipped over, took a deep breath, and shouted sharply, "Raise the flag!"
Along the way, they did not display the banners of the Tang Dynasty. Instead, they had a group of people dressed as wolf tribe members, carrying wolf tribe banners, leading the way to ambush passing tribes. This time, they officially revealed the banners of the Tang Dynasty.
Among this group, besides the Tang Dynasty's military flag, only Qin Mu possessed his own Qin-character flag, which was held aloft by Bu Fang with one hand.
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