Qin Mu suddenly realized that now, when he heard that war was coming, he was not afraid, but also vaguely looking forward to it, and some images of being on the battlefield began to appear in his mind.
"Will I also have a chance to go on an expedition?" Qin Mu asked excitedly, his spirits lifting.
Looking at Qin Mu, Zhang Gongjin recalled his own past, when he would also be filled with high spirits before going into battle. Generally, it would take dozens of battles before he would become calm and numb.
“I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed! Given your family’s current situation, His Majesty won’t send you to the battlefield. He might only think of you once you’re married and have children. Besides, as the governor of Shuofang, who will take care of Shuofang if you leave?” Zhang Gongjin said with a smile, shaking his head.
"Sigh!" Qin Mu already knew this was the outcome, but he still sighed with some disappointment.
“Let’s take advantage of this downtime before the autumn harvest and fix up the roads. We’ll get a lot of credit for it then,” Zhang Gongjin said, patting Qin Mu on the shoulder.
Qin Mu pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's collect more grain! That way, we can send out troops as soon as the army arrives without waiting for logistics."
“Where would we get the grain? The people have just harvested their summer grain, and that little bit of wheat isn’t even enough to feed them. If we levy taxes, it will probably cause widespread panic. But we can prepare more horse feed,” Zhang Gongjin said irritably.
"Come on! I'm short of horse feed, but the grain can be transported from Tianshui. The autumn harvest is coming soon, so we can buy their stored grain and make them free up their warehouses to collect the new grain," Qin Mu said, rolling his eyes.
Zhang Gongjin then remembered that several hundred huge creatures had appeared in Shuofang. Those big guys had big appetites, so even if Qin Mu collected fodder, he had to keep some for himself.
"As long as you have a way to get the grain out of their pockets, I'll reimburse you! It'll be included in the military rations," Zhang Gongjin said happily.
"I'll give it a try!" Qin Mu agreed.
After Zhang Gongjin left, Qin Mu carefully recalled what else needed to be prepared. He had done a lot in the past few months, mainly equipping the Six Doors with new weapons, in addition to improving people's livelihoods.
A five-meter-tall triangular-scaled ox needs a suitable weapon to be used as a mount. Fortunately, the constables of the Six Doors didn't have any long weapons, so this time we prepared a batch for them.
A three-meter-long crescent-shaped blade, with the blade and hilt each taking up half the length, along with a batch of javelins. Crossbows and javelins were among Qin Mu's most favored weapons; he would never resort to close combat if a long-range attack was possible. Now that he had the Triangular Ox, was he planning to deploy heavy cavalry, specifically two-man cavalry? The Triangular Ox's enormous size made it a waste to carry only one person; this behemoth could easily carry ten or more without feeling heavy. However, carrying too many people would be inconvenient in the heat of battle.
Heavy cavalry penetrating deep into enemy lines are easily overrun by those who are not skilled. This is why only one rider with two men is used. Xi Junmai was instructed to train the Five Elements Formation separately. The original two hundred elite soldiers became the main force of the heavy cavalry, and they were assigned two hundred spiritual cultivators as their assistants.
Two hundred spiritual cultivators nurtured with elixirs might not be particularly impressive individually, but their cultivation levels are undeniable, making them perfectly capable of serving as support. The Embroidered Spring Blade can skillfully unleash pure Yang energy, and coupled with a physique stronger than other spiritual cultivators of the same cultivation level, it's extremely useful on the battlefield.
Qin Mu estimated that an attack was unlikely, but participating in the defense of the Great Wall was still a good option, given the long border and the numerous areas to defend. The orcs weren't without brains; aside from the small groups of orcs infiltrating the Tang Dynasty from the border every year to plunder, during every major war, the orcs would send even more to sneak into the Tang border, trying to make the Tang army at the front worry about their rear.
The Tianshui family agreed readily. They agreed as soon as Qin Mu's men asked. Qin Mu guessed that this might be because Li Shimin had not been involved in the secret realm, so they wanted to express their sincerity more.
The war came much faster than expected. It was anticipated that the Tang army would not assemble for another twenty days, but scouts outside the pass had already discovered a large wolf pack.
"We must keep the wolf tribe outside the pass before the main army arrives! From today onwards, enter a state of combat readiness. All garrison troops shall assemble in their respective counties and prefectures, ready to fight at any time," Zhang Gongjin said solemnly in the main hall of the Governor's Mansion.
The atmosphere in the hall was somewhat heavy. According to the news brought back by the scouts, the wolf army was very large, with more than 100,000 already discovered, and the number of others was still unknown.
"Governor, can the imperial army depart ahead of schedule?" Liang Luoren asked, standing up.
“The imperial court will definitely send reinforcements, but the wolf clan acted ahead of time, disrupting the court’s plans. Nobody knows where their main attack will be,” Zhang Gongjin said with certainty.
Zhang Gongjin's words were clear: the main force of the wolf clan had not appeared, and there were other beast clans making moves. These were all things the court needed to consider. Therefore, the first wave of attacks could only be defended by the border guards themselves. Reinforcements would arrive, but not immediately.
Just like in Shuozhou, the imperial army could only reach Yanmen County at most, serving as a backup for the Yanmen and Shuofang line. They would only provide support where the situation became unsustainable. In other words, there were no reinforcements.
The border guards were confident they could hold off the first wave of attacks. Their concern was that if the wolf pack used the vanguard as a cover while their main force suddenly followed, they wouldn't be able to hold off the attack alone.
Knowing that a tough war was about to begin, under Zhang Gongjin's arrangement, everyone quickly left and busied themselves with preparations.
Qin Mu was left behind by Zhang Gongjin. Zhang Gongjin was very serious, and after pacing around twice with his brows furrowed, he looked up at Qin Mu and said, "Huai Dao, I'm afraid you'll have to stay behind and take charge of the overall situation from now on."
"Ah!" Qin Mu looked at Zhang Gongjin in surprise, and seeing his serious expression, he knew he wasn't joking. Qin Mu shook his head and said, "This won't do. The rear is too important. I've never done it before, and I can't do it well! I can't be as meticulous as you, Commander. If it affects the battle situation at the front, I'll be guilty of a thousand deaths."
“I know it’s too much to put such a heavy responsibility on you, but I have no other choice,” Zhang Gongjin said, rubbing his temples with a troubled expression.
"Why is that? General Niu Jinda and his men are already at the front, isn't that enough? The generals from Shuozhou should be able to provide support, right?" Qin Mu asked, puzzled. When he mentioned the generals from Shuozhou, a thought suddenly struck him.
"It seems you guessed it. I don't trust some people, and I can't entrust the outcome of the battle to them. If something goes wrong in one place, the entire battle will be affected. So I have to go there myself," Zhang Gongjin said, taking a deep breath.
Qin Mu understood that the people he was referring to must have only recently surrendered. Originally, the Shuofang faction had planned to send these people out when the imperial army arrived, but now that Shuozhou was fighting alone, they had to be careful.
"Why don't I go instead?" Qin Mu suggested after thinking for a moment.
“You go? No, you can’t control them.” Zhang Gongjin shook his head and said.
"No! I'm not on the defensive. I'm leading men out of the pass to slow down the wolf clan's attack."
Upon hearing Qin Mu's words, Zhang Gongjin immediately shook his head in opposition, saying, "That won't work either. If you lead people out of the pass, how can you hold off the wolf clan? On the grasslands, those wolves come and go like the wind. They only need a small force to make it difficult for you to move an inch."
"Hehe! Commander, you've forgotten, I have a cavalry unit there. A small force is actually easier to maneuver. Although the triangular-scaled oxen can't match the wolf riders in short-distance sprints, they have great stamina and can run for a long time," Qin Mu explained with a laugh.
“You only have two hundred cavalrymen, right? That’s too few. How can you hold off the wolf cavalry?” Zhang Gongjin shook his head.
"There are still six hundred cows! Although these cows haven't been trained for combat, they are still excellent mounts, and each cow can carry five people without any problem. This way, I can lead three thousand people out of the pass. If the wolf clan underestimates us, they will suffer a great loss," Qin Mu reminded them.
Seeing that Zhang Gongjin was still undecided, Qin Mu added, "Only my triangular ox can carry enough supplies to stay on the grassland for a long time."
“This…” Zhang Gongjin was somewhat tempted, but still shook his head slightly and said, “No, I can’t risk you. If something really happens to you, how can I face your father?”
"Don't worry, you know I'm not the kind of person who would risk my life. If there were real danger, the wolf clan wouldn't spare us," Qin Mu said, patting his chest.
"Alright! But you must promise me you won't risk your life. You can abandon the triangular ox, but you must come back safely." Thinking of the cavalry clad in full armor, Zhang Gongjin still agreed, because he knew that having someone hold them off outside the pass would not only buy them time, but also allow them to find out if the wolf tribe's main force was behind them and probe the direction of the wolf tribe's main attack.
"Your subordinate obeys!" Qin Mu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
After Qin Mu left, he immediately began to gather people and prepare for leaving the pass. He said that the triangular ox could carry a lot of things, but it was actually his Heavenly Mystery Tower that could carry a large amount of supplies.
Eight hundred triangular oxen, along with the main force of the Six Doors and soldiers from Shuofang, totaling three thousand four hundred men, were assembled in four days and then headed straight for the pass.
This time, not only did all the top officials of the Six Doors mobilize, but Zhang Gongjin also arranged for Pei Xingjian, Xin Liao'er, and Feng Duan to serve under Qin Mu.
The grasslands beyond the Great Wall are lush and green, a time when wolves usually stockpile fodder for the winter. This is why the wolf tribe's deployment of troops is so unexpected.
Winter on the grasslands is much longer than in the interior of China. Snow may fall as early as October and last until April of the following year, which is only about half a year. During this cold season, they need to prepare a lot of fodder to feed their cattle and sheep.
The wolves' primary food source is yaks and sheep. At first, Qin Mu wondered if wolves were raising sheep, and every time he thought about it, that catchy theme song and the cartoons that kids liked to watch would pop into his head. But it was the truth.
The one-horned rhinoceros was much shorter than the triangular ox. Looking at the triangular ox, which was a bit taller than him, Qin Mu couldn't help but let his gaze drift over. Han Chen was sitting petitely behind Baili Rou.
Baili Bing didn't come; he stayed in Shuofang to oversee the work of the Six Doors. Baili Rou, who had become inseparable from Han Chen, followed without saying a word.
Upon seeing Qin Mu's smiling gaze, Han Chen knew he meant no good, and his face flushed as he turned his head away.
Baili Rou, not understanding the strange expressions on the two people's faces, explained in a sweet voice: "The vanguard of the wolf clan is the Silver Wolf clan of Xueyantuo. Their chieftain is called Yinan. Although Yinan is only the Silver Wolf King, the Golden Wolf clan does not dare to underestimate him. Xueyantuo is also the largest Silver Wolf tribe on the grassland."
The Baili family, who dominated the northwest, naturally had more insights into the grasslands than Qin Mu and his group.
Eight hundred yaks galloped across the grassland, their thunderous roar carrying far and wide, no less impressive than ten thousand horses running. This filled Xin Liao'er and the others, who were riding horses nearby, with envy.
Faced with the scaly triangular bulls, even the warhorses dared not approach them too closely, so the two hundred mounted soldiers could only serve as scouts. Zhang Gongjin's purpose in sending Xin Liao'er and Feng Duan was that these two were not only familiar with the wolf tribe but also trustworthy.
The one-horned rhinoceros charged forward, overtaking the triangular bull and running in the lead. It disliked Han Chen because Han Chen would stare at its head when he had free time, which made it feel somewhat dangerous.
The horn of the one-horned rhinoceros is a valuable medicinal ingredient, so Han Chen couldn't help but glance at it whenever he saw it. He also had Qin Mu arrange for people to collect rhinoceros dung.
The grassland was vast. Even though they walked on it all day, they didn't see a single person. Moreover, the boundless grassland made them feel small, as if they were in a place without boundaries.
The next day, Qin Mu ordered 600 cows and men to lag behind, while he led 200 of his most elite heavy cavalry ahead. This was a necessary move; although the cows' stamina had improved considerably from working, they still couldn't match the constantly trained bulls in a gallop.
On the third and fourth days, after venturing hundreds of miles into the grasslands, they finally discovered some wolves grazing their livestock. Of course! These wolves all perished at their hands.
On the fifth day, they finally spotted the wolf scouts. These scouts, upon spotting Qin Mu and his group from afar, turned and fled, while others lingered at a distance. On the vast grasslands, escaping the gaze of scouts was virtually impossible.
A tense atmosphere began to permeate the crowd; everyone became quieter, knowing that war was imminent.
On the sixth day, Qin Mu ordered a slowdown to conserve the mounts' energy for the upcoming battle. At dusk, a force of over a thousand wolf riders appeared in the distance. The two sides stopped about a mile apart, waiting for their mounts to recover.
Qin Mu and his companions silently took out handfuls of beans from the cloth bags on their mounts and fed them into the mounts' mouths. They also took out sheepskin bags filled with water and stuffed them into the mounts' mouths.
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