A dark and windy night, perfect for murder and arson! The sky is covered with dark clouds, not a single star can be seen; such weather is rare on the grasslands.
The night was pitch black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. It was so dark it was unsettling. The wind blew by, and the timid would surely feel a chill run down their spine.
Qin Mu was definitely not the type to feel uneasy; he felt only excitement, exhilaration, and a hint of anticipation. The wind tonight was timely and its direction was very favorable.
The light from the tinderbox was obscured by the weeds and could not be seen from a distance. Piles of dry wood were stacked together, with some medicinal herbs placed on top. After waiting for a while, Qin Mu personally lit the dry wood, then covered his mouth and led his men away.
They found many tonics in the secret realm, and of course, they also found a lot of poisons. They also collected many poisonous herbs, because poisons can sometimes save lives.
This time, Qin Mu had a sudden inspiration: he wanted to use the poisons in the Heavenly Mystery Tower to poison the wolf clan! Putting them in the water was impractical, as water sources were of utmost importance to any army and would certainly be thoroughly investigated! Besides, he didn't know where the wolf clan would use their water. He thought of poisonous smoke; he remembered a movie where poison had killed countless people.
With the help of the wind, the poisonous smoke quickly drifted towards the wolf camp. Actually, this smoke wasn't very toxic; inhaling a small amount wouldn't cause much of a problem, but the constant inhalation was unbearable.
Qin Mu and his group hadn't stopped; the poisonous smoke was continuously drifting into the wolf pack camp. If they were awake during the day, they would definitely be able to tell the air smelled wrong. But while sound asleep, no one paid attention, since the sleeping bags didn't smell any better.
The people around the campfire didn't notice either, because the burning cow and horse dung itself had a smell.
Qin Mu and his group caught up with the wolf clan in the middle of the night, sneaked over and released poison. More than an hour had passed, as they couldn't move quickly in the dark.
The mornings on the grasslands come early; it gets light before 5-7 a.m. However, not many wolves get up. They open their eyes groggily, and many feel extremely nauseous and want to vomit, yet they are too weak to do so.
"What's wrong with me?" The wolf clan expert struggled to sit up, panting heavily as he pondered.
"Not good!" the wolf clan leader blurted out. He then hurriedly circulated his qi and blood to suppress his discomfort, rolled over to his feet, rushed to the side, and pushed his subordinates, shouting, "Get up, get up quickly!"
"Commander!" the wolf soldier called out with difficulty, trying to sit up, but failed several times.
"How are you feeling?" the wolf clan leader asked anxiously.
"Your subordinate... Your subordinate is in great pain!" the wolf soldier said weakly.
The wolf chieftain was extremely anxious. He rushed to the other side and shoved several of his men, shouting, "Get up! Get up now!"
But to his disappointment, none of his subordinates who were lying down got up, groaning and moaning, and one of them was even unconscious.
"Woo!" The wolf clan leader roared to the sky.
With his long howl, some wolves finally staggered over.
"It's done!" Qin Mu cheered excitedly as he saw the commotion at the wolf camp in the distance.
"Hehe!" Han Chen couldn't help but laugh. He felt a great sense of accomplishment at poisoning so many people at once.
"Send the signal!" Qin Mu stood up and gave the order in a loud voice. At this moment, he was also somewhat in high spirits. Compared with fighting, this kind of tactic seemed to be more fulfilling.
A sharp whistling sound rang out in the air.
The shriek came suddenly, and the wolf clan leader's expression changed drastically. He looked up in the direction from which the sound came and saw some figures in the distance.
The booming sounds were so distinct in the silent wilderness that they made one instinctively look in the direction of the sound.
A group of cavalrymen charged toward the camp. These were definitely not friendly forces. The wolf clan leader stared at the distance with bloodshot eyes and gritted his teeth, tightening his grip on his long sword.
"Retreat!" After taking a few deep breaths, the wolf clan leader calmly gave the order. Since the enemy dared to charge out, it meant they had made full preparations. Now, none of his men were unharmed, so how could they fight back?
Upon giving the order, the wolf clan leader immediately rushed to his mount and then galloped off into the distance.
Looking back at the enemy who were already approaching the camp, the wolf chieftain secretly vowed, "I will avenge this day!"
Without a mount, they could only watch helplessly as the dozens of wolves fled. From the fact that the wolves could only climb onto the backs of horses, they could tell what their condition was like.
"What a pity!" Han Chen sighed.
"It's alright, the big fish got away, but these little fish are enough," Qin Mu said with a smile, trying to comfort him.
With that, the two of them led their men and ran towards the camp.
The wolves were still whining in the camp. As soon as they entered, they were hit by a stench, and everyone couldn't help but cover their noses.
"This is too much! What do we do?" Han Chen asked, glancing around the room.
His men were looting the prisoners, taking their weapons, and reaching out to touch the wolf pack members. Anyone who tried to resist was slapped. The sound of slapping echoed throughout the camp.
"Won't the poison kill him?" Qin Mu asked, turning around.
“If you take it directly, it will definitely kill you, but the type of poison is uncertain! And some are mild, some are severe, so it certainly won’t kill everyone,” Han Chen said.
"That's easy! Just kill them all!" Qin Mu's eyes narrowed, and he said forcefully. The current Qin Mu is not someone who just arrived at this family. He has survived several assassination attempts. If they were human, it would be fine, but these people have markings on their faces and bodies, as well as a pair of hairy ears and teeth like zombies. They don't look human at all, so there's no guilt in killing them.
No one would have any sympathy for the beastmen. Han Chen did not object to Qin Mu's words and nodded slightly in agreement.
There are so many wolves, we can't kill them all at once. For safety's sake, we first searched for their weapons and then herded the wolves together.
"Go!" Qin Mu waved his hand.
The constables, who had been boasting about the triangular cow, couldn't wait any longer and rushed over with a sinister grin.
Only then did the wolf pack realize that something terrible had happened. They had initially thought they were being taken prisoner, but now they understood that they were being hunted down and exterminated.
The wolves tried to escape in a panic, but after being poisoned, their legs and arms were weak and they couldn't run fast at all. With their companions crowding behind them, they were pushed over by their companions after a short while.
Qin Mu had quite a few people around him. Apart from the Triangle Bull who was charging forward, the others were armed and guarding the vicinity.
Some wolves charged forward desperately, only to be hacked to the ground by the attackers' weapons. For a moment, screams of agony filled the air.
The slaughter lasted for half an hour before all 20,000 wolves lay dead beside the lake, piled up in layers, covering the ground. The damp earth couldn't absorb so much blood, which flowed down the land and into the lake, staining a large area of the clear water red.
Qin Mu collected the spoils and then ordered his men to drive the red-eyed horses away. It's true that livestock are more resistant to poison; perhaps because these red-eyed horses were further away from the poisonous fumes, they were able to walk despite some discomfort.
Although there was no specific antidote, Han Chen still prepared a prescription with medicinal herbs, boiled it into a soup, poured it into the puddle, and gave it to the red-eyed horse.
After slaughtering 20,000 wolves, Qin Mu noticed a strong killing intent emanating from his subordinates, and at a glance, he could tell they were even more powerful than before.
The spoils were so numerous that Qin Mu had to send some more people to transport the Red-Eyed Horses back to the interior. To capture 20,000 warhorses intact was something that even a major battle couldn't accomplish. Not to mention the military merit, the horses themselves were a great fortune.
Not knowing Zhang Gongjin's plans or when the imperial army would arrive, they needed to do their best to delay the wolf clan. However, having lost tens of thousands, the wolf clan would certainly be more cautious, so the mission was largely complete. Qin Mu led his men in a retreat.
The closer you are to the Great Wall, the safer you are. As long as the wolves don't charge straight at the Great Wall, you don't need to worry too much.
...
Qin Mu's guess was correct. Wang Xiong suffered a crushing defeat and lost more than 20,000 men. Although Yinan was furious, he still sent men to investigate and seek revenge.
Just one day later, the 20,000 new vanguard troops at the front were wiped out once again. This time, Yi Nan finally dared not advance any further. A large number of scouts were sent out to gather as much information as possible, for he knew how cunning the Central Plains humans were.
For several days, although no trace of the human army was found, his scouts suffered heavy losses. According to the scouts' reports, there were enemies on both sides, which made Yi Nan even more suspicious.
Yinan had originally intended to launch a solo attack on one of the wolf tribes, proving to the other wolf tribes that the Silver Wolf Clan was no less formidable than the Golden Wolf Clan. However, having suffered such a heavy loss, he dared not advance further, fearing the complete annihilation of Xueyantuo's main force. If his group suffered heavy casualties, the other wolf tribes would certainly not let such an opportunity pass, and would devour the Xueyantuo, now reduced to a widow and orphans.
After much deliberation, Yi Nan decided to stop and send the message back to his family, requesting support.
………
With a loud "bang!", a burly middle-aged man with a golden knife at his waist and adorned with many jewels kicked a table in the tent, sending it flying.
This man was none other than Ashina Duobi, the Golden Wolf King of the Golden Wolf Clan and Khan Jieli, who was currently furious. He had long disliked Yinan, and this time, with his surprise attack plan, Yinan had insisted on going to the expedition in front of so many tribes that he couldn't refuse. Now, however, Yinan was being blocked outside the pass, meaning all his previous efforts had been in vain.
He was worried that if he didn't offer support, his clansmen in Yuyang and Juyong would face a counterattack from the Central Plains. So he vented his anger in frustration.
Ashina Duobi stared wide-eyed as he paced back and forth in the tent, looking as if he were about to devour someone, which terrified his subordinates, who dared not raise their heads.
"Issue the order! Mobilize a million troops to conquer Fengzhou, Shengzhou, and Shuozhou! I, the king, will break through Yanmen Pass and march into Chang'an!" Ashina Duobi took out a token from his robes and threw it downwards.
"Yes, sir!" A general caught the token carved with a wolf's head, responded loudly, and then led his men out.
"Khan! Should we wait a little longer? This is too hasty; the provisions are not yet ready..."
A man who looked like a general of the Central Plains glanced cautiously at Ashina Duobi and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Yuan Junzhang, are you perhaps afraid of death?!" another person shouted before he could finish speaking.
"Second Prince, that's not what I meant!" Yuan Junzhang hurriedly said.
"Stop arguing! My mind is made up! Chief Shaboluo will remain in the camp to oversee the transport of provisions! I will personally lead the troops and command the central army!" Ashina Duobi interrupted the two men with a stern expression, speaking without further ado.
Ashina Sunishi, the chieftain of the Shaboluo tribe, was his uncle and a trustworthy person. The thought of Yinan interrupting his plans made him even angrier, and for a moment he couldn't stand anyone.
The wolf tribe marched at an extremely fast pace. Shortly after Ashina Duobi gave the order, the thunderous roar of warhorses could be heard. This time, in order to catch the army off guard, they had already begun to gather their forces. Although not all of them had arrived yet, in his opinion, they were almost there, and they could simply wait for the main army behind them to catch up.
He chose Fengzhou as the main target because it had the longest defensive line, but he also knew that a large Tang army was waiting there. Although the surprise attack failed, he believed that after so many years of recuperation, his army was fully capable of conquering the Central Plains.
………
Qin Mu led his men to roam a day's journey away from the wolf army, but he was puzzled as to why the wolves had suddenly stopped. Although he didn't understand why, he was happy with this arrangement, at least he didn't have to bother trying to stop them.
Those who had been sent out have been brought back, and they are now simply waiting patiently for the changes to unfold.
Instead of the wolf clan's misfortune, Qin Mu received news of reinforcements! He was somewhat stunned as he watched the approaching army. If it weren't for the familiar Tang Dynasty military flags, he would have thought the wolf clan had surrounded them.
"Haha! Huai Dao! Long time no see!" Cheng Huai Mo's loud voice rang out from afar.
Seeing his friend whom he hadn't seen for a while, Qin Mu couldn't help but smile knowingly and strode over to greet him.
"Why are you here?" Qin Mu asked curiously.
Cheng Huaimo, Cheng Huailiang, Yuchi Baolin, Yuchi Baoqing, Xiangli Yanran, Fang Yi'ai, and then an even more unexpected person emerges from behind Fang Yi'ai.
Before Cheng Huaimo and the others could answer, Qin Mu saw the figure he had been longing for turn around and went up to support her arms, saying with slight excitement, "Why are you here too!"
"Hmph! Sister Ruoxi ran away from home and secretly ran away for you," Xiangli Yanran pouted.
Everything was understood without words. Qin Mu took Princess Changning's hand and didn't want to let go for a moment. He glanced at Xiangli Yanran and said with a smile, "Yanran has grown taller!"
"Really! Hehe, I knew the clothes were a little uncomfortable." Xiangli Yanran was delighted upon hearing this and said with a smile.
"We received the pills you sent to Chang'an. We originally just wanted to visit you in Shuozhou, but we didn't expect you to have come out of the pass with your men," Cheng Huaimo explained.
"Oh! I thought the imperial reinforcements had arrived," Qin Mu nodded.
"The reinforcements should be arriving soon. When we set off, the Twelve Guards had already assembled."
"By coming here like this, aren't you neglecting your duties?" Qin Mu asked, frowning.
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