With that, he ordered his men to take Ulik away and keep him under close guard.
Post-battle assessment revealed that the Qin army suffered fewer than 500 casualties, a resounding victory. The soldiers' morale soared, and they held the villain in even higher esteem.
That night, the wicked man summoned his generals to discuss the next battle plan.
"Although we have won this battle, it is far from over," the wicked man said solemnly. "The main force of the Xiongnu is still in the north and will surely come back again. Our army should press on and not give them a chance to catch their breath."
The generals responded in unison: "The Grand Marshal is wise!"
Meng Hu, however, had a different opinion: "Grand Marshal, the Xiongnu are cunning. After this defeat, they will surely become more cautious. If we rashly venture deeper, we may fall into their trap."
The wicked man gave Meng Hu an appreciative look: "Well said. That's why we can't act rashly. Next, I have a plan..."
The next morning, the wicked man ordered his men to bring Ulik to the tent.
“Ulik, I’ll give you two choices,” the wicked man said bluntly. “One is to surrender to the Great Qin and hand over the map of the Xiongnu tribes’ distribution and military strength that you know, and I can guarantee the safety of your entire tribe; the other is to resist to the end, in which case you and your people will face annihilation.”
After a moment's hesitation, Ulik finally chose to surrender. He drew a detailed map showing the distribution of the various Xiongnu tribes and described the military strength and leaders of each tribe.
According to Ulik, the Xiongnu were currently divided into ten tribes with a total strength of about 150,000, but they were scattered in various places and difficult to concentrate. Among them, the Iron Cavalry Tribe and the Wolf Fang Tribe were the strongest, each with more than 30,000 cavalry.
Based on this intelligence, the wicked man quickly formulated a new battle plan.
"Our army split into two routes. I personally led the main force of 20,000 men to directly attack the Xiongnu's main camp; Meng Hu led 15,000 men to outflank the Xiongnu's rear and cut off their retreat."
The wicked man continued, "Now that the Iron Cavalry has been defeated, we should take down the Wolf Fang tribe first, and then plan for the others."
With the plan finalized, the army rested for a day and then set off north again.
Along the way, the evil man was cautious and sent out scouts to investigate every step he took to prevent the Xiongnu from ambushing him.
At the same time, he also sent small groups of troops to harass the pastures and villages of the various Xiongnu tribes, making them restless and unable to concentrate their forces.
Ten days later, the army finally arrived at the territory of the Wolf Fang tribe.
Looking out into the distance, tens of thousands of yurts are scattered across a vast grassland, with herds of cattle and sheep grazing, creating a scene of prosperity.
Through his binoculars, the evil man observed that the warriors of the Wolf Fang tribe were practicing mounted archery on the grassland. They had clearly learned of the Iron Cavalry's defeat and were actively preparing for war.
"Pass down the order: rest tonight, and launch the attack at dawn tomorrow," the wicked man commanded.
At dawn the next day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, the Qin army quietly approached the Wolf Fang tribe's camp.
The wicked man ordered rockets to be fired into the enemy camp first. Immediately, the yurts caught fire, and the Wolf Fang tribe was thrown into chaos.
Taking advantage of the enemy's panic, the Qin army attacked from all directions, engaging in fierce fighting.
Although the Wolf Fang tribe was brave, they were caught off guard and unable to mount an effective resistance. What made them even more desperate was that when they tried to retreat north, they found that their retreat route had been cut off by the army led by Meng Hu.
Despite their desperate resistance, the Wolf Fang warriors, caught in a pincer attack, were ultimately no match for the elite Qin army.
After half a day of fierce fighting, the leader of the Wolf Fang tribe was beheaded, and the entire tribe surrendered.
After two battles, the two strongest Xiongnu tribes had been conquered by the Qin army, and the remaining smaller tribes collapsed without a fight, sending envoys to surrender one after another.
In just one month, the evil man led his army to conquer the entire Xiongnu grassland, expanding the territory of the Qin Dynasty by thousands of miles.
More importantly, with the threat on the northern border completely eliminated, Qin can now focus on crises in other directions.
After the war, the evil man summoned all the surrendered Xiongnu leaders and announced the policies of the Great Qin.
"Now that you have surrendered, you are subjects of the Great Qin. From now on, you shall abide by the laws of the Great Qin, pay taxes on time, and refrain from disturbing the border."
"The Great Qin will not interfere with your customs and lifestyle, but you must accept the management of Great Qin officials. Each tribe may retain a small amount of weaponry for self-defense, and all other weapons must be surrendered."
"If you behave yourselves and behave yourselves, Great Qin will treat you well; if you harbor any disloyal intentions, you will be severely punished without leniency!"
The Xiongnu leaders bowed their heads and submitted, indicating their willingness to abide by the laws of the Qin Dynasty.
The evil man then selected another group of soldiers from the army and assigned them to various tribes to guard against any further dissent from the Xiongnu.
After making the arrangements, the wicked man ordered someone to write a victory report and send it by fast horse to Xianyang to report this glorious victory to Ying Zheng.
He then began to reorganize the newly conquered lands and establish a solid northern defense line for the Qin Dynasty.
In this northern expedition, the wicked man's military tactics were divine. With fewer than 40,000 troops, he conquered 150,000 Xiongnu soldiers with minimal casualties, which can be called a miracle in military history.
The soldiers all admired the wicked man's wisdom and courage, regarding him as a true god of war.
One day, Meng Hu came to pay his respects and said, "Grand Marshal, your military strategy in this Northern Expedition was brilliant, and I admire you greatly. May I ask what your plans are next?"
After a moment of contemplation, the wicked man said, "Pacifying the Xiongnu is only the first step. The kingdoms of the Western Regions are restless, the old tribes of Chu in the south are secretly causing trouble, and Fusang in the East Sea has not paid tribute for three months. There are hidden dangers on all four borders of Qin, and we must be on guard."
He looked south, his gaze resolute: "Once the north is completely pacified, we will turn our troops south and quell the rebellion in Chu. The foundation of the Qin Dynasty cannot be lost!"
Meng Hu was filled with awe: "This humble general is willing to follow the Grand Marshal, fight on all fronts, and expand the territory of Great Qin!"
The wicked man patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction: "Good ambition! Great Qin needs a general like you. After we return to Xianyang, I will recommend you to His Majesty to take charge of a major task."
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from afar.
A messenger rushed in, knelt down, and reported: "Grand Marshal, urgent news from Xianyang!"
The wicked man took the letter, quickly glanced at it, and his expression immediately turned serious.
"What happened?" Meng Hu asked with concern.
The wicked man handed him the letter: "The southern Chu region is in great turmoil. The rebel army has captured several cities and is gaining momentum. To make matters worse, powerful families in Jiangnan are joining the rebellion, and the situation is critical."
He ordered in a deep voice: "Order the entire army to break camp in three days and head south immediately!"
Meng Hu was somewhat worried: "Grand Marshal, our army has just finished the Northern Expedition and the soldiers are exhausted. Should we return to Xianyang to rest first?"
The wicked man shook his head: "It's too late. The rebellion in the south is spreading like wildfire. If it's not quelled quickly, it will become a major problem. I have already ordered Wang Wu to lead his army north to take over the defense here. Once he arrives, we will immediately head south."
Meng Hu looked at the wicked man with admiration: "The Grand Marshal's concern for the Great Qin is truly admirable. This humble general is willing to follow the Grand Marshal through fire and water without hesitation!"
The wicked man patted his shoulder and gazed into the distance: "The unification of Qin was hard-won, and His Majesty and I will not allow anyone to destroy this hard-won peace."
"No matter who the enemy is, anyone who dares to challenge the majesty of the Great Qin will pay a heavy price!"
The north wind howled, blowing the villain's battle robes, and his figure appeared so majestic and resolute in the setting sun.
A new war is about to begin, and this may be even more difficult and complex than the northern expedition against the Xiongnu.
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