On the other side, Bai Qi's cavalry, dressed in nomadic attire, had already crossed the pass.
Contrary to expectations, what I had imagined was an endless expanse of lush green grassland. Instead, the entire landscape was a grayish-white expanse with only occasional patches of green.
Apart from some livestock, there are very few signs of human habitation.
The Dos people are very similar to the Mongol Tartars and Norse Vikings in Chinese history.
They are known for their fierce and ruthless nature, and they revere and take pride in plundering.
As adversaries, whether it be the Great Xia or the Chinese people on Earth, it's not that they can't be defeated, but rather that they are difficult to defeat.
The grasslands are vast and sparsely populated, with endless seas of grass and no landmarks. In such an environment, soldiers can easily get lost and the enemy can't find them. How can they fight?
For this reason, the Great Xia Dynasty also had instances of taking the initiative to launch expeditions to the Dos Grassland.
However, after the army marched into the Dos grassland, they basically couldn't find any enemies to fight. They could either plunder some cattle and sheep or capture some civilians. If they were lucky, they might occasionally encounter some stragglers and kill a wave of them, which would be considered a military achievement.
This time, on the one hand, Bai Qi had already obtained intelligence and determined the direction of the main force of the Dos people.
On the other hand, Kago and Li Hu had reached a private agreement, and Kago believed he had all the information about Lin Mo. A mere ten thousand troops posed no threat whatsoever.
Therefore, Kago's 100,000 Roaring Warriors did not break up into smaller groups, but instead advanced in three routes according to the previous tactics.
Instead, they all concentrated their efforts on one action, and then sent a vanguard force of 5,000 men to Xichuan City in an attempt to kill Lin Mo and his entire family.
Therefore, Bai Qi led his men, traveling light and simply, and headed forward.
According to the traitor's intelligence, after he had run for more than ten miles along the grassland, the terrain of the grassland began to change, and a considerable slope appeared.
Suddenly, Bai Qi pricked up his ears and heard the neighing of horses coming from behind the earthen slope in front of him, which made him more alert.
He then suddenly raised his hand, and the cavalrymen dressed in nomadic attire immediately stopped.
Then, Bai Qi ordered several archer cavalrymen to dismount and go on foot to scout out the situation ahead.
Upon receiving the order, the horse archers immediately dismounted and cautiously went to investigate.
Although the grass was soft and even running made no noise, the cavalrymen on reconnaissance mission still kept their pace low and crouched as they advanced.
Soon after, they arrived at the earthen slope, where the horse archers held their breath and climbed up even more carefully.
After completing their investigation, the group returned and reported what they had seen and heard to Bai Qi.
Behind the earthen slope was a large lake, and a Dos tribe had camped beside it. Due to the terrain, they couldn't see it clearly, but there were at least several hundred tents.
The Dos people are a nomadic people who live without a fixed abode and depend on water sources for survival.
The large lake here should be the "Lake of Our Lady" mentioned by the traitor, and the tribe living next to it is the tribe of Chief Kogo.
Kogo: Chief Kago's younger brother and one of Kago's most capable subordinates.
The tribe it led had 15,000 roaring warriors, making them extremely powerful and the most valiant and cruel of all the tribes in Kago!
Every time they invaded the Great Xia, they brought a horrific massacre upon it.
Upon hearing the information, Bai Qi's face suddenly lit up with excitement. "Guards, step forward! This is my secret order!"
A mounted archer stepped forward and whispered instructions in his ear.
Upon hearing this, the horse archer's face turned pale instantly. "General, you..."
"Execute the order!" Bai Qi shouted sternly.
"Yes, sir!" The archer dared not disobey and immediately called on another archer, and they sped off towards Shu.
"All soldiers, listen to my command! Remain where you are and wait for nightfall!" Bai Qi ordered again after the two horse archers left.
"Yes, sir!"
Until night fell.
The weather was slightly chilly, and the bright moonlight shone on the grassland, revealing patches of grass and trees swaying in the wind.
Not far away, the Dos people lit countless bonfires, hundreds and thousands of which formed a swaying ribbon of light, which, together with the lake next to them, looked like two rivers.
In this situation, a cavalryman dressed in nomadic attire unconsciously opened and closed the five fingers of his right hand.
According to intelligence from scouts, Kogo's tribe sent 70% of its main warriors to support his brother, intending to conquer the entire Shu region.
Today, there are approximately four thousand Dos warriors remaining in the tribe, along with the elderly, women, and children, bringing the total number to at least thirteen thousand.
Meanwhile, Bai Qi was waiting for the moment when the Dos soldiers on the outpost would change shifts.
At that time, he will lead three hundred men...
Night raid!
~~~
"What? Bai Qi has gone missing?" Lin Mo was sitting by the campfire eating meat when he heard the scout's report. He looked up in shock, and even the lamb leg in his hand lost its flavor.
"I only sent him to investigate? How could he go missing like that?" Lin Mo asked in disbelief. "Besides, he replies to messages every day. Didn't I just receive one this morning?"
The scout shook his head bitterly.
"Holy crap!" Xu Chu couldn't help but curse, shouting, "What exactly happened? Didn't our lord say he was some kind of god of war? Some kind of butcher? Some kind of leader of the four great generals of the Warring States period?"
What? You went out to gather military intelligence, but instead of gathering any, you lost contact?
Lin Mo was also completely taken aback. Bai Qi was arguably his favorite ancient warrior besides Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.
That's why he kept telling Xu Chu, Yao Guangxiao, and others how awesome and powerful Bai Qi was!
At the same time, Lin Mo sent Bai Qi with three hundred archer cavalry to scout out the enemy's situation.
And now? Bai Qi, the foremost of the four great generals of the Warring States period, one of the ten philosophers of the Martial Temple, and the master of encirclement warfare, has inexplicably disappeared.
"What the hell is this?!" Xu Chu complained again.
"What's the rush? He's just missing, he's not dead!" Lin Mo shouted.
Of all the people present, Qin Zhixing was the calmest. He stood up and said, "Your Highness, everyone, please calm down first. I think that General Bai's disappearance might have been intentional."
"Oh? General Qin, what makes you say that?"
Qin Zhixing smiled and said calmly, "If Your Highness is not lying, General Bai is a skilled and brilliant strategist. The so-called loss of contact is probably just that he has found the main force of the Doss people."
Upon hearing this, Lin Mo realized that it did make some sense.
Since no information had been discovered before, information transmission was quite frequent.
Once the main force is identified, the information reported back must be accurate and handled with care.
Otherwise, if incorrect information is sent back, or if it is intercepted by the enemy, it will be a big problem!
Just then, a voice, weary and sluggish, cried out, "Report... Your Highness! General Bai has arrived with news!" "My lords, General Bai has been surrounded by Dos's main force!!!"
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