Chapter 118 Night Raid
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About half an hour later, Liu Tan led his troops to the scene. The number of men was just right, ten squads with more than a hundred men, all of whom had marched at full speed.
In this weather, it was quite an ordeal to run from the garrison to Liujiatun.
Liu Tan dismounted and looked at Li Shiyue, who was waiting beside him. He didn't ask anything else, but only asked how things were going with the barbarians.
Li Shiyue quickly explained the situation to Liu Tan, then bowed respectfully to him, saying, "Young Master, this is a golden opportunity! Hurry up and get there; we should be able to catch them off guard around the fourth watch!"
Liu Tan already had something to say, so what else is there to say now?
He raised his hand and gave the order: "Let Li Shiyue lead the way, and set off!"
Li Shiyue instructed Li's mother and Li Wangming to keep the doors and windows closed at home, and then pointed behind the people Liu Tan brought, indicating that Zheng Meiniang should follow behind them and not fall behind.
She took the lead and ran ahead.
Go up the mountain, climb to the top, go down the mountain, and when you reach the foot of the mountain, you will see the two horses tied to the tree.
Only Liu Tan and his personal guards followed Li Shiyue down the mountain first; the main force was still behind.
At this moment, large snowflakes fluttered down, adding white to the entire earth.
Li Shiyue stomped her feet hard. Even though she had been walking nonstop and was wearing leather boots, the cold air rushed up her body from her feet as soon as she stopped.
Upon arriving at the destination, Liu Tan sent scouts to explore the direction Li Shiyue had indicated.
When the scout returned with Ma San, the main force had finally come down from the mountain.
Li Shiyue went to check on them and was relieved to see that Zheng Meiniang and the others were all well.
After listening to what Ma San said, Liu Tan understood. He also saw the two barbarian corpses on the horse that Ma San had brought. From their hairstyles and clothing to the bows, arrows, and knives they used, Liu Tan confirmed that these were indeed the barbarians from the Mohe Heishui tribe who had been killed by Li Shiyue and his men when they went to Liujiatun.
"Rest in place and await orders!"
As darkness fell, no one dared to light a fire, fearing that the light would alert the barbarians.
Liu Tan estimated the distance and decided to lead his men towards the barbarian camp that Ma San had scouted at midnight, just as Li Shiyue had said, to catch the barbarians off guard!
Li Shiyue and Zheng Meiniang were hiding behind a tree at the foot of the mountain, gnawing on hardened flatbreads to replenish the energy they were rapidly consuming due to the cold.
Li Shiyue ate very quickly. She had used up a lot of her internal energy today. Even though she had already eaten four pancakes, she still felt a burning pain in her stomach. Hunger was truly torturous.
It got completely dark, and the snow stopped at that moment.
Li Shiyue rubbed her hands together and whispered to the group of people sitting in a circle: "You all stay behind the main force and don't go directly into battle. We're mainly here to pick off the leftovers, not to kill the barbarians. Remember that!"
There must be at least three people in a group, and these three people must help each other to minimize the damage!
Those who are afraid should stay where they are. You'll definitely need them later. A little money is better than losing your lives!
As soon as Li Shiyue finished speaking, a sharp whistle rang out, and Liu Tan, who was at the front, had already mounted his horse.
Ma San rode his horse to the back of the group and softly called out Li Shiyue's name to the blurry figures.
Li Shiyue mounted his horse and reached out to Li Qiutian on the ground. Li Qiutian used the leverage to leap onto the horse, and the two rode together towards Ma San's direction.
The main force headed towards the barbarian camp. The Liu family people, who were lagging behind the main force, were led by Li Wangshui and Zheng Meiniang, with the rest of them running quickly behind them.
The two men from Wangjia Village were left standing there. When it came to the end, they were terrified. When there was still light, they were scared out of their wits by the sight of the headless barbarian's corpse.
They stayed at the foot of Daheishan Mountain with Wang Shisan and Yangzai, watching as everyone quickly departed in unison, heading towards the barbarian camp.
In the barbarian camp, in the outermost tent, Saha, who had just returned from patrol, quickly crawled into the tent. He rubbed his frozen fingers back and forth, took down the wine jug hanging on the wall inside the tent, uncorked it, and quickly took a sip. The fiery taste went straight down his throat and into his stomach.
Drinking alcohol does not actually ward off the cold; on the contrary, it will further lower your body temperature.
But in the dead of night, having been outside freezing for most of the hour, Saha didn't care about any of that. The brief warmth brought on by the alcohol made him sleepy.
Before falling asleep, Saha, with his eyes closed, thought of Charanga and the others who had gone out on patrol that morning and hadn't returned yet, but he only thought about it for a moment before falling asleep.
Despite the darkness, Li Shiyue, whose eyesight remained excellent, saw the dozen or so felt tents clustered together in front of her and knew that they had arrived at the barbarian camp.
A quarter of an hour ago, Liu Tan and Li Shiyue, who were on horseback, had already abandoned their horses and started walking. The scouts who had set out to explore earlier brought back two heads, which were the barbarians who had been patrolling outside the camp.
Feeling the snowflakes drifting towards her, Li Shiyue blinked. She knew that Liu Tan was waiting for an opportunity.
Having fought against barbarians for many years, Liu Tan could tell at a glance which of these felt tents belonged to the leader of the barbarian tribe.
Dark clouds obscured the moonlight, and a wind swept across the grassland, carrying with it a chilly mix of snow. Two quarters of an hour past midnight, the time had come!
Liu Tan led the charge into the felt tent, while the rest of the soldiers, in groups of ten, went off in different directions with their swords drawn!
In an instant, shouts in an incomprehensible language rang out, and the cattle and sheep joined in. Li Shiyue and Li Qiutian were following behind Liu Tan when suddenly a large, long-haired dog with bared teeth darted out from the side, baring its barks and lunging at them.
Li Shiyue stepped forward to meet the enemy—no, to meet the dog—and thrust his knife forward, precisely piercing the dog's mouth and throat, the tip of the knife protruding from its neck.
The long-haired dog died before it could even whimper.
He forcefully pulled the knife out, then flicked it away to shake off the dog's blood that stained the blade.
The slaughter begins.
Whether it was a sneak attack or a night raid, the barbarians had no power to fight back. The barbarians who cautiously got up and drew their swords to resist were no match for the sharp blades of the soldiers who were already prepared.
Many children were killed in their sleep, their throats slit, and the cries of the children filled the air, turning the entire camp into chaos.
Finally, Liu Tan arrived at the door of the felt tent he thought the chieftain lived in. Ma San stepped forward, knowing that the people inside must have been awakened.
With such a commotion throughout the entire camp, how could they not have woken up?
If they don't come out to check, it means they know there are enemies outside, and they're waiting for Ma San to go in so they can turn the tide of the sneak attack.
If Li Shiyue were to say it, why does he have to go into the tent?
Li Shiyue stepped forward, knife in hand. Amidst the questioning gazes of Liu Tan and Ma San, she took out a tinderbox and blew on a flame.
Approaching the yurt, you reach out and see that the felt is made of wool or cow hair, and it's covered in animal fat, making it extremely flammable. If a flame touches it, that area will quickly burst into flames.
The wind fanned the flames, and soon the fire was burning very brightly.
Then, three steps away from the yurt, Li Shiyue forcefully threw the tinderbox into the yurt door!
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