The light from the bonfire danced on their faces, illuminating their smiles and contentment. They seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Wei's cities and armies lay not far from them. They were simply immersed in the joy of conquering Wei and gaining spoils of war. However, their contempt for the Wei soldiers was their greatest hidden danger.
Hun A, a bit tipsy, said self-deprecatingly, "Actually, I didn't get much this time, mainly because several of my companions were tragically killed in battle. During our retreat, I took all the loot they'd plundered. So, overall, my haul was pretty good."
After hearing this, Xiongnu Man B said with a hint of envy, "It seems you are really lucky to be able to pick up such a bargain in the chaos."
As he spoke, he took the wine jug handed to him by Hun A and drank the wine while thinking about how to find an opportunity to kill his defenseless companion and take his spoils for himself. After returning to his tribe with these spoils, he would surely win the admiration of his people.
The two Huns chatted, each with their own hidden agenda, from Wei's delicacies to its women. It seemed as if everything about Wei was beautiful. They spoke of Wei's prosperity and wealth, precisely the reason they had invaded and plundered it. They longed to bring back more wealth and glory to prove their bravery and wisdom.
Hun A seemed to be a little drunk and said to Hun B, "I feel a little drunk, so I'll sleep for a while. You keep watch for me." After that, he found a place to lie down and soon fell asleep.
However, Hunman B didn't really take Hunman A's words to heart. Since his teammates were already asleep, he figured there was no need to remain vigilant. So he too found a rock to lean against and soon fell into a deep sleep. Thus, the two men fell into a deep sleep in the darkness, completely unaware of the danger that might be just around the corner.
As the night deepened, and the clock quietly reached three in the morning, Yang Jian gave a clear signal to the centurions around him. With a firm look and gestures, he told them it was time to act. The centurions understood and quickly turned away, each leading their own soldiers to prepare for the coming battle.
Yang Jian stood still, his gaze piercing, surveying the surroundings. He knew every minute was crucial. He took a deep breath, silently calculating the time. A quarter of an hour wasn't a long time, but for the soldiers about to charge into battle, this time must be fully utilized to ensure every detail was prepared.
A quarter of an hour later, groups of Wei soldiers quietly appeared outside the Xiongnu camp. Like ghosts, they approached the enemy camp silently. Each soldier held his weapon tightly and held his breath, fearing that the slightest sound would alert the Xiongnu sentries.
The darkness provided perfect cover for them, and their armor reflected a faint glow in the moonlight, but not enough to attract attention. Yang Jian's plan was to take advantage of the darkness and the Xiongnu's relaxed moment to launch a surprise attack, achieving the greatest results at the lowest cost.
After the soldiers eliminated the sentries silently like ghosts, teams of Wei soldiers entered the Huns' tents and killed those Huns who were still sleeping.
The Wei soldiers showed no mercy to the Xiongnu. Their sole goal was to completely defeat them, leaving no one alive. In this life-or-death battle, every soldier displayed fearless courage and unwavering determination.
The army led by Li Yuan's deputy general did not make as smooth progress as the army led by Yang Jian when attacking the army of Gan State.
The soldiers of the dry country have a deep respect for military law. Although people usually feel exhausted in the dead of night, especially in the early morning, the soldiers of the dry country do not relax their vigilance. They still stick to their posts and perform their patrol tasks meticulously.
After the Wei soldiers quietly eliminated several patrolling soldiers, they were discovered by other patrolling soldiers from the Gan State.
However, even if the soldiers of Gan State discovered the sneak attack of the Wei State soldiers, except for the patrolling soldiers, no one else was wearing armor, so they could only take up weapons and fight back against the well-dressed Wei State soldiers.
As the battle continued, the battlefield became increasingly chaotic. The painful groans of the Qian soldiers and the sounds of fierce fighting echoed in the night sky, awakening the sleeping Xiongnu.
When the awakened Xiongnu opened their eyes and saw their companions lying in pools of blood, they were filled with fear and shock. They saw the extremely sharp, gleaming steel knives in the hands of the Wei soldiers and could not help but scream in terror.
However, the Xiongnu's screams were short-lived, as they were swiftly and mercilessly slaughtered by the Wei soldiers. Despite this, more and more Xiongnu were awakened by the clamor of battle, startled from their sleep and dazedly staring at the chaotic scene around them. As more and more Xiongnu were awakened, the shouts and cries on the battlefield rose one after another, and the situation became increasingly tense and chaotic.
The generals of the Gan Kingdom were fully awakened and quickly gathered in the general's tent. One general said to the general, Qiu Li, "General, we have been defeated. Let's retreat. If we can withdraw, we can still preserve a little fire for our army."
Qiu Li looked at the chaotic military camp outside his tent and knew he had been defeated. He had never imagined that the Wei soldiers would dare to rely on their limited strength to launch a night raid on the combined forces of the Gan Kingdom and the Xiongnu.
On the battlefield, Qiu Li witnessed that his soldiers had fallen into a state of extreme chaos. The soldiers were running around like a group of headless flies and could no longer organize an effective resistance.
The roar of galloping war horses kept coming to his ears in the distance. Qiu Li knew that the support troops from Wei State were about to arrive, which made Qiu Li feel powerless.
He knew he was no longer able to reverse the situation. So, Qiu Li could only helplessly issue an order to his generals: "Quickly gather the soldiers who can still obey orders. We will retreat immediately to preserve our strength."
Upon receiving the order, the generals immediately mobilized and organized the remaining soldiers to prepare for retreat. Qiu Li, under the close protection of his personal guards, also began to evacuate towards the Gan Kingdom. They hurried along, hoping to escape the danger of the battlefield as quickly as possible.
After retreating a few kilometers, Qiu Li and his troops unexpectedly encountered a group of Xiongnu who were also fleeing. The two groups, who had originally disliked each other, put aside their prejudices and decided to temporarily unite to face the current predicament together.
However, just as they were about to leave the border of Wei State and embark on the necessary road to Gan State, Li Yuan, leading a hundred elite soldiers, was lurking in the woods beside the road. He turned to Yang Shi beside him and asked, "Brother Yang, can we really achieve great merit here?"
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