As a volley of arrows with strips of cloth wrapped around their tips shot out, flames instantly ignited in the narrow Gubei Peak Pass!
In an instant, the Wuhuan soldiers inside the pass erupted in a cacophony of howls and screams, mixed with the terrified neighing of their warhorses, and were thrown into complete chaos.
Lu Tu shouted loudly to Chai Yong on the mountaintop: "How is it?"
Chai Yong stood downwind and shouted twice, but when he found that Lü Tu didn't move, he simply raised the flag in his hand and waved it continuously towards the inside of the pass.
Without any hesitation, Lü Tu raised his golden spear high and shouted, "Open the city gates and follow me to kill!"
As the city gates opened, everyone witnessed the horrific scene before them. Everywhere they looked, flames raged, and many dying Wuhuan soldiers were trapped in the narrow pass, unable to turn back, and howled in agony.
Seeing that a door to survival had opened, they rushed in without a second thought, finally finding space to roll on the ground and try to extinguish the flames on their bodies.
But what awaited them were soldiers and slaves who had been waiting there, countless broadswords and spears thrusting towards the Wuhuan soldiers.
Lu Tu watched with envy, and after performing a flourish with his spear, he spurred his horse to charge towards the pass.
But Liu Yang quickly stopped him: "Brother, you are still seriously ill. You should stay behind and oversee the battle. The Wuhuan are doomed to defeat. There is no need for you to risk your life."
Lu Tu nodded after looking at the scene before him: "Alright, pass on the message: do not pursue a desperate enemy. We do not have enough manpower right now, so we cannot go deep into the area to hunt them down, lest we fall for another diversionary tactic."
"Yes, sir!"
The ensuing battle unfolded so naturally, transforming from a resistance against invasion into a one-sided massacre.
Having already secured the advantages of favorable timing, location, and popular support, it would be a waste to still lose.
This is a good opportunity to train the soldiers. Although it's a one-sided massacre with less fighting, the most important thing is to hone the soldiers' courage.
After all, there is a big difference between a soldier who has killed a Wuhuan person and one who has not.
Take Chai Yong and others as the most immediate example. Chai Yong used to be so terrified that he couldn't even kill the Wuhuan soldiers, let alone hear the sound of their horses' hooves.
At that time, they were afraid and fled, but in just a few months, Chai Yong and others have become capable of fighting alone against the Wuhuan people.
Once the myth of the invincible Wuhuan cavalry is broken, aren't we all just two arms and one leg? Who's stronger than whom?
But Lu Tu also knew that his disadvantage was always in numbers. If he could not annihilate all the Wuhuan soldiers this time, the Wuhuan people would inevitably find out about his fortified city.
The Wuhuan people will never choose this route again if they want to march south and attack Wuchuan.
However, this was not something Lu Tu could consider. He only had a little over 300 soldiers under his command, plus 300 slaves and over 2,000 civilians.
That's all we can do for now. If anyone else were to defend this place, they would probably have been wiped out by the Wuhuan soldiers long ago.
Among these 300 military slaves, many were once members of the border army. At this moment, they were frantically reaping the lives of the Wuhuan cavalry, venting their negative emotions, which had been suppressed for far too long.
They never imagined that war could be fought like this, and that the Wuhuan soldiers could be killed so easily! It even gave them the illusion that the Wuhuan people were too weak.
As the smoke signals continued to burn, a large number of villagers arrived one after another. They obtained a small number of long knives from Hu Delu and came to help Lü Tu.
When they arrived at the Gubei Peak Pass, they were completely shocked by what they saw!
They had experienced the Wuhuan night raid before and knew the heavy price Lu Tu paid to keep the Wuhuan people at bay in the pass. So they came this time with the determination to die to protect their homeland.
Unexpectedly, it turned into a one-sided massacre. On the vast open ground in front of the pass, blood had stained the yellow soil black, and a thick stench of blood permeated the air.
Both soldiers and slaves wore expressions of excitement, especially Lü Tu. He was already tall and dark-skinned, and riding on the back of a small black horse without a single stray hair, he looked extraordinary and perfectly matched the image of the God of War of Wuchuan in their hearts.
"My lord, we are late!" Ban Wei stepped forward and bowed. He had been assigned by Lü Tu to patrol the village, so he was not asked to come over immediately. It was impossible to mobilize the entire team just because of one attack, otherwise they would be neglecting everything.
Lu Tu turned around and saw nearly a thousand villagers rushing over, including many underage children. He smiled with satisfaction and said, "No, you've come at the right time. The task of cleaning up the battlefield is yours! Remember, every corpse must be finished off!"
The villagers, seeing that such an important task had been assigned to them, felt a sense of participation and honor, and naturally exclaimed excitedly, "Yes, sir! We promise not to miss a single survivor!"
As the sound of the retreat rang out, all the soldiers and slaves, except for the villagers cleaning up the battlefield, quickly assembled in front of Lü Tu.
They all stared intently at Lü Tu, awaiting his next instruction.
Lu Tu announced loudly, "Liu Yang, count the points!"
After a brief count, Liu Yang excitedly reported, "Brother, we have no brothers injured or killed!"
Lu Tu nodded: "Good! Today's victory is a great one, and everyone deserves credit, but I want to especially commend Chai Yong! This barbican and all sorts of traps were all conceived and built by him. Let's all give him a round of applause!"
As Lü Tu led the clapping, a burst of applause and cheers erupted at the pass and barbican.
Liu Yang and Nie Yun had the most dealings with Chai Yong. They were the ones who used military whips to beat Chai Yong back then. Now, they had completely put aside their prejudices and were full of admiring teasing: "Old Chai, you really have some skills, you're really amazing!"
Chai Yong went from being a useless border soldier to a military slave, and was later freed from slavery. He always harbored a deep resentment and wanted others to acknowledge him.
Furthermore, even though it was Lu Tu who came up with the idea of traps and barbicans, Lu Tu gave all the credit to him. Seeing his brothers looking at him with gratitude and admiration, Chai Yong cried with gratitude.
He cupped his hands in thanks to everyone and said, "I am very grateful for Lord Lü and all the brothers' kindness. I am truly unworthy of such praise."
Seeing his agitated state and understanding his inner thoughts, Lü Tu decided to promote him as a role model to inspire future soldiers.
"Chai Yong, come up here and share your thoughts with everyone."
Chai Yong stood obediently beside Lü Tu, bowed to him, and then said loudly, "I, Chai Yong, have been extremely timid all my life. I'm afraid of my mother, my wife, officials, and even the Wuhuan dogs. That time, when Lord Lü asked me to kill a few dying Wuhuan soldiers, I was so scared that my hands trembled..."
Upon hearing this, everyone present burst into laughter. Chai Yong, unperturbed, continued, "At that time, I was thinking, should I be a coward for the rest of my life, or should I be a true man of Wuchuan for once?"
"I am very grateful to Lord Lü. He did not look down on us military slaves because of our lowly status. He not only gave us courage, but also gave us dignity!"
At this point, Chai Yong clasped his hands and knelt before Lü Tu, shouting loudly, "Chai Yong swears to follow Lord Lü to the death!"
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