Not long after the Yuezhi raiding party set off, the Qiang soldiers gathered by Ma Yi also formed more than twenty raiding parties of over a thousand people and headed towards the territories of the Yuezhi and Baima clans.
Under the gentle sun, Ma Yi's personal guard, A Shan, led a team of over a thousand people toward a Yuezhi tribe that they had scouted out.
Just then, a scout galloped up from the front.
"Report! A Yuezhi cavalry force has been spotted thirty miles ahead, galloping towards us!"
"What? How many of them are there?"
Ah Shan paused for a moment, then quickly asked.
The scout said, "There are probably around eight hundred men!"
"Captain, shall we fight?"
One of the subordinates came over and asked a question. The group wasn't surprised by the sudden appearance of the Yuezhi cavalry.
After all, the Qiang and Yuezhi people frequently raided each other, which had become commonplace.
"Hmph~ Fight my ass. We're here to plunder, not to fight. Even if we win, do you think the big boss will let us off with so many casualties?"
Ah Shan snorted coldly and glared at his subordinate with annoyance.
"Uh... what the captain said is true... so what do we do now?"
Remembering Ma Yi's tyrannical nature, the subordinate sheepishly stepped aside.
"what to do??"
Upon hearing his subordinate's question, Ah Shan looked around and spotted a grassy mound not far away.
"Follow me!!"
After saying that, Ashan led his men to hide behind the earthen slope.
The Qiang soldiers didn't say anything about Ashan's evasive behavior. Just as Ashan said, they were there to plunder, and had no intention of fighting.
Before long, the sound of horses' hooves approached, and the Yuezhi cavalry arrived not far from the earthen slope. However, they did not stop, but continued to speed towards the territory of the Qiang people.
After the sound of the Yuezhi horses' hooves disappeared, Ashan led his Qiang soldiers out of the earthen mound and continued towards the Yuezhi tribe.
The next morning, Ashan led his team to a hillside in the territory of the Yuezhi people.
Not far from the hillside, there was a Yuezhi tribe of about a thousand people. The morning sun shone on the newly sprouted grass, and the men, women, and children of the tribe drove their livestock to graze.
Looking at the peaceful scene in the tribe, Ashan showed a hint of reluctance.
Although the Qiang and Yuezhi people had deep conflicts, in Ashan’s view, it was just a conflict between the nobles on both sides. Why should his soldiers and the herdsmen who were just trying to survive suffer?
"Captain, let's begin!"
Seeing that Ah Shan was somewhat lost in thought, one of his subordinates spoke up to remind him.
After regaining his senses, Ashan nodded, looked at the Yuezhi tribe in the distance, and had an idea in mind.
“Tell the brothers that they must not kill indiscriminately except those who resist with knives, for all of them are our riches.”
"And we can't kill the elderly and children who can still move; they can be exchanged for food."
"Hehe~ Don't worry, Captain, the brothers know what to do!"
His subordinate chuckled and then began relaying Ah Shan's orders.
The Qiang soldiers, who were heading straight for the raid, didn't need any mobilization. As soon as Ashan gave the order, all the Qiang soldiers shouted excitedly and spurred their horses toward the Yuezhi tribe not far away.
The thunderous sound of hooves startled the livestock, causing them to scatter and flee.
The Yuezhi herders outside the tribe looked on in horror at the Qiang cavalry charging towards them from afar. The women immediately led the children and the elderly toward their tents.
The herding men took off their bows and arrows, mounted their horses, and prepared to fight, but when they saw the Qiang people charging towards them, their faces turned pale.
Most of their tribe members had gone out to raid the Qiang people, leaving behind fewer than a hundred Yuezhi warriors who could fight. However, the Qiang people on the other side numbered more than a thousand. How could they possibly fight them?
Soon the Qiang cavalry charged into the range of both sides' arrows, but their sparse arrows did not cause any casualties to the Qiang, while a volley of arrows from the opposing Qiang took away more than thirty of them.
Soon, the battle began. Although the remaining sixty-odd Yuezhi soldiers fought desperately against the surging Qiang people, the disparity in numbers between the two sides was simply too great.
In a short while, all the remaining Yuezhi soldiers were killed.
The Qiang soldiers then stormed into the Yuezhi tribe and dragged out the women, children, and elderly people hiding in the tents, totaling more than 600 people.
The Yuezhi women, gathered together, all looked at the Qiang cavalry surrounding them with terrified expressions.
Surprisingly, the Qiang people did not kill their children and elderly as usual.
"Except for those who are too old to walk, tie up everyone else and take them away!"
At Ashan's command, the Qiang soldiers quickly bound the Yuezhi people's hands and then escorted them, along with the livestock and looted spoils, towards the Qiang lands.
Besides Ashan's side, more and more Qiang people flocked to the Yuezhi and Baima tribes near the Qiang territory.
Several Qiang groups also scouted the Yuezhi army along the way, but like Ashan, they were focused on plundering and had no intention of fighting.
So they all avoided the situation and did not have any conflict with the other party.
More than twenty raiding parties swept through the area like locusts, ravaging the small Yuezhi and Baima tribes near the Qiang territory. They left no one and no livestock behind, plundering everything.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
