Their movements were still too slow. An Fei's sharp sleeve knife severed his own neck, blood spurting out several feet. He gave Suijin Pass one last resentful look before falling straight down.
"Fight! We must get revenge! Charge in and kill them all!"
The remaining members of Yue Lun's tribe went completely mad. With their leader dead, they couldn't even surrender. Despair rekindled their exhausted strength.
Everyone abandoned their horses and began charging towards the fortified wall.
Without horses, the archers of the Wu Dynasty's Northern Army became much smaller targets.
The mortality rate of Yue Lun's troops decreased at the same time. Amid screams, a group of people rushed to the bottom of the wall and began to climb it with their bare hands.
On the top of the wall, the Zhenbei Army retaliated with knives and spears, stabbing people down one by one.
Faced with the frenzied Di people, casualties were inevitable for the Zhenbei Army, and soldiers were frequently dragged away.
At this moment, a cavalry unit stood quietly on the riverbank in the distance, watching the huge bonfire on the wall of Suijin Pass.
The shouts of killing and cries of pain echoed from afar, and a smile appeared in Zhao Tingduo's tired eyes.
He tugged on the reins and said calmly, "The Yue Lun tribe is finished; we should head back now."
Beside him, a cavalryman said in a hoarse voice, "Young Master, shall we go and visit the Broken Gold Guard? We've been busy delivering such generous gifts to them these past two days; we should at least see them before we leave."
His words were echoed by several others: "Yes, young master, let's go and see! What good stuff does Commander Luo have?"
Zhao Tingduo thought for a moment and said to the boy with the hoarse voice, "Abu, pass down the order. Have your men retreat twenty miles and set up camp at Chahe Bay. We'll rest for the night before we leave."
Upon hearing that it was time to rest, Abu exclaimed with delight, "Young Master, what about you?"
Zhao Tingduo looked in the direction of the firelight: "I'll go check out Suijin Pass."
The battle at Suijin Pass did not last long. The charge, which was like moths to a flame, ended with the Zhenbei Army suffering one serious injury and five minor injuries.
The one who was seriously injured was the unlucky guy whose shoulder blade was pierced by an arrow, while the two archers from the Yue Lun tribe were also smashed into mincemeat in the chaos of the charge.
The others either suffered scrapes or sprained ankles, and the soldier whose thigh was pierced by an arrow was not in danger, continuing to curse from behind.
Such casualties were negligible compared to the achievements of capturing fifteen Di people and killing sixty, including the head of a tribal chief.
Standing on the gate tower, Luo Baihu shouted at the top of his lungs, "You bastards, gather the horses quickly, remember to find all the horses, and stop all you do is chop off people's heads."
Horses were scattered everywhere along both sides of the river; those horses were precious treasures.
A medic ran forward to bandage his wound: "Commander, your hand is injured!"
Luo Baihu looked down and saw that his hand had been cut and was dripping blood.
"Just wrap it up however you like!"
The medic quickly stepped forward and wrapped it with a cloth.
Just then, Zhou Xiaoqi ran over and whispered something in Luo Baihu's ear.
Luo Baihu's eyes widened immediately: "Ah! No wonder these barbarian bastards were like mice on poison, constantly banging their heads against the wall. So they were driven here!"
He turned around, grabbed the medic's cloth strip, and haphazardly wrapped it around his own hand as he ran towards the foot of the wall: "Quick, Zhou Xiang, lead the way! Where are they?"
Zhou Xiaoqi pulled over a horse and pointed outside the gate: "Sir, please mount your horse first, we'll talk on the way."
"Alright!" Luo Baihu pulled on the reins, mounted his horse, and followed Zhou Xiaoqi through the bridge arch, onto the blood-stained ice, and headed straight into the night.
After the wall was closed, a soldier who had come from the garrison looked around. A captain who was supervising the clearing of supplies called out to him, "Where is this place? What are you doing sneaking around like this?"
The soldier was startled and hurriedly said, "Commander Xiao, something happened in Suijin Town. The camp sent me to report to the centurion!"
"What is it? The master is still locking the wall."
"They said there was a fire in the town, and two houses burned down..." The soldier quickly replied when he heard that the centurion was not there.
"What's the big deal about two houses? Let the battalion handle it with Xue Zhuang." Commander Xiao waved his hand impatiently and immediately sent the people away.
So what if we burn down all the houses in town? Can that compare to this place?
This is a record of war achievements!
It's been a long time since I've achieved such victories; each kill is worth a fortune.
The soldier received a reply and rushed back to the garrison. Only a few bandits had died in the town, which was nothing compared to the merit of the battle. The people in the town could handle it themselves.
Meanwhile, outside the wall, under the protection of Zhou Xiaoqi's squad, Luo Baihu rode his horse for more than twenty miles and saw a simple campsite.
At this moment, there was a small campfire in the middle, and several people were sitting around it.
Luo Baihu scrambled off his horse and strode over. He saw the young man in the crowd, now dressed as a Di barbarian, smiling at him. Overjoyed, he bowed and was about to pay his respects: "Third Young Master!"
Zhao Tingduo held his arm: "Hey! Commander Luo, you're not one of my men, don't be so polite!"
Luo Baihu said excitedly, "I am deeply grateful to the Third Young Master for giving me such a generous gift."
Zhao Tingduo patted his shoulder: "Come sit down and let's talk!"
Upon hearing this, Commander Luo obediently sat down. Before asking any questions, he smiled obsequiously and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Third Young Master. When will you come again for such a good thing?"
The Di people shared a border with the Wu Dynasty, and many areas overlapped with each other, leading to frequent contact.
If the Di tribe does not invade the territory, the Wu Dynasty army cannot attack ordinary tribes, especially the elderly, weak, women and children in the tribes.
In this way, to gain military merit, one needed to kill the real Di armed forces and Di cavalry.
An Fei and the others who were driven here by Zhao Tingduo today are the military merits that the Zhenbei Army needs.
Zhao Tingduo didn't answer. She rubbed her stomach and picked up a piece of dry food to eat.
After a long day's journey, both he and his horse were exhausted and he was starving.
Horses can at least get some grass, but people can only endure the hardships on horseback.
Seeing that Zhao Tingduo remained silent, Luo Baihu could only wait anxiously.
He suddenly noticed blood on Zhao Tingduo's clothes and exclaimed in surprise, "Third Young Master, you're injured?"
Zhao Tingduo shook her head dismissively: "It's just a minor injury, I already bandaged it on the way."
Luo Baihu said urgently, "Third Young Master, let's go to the garrison! The garrison has medical soldiers; we'll only feel at ease if the military doctor examines us carefully."
He was taking a risk by saying that!
The Suijin Garrison is the Northern Garrison of the Wu Dynasty. Allowing these Di cavalrymen carrying curved swords and wearing armor to enter without authorization is a grave mistake.
Although Luo Baihu said this with some kind of hint, it was never explicitly stated. If it were exposed, he would have to bear the consequences.
Zhao Tingduo's eyes flickered: "Commander Luo really dares to do this? Before, when I entered the garrison, I had Commander Lei's warrant. Now, if I go again..."
He didn't finish his sentence: colluding with foreign tribes is a capital offense.
Luo Baihu patted his chest and said, "Third Young Master, you can doubt anyone, but you can't doubt my loyalty to the Marquis and Lady Wuya."
Back then, it was Lady Uya who brought us back from the grasslands in a horse-drawn cart, and she saved our lives with large barrels of goat's milk.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
