Chapter 67: Qian Ji Volume Flat Ridge (Part 1)

  At the end of October, it is late autumn in Jiangnan and early winter in Mo Bei. The cold wind cuts like a knife, and dark clouds press down on the iron-gray mountains. The White Wolf River flows slowly like a black iron stream, silent and soundless.

  In such cold weather, with the danger of snow blocking the road at any time, people generally do not go out, let alone fight. But it was during this unsuitable time for battle that a cavalry team of hundreds of people, each riding two horses, wrapped their faces and heads, revealing only their eyes, rode against the wind, galloping on the White Wolf Valley Road.

  Attack by surprise, strike at unpreparedness - this is the key to Ma Hu's raiding tactics. From Baita City to Pinggang, along the winding Ba Wolf Valley Road, it's less than 270-300 miles. A few hundred light cavalrymen, each with two horses, galloping fast, can cover the distance in just two days.

  Ma Xiu led the team in person this time, and only Taishi Ci followed him. Tang Nu was left to guard the city, while Wu Chui assisted Tian Yu in attacking Wen Cheng. This made Tang Nu very unwilling, as he had been dreaming of avenging himself against Wu Yan's tribe for nearly two months. With a single order, he became anxious and repeatedly requested to go into battle. Ma Xiu shut him down with just one sentence: "Either you lead the team, or I'll guard the city myself."

  Tang Nu was honest and couldn't compete with Cheng Shou for anything.

  Taishi Ci had not yet accepted the position of White Wolf Cavalry Captain, but was only serving as a guest general under Ma Chao. The weather was bitterly cold and the roads were like stone, making it difficult for cavalry to maneuver. Taishi Ci suggested that each soldier should have three horses, and be prepared to abandon two of them if necessary. However, when Ma Chao handed him a fine red horse, Taishi Ci gazed at its heavy iron horseshoes and shiny stirrups, then rode off from the west gate towards White Wolf Mountain, circling back without saying a word. This time, he had joined the battle not only as a guest general, but also to observe how the cavalry equipped with this new type of horse gear fought.

  But just out of White Wolf Castle, seeing Ma Han tied to the spare horse with that super-heavy gun that was not easily shown, Taishi Ci stared blankly, comparing it to the 4-meter-long spear in his hand, and had another idea, then looked at how this overlord gun fought...

  Ma Chao had one man and four horses. The white horse with silver arrows was a warhorse, only ridden when battle commenced, the black horse (a fine Western Liang horse seized from Zhang Fei) was his riding horse, and there was also a strong and sturdy cyan horse for rotation. His Hegemon Halberd and numerous arrows were carried by a sorrel Yan horse. The Yan horse was not good at charging, but had great endurance. It was the most suitable for carrying weapons.

  Among these three hundred White Wolf cavalry, nearly two hundred regular cavalry had followed Ma Xian to defeat the Wuhuan people at Xiaozhishan and performed well in the Battle of Hanging Goat Ridge. They were the elite of the White Wolf camp and the most loyal followers. Among them, 150 were archer cavalry, and another 30 were heavy cavalry. Each heavy cavalry was equipped with two attendants, and the remaining nearly 100 were reserve cavalry who had not yet been converted to regular cavalry. However, after this battle, only they performed well and could be converted to regular cavalry based on their merits.

  It was because he had such a loyal and brave cavalry that Ma Xian dared to launch a surprise attack on the old lair of Wujun in Pinggang, Youbei, with only 300 riders. There were as many as 5,000 Wujun people there, plus more than 10,000 troops from surrounding tribes, and at least 3,000 archers.

  Three hundred attacked three thousand. This risk is not ordinary. Ma Xun naturally likes adventure, otherwise it would not be possible to become a big boss overlooking the world in just ten years from a penniless stowaway. However, this time he did not play like this, these elite soldiers were his old bottom line, he would not put them all out to fight. In short, this raid was to achieve the purpose of training and intimidation with minimal losses. So, he wanted to borrow power.

  At dusk, under the leadership of the guide, the cavalry arrived at a windless mountain valley. One by one, they dismounted their horses, exhausted, and tried to boost their spirits. They loosened the horse's bellyband and fed them food and water. The difference between cavalry and infantry lies in the horse; the warhorse is the cavalryman's second life, more important than the weapon in hand. Without a weapon, as long as the horse is still there, at least you can escape. But if the horse is gone, what use are all the weapons? As a cavalryman, no one knows this better, so every time they arrive at a temporary camp, no matter how tired they are, the cavalrymen always take care of their horses first, before themselves.

  Ma Xun gazed up at the dark sky, estimating that it would be at least half a time unit before nightfall. They probably had two time units to rest, which was enough.

  Ma Huan invited Tai Shi Ci and the guide, along with a small group of Xianbei people, to climb up to a high point on the mountain pass. The guide introduced: "Thirty miles ahead is Pinggang City. In the Former Han Dynasty (i.e., Western Han), this was the location of the Right Beiping Prefecture's administrative center, so the city walls are quite large, about three times the size of White Wolf City. However, after the prefecture moved south, this city was handed over to the Wuhuan people for garrisoning. These barbarian slaves only knew how to enjoy themselves and didn't know how to maintain it. Over several decades, the city walls had long since become dilapidated and full of holes and gaps, big enough for a large person to squeeze through... The king's tent of Wuyan is located south of the city. He wasn't used to living in earthen houses, so he set up tents inside the city as well. What an old barbarian..."

  Ma Xun nodded: "How many marksmen are there in the city?"

  "If we defend the city, there are only about 2,000 people and horses left, and nearly 1,000 people and horses scattered in various tribes within a hundred miles. If we launch a surprise attack at night, Wu Yan won't have time to gather all of them."

  Ma Xun smiled: "In other words, the enemy we are facing is only about 2,000, very good. How many people and livestock does the Wuyuan Department have in total?"

  "If we return to defend the city, there are more than 500 households of Wuhuan tribes in Pinggang area, with a population of over 20,000 and livestock of tens of thousands..."

  "Haha, not bad, the Xianbei people's information is still quite comprehensive."

  During the Q&A session between Ma Yun and Na Xiangdao, Ta Shici kept staring at that small Xianbei man. This person had an ordinary appearance, was dark and thin, with no weapons on his body, but he wore a cowhide guard on his left forearm, and hung a leather bag around his waist that seemed to be filled with something, bulging out. The man was very taciturn, except for being extremely respectful to Ma Yun, he basically didn't communicate with others. Ta Shici just felt strange, why did Ma Yun call this person up?

  Suddenly, Taishi Ci saw the Xianbei people move. He took out a small black whistle from his collar, raised his face, and his eyes shone with a sharp light. That ordinary-looking face actually came to life.

  Beep——

  A shrill cry, like a sharp blade tearing through the air.

  Tai Shi Zi was startled, and he raised his hand to grab the short spear behind his shoulder. But at this moment, a powerful palm pressed down on his shoulder. Tai Shi Zi turned his head, but saw Ma Yuan smiling and shaking his head. Suddenly, he understood something, nodded, and relaxed his grip on the spear.

  A long, drawn-out eagle cry suddenly came from afar, and a black dot was getting closer and closer. With Ma Han and Ta Shi Ci's astonishing eyesight, this black dot hadn't even moved halfway before they could clearly see that it was an eagle. And when this eagle circled in the sky, folded its wings and descended, steadily landing on the Xianbei person's arm, Ta Shi Ci suddenly had an epiphany. This was a messenger eagle, and the Xianbei person was an eagle slave.

  Using carrier eagles to deliver messages was a high-level communication method used by the Xianbei and Wuhuan peoples, while eagle slaves were trained eagle handlers. Whether it was carrier eagles or eagle slaves, small tribes generally couldn't afford them, and only a few large tribes could use them. It wasn't that they were too expensive. The main reason was that carrier eagles couldn't deliver messages over long distances, at most 100-200 li, although they were faster than horseback messengers, but not much more efficient, and relay stations were simpler and more reliable. Therefore, general tribes wouldn't raise these labor-intensive things. However, during battles, when it was necessary to send messages through enemy territory to the rear lines without alerting the enemy, carrier eagles were much more reliable than relay stations.

  Tai Shi Zi looked at Ma Yuan in surprise: "Unexpectedly, White Wolf Castle can still raise eagle slaves."

  Ma Xun smiled: "This eagle slave is not mine, I can't afford to raise it, this is a liaison officer from the Su Li faction."

  "Su Li? The great Su Li of Liao Xi Xianbei!" Taishi Ci's eyes widened.

  At this time, the eagle slave had taken down two small wooden pieces from the eagle's legs and presented them to Ma Xun with respect. Then he took out a small piece of fresh mutton from the drum-shaped leather bag and threw it to the eagle, constantly stroking its head.

  "All things are ready, only awaiting your command."

  Ma Hua turned his head and smiled at Taishi Ci: "The 1,000 Xianbei elite cavalry have already borrowed the road to Liu City. From the north, they will press towards Pinggang, adding our forces, totaling 1,300 elite cavalry, while inside Pinggang City, there are only 2,000 Wuhuan archers. Among them, the true elites, that is, the king's guards, number only about 500, and the rest are pastoral warriors with little training. The enemy's combat power is almost one-to-one. With a clever plan and no preparation, and with Xianbei insiders in Pinggang City, this battle has not yet been fought, but Wuyan has already lost."

  Tai Shi Zhi was incredulous: "The Xianbei want to attack Pingguang, and as the alliance leader of the three counties of Wudan, it's strange that Toudon didn't send troops to intercept. How can they borrow a path?"

  Ma Huan pointed north and said faintly, "The flag that Su Li set up is to unite with Bodo Alen to attack Khotan. The Xianbei people are in internal strife, and Toton Hezhen hasn't even had time to be happy, let alone borrow a road, and they even want to send troops to divide the spoils."

  Tai Shi Cai now understood, and the words that followed were unnecessary, as he could roughly guess them. Su Li was not promoting any neighborly love spirit to help Bailu City clean up Wuyan. In fact, in western Liaoning, the Wuhuan forces had an absolute advantage. Su Li and another Xianbei leader, Mi Jia, had been suppressed all along. The three major tribes of eastern Xianbei: Su Li, Mi Jia, and Ju Ji, even if their troops were combined, still couldn't compare to a single tribe at its peak, the Ke Bi Neng.

  Originally, among the three branches of Xianbei, the eastern Xianbei was already the weakest. How could they be divided into three and become even weaker? Especially Su Li and Mi Jia in western Liaoning were oppressed by Da Dun, their tribal development was increasingly precarious. They had long set their sights on Pinggang, where the water and grass were lush and fertile, unlike western Liaoning which was all mountains and sea, making it hard for herdsmen to survive.

  In the past, Wu Yan's strength was feared, but now Wu Yan has suffered consecutive defeats, and the tribe's strength has been greatly damaged. Someone is leading the charge, and as long as they follow along, they can get a share of the spoils. Why not join in?

  Ma Xian swung his whip and pointed: "I'll use Pinggang's fat meat to lure out the Su Li coalition army, and then add Mi Ga's help to let Tian Guo take over Wen Cheng. This deal is still worth it, right?"

  Tai Shi Zi raised an eyebrow: "He's spending other people's money, and it doesn't add up."

  The two of them looked at each other and burst out laughing. Ma Chao drew his horsebow, saying to Taishi Ci: "Let's go clean up the perimeter and see who can take down more."

  (It's online now. In order to provide a clean environment for book friends to read, I will no longer list the rewards and thanks separately, but instead summarize them at intervals.)