Twenty-Four Fire Burning Camps (Part 2)

  Su Dingfang and Changsun Chong were deceived by Su Ning, their own knowledge and brain were not enough to distinguish whether what Su Ning said was right or wrong. So the two wisely chose to agree with him, they trusted Su Ning very much; in terms of military tactics, Su Dingfang believed he would not lose to Su Ning, but strategic planning was not his strong point. When the two armies faced each other, he had to rely on his own command on the spot, but before the battle, he still listened to his second brother's advice, although he found it difficult to understand what this barbarian said...

  Su Dingfang and Changsun Chong worked together to order the soldiers to immediately turn the feathered arrows into fire arrows. Although Su Ning had long been prepared to set fire to Yinshan, the fire oil was a luxury war material in the current Tang Dynasty, with strategic value similar to that of nuclear warheads later on. Li Jing and Li Shimin's entire army only had about 50 barrels, and they did not plan to use them for setting fire to Yinshan. In response to Su Ning's request, Li Jing only treated it as an ordinary strategic need, so he allocated five barrels of fire oil to Su Ning. However, the meager five barrels of fire oil...

  Su Ning had no choice but to collect a large amount of hemp and discarded cloth strips, wrapping them around the arrowheads. Regardless of the factor of fire oil, these things could also burn, only they couldn't last as long as fire oil, and there wasn't enough fire oil, so he had to use these second-rate fire arrows to make up for it. Fortunately, now that the weather was dry and windy, a barrage of fire arrows would be enough to turn the Turkic people's camp into a barbecue.

  The horse galloped for three days and three nights, Suning felt that his buttocks had grown several more boils. Looking at the resolute expression of Sun Dingfang's grandson, Suning really felt that his buttocks were not up to par. These knights were obviously seasoned warriors, owners of iron buttocks. His own delicate buttocks had only endured a seven-day horseback riding career. It seemed that cultivating iron buttocks was no easy task. His buttocks still untrained, Suning needed to continue striving!

  But why is Chang Sun Chong, this spoiled young master, also firm and composed, without any discomfort?

  The deployment of this war was Su Dingfang and Su Ning commanding 500 vanguard troops to advance first, Li Jing commanding the main army to follow slowly behind, and Li Shiming as the third wave of troops, in charge of the rear army. Therefore, their speed will not be very fast. It is estimated that by the time they arrive, Yinshan will have become Guangmingding, and the main army can just catch up with a hot meal of Turkic barbecue.

  As for the issue of environmental protection, Su Ning is not worried at all. The ecological environment in a large part of the Great Tang Dynasty is still in its original state, such as the northern regions and the entire southern region except for Shu Zhong. Later, the economically developed south was generally considered a barbarous land before the Southern Song Dynasty. Generally speaking, officials who were punished were sent to the south, and once they were exiled to the south, officials would cry and wail as if their parents had died. It's completely different from the scene of officials scrambling to go to the south later on. Of course, the difference in treatment between Tang Dynasty officials and local officials is also one of the reasons why officials are eager to go to Chang'an.

  Before the Southern Song Dynasty, China's economic and political center was in the north. During the early Tang Dynasty, it was the Guanzhong region, near Xi'an, that was known as the "Land of Abundance". However, due to war and over-development issues during the mid-to-late period, the Guanzhong region transformed from a land of abundance to a disaster-prone area, relying on grain taxes from parts of Jiangnan to sustain itself. The desolation of the Guanzhong region originated from this. As for areas further north, due to their proximity to the grasslands and barbarian tribes, they had always been sparsely populated, with many places remaining in a primitive state.

  The Yinshan region was in such a state, with almost no Han people and very few signs of human habitation. The population of the Sui Dynasty, which had numbered tens of millions, was reduced to less than 10 million after the devastating wars at the end of the dynasty. It wasn't until the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty that the economic and population levels surpassed those of the late Sui Dynasty under Emperor Wen of Sui, only for the An Lushan Rebellion to destroy a century's worth of progress in an instant...

  Su Ning didn't worry about these things, as they had nothing to do with the present or future. Anyway, even if it were up to him, he only planned to develop Jiangnan first. As for this northern border region, it was basically a place where barbarians came to rest and hunt in autumn. Even if they took it down, there was no economic value except for timber and mountain treasures. At most, it could be turned into a military fortress, which was a matter of military affairs. For the current Great Tang, the burning of Yin Mountain was not a big deal!

  Now that it has been decided, there will be no turning back. When they arrived near the Yin Mountains and discovered the traces of the Turkic soldiers, it was noon three days later. Su Ning signaled the whole army to dismount and find a secluded place to rest and prepare for battle. They prepared the fire-tongued arrows, and as soon as night fell, they could launch the fire-arrows and set the Yin Mountains ablaze. The great army had been rushing for three days and three nights, without stopping except to drink water and eat food. Even the iron men were tired, and after receiving the order to rest, the whole army relaxed.

  Found a secluded location, tied up all the horses, sent out scouts and patrol guards to ensure the safety of the main force. Many soldiers fell asleep, Su Ning was worried that these soldiers would get sick, sitting on the cold ground leaning against the big tree and falling asleep, which might affect their physical health. However, many soldiers were already asleep, Su Ning couldn't bear to wake them all up, so he took out his military blanket and covered each of the big-headed soldiers with one, also covering Su Dingfang and Changsun Chong who were sleeping soundly.

  Finally, he himself also put on a blanket, wanting to find a good place to sleep and recharge for the battle tonight. However, the hard tree trunk was clearly not a good choice, his buttocks were sore from the heat rash, and sitting on the ground was also suffering. Just when he was feeling very helpless, Su Ning's war horse suddenly lay down voluntarily, calling out to Su Ning several times. Su Ning was deeply moved, but it turned out that all he had done was put a blanket on him during a windy and snowy day, and this would be repaid. These animals are indeed very pure, the more you treat them well, the more they will treat you well. No wonder some people say that the more people you know, the more you like dogs.

  Su Ning leaned against the war horse's soft, warm belly with a smile, ah, it was so comfortable. No wonder people in the military loved horses the most. Horses were as intelligent as monkeys and dogs, and their IQ was relatively high. Moreover, every part of them was precious, such as their soft, warm bellies. When it was very cold, sleeping next to a horse was a great option.

  He patted the big horse's head, and Su Ning said to the warhorse: "We two can be considered as having gone through thick and thin together. From now on, I'll make sure you won't go hungry as long as I have food to eat. Let me give you a name! Hmm... your whole body is snowy white, your eyes are bright and spirited, very handsome, among horses, you can be considered a handsome horse! Hmm! It's decided then! I'll call you Lai Fu!"

  Lai Fu was initially delighted to hear the praise, and was very pleased with himself. However, as soon as he heard his name "Lai Fu", he suddenly let out a loud snort, and then called out a few times in discontent. Suning was extremely displeased, and patted the horse's head: "Giving you a name is already not bad, Lai Fu, what a great name! Although it's a bit common, but the intention is good! If you don't like it, I'll call you Wang Cai, do you believe me?"

  Looking at Su Ning's ferocious face, Lai Fu knew that not speaking was a huge shortcoming. This despicable master could say whatever he wanted, so Lai Fu honestly shut his mouth and ignored Su Ning. Su Ning finally felt the great power of language and culture, enough to make even a proud horse concede!

  It was unclear how long he had slept, but just as Su Ning was eating instant noodles and playing DOTAs in his dormitory, a violent shaking shook the computer screen in front of him into disarray. Just as Su Ning was about to curse his teammates like pigs, the fragments reassembled into Su Dingfang's excited face: "Second brother, wake up, wake up! Look, it's windy, very windy!"

  Su Ning shook his head, rubbed his forehead, and confirmed that he was still in the Tang Dynasty, not in his dormitory with a group of roommates playing DOTAs. The huge contrast made Su Ning's heart ache for a moment, but soon, a gust of cool wind blew Su Ning's mind clear. He stood up, and a large leaf was blown onto his face. What a strong wind!

  Su Dingfang looked at Su Ning and exclaimed excitedly: "Second brother, look! The wind is rising just in time! It's blowing straight towards the Yin Mountain direction. Ah, I thought there wouldn't be a strong wind after all! Now it's perfect, as long as the fire starts burning, the Turks will be finished! Haha! Second brother, we can prepare now!"

  Chang Sun knelt beside Su Ning and loudly echoed: "Yes, yes! Sanming, hurry up, we can greatly defeat the Turks! Haha!"

  Su Ning looked towards the Yin Mountain direction, feeling the strong wind, and couldn't help but feel extremely excited. The heavens are really giving me face! Good! Tujue people, don't blame me!

  "Big brother, second goods! Get ready! We're going to set fire to Yīn Shān!" Su Ning shouted loudly with an overbearing attitude!

  "Good! The whole army prepares rockets! Advance in the direction of Yinshan!" Longsun Chong picked up his longbow and began to prepare rockets.

  Because they hadn't reached the time for attack, and were afraid of being discovered by the Turks, they had stopped to rest at a place that was still some distance from the Yin Mountains. After advancing slowly for a long time, the night grew even darker, and the loud noises from the Turkic camp during the day also disappeared. It seemed that these barbarians were also asleep. This was an excellent opportunity! The place where the firelight flickered was the location of the Turkic camp!

  "Rocket ready!" Su Dingfang shouted, five hundred rockets were placed on the bow, five hundred knights bent their bows and set arrows, ready to go. "Fire!" Su Dingfang shouted again, five hundred rockets flew across the dark night sky like meteors, with the help of the wind, flying even farther, flames more frantic, towards the Turkic camp that was above the law, burning the Turkic feast, now it begins!

  Just five hundred rockets, Suning had already seen the increasingly bright light, which meant that the rocket had set the Turkic camp on fire! Without waiting for Su Dingfang to speak, Suning immediately shouted: "Rocket preparation!" Five hundred rockets were prepared again in a very short time, "Release!" Suning shouted again, and another five hundred rockets flew towards the Turkic camp. One thousand rockets had already brought the god of fire into the Turkic people's camp, and the god of fire began to rage! The sound of noise and screams came over!

  "Prepare the rocket! Charge! Run and shoot at the same time!" Su Ning decided not to waste any more time running past, and charged towards the Turkic camp on horseback while shooting arrows. These knights were all elite cavalrymen, and Su Ning had seen them shoot arrows while acting on horseback - this was not something that could be accomplished in a short period of time! But these 500 elite soldiers could do it! Su Dingfang also drew an arrow from the quiver, lit it on fire, bent his bow and placed the arrow on it, and shouted loudly: "Charge!"

  Five hundred iron cavalry charged forward with bows and arrows, Suning had not yet learned to shoot arrows on horseback, that required hard work, he himself had not yet trained his steel buttocks, so for now, he didn't consider these things, gripping the long spear tightly, he followed the brave warriors on horseback as they charged forward together. The five hundred fire arrows rose into the air once again, and the jumping devils charged towards the Turkic people's camp, landing in a sea of flames!

  The Turkic camp has become a sea of fire, the wind is very strong, and the fire is burning even more fiercely. If it were daytime, the Turks might still have some defense, but at night, the Turks are already asleep, in a half-dreaming state, they can't do anything, and not being burned to death is already good enough.

  Su Dingfang had already arrived at the gate of the Turkic camp after shooting out three fire arrows in a row. There were two flustered and fluttered Turkic soldiers there, still looking inside, not knowing whether they were fleeing or guarding the night. Su Dingfang's eyes condensed, and he shot an arrow through the head of one of the Turkic soldiers with his bow bent. He then threw down his longbow and raised the horse spear in his hand to strike the Turkic soldier's head flying to who-knows-where. The body was still standing, and the cavalrymen entered the Turkic camp to start a massacre. When Su Ning rushed past him for the last time, the headless corpse suddenly spouted out a large amount of blood, rushing more than three meters high!

  Regardless of these, Su Dingfang only charged forward with his head held high. He was a fierce general who feared no death. Looking at the panicked and fleeing Turks, he was overjoyed, crazily reaping the lives of the Turkic soldiers one by one. The Turks originally had no strict military discipline, and after the big fire, they completely lost their organization and fighting spirit. When they saw the Tang cavalry rushing towards them in a swarm, they were even more terrified, and their order became even more chaotic. Many Turkic soldiers died under the feet of their own people.

  Chang Sun Chong experienced such a fierce and intense battlefield for the first time, and the blood in his body suddenly boiled. He drew out the long sword from his waist, and with one slash, a head flew into the air. Chang Sun Chong's face revealed a bloodthirsty smile, and he burst into loud, maniacal laughter. The long sword in his hand danced faster and faster...

  Suning was very calm, looking at his masterpiece with some pride. The year Lu Xun burned the camp for 700 miles was actually fabricated, and 700 miles could reach the distance from Shenyang to Dalian. How could Liu Bei's mere 70,000 troops have such an array? But now it was true, the great camp of Chuli Khan's 30,000 cavalry would be reduced to ashes by his own fire, and even the Yin Mountains would accompany these Turks in death. Suning's heart was infinitely joyful.

  Actually, the old man valued Su Ning's place because of a strong suppressive force in his heart. It was said to be suppressed, but it was also because Su Ning's nature was relatively kind and weak. When he was young, he was very quiet, but probably due to having a bloodthirsty gene in his body, it is unknown who he inherited it from. As Su Ning grew older, he became more ferocious, although he could still suppress himself. However, once that bloodthirsty desire burst out, and with one punch shattered the window, the old man also felt afraid.

  Once he saw blood, Suning was like a madman, immediately letting out a beast-like roar. It was a real man-killing-man, Buddha-killing-Buddha situation. At first, the old man had forced Suning to go on night marches in the mountains to release some of the pent-up desire for bloodshed in his heart, lest the child be driven to mental breakdown. As expected, he ran into two mountain wolves and was scratched by them on the chest. The result was tragic for the wolves.

  Suning bit a mountain wolf to death, biting its head off, and another was punched to pieces, its skull shattered. Suning tore it apart while roaring wildly, feeling the scorching temperature and thick smell of blood, his heart filled with boundless joy. From then on, Suning had an aura of killing energy that he could control at will. The old man said he must have been a god of killing in his past life, but how did he get such terrifying killing energy from just killing two wolves?

  Su Ning's bloodthirsty desire was ignited once again, and he had no intention of suppressing it. He planned to release it instead. Suppressing it might be possible, but constant suppression would lead to a backlash, causing his personality to split, as the old man had said. Therefore, Su Ning would show no mercy to those who made him bleed, and he wouldn't stop until they were beaten into pulp! This was Su Ning's own vow, one that he had never tested before.

  It's time to test it now, but this situation doesn't seem very good. The Turks have no will to fight at all! He rode alone and stopped here, and all the Turkic remnants who wanted to escape from the gate saw him and ran away with a scream, as if he were a devil. This won't do, how can you not kill people in this situation? Since the mountain wolf incident, Suning has been able to control this bloodthirsty desire, but after coming to Datang, especially at that moment of electric light and flint, Suning pierced the Turkic soldier who wanted to kill him with one shot.

  At that moment, Suning's bloodthirsty gene broke free from its shackles and completely erupted!

  Gripping the long spear in his hand, Su Ning suddenly urged Come Fortune on. Come Fortune understood and let out a loud whinny as it suddenly began to gallop forward, charging towards those scattered and fleeing Turkic soldiers!