"General, those Qin people are truly detestable. They've piled up the bodies of our soldiers and intend to build a Jingguan!"
"Provocation! This is a monumental provocation against us. Their Jingguan isn't finished yet; they clearly want to add our bodies to it!"
"Too arrogant! These Qin people are incredibly arrogant! They completely disregard us, the Xiongnu cavalry!"
Many Xiongnu generals were furious, wishing they could march to Yanmen Pass immediately and teach Lin Tian a lesson.
They had never encountered such blatant provocation and insult.
It was also incredibly difficult for them to accept.
Many, merely hearing the descriptions from their scouts, were already unable to bear it.
Some had even begun to rally their subordinates.
However, before they could act, the Xiongnu general stopped them.
"Halt!"
"If you go now, are you confident you can defeat those strange bottles in the Qin people's hands?"
"Can you guarantee your warhorses will still obey your commands? Can you ensure you can break through Yanmen Pass?"
"Can you be sure that rushing in now isn't just sending yourselves to your deaths?"
This barrage of questions silenced many Xiongnu warriors.
If they had such confidence, they wouldn't have abandoned a large number of their fallen soldiers and retreated twenty li.
Therefore, the Xiongnu soldiers were deeply troubled, unsure of what to do.
"General, are we just going to let the Qin people be so arrogant and not respond at all?"
"Yes! General, we can't just ignore them and head back, can we?"
"General, why don't we go to other places and kill some Qin civilians, cook them, and show them our power!"
Many couldn't think of a way to counter Lin Tian's fire bottles, so they instinctively chose to evade.
Attacking other Qin territories was undoubtedly the best form of evasion.
Furthermore, such evasion could help them regain some semblance of honor for their defeat.
However, their general didn't see it that way.
"If we do that now, we will never be able to break through Yanmen Pass. In fact, as long as there is a Qin army, we will never be able to occupy the Central Plains!"
"As for attacking other Qin territories, can you guarantee that those other places don't have those strange bottles?"
His words brought silence to everyone.
They had indeed encountered these strange bottles for the first time.
But they couldn't guarantee that other Qin territories didn't have them.
If other places also had these strange bottles, they wouldn't succeed in attacking them either.
They might even suffer the same crushing defeat as they did at Yanmen Pass.
Therefore, without resolving the influence of these strange bottles, they might not be able to attack any part of Qin.
This caused much distress among the Xiongnu soldiers.
Fortunately, at this moment, the Xiongnu commander spoke again.
"Actually, dealing with those strange bottles isn't difficult. The reason our warhorses went into disarray was entirely because they were afraid!"
"As long as we train them not to be so fearful, to charge forward even when those strange bottles explode, the impact of those strange bottles on us will be very limited!"
"At that point, taking Yanmen Pass will be no difficult task!"
The Xiongnu commander already had a rough training plan in mind.
While this plan might not make their warhorses completely immune to the strange bottles' effects,
it could significantly reduce their impact.
"Firstly, we will cover our warhorses' eyes, so they only obey our commands, and we become their eyes! This way, they won't be so afraid if they can't see the raging flames!"
"Secondly, we must make our warhorses accustomed to sudden, loud noises to prevent them from being startled by the sounds the strange bottles emit."
"We can even hang more water on our warhorses. If any flame burns a horse, we can immediately extinguish it!"
"Once our warhorses adapt to these changes, the Qin army will surely have no other tricks."
During the attack on Yanmen Pass, the Xiongnu commander, positioned behind the lines, had observed the characteristics of the fire bottles very clearly.
Therefore, the training he proposed was specifically designed to counter the properties of the fire bottles.
He believed that by having their warhorses adapt to this training, they could minimize the damage to their mounts to the greatest extent possible.
It would also allow them to easily breach Yanmen Pass.
The other Xiongnu generals found his reasoning sound.
Thus, they followed their commander and began training their warhorses, ready for battle.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Lin Tian was also awaiting the Xiongnu army's return.
This was because Ying Zheng had already sent him the "cavalry three-piece set."
The quantity was ample, with each warhorse equipped with this gear.
As long as the soldiers mounted, they would be ready for battle.
Therefore, Lin Tian was not afraid even if the Xiongnu trained their warhorses to overcome their fear of the fire bottles.
He even looked forward to a cavalry engagement with the Xiongnu army.
Lin Tian was confident that his cavalry was no weaker than any Xiongnu cavalry.
In a real battle, Lin Tian believed he could defeat the Xiongnu army.
The Xiongnu were unaware of this, and neither were the people at Yanmen Pass.
Both sides, with their differing emotions, awaited the arrival of war.
Five days later, the Xiongnu's training concluded, and they reappeared before Yanmen Pass.
Although this time they lacked the imposing presence of the twenty thousand strong army from before,
they had adjusted their mindset and reignited the soldiers' morale. This time, they were still formidable.
They believed they could break through Yanmen Pass and capture Yanmen Commandery.
On Yanmen Pass, Lin Tian and Li Mu watched the Xiongnu army with smiles.
"This time, the Jingguan will be completed!"
"Indeed! Once the Jingguan is built, the Xiongnu will not dare to raid our borders for at least ten years!"
"Ten years? That seems a bit short!"
"Hmm? Does the Great General have other plans?"
Lin Tian's tone immediately made Li Mu sense something more.
He looked eagerly at Lin Tian, as if anticipating something.
At this moment, Lin Tian spoke frankly:
"After this battle ends, we can go visit the Xiongnu and see if their queen is truly as beautiful as legend has it!"