"Heh heh, interesting!"
"General, you've noticed too!"
"Indeed! These Xiongnu are truly interesting!"
Lin Tian hadn't expected the Xiongnu to not only attack proactively but also to set up an ambush.
This was somewhat unbelievable to Lin Tian, yet he welcomed it.
After all, with the Xiongnu army showing themselves, it saved Lin Tian a lot of trouble; he wouldn't have to search for them anymore.
At this moment, Li Mu also sensed something was wrong.
Having fought for many years, he had seen all sorts of schemes and tricks.
Therefore, an ambush like this was child's play to him.
Especially in the Xiongnu territory, without mountains and rivers for concealment, hiding was extremely difficult.
This allowed Lin Tian to largely guess that the Xiongnu were ahead, in an area with an oasis and grass as tall as a person.
Without hesitation, he immediately issued his command.
"Archers, advance!"
At this, all the archers moved to the forefront, nocked arrows, and awaited Lin Tian's orders.
However, Lin Tian didn't have them fire immediately. Instead, they advanced step by step towards the oasis.
This put immense pressure on the hidden Xiongnu cavalry.
They felt that Lin Tian had discovered them and that the archers were already aiming at them.
Once they revealed themselves, Lin Tian would surely order his men to fire and kill them.
Even if they didn't reveal themselves, Lin Tian might still order his subordinates to concentrate fire on their position.
This made the Xiongnu cavalry incredibly anxious.
"Who gave this damned order to ambush the Qin cavalry here?"
"Right! The target is too obvious here. If they get any closer, they might discover us!"
"No, I can't hold on much longer! I feel like they could fire at any moment and kill me!"
The killing intent from the arrows made many Xiongnu cavalry impatient.
They were crouching on the ground, ready to charge out at any moment to fight Lin Tian's army to the death, and simultaneously to evade the arrows.
However, before they could charge out, someone else spoke.
"Hold on a little longer. They've probably only sensed something is wrong. As long as they haven't seen us, they won't fire randomly!"
"Besides, as long as they advance a little further, they'll enter the area where we've set up our ambush!"
"Once we trap their warhorses, they'll completely lose their composure. Then, it will be easy for us to charge them!"
These Xiongnu had not only set up an ambush here but also laid down horse traps in the grass.
Perhaps they weren't skilled in other traps,
but when it came to trapping horses, they were very adept.
Therefore, those in front were staring intently at Lin Tian's warhorses, hoping that Lin Tian's army would move a little closer.
As if hearing their unspoken desire, Lin Tian's army did not stop and moved a little closer.
However, when they were still twenty paces away, Lin Tian suddenly issued his command.
"Fire towards the oasis!"
"Yes!!"
In the next moment, a large volley of arrows flew towards the oasis.
This time, the Xiongnu cavalry could no longer hold back.
"No!!"
Seeing the arrows flying towards them, the Xiongnu cavalry let out cries of horror.
They were still waiting for Lin Tian's army to fall into their ambush, but unexpectedly, Lin Tian's army did not play by the rules.
Before they had even entered their ambush circle, Lin Tian's forces had already fired.
Their confident posture suggested it wasn't a probing shot but rather an attack after they had already been discovered.
This made the Xiongnu realize immediately that they had been tricked.
Lin Tian had been waiting to get close before shooting them all.
With this realization, the Xiongnu cavalry could no longer restrain themselves.
"Ah! I can't stand it anymore, charge!!"
"We Xiongnu cavalry are valiant and invincible, charge!!"
"Charge! We can't just wait here to die!!"
Rather than be shot to death by Lin Tian's archers, they would prefer to fight it out.
Thus, amidst the hail of arrows, the Xiongnu cavalry charged out.
Originally, their warhorses had been lying down in the grass with them.
But in the next moment, they rose up and charged towards Lin Tian's forces.
This sight was incredibly sudden.
An army charging out unexpectedly would be a huge shock to anyone.
Fortunately, Lin Tian and his men had already discovered them beforehand.
Therefore, even though they charged out suddenly, Lin Tian and his men were not startled at all. On the contrary, they smiled.
"See, these Xiongnu can't hide anymore!"
"When it comes to strategy, we are their ancestors! Their schemes are truly inferior!"
"Indeed, inferior. But these people are truly detestable. They show no mercy to our people, so they all deserve to die!"
Everyone had understood the Xiongnu's various atrocities.
Therefore, no one showed mercy to the Xiongnu.
Seeing large numbers of cavalry charging forward, the archers continued to fire, still reaping the lives of the Xiongnu cavalry.
At the same time, more soldiers from the rear pushed forward.
This made it impossible for the Xiongnu cavalry, who were still hidden in the grass and intended to trap the legs of Lin Tian's warhorses, to remain concealed.
If they continued to hide, they might be trampled to death by the warhorses.
Therefore, they fled frantically, heading in the direction their charging soldiers were coming from.
With these men no longer obstructing them, Lin Tian's army naturally began their charge.
However, during their charge, Lin Tian's army performed a peculiar action.
On their path of advance, they scattered a large area of long, triangular caltrops.
These were all made of iron.
They looked crudely made and seemed useless.
But when Lin Tian arrived on the grasslands, he had brought a lot of them.
During the charge, they were dispersed casually.
These long, triangular caltrops had virtually no effect on people,
as people could easily avoid them if they saw them.
However, they were remarkably effective against warhorses.
Especially the Xiongnu's warhorses, which lacked horseshoes and were not shod.
Stepping on one would sink deeply into the hoof, and the warhorse would instantly be incapacitated.
The Xiongnu cavalry were unaware of this.
After mounting their warhorses, they felt their confidence returning.
At the same time, they felt that their moment of vengeance had arrived.
"Soldiers, it was these Qin cavalry who, using schemes and trickery, killed our two hundred thousand strong army!"
"Now they dare to appear on our grasslands, it is time to avenge them and make them pay a bloody price!!"