Chapter 1 加萨部族和吉尔吉斯部族

The tribal leaders of the Gasa and Kyrgyz tribes were somewhat incredulous upon receiving Chi Lei's message, but it was clear Chi Lei wasn't joking. As the order was delivered to the two tribes, Chi Lei's entire camp began to operate in an orderly fashion. The soldiers who were to march out tomorrow packed their gear slightly and began to rest, while the troops who were to remain took over all camp services and defenses. To facilitate the operation in the territory of the sand bandits, it was natural to strengthen the attacking forces with other supplies. It was inconvenient to carry heavy equipment, but there were some small kerosene bombs that could be thrown by hand, perfect for setting fire to camps. Moreover, there were quite a few experts in the Jingyun Cavalry who could wield the extremely niche grenade belt with incredible skill. In addition, soldiers who had received medical training were added to the attacking forces, each medic carrying an extra horse, whose saddlebags were filled with various prepared medicines. The remaining soldiers simply carried an extra two or three days' worth of rations and an extra quiver of arrows.

Seeing Chi Lei's camp preparing in this way, the Gasa and Kyrgyz tribes could no longer delay. They also adjusted their defenses overnight, moving their camps a long distance forward to show their loyalty in protecting Chi Lei's remaining forces.

Early the next morning, Chi Lei personally led the army on its way. Squadrons of knights quietly left the camp, adjusting the formation of the large army as they advanced. Scout teams had already extended their reach in all directions. The Gasa and Kyrgyz tribes were also experts in grassland warfare and could naturally see the quality of these soldiers. When they saw the distances between the teams of fifteen to twenty men in Chi Lei's Frost Wolf Army, known as the best scouts in the world, the mutual responsiveness and protection, the equipment they carried, the horses they rode, and the exquisite and capable performance in every detail, they understood that the title of the best scouts in the world was not a mere boast. In mountainous, plain, and hilly areas, even the best scouts, with the best observation equipment, would inevitably be affected by the terrain and environment. However, on the flat northern grasslands, in the savanna and dunes, and in areas with low vegetation adapted to dry and sandy environments, these scouts could play a much greater role. In any tribe, and in the sand bandit队伍, scouts were almost always the most elite troops, with the best待遇, but even Kuangfeng Qi (Cyclone Banner), the largest sand bandit gang in the vast Gobi Desert, with tens of thousands of sand bandits, had only two hundred or so scouts. The Gasa and Kyrgyz tribes, relying on their relatively close proximity to Yunzhou, managed to obtain binoculars relatively easily and also had two to three hundred scouts, each team equipped with an early model of monocular telescope, some of which had quality problems, with jerky movement of the lens barrel. But the Frost Wolf Army in front of them each carried a cowhide box containing the latest model of binoculars... Could this kind of technical weapon really affect the outcome of the battle? If it were just one or two rare treasures, it probably wouldn't have this effect. After all, this was the real world, not some kind of virtual game world, where there was no room for artifacts. However, when reconnaissance on both sides was completely unequal, when others could observe you from afar while you remained ignorant, it was a very scary situation.

"Chief, should we send some people to follow them?" A clever centurion, seeing the stern expression on Torei's face, the military leader of the Gasa tribe, seemed to understand something and reminded him in a low voice.

"Follow them? They don't want us to follow them at all... Besides, look at their marching speed. This is still in formation. When they are marching at full speed, unless they encounter the enemy and are delayed, we may not be able to keep up. Running like a dead dog, just to be laughed at?" Torei glared at the centurion and said irritably.

"Chief, we just need to follow them to show our attitude of advancing and retreating together. Besides, I believe they will at least need some guides. Sending Uncle Tolmu and a few others to them would be more appreciated than sending three to five thousand warriors... Chief, they have a map of the northern grasslands... But..." the centurion persisted.

Mentioning the map, Torei's face looked a little bad. Torei and Huke, the leader of the Kyrgyz tribe, had both entered Chi Lei's command tent and caught a glimpse of the full map of the northern grasslands. They, who lived on the grasslands, had never seen such a detailed map, with the approximate locations of each tribe, large and small watering holes, trading markets, and shelters jointly established by various large and small caravans and tribes... Heaven knows how much time and money Yunzhou had spent in the northern grasslands to create this map. Torei even felt that this map might be more valuable than their entire tribe. But indeed, Chi Lei might not be so familiar with the attack they were about to launch. No one had ever been able to survey the territory of the sand bandits in detail. It was too chaotic and entangled. Fortunately, in recent years, in order to take into account long-term interests, several major sand bandit groups had jointly opened up a smooth trade route, allowing the things they needed to flow in and selling the things in their territory, and also earning considerable income by collecting tolls from the caravans, which was used to purchase various things, especially armaments. The strength of the sand bandits was constantly changing, but in reality, what everyone knew was the open trade route and some of the surrounding situations. Presumably, Chi Lei could only take this path, and then try to learn more about the surrounding areas through powerful scout teams and airship teams before making a decision. But if Tolmu and several others who were considered unlucky by the tribe and were avoided by everyone were handed over to Chi Lei, then, through them, Chi Lei could at least have several more choices.

"Okay, let's do it this way. You go personally and take two hundred of my personal guards to follow directly behind their队伍. Don't embarrass the tribe." Torei grabbed the centurion and said, "You have to see clearly what kind of person Chi Lei is, and also understand what kind of person Ye Zhao is... No matter what kind of master we follow in the future, we have to be prepared."

When Centurion Tanan came to Chi Lei with Tolmu and a dozen others, as well as two hundred of the tribe's most elite warriors, Chi Lei looked indifferent. He asked bluntly, "Do these people know the geographical situation of the Gobi?"

Tanan glanced at Tolmu, then looked at Chi Lei, and reported cautiously, "General, they... were sand bandits before. Later, they were squeezed out due to internal conflicts in the sand bandit gang and were chased all the way. Originally, they were all leaders with good backgrounds. In recent years, our tribe has suffered less because of Uncle Tolmu and their understanding of the Gobi Desert, as well as some of the connections they originally left behind. After all... our tribe's territory is not in a good location, and it is inevitable that we have to deal with sand bandits and those very bold merchant groups."

Chi Lei's eyes passed Tanan, looking at Tolmu and the others kneeling on the ground, heads lowered. "Stand up! There is no such etiquette in the Yunzhou army. We don't do this... Tolmu... what kind of help do you think you can give me?"

Tolmu's eyes were cold, but there was no sharp feeling at all, as if they were two pools of ice. Tolmu was indeed not young. He looked over fifty, which was considered a good lifespan on the grasslands. The traces of early pampering and later bumpy wandering were clearly reflected in him. Tolmu calmly replied, "That depends on what General wants to do in the Gobi Desert. If it's just to stir things up and force the sand bandits back, I'll at least be a good guide. If you need a greater victory, then..." Tolmu hesitated. He knew the power structure on the Gobi Desert very well and knew how to shake this relatively peaceful situation that had been formed through years of bloody fighting.

"Oh... I want this bunch of riffraff not to affect the grasslands for five years," Chi Lei said casually.

"... If you want them not to dare to go south, General just needs to lead his troops to kill them, leaving no one alive. Killing tens of thousands of sand bandits, along with their families, etc., would be only a hundred thousand or so people. If you kill them all, anyone else who wants to go south will have to weigh their own strength. If you want them to be unable to go south, it will be more troublesome. The only way is to destroy the balance of power in the Gobi Desert. Once things get chaotic, the trade routes will definitely be cut off, and probably no one will go south until the Gobi Desert fights each other to a result. Five years can definitely be guaranteed." Tolmu's tone was very casual when he said these words.

"You... are really an unlucky person." Chi Lei chuckled, "I can't bring myself to kill women and children. I'll pretend I didn't hear your first suggestion. That second one is really a solution. After they fight enough internally, either everyone will bleed dry and no one can do anything to anyone, or a powerful independent force will emerge in this Gobi Desert. This is really a difficult problem."

Chi Lei turned his mind and stated the key point. This insight made Tolmu's heart tremble. "Yes. This is not something that anyone can decide. However, in my opinion, the latter is more likely. In the few years since the trade routes opened, the strength between the large and small gangs has become more and more distant."

"Let's talk as we go. Don't waste time here. We have to get to Sweetwater Island today." Chi Lei glanced at the队伍 that had begun to march normally and whose speed had already soared, and sighed.