"Fu Gui, nearly twenty thousand troops!"
The Xiongnu had cruel punishments, while the Yanhuang descendants had a long and continuous history, containing benevolence, righteousness, and filial piety, as well as coldness, cruelty, and bloodshed. Their brutal punishments were also numerous and varied, far exceeding those of the Xiongnu.
In a short while, Pan Jian Gui and Wei Xia Zi had extracted military intelligence from the Xiongnu Du Yong Jian's troops. Li Qing exclaimed after hearing it.
Of course, the bodies of those three Xiongnu men were also left mutilated. Zhou Fugui ordered them to be executed and buried deep under the sand and thorns.
Even if these three Xiongnu soldiers, who were actually ordinary herders, had confessed truthfully, Zhou Fugui would have killed them all. The reason was for his own safety and that of his detachment.
On the battlefield, mercy towards the enemy is cruelty to oneself; this is an immutable truth.
"Fu Gui..." Pan Jian Gui glared at Li Qing before speaking to Zhou Fugui, "After interrogation by myself and Xia Zi, we have learned that there are three enemy forces in front of us. The force on the left flank is led by Liu Xuan Tai, the Left Great Leader under Du Yong Jian, who reportedly commands over ten thousand tents. The central force is led by Liu Ping Yan, the Left Gu Du Hou, with over two thousand tents. The right flank is led by Shan Sha, the Right Gu Du Hou of the Xiongnu, with over three thousand tents. These three forces are substantial."
The Great Chanyu of the Xiongnu was naturally their supreme commander. Under him were the Left and Right Wise Kings, Left and Right Gu Li Kings, Left and Right Great Generals, Left and Right Great Commandants, Left and Right Gu Du Hou, and twenty-four Chiefs, along with minor kings, ministers, commandants, Dang Hu, and Que Qu, among others. The term "tent" referred to a tent, which was the most basic military unit of the Xiongnu. Each tent had at least one cavalryman. This meant that the Xiongnu forces facing Zhou Fugui and his men numbered around twenty thousand cavalry, or even more.
"Where is the barbarian chieftain Du Yong Jian?" Zhou Fugui pondered upon hearing this.
Pan Jian Gui shook his head, indicating that he could not extract this information or that these three low-ranking Xiongnu soldiers simply did not know the location of Great Chanyu Du Yong Jian's encampment.
"The barbarian chieftain's encampment must be in a secure location," Li Qing analyzed after recovering from his surprise.
"Indeed, the scholar Suan's reasoning is sound..." Zhou Fugui nodded in agreement.
Once the location of Du Yong Jian's encampment was known, they could generally infer where their main attack would be directed: Xue Lin City, Qilin Pass, or Ghost Valley Pass.
However, locating Du Yong Jian's encampment and his main force was not an easy task. With Zhou Fugui and his two hundred cavalry, they might be annihilated before even getting close.
"Perhaps what those three said is untrue," Li Qing added.
"That's impossible!" Pan Jian Gui was quite confident in his interrogation methods. He glared at Li Qing and said loudly, "Or perhaps they genuinely don't know. There's no reason for them to withhold information if they know."
"What are you yelling about?" Zhou Fugui shot a look at Pan Jian Gui before saying to Li Qing, "Whether it's true or not, we will be facing a large number of barbarian soldiers, right? That's for sure. But where are they heading?"
"Camp Commander..." Yang Xin Hong said, "Each of us has three roads behind us, leading to Xue Lin City, Qilin Pass, and Ghost Valley Pass. They could be going anywhere."
"Xiao Hong Zi, what you're saying is as good as saying nothing," Xu Mancang remarked. "Brother Fu Gui, don't trouble yourself with this. Let's charge forward, capture a few more Xiongnu officers, and we'll know everything then."
"Heh heh, Brother Man Cang's words have merit," Xue Wentai also said. "A few low-ranking soldiers won't tell us much. It's better to charge forward and capture some barbarian generals, preferably high-ranking ones. That way, everything will be clear."
After speaking, Xue Wentai stroked his chest, which was covered in hair, and licked his lips, looking as if he hadn't had enough.
"You two oafs, say less. No one thinks you're mute," Zhou Fugui glared at them. "Our meager forces aren't even enough for the Xiongnu army to chew on."
"Flag Leader, since that's the case, perhaps we should return to the city now?" Bai Ma Wu, a man of the Di ethnic group, asked Zhou Fugui.
The Di ethnic group had numerous tribes. Their clan names were often derived from their location, or from colors, such as Qing Di, Bai Di, Ran Di, and Chi Di, and so on. Bai Ma Wu lived in Baima, hence his name Bai Ma Wu.
Bai Ma Wu had also undergone rigorous training at the Ice Bone Camp.
"Return to the city now?" Zhou Fugui shook his head. "The Grand Commander ordered us to scout. If we just go back, wouldn't he be greatly disappointed?"
The border Grand Commander, Hu Yan Sheng, had high hopes for Zhou Fugui. If Zhou Fugui returned now, he would indeed be greatly disappointed. At the very least, he needed to gather some intelligence on Du Yong Jian's movements.
Hu Yan Sheng also intended for Zhou Fugui to gain experience. If Zhou Fugui were to slink back to Xue Lin City, he would be too embarrassed to face Hu Yan Sheng again.
"The Xiongnu have a large number of people..." Zhou Fugui then said to everyone, "They are like a herd of elephants, and we are like a single mouse... A mouse is insignificant in front of a herd of elephants, but it is not so easy for a herd of elephants to catch a single mouse. As long as we act cautiously, we can complete the Grand Commander's mission."
Zhou Fugui's words were reasonable, and everyone nodded in agreement.
The duty of a soldier was to fight on the battlefield, protect the borders, and ensure the safety of the people. Therefore, they could not flee in panic just because they faced a large enemy force. For soldiers, meritorious service led to rewards, promotions to generals, and the ennoblement of wives and heirs. Everything for a soldier was on the battlefield.
Zhou Fugui was no exception.
Zhou Fugui claimed to have no great ambitions, but Hu Yan Sheng saw through him, knowing that this was not the case. In reality, it was true.
A Brigadier General was an insignificant military official in the Great Yan Kingdom, with no official rank. Such a minor official was far from Zhou Fugui's ultimate goal.
Furthermore, the power wielded by a mere Brigadier General was limited. In this chaotic world, to gain power, one must first control military authority, at the very least possessing a sizable army.
Only then could Zhou Fugui, already the pillar of his family, ensure his mother, elder sister-in-law, sister, and nephew lived comfortable lives. Only then could he protect them and allow them to survive in this chaotic era. Perhaps only then could Zhou Fugui marry his beloved, Princess Ziyue of the Great Yan, Murong Hui Ying, with honor.
At this very moment, Zhou Fugui's desire for power was immense. To grasp power, he had to control military authority, and this all began on the battlefield of blood and fire.
Wealth and glory were like snatching chestnuts from a fire. Fame and prestige required risking one's life, especially for someone of Zhou Fugui's humble origins.
Zhou Fugui's current mission, leading two hundred elite cavalry out of the pass, was undoubtedly extremely perilous, but it was also an opportunity.
In this world, doing something does not guarantee success, but not doing it guarantees failure.
Compared to his campaigns in the south years ago, Zhou Fugui's mindset had undergone a tremendous change, as if the seas had turned into mulberry fields.
"Have the scouts returned yet?" Zhou Fugui then asked Suo Da Cheng.
"They've been out for two hours, with no news," Suo Da Cheng replied with a wry, embarrassed smile.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win a hundred battles. Know yourself but not your enemy, and you will win one battle and lose another. If you know neither your enemy nor yourself, you will lose every battle.
Not long ago, Zhou Fugui learned a lesson from Hu Yan Sheng regarding reconnaissance or scouting. In his past campaigns to the south, Zhou Fugui was aware of the importance of reconnaissance or scouting for a battle, but it was far from sufficient. In Guangling Commandery, Zhou Fugui personally led an investigation and was ambushed, nearly losing his life... Therefore, upon leaving Xue Lin City this time, Zhou Fugui placed immense importance on it, dispatching several batches of scouts.
However, even if the commander valued reconnaissance or scouting and dispatched scouts, the scouts' abilities still mattered. The scouts sent out this time clearly lacked competence and were not adept at their tasks.
As Zhou Fugui thought of this, he couldn't help but recall his former subordinates from the White Tiger Camp, like Dian Meng and Feng Cheng. He wondered where they were and how they were doing.
He wondered about this little fellow, Zhou Fugui thought of the hunter Feng Cheng and silently mused as he glanced at Ye Li Hu.
Besides the former subordinates from the White Tiger Camp like Dian Meng and Feng Cheng, Zhou Fugui couldn't help but think of "Tang Yao." This person had once saved his life, yet he was as elusive as a dragon without a head and his identity was extremely mysterious.
Now that Zhou Fugui was traveling to the far north, he wondered if he would ever meet him again in this lifetime.
"Ye Li Hu!" His thoughts of yearning lasted only a moment. After a moment, Zhou Fugui stood up and called out.
"General, what is it?" Ye Li Hu asked in surprise.
"Let's go out and see for ourselves," Zhou Fugui replied with a smile, looking at Ye Li Hu.
Since the scouts were not effective, Zhou Fugui had to venture out himself.
...
"Who goes there? Whose subordinate? Halt your horses, or we will shoot!"
The three Xiongnu soldiers, who had been tortured relentlessly by Pan Jian Gui and Wei Xia Zi, had not lied. The enemy facing Zhou Fugui and his two hundred cavalry was led by Liu Xuan Tai, the Left Great Leader of the Xiongnu Du Yong Jian's forces, and Liu Ping Yan, the Left Gu Du Hou, and Shan Sha, the Right Gu Du Hou, respectively commanding twenty thousand troops. They were the vanguards of Du Yong Jian. The three forces marched in a "pin" formation. It was impossible for the main army to pass them and infiltrate the rear, but it was relatively easier for small detachments.
Zhou Fugui and his two hundred cavalry had all donned the armor of Du Yong Jian's Xiongnu soldiers. They advanced stealthily yet boldly, having already encountered and safely passed four waves of Xiongnu troops without incident. However, as they approached a place called Touman City, they ran into hundreds of Xiongnu scouts, who took notice of them.
North from Shi Men Zhang is Guang Lu City, then northwest is Zhi Jiu City, and then northwest is Touman City.
Touman City was a small stone city or a fortress, located deep in the Yin Mountains. It was the encampment of Touman Chanyu of the Xiongnu during the Qin and Han dynasties.
Zhou Fugui and his two hundred cavalry encountered these hundreds of Xiongnu scouts when they were about seventy to eighty li away from Touman City.
What Zhou Fugui and his men did not know was that the Great Chanyu Du Yong Jian's encampment was located in Touman City. The encampment was naturally extremely heavily guarded, so encountering Xiongnu scouts performing their duties was entirely normal.
"Hoo la la!" The Xiongnu scouts raised their bows and arrows. As soon as they detected any anomaly, they would unleash a volley of arrows.