If it could be said that Han Chinese were good at strategy in warfare, then the warfare of foreign tribes was much simpler.
Except for the Jurchen in the late Ming Dynasty, most foreign invasions of the Central Plains were concentrated assaults for quick plunder.
Even the Jurchen only learned some simple tactics after incorporating Han defectors.
Therefore,
Chakel, the deputy general who had been pursuing them, had never expected to be ambushed.
Until...
"Release the arrows!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
At Li Xiuning's command, a rain of fire descended on both sides of the official road.
"Boom~!"
Before the Wuhuan cavalry could even react, the fire oil, which had thoroughly soaked into the ground, instantly ignited and exploded.
"How, how is this possible?!"
Seeing the sudden blaze and the dense Han army on both sides of the road, Chakel's deputy general was stunned.
What was going on?
Weren't they the ones chasing down the fleeing Han troops?
How, how had they been surrounded in the blink of an eye?
Where did the Han army get so many soldiers?
This was unscientific!
Despite the storm of questions in his mind, Chakel's deputy general reacted quickly.
"Charge!"
"Don't stop, break through in one go!"
"Hurry!"
Amidst the roars of the deputy general and some petty officers, the Wuhuan cavalry, as if finding a target, galloped forward.
However,
Before they could even break out of the fiery zone, a series of whistling sounds assailed them.
In an instant,
The Wuhuan cavalry who had been charging the fastest fell in large numbers.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."
"Load arrows!"
"Continue!"
The repeating crossbowmen, having completed their first volley, quickly nocked their next arrows.
And the repeating crossbowmen who were already prepared behind them continued to fill the gaps.
Thus,
The charging Wuhuan cavalry felt as if they were trapped in a hail of arrows that never stopped.
"Damn it~!"
"What's going on up ahead? Why have they stopped!"
Blocked in the middle of the road, the deputy general roared in frustration.
But the Wuhuan cavalry, their spirits broken, dared not charge any further.
Facing such a continuous barrage of arrows, who could withstand it?
Anyone who charged would die!
And the endless Han cavalry behind the crossbowmen was the last straw.
No one dared, and no one wanted to charge forward anymore.
Upon receiving the report, Chakel's deputy general directly ordered:
"Front army becomes rear army, the whole army retreats!"
"Quick!"
"If we don't break through now, we'll all die here!"
Sniffing the faint scent of roasted meat in the air, Chakel's deputy general's voice was tinged with tears.
He was afraid!
He was truly afraid!
Whoever wanted to be the tribal leader could have it; he had no ambition for it anymore.
Unfortunately,
Even with the conditions of World War II, it was difficult to retreat from a valley once entered.
Let alone in the late Han?
The vanguard was cowering in place, unsure of how to proceed, while the rear guard, not receiving orders, dared not retreat.
Coupled with the heavily armored infantry that resembled a wall of steel...
"Ascend the mountain!"
"Quickly charge up the mountain, whoever can make it, make it!"
Chakel's deputy general's eyes turned bloodshot.
He was truly desperate!
He didn't care about being a tribal leader anymore, but he had to save his life!
And to save his life,
The warriors of Chakel's tribe could not suffer too many losses.
Otherwise, death awaited them upon their return!
Therefore,
Unable to communicate with the front and rear, he led his personal guards and some others he could contact, abandoning their horses and heading for the mountain.
Even though the rockets from the mountain continued to rain down on them.
After all,
An archer's specialty was shooting arrows; their close-combat ability was practically zero.
And they?
These nomads, who had endured hardships in the harsh lands, could fight two against one without a sword.
But they could never have imagined that such a cruel person existed in the world.
When they saw the fully armored heavy cavalry charging down from the mountain, the Wuhuan cavalry completely collapsed.
"Clang clang clang..."
Led by Chakel's deputy general, the Wuhuan cavalry dropped their swords and collapsed onto the ground, their bodies limp.
"Surrender?"
"Do we need captives?"
Looking at the Wuhuan barbarians kneeling below, Qin Feng's lips curved into a cold sneer.
Captives?
He didn't need...
"Hmm?"
"Why not?"
Hearing Qin Feng's muttering beside him, Li Xiuning frowned and asked,
"My Lord, whether it's building roads or cultivating land, a large labor force is needed!"
"Instead of killing them, wouldn't it be better to take them back as laborers?"
"As laborers?"
Hearing Li Xiuning's suggestion, Qin Feng raised an eyebrow.
"Does our Great Han lack laborers? There are plenty of refugees we can gather."
"Although it's hard work, at least they won't have to sell their children!"
"This..."
Li Xiuning opened her mouth, her gaze somewhat peculiar as she looked at Qin Feng.
"My Lord, have you considered..."
"If the money saved from using these laborers were used for providing porridge, wouldn't more people be saved?"
"After all, the work these laborers do is like risking their lives; can you bear for your own people to do such things?"
"..."
As Li Xiuning's words fell, Qin Feng also fell silent.
Yes!
To support the common people, all that was needed was to provide porridge daily to feed many.
But why had he thought of making them do hard labor?
Even if they couldn't be supported for free, with work-relief programs, Zhuo County, which was about to undergo reforms, would need many people.
Why should they do the most dangerous work for meager rations?
Reputation was very important!
Although killing these people would yield more soldier summon cards.
But what was the use of that?
He already had a large pile of them in storage; did he dare to summon them?
What use was an army without food?
Even if he could crush all opposition with these soldiers.
What about the land he conquered?
Who would govern it?
It was possible that as soon as he left, those aristocratic families would return.
Having soldiers would be useless!
Did you not see that in later generations, a certain bald man, despite possessing millions of well-equipped troops, was still forced to flee his homeland?
Thinking of this,
Qin Feng had no choice but to abandon the urge to kill them all and gritted his teeth, nodding.
"Since that's the case, let's spare them for now and let them atone for their sins for the people of the Great Han with the rest of their lives!"
...
The war began suddenly and ended just as quickly.
After Qin Feng made the decision to take captives, the forces blocking the front and rear retreated to the sides.
Even the archers who had ambushed on the mountain stood by the roadside to maintain order.
Despite this,
There were still some fools who couldn't grasp the situation and wanted to continue to make trouble.
"Go!"
"Tell them!"
Qin Feng looked at the more than twenty Wuhuan cavalry lying in pools of blood, his expressionless.
"If anyone dares to charge the formation again, then don't blame this general for not wanting captives; bury them all alive!"
"Yes!"
Zhang Fei, already annoyed, agreed before anyone else could speak and rushed off to announce it.
Now,
Those who had been contemplating action were instantly glared at by their companions.
How to put it?
No matter the race, internal conflict was a mandatory course.