Han officials

Chapter 39: Hounds and Dead Dogs

Due to an accident, Wei Zhe had to hastily launch a war against the Qianmo tribe.

Fortunately, the result is satisfactory.

In this battle, more than 500 barbarians were killed, nearly 1,000 were injured, and more than 2,000 were captured. The seriously injured were directly killed.

It can be said that the 3,000 Xianbei cavalry of the Qianmo tribe were completely wiped out.

Of course, the Han army also suffered losses.

Since Wei Zhe's troops were not regular Han cavalry, except for his own 500 personal cavalry, the rest of the Daifang Yicong and military cavalry were not full-time warriors, so there were 26 casualties in the battle.

If Wei Zhe had not "poisoned" the enemy in advance, the Han army would have suffered even greater casualties.

Upon learning of this outcome, Wei Zhe finally breathed a sigh of relief, while Qi Fuxiang felt even more strongly that surrender was a wise move.

So an hour later, Wei Zhe's army successfully entered Qianmo City.

There was no other way. Qifu Xiang had defeated all his main forces, leaving only a few hundred young men, the elderly, the weak, women, and children in Qianmo City. If it were other Xianbei tribes, with their siege skills, Qianmo City would still be safe.

But since the people coming here are Han people, the wooden city of Qianmo City is not impressive enough.

So Qi Fuxiang stood in front of the city and just said a few words, and the Qianmo City Gate suddenly opened.

Just as Qifu Xiang said, surrender is nothing to the Xianbei people.

If you lose, just kneel down. Barbarians also have their own survival rules. It's that simple.

There are some barbarians with backbone, but they often die quickly.

……

"Take care of the injured and dead horses, and slaughter some cattle and sheep so the boys can have something good to eat." After entering the city, Wei Zhe instructed Zhong Hu, "Send another team to the coast to check. If the fleet arrives, report back immediately!"

Zhong Hu left as soon as he was told. Wei Zhe was not idle either. He immediately went to the granary in the city for a look around.

Well, the result is pretty good. A rough estimate is about 10,000 hu.

Although most of the food is millet, sorghum, soybeans, etc., it is good to have it.

By the way, “liang” is Liaodong red sorghum.

It is said that when Zheng Xuan was giving lectures, he listed "Liang" as one of the "Nine Valleys".

However, although a lot of food was captured, the fleet was still the safest logistical support.

After taking inventory, Xi Zhicai suggested, "Mingsong, why don't we transfer all this food to the ship?"

Being in enemy territory, Xi Zhicai dared not overestimate the loyalty of the Xianbei people.

Just because they kneel quickly doesn’t mean they won’t retaliate.

Wei Zhe thought about it and shook his head: "Too much is as bad as too little. Leave them a month's worth of food."

After all, even pigs, horses, cows and sheep will fight back desperately when they know they are going to die.

Now that the battle with the Xianbei has just begun, it is not advisable to push the Qianmo tribe too hard.

One month's rations are just enough. If you eat sparingly and dig some wild vegetables, you can easily last two months.

Of course, Wei Zhe's "kindness" only goes so far.

After taking control of Qianmo City, Wei Zhe summoned Taishi Ci and said, "Go and take inventory. Take away all the young and strong men in the city before you leave. Anyone who refuses to obey will be killed."

At this point, Wei Zhe added, "The wounded soldiers should stay here to recover for the time being, and let the women here take good care of them."

"Yes!" Taishi Ci was not surprised to hear this.

Since the Western Han Dynasty, the Han Dynasty has been accustomed to using this approach.

Elite troops were stationed in the center, and when there was unrest in the four directions, the northern army would be the main force, and cavalry and servants from vassal states would be recruited.

The Huangzhong Yizong of Liangzhou and the Wuhuan Yizong of Youzhou both followed this practice.

As for the safety of the wounded, Taishi Ci was even less worried.

Unless the elderly, weak, women and children in Qianmo City wanted to be massacred, they would only treat these wounded soldiers as their ancestors.

In contrast, he was more worried that these rough men would ruin their health by acting as bridegrooms here every night.

Thinking of this, Taishi Ci secretly decided to give him a few more instructions later.

That night, the Han army, which had been busy and toiled for five days, finally got a rare chance to rest.

After eating well and sleeping well, they all became full of energy the next day.

Not long after, the Wei fleet finally arrived at the coast of Qianmo's territory.

So Xi Zhicai immediately ordered the young and strong people from the Xianbei tribe to transfer most of the food to the boat.

……

The next day, the sky was slightly bright.

After the soldiers had their breakfast and the horses had eaten beans soaked in salt water, the army set out again.

In the empty wilderness, only the dull sound of horse hooves could be heard.

Although there were only 4,000 Han cavalry and more than 3,000 Xianbei cavalry, they gave people an overwhelming feeling.

After a good start, the Han cavalry obviously became more confident and calm.

In contrast, the servants' humiliating cavalry were much more worried, especially when they thought of the fleet not far away at sea, they felt like crying but had no tears.

"Sir, do you really want to help the Han people fight?"

Beside Qi Fuxiang, a few filthy nobles were seen cowering and whispering to each other.

"That's right, why don't we just run away? The Han people are outsiders, they will definitely not be able to find us."

However, Qi Fuxiang was speechless when he heard this.

"Escape? What about the people in Baicheng?" Seeing that the nobleman remained silent, he said helplessly, "Besides, the food is all in the hands of the Han people. Even if we escape, how long can we hold out?"

After these words were spoken, several people were speechless.

Go to another Xianbei tribe? Forget it, you'd be worse off serving as a dog for the Han people!
Seeing this, Qi Fuxiang sighed and said, "Go ahead and fight! It's better to be a hunting dog than a dead dog!"

After hearing what he said, the other nobles thought that it was indeed true.

"Your Excellency is wise, it is we who are confused."

"Indeed, it is better to let the Cantai tribe die than to die ourselves!"

Then, in the vast wilderness, groups of cavalry could be seen advancing at a steady pace. In the evening, the army finally entered the territory of the Cantai tribe. From a distance, people could be seen herding sheep on the hillside, and even nearby, people working in the fields.

The Xianbei people are half farmers and half herders, and they do have some farming skills.

Seeing this, the Qianmo cavalry who were roaming around the periphery immediately rushed forward.

The Dongyi people of the Cantai tribe seemed to have not expected to see such a large army in their own territory. They were immediately frightened and fled in all directions, leaving behind their cattle and sheep.

On his warhorse, Wei Zhe, clad in armor, said coldly, "Ignore it and head straight for Cantai City."

Upon hearing this, many nobles of the evil tribe immediately ordered their subordinates to lead the way.

Servant soldiers should have the awareness of servant soldiers, and they have done a good job in this regard.

A moment later, Cantai City was right in front of them.

Similar to Qianmo City, Cantai City is also a wooden city.

It looked no more than a mile long and wide, with logs driven into the piles and about ten feet high, which seemed quite solid. There was also a trench dug around it, where sewage had been accumulating for who knows how long, and it looked murky and even a little black.

Although this trench is not as exaggerated as the moat in the Han area, it is obviously not something that can be jumped over on horseback.

However, as a Xianbei person, Qifu Xiang is well aware of the shortcomings of this wooden city.

Perhaps because they were located on the coastal plains, these wooden fortresses were most susceptible to absorbing moisture from the air, causing them to swell and mold over time, often rotting before long. Furthermore, various insects, rats, and ants would also accelerate the decay of the wooden walls, forcing the Xianbei people to frequently repair them. The more diligent they were, the stronger their fortresses became; the lazier they were, the more fragile they became. That was the simplest way.

But then again, compared to the Qianmo tribe, the Cantai tribe is still quite lucky.

At least they can still defend the city now, unlike the previous Mo tribe, who lost in the field battle in a confused manner.

While Wei Zhe was observing the battle formation, some important figure seemed to have appeared on the wall of Cantai City, standing there and cursing loudly.

"What is he saying?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Jun's attendant laughed and said, "Your Excellency, that fellow is cursing Qi Fuxiang, saying that he colluded with the Han people to bring disaster to his own people, and that he will never see the gods in the afterlife."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhe burst into laughter.

"In that case, Qifu Xiang, you should test the waters first. If you can capture the city, it will be your credit."

After saying this, he looked at Taishi Ci and said, "Ziyi, you lead the vanguard."

"Yes~" Upon hearing this, Taishi Ci stared at Qifu Xiang with eyes as sharp as knives.

Seeing this, Qi Fuxiang had no other words to say but to agree with a bitter face.

Of course, Wei Zhe didn't really want them to die, his purpose was to break the formation.

Therefore, the Han army quickly came up with a countermeasure to the situation surrounding Cantai City.

A moment later, the cavalry of the Qianmo tribe arrived in front of the battle dragging thick trees.

The Cantai tribe was obviously not as experienced as the Han people in defending the city, and they did not even cut down all the big trees around the city.

Then, three thousand Huibei cavalrymen were divided into three teams. Two by two, they rushed towards the trench, dragging large trees with hemp ropes. When they got close, they spread out to the left and right, and used the speed of their horses to throw the tree trunks into the trench, splashing water into the sky. For a while, the huge "splash" sound of falling into the water was endless.

On the city wall, Da Xiyuan, the leader of the Cantai tribe, saw this and immediately understood that Qifu Xiang was not colluding with the Han people, but was simply serving as a dog for the Han people.

Thinking of this, Da Xiyuan's face suddenly became uglier.

But it was too late to say anything now. He could only roar and urge his men to fight back.

Suddenly, a rain of arrows fell in front of the trench, and the sound of arrows breaking through the air was endless.

The cavalrymen of the Qianmo tribe who were filling the trench immediately screamed in pain. Some of them were shot by arrows and fell off their horses, then were hit by the big trees they were dragging, and then fell into the trench and died.

Seeing this, Qifu Xiang behind the formation suddenly felt distressed. After all, these were all the men of his former Mo tribe.

However, Taishi Ci just coughed lightly, and he immediately put all his thoughts aside and continued to give orders.

Fortunately, the Qianmo tribe still had enough leather and wooden shields. Although people kept groaning and falling to the ground during the charge, after half an hour's effort, three trenches were filled.

But that was not all. Wei Zhe ordered the Xianbei cavalry to cover the area with fur and soil and lay a layer of dirt before he nodded.

However, in just this short hour, the Qianmo tribe suffered more than a hundred casualties, and this was under the cover of the Han army's rain of arrows, otherwise they would have suffered even more deaths.

(End of this chapter)