Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Mi Tang, his face grim, ordered each unit to carefully tally the losses incurred in the battle. When the final results were presented to him, he felt as if a heavy hammer had struck him, a mixture of pain and regret filling him with grief. It turned out that the 7 Qiang soldiers they had once assembled had, after yesterday's incredibly brutal battle, suffered a direct loss of nearly 2 men. Furthermore, mountains of food and supplies had been burned in the flames, and countless tents had been reduced to ash. The sheer magnitude of the losses was difficult to accurately calculate.

Such a devastating loss brought the various tribe leaders to Mi Tang, grumbling and complaining endlessly. Their anxious faces and incessant chatter left Mi Tang feeling helpless. In desperation, he gritted his teeth and made a fateful decision: to send his own tribesmen back to gather supplies and replenish the army. To hold on, Mi Tang invested heavily, even sacrificing his own tribe's finances. He knew full well that if Ma Chao truly conquered the Eastern Qiang, he would be left with nothing. While his fellow tribesmen might have a way out, he himself had absolutely no escape.

Mi Tang still held onto a glimmer of hope. Since the battle with Ma Chao, they had only lost 2 men. He estimated that Ma Chao's troops would be at most 4 this time, and he would also return to aid Xiliang. Currently, he had only to men in his tent, which meant his side had a numerical advantage twice that of the enemy. He had also ascertained Ma Chao's strengths and weaknesses. After some reflection, Mi Tang felt that this battle still held a strong chance of victory. However, the reality of the situation now troubled him. After all, the army's morale was low, and supplies were extremely scarce. Mi Tang had to abandon the idea of ​​attacking the Xiliang camp just yet.

In this tense atmosphere, Mi Tang was trying to calm the leaders, constantly persuading them to hold on, and promising that if they defeated the Xiliang army, he would provide supplies and rewards from his own tribe. Although the leaders were filled with pain and complaints, they did not dare to openly disobey Mi Tang's authority.

Just when everyone was looking at each other with different expressions, they saw Mi Dang coming back with a group of defeated soldiers, and he himself was injured. Mi Tang was shocked to see this and hurriedly asked Mi Dang the reason.

After receiving the order, Midang led his troops to set up an ambush on the main route to Beidi County. He carefully observed the terrain and chose a location with narrow entrances and exits, flanked by mountains. This type of terrain would restrict the enemy's movements and enhance the effectiveness of the ambush.

Mi Dang arranged for his soldiers to hide behind trees and rocks on both sides of the valley, ready to launch a surprise attack when the enemy army passed through. He also set obstacles and traps on the road to slow down the enemy's advance.

By carefully setting up an ambush, Mi Dang hoped to inflict heavy losses on the enemy and secure greater benefits for his tribe. However, despite his thorough preparations, he did not anticipate that Ma Chao would lead his troops.

On the dark battlefield, Ma Chao's cavalry reacted swiftly upon encountering an ambush. Well-trained, they were unfazed by the chaotic situation. Some of the cavalry lit torches, illuminating the surrounding darkness and revealing the enemy.

Ma Chao led the charge, charging at Midang's army like a bolt of lightning. His spear swung with impenetrable force, crushing the enemy wherever it touched. His horse charged left and right through the crowd, carrying him like a force unto itself. Midang's soldiers desperately tried to stop Ma Chao's advance, but they seemed so vulnerable before his fierceness.

Seeing this, Mi Dang roared in anger and personally charged at Ma Chao. He swung his broadsword, each blow carrying a powerful force of wind, as he slashed at Ma Chao. Ma Chao nimbly dodged sideways, then thrust his spear forward, colliding with Mi Dang's broadsword in a dazzling display of sparks. The two exchanged blows, the clash of metal clashing echoing through the night sky.

Ma Chao's momentum grew stronger with each fight, unstoppable like a surging tide. He exploited his horse's speed and agility, constantly changing his attack angles, overwhelming Mi Dang. Mi Dang gradually felt overwhelmed, his strength rapidly draining, and his movements becoming sluggish. Seizing an opportunity, Ma Chao thrust his spear like a venomous snake, striking Mi Dang directly in the shoulder. Mi Dang screamed in agony, nearly falling from his horse. But he endured the pain and fought tenaciously.

However, the odds were turning against Mi Dang. Ma Chao's men gradually gained the upper hand, dividing and surrounding Mi Dang's soldiers. With only a handful of men left, Mi Dang's eyes lit up with despair, yet he refused to retreat. Ma Chao charged again, his spear blasting through Mi Dang's vital points. Mi Dang fought back with all his might, but Ma Chao's overwhelming force sent him flying, sending him plummeting to the ground. His army collapsed.

After falling heavily to the ground, Dang Mi Dang felt excruciating pain all over his body, his consciousness becoming hazy. However, his instinct for survival forced him to endure the pain and struggle to stand. He looked at his defeated soldiers around him, his heart filled with resentment and anger.

However, by this point, he knew the situation was hopeless, and continuing to fight would only result in more casualties. So, gritted his teeth, and with his last bit of strength, he climbed onto his horse. Without a second thought, he turned his horse and desperately fled into the darkness.

Ma Chao wouldn't let him go so easily. He immediately led a cavalry unit in hot pursuit. As Mi Dang fled, he kept looking back, his heart filled with fear as he watched the pursuers approach. He frantically whipped his horse's rump, trying to get it to run faster.

Along the way, Mi Dang, panic-stricken and disoriented, trudged through thorn bushes and muddy ground, looking utterly miserable. His body bore many new wounds, and his clothes were tattered. But he never dared to stop, fleeing desperately until he gradually disappeared into the darkness, leaving only the desperate cries of Ma Chao and others behind him echoing in the night sky. Although Mi Dang had escaped temporarily, he knew that this failure would be a permanent pain and shame in his heart.

Mi Dang's words were like a hammer, hammering Mi Tang's heart and instantly plunging him into a state of deep, painful contemplation. The leaders looked at each other, their eyes revealing a complex mix of emotions. They opened their mouths slightly, wanting to say something, but ultimately didn't dare to utter a single word.

If it was really Ma Chao that Mi Dang encountered, then who was the man who had been fighting them all night in the battle array? After careful consideration, Mi Tang's heart was filled with turmoil, and he began to think more deeply. Having suffered such a devastating defeat this morning, Mi Tang had been comforting himself, thinking that if it had been Ma Chao, he would have been able to accept the loss to such a formidable general. But now that Mi Dang had returned and said this, didn't that mean they had been fooled all night long? By this morning, not only was their camp destroyed, but they had also lost as many as 20,000 men. Most importantly, the instigator of all this wasn't Ma Chao!

Thinking of this, Mi Tang felt an uncontrollable wave of shame and anger surge through his heart like a tidal wave. His face turned extremely ugly, turning blue and red. He kept thinking about the series of events in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt so foolish and incompetent. The shame and anger were like a venomous snake that tightly wrapped around his heart, causing him unbearable pain. Finally, under the overwhelming impact of this emotion, Mi Tang could no longer bear it. A mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out, and as if all strength had been lost, he collapsed to the ground, his heart filled with regret and self-blame. The surrounding leaders gathered around him in panic, their faces full of fear and worry.

Everyone panicked, frantically pinching their Ren Zhong points and rubbing their chests, eagerly trying various things, their faces filled with anxiety and worry. After a long while, Mi Tang slowly woke up.

His previously lifeless eyes first stared blankly at the camp, reduced to a charred ruin. The deathly silence felt as if a heavy hammer had struck his heart. Endless sorrow spread like a tide, his face filled with pain and helplessness, as if he had suddenly aged considerably. Then, his gaze slowly shifted to Mi Dang, whose wounded yet concerned expression was evident. In that instant, an indescribable sense of sadness welled up in his heart. His eyes flushed slightly, his lips trembled slightly, as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat.

Silence, a deathly silence, lasted for a long time. During this time, Mi Tang's mind kept flashing back to the failures and humiliations of the past. The resentment in his heart burned his soul like a raging fire. Gradually, the anger in his heart surged again like a surging wave, the anger accumulated more and more, burning more and more fiercely, making his body tremble involuntarily.

Finally, Mi Tang gritted his teeth, his eyes turning red as his face twisted, his sorrow and silence shattered into a face filled with rage, then becoming almost ferocious. Since Ma Chao was no longer in the Xiliang camp, he no longer waited for supplies. He decided to engage the Xiliang army immediately. He must wash away this humiliation with the blood of his enemies! His expression, like that of a wounded beast gone mad, was chilling.