Super System in the Early Tang Dynasty

Chapter 234 The Pursuit (Part 1) - First Update

The northwest winds are cold, and rain and snow are scarce. The Tang army has been marching for a long time across this harsh and cruel grassland...

Zhao Zheng was a hereditary soldier in the border army.

From the moment the Tanguts rebelled and the Tuyuhun went on their way, he had a bad feeling. Sure enough, a little over ten days later, the Tang emperor issued an order to recover the stolen goods, and the border region was immediately thrown into turmoil.

So, with no other choice, he had to bid farewell to his wife and children and join the army alone to fight against Tuyuhun.

Fortunately, the Tang army was strong and brave. The Tuyuhun were caught off guard and were routed in one blow. They were scattered and disorganized, with only their leader Fuyun managing to break through the encirclement with five thousand cavalrymen.

Zhao Zheng breathed a sigh of relief. On the vast grasslands, it was virtually impossible to surround and kill a cavalry unit. He knew it was time to go home. He could return in triumph, carrying honor and reward, to see his wife and children, and continue to enjoy the company of his parents.

Thinking of this, his usual gloom vanished, and he became excited, just like all his brothers on the battlefield!

At that moment, he thanked every god and Buddha in the heavens, and of course, the young leader Wang. If it weren't for Leader Wang always leading the charge and crushing the enemy's morale before they even got there, he certainly wouldn't be so intact now, though he might not be decapitated.

He still felt the shock from the fierce battle Wang had fought!

Although those legendary tales depicted some generals and warriors as if they were gods or demons, as an old man who had lived on the cruel frontier for decades, he did not believe that there were really people in this world who could fight a thousand men and kill people like cutting grass! However, when he met Chief Wang, his worldview began to waver.

Perhaps, there really are gods in this world! That was his only thought at the time!

He was convinced that Chief Wang was the reincarnation of the Martial Virtue Star Lord. He decided to follow Chief Wang regardless of everything. He proved to be right; he survived and was now one of Chief Wang's four squad leaders. Moreover, he believed that once they returned, with rewards for their merits, becoming a centurion would be no problem at all. Of course, at that time, he would likely be a centurion under Commander Wang.

Things often develop in the most unexpected directions!

Just as Zhao Zheng was having a good dream, the general suddenly ordered the army to split up and pursue him from the north and south!

After several days of travel, Zhao Zheng had no time to think. He looked at Chief Wang, who stood in front of him riding a fine steed, his eyes gleaming. He believed that as long as he followed the chief, he would surely achieve merit and be able to return to see his parents, wife, and children.

Three days ago, their southward-bound army finally found the tracks of the Tuyuhun people. The general dispatched two vanguard forces to pursue and harass them. One of these forces was their own hundred-man squad.

Three days and nights of relentless raids left Zhao Zheng utterly exhausted. Finally, on the fourth day, they located the remnants of the Tuyuhun forces, and as planned, they began firing, engaging in skirmishes, and harassing...

……

Fu Yun led the remnants of the Tuyuhun tribe and fled southwest.

At this moment, he was filled with remorse! Looking at the indifferent or resentful gazes of his clansmen, he couldn't sleep day and night! He feared that one day, his beloved brothers would stab him in the back and surrender to the Tang army. He ordered dozens of his personal guards to take turns keeping watch over his tent day and night.

He was filled with remorse! He had never imagined that the Tang army would arrive so quickly! No one had ever told him that the Tang army was so mighty and powerful, like a heavenly army descending to earth, making his Tuyuhun army so vulnerable!

He hated his own greed, and he hated the Tanguts who came to him without any integrity!

However, all of that was meaningless now. All he wanted to do was escape! He felt a lion, a ferocious tiger, chasing and biting him from behind, giving him no chance to stop and think. Perhaps only when he reached the White Mountains and Cypress Sea to the south could he find some peace. Only there could he escape the Tang army's encirclement.

Of course, what he hoped for most was that, as he wished, the Tang army would treat him like a flea and abandon him, no longer pursuing him.

However, this time, the god of the grasslands did not protect him. Perhaps it was his act of burning the grasslands that angered the god of the grasslands, for within a few days, the Tang army discovered his whereabouts and pursued him.

He was horrified!

However, a few days later, he was relieved to discover that only about a hundred men had caught up with them, not the main force of the Tang Dynasty. Even so, his heart sank.

The Tang army still pursued him! They still wouldn't let him go! They wouldn't let this stray dog ​​go! They wouldn't let this little flea go...

A hundred or so men were nothing more than a leaping monkey compared to his thousands of Tuyuhun warriors, posing no threat whatsoever. However, it was this very monkey that was causing the fleeing, hungry wolves of Tuyuhun such a great deal of annoyance!

Coming to his senses, Fu Yun knew that if things continued this way, he and his hundreds of clansmen would be wiped out once the Tang army pressed in. He had no choice; he had to find a way to eliminate these hundred-odd Tang vanguard soldiers who were as elusive as monkeys!

He was extremely anxious.

When he saw the 'meat food' lying on the warhorses, Fu Yun's eyes lit up, he gritted his teeth, and came up with a wicked plan...

……

Cao Hua, a native of Qin Prefecture, spent most of his time as a merchant outside the Great Wall.

As always, he and dozens of his men carried goods along the familiar trade route. The wind was biting, the grass and trees were withered, and it seemed that heavy snow would soon fall. He dared not delay any longer and quickened his pace, hoping to reunite with his family when the New Year arrived.

He stroked a faded, grayish-white sachet, which his wife had sewn for him stitch by stitch before the New Year.

With the border in sight, unexpectedly, a huge fire suddenly rose on the horizon, illuminating the sky and darkening the sun. A strong wind swept through, leaving the golden grassland in a desolate gray!

Cao Hua and his men hid behind a bay of water and narrowly escaped disaster.

Just as the fire had died down and Cao Hua thought he could go home, a group of blood-soaked barbarians, like hungry wolves, suddenly appeared and stole all their food and supplies.

He knew that this time, he was doomed!

He did not resist. On the grasslands, facing encirclement by thousands of cavalry, resistance would only result in a more gruesome death!

Cao Hua and the men behind him clung to a sliver of hope, wishing that these barbarians simply wanted to enslave them. If that were the case, they would still have a glimmer of hope.

However, this glimmer of hope was quickly extinguished.

When he learned that these barbarians were remnants of the Tuyuhun tribe being pursued by the Tang army, a chill crept into his heart. Finally, one day, the barbarians ran out of food. At this point, Cao Hua's brothers, along with the other Han Chinese tied to their horses, began to disappear one by one.

"Human-flesh rations," or simply "meat rations," were all too familiar to Cao Hua, who spent years operating outside the Great Wall. But when it happened to him, the coldness of his body overwhelmed him; the despair in his heart consumed everything else…

----

I took a nap at noon, but it's still late. However, I guarantee there will be at least three updates; this is the first one. (To be continued.)