Early on the morning of the third day, the sun was shining and the sky was clear. Five hundred cavalry were ready to go.

The cavalry were all equipped with simple saddle shoes, and each man wore a rattan hat or straw hat, leather armor, and used steel knives or iron spears, each carrying a certain number of short spears, and some of them also carried bows and arrows. In addition, each person has a water bladder, a bag of jerky, and a small bundle of tender corn with skin as horse feed.

Before the expedition, there was a morale-boosting ritual that Suo Yan cut off Mao Sheng's head and sacrificed it.

Lin Ji, dressed in armor, shouted with a bullhorn: "The horse hunters killed our old man and the liaison team, and we will make them pay for it with blood!" Let's go! ”

Lin Ji turned over on the white horse and trotted off, and the five hundred people behind him trotted in five hundred teams to follow.

Everyone rode horses, only Xiaobai with two elephants. It rode one on its own, and on the back of the other, it was tied to a few fox captives who led the way.

The fighters were excited and eager to try. For them, being selected for this tournament is the best affirmation of their hard work over the past few months.

Lin Ji's mood was not very relaxed, he ran forward and backward, trying to control the rhythm of the team, hoping that the team could run faster while maintaining physical strength.

Because in reality, this expedition was an adventure.

From the point of view of the forest trail to the entire grassland, this battle is a beginning.

If he wants to control the entire grassland, the best way is to lead his team to kill them one by one. However, with manpower constraints, this process can take several years. This is what Lin Ji does not want to see.

He used the name of dealing with horse hunters to unite the people who believed in horses, which provided him with enough manpower. His actions also provoked a backlash from the steppe tribes, causing the horse hunters to begin to integrate. This would speed up the progress of the Trail Project, as if he defeated the horsehunters, his exploits would naturally make him famous in the grasslands, and it would be easy to conquer other tribes.

But it also comes with a lot of risks.

Horse hunters have a certain habit of cooperation. At this time, coupled with the fact that they are beginning to integrate, the power must not be underestimated. The fox clan can find Juyingpo, which means that this place has been exposed. The Horse Hunters will not miss this opportunity to attack.

It stands to reason that the best way to stay in the forest is to hold on or leave Juyingpo with the advantage of a sufficient number of horses.

However, the corn here is not yet ripe, and if you leave, the efforts of the first half year will be almost in vain. And it could also create a culture of avoidance among the newly formed Mongol tribes. This is also what Lin Ji does not want to see.

Lin Ji set out in the name of avenging the old man, in addition to inspecting the troops, more to disrupt the pace of the horse hunters and give them the illusion that they had left. So as to buy time to survive until the autumn harvest.

It can be said that this battle must not only be won, but also fast. After the fight, it is best to take the enemy around the grassland for a while.

This is obviously not easy for this new recruit.

After the team left, Bayang immediately led his men to build a camp under the hillside. Surround all the tents in the camp. At the same time, men, women, and children were mobilized to make various weapons and conduct offensive and defensive drills. to prevent the enemy from raiding before the forest trail returns.

Bayang was one of the few people who knew the dangers of this battle, so he was extra careful when doing these things.

Compared with the Mao tribe, which was full of water and forests, he gradually found the grasslands with high ground and high ground more attractive. Here, his heart is more open-minded and more carefree, and he is a little bit gone. Therefore, he cherishes everything here and does not want his efforts to be ruined.

Hu Xiao didn't want his efforts to be ruined. Therefore, he also made great efforts to contact all the horse hunters, and at the same time tried his best to get enough meat and fur for these people to stabilize them.

With the departure of the white horses, the large pony herd split into small pony herds, which made it easier for them to obtain meat, and with the bravery of the tigers, it was not too much of a problem to feed them. But to stabilize it made him quite exhausted.

A few days ago, when he heard that the people of the fox clan had finally returned, he was almost furious: "Didn't Mao Sheng say that he could track the falcons on the grassland?" How do you track how many people go to almost a full moon? ”

A month ago, they found that the horse guards were running back and forth on the grassland, and sent the fox people to follow and find out, but he didn't expect to send the news back after that.

Wu Lie and a few other people from the fox clan hugged the package, and explained with some cringe: "They have horses, and they can run fast. ”

It is almost impossible for a man to catch up with a horse. The people of their fox clan were able to catch up with the old man and his party in a month's time, which was already amazing. Of course, if they hadn't been in their ranks, they wouldn't have been able to catch up.

"The result? What are they doing? Hu Xiao listened to a few words of explanation, waved his hand and didn't listen, only asked the result. He's been anxious lately because of that, and he's been a little irritable.

"We killed them. It is also known that they are also contacting those tribes who believe in gods and horses, and they are meeting at a place called Juyingpo. It is said that a leader came from the south, and the one called the king is the one who tamed the white horse. He wants all the horse guards to form a big tribe together. Prepare to take control of the steppe and deal with our ......" Woo Lie said everything he had heard in the ranks.

"Oh?" When Hu Xiao heard this, his frowning brows relaxed a little, because he got the answer he wanted.

When he first gathered horse hunters, he said that when white horses were tamed, they would be more difficult to hunt. Because the one who tame the white horse is bound to control the movement of the herd, and it is impossible for people to do it. In this case, the herd will even trample on the gathering place of the people, leaving them as horse hunters in ruin.

However, things were exactly the opposite of what he thought. The crowd dispersed after they had gathered. The white horse also disappeared from the herd. This made it easier for them to hunt horses for food, and it also made it easier for them to domesticate horses. But this was extremely detrimental to his command. Because what he said before didn't happen. The crowd was noisy, and many wondered why he had gathered.

If it weren't for the dispersal of the horses, which made it easier for them to get food, they would have dispersed this gathering long ago.

Now, he finally understood where Hakuba and those people had gone. I also realized that things might be more dangerous than that man taming the white horse and ruling the herd. Because those who train horses are also gathering people, and horses are only tools in their hands. They are no longer dealing with herds of horses, but with organized enemies.

Knowing this, Hu Xiao showed a wry smile slightly. He finally had a reason to continue commanding the Horse Hunters. But I also feel that the situation is more complicated. Fighting people is much more dangerous than fighting herds, and this is something that everyone knows.

However, something more sinister was yet to come.

"These are said to have been brought by the king. We don't dare to hide our secrets, we are all dedicated to you. Woo Lie asked people to open the package, revealing a dazzling array of equipment inside.

Even if they had fought against the people led by Bayang before, it was the first time they had seen these equipment up close. A sharp machete that can cut the neck of a foal, a sharp spear that can pierce a horse's chest, and a bow and arrow that can shoot dozens of meters through the skin of an animal. There are also sturdy rattan hats, lamps that are not afraid of wind and rain when they are in good condition, and so on.

Hu Xiao's face became worse and worse, and his beard almost stood up like a hedgehog: "Are you saying that as long as you join that Mongolian tribe, every warrior can have these things?" ”

"Yes," he said, "I heard them say it themselves. ”

Then I'll join their tribe too. Such a thought flashed in Hu Xiao's heart. But he knew it was impossible. Because the horse hunters, regardless of the race, are the enemies of the horse guards. There will definitely be a fight when encountered. It is impossible for the horse guards to form a tribe with them.

Hu Xiao's gaze was gloomy, and he remembered something after a long time, and asked, "How many people have they gathered now?" ”

Most of the people on the grassland don't know how to count, but because the fox clan has to trade, there are ways to make people understand how many people are. One by one, Wu Lie counted with Hu Xiao the tribes he knew had taken refuge in the past, and then told him the approximate number of people in each tribe. After counting like this for almost half an hour, there was a pile of grass roots piled up on the animal skin in front of Hu Xiao.

Since the cognitive revolution 70,000 years ago, the brain circuits of Homo sapiens have been basically the same as those of later generations. At this time, even Hu Xiao didn't use decimal arithmetic. But if there is a number of people who can count in decimal system, the number will be basically around 2,000.

Hu Xiao spent almost an hour converting the number of people in his camp into three piles of grass roots, and found that the three piles of grass roots on his side were all larger than that one. He finally regained his self-confidence.

The number of their own people is more than three times that of the opponent, even if the opponent's weapons are more elite, they still have a chance of winning. He spread the grass roots calculated later on the grass roots representing the Mongolian tribes, and he could cover them tightly.

That's the advantage.

Hu Xiao and the people around him rekindled their self-confidence, and were preparing to publicize the current situation changes, so that everyone could continue to notify more people to come here and deal with these horse guards together.

Hu Xiao rewarded Wu Lie with a horse leg, but when he turned his head, he found that there were fewer people from the fox clan coming back, so he asked casually: "Where is Mao Sheng?" ”

Wu Lie hugged the horse's legs, a little embarrassed: "I don't know." ”

Hu Xiao jumped up first with a steel knife and said, "I don't know? Did he take these things and run away? ”

The fox clan is greedy and everyone knows it. His first reaction was that Mao Sheng would not be so generous to give away all these good things, and he must have hidden a big head.

Wu Lie hurriedly fell down and argued: "No." All the seizures are here. Mao Sheng didn't take anything. All the fox people here can testify. ”

Hu Xiao asked several people in a row, got the same answer, groaned, and jumped up again: "This idiot, he must have gone to that Juyingpo first." The tricks of the fox clan, even I can't deal with it, how can I deal with the king who can tame the white horse? He's annoying the enemy and causing us trouble! ”

The horse hunters are not unified in their minds now, and it is difficult to move. He was still thinking about gathering more people, and then unify to Juyingpo, and destroy the Mongol tribe in one fell swoop. Now that he saw that the fox people had gone to fight the grass and startled the snakes, he felt that it was better to advance this attack, otherwise the enemy would be more prepared, and they would have no advantage.

Hu Xiao prepared for the battle at the speed he thought was very fast. It took him three days to convince all the leaders of his headquarters to agree to send out the warriors.

Since the destination was ten days away, they also spent five days preparing food for everyone, tent skins for the road, weapons for battle, and so on.

He spent another day of the sacrifice, and then the procession departed.

But because he had informed the men of the other two divisions, and had to mobilize the horses that had already been tamed there, they waited for two more days on the road to wait for them, and another day for the distribution of horses......

In Hu Xiao's opinion, this kind of large-scale expedition, he is fast enough.

Naturally, he couldn't imagine that others could be more efficient. Preparing for the expedition of several hundred people, it took two days to prepare everything. Then they all rode horses, and they could walk for three or four days in a day.

When Hu Xiao saw a strange ghost eagle flying in the sky, he didn't know that he was staggering with a cavalry team.

The scout with the telescope spotted Hu Xiao's team in advance, and after reporting to Lin Ji, Lin Ji looked at the target fifty kilometers away on the map, estimated the progress of Hu Xiao's team, and ordered to continue moving forward and attack before dark.

Five kilometers outside the horse training branch of the horse hunters, it was already four o'clock in the afternoon. Lin Ji ordered to rest in place for an hour.

Lin Ji took out the essence to feed the horses for everyone, and also took out drinks and drinks to relieve everyone's fatigue.

Everyone rested properly, and Lin Ji assigned the line of attack according to the clues provided by the captive.

On the opposite side is a lake of more than 100 acres, around which the horse hunters live. The three hundred-man teams on Lin Ji's side attacked in three directions. The other two teams are on the periphery.

The killing in the slanting sun came suddenly and violently.

The camp by the lake had only horses, no cattle or sheep. When the dragon's team roared to the lake, some of the remaining men came out with spears. Some jumped on horseback, charging with their bare buttocks between them. The woman took refuge in the low tent with the child in her arms. The wild horses in the fence neighed excitedly and slammed into the fence.

"The people of my tribe will not kill them!" In the cavalry ranks, several people from the Hurang tribe shouted loudly. But in the rumbling hooves, I don't know if those people heard clearly.

The horse hunters have only a few hundred men here, and the number of young and strong men is not very large. The people who greeted them looked sparse.

The bare-bottomed horse-hunter rushed ahead of the man with the spear and quickly confronted the cavalry. But before they could raise the stone tools in their hands, they were attacked by an enemy from thirty or forty meters away on the opposite side. It was a rough spear with stone and bone polished.

Dozens of short spears were in the air, and many of the horse hunters fell on the way to the charge, making their already sparse team even thinner.

The speed on both sides was extremely fast, and after a wave of short spears, the two sides were connected.

The bare-bottomed horsehunter who dodged the short spear shouted and swung his bone knife out, and the opposite side also shouted and waved his weapon. The two weapons clashed, and the horse hunter found that the bone knife in his hand suddenly became lighter, and he had lost most of it.

His opponent had already staggered past him in an instant. He dodged an oncoming spear, clamped his horse's belly, and reached for an enemy who had no time to return his hand. Surprised, he felt he could pull the enemy off his horse. The speed of the horse is so high that once the enemy dismounts, he is almost dead. He no longer had a weapon in his hand, which was equivalent to an attack.

He managed to pull the enemy's arm, and even went the extra mile to prevent the enemy from struggling.

However, he noticed that the enemy did not seem to be afraid of being caught, and grabbed his arm with a backhand.

The two of them quickly pulled each other's hands, and the bare-bottomed knight felt a strong force rushing towards each other. Make him feel like he's pulling a horse.

His legs could not resist the pull, and he slipped out of the horse's belly, and he fell off the horse.

How is that possible? The moment he landed, he subconsciously looked at the enemy's foot caught in the horse's belly, and he saw that the enemy was stepping on a stirrup on the horse's belly, and the stirrup was tied to the horse's belly.

It dawned on him, but before he landed, a bowl-sized hoof had already stepped on his face.