Chapter 5: Deer Hunting (Part I)

Looking at the snow outside, which began to melt day by day, the big Ejin Livier of the Suotou Xi Department sighed uncontrollably. Spring is coming again, but this spring is a spring of death, last winter when his own tribe went to attack Su Sibu, but was killed by the other party and lost. Of the 5,000 tribe's strongest shepherds, only about 2,000 returned, and all of them were terrified.

"Su Si is blessed by the silver wolf!" That's what every redeemed elder said. As if not mentioning the monster with its silver-gray fur was not enough to hide their shame of being captured by the enemy. But the more this happens, the less courageous the shepherds are to resist the enemy. One winter passed, and more than 800 shepherds were working as cattle and horses in each other's hands. The people of the tribe were very dissatisfied with the unfair behavior of the elders who only ransomed their own sons and nephews, and refused to redeem the sons and husbands of ordinary people, and often gathered at the gate of the central tent to protest. But Liver's solution to their plight was not a solution, and the tribe had been devastated when it was expelled by the Turks last fall. The winter fiasco deprived them of the only stock of cattle and sheep. The lion of Su Sibu opened his mouth, a herdsman asked for ten sheep or two horses to ransom him, where did Suo Touxi get so many cows, sheep and horses?

"Philip Fu, didn't Su Si allow us to pay in batches? There seem to be hundreds of horses in the treasury. The elder Wu Yile, who was the first to be released, reminded thoughtlessly. The old guy was frightened by the enemy, and he insisted on a truce with Suotou Xi after knowing that after paying the ransom, most of the people of Suotou Xi would not survive the next winter.

"Give them the horses, in case they call, what will we give to our warriors?" He asked loudly, looking like a defeated rooster. No one understood his difficulties, and the herdsmen laughed at him for being too timid to live and die with his brothers. The elders thought he was stubborn, and he was reluctant to accept the last few hundred horses in the treasury. But who is willing to think about him, if he dies in battle that day, Suotou Xi will be gone, and the elders who are detached from the appearance and gods will definitely take advantage of the civil strife to divide up Suotou Xi's department. If he redeems the people with his horses today, the warriors will have to meet them on foot when the enemy comes. Is it possible to win against someone else's cavalry with the same number of infantry in a wide steppe?

In desperation, he had no choice but to send Wu Yile, a coward, to ask the enemy for mercy again and again. This old guy has been humiliated by the people many times, and he has already developed an iron face. He didn't expect the vicious people to relent, he only hoped that the old guy Wuyile would delay the enemy's attack, and it would only take one spring. The Ashina family, the Turkic people far away on the banks of the Egen River, had already received the news, and for the sake of the Suotou Xi tribe for many years of deference and courtesy, they promised to send someone to mediate the matter after Xuehua. As the co-leader of each tribe, he ordered the Zhufei coalition army to put down their butcher's knives and leave a way for the Suotou Xi tribe to live.

Uyile went for five days, and returned in the morning of the sixth day with a pale face. He only brought back one sentence, "Susisir said he was going to take the compensation himself!" Then he fainted.

Frightened, he quickly ordered the horn to be sounded, the wolf smoke was lit, and all the people who were grazing outside were ordered to return to the camp to prepare for battle. But except for a few elders' families, most of the clansmen did not obey his orders. The grass along the river has sprouted, and if the animals are fattened in the spring, they will reproduce in the summer. By the end of the following fall, the more affluent shepherds would be able to redeem their sons and husbands on their own. Lord Ejin only cares about running for his life, the elders only care about redeeming their children and nephews, and everyone has to think of a way for themselves. It's fair, don't complain about anyone's cruelty.

He blew the trumpet over and over again, and lit the wolf smoke over and over again. He even personally ran all over the grasslands within a radius of 100 miles with Daxu, which represented the dignity of Aijin. He swore to the immortal heaven again and again, knelt on the ground and prayed again and again, promising the shepherds that as long as the tribe survived this crisis, he would empty the public treasury and ransom the captured herdsmen.

At noon on the third day, he finally gathered 4,000 shepherds who could mount and fight. More than a thousand of them were old men and children, and their strength was not enough to draw a full horned bow. Inside the camp, there are also more than 5,000 women, who can also rush forward to block swords and arrows for their people at critical moments

The scouts sent out also sent back information one after another, and the Zhuqi coalition army marched slowly, almost with sheep and herdsmen, and marched while grazing. The speed of advance does not exceed fifty miles every day, and the walk is half a day and half a day.

He let out a sigh of relief. If marching at this pace, it would take three more days for the enemy to approach their camp. He also has the opportunity to call back more shepherds through family affection and raise more bows and arrows and horses.

In the evening, the scouts sent in reports of the exact opposite. The more than 3,000 people of the Zhuqi coalition army suddenly increased their speed, marching more than 100 miles that day, and according to the current way, they only needed half a day to break into Suotouxi's camp.

He panicked again and quickly ordered all the fighters to take precautions. Last time, the enemy took advantage of their negligence at night to tie the felt under the horses' hooves and rob the camp. This time, the same tragedy cannot be allowed to happen again in any way.

The crowd stayed up all night, but the next morning they received another piece of information. The allied forces of Zhufei stopped at Taladianzi, about fifty miles away from the tribe, yesterday and did not advance all night. He was so tired that he really couldn't figure out what the people led by Susisir were going to do. If you want to fight to the death with Suo Touxi, quickly cover up and make quick contact is the most effective tactic. Isn't this stop-and-go method of marching prepared by the adversary?

Puzzled, he had no choice but to order the shepherds to go into the tent and rest. As soon as the order was laid, the alarm horn sounded again in the grassland. A group of exhausted scouts hurriedly arrived, and the coalition forces of the Misty Force pulled out their camp again and rushed over as fast as they could.

"Blow the horn, blow the horn!" He commanded loudly, and he heard panic in his own voice. This was something that had never happened to him in his life, and even if he encountered wolves on the grassland alone, he was not frightened to this extent. Of course, that happened when he was sixteen years old, and now he is approaching fifty years old.

The shepherds, who had just fallen down, screamed and got up again, everyone was exhausted, everyone hoped that the war would happen sooner. It's too torturous to fight like this, whether it's dead or alive, it's better to give a knife.

The evil people stopped again three miles away from the Suotou Xibu camp. Nearly a thousand scrawny slaves with cowhide cords on their feet were escorted out of the back of the horse caravan. Carrying a stake, under the whip of the fierce overseer of the mist, he began to build a camp for his old enemy.

The samurai dismounted, ignoring the distant cries and hateful glances, and spent their time drinking and resting. They then sent a message from the captives demanding that the Suotou Xi people either pay the entire war reparations at once, or leave the shores of the Crescent Lake, or the horses of the warriors would level the camp.

The sound of cries and curses resounded throughout the Suotouxi tribe, and most of the elders' sons and nephews were ransomed. And those who fell into the hands of the enemy were all the children of ordinary shepherds. Their parents and brothers are holding weapons at the moment, guarding the camp for Da Ejin. Seeing that they were suffering under the whip of the enemy but could not save them, if the two armies fought, the wicked people would surely use the prisoners as a shield.

"They said they had to get an accurate answer the day after tomorrow by noon!" The repatriated clansmen gasped. After more than four months as a herdsman slave to the enemy, he suffered a lot, and under the multiple tortures of cold, hunger, and fear, his whole person had become disfigured.

"Gather the clansmen, and we will make compensation immediately!" He said helplessly. He saw the lineup that the other party was camping, and it was not something that the current scarred Suo Tou Xi people could resist. Nearly 3,000 well-trained samurai, more than 6,000 war horses, and countless ordinary shepherds who followed the ranks to escort and feed. The grassland was already trembling under this force, and Suotou Xibu had to bend his knees before the demons.

Xu Dayan and Su Sixier stood side by side in front of the coalition forces. The wooden fence on the outskirts of the camp was nearing completion, and Xi captives under the watchful eye of whips and scimitars were scrambling to dig graves for their own people. After resting for more than an hour, the samurai had adjusted their physical strength to the best condition, and the horses that had rearranged their saddles, stirrups, and reins were also snorting anxiously, waiting for the last moment to come.

The hastily erected fence was only two feet high, and although it was neat, it could not stop the horses from leaping. And the cruel overseers and scarred shepherds attracted all the attention of the other party, and almost all the Xi people were busy raising supplies to buy their own families, and no one thought that the wooden fence of the Su Si Department was just to confuse their judgment.

Li Xu, who was following behind Xu Dayan, couldn't bear to look at the camp tent in the distance, and after half of the incense around him burned out, it would become the target of the cavalry attack. Xu Dayan is a natural conspirator, and he deliberately put the deadline for delivery at noon tomorrow. Most of the people in the camp opposite are already destined not to see the sun tomorrow morning.

"They killed Bashimi and Calyx!" Li Xu felt that his hand holding the knife was trembling, this was the first time he took the initiative to attack others, except for a little excitement, the flesh skin from his hair to the soles of his feet felt extremely tight. But Xu Dayan in front of him was calm and calm, as if he was playing an interesting game.

"Follow me!" Xu Dayan heard Li Xu's breathing, turned his head, smiled at him, and showed a mouthful of neat white teeth. Then, he raised his left hand and patted Sucsil lightly on the back.

The wool basket in Susier's hand suddenly lifted and pointed diagonally forward.

"Boom!" It was as if Tianhe had broken in an instant. The spirited warriors jumped on horseback, and under the leadership of their respective brigade commanders (Sui system, centurion), they rode over the fence of the camp and the heads of the stunned herdsmen, and the wind swept towards the Xi camp. (Note 1)

Xu Dayan's four months of hard work finally saw the results, more than 20 teams of 100 people formed three sharp swords in the process of running at high speed, one slashed to the middle of the Xibu camp, one to the left, and the other to the right.

There were no shouts, no horns, only the rushing wind, mixed with the rumbling hooves of horses and a strong murderous aura, which swept into the camp of the Xi people.

"Enemy attack!" A man who was counting his cattle and sheep raised his head and let out a frightened scream. His screams were then drowned out by the heart-rending sound of a trumpet.

He kept an eye on the herdsmen and did not let all the shepherds collect the cattle and sheep. He placed the best of a thousand soldiers behind the wall, and placed a scout with a horn every two hundred paces.

It's a pity that he didn't calculate how long it would take for a war horse to cross the distance of three miles. That little time was not enough, and he made the right decision when he got the news of the enemy's attack.

The facts give the most correct answer. Before the horn sounded for the third alarm, the warrior of the Fei clan who rushed forward had already released the bow in his hand. More than 2,700 feathered arrows broke through the air and smashed behind the wall like hail. Whether it was the Xi soldiers who were pulling their horses in a panic, or the old and weak shepherds who were praying for mercy in fear, they were all covered by this wave of feathered arrows.

The sound of "poof" and "poof" of feather arrows shooting into the body, the slightest sound of blood spurting, and the cries of people and the wails of horses are intertwined. Li Xu, who rushed forward on his horse, saw Ah Silan raise his hand and put the second feather arrow on the bowstring.

"Squeak!" Whistling arrows fell behind the wall. Immediately after, a black whirlwind rose from the horse team and followed the trajectory of the ringing arrow to the same spot. It was the densest place for Xi warriors, and they didn't know how to deal with the first wave of feather arrows, holding knives and pulling horses, making a mess.

Li Xu saw the blood flowers coming out of the other party's body, just like the fire in the furnace of the coppersmith master, it was scorching red. Then, he saw a pair of unwilling eyes. Then, his war horse followed the brigade and broke through the gate of the village that Ah Silan and the others had forced open, and rushed to the center of the camp with the corpse of the Xi people.

"Split up!" Li Xu saw Su Sixier waving a signal flag cut from Shu brocade. It was the one he brought to Su Sibu to buy, and it was the most popular clothing material for the women of the Xia tribe last year. Now, the few pieces of Shu brocade that were purchased by Elder Eto have appeared. Li Xu clearly remembered that for the sake of Elder Eto's kindness to him, he also gave the old man a 10% discount.

The signal flag cut by Shu brocade is not hanging or rolling, and the color is distinct. The heralds in each team, who had been staring at the central war, saw it clearly, took out their horns, and issued the orders they were familiar with after more than four months of training in the tune of a long song. Hearing the order, the team that rushed into the Xi camp suddenly separated, one followed Xu Dayan and Su Si Xier straight to the other party's central tent, and the other adjusted its direction and swept the panicked Xi people along the camp fence. Regardless of whether the opponent has a weapon in his hand or not, the scimitar passes everywhere, leaving behind a bloody light.

Another team did not enter the camp, but went around the outside of the fence to the flank of the Xi camp, and their task was to break through on the flanks and disperse the resistance of the Xi people as much as possible. Panicked shepherds constantly jumped over the fence of the camp in an attempt to escape, and the whirlwind warriors of the Hail tribe chased after them with scimitars and feathered arrows outside the camp, without any mercy in their hearts.

Moments before the enemy approached his central tent, he finally organized a resistance force of less than two hundred. Most of the Xi soldiers didn't have time to get on their horses, holding their scimitars high, and using their flesh and blood to delay the enemy's horses. A few warriors drew their bows, trying to create a little confusion when the other party rushed closer, but the guards beside Susisir shot their bows and arrows one after another beside the big tent, and they didn't have time to shoot the feathered arrows in their hands.

He knew that Suotouxi was finished, and the moment the opponent's war horse broke through the wooden fence of the camp, he knew that there would be no more Suotouxi tribe on the land from now on. The wailing of the clansmen gave him the last courage, and this time he did not choose to flee, but rode a war horse, with the last dozen warriors, and killed Su Sixier and the others like moths to the fire.

The distance between the two sides was very close, and the feather arrow did not have time to shoot a second time. Susisir handed the banner to his clansmen, and drew his scimitar to meet him. The two of them are both tribal Aijin. The other party asked to die in battle, and according to the rules of the grassland, he should give him this honor.

At the moment when the two horses staggered, he suddenly changed direction, bypassed Susier, and pounced on the team behind Susisir with a long roar. He saw the legendary wolf, and he also saw the young man beside the wolf.

It was that young man who brought bad luck to Suotou Xibu. Without him, the scouts wouldn't have spread rumors that the Holy Wolf had bestowed power on an alien boy. Without him, Suotou Xi people would not be unable to resist in the face of strong enemies. This boy is the culprit who destroyed the Suo Tou Xi people, and he can die, but he must be martyred for himself.

The instantaneous change made many people too late to react, Xu Dayan intercepted with a spear, but was blocked by another Xi warrior who followed behind him with his body. The guards assigned to Li Xu moved forward with their swords, and they were also rushed away by the last few red-eyed Xi warriors.

He rushed to Li Xu's horse as fast as he could, and he saw the panic on the young man's face and the nervousness when he raised the knife. With his combat experience, he only needed a single knife to definitely cut the boy under the horse. The scimitar threw a bolt of lightning in the slanting sun, straight to the center of the boy's eyebrows. Suddenly, the war horse under the crotch neighed, and its front hooves jumped high.

The inevitable sword light lost its way, and in his panic, he saw a silver-white wolf shaking his still thin body and hanging his teeth from the neck of the war horse. He put away his knife to slash the little wolf Ganluo, and the moment his arm bent back, he felt a chill in his chest.

The second horse made a mistake in the stirrup, and Li Xu instinctively used a horizontal swing, which was the second basic move of the knife technique, with a total of six directions. When he was learning to use a knife, when his chest was exposed for the first time, the coppersmith master used this trick to slap him in the body.

"Remember to use the blade!" The coppersmith told Li Xu at that time that he didn't forget a word.

"Kill the Thief Chief!" There was a thunderous sound of joy in all directions, and Xu Dayan, who was so frightened that he almost lost his soul, stabbed his opponent to death, and ran towards Li Xu, and while running, he stretched out his congratulatory palm to his good brother.

Li Xu raised his left hand and slapped it with Xu Dayan's right palm, but there was no trace of joy on his face after revenge. He had forgotten to jump off his horse to cut off Liver's head, and he had forgotten to rush over and cut down the wool as he had done last time. Just the horse rushed forward, forward, forward.

Crying resounded all around him, and the frightened old and weak Xi Ren knelt in a pool of blood, and kept kowtowing to the samurai and begging for their lives. Li Xu didn't want to hear the crying, he didn't want to see the blood, he just wanted to find out the scout leader who led the team to attack and deceive him at that time.

It wasn't to avenge his companions, there was no hatred in his heart. He just wanted to ask why the other party attacked him and why he took the initiative to attack. Although Li Xu knew clearly in his heart that even if the scouts did not attack, this war was bound to happen. However, he wished he could hear a different answer, that he could find a little relief.

Even if it's a little bit false.

"Detachment, detachment!" The hundred Su Sibu warriors assigned to Li Xu cheered and rushed back and forth behind Li Xu. Wherever there was enemy resistance, Li Xu had to rush over. As soon as Ganluo's figure appeared in front of the enemy, the enemy's resistance was immediately weakened, and in the blink of an eye, it was extinguished on the spot by the samurai of the Susibu tribe.

"Detachment is the bravest warrior!" Sussier looked at the young man who was gradually moving away, and his eyes were full of appreciation.

"Detachment, detachment!" The warriors cheered Li Xu's Turkic name, full of pride.

In addition to the cheers, the wails of the women and children of the Xi nationality who have lost their relatives and homes are particularly harsh.

Note 1: The Sui military system has 300 captains. Brigade marshal, with jurisdiction over 100 people. The team has 50 people in charge and the fire chief has 5 people.