The Rebellious Officials and Traitors of the Late Han Dynasty

Chapter 520 Across the Grassland
Qin Shou looked towards the vast grassland in the east with a sharp gaze. That was the territory of the Murong tribe and the only way they had to pass on their eastward expedition.

"Pass the order down. The entire army will rest for one night. We will break camp at 3:00 am tomorrow and march eastward." Qin Shou gave the order in a deep voice.

Xun You was slightly stunned: "Your Majesty, to the east is the base of the Murong tribe. They have a strong force. We..."

Qin Shou sneered, "It is precisely because this is their lair that they did not expect us to take the initiative to attack. Ke Bi Neng wants us to fight the Duan and Murong tribes head-on, but we are not what he wants. Since the main force of the Murong tribe has been dispatched to pursue us, their lair must be empty. We will go straight to Huanglong and destroy their lair, and see how they can chase us!"

Xun You's eyes flashed with enlightenment, and he praised: "Your Majesty is wise! This plan is brilliant!"

"Our target is not the Murong tribe, but the Eastern Xianbei, Budugen." Qin Shou suddenly laughed and said, "As long as the grassland is not in chaos, where will we have a chance? This is the same as the Central Plains. If the Central Plains is not in chaos, where will the grassland have a chance?"

After hearing this, Xun You immediately understood Qin Shou's plan. His eyes had already gone beyond the main force of Kebineng in front of him, and directly locked onto the Xianbei people on the entire grassland.

Whether it is the Duan tribe or the Murong tribe, they are all Qin Shou's pawns.

By the time the Murong and Duan troops arrived at the camp, the place was in a mess. The Tang army had already fled with one man on three horses, disappearing without a trace.

"Gone?" Ke Bineng came upon hearing the news. Looking at the mess by the river and the abandoned old and weak Xianbei people, he was so angry that his whole body was shaking. It was really too hateful.

"Some people say that the Tang army is heading west, with one man riding three horses. It may be difficult for us to catch up with them." Murong Ke said with a wry smile.

They had planned everything, but they had never imagined that Qin Shou would actually flee from the battle, lacking the dignity of an emperor at all.

"They are not heading west. There are not enough people in the west to support them. They must have gone to the west first, and then turned to the east." Xu You said confidently.

"Murong tribe?" Ke Bineng suddenly thought of something and his face turned grim.

No one can ignore the power of one man and three horses, which can shake off any pursuer in a very short time. Moreover, several days have passed, and it is extremely difficult to catch up.

"He is indeed a treacherous fellow." Ke Bineng was very angry. He jumped on his horse and shouted, "No matter what, let's catch up with him first."

Ke Bineng couldn't imagine what the consequences would be if this fierce army entered the heartland of the Murong tribe or even the Duan tribe. He didn't want to be led by Qin Shou, but there was nothing he could do now.

If he didn't rescue the two divisions, the alliance would surely fall apart, and Qin Shou would no longer be a match for him.

So, he had to chase.

Ke Bineng led the army in pursuit westward for half a day, then suddenly pulled the reins, his face becoming terribly gloomy.

"Chanyu, what's wrong?" Xu You rode forward and asked.

"No." Ke Bineng narrowed his eyes. "The Emperor of Tang has three horses and a huge momentum. Even if he goes to the west first and then to the east to attack the Murong tribe, it is only a matter of time before the news leaks out. I'm afraid it won't be that simple." Xu You nodded, and finally could only sigh: "Chanyu, what lies before us now is not to stop the other party, but to minimize the losses as much as possible."

Kebi Neng was helpless after hearing this and could only lead his army in pursuit. The further east he went, the worse the situation became. Killing was seen everywhere. All the tribal men along the way who were taller than the wheels were killed, and no one knew how much cattle, sheep and property were looted. Burning, killing and looting seemed to have become synonymous with the Tang army.

In fact, their brutality far exceeded that of the Xianbei army. They had no sense of propriety, righteousness, integrity and shame of the Han people in the Central Plains. They were clearly a group of robbers and bandits.

Kebi Neng looked at the burned-down camp with anger in his eyes. The broken tents were still emitting black smoke, the bodies of the Xianbei warriors were lying on the ground, and the cries of women and children were floating in the wind.

Xu You's lips trembled, and he could not hide his fear. He had been in the Central Plains for a long time and knew the advantage of the Central Plains army, which was that the military discipline was far superior to that of the grassland soldiers.

Now the Central Plains cavalry have abandoned military discipline and are like a group of hungry wolves, burning, killing and looting on the grassland. What's more terrifying is that the leader of the team is the emperor of the Central Plains. The appearance of such an army on the grassland is simply a nightmare for the grassland.

At this moment, Xu You even regretted joining the Xianbei tribe. According to the current situation, the Xianbei tribe is likely to fail. Once defeated, will he still have a chance to escape?
Qin Shou, who was a hundred miles away, had no idea what Xu You was thinking. Even if he knew, he would not take it to heart.

When the Central Plains is weak, the grassland is a powerful enemy. When the Central Plains is strong, the grassland is the horse farm of the Central Plains. Whenever there is a need for war horses, they are snatched from the grassland.

Qin Shou stood on a high slope, looking at the smoke rising in the distance, with a cold smile on his face. Behind him, tens of thousands of Tang cavalry were resting, their horses neighing, their swords and spears like a forest.

"Your Majesty, the scouts report that Kebineng's army has chased to within a hundred miles." Xu Chu rode forward to report.

"You've come just in time." Qin Shou turned to look at Xun You and asked, "Gongda, in your opinion, what should we do next?"

Xun You stroked his beard and thought for a moment, then said, "We have already led away the main force of the Murong tribe, and their base is empty. We should take advantage of the situation and attack the Murong royal court directly, and destroy their foundation in one fell swoop."

"No." Qin Shou shook his head. "The Murong tribe is just an appetizer. Our target is the entire Eastern Xianbei." He pointed to the northeast. "Budugen and Kebi Neng are the big fish. Although the opportunity is in front of us, I believe that we can have a big one this time."

Now the Duan tribe, the Murong tribe and even the main force of the Xianbei have been mobilized by him. With one man and three horses, he can calmly deploy troops on the grassland, and in turn, severely damage his enemies and make them run for their lives.

But this would give Budugen a chance to recuperate, which is definitely not what a good commander should do. Only by mobilizing the entire grassland and making it never peaceful, and only when the grassland is in chaos, would he have a chance to kill his way through the entire grassland.

Qin Shou's gaze passed across the vast grassland, as if he had seen a more distant future.

"Pass the order. The army will rest for an hour and then continue to move east. Take the injured brothers with you. We can move slower, but we must not let the enemy catch up with us. We should lead these Xianbei people around the grassland like walking a dog. We are tired, but they are more tired than us."

Qin Shou said viciously.

(End of this chapter)