Dahan: A 100-year-old veteran, I will build the strongest family

Chapter 44: Slaughter of Aliens

The Chinese military tent.

Li Hong sat in the main seat.

The injured Li Li and Dian Wei stood beside Li Hong.

Huangfu Song, Yan Liang, Xu Huang, Ji Ling and others were all covered in wounds, but their faces were flushed, and it was obvious that they had enjoyed the battle.

At this time, generals Tian Yan, Zang Min, Pan Feng, Zhang Fei and others, who led the infantry and baggage, finally arrived.

Obviously they missed a big victory, which made them look regretful and envious.

All the generals gathered in the big tent.

"General, our army won a great victory in this battle. We killed more than 17,000 enemies, and took no prisoners except Budugen and Yufuluo. We captured 23,000 intact war horses and more than 3,200 sheep. In addition, we captured 70,000 dan of grain, 21,000 weapons, mainly scimitars and spears, and 3,000 sets of damaged leather armor, which can all be repaired."

Huangfu Song reported the battle report to Li Hong with some excitement.

I heard Huangfu Song talking about the great victory.

Inside the big tent, Li Li, Dian Wei, Yan Liang, Xu Huang, Ji Ling and other officers showed excitement on their faces.

Although they had all just joined the army, it did not prevent them from knowing that this was a great victory that was inspiring enough.

Killing more than 17,000 foreign tribes, capturing 23,000 intact war horses, more than 3,200 sheep, and 70,000 shi of grain, what does this mean?
You have to know that in recent decades, the national strength of the Han Dynasty has declined, especially against the Xianbei, where they have been on the defensive and it has been difficult to even maintain a draw. This great victory is truly a rare one.

Tian Yan, Zang Min, Pan Feng, Zhang Fei and other generals who missed the opportunity heard about this victory and were so distressed that they slapped their thighs.

Such a big victory, yet they didn’t even catch up!
Li Hong sat in the main seat and stroked his beard. He felt a little happy in his heart. After all, he had been guarding the border for many years and had killed no more than 10,000 foreigners in total. Now he killed so many in one battle.

However, Li Hong did not get carried away. He understood that this battle was still due to the merits of the three treasures of Ma Zhong. He glanced at the excited people and said in a deep voice:

"It was a great victory, but they captured 70,000 dan of grain. I'm afraid that was all looted from the homes of the people in Yanmen County. 70,000 dan, how many Han people's homes were destroyed?"

Li Hong's voice resounded, and it was filled with murderous intent and anger, which startled the excited Huangfu Song, Li Li, Yan Liang and others.

The next moment, they all realized something.

His face couldn't help but become gloomy.

One stone of grain is enough for an ordinary person to eat for one or two months.

One can imagine how deep the blood debt is behind the 70,000 shi of grain.
And these grains mainly come from Mayi County.

If a county produces so much grain, how many families will be ruined?
"What about our army's casualties?" Li Hong continued to ask when he saw that everyone's excitement had faded.

Huangfu Song was no longer excited. He took a deep breath and said:

"General, since our army entered Mayi, 2,189 soldiers have been killed and more than 3,600 have been injured or wounded, totaling 6,000 casualties. Among them, 2,000 are lightly wounded. After taking the prescription given by the old general, they should be able to rejoin the army soon."

A total of 6,000 casualties! This data made the hearts of Li Li, Yan Liang and other officers, who were just excited, completely sink.

Nearly a third of the cavalry were killed or wounded.

Two thousand one hundred and eighty-nine lives just disappeared around them.

Li Hong understood that this data was already good.

If it weren't for the blessing of the three treasures of Ma Zhong, it would have been impossible to kill 18,000 foreign cavalrymen in a field battle between the two sides, even if 20,000 Han soldiers died.

"Let the wounded continue to take external injury medicine. There is not enough medicinal materials. Li Li, you must mobilize all the resources from the Li family. Our soldiers did not die on the battlefield, and they must not die in the barracks." Li Hong ordered Li Li.

He was not idle when the war ended.

With the medical skills of the Medicine Saint Li Shizhen, Li Hong did his best to treat the injured soldiers, prescribed various prescriptions, and finally brought back many soldiers.

"Yes!" Li Li responded immediately after hearing this.

Li Hong looked at Huangfu Song again, thought for a moment, and then said in a deep voice:

"The soldiers who died in the battle all died to protect our Han territory. They are heroes of the Han Dynasty. Even though they are dead, they are still heroic souls of the Han Dynasty and should be respected and worshipped by the Han people who protected them."

"All the bodies of the soldiers who died in the battle will be collected and recorded in a book. When I return to Luoyang, I will personally ask Your Majesty to build a tomb for the heroic souls of the Han people and provide compensation for their families."

Li Hong's words shocked all the generals in the tent.

They are all brave men, and naturally they are not afraid of life or death, nor are they afraid of fighting with foreign races.

But they are afraid of dying without any noise and dying worthlessly.

Now Li Hong wants to build a tomb for the heroes who died in the battle, and they are very happy that their death was valuable and worthy, and that their families will be provided with relief and compensation after their death.

"General, you are so merciful. I will remember the identities of the soldiers and not miss a single one!" Huangfu Song said to Li Hong with admiration.

He naturally knew how much resistance there would be.

In the past, it's not that no one had petitioned the court, but there was no response. Since Li Hong has made this determination, the chances of success are much greater.

"Old general, do you... do you really want to lead your troops into the heartland of the Xianbei?" Suddenly, Huangfu Song hesitated and said to Li Hong.

As soon as Huangfu Song finished speaking, the tent suddenly became quiet.

All the generals looked at Li Hong.

Especially Tian Yan, Zang Min, Pan Feng, Zhang Fei and other generals who came later would be shocked.

Before they even had a chance to win a battle, they heard the explosive news that Li Hong was going to lead his troops into the heartland of the Xianbei.

This is a direct explosion.

That means they are marching into the heartland of the Xianbei.

It is absolutely dangerous, even a life-threatening situation.

Throughout history, how many people have been able to lead their troops and escape unscathed?

Li Hong saw that all the generals were looking at him nervously and anxiously. He stroked his beard without hesitation and responded to the generals directly for the first time. He said in a deep voice:
"You have all used the three treasures of horses. You should understand that the double-sided stirrups can enhance your stability and even allow you to easily take advantage of the horse's momentum, which can greatly enhance the combat effectiveness of the cavalry."

"In addition to the double stirrups, the horse's iron hoof is also something that cannot be ignored. I'm afraid you have all overlooked it?"

"Horse iron shoes can protect the horse's hooves and greatly enhance the horse's hoof's tolerance. In other words, the three treasures of horses not only improve the cavalry's combat effectiveness, but also the horse's ability to travel long distances."

"Now, the double-sided stirrups allow you to defeat the foreign cavalry head-on, but the true effectiveness of the horse's iron hooves has not yet been revealed?"

A strange smile appeared on Li Hong's face, and he smiled at everyone's surprised gazes:
"Think about it, if a horse gallops for a long time or travels a long distance, because the horse's hooves are not protected, their hooves will be extremely worn out and they will no longer be able to run."

"And our war horses are all equipped with iron hooves. Not only do they have a higher burst speed, but their hooves are also protected, so the horses can travel hundreds or even thousands of miles. They have strong charging capabilities and high speed, and their hooves won't be damaged much."

"If we march into the heart of the Xianbei, will the Xianbei cavalry be able to catch up with us? Can they outrun our horses?"

"The double-sided stirrups greatly increase the combat power of our Han cavalry, and the iron hooves enhance the combat power of horses. We have such a good opportunity. The foreigners have not yet realized the existence of the three treasures among horses. As long as we catch a few dozen guides and don't get lost, what can the foreigners do to us? Don't you want to rush into the heartland of the Xianbei? Don't you want to emulate Huo Qubing, seal the Wolf's Lair, and trample the Xianbei royal court with your horses?"

Li Hong's powerful voice resounded in the big tent. Huangfu Song, Tian Yan, Zang Min and other generals were all shocked and looked at each other, with shock in their eyes.

Li Hong's words were like a wake-up call, ringing in their hearts. They were immediately reminded by Li Hong, and suddenly realized with some disbelief that their conditions were so good?

In the main seat, Li Hong stroked his gray beard, sat steadily, and said nothing.

He has said everything he needed to say.

Huangfu Song, Tian Yan and Zang Min were all shocked, but then they thought that what Li Hong said seemed to be true.

Since their war horses were equipped with iron horseshoes, they have hardly been worn out, even when running for long periods of time, as long as they are given time to rest.

Then, all the officers and soldiers in the tent became excited.

They became excited because of Li Hong's words, "Don't you want to charge into the heartland of the Xianbei? Don't you want to emulate Huo Qubing, who conquered the Wolf's Lair and trampled upon the Xianbei royal court?"

Imitate Huo Qubing, seal the Wolf's Lair, and trample upon the Xianbei royal court!
As a man, who wouldn’t want that?
"Old General, I, Zang Min, am willing to follow you into the heart of the Xianbei!" Zang Min's old face was excited, revealing his excitement.
Having been a soldier all his life, he never thought he would have such an opportunity again.

"Old General, I, Tian Yan, swear to follow you till death!"

"General, I, Zhang Fei, am willing to follow you!"

"General Pan Feng..."

"Grandpa, I, Li Li will go too..." Li Li shouted excitedly.

Voices requesting to fight and following the lead rang out, and all the generals realized that this might be a chance to become famous throughout the world and even to go down in history, so they were all quite excited.

Li Hong looked at all the generals who had stood up, and felt that the army's morale was good. He stroked his gray beard and said with a smile:
"Alright! It's too early to talk about this now. The most urgent task is, on the one hand, to recruit more young and strong soldiers who can ride horses. We can't delay if we go deep into the enemy's territory alone. We also need to build more horses, the three treasures. On the other hand, we must make every effort to defeat the 100,000 aliens who invaded Yanmen County. If we don't eliminate the 100,000 aliens, how can we fight back and enter the heart of the grassland?"

Li Hong's voice immediately brought the generals back to their senses. They all had murderous intent in their eyes. The great victory in one battle gave them confidence.

Soon, all the officers and soldiers of the Han army learned about this military meeting and understood that as long as they defeated the 100,000 foreigners who invaded Yanmen County, they would follow the example of Huo Qubing and march into the heart of the grassland, and might even trample upon the Xianbei royal court. This made all the officers and soldiers of the Han army eager to prepare for war, wiping their weapons, calibrating their heavy crossbows, and investigating the movements of the foreigners in various parts of Yanmen.

Li Hong also concealed the real news, spreading the news that only more than 10,000 Han troops had captured Budugen and Yufuluo.

As soon as the news of Li Hong's defeat and capture of Budugen and Yu Furuo spread, the foreigners who were scattered in other counties of Yanmen County and burned, killed and looted were in an uproar.

After learning that the Han army had only more than 10,000 soldiers, the ethnic minorities in Yinguan, Juyang, Pingxian and other places gathered together and attacked Mayi.

They did not wait for all the troops to gather together.

In their view, the Han army had more than 10,000 soldiers, and their several thousand cavalry could defeat them in a field battle.

Therefore, more than 80,000 foreign cavalrymen, from near and far, galloped towards Mayi to attack and kill.

At this time, the strategy formulated by the Han army to capture the bandits and their leaders, and to induce the Xianbei and Xiongnu cavalry scattered in various counties of Yanmen County to rush to the rescue, had reached the most critical time point.

(End of this chapter)