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

Chapter 48: Slaughter of Aliens, Eight

Li Hong did not know that the news of his great victory in Mayi would cause a huge sensation after it was reported back to Luoyang.

Li Hong also didn't know that after the news of him leading his troops into the desert grasslands spread, many people in Luoyang had great expectations for his trip.

Li Hong led 30,000 cavalrymen northward and soon entered the vast grassland south of the desert.

After entering the Mo Nan grassland, Li Hong did not rush to go deeper, but began to hunt the surrounding Xianbei tribes.

On the one hand, it is to replenish the consumption needed by the 30,000-strong army.

On the other hand, Li Hong wanted to capture the guide.

Catch the guide who knows how to go to the Xianbei Royal Court!
Since we are going to attack the heartland of the Xianbei, we might as well go big and directly raid the Xianbei royal court.

The Xianbei tribe dominated the grassland and intimidated all other tribes. They were so high and mighty that their defenses were inevitably lax.

Therefore, Li Hong's target of this sudden raid on the Xianbei heartland and his crazy revenge was the Xianbei royal court.

Li Hong wanted to destroy this shining pearl on the grassland in one fell swoop.

In fact, one of the difficulties the Han army faced in attacking the grassland was the problem of direction.

Historically, this problem has troubled many Han army generals.

Just like the Flying General Li Guang.

Li Guang was a native of Chengji, Longxi. He was a famous general and national hero of the Western Han Dynasty, and a descendant of Li Xin, a famous general of the Qin Dynasty.

Li Guang became famous at a young age for his military prowess. Later, he was ordered to fight against the Huns. His prestige made the Huns dare not invade the Han Dynasty's borders for several years, and he got the name of Flying General from this.

However, in the later period of his life, he got lost and was unable to participate in the battle against the Huns in Mobei, and committed suicide out of shame. It was an extremely tragic ending.

Li Guang got lost twice, which not only shows that Li Guang had bad luck and it was difficult for him to be granted a title of nobility, but also shows that the grassland was vast and direction was a big problem for the Han army.

Li Hong had been stationed at the border of the Han Dynasty for many years. He seriously reflected on Li Guang's life and once asked himself, if one day he could reach Li Guang's level and go on expeditions to the south and north of the desert, would he make the same mistakes as Li Guang again?

Therefore, Li Hong once sent people to study and collect various maps of the grassland and the mountains and rivers on the grassland.

Let’s not talk about the Mobei grassland map for now.

Although Li Hong could recite the desert south grassland by heart, he could still know where it was as long as he could see a few of them.

However, going deep into the heartland of the alien race is a matter of great importance and cannot afford any negligence. Li Hong still felt unsafe, so he captured a large number of guides to verify the situation one by one.

On the edge of the desert grassland, Li Hong massacred eight Xianbei tribes, not only raising food and water for the army for a period of time, but also holding more than 80 Xianbei guides hostage.

After everything was ready, they began to charge deep into the grasslands south of the desert.

These more than eighty Xianbei guides were the ones who survived after Li Hong massacred eight Xianbei tribes and killed more than thirty thousand Xianbei people.

They are all elderly people with a good sense of direction and have been to many places on the grassland.

These guides were forced out by Li Hong, who had the Han army take knives and kill them one by one.

If you have no value, you will die!

If they want to become guides for the Han army, they still need to prove themselves.

Don't try to muddle through.

It was not that Li Hong was ruthless, but after Li Hong conquered the Xianbei tribe, he discovered that there were many Han slaves detained in each Xianbei tribe.

These Han slaves were trampled, exploited, and treated as inhumanely by the Xianbei people.

The Xianbei people were arrogant and held the Han slaves under their feet. Beating was the least they could do to them. They treated human life as worthless and killing people in a rage was common.

There were eight Xianbei tribes and 30,000 Xianbei people. Li Hong rescued more than 50,000 Han slaves.

These 50,000 Han slaves are all young men and women. What does this mean?
This means that over the decades, people would grow old, and the old Han slaves would die.

The massacre of eight Xianbei tribes and the rescue of more than 50,000 Han slaves made Li Hong feel more gloomy and heavy in his heart.

This trip is to take crazy revenge on the Xianbei people and make them pay a heavy price.

However, he also needed to save as many Han people as possible who were plundered by the Xianbei people.

The Han people in the northern counties of Bingzhou, such as Yunzhong, Dingxiang, Yanmen, Shuofang, and Wuyuan, had already been reduced to only one in ten alive due to the invasions of foreign races such as the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and Wuhuan.

Maybe they did not die, but were oppressed and enslaved by foreigners on the grassland.

Su Wu was lucky to be a sheep herder, and this may also be a true portrayal of the life of most Han slaves.

As a general of the Han Dynasty, Li Hong should be responsible for defending his country and protecting the people of the Han Dynasty.

Rumble~
"Drive, drive~"

Thirty thousand dusty Han cavalrymen galloped on their horses. With the luxury of one man riding three horses, their endurance was increased and their travel speed was also extremely fast.

Running under the clear blue sky of the grassland, Li Hong couldn't help but think of a poem in his mind. Chi Lechuan, under the Yinshan Mountains. The sky is like a dome, covering the whole area.

The sky is blue, the wild is vast.The wind blows the grass and sees the cattle and sheep.

"stop!"

The cavalry rushed to a high hill. Li Hong waved his hand, and generals around him such as Huangfu Song stopped the troops.

"All troops, take a break, replenish water, and rest for half an hour."

"Go and ask how far this place is from the Xianbei royal court. If the answer is inaccurate, kill him!"

Li Hong took the mare's milk from the warhorse, took a sip, and instructed Ji Ling who was standing beside him.

"promise!"

Ji Ling did not hesitate, picked up his three-pointed, double-edged sword, and gave the order.

The entire army took a rest, and the soldiers ate and drank water.

The war horses were fed with hay or ate nearby grass.

Ji Ling, however, led hundreds of Han troops and skillfully dispersed the more than 30 Xianbei guides and questioned them individually to prevent collusion.

Most of the eighty guides who set out had been killed.

They have been deep in the desert grasslands for more than ten days.

Along the way, Li Hong slaughtered many Xianbei tribes and recruited many Xianbei guides.

At its peak, the Xianbei guide group reached a maximum of 130 people.

Now the number of people slaughtered has been reduced to thirty.

"Ah, don't kill me!"

puff~

Ji Ling's three-pointed, double-edged sword stabbed into the body of a Xianbei guide, scaring the other Xianbei guides in the distance. They were terrified and hurriedly cooperated with the Han army to organize the route.

Ji Ling quickly returned to Li Hong.

"My lord, according to the consensus of the Xianbei guides, after we go around Marshal Murong's tribe a hundred miles ahead to the east, and then go north for another ten days, we will reach the Xianbei royal court."

Li Hong listened to Ji Ling's report, looked at the map, and thought about it, and he knew that this route was correct and it was indeed a relatively short route.

Along the way, Li Hong led the army to avoid large Xianbei tribes as much as possible.

Even if the army ran out of drinking water and food, they could just slaughter small Xianbei tribes to replenish them. They were extremely cautious.

Before arriving at the Xianbei king's court, Li Hong tried his best not to alarm the large Xianbei tribe.

Because the leaders of large Xianbei tribes would not be of low status, it is likely to arouse vigilance and report to the Xianbei royal court.

Just like the super-large Xianbei tribe a hundred miles ahead, it is the territory of the Murong tribe. Marshal Murong, one of the twelve Xianbei generals, stands in front of the Xianbei royal court.

"Keep going!"

Soon, an hour passed, Li Hong waved his hand, and the whole army continued to set off.

Because they were deep in the heart of the Xianbei, Li Hong led the army to be more cautious, hiding during the day and moving at night. He also sent out a large number of scouts dressed in Xianbei costumes to find out the way in advance.

In this way, Li Hong led 30,000 Han troops and marched for another fourteen days.

On this day, the army's drinking water was once again exhausted and needed to be replenished.

"We're here, we're here, we're at the royal court!"

A scream in Xianbei language suddenly rang out, attracting the attention of the surrounding Han soldiers whose faces were sallow and their mouths were dry.

But I saw a middle-aged Xianbei guide pointing happily towards the northeast.

Li Hong, Huangfu Song, Yan Liang, Ji Ling, Li Li and others all looked towards the northeast.

But I saw the shadow of a towering mountain hovering in the distant sky.

"My lord, the Xianbei people said that this is Danhan Mountain. The Xianbei royal court is at the foot of Danhan Mountain, only one day away!"

Ji Ling came to Li Hong excitedly and reported with a very excited look.

When Li Hong heard this, his eyes suddenly lit up.

The dusty and beard-faced generals around him also became excited.

Danhan Mountain, the Xianbei royal court, we’ve arrived!
(End of this chapter)