Water Margin begins as a captain in Yanggu County

Chapter 272 I'm going to kill someone!
How to be more proactive is also a question. Su Wu had actually thought about this issue. In the past, there were few cavalry, so the Song army was actually very passive in terms of strategy and tactics, and was also constrained and unable to be aggressive.

From the moment Su Wu joined the army, he devoted himself to building up his cavalry. Now, he has finally managed to gather eight thousand cavalrymen. With the addition of the cavalrymen from Fuyan, Huanqing, and Guanzhong, he can easily raise thirteen or fourteen thousand cavalrymen.

This number already gives us a fighting chance and puts us in some control.

Su Wu was thinking, and he was also making a certain decision.

As he was thinking, Yao Pingzhong returned, bowed, and brought back several items: "Commander Su, the seal, the imperial edict..."

Su Wu took it, looked at it, and nodded: "You won't cause trouble, will you?"

"Don't worry, Commander Su, there won't be any trouble. We dug some semi-cellars, built shacks on top of them, and covered them with thick sand. We didn't leave any doors, just a few small holes for ventilation and light. Then we set up tents on top of them, and the guards lived in the tents. The cook was in charge of their food, drink and other necessities. There's no chance of anything going wrong."

Yao Pingzhong was adept at adapting to local conditions, and Su Wu nodded and said, "Beat the drums to gather the generals!"

"Order!"

As soon as the drums sounded, the generals gathered, and a tense atmosphere filled the tent. How could they not read the emperor's edict?
It also says that the country is unified, the state lasts for ten thousand years, the glory of the Han and Tang dynasties is restored, the ancestors are inherited, and the descendants are supported. The emperor encourages and rewards the people with money and grain, and so on...

Sure enough, once the emperor's edict was read, the generals were indeed eager to fight, seeking merit, wealth, and of course, honor.

All eyes were already on Su Wu, and their gazes were filled with longing.

Su Wu sat in the center of the tent, his hands supporting his knees, his back straight but slightly leaning forward, and said: "The strategies I have devised are all in my mind. As for the path to victory or defeat, there is no need to say more. You all came with me to make contributions and establish our careers, and you know what I'm doing!"

Su Wu speaks with increasing confidence these days.

The generals seemed to agree with these words, nodding repeatedly.

Su Wu continued, “This time is different from the past. We need to lure the main force of the Dangxiang people to the vicinity of the border. Therefore, although our army is gathered here, we are not in a hurry to go north to attack. We are waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out. In order to lure the Dangxiang people over, I will lead more than 10,000 cavalry to attack. After I leave, the affairs of the army will be handled by Minister Xiao Zhong, with General Yao as the assistant and Commander Xu as the military advisor. There is no rush to attack the city. The priority is to build camps and stockpile grain, fodder, timber, and weapons. If the Dangxiang army really attacks, we should just retreat to the camps and defend!”

Clearly, Zhong Shidao was in Su Wu's army, and at this time he was leading troops in Qinzhou.

Su Wu trusted his subordinates implicitly. Zhong Shizhong might lack some strategic acumen, but two things were enough to earn Su Wu's trust: first, he was over sixty years older and extremely experienced; second, he was truly fearless of death.

Su Wu didn't seek any divine strategies from Zhong Shizhong; he only wanted someone mature and prudent.

Zhong Shizhong stood up and bowed: "Yes, sir! Since Commander Su is leading troops outside, you must be extra careful!"

Su Wu nodded: "Don't worry, Master Zhong, I know what I'm doing!"

Yao Pingzhong also stood up: "When will Commander Su return?"

Su Wu replied, "Let's see when the main force of the Dangxiang will attack. If they can hold their ground, I will return late as well, but we will still keep in touch. If the army's food and weapons are nearly stockpiled, just write to me!"

After the two nodded, Su Wu raised his hand and gestured towards Xu Guanzhong, Zhu Wu and the others, and said, "All matters, big and small, in the army depend on them. I have already explained everything clearly. Money and provisions will come from all directions. Once the armies of each prefecture are truly assembled, we will reward the soldiers first. The combat soldiers will be rewarded with fifteen strings of cash, and the auxiliary soldiers with eight strings. All the civilians who transport supplies to the camp will be given two strings of cash. I have already explained all of this. Just tell you all about it again."

Everyone was overjoyed. Among the generals present, some had never fought alongside Su Wu before. Since it was their first time, they were all comforted and reassured. This was standard procedure, and it would also let the soldiers know that the righteous and chivalrous reputation of Su Wu that they had heard about was not a lie.

But Zhong Shizhong was a high-ranking official, unlike ordinary military officers, so he also came to ask: "Commander Su's rewards, such generosity, and such a large number of people, are they truly worthy of being continued?"

Zhong Shizhong was naturally considering the bigger picture. He was afraid that if Su Wu spent so much money, there would be no money left to reward him in the future. Obviously, he knew the extent of the court's money and grain allocation and could not tolerate such a large reward from Su Wu.

Su Wu couldn't help but recall something: how did Zhong Shizhong die in history? It was because he led his troops in repeated battles against the Jin people, suffering heavy casualties, yet the court still failed to provide sufficient rewards. As a result, countless soldiers scattered, and in the end, only a hundred or so men remained, clinging to each other until they fought to the death!

It's all because of money. Never underestimate the power of money. Although there are better ways to motivate soldiers than money, those are things that are ahead of their time. Throughout history, there have been very few armies that can do that, even a thousand years later.

So, money really can buy courage.

The same applies to Li Shimin's conquest of the empire. Historical records show that when Li Shimin accepted surrenders, his soldiers would riot. Why? Because the soldiers were waiting to plunder after a great victory, but Li Shimin insisted on accepting the surrenders. In the end, how could Li Shimin appease his fierce and brave soldiers?

Li Shimin first personally apologized to the soldiers, and then raised money from all over the country to reward the entire army, which finally calmed the soldiers' discontent.

This is the true management model of ancient armies!

We also ask An Lushan of the Tang Dynasty, why did so many soldiers risk their lives to follow him when he rebelled? His most important excuse, and the one that most convinced the soldiers, was money. If the court didn't provide money, everyone would go hungry. The second reason was why the court didn't provide money: because there were treacherous officials in the court.

These words inspired the soldiers to fight desperately, and capturing Chang'an was a certainty!

In short, the key point is that money is extremely important in the history of any army, both ancient and modern, and it directly determines success or failure.

When starting a business, if you don't give money to the soldiers and keep even a penny for yourself, you're just digging your own grave.

Moreover, only when soldiers made meritorious contributions and gained wealth would more good men join the army one after another. In the Tang Dynasty at that time, men who joined the army even paid for their own combat equipment and reported to the military headquarters. Even scholars kept abandoning their pens to join the army. How did the Tang Dynasty sweep across the world like this?

Is it all based on honors? Or all based on the system and the law? That's just a joke...

Nothing more than one word: wealth and honor! Wealth and honor! Generals should have them, and soldiers should have them too!
Zhong Shizhong was worried that Su Wu's rewards would not be enough, but Su Wu smiled and looked at everyone, saying only one sentence: "They can be continued. I, Su Wu, never break my word! Even if we have to sell our pots and pans, there will never be a shortage of rewards in my army. This time, each Dangxiang head is worth twenty-five strings of cash, and it is not a lie!"

Zhong Shizhong frowned slightly upon hearing this. He was used to being frugal and spending every penny wisely. He was genuinely worried that Su Wu would be unable to deliver on his promise of 25 strings of cash for each Tangut head.

Clearly, Zhong Shizhong's words reflected the thoughts and anxieties of many others, including Liu Fa's son, Liu Zhengyan, who also wore a worried expression.

Although everyone has heard of Marshal Su's generosity in rewarding his troops, where was that? It was in Jiangnan, in Yanyun, where the area was relatively prosperous and could generate wealth. But where is it now? Leaving aside the barren land, the length of the war is still unknown. It would be better to be more frugal and plan for the long term, taking a slow and steady approach...

Then Han Shizhong said, "Commander Su's words are certainly true!"

Yao Pingzhong nodded and said, "Young Master Zhong, rest assured. It has always been the same. When General Su rewards his troops, he never fails. As long as we soldiers from Guanzhong follow General Su into battle, we don't need to come to reward them. We will reward them after the battle, and we will not complain at all."

Liu Guangshi chuckled: "Don't worry, Young Master Zhong. Commander Su will reward us however he wishes. As long as the brothers are brave and fight bravely, Commander Su is always generous!"

Clearly, Liu Yanqing is not here now, but still in Yanzhou. As a rear base, Yanzhou naturally needs an old man to govern it, and the responsibility is great.

Now, the troops sent out from Yanzhou are all under Liu Guangshi's command. What is Liu Guangshi seeking now? It is to separate the troops from his father. In other words, he wants to start his own army and truly lead his own territory and troops. He thought that he could achieve his goal by making merit in the last campaign against Yanyun, but he never expected that it would be a wasted trip.
This time, we can't help but ask for this, just like in a family, where the old breed is the old breed and the young breed is the young breed, each with their own group of people and their own territory.

This had many advantages, the most important being the matter of succession to power. Liu Guangshi also had younger brothers: Liu Guangyuan, Liu Guangfu, Liu Guangbi, Liu Guanglie...

All I want is a large family business, a vast army, and a large territory...

Everyone who follows Lord Su in his life-or-death battles has their own agenda!
Su Wu looked around, and seeing that no one said anything, he stood up and said, "Summon the generals!"

Everyone's expressions turned serious!
"The Jingdong Army, all units, are to set out. Also, select the cavalry from Liu Guangshi's and Liu Zhengyan's units to depart tomorrow! The rest of the units, each shall remain in their posts and await the orders of Minister Zhong and General Yao!" Su Wu's words were resounding, his eyes sharp.

The generals rose: "Understood!"

"Disperse!" Su Wu waved his hand and began to pack up as well. Inside the tent, there were many maps, the earliest of which were copies that had been passed down from the Tang Dynasty. These were found by the Privy Council in various pavilions and galleries in the capital.

Recently, there have been copies contributed by figures such as Zhong Jiaxianggong, Wang Yuan, and Liu Yanqing, which were themselves continuously improved upon by them in the past, including sending out scouts and spies to bribe Han Chinese in Western Xia...

Throughout history, from Fan Zhongyan to Han Qi, to Wang Shao and Li Xian, and then to Tong Guan, people have been doing this work, and they have actually done it quite well.

Su Wu had studied and compared the materials several times, and he had also drawn some of them himself, and even copied them many times. Su Wu had done a great deal of work in this regard.

The next day, without any ceremony or even the sound of drums, 12,000 cavalrymen and 30,000 horses, carrying military equipment and provisions, and without any banners or flags, set off.

They passed through Hongzhou City directly and headed north all the way to Youzhou.

Fight?

Do not hit!

Su Wu went around the city to take a look... He saw that the gates of Youzhou were tightly closed, horns were sounding repeatedly on the city walls, and there were quite a few armored soldiers rushing up the walls.

It wasn't a large city, just a little bigger than Hongzhou, and the Xu army and civilians together numbered only about 20,000.

The further north you go, the more open it becomes, and you're already completely outside the Loess Plateau. Where is this place? This is the edge of the southern Mongolian region. In the past, the Xiongnu of the Han Dynasty and the Turks of the Tang Dynasty also operated here.

The terrain has begun to change significantly, even starting to feel slightly downhill, and the altitude has decreased somewhat...

The land is sandy and saline-alkali, with hardly any grass on the ground, but plenty of stones, though it is relatively open and flat...

Even a city can't block the way here.

Su Wu simply led his army around the city and headed north!
The terrain is becoming increasingly flat and open, but the altitude is not low, averaging over 1,400 to 1,500 meters. Just considering this average altitude, even in the Central Plains and Jiangnan regions, mountains are rarely this high. If there are mountains this high, they must be famous mountains and rivers with names and names.

Ask the Song army of the past, how did they manage to win when they came to this terrain and fought against the Tanguts in open battle?
We spent the night there. We had been out for several days, traveling on foot and by roaming around. The cavalry we sent out had gone more than a hundred miles away, but we hadn't actually encountered any Tanguts. The Tanguts didn't live in the sandy, saline-alkali land, and the Han people gathered in cities and farming areas.

Inside the military tent, the atmosphere became somewhat tense. After all, they were deep in enemy territory, facing the possibility of encountering the enemy at any moment and having to fight at any time.

Many military officers gathered around the map, and Liu Guangshi asked, "General Su, should we head northwest towards Xingqing Prefecture, or east?"

Wu Song and the others remained silent. They knew nothing about this place and found it strange that no grass grew on the saline-alkali land. How could such good land not grow grass? Most of the generals of the Jingdong army were like this, except for Lu Da.

Su Wu clearly had a plan in mind. He pointed to the map and said, "Go northeast. This is Wanjingkou. There's plenty of water here, and a tribe of Dangxiang, the Miqin tribe. Beyond Wanjingkou, there's a large sand dune. Head due east from here, and there's a town north of Xia Prefecture, Wangting Town. It's the market for trading cattle and sheep among the surrounding Dangxiang. Further north is Anqingze, with good water and pasture, and many tribes there. Starting tomorrow, just keep rushing forward. Follow this route all the way to the edge of the desert and then we'll see!"

Everyone followed Su Wu's hand as he kept pointing at the map. Liu Zhengyan replied with a fierce look, "Excellent! Just kill all the Dangxiang people we encounter along the way!"

Why was Liu Zhengyan so vicious? His father was Liu Fa, the old general whose head was cut off by the Tanguts three years ago.

Why did Su Wu choose Liu Zhengyan as his general? Knowing this, he was drawn to Liu Zhengyan's fierce expression.

Liu Zhengyan was a very famous figure in history. What made him famous? He was incredibly audacious. After the Jingkang Incident, the Miao-Liu Rebellion was his doing.

What did he do? He staged a coup to purge the court of corrupt officials, killing all the powerful ministers and eunuchs around Emperor Zhao Gou, and forcing Zhao Gou to abdicate in favor of his two-year-old crown prince. Of course, he ultimately failed and was executed.

Su Wu... um... so we definitely have to bring him along.

But Liu Guangshi said, "Commander Su, if we advance so recklessly and deep into enemy territory, returning... well, even if we return, I'm afraid..."

Liu Guangshi was a very conservative man, so it wasn't surprising that he said such a thing. Su Wu simply said, "The Dangxiang army must be gathering in Xingqing Prefecture, which is why I'm heading northeast to get away from Xingqing Prefecture. As for the east, there might be another Dangxiang army going to support the Liao people, perhaps twenty or thirty thousand strong. If they avoid us, that's fine. But if they really come looking for us, then we can fight!"

Liu Guangshi also asked, "If the Dangxiang people of Xingqing Prefecture really come east to block us, where can we retreat to?"

Su Wu simply checked the map: "We can retreat towards Yinzhou, or even towards Datong!"

Yinzhou is in the direction of Yulin. Datong goes without saying. Su Wu wasn't just recklessly going all out, but he had to do it. He did it like Huo Qubing did. Of course, Su Wu might not have been as fierce and brave as Huo Qubing, but his methods were similar.

If the Tangut army truly came with a large force to surround Su Wu's rampaging advance, and if they had fallen into Su Wu's trap, with 10,000 men drawing away the main force, then it would have been Zhong Shidao and Zhong Shizhong who would have continued their rampage. The strategy would have been to engage in a protracted battle, maneuvering the enemy rather than being maneuvered by them. Only when the enemy was caught in a dilemma, or had their forces scattered, or even moved in tandem with Su Wu, would the Song army's advantage become apparent.

Previously, such conditions were not available, but now that Su Wu has them, he is willing to take the risk.

Liu Guangshi frowned and looked at the map again. Liu Zhengyan, who was beside him, immediately said, "What are you afraid of? Just follow Commander Su to fight. With 12,000 to 13,000 cavalry and 30,000 horses, where can't we go? Just kill the Dangxiang. Kill them whenever we encounter them. Kill them until there are mountains of corpses and seas of blood, until there are corpses everywhere!"

Su Wu liked to hear these words. Liu Zhengyan was not tall, and seemed to grow horizontally, but he was not fat. His tiger-like eyes were filled with burning hatred. If you really looked at him, he was an extremely vicious person.

Su Wu nodded: "With this plan in place, we can sleep well tonight. The Dangxiang cavalry must have already noticed our cavalry's northward advance. It's time for a swift and decisive charge. Tomorrow, our strong horses will gallop at full speed!"

Liu Guangshi still had many concerns. He was actually a very cautious and conservative person, but since he was not yet the commander-in-chief, and he trusted Su Wu a lot, there was no need to say more. He could just follow along.

Early the next morning, a sandstorm arose, and the knights all prepared cloths to cover their heads and faces. From the northeast direction, their steeds began to gallop wildly.

There's a trick to this. In the first few days, we didn't travel fast. First, we were in a place between cities, with Youzhou to the north and Hongzhou to the south. We had to be on guard against enemy troops. Now, there are no more cities in the area. If we really went north, there would be no cities in the three or four hundred li radius.

The Tangut cities were located in only three places: Xingqing Prefecture on the Yellow River, the Song-Xia border, and the Hexi Corridor. In fact, there were not many cities, and not enough people to live in them.

More importantly, it was crucial to ensure that the Tangut cavalry clearly saw and knew that the Song cavalry were approaching from the north, and even to know their exact location and route, so they could report back. Knowing that the Tanguts would first report the military situation, and that Su Wu would suddenly head northeast at breakneck speed, it would be difficult for the Tangut cavalry to keep up, let alone pinpoint the exact location of the Song cavalry.

With the hooves stirring up the sand, dust filled the air, and Su Wu still harbored a small suspicion.

Far behind, a number of Tangut cavalrymen were following closely behind. They had to chase after them as fast as they could. If they didn't chase them quickly, and the distance between them grew to seven or eight or ten miles, it would be difficult to catch up. If the Song cavalry used some deceptive tactics, such as splitting their forces to run away and then regrouping, the footprints on the ground would be hard to distinguish. If they chased the wrong direction, they would only get further and further away.

They could only watch as the Tangut cavalry pursued swiftly. Suddenly, hundreds of riders emerged from behind a hill not far away, charging towards them. As they drew near, arrows were shot and spears were thrust into them.

There's no other reason than that it's unlikely to completely shake off the Tangut cavalry's pursuit, but setting up ambushes a few times to ambush them isn't difficult. Although they won't inflict many casualties, they can at least make the Tangut intelligence less reliable and accurate.

A troop of a dozen or so cavalrymen, facing three or four hundred Song cavalrymen, would be defeated in no time, no matter how skilled they were. Hundreds of spears turned the Tanguts into mush on the spot. The spoils were few: a few dozen horses and a few dozen weapons. They collected them and left.

As he pursued the army ahead, the ambush general, Colonel Yue Fei, was also laughing heartily on horseback: "It's a piece of cake! Let's go ahead, find a place to hide, and then launch another ambush!"

Ahead, the army didn't even rest their horses after nightfall. They needed to be fast and couldn't afford to linger. They needed to resupply. The men were eating well, but the horses couldn't be fed much. The horses weren't unable to withstand hunger, but they were too weak from hunger.

The first stop was Wanjingkou, a place with water and grass, which was the place where the Miqin tribe would be stationed in winter. In spring and summer, they would go north to the Henan region north of the Hetao Plain to spend the winter. They would certainly have plenty of cattle, sheep, horses, fodder, and other supplies.

As dawn broke, the moon and the morning glow seemed to share the same sky. The cold wind stung people's cheeks. Even Su Wu had never felt such cold before. Sitting on his horse, he felt as if he was about to freeze to death!
On the contrary, the horses were not afraid of the cold; with each breath they exhaled, a layer of white frost appeared.

The army stopped to change horses. Wanjingkou was not far away. When they went there again, the enemy would hear the roar echoing through the sky. They could not hide and approach, so they had to rush there in a flash, catching the enemy off guard.

Horses were being changed, armor was being donned, light cavalry were in front, and heavy cavalry were behind.

The scouts had already scouted the area several times. The exact location was south of Wanjingkou, a small village nestled between two high hills, with tents stretching out in a row. They estimated that there were about 18,000 men, women, and children, along with countless horses and sheep.

The light cavalry broke away from the main force and went ahead first, flanking from both sides to form an encirclement. Then the heavy cavalry came and attacked the location of the tribal tents.

Tactics are not difficult to explain, but issuing military orders is extremely complicated.

Once everything is ready, the earth will rumble and the sky will surge.

The Tangut Miqin, who was fast asleep, startled many people awake, and countless men came out to see what was happening at the entrance of the tent.

Enemy attack?

The Dangxiang people hadn't experienced such an enemy attack in decades. In fact, the last time they had felt such an attack was sixty or seventy years ago when the Liao cavalry came to fight. Later, their ruler personally accepted the title, and the Liao people left satisfied.

At the entrance to the tent, many Tanguts were somewhat bewildered, until suddenly someone shouted in the Tangut language: "Quickly, quickly, grab your weapons and mount your horses!"

The men of the tribe then began to get busy, going back to their houses to fetch knives, spears, bows, and crossbows, and quickly mounted their horses...

But the roaring sound came so suddenly, everything happened so suddenly!

The air was filled with the sounds of arrows whistling through the air. It was still dark, and nothing could be seen except the thud of arrows embedding themselves in the earth…

You could even hear the brief "buzzing" sound of the arrow shaft vibrating after it struck the wooden frame of the cart.

Suddenly, a bloodcurdling scream rang out from somewhere, a heart-wrenching sound, indicating that someone had been struck by an arrow.

An old man who had already mounted his horse shouted, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Gather together! Defend against the enemy!"

These past few days, I've heard that Song troops have been gathering at the border, but this place is only 400 li away from the border. How did Song troops end up here?
There was no time for hesitation. Shouts erupted throughout the camp, and several or even a dozen horses gathered everywhere. In the shadows, the enemy could be seen galloping towards both sides of the camp, while many Tanguts drew their bows and fired arrows in response.

But the Song cavalry were indeed close, and arrows rained down like rain. The Song soldiers could see the shadowy figures in the camp, and bowstrings were constantly being fired. Hua Rong, one of the Song cavalry leaders, even pulled his bowstring so hard it seemed to be smoking.

After firing countless shots, a sudden explosion rang out, and the bowstring in Hua Rong's hand snapped instantly. Hua Rong felt his arm go numb, but he still shouted, "Give me the bow!"

He called out to his personal guards, who didn't hesitate and immediately handed him the bow. Hua Rong even called out, "Quack quiver! Quiver!"

Urgent, extremely urgent.

The guard beside him rode alongside, taking Hua Rong's bow from the horse and taking out the bowstring from a small bag on the side of the horse. He wanted to change it, but changing the bowstring on horseback was really difficult. He pulled the bow arm several times, but couldn't get it on.

So he tried a different method, sitting with one arm bent under his buttocks while trying to bend the other arm, straining with all his might and shouting repeatedly, "Ahhh!!!"

The soldier was clearly anxious, and finally hung up the bowstring: "Commander, hurry!"

Hua Rong didn't say anything, just switched back and continued shooting, finding that his own bow could shoot farther and more accurately.

Under the barrage of arrows, Hua Rong had already shot countless Dangxiang people, and he didn't even know whether they were men or women. He just kept gritting his teeth and shooting, but even this bowstring probably wouldn't last much longer.

The earth trembled even more violently, the rumbling sound like the Milky Way pouring down. Heavy cavalry charged in, like a tidal wave, their numbers unknown...

Inside the camp of the captured Tanguts, people were crying, shouting, killing, and fighting, creating a chaotic and noisy scene.

The fastest and fiercest was none other than Liu Zhengyan. His eyes were wide open and unblinking, and the spear in his hand seemed to be imbued with his full hatred and rage. He stabbed anyone he saw, followed by his personal guards, each of whom seemed to be filled with deep hatred. The fast horse galloped on, killing anyone in its path...

If you can't meet people, go out and meet them!

The Tangut man had just come out of his tent when he stabbed her through the air. The woman rushed out of the tent and lunged at her husband, stabbing him with a long spear.

The child, about one or two years old, seemed to be able to walk, but was wobbling and crying loudly. He also went towards his parents. The horse's hooves came over, and the child fell down instantly. I don't know how many hooves trampled on him!

What was on Liu Zhengyan's mind at this moment? He saw his father's head being carried and hung by the Tangut people, even on long poles, being paraded around as a public spectacle...

You can even picture the arrogant mockery and ridicule on the faces of the Tanguts who were looking at his father's head!
Liu Zhengyan did not witness this scene with his own eyes, but he could imagine it, and even dream about it.

He was not familiar with the newly arrived commander-in-chief, Lord Su, but on the day Lord Su called out his name in the central command tent, he felt his blood boil and his body trembled uncontrollably.

Just like now, as dawn breaks, he is killing people, and he is trembling uncontrollably as he kills.

kill!

Kill wherever there are people!

And then his personal guards shouted from behind, "Avenge the old marshal!"

"Revenge! Revenge!"

"revenge!"

The shouts were heart-wrenching, but Liu Zhengyan didn't shout. He seemed extremely calm. He kept his eyes scanning left and right, like an eagle eyeing a wolf. He could always spot where there were still Dangxiang people and rush to them.

As dawn broke, the Tanguts became harder to find, and the horses grew tired. Liu Zhengyan dismounted and went to check the camp. He could almost sense that someone was in one of the tents, clad in iron armor, with an iron helmet on their head, a long spear at the ready, and a sword drawn from their waist. They moved quickly towards the tent.

Instead of going through the door, he went to the side of the tent and took out his knife to stab the sheepskin tent. It was like tearing silk, with a sharp, tearing sound. Taking advantage of the brightening sky, he looked into the tent through the cut. Sure enough, there was a woman inside holding a steel fork guarding the door. Hearing the "rip," he trembled with fright and immediately turned to look at the torn tent...

The armored soldier entered through the gap, dragging his sword forward. The woman tried to stab him with her steel fork, but how could she possibly hit her? The long sword deflected it, and with a powerful slash, a pool of blood appeared. An old woman trembled with fear, huddled in the corner of the bed. The long sword did not hesitate for a moment.

Su Wu had already positioned his horse in the center of the Mi Qin camp, looking around without saying a word.

Therefore, the soldiers of each unit were constantly on the move, with heavy cavalry rushing and light cavalry surrounding them.

Gradually, the heavy cavalry stopped running and dismounted, searching each tent one by one.

The crying and shouting will never stop.
Su Wu remained silent, not uttering a word, and did not remove his helmet, but instead closed his eyes slightly inside the helmet.

The soldiers from the Jingdong region, while learning, have already achieved a great victory. At this point, they may still be a little hesitant. But look at those soldiers from the Northwest region; they are truly like wolves and tigers, or even more like demons from hell!
Some of the soldiers in Jingdong have also learned this skill; they draw their swords and go to the accounting offices one by one!
Some hadn't learned it yet, like Wu Song. He suddenly seemed unable to learn these things, and even rode up to Su Wu, frowning as he asked, "Brother... is this..."

Su Wu lifted his iron helmet, knowing that Wu Song was capable of anything, whether it was murder or arson, no matter how good or evil the deed.

But he couldn't actually do these things today; he felt some resistance in his heart. It was simply because he truly had a chivalrous heart and the heart of a great man, and the elderly, weak, women, and children were not his targets.

Su Wu glanced at Wu Song and said, "You don't need to worry about him, he's right here beside me."

“Hmm…” Wu Song nodded, but also sighed and said, “Brother… I understand, how can deep hatred be resolved? I can’t help but think that we Song people were also killed by the Tanguts in the same way.”

This is true. The Tanguts had launched numerous attacks on the Song Dynasty in the past. When the Tanguts won great victories, they even penetrated into the heart of the Northwest and reached the outskirts of Yanzhou and Pingxia. The burning, killing, and looting they committed are well-documented.

Wu Song added, "That Steward Liu is truly ruthless. He deserves revenge!"

Su Wu looked at Wu Song again and was truly impressed. Wu Song's ability to say such things showed that he had become more and more mature, and Su Wu was very pleased with this maturity.

Su Wu put it bluntly: "The purpose of this battle is to mobilize the Tangut army. Therefore, we have to do it this way. If we don't slaughter them in this way, the Tangut army will not be able to get restless and will not come looking for us."

Wu Song nodded, "I know, I know, I know everything!"

"Leaving aside the fate of the nation and its people, the lives and fortunes of hundreds of thousands of people are all tied to my own!" Su Wu said again.

Suddenly, Wu Song put on his iron helmet, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "Brother, I'm off!"

"What are you going to do?" Su Wu asked.

"I'll go kill! I'll go kill myself, and my soldiers will go kill even more. Let's finish this quickly to avoid any delays!"

Wu Song left without looking back!
(Brothers, eight thousand, eight thousand, I'll keep going!)
(End of this chapter)