You have truly caused me great suffering!

After Yue Fei personally led his troops to the scene, he immediately assembled his generals and gave orders.

Before the spring campaign, the soldiers had rehearsed hundreds of times, and now they were really going to fight.

The army's surprise attack on the Ongud tribe was just the beginning of this spring campaign. A line was drawn from the Ongud tribe onwards, and all areas north of it were targets for the spring campaign.

In response to the shortage of fodder, the exhaustion of men and horses, and the lack of armor, weapons, and combat strength in the northern desert during the spring, Yue Fei devised a strategy of dividing his forces for a surprise attack.

Following the path of Huo Qubing, the champion general, they replenished their forces wherever they went, with the goal of destroying the northern tribes of the Gobi Desert.

This spring campaign is the first step in conquering the desert.

On the first day of the army's gathering, they began to divide their forces and launch surprise attacks on various pastures of the Ongud tribe.

The only military order was to kill or wound the Tartars' fighting force, take what could be taken, and burn or destroy everything that could not be taken.

Even grasslands should be burned as much as possible.

After collecting water, it should be marked and the water source should be poisoned.

The various units were not under each other's command, and after the battle, they returned to their headquarters.

Ten days later, the army assembled, left the Ongud tribe, and continued its northward march.

The small team retreated after testing their limits, and Yue Fei did the same.

He had no plan; he would fight until the men he had brought out for the spring harvest were unable to continue, and then retreat.

Come back in a few months.

The Great Jing Dynasty in the Central Plains now has a full treasury and can support professional military households.

These soldiers from the Hetao region did not engage in production; their pay was sufficient to support their families, and they also received rewards for meritorious service as extra income.

They have no worries about the future; their goal for the past few years has been to wreak havoc on the grasslands.

On the grasslands, however, such conditions were not available, so they could only migrate south during their free time to plunder resources for the winter.

The two sides were not on equal footing from the beginning.

In the vast snowfield, two furry ears peeked out first, and a snow hare cautiously emerged, looking around for a while.

Seeing that there was no danger, they prepared to dig up the grass roots buried in the snow.

With a whoosh, a gust of wind cut through the air, and the snow rabbit tried to run away, but it was too late.

A bone arrow had firmly pinned it to the ground, and blood instantly stained the snow red.

A burly man, completely covered in fur, strode over, pulled out an arrow, picked up a snow rabbit, weighed it in his hand, and brushed the snow away to cover the bloodstain.

Just as he was striding up the towering, treacherous mountain path beside him, preparing to hunt more and bigger prey, a scene suddenly appeared before him that terrified him.

In the distance, countless cavalrymen, like black dots, were rushing toward him.

Although it is spring, the snow in the desert will take some time to melt.

The weather is nice today, the sun is out, and everything is bright and shining.

When walking through the snow, you have to wear a blindfold made of ponytail hair to avoid being blinded by the light.

Although he didn't know which unit was attacking, he quickly turned around, wanting to report the news.

However, the cavalry charge was too fast; after only a few steps, the whooshing sound of their engines cutting through the air could be heard.

Hanlu was shot through the ground, still holding the snow hare he had just hunted.

A troop of cavalry galloped past him, heading towards their tribe's location.

Hanlu's gaze gradually became unfocused, and the horses' hooves kept overlapping in his eyes. After spitting out a mouthful of blood, he finally lost consciousness.
-
A group of elderly and infirm people watched helplessly as their tents were burned and their cattle and sheep were slaughtered.

Their eyes were blank as they looked at everything before them.

Since they were too old to lift knives, they had no will to resist.

In the past, whoever came here was a conqueror, or at most a slave to their tribe, continuing to herd livestock and feed horses.

But this group of people was different; they actually burned the precious tent to the ground.

They also slaughtered pregnant ewes and mares.

All the rules of the desert that he knew so well were broken.

They don't want to conquer themselves; they want to destroy themselves and everything in the tribe.

A feeling of despair welled up inside me.

Even now, they still don't know where this group of people came from.

Shidun, the oldest and most experienced member of the tribe who had led everyone to safety countless times, knelt on the ground, about to say something.

A long spear pierced his chest.

As Shidun felt the excruciating pain, he suddenly recalled the killings he had committed in his youth.

After the small tribe had burned and killed everyone, Yang Zaixing and his men began to fetch water from nearby sources to water their horses.

Once everyone had drunk their fill and filled all the water bags, Yang Zaixing marked the water source, took a package from his horse, and began to poison it.

They didn't know if any stragglers had escaped while herding livestock, or if any Tartars had hidden themselves, so poisoning the water source was the best solution.

These soldiers from the Hetao region, who grew up on the frontier, harbored a deep-seated hatred for the northern Tartars.
-
On the vast grassland, the sound of horses' hooves pounded as more than twenty sturdy horses crossed the icy river and arrived at the foot of Yinshan Mountain. The compacted frozen soil on the grassland was trampled by the horses' hooves, leaving behind iron hoofprints unique to the Central Plains, but the sturdy horses remained light and agile, quite swift.

More than twenty men rode on horseback, carrying swords, wearing helmets and armor, leather robes with arrow sleeves, and standard-style hats made of dog and roe deer skin. They spurred their horses and cracked their whips, appearing brave and agile.

These were all trusted confidants who followed Yue Fei in destroying the Jin dynasty at Lulong Ridge.

Looking at the steep mountains, Zhang Xian clasped his hands and said, "General, it seems we've reached the end of the battle."

Yue Fei nodded. The Tatars, who have always lived a nomadic life, have been constantly raiding the border. This time, the Jing army took the initiative to attack deep into the Tatar grasslands. This attack will have a greater impact on the morale of the entire Northern Tatar army than the annihilation of tens of thousands of cavalry in the Central Plains.

Moreover, this destruction will inevitably plunge the northern desert into a survival crisis. Even if they survive, they will have to immediately start an internal war after the spring to fight for the resources to survive.

Originally, Yue Fei planned to regroup and withdraw his troops after the surprise attack on Wang Gu's forces.

But as the army returned one after another, their fighting spirit soared to unprecedented heights.

From the deputy general Zhang Xian down to the ordinary soldiers, everyone was clamoring to continue the spring campaign.

Yue Fei glanced at the supplies and found that, far from decreasing, there was an abundance of dried meat and cheese, not to mention the horses and livestock.

Therefore, Yue Fei ordered the continuation of the Northern Expedition.

At this point, they had reached the foot of Yinshan Mountain, and they did not know which tribes they were destroying.

Yue Fei jumped off his horse and spread out a map in a sheltered spot.

He pointed to the northern foothills of Yinshan Mountain and said, "We are here now."

“If we want to continue fighting, there are three options according to the map. We can either cross the Gobi Desert to the north and attack the Kereit tribe, who are the most powerful and have abundant water and grass, but they have already submitted to us and are quite submissive.”

"Then we can only go west or east. If we go west, we'll have to advance to the east of the Altai Mountains and along the Kobdo River to attack the Naiman tribe!"

"Going east would be more difficult, as we would be attacking the Tatar tribe. But returning would be a long journey, and we would be wiped out along the way, so we might lack supplies."

Zhang Xian gritted his teeth and said, "Head east! The Northern Desert is the territory His Majesty specifically ordered to be destroyed. If we don't have supplies, so be it. After we finish the battle, we'll go around Liaodong to the north of Youyan and resupply back home!"

Yue Fei looked up, his eyes wide with surprise at Zhang Xian's brilliant idea.
Should we set off from Fengzhou for spring plunder, and fight our way all the way to Youyan?

This is essentially drawing a large circle, basically retracing Yelü Yanxi's escape route, and even including some places that Yelü Yanxi didn't go to.

This idea may seem far-fetched, but would you say it's feasible?

It is indeed feasible.

If all else fails, they can head to the nearest Jing territory in Liaodong for support.

Now that the Great Jing has acquired the Upper Capital Prefecture and the Eastern Capital Prefecture of the Khitan, it is already incredibly desolate.

"General, do not hesitate any longer. No one expected the attack to be so fast. But our spring campaign has already alarmed His Majesty. We can't just come for half a month and then go back."

"Yes, sir, let's do it!"

Yue Fei hesitated for a moment. His men might be eager for battle, but he was someone who had to take responsibility.

The original spring campaign was just a spring offensive, a quick strike and then a retreat.

If we fight like this, it will probably take more than a year to complete such a roundabout battle.

After a moment's thought, Yue Fei nodded. He was a man who was not afraid to take responsibility and even liked to take the initiative to do so.

Otherwise, in the original history, he wouldn't have been killed by Zhao Gou.

"The army will rest for one night and then march eastward!"

(This map is from the Jin Dynasty era; some place names may not match, please use your own judgment. Most of the yellow areas have already been subdued by Qu Duan.)
At Yue Fei's command, cheers erupted from all around.

After an initial period of adjustment, they have now fully settled into their spring trek.

After annihilating the Wanggu tribe, morale and fighting spirit reached a peak, and they were certainly unwilling to return.

Moreover, to put it bluntly, after the commander-in-chief Yue Fei gave the order, the credit belonged to everyone, but he alone bore the responsibility.

Yue Fei himself closed his eyes slightly, but he had no such concerns in his mind.

In his view, if this bold expedition succeeds, it would be equivalent to completing the work of several Northern Expeditions in one go.

Since you have the ability, why not give it a try?

When Wanyan Aguda raised his army, he didn't expect that destroying Liao would be so simple.

Although the desert appears vast, the entire land of Youyan seems quite small compared to them.

However, the desert is currently at its weakest.

The Jurchen Tartars were only a small number, yet they were completely conquered and constantly abused.

He also conscripted the nomadic tribes from the grasslands who were now on his northern expedition, making them his accomplices and to wreak havoc in Hebei.

Could my spring campaign this time be any less resourceful and manpowerful than the Jurchen Tartars' at that time?
In Yue Fei's heart, he hated the Jurchen Tartars the most, because the Jurchen Tartars had indeed invaded his hometown twice, burning, killing, looting, and committing countless atrocities.

He absolutely refused to admit that his troops were inferior to the Jurchen Tartars.

When the Jurchens destroyed the Liao Dynasty, they also conveniently dealt with the various nomadic tribes of the grasslands.

beat!
After a round of fighting, just like destroying the Wanggu tribe, all the mixed Tatar and nomadic tribes of the steppe will be wiped out! (End of this chapter)