I will make Qin Shi Huang immortal in the Great Qin Dynasty.

The news that Commander Yang had ordered the massacre of prisoners eventually reached Meng Tian.

The intelligence was brought back by the scouts who returned daily with the light cavalry squads.

When Meng Tian received the brief military report, he was marking the marching routes and battle statistics of each squad with cinnabar on the unfolded sheepskin map.

He took the intelligence and read it from beginning to end.

He then placed the intelligence on the table and remained silent for a moment.

The military report was written in a simple and direct style.

There was no attempt to cover up anything for Commander Yang, nor was there any deliberate exaggeration of the cause and effect.

The text, consisting of only a few lines, truthfully records the tribe's raid that day, the number of Qin people rescued, and the subsequent execution of all prisoners by Commander Yang.

A supplementary explanation from the deputy was attached to the side.

It is mentioned that Commander Yang found his sister, who had been kidnapped for six years, in the tribe.

And his sister, after being rescued, attempted to commit suicide by drawing her sword, but he stopped her.

The deputy wrote at the end: "The commander is emotionally unstable, and I failed to dissuade him. Please punish me, General."

Meng Tian placed the bamboo slip on the table and remained silent for a long time.

He wasn't furious; he simply leaned back in his chair, gazing absently at the top of the tent.

I went through the whole story in my mind.

He then pulled out Commander Yang's battle reports from the past two weeks and looked at them over.

Then he gathered up the intelligence, put it back in its original place, and didn't write any instructions.

He could understand Commander Yang's feelings.

A thirteen-year-old girl was captured by the Xiongnu and held captive for six years.

I spent over a thousand days and nights in that place.

The first thing she did when they met again was to draw her sword and commit suicide.

Anyone in Commander Yang's position would probably find it difficult to remain calm.

He was unable to calmly order his men to escort the prisoners back to the rear alive after that.

Let them go about their mining and road construction without worry.

Meng Tian also had family; he had a younger brother named Meng Yi.

He imagined what it would be like if Meng Yi were kidnapped and imprisoned in such a place for several years, and then ended up like that.

He didn't know if he could still make the same calm judgment as when reviewing an ordinary military newspaper.

Understanding is one thing, military discipline is another.

As a general in command, he could not possibly condone the arbitrary execution of prisoners by a commander simply because the commander had a personal grudge.

A military order is a military order.

There are no exceptions to military orders.

Once this loophole is opened, every general can use their own reasons to circumvent military orders.

How could the Qin army then be led?

Meng Tian sat under the lamp and thought for a while.

In the end, the intelligence report was put into the wooden box where military reports were stored.

No immediate action order was issued.

He knew now was not the right time to deal with the matter.

Twenty thousand light cavalry were scattered across the grasslands, with each squad operating independently. Changing generals in the midst of battle was a major taboo.

Although Commander Yang violated military discipline, his combat ability and command skills are beyond doubt.

Over the past two weeks, he led his team deep into the grasslands, achieving top results among all the teams.

If we remove him at this point...

The replacements might not be able to familiarize themselves with the terrain and enemy troop distribution in that area in such a short time.

On the contrary, it may affect the morale and performance of the entire team.

Let's talk about it after the war is over.

After the war is over, those who deserve rewards will be rewarded, and those who deserve punishment will be punished. Military merits and mistakes will be settled together.

Meng Tian made this decision in his heart.

In just half a month, the situation on the grassland has begun to tilt rapidly.

It is moving from the initial scattered sweeps towards an imminent decisive battle.

Twenty thousand light cavalrymen roamed the grasslands for a full half month.

The twenty teams of a thousand men each were like twenty sharp knives thrusting out from different directions.

They left deep scars on the traditional pastures of the Xiongnu.

The scattered Xiongnu tribes were wiped out or dispersed one by one.

Cattle, sheep, and horses were seized in large numbers and transported back to the foot of the Great Wall.

The number of captured Xiongnu people has accumulated to more than 100,000.

They were escorted in batches to temporary camps and transfer points in the rear.

Those Qin people who were rescued from various tribes.

With the help of the guards and infantry, they were gradually sent back to safety in the rear.

The scattered Xiongnu cavalry finally brought the news back to the royal court.

The first to arrive at the royal court were several cavalrymen who had escaped from the annihilated tribes.

They were covered in dust, their horses were thin, they were wounded, and their armor was tattered.

They knelt before Touman Chanyu's tent, recounting in hoarse, broken voices the details of the attack on their tribe.

Armored cavalry, armed with steel arrows, were unstoppable.

Almost all the able-bodied men in the tribe were killed, and the women, children, cattle, and sheep were all taken away.

Touman Chanyu was holding a bowl of mare's milk wine at that time.

After listening to the report from the first group of deserters.

He frowned slightly, but didn't take it too seriously.

Qin cavalry penetrated deep into the grasslands?

To him, it sounded more like the people from those tribes had wandered too far while grazing their livestock and were ambushed by other tribes, and that they were framing the Qin Dynasty to shirk responsibility.

If the Qin army truly dared to venture deep into the grasslands, they would have arrived long ago. Why wait until today?

The Xiongnu cavalry moved swiftly across the northern border of Qin, while the Qin army dared only to retreat behind the Great Wall to build its own defenses.

When have you ever seen them voluntarily step into the grassland?

But as more and more deserters poured into the royal court from different directions, carrying the same message.

Touman Chanyu's expression began to change.

"The Qin cavalry wore iron armor, rode fine horses, and their bows and arrows could shoot twice as far as the Xiongnu cavalry. After several volleys of arrows, almost none of the three hundred cavalrymen remained to fight."

"They had a strange device that allowed their cavalrymen to remain as steady as on the ground while on horseback, enabling them to fire arrows with both hands while galloping, never missing their mark."

"Among those cavalry commanders, some possessed strength exceeding ten thousand jin (approximately 5,000 kg). When they wielded their weapons, no one within a radius of several feet could get close, as if a god had descended to earth."

"All the cattle and sheep in the tribe were stolen, the tents were burned, and the people were taken away and their whereabouts are unknown."

Touman Chanyu sat in the center of the large tent on a seat covered with a wolf skin.

He listened expressionlessly to the reports of one deserter after another.

He felt that these deserters were terrified. What kind of gods had descended to earth? They, the Xiongnu cavalry, were the most powerful cavalry in the world.

After a long while, he raised his head and slowly swept his gaze over the generals and deserters in the tent who had their heads bowed.

The voice was deep and resonant: "When did the Emperor of Qin acquire such audacity?"

No one could answer him.

Touman Chanyu stood up.

He felt his authority had been offended.

"The Qin people have blocked us with their walls for so many years, and now they dare to tear down the walls and come out to set fire to and plunder our pastures."

They thought the Xiongnu cavalry had rusted and were no longer able to hold their bows or draw their strings.

The generals in the tent slowly raised their heads.

Some gripped the hilts of their swords, while others clenched their fists, awaiting Touman Chanyu's orders.