Border Soldiers: My granaries are full of grain and meat, and I guard this region.

The group lay in the tall grass and waited for a whole day, from day to night, until everyone started yawning and getting sleepy.

Qi Feng squatted in the tall grass on the north slope, looking at the dark open space at the end of the official road. The sound of the wind and the chirping of crickets mingled in his ears, and the hard leather armor on his body was digging into his ribs.

Qi Shitou lay on his left side, breathing steadily, his fingers resting on the hilt of the horse-slaying saber.

Qi Daniu lay on his right side. In the darkness, Qi Feng could hear his heavy breathing. The kid wasn't nervous at all; his eyes were full of excitement.

Qi Feng lowered his voice and spoke to the two of them:

"Get some sleep, I'll keep watch for the rest of the night."

Qi Shitou didn't say anything, but just shrank deeper into the grass and didn't go to sleep.

Instead, Qi Daniu actually closed his eyes and soon started snoring. Qi Feng reached out and patted the back of Qi Daniu's head, and the snoring stopped immediately.

Qi Feng didn't sleep in the latter half of the night; he squatted on the hilltop, staring at the direction at the end of the official road.

The caution shown by the Great Rong cavalry this time was beyond his expectations, but it also fully demonstrated that the Great Rong was serious this time.

There was no moon in the sky, only scattered starlight on the ground, barely enough to make out the outline of the official road.

At the third quarter of the hour of Yin (3:45 AM), a faint sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from afar.

The sound came and went, but it seemed to be getting closer and closer to them.

Qi Feng listened intently for a while, then suddenly stood up and patted Qi Shitou and Qi Daniu on his left and right sides:

"Wake up! Everyone be quiet!"

The eighteen people in the tall grass tensed up at the same time, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The sound of horses' hooves gradually became clearer, no longer scattered sounds, but rhythmic sounds in large swathes.

Qi Feng estimated that the sound indicated at least thirty military horses.

Through the gaps in the tall grass, Qi Feng saw a large group of dark figures appear on the official road in the distance. One group, two groups... a full thirty military horses were walking in front, and the riders at the front were no more than two hundred paces away from the north slope where they were hiding.

Behind these riders, even more teams were slowly making their way forward in the distance.

The army of four hundred men was stretched out during the night march, with the front and rear of the army at least three or four miles apart.

"These people are very shrewd."

Qi Feng narrowed his eyes. Who would have thought that this group of Rong cavalry would not travel during the day but would instead sneak away at night?

At this rate, they would reach Qijia Village before dawn, which would be the time when the garrison soldiers of Qijia Village would be most sleepy, and they would likely be caught by this group of Rong cavalry.

The vanguard consisted of about forty or fifty men. Their horses were not moving fast, but they were all extremely cautious. Their direction was directly towards Qijia Village.

Qi Feng squinted and vaguely saw the leading rider turn to the side and say something to the person behind him. The person replied, and the group continued to move forward in an orderly manner.

One hundred and fifty steps, one hundred steps, the distance between the two sides is getting closer and closer.

Qi Feng slowly drew his horse-slaying saber, his muscles tensing up.

The eighteen men behind him also gripped their sword hilts tightly. Qi Shitou and Qi Daniu nestled on either side of Qi Feng, their eyes shining in the darkness as they stared intently at the group of riders.

This was their first time on the battlefield, and it would be a lie to say they weren't nervous, but compared to nervousness, they felt more excited and thrilled.

The sound of horses' hooves grew louder on the official road, and the leading riders had already entered the area that Qi Feng had chosen.

The gentle slopes on both sides of that section of the official road were only five or six meters away from the road surface. Once the cavalry entered this area, their flanks would be completely exposed to the blades of the north slope.

However, Qi Feng did not choose to make a move at this time, but instead silently counted in his mind.

When the caravan had traveled halfway and fifteen riders had already passed ahead, Qi Feng suddenly stood up, leaped out of the bushes, twirled his saber halfway in his hand with the blade facing down, and strode towards the mounted riders on the official road.

Seeing Qi Feng move, the eighteen people behind him stood up and followed closely behind. Their footsteps made a dull thud on the dry earth, and their bodies brushed against the tall grass, creating a rustling sound.

The Rong cavalry on the official road were caught off guard by Qi Feng's attack.

What they saw was a group of people rushing out of the tall grass, wearing leather armor similar to their own, their faces blackened, and for a moment they couldn't even tell whether they were friend or foe.

Qi Feng gave them no time to react, instantly rushing to the side of the warhorse closest to him, and sweeping his blade across the ground.

The long blade of the horse-slaying saber drew a semicircle in the darkness, severing the warhorse's foreleg at the knee. The saber's sharpness exceeded Qi Feng's imagination.

This was the first time the Great Rong cavalry had ever encountered such an attack.

The warhorse, its leg severed, neighed and fell forward, throwing its rider into the neck of a horse behind it.

The second horse was startled and reared up. Qi Shitou and Qi Daniu rushed out from Qi Feng's left and right rear, slashing the horse's belly diagonally upwards with their horse-slaying swords, instantly opening a long gash. The internal organs spilled out onto the ground, and a thick stench of blood filled the air.

The third horse was thrown into chaos, and the remaining eighteen men rushed out, each mimicking their usual training, bending down to chop at the horse's legs with their sabers.

In an instant, men and horses stumbled and fell in the middle of the official road. Including Qi Feng's horse-slaying sword, all twenty-one horse-slaying swords attacked simultaneously in the first round of attacks, and the first dozen or so horses of the Great Rong vanguard fell to the ground almost at the same time.

Some riders on horseback were knocked unconscious, while others, having just gotten up, were struck down by blades from who-knows-where.

Those behind had no idea what was happening ahead; they only heard a commotion, followed by the neighing of horses.

Just as Qi Feng and his men finished the first round of attacks, Liu Si and his fifteen archers suddenly rose from the thorn bushes to the south.

"Release the arrows!"

Liu Si roared angrily, and the arrow in his hand shot out instantly.

Instead of aiming their arrows at the vanguard, where the darkness could easily cause friendly fire, they chose to direct the arrows at the troops behind the vanguard.

In an instant, the vanguard was attacked, and the troops behind it were also attacked, throwing the entire 400-strong Rong cavalry into chaos.

Qi Feng did not linger in the fight. After cutting down the third horse, he immediately withdrew and shouted to his left and right.

"withdraw!"

A group of people retreated back to the north slope like the receding tide, disappearing instantly into the tall grass. The whole process took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

After seeing Qi Feng retreat, Liu Si did not linger in battle and also began to retreat from the south slope.

Some people wanted to follow, but the thorny bushes on the south slope blocked their way.

Some wanted to chase Qi Feng from the north slope, but looking at the tall grass that was almost half a person's height, which resembled a gaping maw ready to devour anyone, no one dared to venture into it alone. No one knew how many knives were waiting for them inside.

A dozen or so warhorses lay dead on the official road, along with about twenty riders who were either dead or wounded. The remaining cavalry were blocked on the road by their own horses, unable to charge forward or retreat.

Many horses, startled, began to charge wildly, and it took a lot of manpower just to stop them.

Someone shot several arrows at the north slope, but they all hit the empty grass and didn't even get a glimpse of anything.

They could only watch helplessly as Qi Feng and his group disappeared.