If I made you cannon fodder, how did you manage to achieve your goal of conquering the wolf's l

The cold wind of Canglang Plain is like a steel knife that cuts through bones, carrying fine ice shards as it shuttles back and forth in the low-lying snow valleys.

This snow valley has two narrow entrances, but its interior is like a huge concave basin.

Due to the terrain, the valley floor has accumulated a thick layer of snow over half a winter. The surface appears flat, but the depth varies.

High on the snow-covered hill, Xu Qingshan lay prone behind the frozen ground, his gaze fixed on the vast ice plain ahead.

Fifty Zhenbei cavalrymen, along with their warhorses, were all draped in white camouflage felt, lying quietly on the gentle slopes on both sides, as if they had blended into this icy and snowy landscape.

"They're here."

Ah Man, who was lying not far away, whispered a reminder.

At the horizon, two black dots appeared first, galloping on horseback; they were veterans sent to lure the enemy.

Less than two miles behind them, a dark mass of cavalry was hot on their heels, the rising snow mist resembling a gray earthen dragon.

The enemy force numbered about two hundred cavalrymen, all clad in leather armor and wielding curved swords. They also carried lassos and longbows on their horses. This was a standard search party that had been dispersed from the Black Wolf faction.

The leading barbarian centurion, his face contorted with malice, brandished his whip and loudly urged his men on in his barbarian language.

They had been wandering around this wasteland for most of the night, and were already seething with anger. Now that they had finally spotted the traces of the Daqian people, they were naturally unwilling to let them go.

The two veteran soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty who were used to lure the enemy were among the most skilled riders selected. They deliberately chose to run through areas with shallow snow, occasionally turning back to fire a stray arrow, provoking the enemy's anger.

Before long, the two veterans plunged into the low-lying snow valley and ran deeper into the valley along the path at the bottom.

Without the slightest hesitation, the barbarian search party, like a pack of wolves that have smelled blood, rushed directly into the valley entrance following the tracks.

"Chase them! Kill them!"

The barbarian centurion raised his scimitar and charged into the heart of the valley.

However, just as the vanguard cavalry stepped into the valley, a sudden change occurred.

The snow at the bottom of the valley was really deep.

The warhorse's iron hooves sank into the knee-deep soft snow, greatly hindering its originally lightning-fast speed and causing it to slow down abruptly.

The cavalry behind them couldn't slow down in time and crashed into them one after another. The formation of two hundred men was squeezed together at the bottom of the valley and fell into brief chaos.

Just then, a series of orderly footsteps came from deep within the snow valley.

Xiao Hongluan, carrying a white waxwood spear, led fifty infantrymen out from behind the hidden snow.

Instead of retreating, they smashed dozens of heavy iron shields they had captured into the snow, and spears sprang out like a forest, erecting an ironclad defensive line in front of the narrow valley, cutting off the barbarian soldiers' advance.

"We've fallen for their trap! There's an ambush!"

The barbarian centurion's expression changed slightly, but relying on his numerical advantage, he did not panic. He immediately turned his horse around and prepared to retreat to the high ground on both sides to reorganize his formation.

"Release the arrows!"

A cold sound poured down from above the snow-covered hill.

Xu Qingshan threw off the white felt cloth covering his body, revealing his tall and straight figure in the cold wind.

He pulled out a repeating crossbow from the wooden case of the saddle, locked his eyes on the enemy formation below, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Whoosh!

On the gentle slopes on both sides, fifty white camouflage cloths were simultaneously lifted, and the Zhenbei cavalrymen, like awakened beasts, leveled their short crossbows.

collapse!collapse!collapse!

The dense clatter of bowstrings shooting out in unison drowned out the howling wind and snow.

One hundred and fifty fine steel short arrows, like a dense, impenetrable metallic rain, poured down from above onto the crowded barbarian cavalry ranks.

The distance was too close, and it was a shot from a high position.

Ordinary leather armor was rendered useless by these armor-piercing arrows meticulously crafted by Bai Zhi. The dozens of barbarian soldiers on the outermost edge were shot through the chest and throat before they could even parry, falling from their horses with screams of agony.

The warhorses were startled, neighing and kicking back and forth in the deep snow, further disrupting the barbarian soldiers' formation.

"Don't stop, change the crossbow!" Tie Niu roared, stuffing the empty crossbow back into the wooden box and pulling out a second, already cocked, repeating crossbow.

The Zhenbei cavalry's crossbow-changing speed was astonishing; in less than three breaths, a second round of metal rain poured down once again.

Dozens more barbarian soldiers fell in pools of blood.

Two volleys of fire, and the barbarian search party hadn't even touched the hem of the enemy's clothes before losing nearly half its men, and panic quickly spread through the valley.

"Charge! Kill them all!"

The barbarian centurion, his eyes bloodshot, brandished his sword at the Daqian cavalry on the gentle slope, attempting to organize a counterattack. Dozens of fierce barbarian soldiers spurred their warhorses forward, charging up the slope despite the rain of arrows.

But Xu Qingshan did not give them a chance to engage in battle.

"Draw your sword and stab them through!"

Xu Qingshan put the second crossbow back into the wooden box, drew his fine steel sword from his waist with a clang, squeezed his legs tightly around the horse's belly, and the warhorse beneath him let out a long neigh, like a black arrow, and charged down the snow slope.

Fifty Zhenbei cavalrymen followed closely behind.

Using the momentum of the downhill slope, this outnumbered cavalry force displayed astonishing destructive power.

Following the wedge formation described in the "Elite Cavalry Combat Manual," they cut diagonally into the flank of the barbarian formation like a hot knife through butter.

Xu Qingshan took the lead, his long sword transforming into a streak of light.

In the blink of an eye, before the two barbarian soldiers charging towards them could even raise their weapons, Xu Qingshan used the speed of his horse to sever their throats with a single stroke, their hot blood spraying onto the white snow in a horrifying sight.

"kill!"

The warriors of the Zhenbei Cavalry demonstrated the results of their rigorous training on horseback.

They worked in groups of three, providing cover for each other. Their swords were used to slash at the necks and armpits of the enemies. Their high-speed cutting and slicing cuts directly shredded the already scattered barbarian formation into several isolated pieces that could not support each other.

Once cavalry loses its speed and formation, it is no longer an invincible myth in the eyes of infantry.

"Shield array advance! Three-dimensional strangulation!"

Deep in the valley, Xiao Hongluan keenly seized the opportunity. She pointed her ash wood spear forward, and fifty infantrymen immediately abandoned their cover, carrying spears and short knives, and steadily pressed forward.

Those barbarian soldiers who had been scattered by the Zhenbei cavalry and even fallen off their horses were just about to get up and fight back when they ran headlong into the Three Talents Formation of the Daqian infantry.

Swordsmen lowered their shoulders to block the enemy's slashing swords, while spearmen mercilessly thrust their spears through the gaps in the shields, piercing the barbarian soldiers' vitals.

If anyone tries to turn and run away, the short-swordsmen on the flanks will approach like ghosts and deliver the fatal blow.

The combined infantry and cavalry, like a sophisticated meat grinder, ruthlessly reaped lives in this small snow-covered valley.

In the center of the battlefield, the barbarian centurion looked at his dwindling number of men and let out a desperate roar.

He fixed his gaze on Xu Qingshan, who was charging into battle, knowing that only by killing this general of the Great Qian Dynasty could he have a chance of survival.

"Die!"

The centurion spurred his horse, sending it leaping over the corpses on the ground and charging straight at Xu Qingshan. He raised his thick-backed curved sword high, bringing it down with the force of splitting mountains and cleaving peaks.

Faced with this powerful blow, Xu Qingshan remained calm, not even blinking.

With powerful qi and blood circulating throughout his body, he did not choose to dodge, but instead gripped the hilt of the knife with his backhand and swung the knife upwards.

when!

The two swords clashed, producing a piercing explosion.

The barbarian centurion felt a violent tremor in his hand, and an overwhelming force traveled up the hilt of his sword, almost causing him to lose his grip on the weapon.

He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, unable to comprehend how this well-proportioned young man from the Great Qian Dynasty could possess such terrifying explosive power.

The instant the blades clashed, Xu Qingshan flicked his wrist, and his steel battle blade slid forward along the back of the enemy's curved blade, sparks flying amidst a screeching sound.

The centurion tried to draw his sword and defend, but it was too late.

The cold, eerie blue light slid smoothly along the back of his blade, cutting into his unarmored wrist.

"Well!"

The centurion screamed as the tendons in his right hand were severed at the root, and his thick-backed scimitar fell from his hand.

The battle situation changed in the blink of an eye. Without any hesitation, Xu Qingshan's long sword drew an arc in mid-air and swiftly sliced ​​through the enemy's neck.

Fresh blood gushed out like arrows.

The burly barbarian centurion's eyes bulged out, his massive body swayed on horseback, and he finally collapsed onto the snow stained with blood.

With their commander dead, the remaining twenty or thirty barbarian soldiers lost all will to fight. They dropped their weapons, some kneeling in the snow begging for mercy, while others tried to crawl out of the snow valley on their hands and feet.

But in the face of blood feuds on the border, mercy is the cheapest thing.

"Leave no one alive."

Xu Qingshan shook the blood off the blade and gave the order in a cold voice.

Without the slightest hesitation, the Zhenbei cavalry and infantry unleashed their swords and spears, extinguishing the last spark of resistance.

The battle ended very quickly; from the moment the arrows were fired to the complete annihilation, it took only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

Of the two hundred elite search party members of the Black Wolf tribe, not a single one could escape this low-lying snow valley. The corpses and stray warhorses scattered all over the ground silently testified to the ferocity of the battle.

Xu Qingshan stood on his horse beside the corpse of a barbarian soldier, the cold wind blowing against his blood-stained cloak.

In his mind, the system's crisp notification sounds were ringing out continuously.

[Ding! The entire barbarian search party has been wiped out. Military merit +100.]

[Killed a barbarian centurion, military merit +20.]

This was not only a thrilling ambush, but also a testament to breaking free from psychological shackles.

The soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty around him were panting heavily, their eyes gleaming with fanaticism as they looked at the spoils scattered on the ground.

They had thought that once they left the fortified city walls, encountering a large-scale barbarian cavalry force on the plains would mean certain death.

But Xu Qingshan showed them with facts that as long as the tactics are appropriate, the desert can also become the home ground of the Daqian people.

"Clean up the battlefield, collect the arrows and intact horses." Xu Qingshan sheathed his longsword and looked towards the vast ice plains in the distance.

This is just one corner of the net that Ashina cast.

Next, what they had to do was tear the flesh and blood of the Black Wolf Tribe clean, piece by piece, on this vast wolf plain.