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

Two thousand Black Wolf cavalrymen, like an unstoppable black torrent, rolled southward along the official road.

The vanguard of three hundred cavalrymen, chasing after Hou San's retreating figure, had already broken away from the central army formation and plunged into the narrow Luoyan Valley.

"Chase them! Don't let them get away!"

The barbarian vanguard general brandished his scimitar, his eyes bloodshot with rage.

On this desolate plain, the cavalry of the Great Qian Dynasty have always been lambs to the slaughter.

If he were to be so thoroughly mocked by a mere dozen or so lambs, how could he, as the vanguard general, put his face down if he didn't skin them alive?

"General, the terrain of this valley is wrong, it's too narrow!" A seasoned squad leader shouted, looking at the increasingly narrow rock walls on both sides.

"What are you afraid of! There are only a dozen or so of them, what can they do to us!" The vanguard general was completely unconcerned, and even increased his horse's speed because of his anger.

Just as the barbarian vanguard had penetrated nearly a hundred paces into Luoyan Valley and was about to catch up with Hou San and his group...

The dozen or so barbarian soldiers at the front suddenly let out a series of shrill screams and fell forward along with their horses.

Boom! Pfft!

The warhorse's iron hooves shattered the surface of the camouflaged soil, plunging it directly into a pit half a person's depth.

The warhorse's leg was broken, and the enormous inertia threw the rider off its back, causing him to slam heavily onto the barbed wooden chevaux-de-frise in front of it.

"Stop! Stop now!"

The barbarian soldiers who followed were terrified and desperately tightened the reins.

However, in this narrow valley, the warhorses were unable to stop instantly at high speed. The cavalrymen behind collided with their slowed-down comrades in front, and in an instant, men and horses fell over, and the entire valley was in chaos.

"There's an ambush!"

The vanguard general finally came to his senses, and his expression changed drastically.

He was about to order a retreat when he heard a muffled, unsettling mechanical sound coming from the high rock walls on both sides.

Click.

That was the death knell tolled by the Grim Reaper.

On the mountainside on both sides of Luoyan Valley, three heavy ballistae have completed their final calibration.

Xu Qingshan stood beside a ballista at the highest point, his eyes cold, and slowly raised his right hand.

"put!"

boom! boom! boom!

Three thunderous notes resounded through the narrow valley, making one's eardrums ache.

Three thick steel crossbow bolts, each as thick as a child's arm, whistled through the air as they transformed into three black lightning bolts, plunging from above into the barbarian cavalry ranks crowded at the bottom of the valley.

This heavy weapon, used for conquering cities and fortresses, displayed a terrifying and devastating destructive power when dealing with flesh and blood.

*Pfft!* *Snap!*

The first crossbow bolt pierced straight through the chest of a barbarian soldier.

The cold-forged armor that could withstand ordinary swords was as fragile as paper in front of this crossbow bolt.

The crossbow bolt, still powerful, flew backwards carrying the barbarian soldier's body, piercing two riders behind him before finally embedding itself in the neck of a warhorse.

"ah--!"

Heart-wrenching screams echoed through the valley.

With just one volley, three crossbow bolts carved three bloody alleys through the dense barbarian formation, taking more than ten lives.

Limbs and internal organs were scattered all over the ground, and warm blood quickly stained the white snow at the bottom of the valley.

"It's a ballista! A heavy-duty ballista from the Great Qian Dynasty!"

The barbarian vanguard general roared in terror.

He couldn't understand how such cumbersome defensive equipment could have been moved to the mountainside in this desolate wilderness.

"Scatter! Stay close to the rock face and take cover!"

However, in Luoyan Valley, which is only a dozen or so feet wide, it was no easy task for hundreds of cavalrymen to disperse. Their warhorses were startled and ran around in all directions, causing an even bigger stampede.

"Upwards!"

On the high ground on both sides, the foot soldiers responsible for operating the ballistae did not stop for a moment. Twenty strong men were divided into three groups, their arms bulging with veins, and they frantically shook the heavy iron winches.

The sound of the mechanism rang out again, and a chilling killing intent enveloped the hearts of every barbarian soldier.

"Don't retreat! Charge! Charge over that wooden wall!"

The vanguard commanders knew that if they were blocked here, they would become sitting ducks for the ballistae on the high ground. Only by breaking through the barricades ahead and penetrating deep into enemy territory could they find a chance of survival.

He led the charge, brandishing his scimitar and directing his men, who were still able to control their horses, in a desperate charge against the barricades behind the trenches, braving a hail of arrows.

"Dream on."

Hou San, who had already bypassed the pit area, led a dozen light cavalrymen to rein in their horses behind the chevaux-de-frise. They dismounted and mounted their repeating crossbows on the wooden posts of the chevaux-de-frise.

Behind them, Xiao Hongluan led fifty infantrymen who were already in full battle array.

Spears protruded from the gaps in the wooden pillars, forming an impenetrable steel hedgehog.

"shoot!"

Faced with the charging barbarian soldiers, Hou San and his men pulled the trigger without hesitation.

A dense hail of finely crafted short arrows rained down, turning the first dozen or so barbarian soldiers into pincushions. The remaining barbarian soldiers braved the arrow barrage and crashed into the chevaux-de-frise.

boom!

With a heavy thud, the thick log groaned, but did not break.

The immense force of the warhorses caused the front-line barbarian soldiers to smash their bones, and what awaited them were the cold spears thrust out from the gaps by the Daqian infantry.

"prick!"

Xiao Hongluan's voice was as cold and sharp as ice.

Fifty spears thrust out and retracted in unison, leaving a trail of bloody light. Those barbarian soldiers who were lucky enough not to die on the barricades were nailed to the wooden wall like a string of gourds.

Dilemma.

With barricades and spears in front and ballistae firing from above, the three hundred barbarian vanguards found themselves in a truly desperate situation in the narrow, death zone of Luoyan Valley.

"put!"

Halfway up the mountain, Xu Qingshan waved his hand again.

The second round of crossbow volleys took place as scheduled.

The massive crossbow bolts, carrying devastating power, tore through the barbarian soldiers' formation once more. The vanguard general was attempting to direct his men to move the wooden barricades when, unexpectedly, a steel crossbow bolt fell from the sky, piercing his warhorse and pinning him and his armor firmly to the ground.

"The general is dead!"

The remaining hundred or so barbarian soldiers no longer cared about military orders, turned their horses around, and fled desperately towards the valley entrance.

But this narrow passage to death is destined to be paved with blood.

"Don't let them get away! Provide cover fire with short crossbow bolts!" Xu Qingshan drew his long sword and coldly gave the order.

The Zhenbei cavalry, who had been lying in wait on both sides of the valley floor, led by Zhou Laoqi and Tie Niu, charged down the slope like two unsheathed black blades, directly cutting off the retreat of these remnants of the army.

This was a one-sided massacre with no suspense whatsoever.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

The valley of Falling Goose returned to deathly silence, with only the mournful neighing of warhorses and the heavy stench of blood remaining. None of the three hundred elite vanguard soldiers of the Black Wolf tribe survived.

Xu Qingshan slowly walked down from the mountainside, his combat boots treading through the muddy water mixed with blood. He looked at the corpses scattered all over the ground without any emotion.

"Centurion, well done!" Tie Niu roared excitedly as he chopped off the head of the vanguard commander with his axe. "These barbarians didn't even touch a hair on our heads!"

"This is just the beginning." Xu Qingshan looked up at the plain outside the valley entrance that was gradually being shrouded in yellow dust.

The destruction of the vanguard battalion was merely an appetizer; the real test for them was the impending massive torrent.

"Ashina's central army is almost here." Xu Qingshan's voice echoed through the valley. "Reset the chevaux-de-frise, load the ballistae. Prepare for a tough battle."

A few miles outside the valley mouth.

Ashina rode his black horse, looking at the still silent Luoyan Valley ahead, and the uneasy premonition in his heart grew stronger.

"Why hasn't the vanguard battalion sent back any news yet?" Ashina asked grimly.

"Chief, the valley is narrow; perhaps they've encountered resistance from a small group of enemy troops and are engaged in a fierce battle," the lieutenant suggested tentatively.

"Something's not right." Ashina's intuition, honed by years of warfare, told him that things weren't that simple.

"Halt the army!" Ashina suddenly raised his hand, halting the march. "Send a few scouts in to investigate."

Several light cavalrymen received the order and quickly broke away from the main formation, heading towards Luoyan Valley.

A moment later, the spies scrambled back, their faces as pale as paper.

"Leader! Dead... all dead!" The scout's voice trembled. "The vanguard brothers... were all slaughtered at the bottom of the valley! There was an ambush in the valley, and Daqian's ballistae!"

Ashina's face twisted instantly, and an uncontrollable rage surged to his head.

Three hundred elite troops, wiped out without even making a ripple? And they died at the hands of the border guards he had always looked down upon!

"Xu Qingshan—!" Ashina roared in fury, "I'll tear you to pieces!"

He suddenly drew his curved sword and pointed it straight at Luoyan Valley.

"All troops, listen to my command! Dismount and form ranks! Launch a full-scale assault on the valley and raze them to the ground!"