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

The number of torches on the hillside is still increasing.

Several riders from Zhenbei dragged ropes tied with dead branches, running back and forth from behind the mountain ridge.

The dry soil, scraped up by tree branches and mixed with the black smoke from burning torches, stretched out in the night, looking from afar like a large army being mobilized behind the mountain.

The sound of horns came from different directions.

The sound of the approaching object coming from the east was immediately heard from the valley to the west.

A moment later, commotion also came from the slope south of Qingya Fort.

The leader of the vulture tribe was named Chizhu.

He had received news before leading his troops south that Blackstone Fortress had just fought a battle with the Black Wolf tribe, and the casualties must have been considerable.

Qingya Fort only has a few dozen old and weak soldiers guarding it. If we act quickly enough, we can take it before dawn.

But the firelight on the hillside disrupted his judgment.

A barbarian centurion rode up to them.

"Chief, Daqian cavalry have been spotted to the east."

How many?

"The trees blocked the view; all you could see were the torches."

Chi Shu's face darkened.

"Do you see the flag?"

"Not at the moment."

"You didn't even see the flag, what are you doing back here?"

The centurion lowered his head after being scolded.

Chishu turned around and looked at Qingya Fort.

The defenders on the city wall also spotted the fire in the mountains, and the previously intermittent drumming became more frequent.

Several rockets flew from the city wall and landed in the haystacks outside the fortress.

The firelight illuminated the dilapidated city walls.

On the top of the wall, a middle-aged man wearing old armor leaned against the crenellations, gazing into the distance.

"Are they reinforcements?"

The old soldier next to him squinted and watched for a long time.

"The bugle call sounds like barbarians."

"Would barbarians sound horns for themselves from all directions?"

The middle-aged man was none other than Feng Shouyi, the garrison commander of Qingya Fort.

He wiped the blood from his face.

"Bring up the rest of the arrows."

The old soldier gave a bitter smile.

"There are only twenty-seven left in total."

"Then twenty-seven."

Feng Shouyi looked at the Vulture Tribe cavalry outside the fortress.

"If they're really reinforcements, let's follow them and fight our way out."

"What if the barbarians have set a trap?"

"We're already prepared to burn through the breach, so why are we afraid they'll set a trap?"

The old soldier paused for a moment, then laughed.

"Too."

Outside the fortress, Chishu had already selected thirty cavalrymen.

The centurion leading the group was tall and carried a longbow on his back.

"Go and take a look at Su Dongpo."

Chishu said, "Don't get too close. Come back immediately after you've confirmed their numbers."

The centurion asked, "What if there are only a small number of cavalry?"

"Then cut off their heads!"

The thirty riders quickly left the main force and headed towards the eastern hillside.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed into the woods.

Hou San lay prone behind the slope, cautiously peeking out half his head.

"Thirty of them came."

Xiao Qi asked, "Should we bring it closer before we hit it?"

"I won't fight."

Hou San reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"The centurion is to shoot the leader; our job is to scare the rest back."

Xiaoqi turned her head to look behind her.

Xu Qingshan was already standing next to a protruding rock.

He held the powerful bow captured from the Black Wolf tribe in his hand, the arrowhead piercing through the gaps in the branches, as the probing cavalry moved slowly forward.

The thirty vulture cavalrymen moved very cautiously.

When they were about a hundred paces away from the hillside, the centurion leading the group raised his hand.

The line stopped.

No one could be seen in the mountains and forests, but the torches flickered in the distance.

The centurion observed for a moment, then took the longbow from his horse.

"Let's try firing an arrow."

He had just nocked an arrow when a bowstring rang out from the forest.

The arrow fired from the powerful bow traveled over a hundred paces and pierced directly into the centurion's chest.

An arrowhead emerged from his back, drawing a trail of blood.

The centurion fell backward and tumbled off his horse.

The remaining cavalrymen were immediately thrown into chaos.

"Enemy attack!"

"There are archers on the mountain!"

Dozens of torches were raised simultaneously from the forest.

Hou San led Zhen Bei on horseback, running behind the hillside, shouting continuously.

"The vanguard is in position!"

"The west side is blocked!"

"Don't let a single one escape!"

The sound echoed through the valley, and by the time it reached the ears of the barbarian cavalry, the number of people was no longer discernible.

Xiao Qi led several crossbowmen to fire arrows continuously.

The short crossbow had a limited range, and most of the arrows landed in front of the probing cavalry, forcing them to stop and not approach any further.

After losing their centurion, the remaining cavalry turned their horses around and fled to the rear in a rush.

Seeing this, Chishu's expression grew even more unpleasant.

Thirty riders went out, but only brought back twenty or so men.

The centurion leading the troops was shot dead by an arrow, without even seeing the enemy's face.

"Chief, the enemy has powerful archers."

The barbarian soldiers who had escaped were panting heavily.

"There were torches everywhere behind the mountain, and the sound of horses' hooves could be heard from the west. They have surrounded the area."

Chishu raised his hand and lashed out with his whip.

The barbarian soldier was whipped and fell off his horse.

"Did you see them surround it with your own eyes?"

"I……"

"roll!"

Chishu looked around at the surrounding hillsides.

Even knowing there might be a trap, he dared not take the risk.

News of the Black Wolf tribe's annihilation has reached the grasslands.

Ashina led two thousand men into Luoyan Valley, and in the end, even his head was hung outside the gate of Black Stone Fortress.

If Blackrock Fortress were to launch a full-scale attack, his three hundred men might not be able to escape unscathed if they were to face it head-on.

A trusted confidant whispered, "Chief, retreat out of the valley first. Wait until dawn to see how many of them there are before deciding whether to attack the city."

Chishu looked at the Qingya Fortress that was right in front of him.

He only needed one more attack to break through the gap on the north side.

He was really unwilling to just give up like this.

"Send another team to the west."

The confidant hesitated and said, "The centurion we just sent out is dead."

"Then you go."

The confidant's expression changed.

"Chief, I think that now that the Daqian people have already surrounded us, it would be more dangerous to divide our forces."

Chishu stared at him for a moment.

His confidant forced himself to meet his gaze.

In the end, Chishu looked away.

"Order all teams to regroup."

"Prepare to retreat north out of the valley."

The sound of horns rang out from the rear of the vulture unit.

The cavalry surrounding Qingya Fort began to retreat.

The half-dismantled wooden ladder was thrown on the ground, and the archers suppressing the city walls gradually put away their bows and mounted their horses.

Seeing the enemy's change in posture, Feng Shouyi gripped his knife tightly.

"They're leaving."

The veteran said, "The reinforcements haven't shown up yet, let's not move."

"Once they're far away, the people in the mountains won't be able to catch up."

Feng Shouyi straightened up, leaning against the edge of the stack.

"Bring the Zhenbei Banner here."

"How badly is that flag torn?"

"Even if it's broken, it's still the flag of the Great Qian Dynasty."

A military flag with a tattered corner was carried up the city wall.

The flagpole had already broken, and it was only barely held up by binding two wooden sticks together.

Feng Shouyi took the flagpole and personally inserted it into the crack in the wall.

As the night wind blew, the tattered flag slowly unfurled.

Xu Qingshan, who was on the hillside, saw the flag and his eyes flickered slightly.

The Qingya Fortress had reached the point where they were about to burn down the breach in the city wall, but the garrison still kept their flags until the very end.

"They are preparing to leave the city."

Ah Man rushed back from the side slope.

"The vultures are starting to converge northward, and the rear herds haven't fully turned around yet. If we charge now, we can disrupt them."

Hou San asked, "Should all fifty of us go down?"

"Ten people will remain on the mountain to continue blowing horns and carrying torches."

Xu Qingshan looked at Xiao Qi.

"You and your men stay behind."

Xiaoqi frowned.

"I can ride a horse too."

"Your presence will have a greater impact."

Xu Qingshan tossed him a Black Wolf tribe horn.

"They blow the whistle every ten breaths, with the whistle coming from the east and the whistle responding from the west, keeping them in the illusion that there are others behind them."

Xiao Qi took the horn.

"Then how should my contribution be calculated?"

Hou San patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, you'll be one of the two I kill."

"On what grounds?"

"Because you didn't go down."

Xiao Qi looked at Xu Qingshan.

"Centurion, has he always been this shameless?"

You'll get used to it.

Xu Qingshan mounted his horse.

Forty riders from Zhenbei slowly descended the hillside.