You became an emperor by letting me AFK.

"it is good."

Even the less-informed barbarians knew that beyond the Kuru Mountain and then the Dragon Vein Mountain lay a vast basin of fertile land. Rich in resources, abundant in water and grass, and covered with fertile fields, it was the most prosperous land in the known world.

Among them lies the most prosperous city: Xiayi.

The place, known as "the land favored by Heaven," receives a glimpse of its beauty once every ten years.

It's all very much hype, and I don't know how much of it is true, but in any case, the South must be very wealthy, probably full of treasures.

Nissan's trade practices also demonstrate this.

Over the years, their iron pots, horse harnesses, and other sophisticated gadgets have all been made by Daqian.

The only things that could be traded in the northern deserts were cattle, sheep, and other livestock, as well as superior horse breeds, but these were far less abundant than the resources of the Great Qian Dynasty, which was truly the envy of others. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that they were protected by the gods.

"Your Majesty, we have reached the line of beacon towers."

"Ah."

He simply replied with a curt remark, not intending to say anything more. In a sense, this place was a place of sorrow for him; he had lost nearly half of his personal guards and only managed to push the battle line to the border with great difficulty in the end.

Ertu Khan was filled with rage and unwilling to linger; he only wanted to get on his way as quickly as possible, but he did not let his guard down.

"Where are the people we've planted here?"

Their retreat did not mean they also withdrew their informants; surveillance must be maintained, at least to serve as an early warning system, and this cannot be neglected.

"...There's no news yet, but they should have seen us by now."

"Then let's send someone else to investigate."

Although he was anxious, Etu Khan, being cautious, still ordered a search, and then commanded them to rest on the spot.

The snow was falling a little heavier now, and the cold wind was howling. Because of the canyon pass, the wind speed was even more terrifying, whipping up everyone's cloaks and even making the warhorses sneeze from the cold. Unfortunately, there was only one thing they could do at the moment:

endure.

Faced with the power of nature, we can only wait quietly.

"My lord, if the snow continues like this, the people we send out will be able to detect very little."

"I know, but it's a team of 1 people after all, so we have to be careful. Let's wait and see."

Ertu Khan was furious and eager for war to begin so he could get revenge, but he also needed to conduct thorough reconnaissance. His allies, on the other hand, seemed more impatient, yearning for victory and plunder.

The discussion that had been going on for some time was quite unsettling:

"It's not a solution to live here in the snow and wind. Let's at least go into the mountain pass to take shelter."

"Honestly, what are you dawdling for? Are you afraid of that mere Daqian? When it comes to cavalry warfare, they are complete amateurs."

"Just bear with the bad weather for now."

The tribal coalition was eager to fight, but also impatient.

Seeing this, he couldn't help but click his tongue; this was truly troublesome. He didn't know many of them, and the team leader was also a stranger. Their lack of authority made them difficult to command effectively, posing a real threat…

"Report."

"No trace of the enemy has been found yet, but they may have been buried by snow."

Everyone looked up at the towering mountains above, wondering if they could find anyone hiding inside.

An officer said impatiently, "The pampered Daqian people are probably hiding inside the city walls and dare not come out. They also probably think we won't attack while it's snowing. Now is the best time, we should act as soon as possible."

"Yes, a quick victory is needed."

"We can't afford to delay any longer. If this cold continues, there's a risk of hypothermia, and warhorses also need shelter from the wind."

They advocated for fighting while providing reasoned and evidence-based analysis.

After offering his suggestions, Etu Khan had no choice but to nod and order, "Let's go."

The army set off.

Caution is warranted, but the objective conditions are what they are, and there's no time to overthink it; every second could potentially delay the opportunity. Moreover, the risk of avalanches while crossing the mountain pass necessitates increased speed.

They quickly entered the depths of the mountain pass, advancing along the route they had taken in their previous attack, and saw a considerable amount of supplies along the way.

Stiff, sprawling barbarian corpses lay scattered in the snow. Perhaps there were survivors, but in the current weather, they couldn't have survived; they were probably frozen solid. This was a land of death.

Looking around, all that could be seen were the supplies left behind during the hasty evacuation.

They didn't take a single piece of the spoils, so the Daqian army shouldn't have arrived here, meaning they're safe.

Etu Khan was slightly relieved after observing the situation, but soon frowned: "Even in winter, isn't it a bit too quiet?"

"The wind is too noisy."

The adjutant's words did not convince him; instead, he continued to observe his surroundings and listen carefully to what was happening.

As heroes and strong individuals are more perceptive and have highly developed five senses, they can see no signs of activity from animals such as wolves, deer, and takins that they would normally encounter. It seems that these animals have been kept at a distance, resulting in an empty area.

No, it wasn't empty; it was packed with... people!

"This is bad! Scatter quickly and retreat to the higher ground on both sides. Abandon your supplies and move nimbly!"

boom!

Before the words were even finished, the entire valley roared and thundered, and the white snow surged like waves, as if a giant that had been gathering strength for a long time on the mountaintop was taking a step.

The avalanche targeted the elite main force of the barbarians.

Although Ertu Khan had warned them, they were simply too slow. The terrifying avalanche swept in with lightning speed, carrying rocks and trees from both sides. It was unstoppable, and the valley echoed with deafening roars.

Even before the disaster struck, many warhorses were already trembling and stiff with fear.

Too late!

It was as if a wall had crashed down on them, and those who couldn't dodge in time were instantly buried by the heavy snow.

They were powerless to resist and merged into the vast white expanse.

PS

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Chapter 73 Ambush and Annihilation of the Barbarian Elite (6K)

"An avalanche is coming!"

It was too late to say that; the matter was already settled, and all that could be seen was an endless expanse of millions of tons of snow.

The barbarian vanguard fell instantly, and this elite force was wiped out in one fell swoop.

Some of the people in the middle managed to climb to higher ground in time, while others were still submerged, and some barely survived by clinging to trees.

The area behind was in complete chaos.

They couldn't see what was happening ahead, yet they felt the ground shaking and everything swaying, with people and horses falling over. Coupled with various screams and howls, order collapsed on the spot, and chaos ensued as people trampled and pushed each other, creating utter pandemonium.

The last row of people were not buried because they gradually lost kinetic energy during the avalanche, but they were also in a complete mess.

"Assemble with me and find the officer next to you."

The surviving Khan, Etu, stood on a boulder and shouted.

"quick."

His roar finally roused some people to action, and they began to assemble, albeit in a chaotic manner, showing some signs of organization. At least they weren't like headless flies anymore; otherwise, an army without even a proper formation would be easy prey.

At the same time, he swung his battle axe and chopped down several arrows that flew through the air, without sustaining any damage.

"You've finally arrived."

His high-profile restoration of order would inevitably attract attention, a necessary price to pay. Maintaining the army should be a priority over the danger. The Daqian army, however, seized the opportunity, unleashing a hail of arrows.

However, Etu Khan easily parried a group of attacks, while his personal guards raised their shields and rushed forward to protect him.

"This might be the last time we fight side by side."

"I swear to live and die with you, sir."

He nodded upon hearing this, and solemnly gazed at the hillside above, where Feng Tianyin's banner was prominently displayed, and a series of imposing figures appeared, their backs against the sky, exuding heroic and extraordinary presence.

Everyone was clad in armor and covered in snow, clearly having been lying in ambush for a long time, and they actually held their breath.

The high priest himself was present.

Etu Khan stared coldly, followed by a deafening battle cry as the Great Qian soldiers charged down from their high ground like a tidal wave. The valley trembled, birds and beasts fled, hearts wavered, and the very heavens and earth echoed with the bugle call of the charge.

Even more advanced than them were the arrows!

With a whooshing sound, arrows rained down from both ends of the valley, like dark clouds, firing from the best vertical angle.

The barbarian warriors, who had hastily assembled, had no time to hide.

Many were poorly equipped, disarmed, and without shields, leaving them utterly defenseless against the sudden barrage of arrows, their lives reaped by the deadly attacks that fell directly upon them.

Whoosh, whoosh!

The relentless firing caused large numbers of barbarian warriors to fall, immediately burying them in the snow.

"Get ready, we're about to engage in hand-to-hand combat."

Etu Khan calmly assessed the situation, noting that the arrows were generally ineffective against their relatively dispersed forces; the key was suppressive fire.

Create conditions for friendly forces to charge forward.

Suddenly the rain of arrows stopped, and almost simultaneously, looking up, they saw the Great Qian army charging towards them, forming ranks and advancing.

Click!

The forest of spears instantly slaughtered the barbarians who tried to fight. It was too fast. They were actually small square formations of individuals, each with shields and spears, pushing forward. They were clumsy and slow, but they were invincible.

Since there was snow underfoot and neither of them could run fast, they decided to forgo mobility altogether.

No wonder they kept suppressing the enemy with a barrage of arrows; it wasn't to give them time to charge, but to form ranks one by one and fight in the safest way possible.

"Let's move closer together, so we don't end up alone."

The barbarians had no choice but to fight and regroup, and before they knew it, they were surrounded.