Kesu led his troops to the front and fired arrows at the camp gate. Several cavalrymen fell down at the beginning, but this could not stop the angry Qiang people. The cavalry were extremely fast and broke through the camp gate in an instant.
The defenders could not resist and hurriedly fired a few arrows before turning around and fleeing. The valley was full of fleeing Di people like a flock of frightened sheep.
Kesu looked at the heads hanging on the poles, his eyes bloodshot, and roared: "Warriors, avenge Wu Kezhuang, and leave no one alive."
When the Qiang soldiers saw the Di people fleeing in panic, their morale was greatly boosted. They urged their horses and chased after them, shouting and yelling, calling for revenge but actually keeping their eyes on the supplies on them.
Both sides were cavalrymen with superb riding skills. For a time, they were evenly matched. The Di people were chased to nowhere and fled to the mountains in the south.
Kesu was getting impatient from the pursuit, and when he turned a corner, he saw the Di people lined up again, waving flags and shouting at the foot of the mountain, preparing to meet the enemy.
"Hmph, you don't know how to live or die, kill—"
Kesu smiled coldly and shouted to urge the front army to charge towards the Di army.
The cavalry was about to rush down the mountain when suddenly the horses in the front screamed and fell to the ground. The soldiers behind had no time to react and were all tripped and fell. Everyone rolled on the ground, huddled together, and some were crushed to death on the spot.
The Qiang soldiers at the back were still charging, their horses were galloping, and it was too late to rein in the horses. As soon as the people in the front row got up, they were knocked over, trampled and crushed by the rushing cavalry, resulting in countless casualties.
Kesu was about to charge and was shocked when he saw this. Even if someone occasionally stumbled, it was impossible for all the cavalry to fall at the same time.
Kesu was shocked and angry, thinking that someone ahead had made a mistake on horseback, so he shouted at them to stand up and continue fighting.
After shouting for a long time, I saw the war horses falling to the ground, wailing, and struggling for a long time, but unable to get up. Then I realized that the situation was not good.
Generally speaking, horses never lie down. Even when they are resting at night, they will stand. Even if they accidentally fall, they will get up quickly.
When Kesu was wondering, there was a sudden shout from behind the hillside. Two teams of cavalry rushed out from behind, and at the same time, an ambush on the hill shot arrows down.
"There is an ambush, retreat quickly!" Kesu's heart sank and he turned his horse around to prepare for retreat.
"Kesu, you treacherous villain, do you still want to leave?" A man rode towards them on horseback, it was Ma Chao.
"Oh, Mama..."
Kesu was horrified and hastily raised his sword to block, but Ma Chao had already urged his horse to approach and thrust his tiger-head spear straight at him.
Although Kesu tried hard to block with his sword, he could not withstand the power of the gun. With a series of teeth-grinding friction sounds, the gun tip pierced into his chest.
Ma Chao's face was as gloomy as water. He picked up Kesu's body and waved it in the air, passing through the crowd. Blood fell like raindrops, and he fell into the chaotic army with a plop.
Arrows were fired from the mountain, and the Qiang soldiers were already in chaos. Now they saw Kesu being killed and their way forward was blocked. Ma Chao was riding towards them, and no one dared to confront them, so they had to squeeze down the hillside.
The Qiang soldiers were still crowding around to grab horses when they suddenly saw Kesu's body falling. They fled in all directions like rats whose nest was blown up, and were trapped in the valley, not knowing how to advance or retreat.
At this time, Agui, who was behind the mountain, also led his troops to fight back, and rushed into the chaotic army with the Di soldiers. They had been suppressed by the Qiang people for many years, and finally they were able to get their revenge and attacked without mercy.
Ma Chao brandished his tiger-head spear as if he was in an empty space, charging back and forth like a ferocious beast. The Qiang soldiers fell off their horses and fled in panic.
Ma Dai and Pang De led their troops to block the entrance of the valley. On the mountains on both sides were soldiers with excellent archery skills. Shi A and others also joined the battle, practicing archery aiming at the chaotic Qiang soldiers.
The Qiang people have always bullied the weak and feared the strong. They were very confident when they won, but were like a stray dog when they lost. At this time, they had no fighting spirit at all and just wanted to escape, becoming a tool for Ma Chao to vent his anger.
There were more than 2,000 cavalrymen with no way to go up or down. After half an hour, only the ownerless mounts were left in the valley. Not a single Qiang soldier was left alive, and the ground was filled with corpses and blood flowed like a river.
"Blood debt must be paid with blood!" The smell of blood lingered in the valley for a long time. Ma Chao was covered in blood and glanced coldly at the battlefield.
Ah Gui looked up at Xu Shu on the top of the mountain, clasped his fists and laughed, "Military Advisor Xu, we Di people can finally be proud of ourselves! This battle is all thanks to Military Advisor Xu."
In the past, they did not even dare to offend a small group of more than 500 Qiang people, and often had their horses, cattle and sheep stolen by them, and they had to swallow their anger. Now they realize that the Qiang people are nothing special, and the Di soldiers have greatly increased their confidence and morale.
Xu Shu ordered: "The enemy's large force will arrive soon. Collect the horses and weapons immediately and act according to the plan."
Agui called out, and everyone cheered and dismounted. They loaded the weapons and armor on the ground onto their horses and picked up the caltrops as well.
After they climbed over the ridge, they came to a larger valley, which was long and narrow from east to west, shaped like a wooden trough. There were large tracts of willow and poplar forests at the bottom of the valley. This was the Di people's pasture.
Wooden houses and felt tents can be seen everywhere, some of which are already rotten and dilapidated. The newly built camp is on flat ground, but there is no one inside.
The group passed the camp and walked through the woods to rest at the foot of the southern mountain.
Agui was puzzled and said, "We are guarding the mountain pass. Even if Han Sui comes, he may not be able to break through. But if this pasture is occupied by them, we will have nowhere to retreat."
Xu Shu smiled and said, "This forest is enough to help us stop the pursuers."
Ah Gui was startled and asked, "What should we do if they rush through the woods?"
Xu Shu said: "The pursuers have been tricked time and again, and are now like frightened birds. I have my own countermeasures to confuse the enemy. When their morale is low, it will be time for us to strike back."
Ma Chao was cheered up and laughed, "It's finally my turn!"
Xu Shu said: "The main force of the Qiang soldiers has been destroyed, and next to them are Han Sui's troops. They have not been trained for a long time and are not comparable to the Qiang soldiers. We need to use military tactics."
Ah Gui asked in confusion, "Wasn't the military advisor using the Art of War earlier?"
Xu Shu laughed and said, "It was just a small trick I used before!"
“Uh…” Agui was speechless for a while.
During this period, Xu Shu deployed troops and generals, and planned to win the battle. He thought it was what the Han people often called "strategizing under the tent", but he didn't expect that it could not even be called the art of war. Isn't this bullying
Although Ma Chao didn't understand, he patted Agui on the shoulder and said in a teaching tone: "China has a lot of military books and countless military strategies. It's understandable that Your Majesty knows very little. When we have time in the future, you and I will discuss more."
Ah Gui agreed with this and bowed, saying, "Thank you, General Tian, for your guidance."
Xu Shu summoned Shi A and Ma Le and ordered them to lead 500 elite soldiers to make a detour to the east, re-enter the Evil Spirit Grassland, and encircle the enemy from behind.
A Gui frowned and said, "The military strategy is to use 500 people to attack the enemy's rear? Han Sui's troops are more powerful than the Qiang people. I'm afraid..."
Xu Shu smiled and said, "It is common sense in the army that food and grass should be sent before the troops move. The Qiang people always travel light and with very little baggage, so they come quickly. Han Sui's army is following behind, and they need to transport food and grass. If their food and grass are cut off, the enemy army will be defeated without a fight!"
So that's how it is. Ah Gui's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands and shouted, "The military advisor's plan is really brilliant. No matter how many troops he has, if they don't have food or water and are hungry, they will definitely be defeated."
Ma Chao secretly praised him, and patted Agui on the shoulder and said, "Warfare is the art of deception! Your Majesty needs to learn more!"