The cavalry rushed like a torrent and were about to reach the camp. Suddenly, there was a muffled sound in front of them, and the horses in the front army neighed and fell into a big pit.
The cavalrymen behind were caught off guard and all fell into the pit. The pit was two or three meters in radius. More than a hundred people fell into the pit and were crushed to death, screaming in agony.
Yan Ba also rushed forward and shouted angrily: "What a petty trick!"
He pulled the reins hard, leaned against the horse's back, and the horse raised its head and stood up with all its might, carrying his huge body and jumping over the pit.
"Kill!" Yan Ba was enraged and led his troops straight to the Di people's camp.
He overturned a tent first, but found that there was no one inside. He roared and rushed forward, breaking through several large tents in succession. He saw that there was only hay and firewood in the tents, and his heart sank immediately.
"Oh no! There's an ambush!" The angry Yan Ba seemed to have a basin of cold water poured over his head. He calmed down instantly and hurriedly ordered the soldiers to retreat.
But the cavalry was extremely fast. They rushed down the mountain in a rush and had to go around the pit. There was very little room for them to turn around. At this time, they had all rushed into the camp. How could they turn back easily
Although it was early summer, in the Xiliang region, the grass and trees had just sprouted and everything was dry. A large patch of thorn bushes in the east suddenly caught fire, forming a sea of fire in a blink of an eye.
The Di people's camp was right next to the grass. The morning breeze blew, the fire spread, and thick smoke billowed. In a blink of an eye, they couldn't tell the direction. The Xiliang army was blocked from vision and huddled together in the camp.
In the chaos, an ambush force emerged from the willow forest in the south, fired a round of rockets in front of the tent, and then flew away. The fire surrounded the entire camp, and the Xiliang army was crowded and trampled, with countless casualties.
Yan Xing was just arriving at the valley ahead at this time and ordered his men to bury the bodies of the Qiang people. After all, they were allies. If they ignored it and the news got to the Dangxiang tribe, it would cause another fight.
While they were resting, they saw black smoke rising into the sky ahead, so they hurriedly led their troops to provide support.
"I've fallen into a trap again!" Seeing the valley filled with thick smoke and the fire still burning fiercely under the scorching sun, Yan Xing became so angry that his face turned blue.
People kept rushing out of the camp with flames all over their bodies. Some were burned and rolled on the ground, screaming miserably. It was terrifying to hear even in broad daylight.
Yan Xing led his troops closer and saw that there were still people and horses struggling in the big pit. He hurriedly ordered people to go forward to rescue them, but most of them were already injured, with broken bones and tendons, and were in unbearable pain.
Yan Ba retreated in a panic with more than a hundred personal soldiers. His clothes and armor were torn and his face was covered in black dust. When he saw Yan Xing leading his troops, he knelt in front of the horse and apologized.
Looking at the burning tents, Yan Xing could hear screams from the thick smoke from time to time. His face was gloomy. He was secretly happy about the loss of Qiang soldiers before and didn't take it seriously. But now more than two thousand of his own men were burned to death, and his eyes twitched with pain.
In order to capture Ma Chao this time, he ordered Yan Ba to lead elite troops to pursue the enemy. These were his own troops, and the capital for him to compete with Han Sui and dominate in the future was turned to ashes just like that.
Yan Xing gritted his teeth secretly, pointed at the forest, and ordered: "Send a team of cavalry to investigate."
"Yes, sir!" A group of cavalrymen on the left galloped forward, and when they reached the edge of the woods, they carefully explored. Dozens of people cautiously entered the woods.
Yan Xing watched helplessly as the camp turned into ashes. After suffering several setbacks, he finally felt that what Cheng Yi said made sense. The dense forest in front of him made him very alert.
The cavalrymen who escaped from the sea of fire gathered at the mouth of the valley. Their faces were unrecognizable and they lay on the ground gasping for breath. Several mountain springs were crawling with dense crowds of soldiers.
Soon the cavalry in the forest reported back that there were no ambush, but there was a wide open space ahead and no sign of Ma Chao and the Di people.
"How ridiculous! Ma Chao, you dog thief, do you dare to come out and fight me head-on?" Yan Xing gritted his teeth, with a rage that he had no place to vent.
Yan Ba was also eager to take revenge and said, "Uncle, the Di people were in the camp just now. This is their pasture and their territory is nearby. If they go far away, they will be attacked by other tribes and they can't go far."
"Revenge!" Yan Xing took a deep breath, sent out scouts to investigate the surroundings, and ordered Cheng Yi to transport a batch of food and fodder first.
More than a dozen scouts spread out to look for the traces of the Di people. Yan Xing led his troops through the woods, set up camp on the river bank, and personally inspected the valley.
As the sun was about to set, Yan Xing turned back from the South Mountain with a frown on his face. The mountains on the south were complex and rocky, which was not conducive to the passage of war horses. Where did the Di people escape to
Just as he was wondering, he suddenly saw black smoke coming out from behind the mountain in the direction he came from. Yan Xing asked, "Has the Qiang people's bodies not been dealt with yet?"
The guard replied: "It has long been buried in the forest behind the mountain."
Yan Xing's heart skipped a beat and he asked anxiously, "Where did the fireworks come from?"
He set up his camp behind the woods. If he had not patrolled the South Mountain, it would have been difficult to spot the black smoke because of the dense forest and ridges.
Just as he was about to send someone to investigate, he saw a man riding a horse and shouting, "General, the Di people attacked the grain and grass, and all the vehicles were burned."
"Waste!" Yan Xing was furious and hurried back to the camp, ordering Yan Ba to lead troops to rescue.
Before the troops were dispatched, Cheng Yi arrived in a panic and said helplessly, "General Yan, let's... withdraw our troops!"
Yan Xing roared, "There is still food and grass in the rear camp, why are you retreating?"
Cheng Yi looked distressed and said helplessly, "Just now our grain and grass were attacked, and I immediately led the troops to rescue them. However, they had already ambushed us in the rear camp, and the bottom of the remaining granaries was buried with sulfur, so all the grain and grass were burned."
"How can this be possible!" Yan Xing's eyes were red, and he waved his fists. "What do you do for a living?"
Cheng Yi sighed, "The enemy has many tricks and it is hard to guard against them. Ma Chao must have the help of an expert. If we don't find out who this person is, we should not advance rashly. It is better to..."
"No retreat, no retreat!" Yan Xing roared, "If we retreat now, how can I explain to General Han?"
Having lost so many soldiers and food supplies, and without even seeing the shadow of Ma Chao, if Han Sui knew about this, his future status would plummet and he might even be beheaded on the spot. He must defeat the enemy as soon as possible to make up for his mistake.
Cheng Yi said helplessly: "But there is no food, what should we do?"
"Eat horse meat!" Yan Xing narrowed his eyes and said in a cold voice: "In ten days at most, I will be able to find Ma Chao's whereabouts. He is nearby."
Cheng Yi also understood that he could not escape the blame for this defeat. Seeing that he refused to withdraw his troops, he had to take the initiative to lead his troops on patrol, hoping to find the whereabouts of the Di people as soon as possible.
Yan Xing also sent his troops to hunt nearby, and found all the injured and burnt horses in the camp and made them into dry food.
Three days passed and the scouts found nothing. Instead, the Di people appeared in the woods from time to time, sometimes shooting arrows and attacking, sometimes beating drums and shouting, which frightened the Xiliang army so much that they could not rest in peace.
The horse meat was dry, sour and astringent, difficult to swallow, and even worse than the wild vegetables dug from the mountains. The Xiliang Army suffered greatly, their morale became increasingly low, and complaints were heard throughout the army.
Seeing that the army's morale was low, Cheng Yi again advised Yan Xing to withdraw his troops, first join forces with Han Sui's army, and then try to capture Ma Chao. He was always uneasy about the men and horses staying in the mountains.
It felt like being a prey targeted by a pack of wolves, and could be killed at any time!