The soldiers exchanged glances, and even Liang Xiao was stunned.
He had only considered the possibility, never imagining that the barbarians would actually go through with it.
Judging by the state of the deceased civilians, they had been killed with sharp weapons, their valuables plundered, and they had likely been dead for about a day!
It was clear that the rulers of the barbarian lands feared their subjects would guide the Great Qian soldiers, thus aiding their pursuit.
Recovering from their shock, the Great Qian soldiers were filled with righteous indignation.
"The barbarity of the barbarians is an offense to gods and men alike! We are willing to pursue them with the Deputy Marshal!"
Liang Xiao immediately ordered the tens of thousands of barbarian corpses to be buried on the spot, and then continued the pursuit twenty li further northeast.
Liang Xiao had originally planned to rest here, but with so many dead bodies, safety concerns made it impossible to stay.
The army moved on. To the north of the corpses, the wind blew from the northwest and north, placing them upwind. Even if the wind shifted to the east or southeast, the soldiers would not be exposed to infection.
When the army returned triumphantly, they would have to make a wide detour, avoiding this place entirely.
After a full twenty li pursuit at full speed, the Great Qian soldiers finally found an oasis and set up camp.
Sitting by the campfire, eating roast meat, Liang Xiao’s mood was complex.
He had already planned how to properly handle the prisoners. He never expected the barbarians to be more brutal than he had imagined, even denying him the opportunity to resolve the issue.
The soldiers felt similarly. They had been contemplating how Liang Xiao would deal with the prisoners who might slow down their march.
The Great Qian nation had prepared ample supplies for them, along with nearly twenty thousand carriages, each pulled by at least four good horses, managed by a logistics soldier to ensure their pace could be maintained.
However, the carrying capacity of the carriages was limited, and they could not transport hundreds of thousands of prisoners.
To think the barbarians…
The army had already traveled over a thousand li, but Liang Xiao had no intention of giving up.
"In this battle, we must instill a fear of Great Qian deep into the bones of the barbarians, a fear to be passed down through generations!"
Hearing Liang Xiao's bold declaration, the soldiers raised their arms and cheered.
If the barbarians were not thoroughly defeated, when their generation passed and Great Qian's power waned, they might yet return.
After all, during the Great Heng period and the early years of the Great Qian dynasty, both the King of the East Sea and the Marquis of Dingguo had repelled the barbarians, slaying countless numbers, yet they lingered, accumulating strength in secret.
Unlike the spirited Great Qian soldiers, the hundreds of thousands of fleeing barbarians, like stray dogs, rushed into the depths of the northern desert.
"Chanyu! The Great Qian cavalry is closing in. At this pace, they will catch us in two to three days!"
The Chanyu, upon receiving the news, exclaimed in terror, "We each have a spare horse. How are they still catching up??"
The Left Virtuous King sighed, "They captured too many of our warhorses. Coupled with their own, they likely have three or more horses each as spares…"
The officials present were all ashen-faced!
They had killed three hundred thousand people for a slim chance of survival, and yet they were still being pursued!
"Kill another one to two hundred thousand?" the Left Virtuous King suggested helplessly.
The Chanyu's expression changed drastically, "Are you mad! The remaining subjects are the families of our current soldiers and ministers. How can we strike them!"
Attila reminded them, "Left Virtuous King, it's best to stop. I know your intentions. There are over two hundred thousand people here who are the families of the northern desert soldiers. If this news spreads to the northern desert, it won't be long before the barbarian lands fall apart!"
The Left Virtuous King was speechless, only managing a wry smile.
Attila, on the other hand, was furious.
This Left Virtuous King, who kept speaking of righteous sacrifice and leaving only his own son as an example.
Yet, when it came time to act, he used various excuses to protect his wives, concubines, and daughters!
The Left Virtuous King, with his large family, had no kin among the thirty thousand subjects who were killed!
However, from the Chanyu down to the soldiers, everyone tacitly accepted the Left Virtuous King's privilege.
The barbarian lands, the predecessor of the Xiongnu, were primarily tribal. Warfare between tribes was common. It was the Left Virtuous King who quelled the disputes between tribes and united the barbarians.
As for these thirty thousand subjects who had lost their warrior protectors, they were seen as burdens. Their deaths were merely their passing, reuniting them with the fallen barbarian soldiers sooner!
Attila surveyed the crowd. Seeing that everyone remained unperturbed by the Left Virtuous King's proposal, he fell into deep thought.
As the Chanyu's most outstanding son, Attila, after witnessing the cold-heartedness of the barbarian nobility, underwent an internal struggle. He finally let go of the last vestiges of humanity and slowly stood up.
"Father, if this continues, we will all be annihilated sooner or later. Your son proposes we split into multiple groups!"
The Chanyu sighed upon hearing this, "We should indeed split the army, but how?"
Attila proposed, "Let the Left Virtuous King and I each lead ten thousand men, and retreat in two separate directions. Father, you will lead ten thousand men to protect the remaining subjects and retreat towards the northern desert!"
The Chanyu's expression changed, and he shook his head, "Taking so many subjects with us will make us too obvious a target for the Great Qian cavalry!"
Attila finally abandoned the last shred of affection for his biological father and smiled, "I understand! Let your son be responsible for this route, taking the families of the soldiers from the northern desert region with me. Father and the Left Virtuous King, along with twenty thousand soldiers, will cover the retreat of your own wives and children!"
The Chanyu, moved, embraced Attila in a bear hug.
"Attila, as soldiers of the barbarian lands, you must return alive even if you abandon the common folk! If we lose another ten thousand troops, we will not be able to defend this land!"
Attila merely nodded in compliance.
The rest of the crowd enthusiastically supported Attila's suggestion.
They now only wished to escape with their lives, preferably with their own relatives. They no longer cared about the families of the soldiers guarding the northern desert border. Attila and these subjects, acting as bait, provided them with an opportunity to escape.
The barbarian nobles acted swiftly and divided into three groups.
The Left Virtuous King and the Chanyu each led ten thousand troops, taking their relatives, twenty thousand in total, and retreated northwest.
After the Chanyu and the main barbarian force departed, Attila beckoned to a young man who had been sitting quietly in the distance, "Braida, my brother by the same mother!"
The heroic young man finally stood up, looking at Attila with displeasure, "If you wish to die, why must you keep me?"
Attila whispered, "To be reborn from desperation! Whether our mother, sister, and wives can survive depends on your performance!"
Attila was the Chanyu's most outstanding son, but his biological mother, his sister, and he himself were not favored, and thus were left behind.
"I'd like to see what abilities you have to protect so many people," Braida said, looking confused. Only when Attila whispered in his ear did he suddenly understand.
"Brothers and sisters! The Chanyu, the Left Virtuous King, and even the barbarian nobility have abandoned us, intending to use us as bait to cover their retreat! Only Prince Attila is willing to stay and lead us to safety!"
The over two hundred thousand barbarian subjects who remained behind were filled with grief and indignation upon hearing the news.
The Chanyu and the Left Virtuous King actually planned to abandon them to the Great Qian soldiers?