"By the way! We also observed that Izumo Kingdom used women from Taiji Kingdom for barbecue..." Qian Lang Wei remembered something and quickly added, his eyes full of disbelief.
Mo Hong Ming and the generals beside him were all shocked into silence.
Indeed, their nation was destroyed, their people annihilated...
Mo Hong Ming came back to his senses, his expression grim, his heart complex.
"Back then, when the Marquis said the Tianri tribe might eat people and that Izumo Kingdom could be infiltrated by them, I still had reservations. But seeing this now, the Marquis's predictions were not wrong..."
A general sighed helplessly, "If only Taiji Kingdom had acted even a little like a friendly nation back then, our country wouldn't have given up all hope. Taiji Kingdom destroyed the transportation routes between the two countries and expelled our personnel. Even a god couldn't save them!"
Everyone felt a sense of helplessness.
The act of Da Qian Kingdom protecting the Western Regions had already proven itself a responsible suzerain.
However, the arrogance and ignorance of Taiji Kingdom's ruler and officials, their repeated betrayals, far exceeded Xiao Qing's expectations.
Da Qian Kingdom certainly wouldn't risk its soldiers' lives by facing the threat of Taiji Kingdom's betrayal while its own borders were threatened, to support Taiji Kingdom.
Of course, even if Da Qian Kingdom had sent troops to rescue, given the impassable routes blocked by Taiji Kingdom, land travel would require months to repair the roads. Otherwise, they would have to rely on sea routes, but the Eastern Sea did not have enough ships.
By the time Da Qian soldiers arrived in Taiji Kingdom, it would likely have already fallen long ago.
Ultimately, Taiji Kingdom's ruler had brought this upon himself.
Yet, the annihilation of the nation and its people was still lamentable.
Mo Hong Ming gave a bitter smile, then sighed, "Taking Taiji Kingdom as a cautionary tale, we must secure Liaodong. We'll make further decisions after the Grand General of the East returns from conquering the Xianbei!"
Two hundred li east of Liaodong, an army from Izumo Kingdom was tormenting women captured from Taiji Kingdom.
These women had been violated for months, their former beauty long gone, their eyes vacant and lifeless.
No matter how the Izumo soldiers molested them, they remained unresponsive, as if accustomed to it.
"These beasts are becoming less entertaining," Ito Masamune said with a sneer. "Let's give them something stimulating!"
With a wave of Ito Masamune's hand, a group of soldiers brought over a hundred braziers. They took out red-hot iron pieces and directly seared them onto the women's bodies.
The camp was filled with the women's heart-wrenching screams and pleas for mercy. Their only response was the pack of jackal-like laughter: lustful, lewd, vile, wild, mocking...
"You can blame your Great General Li Shunchen for daring to resist, understand?"
Ito Masamune laughed heartily.
The jackal lightly brushed aside his own crimes, while the valiant fallen soldiers of Taiji Kingdom were slandered.
These one hundred women of Taiji Kingdom had no strength left to respond. Their chests and backs were branded with several marks. Finally, they were pushed onto the braziers, which were now covered with iron nets. They screamed in terror and stomped their feet until they could no longer struggle. They fell onto the large iron nets, becoming the freshly roasted meat of the Izumo soldiers...
"Human flesh is so delicious, never tiring, far tastier than dry rations!"
The Izumo soldiers' faces were contorted with madness as they smacked their lips, eating with gusto.
The cattle and sheep of Taiji Kingdom had already been depleted by them. Without these women and children, they would have to subsist on grains daily, a reality they absolutely could not accept.
The children were eaten first. The women, who still held some value for their desires, eventually met the same fate...
Through the machinations of Taiji Kingdom's ruler and officials, Taiji Kingdom became the final echo of the people on this peninsula.
The last batch of Taiji Kingdom's women were devoured by the Izumo army, and their forces then advanced towards Liaodong.
Several days later, Ito Masamune received news from the west.
"Xianbei defeated! Their army was routed by the Da Qian Great General by a hundred li, with 190,000 beheaded. They fled to the northern desert!!"
"The Grand General of the East, Nie Yuan, led his troops directly to the Xianbei Wolf City. A large number of Xianbei people fled to the northern desert, and tens of thousands sought refuge with our army!"
Ito Masamune was shocked and enraged.
"The Xianbei were actually defeated in the desert? This will greatly increase the pressure on our army!"
The desert was an ideal battlefield for nomadic peoples. In the past, when Da Qian defeated barbarian cavalry, it was outside Yanzhou City and at the Helan Mountains, both plains and mountainous terrain.
"The Xianbei have ultimately disappointed us, incapable of achieving anything and only causing trouble!" The Izumo generals roared with righteous indignation.
Ito Masamune suddenly remembered something and asked the scout again, "What did you just say? Tens of thousands of Xianbei are heading our way?"
"Yes! Most of them are nobles, with horses, cattle, and sheep!" the scout replied.
Ito Masamune laughed maniacally to the sky. After a moment, he turned to his generals, "Do you still not understand what we should do?"
The generals' eyes lit up. "Perfect, our army is in need of meat!"
The Xianbei who fled east seeking refuge with Izumo Kingdom, after having their wealth plundered, became meat for the Izumo soldiers. The women were turned into military prostitutes, recreating a living hell...
Upon his return, Nie Yuan immediately reported to the capital and then led his troops to the Liaodong border, to prevent invasions from the north and the southern sea by Izumo Kingdom.
In the capital, Liang Xiao and Xiao Qing, after receiving the confirmed news from Liaodong, also felt complex emotions.
"The Tianri tribe has completely influenced the Izumo warriors?" Xiao Qing's expression was grim.
Da Qian Kingdom couldn't save Taiji Kingdom, but learning of its complete destruction still left her with a bitter taste.
"It may not be the Tianri tribe's influence. They possess wolf-like ferocity themselves, they've just found an opportunity to unleash it," Liang Xiao muttered to himself.
Xiao Qing didn't quite understand, but she said nervously, "Regardless, Liaodong must be reinforced to prevent our people from suffering the same fate as Izumo Kingdom's atrocities!"
So, Xiao Qing ordered the Ministry of War to mobilize thirty thousand troops to reinforce Liaodong, allowing them to not participate in military farming but to undergo long-term training.
On the northern and western borders, the Xianbei King's forces returned to this area with less than a thousand people.
They had ultimately emulated Attila, taking a detour through that harsh land. Many members perished along the way and never rose again.
They could only kill their horses for blood and eat raw meat, barely surviving the arduous journey out of the frigid land.
At this time, there were still 1.3 million Xianbei people in the northern desert. Upon hearing of the devastating defeat of their cavalry, everyone was terrified, and a hundred-li stretch was filled with wails.
The Xianbei King, counting his remaining troops, was filled with grief.
"The army in the northern desert is left with only twenty thousand!"
The military advisor reminded him, "Your Majesty! Why don't we emulate Attila and lead a portion of the young and strong men and women to leave the northern desert to the southwest? Your Majesty setting an example by abandoning the beautiful wives and concubines of Wolf City would surely gain the trust of the Xianbei people!"
The Xianbei King gritted his teeth, "This northern desert is still habitable. Going to the southwest would mean confronting Attila? Now, we can only recuperate here!"
The ministers were sorrowful and had nothing to say.
Greed and savagery had led them to an irreconcilable path against Da Qian, ultimately resulting in nearly 200,000 being cut down by Da Qian's soldiers, shattering the backbone of the Xianbei and seizing their very foundation!
Cattle, sheep, weapons, warhorses, gold, silver, jewels...
"Your Majesty! An envoy from the Tianri tribe has arrived!"
Just then, an announcement from outside startled the Xianbei ruler and his ministers.
"Yes! We still have the Tianri tribe to cooperate with!"
Amidst his excitement, the Xianbei King reminded his ministers, "As previously agreed, absolutely do not let them know that Valentin died at my hand. Only say that Valentin was beheaded by the Da Qian Great General!"
The ministers meekly complied, not daring to object.
After the Tianri envoy entered, he bowed with a smile to the Xianbei King.
"The Xianbei King is valiant and extraordinary, truly a magnificent ruler of his generation!"
His response was met with dead silence.
The Xianbei ruler and his ministers in the tent all changed color, their faces filled with dread.
"Valentin? You, how are you still alive?!" The Xianbei King pointed a trembling finger at the Tianri envoy before him, his voice quivering.