Stepping out of the tent, the Xianbei King ascended the temporary high platform and gazed into the distance, his hand holding jerky trembling violently in the wind.
To intercept the gold, Xianbei had mobilized all their cavalry in an emergency, with even their logistics personnel riding horses or driving carts pulled by horses and oxen to follow.
This meant they couldn't carry too many heavy supplies. For instance, the railings, deer antlers, and caltrops needed for establishing a camp were pitifully scarce.
Their current encampment was just a circle of wooden railings around the perimeter. While it could withstand the wind, it was as fragile as thin paper before the Great Qian cavalry, easily broken with one or two blows.
This military camp was originally the main base for two hundred thousand men, hence its vast size, and these railings could not be immediately contracted.
This meant that the difficulty of having sixty thousand logistics troops guard a camp for two hundred thousand men had escalated significantly!
"Your Majesty, do we truly have to retreat to the northern desert? Can we not make a last stand and wait for them to run out of supplies and withdraw..."
The generals, having heard of the Xianbei King's plan, were filled with unwillingness.
The Xianbei King sighed, "This is not Wolf City, nor is it even comparable to an ordinary camp nestled against mountains and waters. Defense here is no different from open plains or desert! I have already learned that the Great Qian cavalry always carries a few days' worth of dry rations on their horses. If Liang Xiao dares to attack, he must have considered such details. And that patch of black bean land must have already become fodder for their warhorses. He has meticulously planned everything. They will absolutely not retreat today, and we will absolutely not be able to hold!"
The generals lowered their heads in shame.
Even when the Xianbei cavalry had the advantage in numbers, they had not been utterly defeated and routed. Now, with only sixty thousand logistics troops, of whom only ten thousand could fight, the situation was dire.
The strategist reminded them, "The reason the Great Qian army has not launched an immediate attack must be to allow for a short rest, as they have pursued us for so long. It also serves to disrupt our morale! Do not forget, the enemy must have brought along the Zhuge Repeating Crossbows, and their bolts must be nocked!"
"Report! The enemy is encircling us from the west, north, and south. Their numbers are unknown!"
Another scout on horseback brought alarming news, causing the generals to gasp.
"The strategist's guess was indeed correct. The enemy is preparing to attack..."
"Encirclement from three sides? 'Besiege the city and leave an escape route.' The people of Great Qian truly understand the art of war..." The Xianbei King felt even more despair and immediately dispatched an envoy to sue for peace.
At this moment, the northwest wind had slightly subsided. The Great Qian soldiers were organizing and preparing for battle, awaiting the order from "General Tian" to launch a full-scale assault.
Liang Xiao gazed at the Xianbei envoy before him, his eyes turning cold. He signaled to Ding Wuyi.
Ding Wuyi understood and said sternly, "Your wish for peace talks is a pipe dream. Surrender, however, is acceptable. But the Xianbei King must bring all his cavalry to General Tian's feet, bearing thorns and sin, and from then on, the entire Xianbei nation will be under Great Qian's control, dispersed throughout the land until they completely forget they are Xianbei! Otherwise, you will be annihilated!"
The generals behind Liang Xiao nodded in agreement.
This was already the greatest mercy they could offer: to make them accept Great Qian's civilization, to cease being Xianbei, and to completely strip them of their ability to raise rebellion. Otherwise, they would rather abandon them.
The envoy said with difficulty, "Our King is a sovereign. Even at his worst, he can be a feudal lord. How can he be a captive? We still have one hundred and twenty thousand troops. Even if we fight like cornered beasts, we will inflict great casualties on the Great Qian nation!"
Nie Yuan frowned, "Our various units just finished clearing the battlefield. We estimate over one hundred and thirty thousand heads have been taken. Do you Xianbei have the capability to mobilize two hundred and fifty thousand troops to Yinshan? If you truly had so many troops, why would you need to sue for peace?"
The envoy was speechless.
"If the Xianbei King leads his troops to surrender as captives, our nation can guarantee his life!" Ding Wuyi commanded with an irrefutable tone.
After the envoy returned dejectedly to report, the Xianbei King was both shocked and enraged. "No matter what, they want me to be a captive? They refuse to grant me titles as a king or a marquis, and they won't even let me return to my country??"
"Your Majesty, make your decision early!" the generals below urged.
After assessing the situation, they were certain they could not withstand the might of the Great Qian cavalry. The enemy would launch their attack within the hour.
The Xianbei King sighed, "The entire army will carry dry rations and retreat north, abandoning the cattle, sheep, and supplies, and bypassing the vast sea..."
The entire army was filled with dread upon hearing the news.
To the north, east of the vast sea, lay a desolate and freezing land. Most people would freeze or starve to death there without sufficient provisions!
But facing the tiger-like Great Qian cavalry, they knew they were powerless to resist. Everyone was terrified. Taking advantage of the fact that the Great Qian soldiers had not yet completed their encirclement, they scrambled to flee, simultaneously driving their cattle and sheep in all directions to disrupt the Great Qian army's pursuit.
The Xianbei King, his generals, and personal guards rode at the forefront. Looking back at the chaotic army behind them, the King felt helpless.
This was their plan: these sixty thousand Xianbei troops would all become decoys. Whether they could escape alive depended entirely on luck.
And their horses, even their spare horses, were of the finest breed, guaranteed to escape faster!
"General Tian, the enemy is fleeing entirely to the north, abandoning their supplies!"
Upon receiving the news, Liang Xiao frowned and immediately ordered a pursuit, leaving only Ding Wuyi with ten thousand men to inventory the camp's resources.
Before departing, Ding Wuyi reminded him, "The enemy would rather escape than mutiny and bring the Xianbei King to surrender. They dared to come to the desert, naturally for the gold. Such jackals must be eliminated to prevent future trouble!"
Liang Xiao understood and issued an order to the entire army: "Heads are paramount!"
The Great Qian army, encircling from three sides, immediately pursued eastward, cutting down everything in their path. The yellow sand was stained with blood, and the flowing water of oases and rivers was cut off.
On this day, several major battles east of Yinshan definitively established Great Qian's hegemony in the southern desert, and the northern nomadic tribes completely lost their ability to raid.
The pursuers killed nearly sixty thousand enemy soldiers after half a day of pursuit, only accepting the surrender of over a thousand Xianbei cavalry who had laid down their weapons.
"Where is the Xianbei King?" Liang Xiao asked.
The surrendered soldiers wailed, "He has already fled north!"
Everyone was stunned. "This old scoundrel has even abandoned Wolf City?"
Liang Xiao made a decisive move, leading his army back to camp and issuing orders along the way.
"After resting, Lü Changhe will return to the northern border with me to prepare for reinforcements to the western border. Nie Yuan will lead twenty thousand cavalry to Liaodong and then launch an offensive to sweep through Xianbei's Wolf City. The captured old, weak, women, and children will be taken to Liaodong and managed separately, made to submit to Great Qian, learn our ways of life, clothing, food, housing, and transportation. They must never mention Xianbei again, or face death!"
Nie Yuan, relieved, gladly accepted the order.
The troops, carrying over fifty thousand heads, rendezvoused with Ding Wuyi, preparing to transport all the captured supplies back to their main camp.
The soldiers were excited and ran to report the spoils of war to Liang Xiao.
"We have captured at least one million three hundred thousand head of cattle and sheep here, thirteen thousand live warhorses, seventy thousand dead horses, a total of thirty thousand horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts, over fifty thousand sets of weaponry, forty thousand taels of gold, one hundred thousand taels of silver, one thousand sets of precious jewelry, and countless bundles of fodder!"
Lü Changhe laughed, "It seems the Xianbei couldn't carry the gold and silver. These jewels and ornaments must have been carefully prepared by the Xianbei King specifically to reward his generals. Now, the Xianbei King can only use them to flee, even resorting to using cattle and sheep to impede our pursuit!"
Liang Xiao's brow finally relaxed. He ordered the entire army to set up camp and cook their meals, and after eating, they would regroup and send messengers to the west.