Chapter 32: Not Aimed at Us

Upon hearing the warning from the Song brothers, everyone was startled. Xue Chengqian’s face darkened like the bottom of a pot in the night.

"Damn it!"

Even by the standards of elite military units, their battle tonight had been brilliant. The intelligence was accurate, the enemy was complacent, they had infiltrated the village silently, and they had concluded the engagement in a remarkably short time.

Yet, even if the enemy had been careless enough to let some Northern Barbarians escape the village under the cover of darkness, they hadn't heard any hoofbeats or neighing. This meant that even those who had fled didn't dare to ride away. On foot, how could they have summoned reinforcements before the operation was complete?

"Wait a moment!" Xue Chengqian suppressed his frustration as a profound doubt surfaced. "Song brothers, how many cavalrymen did you see? How far away are they?"

Despite the biting cold, the Song brothers were drenched in sweat. "In the darkness, it’s hard to tell the exact number in such a rush, but by the sound of it, there are at least two or three hundred riders."

"We found a high vantage point, but the Northern Barbarians are fast. As soon as we spotted them, we hurried back to warn you so you wouldn't be caught off guard."

As the Song brothers finished, Luo Fang also noticed the anomaly. "That’s not right. If there are two or three hundred Northern Barbarian cavalrymen moving fast, we should have heard their hoofbeats by the time you reached us. Yet, it’s deathly quiet in that direction. This..."

Their own operation had been swift and quiet, and the Northern Barbarians' horses in the village had been tethered outside, undisturbed. In such silence, if two or three hundred horsemen were charging toward the village, the sound would have been audible long before the scouts returned.

Xue Chengqian nodded. "I suspect the same. Perhaps they aren't coming for us. Song brothers, please, go and scout the situation once more, then report back."

"The rest of you, don't just stand there! Assemble quickly, secure the horses, and send word for our cavalry stationed further out to join us. We must be prepared for anything!"

Although the men they had brought were trained and had been taught some horsemanship by Luo Fang, they were not like the elite cavalry selected from military households, capable of fighting from horseback. To engage the enemy in mounted combat, they would have to rely on their own hundred or so trained cavalrymen.

The others understood the urgency and immediately followed Xue Chengqian's orders, prioritizing the collection of their spoils of war.

***

Before long, the Song brothers returned.

"Boss Luo, there are imperial soldiers! There are imperial soldiers!"

"That unit of Northern Barbarian cavalry isn't coming for us; they are chasing down a group of imperial soldiers nearby!"

Luo Fang retorted, "If there were imperial soldiers there, why didn't we see them earlier? Are you sure you aren't mistaken this time?"

The Song brothers looked sheepish. "We were focused on our own ambush and were nervous about being discovered by the main Northern Barbarian force. Naturally, with the noise of the cavalry, we only noticed the Northern Barbarians first."

Xue Chengqian nodded. "So, this group of imperial soldiers consists entirely of infantry?"

"Exactly! And they are as good as dead. They are infantry, yet they are desperately defending a horse-drawn carriage. Even if those two hundred riders couldn't take them down immediately, they are being dragged into a stalemate. Before long, more Northern Barbarian reinforcements will surely arrive!"

The Song brothers’ reconnaissance was quite detailed this time.

Bearded Wang couldn't help but cheer upon hearing this. "That's wonderful! We have so many stolen horses to manage; the noise will be unavoidable. With these imperial soldiers attracting the attention of the Northern Barbarians, we can head back to Baguzi Mountain without a worry in the world."

Luo Fang, however, looked hesitant. He watched the faint joy spreading among his brothers and finally turned his gaze toward Xue Chengqian.

"Brother Xue, what do you think?"

Before Xue Chengqian's eyes, the system prompt flashed once more:

[Ding! The host has triggered a Destiny Choice.]

[While your first battle as a trained unit was successful, an unexpected variable has emerged. A group of retreating imperial soldiers can serve as a distraction for the Northern Barbarian army, but you now possess the status of imperial troops yourselves.]

[Luo Fang still carries a burden in his heart. He knows what is most advantageous, but he is unwilling to abandon allies. Especially since you have just heard of Magistrate Wei’s desperate defense of Dongping City, the imperial soldiers appearing nearby are likely reinforcements for that city.]

[If you retreat to Baguzi Mountain, you will be safe, but you will be abandoning nominal allies, and Lu Xiaoyuan has largely been using you as pawns. If you choose to rescue them, you will face unpredictable risks. What will you choose?]

"Two or three hundred riders, you say?" Xue Chengqian mused. Although the system presented two choices, his mind was already made up.

Bearded Wang started, alarmed. "Kid, you aren't thinking of charging over there, are you?"

"Two hundred Northern Barbarian riders may not be many, but with our current strength, we cannot swallow them whole. We might not even be able to win a head-on confrontation!"

***

Bearded Wang had a clear grasp of their own strength. They had won this time only because of the surprise attack; most of the enemy had been killed in their sleep. Facing two hundred mounted enemies ready for battle would be a brutal struggle.

Xue Chengqian shook his head. "The difficulty of this battle lies in the need for a swift victory. If we delay, variables will arise, and if other Northern Barbarian reinforcements arrive, we will be in a difficult position."

Luo Fang looked disappointed. "Even you think we shouldn't engage?"

"That’s not it. It is because in this battle, we have the opportunity to defeat the enemy with extreme speed. Have you all forgotten about those imperial soldiers?"

"Besides, we have just annihilated all the Northern Barbarians in Dayu Village!"

Luo Fang stroked his chin in thought, eventually offering a wry smile. He knew Xue Chengqian was hinting at the key to the battle, but he had to admit that compared to Xue, he was dense—he hadn't seen the path to victory in the hints provided.

***

"Do not charge out!"

"Hold the line around the carriage! Never let those Northern Barbarian dogs break through!"

This group of imperial soldiers had clearly already suffered a major defeat. Among them were archers, spearmen, and swordsmen—a complete set of unit types—but there were fewer than six hundred of them, and most were wounded. They were clearly the remnants of a larger army that had been routed.

Under normal circumstances, such a force would be nothing more than fleeing stragglers, but they were strictly adhering to military discipline, defending the carriage with their lives.

However, their unusual behavior had aroused the suspicion of the Northern Barbarians. The barbarians had initially only been chasing down survivors and hadn't felt the need to exterminate them completely, content with scattering them and breaking their spirit. Now, having failed to break their formation several times, they realized that the carriage being protected must hold someone of great importance!