TKTCJ 08

Chapter 8

The Grassland War (2)

A few days later,

Liu Yu had barely any time to catch his breath as urgent reports continued to arrive one after another.

The remnants of the Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou had joined with displaced refugees wandering through Youzhou along the roads, gradually swelling their numbers. As the mass moved north, their ranks continued to grow until they numbered in the tens of thousands.

If Youbeiping were plundered, the people of Youzhou would be thrown into dire straits.

Liu Yu even considered sending the Xianyu brothers to block their route.

But Wei You raised both hands and stopped him.

Beiping was a place where Gongsun Zan’s influence cast a deep shadow.

No matter how much authority a provincial governor possessed, he could not deploy troops there without permission.

Their relationship was already strained enough.

And now he wanted to send troops into Gongsun Zan’s territory?

It could easily lead to irreversible consequences.

Liu Yu’s eyes sank deeply.

He could not help but smile bitterly inwardly.

Could circumstances really have lined up this perfectly?

Not long ago, Gongsun Zan had visited the provincial office and boldly declared that he would pacify the grasslands before setting out.

Liu Yu’s attempts to dissuade him had been futile.

He was already sending Jeong Gyeom to calm the situation on the grasslands, and yet Gongsun Zan insisted on launching a campaign.

Moreover, news had arrived that trade would soon begin.

The Xiongnu might have the upper hand for the moment.

But if they were given a little more time, their war would settle down before long.

Yet Gongsun Zan intended to intervene in that very conflict.

It made no sense.

Liu Yu wanted stability on the grasslands.

He did not want any one side to be wiped out.

And yet, as though someone had somehow seen through his plans, circumstances were being arranged so that he had no choice but to summon Gongsun Zan back.

“You must urgently summon Governor Gongsun.”

Wei You offered his counsel in a calm voice.

Liu Yu closed his eyes for a moment before slowly opening them.

There was no reason to agonize over an answer that had already been decided.

“…Summon Gongsun Zan immediately. Tell him to return as quickly as possible and rescue Youbeiping.”

Wei You bowed deeply.

“Yes, sir.”

The messenger rode through the night.

When his horse grew exhausted, he changed mounts.

He rode as though his lungs would burst, finally reaching the grasslands.

By then,

the fighting on the grasslands was still raging.

Gongsun Zan’s cavalry was relentlessly driving the collapsing Wuhuan forces back.

The outcome had already been decided.

If they clashed only a few more times, the Wuhuan would be completely annihilated.

“Press forward!”

Gongsun Zan thrust his spear forward.

Just then—

“Urgent report!”

A messenger covered in dust tumbled from his horse.

Gasping for breath, he shouted,

“Youbeiping… has been exposed to the remnants of the Yellow Turbans and starving refugees!”

Gongsun Zan’s eyes flashed.

“What did you say?”

“An army of at least thirty thousand has invaded Youbeiping. The granaries are in danger!”

A brief silence followed.

The spear that had been aimed toward the enemy slowly lowered toward the ground.

His gaze swept across the battlefield.

The Wuhuan on the verge of collapse.

The fleeing cavalry.

A victory that was almost within his grasp.

But the next moment,

Gongsun Zan’s eyes turned cold.

“…Hah.”

A short laugh escaped him.

“They dare target the lands of Gongsun Zan?”

He slowly withdrew his spear.

Then he turned his horse around.

“All troops, withdraw.”

The surroundings instantly fell silent.

“We are going to Youbeiping.”

With those words, the flow of the battlefield was cut short.

The White Horse cavalry turned around.

Thousands of cavalrymen followed in unison.

At that moment,

the war on the grasslands came to a halt.

The Wuhuan, on the verge of collapse, was given a moment to breathe.

The Xiongnu lost their opportunity.

And Gongsun Zan’s blade turned completely toward another direction.

No one knew that Jeong Gyeom stood at the center of all these changes.

An intelligence report arrived that Gongsun Zan had turned his army toward Youbeiping.

Jeong Gyeom moved immediately.

He ordered Jeon Ye and Wang Mun to assist the Wuhuan,

while simultaneously sending a messenger to Gongsun Ji, instructing him to support Tadun, who was preparing a counterattack.

As for Jeong Gyeom himself, he personally led troops to cut off the Southern Xiongnu’s supply route.

The grassland wind was fierce.

Jeong Gyeom was lying in ambush deep within a gorge, commanding seven hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry.

His eyes had turned cold.

The intelligence suggested that the Wuhuan’s strength had fallen much further than expected.

He had to use this opportunity to cut off the Southern Xiongnu’s supplies and weaken their momentum.

Only then could the balance of the grasslands, which had already tilted to one side, be restored.

Just then, a scout came running toward them, gasping for breath.

“There are wagons visible about ten li away!”

Zhao Yun, who had accompanied Jeon Ju to Qingzhou and Ji, gripped his spear and stepped forward.

“Allow this junior general to take the vanguard. I will annihilate the enemy and secure their provisions.”

Zhao Yun had volunteered to lead the vanguard.

If he had not stepped forward himself, Jeong Gyeom would have appointed him anyway.

Jeong Gyeom did not hesitate.

“Who else would I use if not Zilong? Go.”

Zhao Yun cupped his hands and shouted with vigor,

“Yes!”

A short while later,

the supply convoy began to come into view.

Every wagon seemed to bulge with supplies, apparently loaded to the brim with provisions.

The cavalry escort was lax, and there was no tension within the procession.

At that moment—

the sound of hooves split the grassland.

Zhao Yun appeared, leading six hundred cavalry and fifteen hundred infantry.

“Charge! Annihilate the enemy!”

His shout reverberated through the gorge.

The cavalry plunged straight into the heart of the enemy formation.

The Southern Xiongnu cavalry noticed the ambush only after the attack had already begun and hastily tried to form ranks.

But Zhao Yun’s cavalry had already driven deep into their formation.

Zhao Yun’s spear flashed.

Every time the sound of it tearing through the air rang out, red flowers bloomed in the sky.

No one could block him.

No one could withstand him.

His momentum was unstoppable,

and his movements were like fallen leaves scattering upon the wind.

Like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

It was exactly that.

The enemy collapsed in an instant.

Some of the cavalry resisted, but by then their momentum had already been broken.

Before even half an hour had passed, the battle was over.

Jeong Gyeom, who had been rushing his troops forward to support Zhao Yun, was deeply impressed.

As expected of Zhao Zilong.

This was the first appearance of a fierce general destined to dominate the battlefield.

After Gongsun Zan withdrew,

the Wuhuan’s attacks somehow changed.

They still could not withstand Wubura’s offensive,

but there was more composure in their movements—

and their attacks had become sharper.

Then, an unexpected urgent report arrived.

Their supply of provisions had been cut off for several days.

Their remaining military rations were rapidly dwindling.

They had managed to survive by requisitioning food locally,

but even that could not last long.

The Wuhuan were destroying everything that could possibly serve as food.

The atmosphere inside the tent grew heavy.

Just then, the man who had been sent to investigate why the provisions were late rushed into the tent, breathing heavily.

“The… the supply convoy…”

His words broke off.

His bloodstained lips trembled.

“It was completely annihilated…”

The tent fell silent.

Wubura said nothing for a while.

But soon, the corners of his mouth slowly twisted.

“…Who the hell did this?”

His voice was low and cold.

“Who dares touch my supply convoy?”

One of his subordinates swallowed hard.

Suppressing his trembling breath, he spoke again.

“It was Han cavalry. They attacked the supply convoy and took all the provisions.”

Grind. Grind.

The sound of teeth being clenched echoed from various parts of the tent.

Gongsun Zan had made a clear promise before leaving.

No general of the Empire would interfere in the war on the grasslands.

So Wubura had been told not to worry about his rear—

and to finish off the Wuhuan.

But now.

Some bastard had dared—

to stab the Xiongnu in the back.

Bang!

The table was overturned.

“Han or Wuhuan—I’ll slaughter every last one of them.”

His furious voice pressed down upon the entire tent.

“Gather the entire army.”

It was a short, decisive command.

His gaze turned east.

“We will recover the provisions they stole and kill every last bastard who dared lay a hand on us.”

At the same time,

beyond the gorge, Jeong Gyeom was silently contemplating the progress of the war on the grasslands.

Wubura must have figured out who stole his provisions.

His gaze slowly lowered.

“He’ll be moving soon.”

Jeon Ju, who had approached him at some point, spoke quietly.

“He’ll think he’s been struck from behind, so he’ll definitely charge at us without regard for anything else.”

Jeong Gyeom’s gaze swept across the distant grasslands.

There was not the slightest hint of wavering in his expression.

“Begin the lure. Leave a trail.”

Jeong Gyeom’s command was concise.

The situation had been thoroughly planned beforehand.

Jeon Ju and Zhao Yun acknowledged the order and each took command of their troops.

Deep wagon tracks began to form, while supplies were deliberately dropped along the way so the enemy would not stray onto another route.

Signs of haste.

Signs of retreat.

Obvious, yet carefully measured traces were scattered and left behind in every direction.

Jeon Ju smiled faintly and sneered.

“If they see that and still don’t give chase, they wouldn’t be Xiongnu.”

Jeong Gyeom did not answer.

He merely raised his head and gauged the direction of the wind.

It was midday, with the sun hanging directly overhead.

The heat descended fiercely upon the grasslands.

Beneath it, thousands of hooves relentlessly tore across the earth as they approached.

They were Southern Xiongnu cavalry.

“This way! The bandits went this way!”

The scout at the front shouted.

Trampled grass.

Deep wagon tracks.

And supplies scattered here and there.

The signs of a desperate flight were unmistakable.

Wubura lowered his body atop his horse and examined the ground.

A savage smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The signs of haste were obvious.

There was not the slightest hesitation.

“Pick up the pace.”

With those words—

the cavalry accelerated once more.

Yet contrary to their expectations, the bandits did not appear.

Only the trail of trampled grass continued to lead them onward.

…The pursuit was lasting longer than expected.

The sun grew hotter and hotter.

The horses’ breathing became rough.

The cavalrymen’s shoulders gradually began to droop.

Even the Xiongnu, renowned for their skill with horses, could not avoid exhaustion after several hours of pursuit.

Even so, no one stopped.

Their anger had already become uncontrollable, and as far as they were concerned, only death awaited the enemy.

An hour passed like that.

Then, suddenly, a massive gorge appeared.

Steep cliffs surrounded both sides, yet the road itself was wide enough for twenty rows of cavalry to pass side by side.

The moment the gorge came into view, Wubura’s eyes flashed.

“…This place.”

He muttered the words quietly.

There was no Xiongnu who did not know this gorge.

A valley situated on the border between the grasslands and the mountains—

among the Xiongnu, it was called Turak (突落), a gorge where howling winds were said to never cease.

It was wide for a gorge,

but it was said that once someone entered, escaping alive was nearly impossible.

And toward that place—

the trail of those cunning bandits continued.

It seemed that, unfamiliar with the grasslands, they had been driven farther and farther during the pursuit until they finally crawled into this treacherous place.

The corners of Wubura’s mouth twisted viciously.

“You bastards…”

His teeth showed.

“You dared enter Turak without even realizing that you were walking into your own grave.”

His eyes flashed.

“Do not stop.”

His voice was firm.

“They’re in there.”

Killing intent surged skyward.

“Kill every last one of them and carve the terror of the Xiongnu into their bones.”

The Xiongnu cavalry poured into the gorge.

Hooves thundered against the earth, and clouds of dust rose.