Chapter 3: The Incursion of the Hu Ma into the Territory

The plains beyond the forest stretch out unobstructed, and without needing to look far, one can see a group stationed not far ahead. The group consists of seven or eight wagons, but more than half of the horses have vanished, with only two wagons on the southern outskirts still hitched to horses, which are leisurely grazing. Scattered around the convoy are numerous pieces of luggage, bags, and even a damaged carriage, while three or four corpses lie amidst the chaos, and several survivors are huddled behind a wagon, weeping in despair.

Zu Zhao turned his head to take a glance, roughly calculating the distance between both sides; everything was already within his expectations

The continuous crying and writhing of the abducted hostages caused the team to be delayed significantly and become very loose at both ends

Hold your breath, steady your bow, and carefully master the rhythm of the mount's jolts

When the few survivors heard the sound of galloping hooves, they were initially startled and huddled together, crying even more intensely. It was not until one of them sensed that the direction of the sound was unusual that he bravely looked up, and immediately began to shout loudly as if he had found a savior

Zuzhao let out a quiet cold snort, yet he did not dare to be careless in his mind. At this moment, he naturally could not easily change direction. Even if he could not seize the advantageous position, he would not allow the Hu people to take advantage of the situation. If the Hu people wanted to encircle him, they would inevitably be a beat slower in terms of speed, at which point he could execute the tactics he had planned in advance. The worst outcome would merely be that the two forces remained on two parallel lines, each shooting arrows at the other.

How many thieves are there? How long have they been gone?" Zu Zhao continued to inquire

"Maintain formation, maintain speed; it is better not to shoot arrows than to fall behind the bandits." As the Hu people drew closer, Zu Zhao turned sideways to issue orders to the people behind him

Six, a crowd of seventy... just left the library not long ago, another person quickly added

The crowd of Hu horses had already felt uneasy at the moment their leader hesitated. Now, upon hearing the loud shout from Zu Zhao, even before they saw the arrows flying, several individuals at the front of the line immediately began to panic and dodge. The foremost individual, due to an exaggerated evasive action and lacking a saddle and stirrups to stabilize his position, unexpectedly fell from his horse. Still gripping the reins, he was dragged along by his steed for quite a while, ultimately being buried in the swirling dust amidst heart-wrenching screams.

"Eldest son, how should we proceed without shooting arrows?" In the distance behind, Zu Ji could not help but respond with a puzzled question.

He swiftly drew a longbow and an arrow from behind, shifting his entire weight onto the stirrup. As he twisted his waist and turned around, he instinctively drew the bowstring, aiming at the nearest Hu man adorned with green jade jewels on his hat. This Hu man had been at the forefront of the group from the beginning, seemingly the leader of this band of horse thieves; to capture the thieves, one must first capture the king.

As the words fell, Zu Zhao drew his bow and nocked an arrow, once again aiming at the bejeweled leader of the Hu people.

The few survivors were momentarily taken aback, realizing that Zu Zhao and the others were not in military attire and did not even possess proper weapons. At this moment, instead of thinking about saving themselves, they were intent on tracking down the Hu bandits, which seemed rather presumptuous. However, Zu Zhao's authoritative shout was full of vigor; despite his youth, he exuded an undeniable air of authority, embodying the demeanor of a young hero, which left others hesitant to show any signs of negligence.

Zu Zhao reined in the reins on the side of the cart where the survivors were hiding, glanced at these people, and found that they were all dressed in white. They appeared to be either merchants or lowly attendants. Without further ado, he directly questioned them: "Where have the thieves gone?"

Many ... ... many ... ...

Upon hearing the cheers of the crowd, Zu Zhao was suddenly inspired. What could be more demoralizing to the enemy than mocking them? With this thought in mind, he turned back and boldly said to his followers: "How dare these ignorant fools oppose a man of the Han? It is truly a joke. Watch me shoot this one off his horse."

You all take the horse-drawn carriage east for about twenty li to reach Lulong Pass. Zu Ji, we will continue the pursuit. Zu Zhao did not give a hasty command; after speaking, he urged his horse towards the direction indicated by that person.

Zhu Zhao secretly thought it was not good: Had the Hu people already succeeded?

The leading Hu noticed the posture of Zu Zhao drawing his bow early in the morning. Upon hearing the sound of the arrow, he quickly lowered his head and turned to the side to evade. However, the whistling feathered arrow first grazed the head of his mount, and then it struck his own shoulder. Although he avoided a fatal hit, the arrow that passed through ultimately struck another Hu who was closely following behind.

The few members of the Hu people at the rear heard the sound of galloping hooves and quickly spotted the figures of Zu Zhao and others. They immediately waved their various long-handled weapons and shouted wildly towards the main force ahead. After a moment, the Hu people's formation began to change; approximately twenty individuals continued to escort the hostages while the remaining cavalry circled back and charged towards Zu Zhao, shouting as they came. Clearly, they did not regard the mere twenty-odd pursuers as a threat.

The journey westward has slight undulations. After pursuing for about a quarter of an hour, upon crossing a mound of earth, one immediately sees a large group of people and horses five miles to the northwest, moving at a leisurely pace. The Hu people are dressed in coarse cotton garments, wearing felt hats, often accompanied by fur pelts, appearing in dark tones from a distance. In contrast, the Han hostages, who are being escorted by the Hu, mostly wear light and bright clothing, making them quite conspicuous among the crowd

Hitting the target with a hundred steps, nothing surpasses this

The leader of the Hu people, filled with anger and apprehension, shouted incoherently for a while before drawing his bow and shooting two arrows at Zu Zhao. The other Hu people quickly followed suit, haphazardly releasing more than ten arrows. Unfortunately, the wind was not favorable, and without stirrups, they had to slow their horses to aim, making it impossible for the arrows to catch up to Zu Zhao. Not even the few attendants at the end of Zu Zhao's group could be touched by those arrows.

The followers echoed, "The young master is divine and martial."

Zu Zhao's lips curled into a cold smile, as the earlier arrow had already taken effect. He did not intend to deliberately focus on the leading Hu man, but instead chose the nearest horse bandit as his target, determined to let these Hu horses know what it meant to be the first bird to stick its head out. As the bowstring reached its full draw, he simultaneously shouted "Hit" with the intention of creating an intimidating atmosphere.

Ah! The Hu man, struck by an arrow, let out a painful cry. He held on for a moment on horseback, then swayed and fell, swallowed by the swirling dust beneath the horse's hooves

Zu Jiman was filled with excitement; even though he knew that the bandits outnumbered him three to one, there was not a trace of fear on his face. He shouted a response and then tapped the horse's rear with his longbow, closely following behind Zu Zhao. Seeing the two young men, Zu Zhao and Zu Ji, bravely leading the charge, the other attendants also dared not show any signs of retreat, urging their mounts forward in a rush.

The striking contrast immediately elicited loud cheers from the attendants behind Zu Zhao, with Zu Ji even waving his longbow while calling out, and turning back to make faces at the Hu people.

Indeed, quite impressive

"Act according to the situation, and do not allow the thieves to encircle us," instructed Zu Zhao.

Despite being a result of a twist of fate and a stroke of luck, this arrow still surprised everyone significantly

How many are there!" Zuzhao asked sharply with wide eyes.

"Hu Yi's child, dare you pursue again?"

By assembling an era-defining saddle and stirrups, along with the well-trained skills of mounted archery, it will be sufficient to adopt a strategy of gradual attrition to take down seven or eight individuals, thereby shattering the confidence of these "herdsmen". Any bandit motivated by greed lacks the resolve and courage, which is where one's assurance lies.

The journey of three miles passed in an instant, and the forest became increasingly sparse

The spacing between the trees in this forest is not particularly dense, yet there are occasionally low branches that obstruct the way. The mounts of the ancestors are all tall northern horses, each standing at a height of eight feet, and when combined with the height of the riders, it is indeed not easy to navigate through the thicket. Fortunately, everyone possesses excellent equestrian skills, and by slightly reducing their speed, they are still able to move freely among the trees

Bursting out of the woods, he instinctively flicked the whip to quicken his pace, arriving in front of the convoy in a gust of wind

"To the west... my young lady was taken away by them..." One person trembled as they pointed a finger in a direction.

As for whether the arrow shot by Zu Zhao hit its target, no one is certain. However, the attendants were too preoccupied to think about that, and they all began to shout loudly: "It hit again, indeed it hit again"

As he pursued relentlessly, numerous thoughts raced through Zu Zhao's mind. He was certainly not a fool, nor was he blindly boasting out of a momentary impulse. With only about twenty men to confront a force several times their number, even a regular army would find it challenging, let alone a group of mere servants and attendants. The reason he felt compelled to chase them down was twofold: on one hand, he had consistently expressed his deep-seated hatred for foreign invasions over the past few years; thus, upon encountering the Hu cavalry robbing today, he felt it was imperative to stand up for justice. On the other hand, after lying low for so many years, it was time to showcase his skills and earn a reputation for bravery. Furthermore, he was not entirely without confidence; the nomadic tribes of the northern regions during the late Eastern Han dynasty did not possess a complete military system. Therefore, the pursuit was not merely about numbers but rather a contest of morale and psychological strength against a disorganized mob.

The attendants turned their heads to relay the message to one another, maintaining a rapid advance in the northwest direction

The more than ten arrows shot by the Hu people all missed their target, not only causing them to lose face but also further highlighting the majesty of Zu Zhao.

The Great Young Master's Archery Technique

Hitting a target with a hundred steps is not an easy task, especially when on a bumpy horse. However, being in an advantageous position and having the benefit of the stirrups, I still have a degree of confidence that I can create some deterrent effect.

The Hu people’s forces pressed in from the side and rear, maintaining a distance of over 100 paces. After that, they made no further attempts to close the gap, as doing so would only increase the distance between the two sides. Relying on their numerical superiority, they continuously let out boisterous laughter, and occasionally a few arrows flew their way, but due to their unfavorable position and the considerable distance, there was no possibility of hitting the target

The number of the Hu people coming to confront us is considerable, roughly estimated to be nearly fifty. These herdsmen are also quite experienced in archery and know the importance of seizing advantageous positions, directly opposing Zuzhao and the others.

In an instant, he released the bowstring, and the arrow shot forth with a piercing scream

Seeing this, the leader of the Hu people quickly slowed down his horse and concealed himself among the crowd

It is extremely advantageous for Zu Zhao to be more genuine. He assessed the wind direction, turned around, and shouted to the people behind him: "Take advantage of the west wind and flank them on their left side"

Zhu Ji is momentarily at a loss, originally expecting a direct confrontation, but it has now turned into a race to see who can run faster, which is truly frustrating