Chapter 8, The First Blade of Chaos
The moment the hooves come to a halt
Atum swung his whip, stirring up a scene of blood and flesh among the crowd. Amidst the wild laughter, he galloped away on horseback. Originally at odds with the Han people, this winter was expected to be difficult, but now he felt very happy. His household would gain many slaves and food supplies, and the children and elderly in the tribe would not perish from cold and hunger this winter. In the coming year, the children would grow up, and the elderly would become even wiser.
Among the group, most of the women were barely clothed, while the young men, covered in blood, staggered with their hands bound by ropes, driven like cattle and sheep into the deeper, larger grasslands to the north. If there are no unforeseen circumstances, most of them will never return, or perhaps along the way, they will perish from the whip, hunger, and exhaustion
It is not yet winter ... ... It won't happen.
The howl of the wolf echoed across the grassland, spreading forth.
Zhang Liao raised his head to look at the severed heads atop the treetops, painfully closing his eyes as if he could hear the screams of agony emitted by these heads when they were subjected to torture. Since last night, he had engaged in battles with several small groups of Xiongnu on his way, killing his way into the territory of Dai County, where almost no village he passed by was spared. This time, the Xiongnu had a massive force of two hundred thousand, scattered into countless small groups to plunder the Han lands, ensuring that within the major cities and important areas, there were still many such places that went unattended.
On the grassy hill, the White Wolf King howled, and around him, figures poised for battle surged into the light, while the pack of wolves charging alongside the warhorses roared in a rising chorus.
What... could it possibly be a wolf disaster...
... ... buzzing ... ... He waved his hand to shoo away the flies, turned around the horse's head, and walked out of the woods. There was no longer any need to look back at the village inside. Zhang Liao looked up and let out a long sigh, the peaceful morning light shining on his face, feeling not a trace of warmth
Hearing the anxious tone of the scout, Zhang Liao patted him on the shoulder and offered a few words of comfort. With a swift motion of his blade, he said, "Follow me to take a look... If you can still fight, come with me; those who are fearful can stay here and wait."
The hand brushed over the bloodstains on the body
The Xiongnu, gradually suppressing their laughter, reacted by raising their weapons, intending to form a battle line. However, the warhorses, startled by the howling of the wolves, became uncontrollable. In an instant, the black lines rushing in from both sides closed in... violently crashing in, the wolves leaped up and bit at the horses' necks. The frightened warhorses let out a piercing whinny, and as the Xiongnu on horseback struggled to steady themselves, the cold weapons glided across their throats, sending heads and blood soaring into the sky
... ...
If Feng Xian were here, it would be great; at least the reputation of Fei Jiang could intimidate this group of petty criminals..." He murmured to himself, withdrew his gaze, and was just about to leave
Kill—" he shouted with all his might.
One hundred to five hundred
The wolf's paw scraped the turf, the white wolf's mane gently brushed in the wind, and the horse beside it sneezed, its hooves anxiously trampling the ground twice
The remaining Xiongnu soldiers laughed even louder
... everywhere, in all directions, roughly one or two hundred...
On the grassland, a prairie dog was diligently digging in the soil. Suddenly, its ears twitched, and its plump head turned back as a grayish figure rushed towards it. Startled, it played dead on the ground, and in its squinted eyes, a giant wolf with fur like steel needles passed over it, its claws crushing the grass as it ran off in a more distant direction
The figure of the grayish-blue runner from mhetushucomcom is gathering, with hundreds of warhorses among them making their final preparations. As the crowd below erupts in laughter, the knight on the grass hill reaches for the hilt of his sword, slowly drawing it from its sheath, the cold gleam flickering in the light
The sun rises from the east, the morning light dispels the slight chill, autumn leaves sway in the wind, more than ten warhorses slowly tread into the woods, flies swarm densely over each head, buzzing incessantly...
The gaze swept across the fields, over a grassy hill, where a figure on horseback paused atop it. Beneath the great cloak, a hand gently stroked the mane of the horse. In the line of sight of the large white wolf crouching nearby, a long procession wound its way below the hill, accompanied by a buzzing din.
In the air, the sound of crying can be heard
... ...
The lifeless face, with its wide-open eyes, reflects in the distance the shadow of a rider on horseback silently observing the tragedy unfolding here.
A long, mournful howl suddenly echoed across the grassy hill, causing Atum to shiver as he loosened his belt, and he stood up to look in the direction of the sound
The sound of tearing clothes, a woman's piercing scream. Nearby, a young man, unable to bear the sight, shouted angrily and rushed forward. After running a few steps, a Hun cavalryman lurking nearby shot an arrow that flew past with a "whoosh," blood splattering as the arrow struck him in the neck, piercing through. The body staggered forward half a step before finally collapsing.
Ah
Wow ... ... Ow. ... ... ... Um ...
After speaking, a group of over ten cavalrymen and some remaining infantry soldiers, equipped with horse belly straps, rushed towards the direction from which the wolf howls echoed.
The whip cracked in the air as the mounted Huns galloped alongside the long line, shouting fiercely in a language that the others could not understand, prompting the remaining Hun soldiers to burst into laughter, likely not uttering anything pleasant.
Around them, many Xiongnu emitted barbaric shouts of "Wow!" and excitedly waved their weapons, cheering for such behavior from one another
The nearby Xiongnu fell silent for a moment, some glanced at the distance, then put down their short bows and shouted curses at the grass hill. Atum abandoned the Han woman on the ground, mounted his horse, and drew his weapon. Instinctively, he felt that there was more than one opponent. Then, the compatriots nearby burst into mocking laughter.
Crackling sound
... ...
Caution! Atum has issued a warning
As he thought this, the whip in his hand struck the back of a crying woman, tearing open her coarse hemp garment to reveal her pale skin. Atum licked his lips, dismounted, and threw the Han woman to the ground, riding on top of her in front of everyone.
As the sound of hushed conversations arose among the crowd, Zhang Liao furrowed his brow and asked the scout, "... how many wolves?"
The figure of the Xiongnu rider charging towards them was cleaved and sent flying, blood splattering in the air. The knight descending charged over the corpse, accelerating once more.
The soldiers waiting outside were already exhausted. From the initial two to three hundred, after more than ten battles, only a little over one hundred remained, suffering a loss of more than half. At this moment, upon hearing the howling of wolves, they felt a sense of uncertainty. A scout running from the distance approached and shouted: "The wolf pack... the wolf pack is heading towards our northeast..."
Gongsun Zhi gazed down at the multitude of Xiongnu below, trembling slightly. However, in the next moment, he clenched his jaw tightly, squeezed his legs against the horse's belly, and with his cloak billowing, raised his arms. The blade stood upright in the wind as the warhorse beneath him slowly began to move its hooves towards the grassy slope, then accelerated into a dive, momentarily slowing down, carving an arc in the light of the blade.
The dawn light stretched over.
Wolf... he expressed his confusion in the Xiongnu language, and then he saw the knight clad in a great cloak