Li Jun received the news relatively late; in fact, he had already led eight thousand Silver Tiger soldiers out of the city three days prior, leaving only three thousand Silver Tiger soldiers and some veterans who were preparing for retirement but had not yet retired in the city. Sima Hui repeatedly urged him to use the city's defenses to meet any potential challenges, but Li Jun laughed and said, "The people north of Silver Tiger City will also be within the Peace Army's jurisdiction. How can I stand by and watch them be slaughtered?"
In this way, naturally some people would leave, and naturally, he gained the support of the people of Silver Tiger City. They were all deeply grateful to this new ruler for being so considerate of the people.
Therefore, when news of the Rong people's invasion reached Li Jun, he was less than half a day's journey from Wugula's troops. If Wugula hadn't been looting and burning along the way, he would have already met with Li Jun by now.
"The enemy has five thousand vanguard troops?" Li Jun was also taken aback. Five thousand vanguard troops alone meant that the Rong people had mobilized their entire force. This battle was sure to be even more exciting. If they didn't want to use any unexpected tactics against them, the newly formed Silver Tiger Army's main force might be wiped out in one battle.
Ugula's cavalry was not entirely without suspicion. When Li Jun learned of his news, he also received a report from his scouts at almost the same time.
"You've got some nerve, abandoning the fortified city and leading your troops to meet us!" Ugula sneered, glancing back at his cavalry. These usually kind and simple herders were now blinded by blood and violence; their ferocity was enough to silence the ordinary men and women they had abducted, making them afraid to offer the slightest resistance, and even a mournful cry was a luxury.
"Kill Li Jun, then everyone go back and enjoy yourselves!" Ugula pointed his saber.
"Yo-ho!" The shouts were deafening, and five thousand fast horses galloped off, heading straight for the Silver Tiger Army. Half a day's journey was quite long for the Silver Tiger Army, which consisted mainly of infantry and only had about two thousand light cavalry, but for these Rong cavalrymen who moved like the wind, it was just a matter of moments.
Ugula had already seen the Silver Tiger Army's banners embroidered with tigers in silver thread, but to his surprise, his men in front of him stopped their horses instead of charging forward in one go. The Rong people on horseback made strange noises and pointed at the Silver Tiger Army's camp.
Ugula looked around and saw a high slope on his left. He spurred his horse up the slope and looked down. This look made him forget about the war.
The Silver Tiger Army soldiers were seen slouching, sitting or standing, their weapons out of their hands, completely ignoring the approaching Rong people, and were thoroughly enjoying the song and dance. Between them and the Rong people, there was a huge red carpet, and on the carpet, eight beautiful, half-naked women, barefoot, danced gracefully to the accompaniment of Rong music.
"What's going on?" Ugula was taken aback, finding it utterly unbelievable. A naked woman dancing before the two armies—how could they possibly fight like this? However, for the Rong people, accustomed to the grasslands and clad in thick robes every day, how often had they witnessed the graceful dance of a city dancer, or seen such snow-white skin exposed before millions of people?
Moreover, the music accompanying these eight women was a melody familiar to the Rong people of the vast grasslands. Hearing their homeland's music in this foreign land made the Rong people stop and listen. Seeing the graceful dance and the nonchalant expressions of the Silver Tiger Army, they were filled with surprise and doubt, but the Rong people simply joined in to enjoy the song and dance. The Rong people were all ordinary herders who went to war together in times of war and herded cattle and horses for training in battle in peacetime, with almost no requirements for military discipline. Therefore, they all crowded onto the high ground, hoping to occupy a better viewing spot.
Ugula himself couldn't control himself and had completely forgotten Ji Su's orders. Moreover, these eight dancers were carefully selected by Li Jun from the Tong family in Silver Tiger City. With bright, captivating eyes, every glance made everyone feel as if they were smiling gently at them. Their graceful dances naturally exuded a myriad of charms. The rugged Rong men, accustomed to their ruggedness, were almost all intoxicated by their songs and dances.
These dancers and musicians had been warned by Li Jun that if they didn't present their best songs and dances, they would be the first to be hit if the Rong people charged. Thinking of the tragic consequences of being captured by the Rong, they performed with extra fervor. Even the Tong family, accustomed to luxury, were captivated by their performance; how much more so these unsophisticated Rong people? Therefore, in Li Jun's first battle against the Rong in Yuzhou, it can be said that he stunned five thousand iron cavalry with just eight dancers.
Section 3
The eyes of the five thousand iron cavalrymen were almost popping out of their sockets.
Lost in the music and dance, they were completely unaware that two thousand soldiers had quietly appeared behind them, each armed with a bow, arrow, and spear, blocking their retreat.
Immediately afterwards, the dancers' singing and dancing on the red carpet became more exciting, and two thousand light cavalry rushed out of the camp. The Silver Tiger Army, which had been scattered on the ground, suddenly stood up, and the long spears, which were specially designed to deal with cavalry charges, pointed straight at the Rong cavalry led by Ugula like a forest.
"What's going on? Are they not dancing anymore?" The Rong people's eyes were still fixed on the dancers, but the sound of a string breaking behind them made them realize that they were in the middle of a battlefield. By then, it was too late to be alert.
Firstly, after watching the song and dance for half a day, the Rong people's morale had been gradually dampened. Secondly, with the sudden rain of arrows, five or six hundred Rong people were shot down in the first round, which terrified the surviving Rong people. They were eager to escape as quickly as possible and had no heart to fight the Silver Tiger Army again.
Unaware that the situation was hopeless, Ugula brandished his sword to encourage his men, but no matter how much he shouted "Yo-ho!" the Rong people, whose fighting spirit had been extinguished, ignored him. The Rong people each chose a direction and galloped away on horseback, trying to escape the slaughterhouse as quickly as possible.
However, no matter which direction they charged, they were always met with a hail of arrows. In the chaos, they were unable to organize an effective defense, and they fell from their horses before they even got close to the Silver Tiger Army.
Li Jun knew that he could not push the enemy too far, lest they become desperate and take drastic measures. He unfurled his banner and cleared a path to the east. Seeing a chance to escape, the Rong people spurred their horses toward this path. However, the Rong people were numerous and inevitably jostled each other. Some were pushed off their horses and trampled to death by their own men. In addition, there were Rong people who had been shot down. From this high slope to the east, a path paved with blood and flesh stretched on and on. Many Rong people were even trampled into mincemeat by the horses' hooves.
Immediately afterward, Li Jun personally wielded his halberd and led his cavalry in a flanking maneuver, pursuing the remaining enemy troops from behind. The Rong people were now terrified and filled with unease. Wugula even attempted to turn his horse around to fight back, but Shang Huaiyi, a skilled archer, drew his bow and shot an arrow that struck Wugula squarely in the right arm. Seeing the danger, Wugula pulled out the arrow with his left hand and could only flee in disarray.
"Long live! Long live! Long live Commander Li!" A frenzied shout erupted from the Silver Tiger Army. The Tong family had been fighting the Rong people for many years, always relying on holding their cities to resist them. These soldiers had suffered greatly at the hands of the Rong, often suffering heavy casualties even in victories. But today, Li Jun had used only eight dancers to slaughter the once-arrogant Rong on flat ground. Of the five thousand Rong, less than a thousand escaped unscathed, while the Silver Tiger Army suffered fewer than a hundred casualties. This victory was an unprecedented and complete triumph for them.
At this moment, the Silver Tiger Army was truly convinced of Li Jun's abilities and began to accept his unconventional strategies that deviated from traditional military tactics. More importantly, they developed an unwavering trust in their commander. They believed that no matter the circumstances, Commander Li would find a way, and he would surely lead them to a great victory.
The victors are greeted with cheers, while the losers are met only with rebukes.
"What? Five thousand iron cavalry, and this is all that's left?" Ji Su glared at the fleeing Ugula with murderous intent, his eyes blazing with fury. He had originally intended for Ugula to teach ordinary people how to fight, but Ugula had unexpectedly been taught a lesson by ordinary people, which he found hard to accept.
"I...I deserve to die...That Li Jun is too amazing!" Ugula felt ashamed to face anyone after seeing countless brothers die because of him, but he still couldn't help but defend himself.
"That Li Jun, how many men did he bring to attack you? How many of them did you kill?" Seeing Ge Shun stroking his beard and sneering, Ji Su almost wanted to whip the hateful old man off his horse.
“Less than…less than ten thousand people…” Ugula said somewhat timidly.
"You killed less than ten thousand people? You're truly incompetent!" Ji Su misunderstood, thinking that Wugula was surrounded by Li Jun's army and that they had killed nearly ten thousand of them to break through. Only then did he feel that it was barely acceptable.
"No, it's... Li Jun led less than 10,000 people..." Wugula said, knowing he was bound to be punished.
"Crack!" The whip lashed down hard, leaving a deep, bloody gash on his face. Ge Shun's heart skipped a beat, and he thought to himself, "This man is ruthless."
Under Ji Su's piercing gaze, Wu Gula knew he couldn't refuse and said, "We were only concerned with breaking through and escaping; we had no intention of killing them. That Li Jun is just too formidable..."
"That place doesn't seem to have the geographical conditions for an ambush, and it's all flat land with only a few scattered hills, which would be perfect for your army to launch a surprise attack. Why was it surrounded by Li Jun with less than 10,000 men?" Ge Shun said sarcastically.
Ugula could only recount how he and his men had been so engrossed in watching the dancers' performance that they hadn't noticed what was happening behind them. Ji Su, upon hearing this, flew into a rage, his whip lashing out at Ugula like a whirlwind: "You bastard! Those eight enchantresses have bewitched you, you can't even hear the God of War's call! You're a disgrace to men! What's the point of living? You might as well die!"
“But those eight women danced…it was really beautiful…” Oblivious to the pain, Ugulayu defended the dancers.
"Nonsense! If it were me, I would never have been tempted by that vixen. You have caused the deaths of so many people of your tribe. How will you explain this to the Great Khan when you return?" His defense only made Ji Su more furious. "A few ordinary women, and you're already tempted by them? Why don't you just go and snatch them away?"
Ugula dared not retort loudly any longer, and muttered in a low voice, "If it were you, you naturally wouldn't be tempted, but I'm a normal man, it would be strange if I weren't tempted..."
Ge Shun's heart skipped a beat. Could it be that this monster Ji Su, clad in armor, wasn't a normal man? If so, it would explain why he was acting so strangely. Ji Su's voice suddenly turned icy cold upon hearing Wu Gu La's words: "Say that again if you dare!"
"If I don't say anything, then..." Ugula realized she had misspoke and quickly shut her lips, glaring angrily at the thoughtful Ge Shun. It seemed that she was being blamed and threatened because of Ge Shun.
"Reporting to Ji Su!" The scout galloped over and said, "Li Jun is slowly returning with a large amount of women, children, gold, and silk!"
"Oh? You think you can escape back to the city and fight back after a small victory?" Ji Su said. "How can I let you hide in your shell! All troops, listen up! Li Jun is carrying a lot of children and gold and silk, so his speed will definitely be slow. Everyone, give it your all and kill him without leaving a single survivor!"
Just as Ge Shun was about to speak, Ji Su rolled her eyes at him, making him swallow his words. Then, amidst shouts of "Yo-ho!", the Rong people rallied and charged forward.
The chase lasted for most of the day, covering over a hundred li on horseback. Ge Shun, despite his skill in controlling his horse, was no match for the Rong people, who were naturally skilled on horseback, and gradually fell behind. Ji Su, however, was somewhat pleased with this; he felt a strange sense of disgust towards this cunning-looking man with a weasel-like face.
His mount was a prized steed chosen from among thousands, so he rode swiftly. In his heart, he also felt a sense of curiosity about Li Jun, who had defeated his five thousand iron cavalry with only eight beautiful concubines. What kind of expression would Li Jun have if he saw him leading fifteen thousand cavalry in pursuit? Thinking of the tragic fate of his thousands of clansmen in the skirmish, he couldn't wait to see Li Jun's terrified face.
On the distant horizon, he saw the Silver Tiger Army driving carts and leading the people slowly forward. When they saw them coming, the Silver Tiger Army did not scatter and flee as he had expected. Instead, they stopped, and the people were placed in the middle, with soldiers protecting them on all sides.
"What tricks are they planning to pull this time?" Thinking back to Li Jun's initial scheme involving a dancer, Ji Su became more vigilant and dared not rush towards the Silver Tiger Army immediately. She decided to wait and see what tricks Li Jun would come up with first.