After Ke Bineng finished laughing, he quickly returned to normal, his eyes still wary, and he instructed the scout who had come to report!
“Tell Terunhe that after the Han Army suffers a loss, they will definitely find a way to continue transporting grain and grass, and even find a way to eliminate his cavalry unit to resolve the threat to the supply line.”
“He must be careful and cautious, and not fall into the Han Army’s ambush.”
After receiving the order, the scout cupped his fists, bowed, and quickly retreated to deliver the message.
Once this matter was dealt with, Ke Bineng completely relaxed. As long as Terunhe was careful, there shouldn't be any ambush.
After all, if the Han Army made any moves, he would be the first to discover it and could send troops to support them at any time.
With the advantage of elite cavalry, he could wipe out as many Han Army troops as they sent.
So, he and the chieftains under him chatted and conversed, often bursting into laughter.
The atmosphere inside the main tent was lively and harmonious.
Five days later!
Dingrang Commandery, Luoxian County!
In a valley there, the two thousand soldiers led by Zhang He were ambushed.
They had received the news earlier and had rushed to this location without stopping.
After several days of preparation, the road below was already filled with various traps, and there were rolling rocks and logs on both sides.
As long as those two thousand cavalry dared to pass through here, they would surely meet their demise.
About twenty li away from this location, by a small river, several makeshift military camps had been set up. This was Terunhe's encampment.
There were no strong defenses around, only a few sentries patrolling, appearing very audacious.
Inside the camp, Terunhe sat at the head, eating large chunks of meat, his mouth greasy, looking very at ease.
He wiped his mouth with a cloth, imitating Ke Bineng's manner, and tossed it directly onto the table.
A smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, showing a hint of smugness.
Ever since he led his cavalry to cut off the grain supply, he had frequently received praise from Ke Bineng.
He even subtly indicated that as soon as this battle was over, he would definitely promote his Terun tribe to become his left and right arm.
By then, he would also become a great tribal leader, no longer needing to be timid, and could instead oppress the medium and small tribes.
Just then, footsteps sounded from outside the main tent. A scout rushed in and bowed, saying,
“Reporting, Chief, good news has arrived.”
“Our scouts have already found out the news. The Han Army’s grain supply route has changed direction, and it is about twenty li from here.”
Upon hearing this, Terunhe's face lit up with joy. After waiting so long, he finally got news of the Han Army's grain supply route.
After being plundered by him several times, the Han Army had been quiet for a while and had not continued to transport grain, to avoid unnecessary losses.
If his guess was correct, they were clearly planning to change routes.
He, of course, would not let these Han Army troops continue transporting grain and grass, so he immediately sent scouts to investigate the surrounding areas.
Terunhe quickly stood up, looked at the simple map on the table, searched for a while, and soon knew the general direction.
Now that he knew the general route of the Han Army, he would not continue to wait here.
He immediately waved his hand and loudly ordered!
“Order the entire army to quickly assemble, leave this place, and head twenty li away to continue plundering the Han Army’s grain supply with me.”
Some of the generals in the tent quickly bowed in obedience and went down to assemble their respective troops.
A moment later, two thousand cavalry, in neat order, led by Terunhe, galloped towards the direction twenty li away.
Time passed quietly!
After an hour of galloping, the two thousand cavalry led by Terunhe had arrived at this location.
Soon, he received the latest intelligence from the scout.
A thousand-strong group of grain-transporting laborers was resting in the valley ahead.
Upon learning of this situation, Terunhe's eyes lit up, and his breathing quickened.
He hadn't expected the Han Army to be so bold as to organize so many laborers to transport grain and grass.
But thinking about it, it made sense. The Han Army had been continuously plundered by him and had been cut off from grain for half a month.
If they didn't transport more grain and grass to the military camp, there was a high possibility of a grain shortage.
And there was another possibility, which was to transport more grain and grass while he hadn't discovered this supply route.
Even if he discovered it later, the Han Army's main camp could last for a longer period, giving them spare time to continue searching for another supply route.
Thinking of this, Terunhe's mouth curved into a sinister smile.
He had calculated everything, but he hadn't expected that he had already discovered it. This was a good opportunity to kill these thousand-plus laborers and seize all the grain. He didn't believe the Han Army would still dare to transport grain.
He immediately ordered the two thousand cavalry behind him in a loud voice!
“In the valley, over a thousand laborers are resting. Follow me and charge in, kill these Han people!”
The generals and cavalry behind him shouted loudly!
“Kill, kill, kill!”
Terunhe led the two thousand cavalry behind him directly into the valley.
At this time, inside the valley, over a thousand laborers were sitting on the ground, leaning against the trees on both sides.
However, there was a sharp glint in everyone's eyes; they were not ordinary laborers but seasoned soldiers.
These were Zhang He's troops, disguised as grain-transporting laborers. The other thousand-plus laborers were arranged on both sides of the valley, ready to push down the rolling rocks and logs at any time.
On the valley road, ox carts and donkey carts were neatly arranged, all filled with golden grain, with no deception whatsoever.
Transporting so much was naturally meant for the military camp, as for the past half-month, the Xianbei cavalry had been constantly harassing them, and not a single drop of grain had been transported into the camp.
For a short period, it was fine, but if it dragged on too long without grain being transported, problems would surely arise within the army.
A moment later!
Only the sound of hooves trampling the earth came from within the valley, erupting in a booming, deafening roar that echoed throughout the entire valley.
The thousand-plus laborers who had been sitting on the ground stood up in the blink of an eye, consolidated, and had already formed several battle formations.
Most importantly, the front was also filled with giant horse stakes, specifically used to restrict cavalry charges.
Terunhe gripped his horse's flanks with his legs and constantly wielded his whip, leading the cavalry behind him in a wild charge, displaying the might of the Xianbei iron cavalry.
He intended to directly intimidate these thousand-plus laborers, making them flee in disarray, after which he would only need to hunt them down like chickens and dogs.
Soon, the two thousand cavalry arrived nearby. When they saw the thousand-plus laborers ahead had actually formed a battle formation, Terunhe, on horseback, was startled. He gripped the reins tightly, trying to stop the charging speed.