TKTCJ 08

Chapter 8

Grassland War (2)

Several days later,

Liu Yu had barely a moment to catch his breath amid the succession of urgent reports arriving one after another.

The remnants of the Yellow Turbans from Qingzhou were joining with refugees wandering through Youzhou along the roads, gradually swelling their numbers. As the group moved north, it continued to grow until it had reached tens of thousands.

If Youbeiping were looted, the people of Youzhou would be plunged into hardship.

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

But Wei You raised both hands and stopped him.

Beiping lay deep within Gongsun Zan’s sphere of influence.

No matter that Liu Yu was the Inspector, he could not simply move troops into the area without authorization.

Their relationship was already strained.

And to send troops into his territory?

It could easily lead to consequences that could never be undone.

Liu Yu’s eyes sank deeply.

He could not help but smile bitterly inwardly.

Could things possibly have aligned more perfectly?

Not long ago, Gongsun Zan had come to the seat of government and boasted that he would pacify the grasslands before setting out.

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

Jung-gyeom was already being sent to stabilize the grasslands, yet Gongsun Zan had insisted on launching a punitive campaign.

What was more, word had arrived that a trade route would soon be opened.

The Xiongnu might have the upper hand for now.

But if they were given a little more time, the conflict would soon die down on its own.

Yet Gongsun Zan had decided to intervene in that very war.

It made no sense.

Liu Yu wanted stability on the grasslands.

He did not want either side to be wiped out.

And yet, as though the heavens themselves knew of his plans, circumstances were being created that left him no choice but to call Gongsun Zan back.

“You must summon Administrator Gongsun at once.”

Wei You offered his counsel in a calm voice.

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

There was no need to deliberate 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 until it seemed his very breath would be torn from his lungs, and eventually reached the grasslands.

By then,

the fighting on the grasslands was still continuing.

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

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 grain stores are in danger!”

A brief silence followed.

The spear that had been pointed toward its destination slowly lowered toward the ground.

His gaze swept across the battlefield.

The collapsing Wuhuan.

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 his lips.

“They dare target the lands of Gongsun Zan?”

He slowly withdrew his spear.

Then he turned his horse around.

“All troops, withdraw.”

The surroundings fell silent for an instant.

“We are going to Youbeiping.”

With those words, the flow of the battlefield came to a halt.

The White Horse Riders changed direction.

And thousands of cavalry followed them in unison.

At that moment,

the war on the grasslands stopped.

The Wuhuan, on the verge of collapse, were finally given a chance to breathe.

The Xiongnu lost their opportunity.

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

No one knew that Jung-gyeom stood at the center of all these changes.

News arrived that Gongsun Zan had turned his troops toward Youbeiping.

Jung-gyeom moved immediately.

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

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

As for Jung-gyeom himself, he personally led his troops out to cut off the Southern Xiongnu’s supply route.

The wind across the grasslands was fierce.

Jung-gyeom lay in ambush deep inside a gorge with seven hundred cavalry and three thousand infantry.

His eyes had turned cold.

According to the intelligence they had received, the Wuhuan’s strength had fallen far more than expected.

This was the opportunity to cut off the Southern Xiongnu’s supplies and weaken their momentum.

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

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

“Carts have been spotted about ten li away!”

Zhao Yun, who had accompanied Jeon Ju to Qingzhou and Ji, approached while gripping his spear.

“Allow me to lead the vanguard. I will annihilate the enemy and secure the provisions.”

Zhao Yun had volunteered to lead the vanguard.

If he had not stepped forward himself, Jung-gyeom would have chosen him anyway.

Jung-gyeom did not hesitate.

“If I do not use Zilong, whom else could I possibly use? Go.”

Zhao Yun saluted with fierce determination.

“Understood!”

A short while later,

the supply convoy began to come into view.

Every cart appeared to be piled high with provisions, their loads bulging upward.

The cavalry escort was lax, and there was no tension in the formation.

At that moment—

The sound of hooves split across the grasslands.

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

“Charge! Annihilate the enemy!”

His cry reverberated through the gorge.

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

The Southern Xiongnu cavalry noticed the ambush only belatedly and hurried to form up, but Zhao Yun’s cavalry had already driven deep into their ranks.

Zhao Yun’s spear flashed.

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

No one could stop 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.

That was precisely what it was.

The enemy collapsed in an instant.

Some of the cavalry attempted to resist, but their momentum had already been broken.

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

Jung-gyeom, who had been driving his troops forward to support Zhao Yun, could not help but marvel.

As expected of Zhao Zilong.

This was the first glimpse of the fierce general who would one day dominate battlefields.

After Gongsun Zan withdrew,

the Wuhuan’s attacks somehow changed.

They still could not withstand Yufuluo’s offensive,

but there was composure in their movements—

and their attacks had grown sharper.

Then an unexpected urgent report arrived.

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

Their remaining military rations were rapidly dwindling.

They had managed to endure by requisitioning food locally,

but that could not last long either.

The Wuhuan were destroying anything that could serve as food.

The atmosphere inside the command tent grew heavy.

Just then, the man who had been sent to discover why the provisions were late came rushing 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.

Yufuluo said nothing for a long time.

But soon, the corners of his mouth slowly twisted.

“…Who was it?”

His voice was low and heavy.

“Who dared attack my supply convoy?”

One of his subordinates swallowed hard.

Suppressing his trembling breath, he spoke again.

“Han cavalry. They attacked the supply convoy and took every last provision.”

Gnash, gnash—

The sound of grinding teeth came from various places within the tent.

Gongsun Zan had clearly promised before departing.

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

So they should not worry about their rear.

They were to finish off the Wuhuan.

But now—

Who dared stab the Xiongnu in the back?

Bang!

The table was overturned.

“Han or Wuhuan—kill every one of them the moment they come into sight.”

His furious voice crushed the atmosphere inside the tent.

“Gather the entire army.”

It was a short, decisive order.

His gaze turned east.

“We will recover the provisions they stole and kill every last one of those who dared provoke us.”

At the same time,

beyond the gorge, Jung-gyeom was quietly contemplating the course of the war on the grasslands.

Yufuluo must have figured out who took the provisions.

His gaze slowly settled.

“He’ll be moving soon.”

Jeon Ju, who had approached his side without Jung-gyeom noticing, spoke quietly.

“He will believe he has been struck from behind. He will certainly charge at us without regard for anything else.”

Jung-gyeom’s gaze swept across the distant grasslands.

There was not the slightest trace of hesitation.

“Begin the lure. Leave tracks.”

Jung-gyeom’s order was concise.

The situation had been thoroughly planned in advance.

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

The wheels of the carts began carving deep tracks into the earth.

Supplies were deliberately dropped along the way so the enemy would not veer onto another route.

Signs of haste.

Signs of flight.

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 do not give chase, they cannot possibly be Xiongnu.”

Jung-gyeom said nothing.

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

It was midday, with the sun directly overhead.

A fierce heat pressed down upon the grasslands.

Beneath it, thousands of hooves relentlessly pounded toward their destination.

They were Southern Xiongnu cavalry.

“This way! The bandits went this way!”

The scout at the front shouted.

Trampled grass,

deep cart tracks,

and supplies scattered here and there.

The signs of a desperate flight were unmistakable.

Yufuluo lowered himself over his horse and examined the ground.

A savage smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

The signs of haste were immediately obvious.

There was not the slightest hesitation.

“Pick up the pace.”

With that one command—

the cavalry accelerated once more.

Yet contrary to expectations, the bandits stubbornly refused to show themselves.

Only the trampled trail continued to lead them forward.

…The pursuit was lasting longer than expected.

The sun grew hotter.

The horses’ breathing became harsher.

The cavalrymen’s shoulders gradually began to sag.

Even the Xiongnu, renowned for their horsemanship, could not escape the fatigue of a pursuit lasting several hours.

Still, no one stopped.

Their anger had already become uncontrollable.

As far as they were concerned, only death awaited their enemies.

Another hour passed.

Then, suddenly, a massive gorge appeared.

Sheer cliffs rose on either side, but the path itself was wide enough for twenty columns of cavalry to pass side by side.

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

“…This place.”

He muttered the words under his breath.

There was no Xiongnu who did not know this gorge.

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

Among the Xiongnu,

it was called Turak (突落),

because the wind never ceased its howling there.

For a gorge, the terrain was unusually wide,

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

And into that very place—

the tracks of those treacherous bandits led.

Those fools who knew nothing of the grasslands must have been driven farther and farther into the mountains until they finally crawled into this dangerous place.

The corners of Yufuluo’s mouth twisted viciously.

“You bastards…”

His teeth showed.

“You entered Turak without even realizing that it would become your grave.”

His eyes flashed.

“Do not stop.”

His voice was firm.

“They are in there.”

Bloodlust soared into the heavens.

“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 into the air.

At that moment—

everything seemed to stop.

“Now.”

A low voice fell.

The next instant—

Whoosh—!

A sound like the cry of a bird of prey tore through the gorge.

It was the signal to attack.

Boom—!

The entire gorge shook.

Massive boulders came crashing down from the cliffs on both sides.

The entrance was sealed, cutting off their retreat.

Then—

Arrows poured down like rain.

Blood splattered.

Horses screamed as arrows pierced their bodies, reared wildly, and collapsed.

Cavalrymen became tangled with one another and fell.

“It’s an ambush!”

Only then did the cry ring out—

But it was already too late.

The sealed gorge had become a vast deathtrap,

swallowing the Xiongnu whole.