Liu Jin sat under a large tree, shielded from the sun.
He picked up his waterskin, took a few gulps, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and looked up at the scorching sun, his brows furrowed as he muttered, "The closer we get to the northwest, the hotter and more humid it becomes. Marching in this weather is truly suffering."
Tian Feng, sitting beside him, heard this, took a gulp from his own waterskin, feeling a bit cooler, and agreed, "You're right."
"Especially at this time of year, the weather is even hotter, making marching and fighting truly inconvenient."
Liu Jin nodded at this. The north was more suitable for summer operations, as it lacked the cold of winter and the stifling heat of summer.
However, in this northwestern region, spring or autumn were more suitable for combat, with the weather being temperate and marching less arduous.
Just as everyone was chatting, Zhao Teng approached quickly, his face grim.
He cupped his hands and announced loudly, "Reporting to Lord, scouts have just sent word that a thousand-strong band of horse bandits is approaching from dozens of miles ahead."
Liu Jin was slightly taken aback by this, not expecting such a coincidence to encounter them in this desolate wilderness.
A cold glint appeared in his eyes, and he sneered, "Since we've met, let's eliminate this force to prevent them from harming the surrounding villagers."
After saying this, he gave orders!
He commanded Guan Yu to lead his cavalry to directly wipe out these horse bandits.
Upon receiving the order, Guan Yu immediately assembled his three thousand cavalry and charged forward.
About ten miles from their location, over a thousand horse bandits were slowly approaching.
The leader, with a fierce face, burly build, and a large blade in hand, wore a very bright smile.
They had just plundered several surrounding villages, seizing a good amount of money and grain, and even dozens of young women. Once they brought them back to their stronghold, they wouldn't have to worry about food and drink for a while and could enjoy themselves.
And so, the group swaggered forward.
The unusually quiet ground suddenly began to shake. In the distance, dust billowed, sand and stones flew, and there was even a thudding sound.
The leader of the horse bandits, seeing this situation, immediately understood that it was clearly the charge of cavalry.
But he was somewhat puzzled as to why so many cavalry had suddenly appeared. Could it be another horse bandit leader in action?
With a sense of unease, he watched as the banners in front slowly emerged from the dust. When he clearly saw their appearance,
The leader of the horse bandits' eyes widened in disbelief.
He immediately bellowed at the top of his lungs!
"Run! The Han Army cavalry are here!"
After saying this, he immediately pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and galloped backward, with only one thought in his mind: to run quickly.
The thousand or so people around him panicked upon hearing this. Those with horses quickly mounted and galloped into the distance.
Even the bandits without horses dared not linger and immediately took off running in all directions.
Guan Yu, charging in, saw this scene, and a look of disdain appeared in his phoenix eyes. He didn't expect that these people would start fleeing in disarray just upon encountering them.
With a wave of his large hand, the cavalry charged directly forward, unleashing terrifying speed.
The slower-fleeing horse bandits were overtaken by the Han Army cavalry and directly crushed. Hooves thundered over them, like tomatoes, they were directly trampled, their flesh and blood separated.
The sounds of wailing were exceptionally loud amidst the dust.
Guan Yu, wielding his Qinglong Yanyue Dao (Green Dragon Crescent Blade), erupted with a brilliant light and directly swept it horizontally towards the fleeing horse bandits in front of him.
With a few screams, several horse bandits in front were instantly cut down, bloody gashes continuously spurting fresh blood.
The three thousand cavalry he led were simply overwhelming, crushing everything in their path, displaying an invincible posture.
The surrounded thousand-plus horse bandits were repeatedly charged by the Han Army cavalry, bodies falling one after another, covered in blood.
Facing the fierce Han Army cavalry, the horse bandits had no power to resist whatsoever and could only be slaughtered within the encirclement.
Some luckier horse bandits managed to escape on their horses during the chaos.
After a period of slaughter, the sounds of fighting gradually diminished, and the dust slowly settled.
On this yellow earth, bodies lay scattered everywhere, along with many horses scattered around.
There were even some surrendered horse bandits being tied up by the Han Army.
Guan Yu, amidst the crowd, looked at the scene before him, his face as calm as water.
After two or three years of campaigning, he had become thoroughly proficient in cavalry training, especially with his own three thousand cavalry. While not invincible, they were certainly comparable to elite troops.
Facing these untrained horse bandits, they could be easily dealt with.
The reason horse bandits could live freely in the border regions without being annihilated by the imperial army was their ability to flee; as soon as they found themselves at a disadvantage, they would immediately run away.
But today, they clearly stumbled. Faced with a cavalry encirclement, there was no way to escape.
After cleaning up the battlefield, Guan Yu led the spoils of war and the captives towards the valley dozens of miles away.
By the time they returned to the temporary encampment, dusk had gradually fallen.
Inside the simple central army tent, Liu Jin sat at the head, while the other Generals sat on either side.
Guan Yu, with a smile on his face, directed several guards to escort a captive into the tent. He quickly cupped his fists and bowed, saying loudly, "Reporting to Lord, I have not failed in my mission. The thousand-plus horse bandits have been defeated. A total of over four hundred were killed, over four hundred were captured, and only a few dozen escaped during the chaos."
"Several hundred horses were captured, over three thousand shi of grain and fodder, and over two hundred thousand in wealth."
"In addition, the leader of this band of horse bandits was also captured."
After saying this, Guan Yu waved behind him!
"Bring the man in."
Two soldiers, pressing down on a large man who was tied up, pushed him forward and then kicked him to the ground.
With a thud, he fell to the ground. The big man looked at the many Han Army Generals in the tent, his face filled with fear and dread, his body trembling, not daring to even breathe loudly.
Liu Jin, sitting at the head, heard the results of the battle and nodded with a smile, praising, "Yun Chang is indeed a great General in our army. I have already ordered someone to record his merits. After the war ends, they will be reported to the imperial court together."
Guan Yu's face lit up upon hearing this. He immediately cupped his fists, bowed in promise, and then sat down to the side.
Liu Jin's eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the big man kneeling in the center of the tent, a smile on his face, and asked, "Where are you the leader of the horse bandits from?"