With a flick of the sword, the throat of a barbarian soldier was cut open. The sharp sword head was still strong, driving Li Tai and his mount forward nearly ten feet, and then smashed into the throat of a barbarian soldier.
on the shoulders.
This Hu soldier was not as decent as his comrade who had been fatally struck just now. Half of his face was scratched off by the sharp edge, and his ears were wet against the shoulder where his collarbone was broken.
Because he was busy running for his life, Hu Zu did not feel the pain immediately. He only felt that his face suddenly went cold and then became hot. He fell to the ground and gasped with open mouth. The hot blood poured into his mouth and nose, and he had no time to do anything.
In reaction, his chest trembled and he was directly nailed to the ground.
Li Tai pulled the horse back with some difficulty, and several Hu soldiers beside him had already fled left and right. He felt that this weapon of horse warfare was really not suitable for hunting these unarmored combat units.
It is heavy, which not only increases the physical load, but also makes it difficult to control the strength. Attack methods such as scratching, picking, smashing, etc. are okay. Once it causes a penetrating wound to the enemy's body, it will inevitably be stuck by the bone structure when it is withdrawn, which increases the physical strength.
consumption.
But now everyone is busy chasing Jihu soldiers who have been completely defeated. He doesn't worry about leaving the horse directly on the battlefield. He holds the spear in one hand and the knife in the other. He uses his legs to drive the horse hard, harvesting everything he pursues.
of human lives.
As Li Tai led the troops to rush out and rush to the battlefield, the fighting spirit of Jihu's troops completely collapsed. They were no longer in the same situation as before. The formations were directly smashed and exploded, adding a lot of trouble to the pursuit and annihilation.
of difficulty.
Li Tai finally saw the fighting style of these Jihu tribes, and understood why the previous generals in charge shook their heads and sighed when talking about Jihu, with a depressed look on their faces.
Fighting against such an opponent is really not exciting. These Jihu soldiers themselves have taken victory and defeat very lightly, and even if they win, they will feel unsatisfied.
But it has to be said that the Jihu tribe really mastered the essence of cavalry separation and combat. After a battle, the manpower and horsepower were severely depleted.
If the physical strength of these Jihu troops had not been fully exhausted before, even if Li Tai had twice as many subordinates, it would be almost impossible to completely annihilate this Jihu team. It would even be difficult to cause effective damage and behead the capital.
After a chase, nearly twenty Jihu soldiers were killed directly by Li Tai's sword, but looking around, there were still many figures of Jihu soldiers fleeing in the distance.
These guys can really run. Even Li Tai can feel the breathing of the Hexi horse under his crotch gradually becoming rough and rapid, but the remaining figures of Jihu soldiers' escape are still very energetic.
The pursuit lasted for more than half an hour, and the scope of the pursuit had been greatly expanded. Only then did people from all over the place return one after another. After counting all the captures, they confessed to Jihu prisoners, and found that more than a dozen people had escaped.
The good news is that the leader of this Jihu team has been captured, but Li Tai, who feels he has been slapped in the face, is far from happy.
He jumped off his horse and cut off the hamstrings of more than twenty Jihu prisoners. Several Jihu prisoners who were already injured could not bear the severe pain and either fainted or died suddenly.
Li Tai asked himself that he was not a cruel and tyrannical person, but after passing by the dock wall that was burned with blood and burned with blood, he subconsciously stopped treating these thieves as human beings.
Not many of these Jihu prisoners were proficient in Han language. Only the leader could barely communicate. However, due to timidity and pain, he could only stumble when answering cross-examinations.
The interrogation of the prisoners was left to Li Dao, and Li Tai went to the villagers who had been tortured into human form. Seeing that those people were lucky to survive the disaster, he was also frightened when he looked at himself and others.
"Are you all from the village of Xiawubi?"
Seeing these villagers nodding in acquiescence, Li Tai added: "The bandit Hu has not been completely wiped out. There are still a few people who have escaped, which may attract their companions back, and the area is no longer safe. Our troops still need to continue to hunt down the bandit Hu, and we have no time to pay attention.
Wait, do you know where I can find refuge in Sakon?"
The villagers did not dare to answer hastily, and after a while, a relatively tall villager stepped out, walked up to Li Tai, and knelt down: "Thank you general for the rescue, but the villagers only want privacy to guard against thieves. Even if
Yes, there are villages and towns, and outsiders cannot know about them..."
Seeing the fearful and evasive looks in the villagers' eyes, Li Tai guessed that this answer may not be true. Perhaps these villagers were afraid of causing trouble to their neighbors and did not dare to tell the truth.
He did not pursue the matter further, but simply said: "Our troops will not stay here for a long time. You and other villagers will either hide nearby or take refuge elsewhere."
After saying this, he ordered people to sort out the dozens of Jihu horses that had been collected on the battlefield, although they were injured but could still be used with difficulty, and returned to them the trophies that Jihu had left here, and then stopped.
Pay attention.
"Master Lang, this band of thieves is the Heishui Hu tribe. The leader's surname is Hao. According to what he said, he was ordered by Qu Shuai to go west to contact the Luoxi Tooyinhu tribe, hoping that Tooyinhu can use his troops.
Let’s work together.”
Li Dao stepped forward and reported to Li Tai in a low voice the information obtained from the interrogation: "According to the leader's account, Liu Ping's Fuzi Liu Zhenqiang, who had previously crossed the river to flee eastward, was harassed by Shilouhu in Xihe River and had no choice but to sneak back.
He returned to Dongxia Prefecture this summer and has been instigating riots, hoping to regain his support in Shangjun."
"Liu Zhenqiang? Is he very powerful?"
Li Tai frowned and asked after hearing this.
"Liu Pingfu was originally the chief of Shangjun. When he was at his peak, he had tens of thousands of people and controlled more than ten thousand people. However, after he was suppressed in the seventh year of Datong, many of his troops were scattered and moved from east to west. How much power is still left?
It’s hard to judge.”
After Li Dao heard this, he shook his head and said: "But his clan has been strong in this territory for generations, and the remaining power in this territory still exists. Many of the fleeing tribes were accepted by the Hu chiefs nearby. If they can be reunited, the power should not be tolerated."
Look down upon.”
Although Jihu's internal organization is not high, it still has a basic ethical order. Liu Pingfu was able to be named the governor of a state by the Western Wei Dynasty before, and the rebellion caused the Western Wei Dynasty to exert such great efforts to counter the rebellion, which shows how powerful the force is.
A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. After pondering for a while, Li Tai also felt that he should not be greedy for success. There were only five or six hundred people in his group, and it was really not easy for him to be unscrupulous.
So he raised his hand and summoned his subordinate officer Lu Yan, told him the information he had just learned, and ordered: "I will give you ten subordinates to report the military situation here immediately, and inform some of the envoys in North China to organize the army to prepare for danger.
Incorporated into the Daxingtai, I will continue to conduct investigations in the country, and the date of return has not yet been determined."
Lu Yan was a little unhappy after hearing this. He had just killed a Jihu soldier in pursuit. He was so excited that he shook his head and said: "You can still fight in a humble position. It is better to repatriate the wounded..."
Before he finished speaking, he saw Li Tai's eyes widen, and he quickly lowered his head and responded with some grievance.
At this time, the strong man from the country also came up, took a hateful look at the Jihu prisoners lying on the ground and wailed, then knelt down to Li Tai and sobbed: "These thieves are killing my fellow villagers and destroying my home.
I implore the general to send them to the villagers for revenge..."
"Lend them some knives."
Li Tai gave a casual order, and then ordered that the leader of the Jihu and the two less injured Hu soldiers be taken aside to serve as guides for the follow-up operations. It was useless to leave the others behind.
Seeing that Li Tai had agreed, the remaining villagers didn't even have time to take the knives. They rushed towards the murderers and started biting and venting their anger. The scene suddenly became extremely bloody. Even Li Tai, who was killing people without batting an eye just now, turned around.
Don't look up.
Soon, those Jihu soldiers died tragically on the spot. Although they received their due retribution, the villagers they killed and the manor they burned could never be restored to their original state.
After the hatred in their hearts was vented, the villagers wailed towards their homes with blood and tears on their faces.
The strong countryman who negotiated with Li Tai came back, knelt down in front of Li Tai again and kowtowed heavily: "General, I have been so kind to you. I have nothing to repay you. I only have this life left. I beg the general to take it in. As long as
If you still have one breath, you will serve the general loyally!"
Li Tai thought for a while and then asked: "Are you familiar with the terrain near Kulichuan?"
"The country slaves used to join the army to guard the river. After the country regiment was defeated, they went to hide in the countryside. Their wives and children died in the previous disaster. The remaining days of their lives are not only to serve and repay their kindness, but also to kill Hu and avenge him. He will serve as the general's lackeys and eyes and ears, and clear out the den of thieves!
"
Li Taiben thought that this strong man's speech and demeanor were not like those of ordinary villagers. After asking carefully, he found out that he had served as a garrison leader in this area as early as the early years of the Great Unification. It was only because of Heishuihu's several disturbances that he wiped out the influence of the nearby township regiment.
, just returned to his hometown to live in seclusion, but in the end he was still not immune to disaster.
"Give him a bow and sword."
At present, Li Tai really needed someone who was familiar with the local conditions and terrain, so he took in this country scholar named Lu Chuan.
Lu Chuan took the bow and sword and practiced a little in front of Li Tai. His skills and methods were impressive. Even among Li Tai's songs, he could be ranked in the middle. Considering that he was in trouble in the new era and was tortured by Ji Hu,
At that time, the state was not at its peak. If you take care of yourself and recover, you will be a brave soldier!
After a battle, although it was not fierce, the strength of the men and horses was greatly exhausted. Zhu Jihu's body was left in the wild, and Li Tai led his troops to move.
After this battle, in addition to rescuing the villagers, nearly seventy horses were confiscated. Although most of them were in poor condition, it was still a good start.
The surviving villagers took the donated horses and returned belongings and threw themselves elsewhere. Li Tai led his troops to escort them for a few miles, and asked people to clean up the traces of their journey. Then he led the crowd to turn north and pass through a patch of reeds.
When night falls, choose a nearby sheltered campsite to camp out.
Early the next morning, Lu Chuan, with bloodshot eyes, handed Li Tai a rough-looking but clearly drawn sketch, which marked the locations of some nearby beard areas in his memory.
Although the Jihu tribe often migrates and is highly evasive, they are also dependent on the geographical environment to a certain extent. Even if the sketch provided by Lu Chuan is not in line with the current Hu situation, it is better than Li Tai and his group running around like headless flies.
Be good.
There was no hurry to kill Hu and seize the horse. After getting the preliminary guidance, and as the strength of the men and horses recovered, Li Tai immediately ordered to find another target.