224: Chapter 224 Maodun's Countermeasures Against Mortars

"Grand Chanyu!"

The Right Worthy King arrived before Modun. He placed his right hand over his chest and bowed respectfully.

"You look anxious; is there something important to report?"

A bad premonition arose in Modun's heart.

The Right Worthy King said, "The White Sheep King has died on the Qinglan Grassland. I suspect the Qinglan Tribe has defected to the Qin."

"Oh!"

Modun was greatly shocked.

He had thought it was unusual that the Great Wall Legion had remained inactive for the past half-month after stationing themselves at Yangshan Mountain.

Now, upon hearing the Right Worthy King's report, Modun finally realized that the Qin's reach had already crossed Yangshan Mountain and extended into the Southern Desert.

"Grand Chanyu, how should we respond?"

The Right Worthy King asked tentatively, "Should I send the White Wolf King to wipe out the Qinglan Tribe?"

The White Wolf King was a Great General King, and the White Sheep King, a Lesser General King, was his subordinate.

By having the White Wolf King take action, the Right Worthy King was also standing up for his subordinate.

Modun did not reply.

He frowned slightly.

Currently, he and Great Qin were playing a game of chess with the grasslands as their board.

Once this game had begun, there was no stopping.

If he won, he could drive Great Qin out of the Southern Desert and even head all the way south to reclaim the Hetao Plain occupied by Great Qin.

If he lost, the Xiongnu Royal Court would have to withdraw from the Southern Desert, and they might not even be able to hold the Northern Desert, forcing them to head toward the Thirty-Six Kingdoms of the Western Regions.

Based on his knowledge of Meng Tian, the person playing against him was likely not Meng Tian.

This person was far more greedy than Meng Tian.

Meng Tian only wanted to expel the Xiongnu people, but this person wanted to annex them entirely.

This person was extremely patient, planning slowly and encroaching step by step, which had already allowed him to gain a foothold in the Southern Desert.

Next, he would use this point to break the whole front, surely integrating more Xiongnu Tribes and posing a massive threat to the Xiongnu Royal Court.

How to deploy troops against the Qinglan Grassland became a crucial point for Modun to consider.

He couldn't be sure if this wasn't a feint by the Qin to distract him.

If he sent too many troops to the Qinglan Grassland, the forces at the Yinshan Grassland would be depleted.

The pressure on the Great Wall Legion to capture the Yinshan Grassland would be significantly reduced.

If he sent too few troops, it would become a piecemeal reinforcement tactic, allowing the enemy to nibble them away bit by bit.

How to make his next move became a major dilemma for Modun.

With his hands behind his back, Modun paced within the grand tent, pondering a counter-strategy.

The Right Worthy King watched him, waiting for Modun's orders.

"Like this..."

Modun said, "Have the White Wolf King take sixty thousand cavalry to the Qinglan Grassland to wipe out the rebels."

"Don't the Qin dig Horse Trap Pits and deploy caltrops? Have the White Wolf King drive a million head of cattle to the Qinglan Grassland."

"Before launching the attack, pour fire oil on the cattle's tails and light them with torches. Let these cattle charge onto the Qinglan Grassland."

Upon hearing this, the Right Worthy King's eyes lit up. "Grand Chanyu, your wisdom is truly higher than the white clouds in the sky!"

"With the fire oxen charging ahead, not only will the Qin's Horse Trap Pits be rendered useless, but the oxen can even storm the Qinglan Grassland and throw it into chaos."

"As long as the rebels' formation is disrupted, it will buy time for our cavalry to charge onto the Qinglan Grassland!"

Modun did not become complacent just because the Right Worthy King flattered him.

He looked at the Right Worthy King with a grave expression and said, "According to you, the reason the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King suffered a crushing defeat was because they were blown to death?"

"Correct."

The Right Worthy King said, "The warriors' successive attacks had already been frustrated, and they were thrown into a panic by the sudden explosions. The Commanders of Ten Thousand Cavalry didn't know what to do for a moment, and the rebels launched a general offensive at that time. To minimize losses, they could only retreat with the bodies of the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King."

After receiving the Right Worthy King's definite answer, a look of doubt appeared on Modun's young face.

He also couldn't understand what had happened.

Under these unknown circumstances, the three Commanders of Ten Thousand Cavalry had not done wrong; retreating first allowed them to preserve their strength.

If Modun had been in the position of those three commanders, he would have made the same choice.

"As long as the green mountains remain, one need not worry about firewood!"

A bold thought occurred to Modun.

He said, "Could those explosions be a new type of weapon invented by the Qin?"

"That's impossible, surely!"

The Right Worthy King said in an incredulous tone, "According to the three commanders, the position where the Right Great Danghu and the White Sheep King were at the time was four li away from the Qinglan Grassland!"

"Grand Chanyu, what kind of weapon can strike from four li away?"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

The Right Worthy King shook his head like a rattle-drum and said, "There's absolutely no way such a powerful weapon exists!"

"Then you tell me, what was that explosion all about?"

Modun said seriously, "I'm afraid the Qin really have created such a powerful weapon!"

"We must guard against it!"

"Have the Thousand-Rider Commanders, Commanders of Ten Thousand Cavalry, Lesser General Kings, and the White Wolf King all dress like ordinary warriors."

Modun instructed, "Keep the ranks as spread out as possible; do not be too densely packed."

"Even if we are hit by explosions again, spreading out will greatly reduce our losses!"

The Right Worthy King nodded upon hearing this; it made sense.

"Tell the warriors not to fear the explosions. The enemy's supply of these exploding weapons must be limited."

A sharp light flickered in Modun's eyes as he said, "If the enemy had a large number of these exploding weapons, they would have used them in bulk long ago."

"That makes sense!"

After hearing Modun say this, the fear in the Right Worthy King's heart lessened considerably.

It had to be said that although Modun was young, his military capability was truly formidable.

Modun had discovered the weakness of Tian Ju and his men's insufficient firepower.

Had Modun been among the White Sheep King's cavalry at that time, the Battle of the Qinglan Highlands would not have ended so smoothly.

"Go and prepare!"

Modun said.

"Understood!"

The Right Worthy King placed his right hand over his chest, bowed respectfully to Modun, and walked out of the Chanyu's grand tent.

He needed to prepare a large amount of oil and a million head of cattle.

The entire Yinshan Grassland became busy.

"The Right Worthy King has arrived!"

When the Right Worthy King arrived at the White Wolf King's residence, his guards shouted loudly.

The White Wolf King's guards immediately went to inform him.

Upon learning that the Right Worthy King had come to visit, the White Wolf King hurried out of his grand tent.

"Right Worthy King!"

When the White Wolf King saw the Right Worthy King, he placed his right hand over his chest and bowed respectfully.

The Right Worthy King looked at the man before him, who stood like an iron tower on the grasslands.

He had a majestic stature, standing over eight feet tall, with broad shoulders that seemed capable of carrying a warhorse at a gallop.

His eyes were bright and piercing, striking fear into the hearts of those who saw them.

The White Wolf King had a square-jawed face, weathered by the fierce winds and snowstorms of the grasslands, giving him a very rugged appearance.