The Suppression Journey (Part 5)

No words were spoken that night.

At the first light of dawn the next day, everyone on Gao Yuan's side rose to pack their gear.

Because Gao Yuan was suppressing the rebellion, fighting and resupplying along the way, there was no heavy baggage.

It was just some tents, which were easily packed and loaded onto pack horses.

By the time they arrived at the battlefield, the rebel army had just begun to emerge from their camp, and they had not yet finished forming their ranks.

This was truly a heaven-sent opportunity, and Gao Yuan immediately ordered his entire army to form up and attack, catching the rebels while they were still unsteady.

The Cavalry that had come and gone like the wind yesterday had left Ge Changsheng completely bewildered.

He still hadn't figured out whether that Cavalry was government reinforcements or just passersby paying respects, and yet here they were again today.

When it came to Cavalry, the qiang people had never backed down, and they immediately mounted their horses and charged toward Xian Chong.

This delighted Xian Chong and his men, as their mission had always been to charge infantry formations.

To put it bluntly, they had always been fighting "dimensional reduction" crushing matches, never having experienced any real tests.

At this moment, facing the qiang people Cavalry, they erupted with astonishing fighting spirit.

The qiang people were also excited; they seemed to see the Han Cavalry already defeated and in disarray, and those fine armors were already within their grasp.

However, they were soon dealt a head-on blow.

The first wave of a Cavalry clash was ranged combat, mounted archery—this was the qiang people's greatest advantage.

But they did not expect the iron armor and the small shields on the arms of their opponents to block almost all their volleys.

Before they could even react, the counterattack from Xian Chong's side began.

The continuously firing repeating crossbows became a nightmare for the qiang people Cavalry; they never expected the Han arrows to be so dense.

Before they even made contact, they had already lost hundreds of men, and even their clan leader had been struck by an arrow, fallen, and been trampled into a pulp.

This enraged the confident qiang people, and they drew their scimitars, determined to fight this Cavalry to the death.

Xian Chong hung up his repeating crossbow, switched to his long spear, and looking at the qiang people close at hand, revealed a cold sneer.

"These horses are not bad; they're mine!"

The long Cavalry lances, carrying immense kinetic energy, pierced through the bodies of the qiang people Cavalry.

One, two, three—it was only when the lance became too heavy that Xian Chong discarded it and drew his Golden Gourd Mace.

The qiang people discovered with horror that they had lost not only in mounted archery but also in close-quarters combat.

Their Cavalry lances were not as long as those of their opponents, and their scimitars could not penetrate their iron armor.

Things like Cavalry lances couldn't just be as long as one wanted; they required the shaft to have sufficient strength.

Otherwise, if the wood was too soft, it would have no lethality, and if it was too hard, it would easily snap.

Yet, the qiang people didn't have such good wood, while Gao Yuan had it everywhere.

Furthermore, Gao Yuan had equipped all the lances with tri-edged armor-piercing heads, making them even more lethally effective.

In the Cavalry battle, the qiang people were at a disadvantage; in the infantry battle, Ge Changsheng's side was also at a complete disadvantage.

The Beiwei Army, armed to the teeth, faced these rebels wearing only cloth, making it as easy as an adult bullying an elementary school student.

You slash me with a blade and can't even break my defense, while I strike you with a mace and you suffer broken bones, torn tendons, and ruptured organs.

On the city wall, watching the slaughter outside, Xue Linfeng was somewhat dumbfounded.

"Where on earth did such a formidable army come from?"

Soon, he noticed a troop of soldiers bypassing the battlefield and arriving at the foot of the city wall, so he immediately became alert.

Gao Yuan arrived outside the city gate, looked at the nervous defenders on the wall, and removed his iron face mask.

The Brigade Commander beside him immediately stepped forward and shouted, "Open the city gate at once!"

Xue Linfeng knew that the forces outside were likely reinforcements, but he remained very cautious, cupping his hands and replying, "Please forgive me, General. The situation outside the city is chaotic, and for the sake of the people within the city, This humble general must verify the General's identity."

Gao Yuan did not get angry; he knew the man was being conscientious and responsible, so he nodded and took out a token.

That Brigade Commander took it with both hands and ran to the foot of the wall: "This is the husband of the Grand Princess, Pacifying the South, Duke of Xicheng Commandery, military governor of diannan circuit, General Huaihua, Pillar of the State, and Golden Purple Grand Master of Splendid Happiness, Gao Yuan."

Xue Linfeng was greatly shocked. He had certainly heard of Gao Yuan's name; who in the Jiannan Army had not heard the name of this general who expanded the territory?

The son of the former Grand General Gao Wu, who at fifteen or sixteen led a group of retainers to seek refuge in the South-west.

In just ten years, he had conquered several nations and expanded the territory of the Great Qian by nearly a thousand li; he was a ruthless man.

As they walked down from the city wall, someone beside him asked Xue Linfeng, "County Lieutenant, how are you so sure that it is definitely the Commandery Duke Gao? What if..."

Xue Linfeng smiled mysteriously, "Once you see the Commandery Duke's face, you'll know. The number of people in the whole world who could impersonate him shouldn't exceed the fingers on one hand."

Soon, those around Xue Linfeng understood what it meant to be the Jade-Faced Yama.

Man, this appearance—even the top courtesans in the brothels of small towns would have to admit defeat.

"County Lieutenant, this Jade-Faced Yama really isn't just a reputation; he is truly good-looking."

"Shh, don't talk nonsense!"

Seeing Gao Yuan enter the city, Xue Linfeng hurriedly stepped forward to help Gao Yuan rein in his horse.

When Gao Yuan dismounted, he cupped his hands and saluted, "This humble general, Qushui County Lieutenant Xue Linfeng, pays respects to the Duke of Xicheng Commandery."

Gao Yuan did not expect that only a County Lieutenant would come to welcome him, so he returned the salute simply and asked, "You have been defending the city these days; where are the others?"

"The provincial inspector, the Commandant, and the County Magistrate have all died in battle."

"Uh..."

Gao Yuan was stunned for a moment, silently apologizing to those few in his heart, before patting Xue Linfeng on the shoulder, "Arrange for a proper burial for them later."

Soon, he used his system to briefly scan the County Lieutenant Xue before him, and then he was shocked.

"Name: Xue Linfeng, Age: 23, Position: Qushui County Lieutenant, Character Attribute: All-rounder, Overall Evaluation: A-rank."

It was actually A-rank, a wild A-rank martial general, and a rare all-rounder capable of both civil and military affairs.

Immediately, Gao Yuan's desire to recruit him soared, and the Oscar-winning genes in his body began to erupt.

With Xian Chong and Zhao Meng responsible outside the city, Gao Yuan began to put on a performance inside the city.

He paid respects to the three fallen officials, comforted the wounded soldiers, and pacified the common people.

Gao Yuan even personally bandaged the wounds of Xue Linfeng and some wounded soldiers, moving them to tears.

Just past lunchtime, the battle outside the city had ended, and Zhao Meng walked in, dragging a burly man.

"Thump..."

Ge Changsheng was tossed in front of Gao Yuan like a broken sack.

"This is Ge Changsheng?"

"Reporting to the Commandery Duke, this person is indeed Ge Changsheng, who was originally a member of the Jiannan Army."

Gao Yuan scanned the expressions of the crowd, and seeing that everyone looked as if they wanted to eat his flesh and drink his blood, he immediately understood how to handle it.

"Heh, as a member of the border army, to collude with foreign tribes and harm the people of our Great Qian is truly a crime that cannot be forgiven. Guards, tie this wretch at the city gate and leave him exposed to the sun for three days, then take his head to offer as a sacrifice to the victims."

"Yes!"

Ge Changsheng seemed to have known this outcome all along and was dragged away like a dead pig.

After dealing with Ge Changsheng, Zhao Meng leaned in to Gao Yuan, "My Lord, this battle resulted in over four thousand beheadings; the qiang people were almost completely wiped out, and there are over forty thousand prisoners. What do you think..."

"Let the prisoners identify each other; those who have not committed atrocities are allowed to return to their homes."

"Yes!"

Xue Linfeng, who was nearby, heard Gao Yuan's instructions clearly. After Zhao Meng left, he asked, "Commandery Duke, according to the imperial laws, those rebels..."

"They are just poor people coerced by the rebels; besides, haven't they already put down their blades?"

Xue Linfeng's approval of Gao Yuan reached an unparalleled level. Watching Gao Yuan's departing figure, he bowed and saluted, "This humble general thanks the Commandery Duke for his great kindness on behalf of all the people."