203: Rest in peace

"My Lord, I'll listen to you. Whatever you say, I'll do!" Xing Daorong said.

Feeling everyone's gaze, Lin Yue pondered for a moment before saying:

"Half of the Soldiers who can move freely will cremate our Brothers' bodies; we will take them home.

The other half of the Soldiers will immediately go and kill Xiongnu adult males!

Prioritize Xiongnu Soldiers; kill as many as you can. Do not show any mercy!

But in two hours, no matter what, we must retreat!"

"Understood!" Everyone responded upon hearing this.

Xing Daorong and Du Song immediately ran off to organize people to slaughter the Xiongnu Soldiers and adult males.

Liu Sandao, Li Mu, and the others, however, breathed a sigh of relief. With only two hours, even if Xing Daorong and Du Song had three heads and six arms, the number of people they could kill would be within a controllable range!

Furthermore, they were killing Xiongnu adult males, who were all men who could be civilians off a horse and Soldiers on a horse. This would weaken the Xiongnu's reserve combat strength while also maximally preserving Lin Yue's reputation.

It was a compromise.

But not choosing to slaughter women and children greatly reduced the potential for Lin Yue to be criticized.

Compared to Xing Daorong's shocking proposal, this was the best possible plan!

Lin Yue took in everyone's varied reactions and sighed.

This plan was not the best, but it was a compromise born of urgency.

Because this was King Baiyang's Encampment, the heartland of the Xiongnu Ordos Loop, different from the Xiongnu tribes encountered on the periphery before.

King Baiyang's rallying power was far beyond what others could compare to; in the Ordos Loop, it was no exaggeration to say that he could command a hundred responses with a single call.

Last night, the flames soared to the sky, and many people also escaped. So, it's inevitable that Bulu might reorganize his forces and come back to kill, and even last night's flames might have attracted nearby tribes, who could be on their way now.

The White Horse Righteous Cavalry had been fighting on the move, always taking their enemies by surprise and achieving the greatest results with the smallest losses.

But now they were exposed. Last night, Bulu led King Baiyang's ten thousand Guard Battalion cavalry to escape and attack Xing Daorong from behind. King Baiyang's Left Great General also led thirty thousand cavalry to flee after King Baiyang was captured. If the two forces combined, it would be forty thousand men. If they also gathered some of King Baiyang's subordinates along the way, they would have the strength to contend with Lin Yue's sixty thousand White Horse Righteous Cavalry!

At that time, it would surely be a fierce battle. Lin Yue was deep in the Xiongnu heartland and had to constantly watch out for attacks from surrounding tribes. The situation would be reversed, with Lin Yue in the open and the Xiongnu in the dark, and their advantages would be completely lost. Their situation would become very dangerous.

Therefore, they must retreat early!

"Colonel, you've been fighting all night, have some food. This is freshly roasted lamb, still hot," Zhao Ponu said as he approached after everyone had dispersed.

Lin Yue glanced at him. Zhao Ponu added, "There are so many spices here. With roasted lamb, it no longer has that gamey smell."

Lin Yue looked at the mouth-watering roasted lamb and suddenly asked, "Have you found any dried beef?"

"Yes! There's so much dried beef here, we couldn't finish it in a year!" Zhao Ponu laughed.

"That's good. Put the lamb aside for now. Let's go get the dried beef and distribute it. We can't let our Brothers go back on an empty stomach," Lin Yue said.

"Colonel, our Guard Battalion Brothers have already gone to collect food. You should eat your meat first," Zhao Ponu urged.

"They've already gone?" Lin Yue said in surprise, then patted Zhao Ponu's shoulder and smiled, "You've done well."

With the food problem solved, the White Horse Righteous Cavalry' retreat would be secure, and they wouldn't have to worry.

Lin Yue then got up and walked out.

"Colonel, where are you going?" Zhao Ponu asked anxiously, holding the lamb.

"To send off our Brothers," Lin Yue said, leaving only his back for Zhao Ponu.

Zhao Ponu, holding the lamb, was a bit at a loss for words, then murmured to himself:

"This is a grand gesture!

The Colonel truly deserves the trust of all the White Horse Righteous Cavalry; he is a role model for us all!"

...Last night, by killing two foreign High-level Military Generals, Lin Yue gained 20,000 Merits points. Adding the Merits from killing some Xiongnu Cavalry, his current Merits total was 84,840 points.

Although he really wanted to kill a few more high-level Xiongnu captives, he still held back. After all, those high-ranking officials under King Baiyang's tent were to be taken back and presented to His Majesty.

Those were all his honors!

Lin Yue thought for a moment and went directly to the temporary cremation site organized by the White Horse Righteous Cavalry, where many people had gathered. Liu Sandao and Li Mu were also there.

"Colonel!"

"Colonel!"

...Seeing Lin Yue's figure, everyone consciously made way for him, allowing Lin Yue to walk directly to the very front.

"My Lord (Colonel)," the two said to Lin Yue.

"What are they doing?" Lin Yue asked, looking ahead.

"The Brothers can't bear to let their fallen Brothers go just like that, so they want to talk to them one last time and send them off," Liu Sandao whispered.

Lin Yue saw Soldiers crying and throwing themselves on their fallen comrades, unable to be pulled away. There were also groups of people gathered around fallen Soldiers, all saying their goodbyes.

Groups of seven-foot-tall men no longer looked as fierce as usual. The Qin Elite Soldiers, who usually feared nothing, now had red eyes, silently praying in their hearts, fearing that their fallen Brothers would be bullied or suffer in another world.

The scene was tear-jerking and deeply moving.

Although their actions were touching, Lin Yue was still prepared to steel his heart and interrupt, because this was not Great Qin; they were in danger and had to move quickly!

Then Lin Yue instructed the crowd, "Li Mu, bring wine. Let's send them off."

"Understood," Li Mu responded.

There were many Soldiers and horses in King Baiyang's Encampment, so there was naturally no shortage of wine. Soon, Li Mu brought a lot of wine and poured a cup for everyone present.

Lin Yue cleared his throat and said, "Brothers, come back. We will send them off one last time."

Seeing this, everyone silently nodded and returned to stand behind Lin Yue.

Lin Yue stood at the very front of the group, his mind filled with a myriad of emotions. He also had a thousand words he wanted to say to his Brothers with whom he had spent day and night.

But when the words reached his lips, he found them so pale and powerless. Finally, he raised his cup and toasted from afar:

"Heaven and Earth, bless my good men of Great Qin!"

Lin Yue's voice choked. Looking at the peaceful faces before him, he finally said in a deep voice:

"Brothers, farewell!"

Then Lin Yue poured the wine on the ground. At this moment, one word was worth a thousand!

The crowd behind Lin Yue also poured their wine onto the ground!

The most precious wine, usually, they chose to offer to their comrades before them.

"Squad Leader, Second Brother, Squad Leader, Brother Tian, Sanzi, Little Douzi, Squad Leader..."

Countless names, carrying thoughts of remembrance, ultimately transformed into the same phrase.

"Farewell!"