Chapter 116: Seven Charges and Seven Exits, A Century of Fear (Seeking Monthly Votes)

Gu Yi is not a man who hesitates.

Once he has officially made a decision, he will immediately carry it out.

—This is also an experience he learned from Gu Xi, Gu Chen, and the others.

When it comes to warfare;

Hesitation will only waste many opportunities.

The current Han Dynasty is not the Western Jin that was consumed and killed by internal strife in original history, and with so many years of preparation, he has absolutely no need to worry so much.

These barbarians are indeed not mediocre, as they are able to learn from experience.

But Gu Yi has gone through such a long period of development.

How could the sword in his hand not be sharp?

Gu Yi will not waste any opportunity at all; he officially launched the attack while the enemy had not yet fully recovered their strength.

He personally led the central army to attack White Wolf Mountain head-on.

And the other three routes were also led by generals.

As for the most elite, Wen Yang—

Gu Yi designated him as the fifth army, without a fixed strategy.

He only gave Wen Yang one order.

To charge and kill as he pleased.

The goal was to perfectly utilize Wen Yang's characteristic of being fierce and unstoppable.

The troops under his command were all specially trained.

They are adapted to the environment of the Northern Frontier and have a full understanding of the terrain there.

The topographical maps of the Northern Frontier that Gu Chen passed through back then are still within the Gu family.

It has only been a few short decades.

The terrain of the Northern Frontier could not have undergone large-scale changes, which is the reason why Gu Yi wanted to train them in the first place.

With these people present—

Wen Yang's greatest advantage can be fully brought into play.

The Northern Frontier trembled.

Gu Yi's movements were simply too fast, giving them no time to react at all.

The reputation of the Gu family combined with the cooperation of a human weapon like Wen Yang.

Had already made these people feel a bit uneasy.

This sudden, large-scale attack caught them completely off guard.

But Murong Hui is no mediocrity either.

Being able to reach this day is enough to prove his ability.

Facing the actions of the Han Army.

The moment he received the news, he had already roughly figured out the intentions of the Han Army and immediately formulated a strategy.

—Retreat!

That’s right, it is a retreat!

The Han Army's current momentum is too strong; after all, the soldiers of the Han were already holding their breath, especially now that Gu Ye has arrived.

This is an unimaginable boost to the morale of the Han soldiers.

And morale is something that is always strong at first, then wanes, and finally exhausts itself.

Murong Hui wants to wait until the Han Army's momentum gradually dulls.

Then fight a decisive battle.

It must be said that his line of thinking is absolutely correct in this era of cold weapon warfare.

Morale can indeed bring about an increase in combat power.

And compared to the Han Army, these barbarian troops are naturally good at raiding, so there is no need to worry about the Han Army catching up to them.

But they ultimately underestimated Gu Yi.

Gu Yi is not impatient at all; even though he clearly discovered the news of the enemy's withdrawal, he still advanced step by step.

How could Gu Yi not see through such an obvious tactic?

He does not want to waste the Han Army's stamina to pursue the enemy.

Since they want to retreat—

Gu Yi will let them retreat!

If he cannot kill them, he will seize their land, continuously compressing their living space.

As for the point of pursuing the enemy, he left it entirely to Wen Yang.

He only had one sentence for Wen Yang.

"Exert all your strength and hunt down the enemy!"

For a person like Wen Yang, he does not need to formulate any strategies; he just needs to let him do what he should do!

The entire Northern Frontier was in a boil!

After years of training, the troops under Wen Yang's command had already reached the peak of perfection in raiding and pursuing.

Murong Hui had not expected this at all.

That a great general would actually choose to break away from the main army and come out alone to pursue!

He instinctively thought this was an opportunity.

If he could capture and kill the Han general, it would not only strike a blow to the morale of the Han Army but also increase their own confidence!

Under these circumstances.

Murong Hui began the encirclement and killing of Wen Yang!

He wanted to use his numerical advantage to take down Wen Yang directly before the main Han Army arrived!

This battle was destined to be earth-shattering.

Murong Hui led tens of thousands of troops to encircle and kill Wen Yang in the mountains of White Wolf Mountain!

In the eyes of all of them, there was no suspense in this battle.

The troops under Wen Yang's command were less than ten thousand.

How could they withstand the encirclement of tens of thousands of troops?

But they ultimately underestimated Wen Yang.

Facing the army that came to encircle and kill him, Wen Yang had not the slightest bit of fear; on the contrary, the anger in his heart was completely ignited!

—The hatred of a father's murder is irreconcilable!

Although Wen Yang's personality is not suitable for being a commander.

It does not mean that he is a reckless man who only knows how to charge; his judgment of the situation is also not bad!

It is just that these various traits of his were obscured by his ferocity!

"Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy!"

Accompanied by a roar from Wen Yang, sounds of battle cries instantly erupted in this White Wolf Mountain.

"Kill!!!"

"Kill!!!"

"Kill!!!"

What is an elite?

Facing the overwhelming momentum of the enemy, one remains fearless in the face of danger.

This is the true elite.

The soldiers under his command had already been honed through many years of working together; whether in mutual trust or coordination, they had reached the peak!

They did not have the slightest bit of fear!

Wen Yang did not waste any words; he swung the Conqueror Spear in his hand, wrapped in overwhelming power, and launched a charge instantly.

—This is the spear technique left behind by Gu Chen back then!

There are not many people Wen Yang admires.

And Gu Chen happens to be the greatest among them!

According to Wen Yang, not being able to fight Gu Chen was the greatest regret of his life!

Now—

He will not lose face for Gu Chen!

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

Clang!!!

What is overwhelming power?

Facing the long spear in Wen Yang's hand, there was no one in the entire Xianbei and Wuhuan coalition who could stop him.

The sound of breaking weapons rang out continuously.

Accompanied by screams, the entire battlefield instantly turned into a meat grinder, constantly harvesting lives!

Murong Hui did not fall into chaos.

He knew of Wen Yang's ferocity.

But since he was a mortal, there would always be a time when his strength was exhausted.

The massive advantage in troop numbers.

Fully supported his plan to completely wear Wen Yang down to death.

His eyes were filled with killing intent as he stared intently at the entire battlefield from afar.

Murong Gui had already seen it completely.

This group of people were the elite of the Han Army, and he had to keep them all here to deal a fatal blow to the Han Army!

But he had ultimately underestimated Wen Yang.

Across the entire battlefield, Wen Yang had completely transformed into a god of slaughter.

Wherever the Enemy-Breaking Spear in his hand passed, there was simply no one who could withstand his edge.

And those soldiers under his command.

Just like that, followed behind him, charging and killing forward continuously!

As time slowly slipped away.

Murong Gui's expression grew increasingly ugly.

Watching those falling figures one by one, his heart was bleeding.

These were the pillars of the Xianbei!

Just like that, they died on the battlefield.

If he could not win this battle, he did not even dare to think about what consequences the Xianbei would face.

Anger surged continuously.

He kept dispatching soldiers to go and surround and kill Wen Yang.

But this was completely useless.

Wen Yang fought more bravely as the battle went on; it was as if his body contained endless strength, showing no signs of exhaustion at all!

Murong Gui's expression grew even uglier.

Because Wen Yang was actually about to charge out of the encirclement!

"Quick! Block him! You absolutely cannot let him charge out!" Murong Gui roared in anger.

Failure was absolutely not an option!

If Wen Yang were truly allowed to charge out of the encirclement.

The blow to their morale would be unimaginable.

At that point, it would no longer be a matter of avoiding the sharp edge.

They would only be able to flee in constant retreat.

The entire allied force tightened its ranks, trying to block Wen Yang, but it was all in vain.

Unless someone could directly block Wen Yang's offensive from the front.

Otherwise—

This kind of encirclement would eventually be torn apart by Wen Yang.

Most crucially, looking at Wen Yang, who was completely dyed red with blood, the Xianbei and Wuhuan allied forces had already developed fear in their hearts.

Under these very circumstances, Wen Yang actually led his troops and killed his way out of the encirclement!

Murong Gui's expression was completely twisted.

He had wanted to order people to pursue and kill Wen Yang, but he had not expected that Wen Yang had no intention of retreating at all.

"Brothers! Do you still have strength left?"

"Have you killed enough?"

A thunderous roar rang out.

Following it came those responses, devoid of the slightest fear!

"Kill!!!"

Without any hesitation;

Amidst these shouts of battle, Wen Yang led his troops and killed his way back into the battlefield once more.

You came to surround and kill us?

No, it is I who have come to kill you!

Fear.

Fear from the depths of the soul.

In this instant, even Murong Gui's body began to tremble.

Is this still a human?

Having clearly already broken out of the encirclement, he actually chose to return and kill on his own initiative.

What is he trying to do?

What does he take them, the Xianbei, for?

A surge of intense rage rose instantly; Murong Gui could no longer care about anything else and kept ordering his men to attack!

Since you do not want to leave, then do not leave!

No matter what, he had to keep Wen Yang here.

But morale is something that changes with the situation.

Seeing that Wen Yang had actually killed his way back.

The allied soldiers, who were already fearful, felt the approach of death even more acutely.

This kind of fear would severely affect a person's combat effectiveness.

Under these circumstances.

Wen Yang killed his way into the encirclement again and charged back out.

He turned his head again to kill his way in and then out.

Killing in and killing out.

Facing the Xianbei and Wuhuan allied forces, whose morale was increasingly collapsing, Wen Yang felt no pressure at all.

Until—

Seven entries and seven exits.

The entire earth was completely dyed red with blood; corpses and remains trampled by warhorses lay everywhere, and wails echoed from all directions.

Countless wounded felt a dual blow to both body and soul.

The army's morale had completely collapsed!

Even Murong Gui was completely stunned at this moment.

Seven entries and seven exits?

What on earth is this?

How could there be such a terrifying person in this world?

If even this Wen Yang is so difficult to deal with, then how terrifying must the "Sun-Chasing Pale Wolf" spoken of by the ancestors be?

That was a figure already elevated by the ancestors to the level of a god!

Humans can only develop fear from the heart once they have truly experienced terror.

Murong Gui's generation had not actually experienced true despair.

Even regarding Gu Chen.

They had only heard everything from the mouths of their ancestors, which was one of the reasons this generation dared to attack the Great Han.

But now—

They began to waver.

Even Murong Gui himself could not hide the fear in his heart.

And Wen Yang's roar reached them at this moment.

"Today I enter and exit seven times, just to make you Hu horses remember a century of fear!"

A century of fear!

—That was the era forged by the two, Gu Xi and Gu Chen.

When the grandfather and grandson were alive.

The barbarians in all four directions would change color at the mere mention of the Great Han!

Beads of cold sweat dripped continuously from Murong Gui's forehead, and his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

A sense of dizziness surged from within his body.

He staggered instantly, and blood gushed violently from his mouth, nearly causing him to collapse on the spot.

"Retreat!"

Murong Gui braced his body and weakly uttered these two words.

It could not be fought.

This battle could no longer be fought at all.

If they continued to fight, whether it was his Xianbei or the Wuhuan, they would only face the end of annihilation.

Murong Gui now only wanted to preserve his tribe.

But—

How could Gu Yi possibly give them such a chance?

Gu Yi was not the least bit surprised by the military achievements Wen Yang had produced.

This was, after all, one of the most formidable generals of the late Three Kingdoms era.

To contend with him—

And to contend with him head-on.

Without the appearance of a similarly transcendent figure, how could it be possible?

Murong Hui had not actually made a mistake.

He had indeed learned the culture of the Great Han and absorbed the lessons of his predecessors' defeats.

The military tactics he formulated—

Were extremely consistent with the military treatises passed down by the Great Han.

But he succeeded because of this, and he failed because of this.

These more advanced experiences allowed him to unify the Xianbei and end the chaotic times of the Xianbei, but in the end, it was impossible to withstand the sharpness of the Great Han.

He wanted to retreat, but where could he retreat to?

Why did Gu Yi launch a northern expedition with four great armies?

He wanted to leave these people with absolutely no opportunity.

Even if they did not fight, they could only be nibbled away bit by bit by the Han Army.

Wen Yang was indeed a human weapon of mass destruction.

He actually still wanted to strike out.

But this time, Gu Yi stopped him and recalled him to the central army.

White Wolf Mountain.

Gu Yi looked at the corpses covering the ground, and after some thought, he had people clear a buffer zone before choosing to cremate the bodies.

Wen Yang stood behind him the whole time, his face full of pride.

Although his age was not much different from Gu Ye's.

Yet when facing Gu Ye, he was like a small child, waiting for Gu Ye's praise.

Gu Yi naturally saw the expression on Wen Yang's face that had "praise me quickly" written all over it, and he smiled helplessly, saying: "A-Yang is valiant; you are a general gifted to our Great Han by Heaven."

"Hehe."

A smile immediately appeared on Wen Yang's face: "It is all thanks to the special training the Grand General gave us; if not for the brothers, no matter how valiant I am, it would have been impossible to break an army of ten thousand."

As he spoke, he revealed a look of confusion again, looking at Gu Ye and asking: "Grand General, why not let me pursue the fleeing enemy and crush them completely?"

"A-Yang."

Gu Yi's expression also became serious, and he said earnestly: "This war cannot be solved by killing alone."

He truly had great expectations for Wen Yang.

He wanted to mentor him.

The relationship between the Nine Provinces and the barbarians of the four directions cannot be solved by killing alone.

The true sword of the Nine Provinces does not lie in total extermination, but in making the Wuhuan children recite Han poetry and books, and the Xianbei shamans offer sacrifices to the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan.

Mere slaughter—

Will only incite even more intense hatred in the days to come.

Wen Yang frowned, unable to understand this sentence Gu Yi had spoken.

Gu Yi smiled, reached out, and pointed to the vast peak of White Wolf Mountain: "A-Yang, have you seen the snow accumulated on the top of White Wolf Mountain?"

"The Hu people are like snow; today they are killed and melt away, but next year when the northern wind rises, they will pile up again."

"In the past, Emperor Xiaowu drove the Xiongnu to the north of the desert, yet a hundred years later, the Xianbei occupied that land again."

"It was not that the fighting was ineffective, but that their roots could not be severed."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yang seemed to have a realization in his heart, yet his face still appeared ferocious as he shouted angrily: "If so, I shall slaughter them all!"

"Slaughter them all?" Gu Yi shook his head slightly and scoffed, "What you say is truly a fool's dream."

In this current era of cold weapon warfare, wanting to fight a tribe skilled in migration until their nation is destroyed and their race extinguished is akin to a fairy tale.

Hearing this, Wen Yang was speechless for a moment and remained silent.

Gu Yi, controlling Gu Ye, smiled and raised his hand to pat his shoulder, asking gently: "A-Yang, have you ever thought about what you want to do in the future?"

"In the future?"

Wen Yang frowned again, and after a long silence, he spoke slowly: "This general is dull-witted and only knows the three inches of cold light on the tip of a spear."

"Since the Grand General asks what this general will do in the future."

"This general can only say that wherever the Grand General points, this long spear of mine—"

Wen Yang suddenly waved his hand, thrusting his long spear into the ground, startling several cold crows, his voice resonant and powerful: "Even the snow line of Yinshan shall be plowed into a smooth path!"

When he said such things, he was truly not flattering.

It was that he really had such thoughts!

Hearing this, Gu Yi smiled helplessly.

He also firmly believed that with Wen Yang's ability, added to the current overall national strength of the Great Han, if they continued to fight, they could definitely conquer quite a bit of territory for the Great Han.

But the culture of the Nine Provinces had already destined that this was absolutely not feasible.

Conquering the world is easy; governing the world is difficult.

The Gu family could already influence the entire world, and the slightest carelessness would lead to total ruin.

Although the culture of the Nine Provinces can encompass all things.

This is not something that can be finished in one generation.

If one were to force it, it would ultimately cause the land of the Nine Provinces to suffer in return.

How could he do such a thing?

Looking at the earnest-looking Wen Yang before him, Gu Yi smiled again, then immediately controlled Gu Ye to say seriously: "A-Yang, now the Xianbei and Wuhuan fear you like a tiger."

"Have you ever thought—"

"Of guarding this place for our Great Han in the future?"

Gu Yi intended to attempt integration!

Only the thorough integration of culture can allow a piece of land to be completely incorporated into the Nine Provinces.

The barbarians of the four directions are all currently imitating the culture of the Great Han.

This is already a very good starting point.

"Guard this place?" Wen Yang's expression immediately slumped a little.

He still preferred slaughter.

But looking at Gu Ye's serious expression, he hesitated for a moment before finally nodding: "If the Grand General wishes, this general is naturally willing."

"Then you must change your temperament!"

Gu Yi did not say anything more, but just patted Wen Yang's shoulder again.

From this day on—

Gu Yi kept Wen Yang by his side at all times.

The subsequent battles no longer had any surprises.

Murong Hui was dead.

This was undoubtedly a more fatal blow to the entire Wuhuan, Xianbei, and Goguryeo alliance.

The Wuhuan Chanyu Taran would indeed not have any dissatisfaction when facing Murong Hui.

This was because Murong Hui was naturally older than him.

Furthermore, the Xianbei's strength was even greater.

But with Murong Hui's death, this balance was broken.

Although Murong Hui's son inherited the position.

He had not even completely subdued the various tribes within the Xianbei, let alone Taran, the Wuhuan Chanyu.

And under the current situation.

When problems appeared within their alliance, this battle no longer had any room for reversal.

Murong Hui was indeed extraordinary.

He had left a retreat for the entire alliance, which was to migrate immediately.

Abandon everything and completely avoid the Han Army.

But the situation had completely changed.

Within their alliance, some wanted to surrender and some wanted to migrate; this dispute had already caused them to miss the golden opportunity.

As the four Han armies were advancing steadily.

They had no other choice.

Gu Yi did not choose large-scale encirclement and slaughter; he kept Wen Yang by his side to tell him this principle.

Although Gu Yi did not know if his ideas would actually succeed.

But he had to try.

Naturally, there were tribes that wanted to resist, but facing the Han Army coming from all directions, their various methods were undoubtedly like mayflies trying to shake a tree.

Blood was spilled upon this land.

Barbarians, Han Army.

Blood and tears forged achievements on this vast land.

Beneath the hegemony of kings and princes, all ends in withered bones.

Gu Yi is no saint; he shows no mercy to tribes harboring rebellious hearts or hidden hatred.

He only spares those tribes that are relatively friendly toward the Great Han.

And he will not stop his pace, always moving forward.

The fourth year of Qianji, third month.

The Han Army marched past Liucheng.

After several decades, the banners of the Han Army were once again planted upon this royal court.

Gu Yi executed the Wuhuan Chanyu, Taran.

Since this lineage held hatred for both the Great Han and the Gu Shizi.

No matter how obedient he appeared, Gu Yi could never leave such a risk behind.

Gu Yi was in no hurry to implement any reforms.

He continued to lead his army in a sweeping advance.

In the seventh month of the same year, the vanguard of the Han Army reached the Goguryeo royal courts of Guonei City and Wandu Mountain City.

The banners of the Han Army were raised above both cities.

The military might of the Han Army had reached its peak.

There was no decent resistance at all; the King of Goguryeo had long since led his clansmen in a migration.

This tribe seemed no different from how it was in history.

They flee when faced with an enemy army.

Even if their capital is burned to the ground, they can simply return to rebuild it once the main army retreats.

But for Gu Yi, this was not a problem.

He did not intend to leave!

He intended to seize this opportunity to initiate the plan he had long since conceived!

——————

"In the eighth month of autumn, on the day of Bingshen, in the third year of Qianji, the Grand General Ye gathered the elite of the four expeditions to march north.

The Xianbei Chanyu, Murong Hui, fearing the might of Ye, abandoned his yurt and fled, secretly gathering one hundred thousand from the Wuhuan and Goguryeo to surround the Northern Expedition General, Wen Yang, at the old fortress of Bailang.

Enraged, Yang stained his long spear with blood, charging in and out seven times, crushing everything in his path.

At that time, the Han Army numbered eight thousand against several times as many barbarian cavalry; Yang tore silk to bind his wounds, climbed to a high point, and shouted: 'Today, I charge in and out seven times, just to make you barbarian horses remember this fear for another hundred years!'

He then donned heavy armor, led the Tiger Warriors to charge their center, beheaded twelve Xianbei vassal kings, and slew the Goguryeo commander Tan He; the piled corpses choked the rivers, and the barbarian host collapsed like a mountain avalanche.

In this battle, forty thousand were beheaded, and the captured cattle, horses, and supplies piled up like mountains; the barbarian dust of Monan was cleared in an instant.

Ye pursued the victory to the north, burned the Xianbei Dragon Court at the Raole River, plowed the Wuhuan ancestral temple at Liucheng, and hung the Han banner on the watchtower of Guonei City. The barbarian flutes choked while the Han horns blared; the border grass turned red and the Heavenly Wolf star shone bright."

—— "Book of the Blazing Han: Biography of Wen Yang"

(End of chapter)