Chapter 245: Completely cleaned out

The Xianbei settlement had a sizable population; they apparently received the news rather hastily. Without the disadvantage of city walls, there was no buffer, and they went straight into close combat. The Xianbei soldiers who rushed out came back none, completely unable to stop the cavalry's iron hooves sweeping past.

The Xianbei soldiers' leather armor was utterly useless against the weapons equipped by the Great King.

Yet their sabers could not cut through the armor of the You Prefecture cavalry.

The Xianbei cavalry probably never imagined in their whole lives that the day would come when the free slaves from the south would reach their doorstep.

From the cavalry drawing their swords to charging into the tribe, less than half an hour passed.

The Great King's expression was complex; those northern bearded men who had once inflicted great wounds on him outside the city now seemed not so formidable.

Wei Shen saw he remained silent and asked, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

The Great King raised his chin: "Working hard to become strong keeps you from being beaten. Look, many of them only endured a year of body‑refinement training, and now they hold a big advantage on the battlefield." Having said that, he spurred his horse forward and entered the city.

Wei Shen followed up, shouting, "Don't stray too far from my side! You don't need to go up and fight desperately now."

The Great King also didn't want to make a move.

"Leave someone outside to watch, don't let them escape and spread the news!"

The cavalry entered the city; the fierce and brave Xianbei people would not wail and flee like the Jin people, whom the Xianbei's northern bearded men had terrified into losing any will to resist.

The Xianbei people brandished various knives; even those without weapons grabbed wooden sticks and charged forward to resist the cavalry.

Bai Yang had said before that historically, the Xianbei people were also famed for their military talent, being the most outstanding among the Five Barbarians.

Therefore the Great King possessed divine weapons and fully armored cavalry, and never underestimated his enemies.

These Xianbei people could not tolerate spending all day hunting geese, yet now they were the ones getting pecked in the eye; they could not even believe these were Jin people.

Someone shouted that the Jin people were attacking, while another retorted that he was talking nonsense, claiming the Jin people would never dare march north.

The Great King listened, unsure what expression to put on.

Now you've dared, your ideas are already outdated!

The Great King was surrounded by a ring of Owl Cavalry; it was strange that, for the moment, they did not come to attack him. His mount and armor were easily recognizable, at least enough to show his unusual status, yet those people did not come toward him.

The Great King directed his doubtful gaze at the huge, fluffy creature beside him, wondering if this guy still had that deterrent power.

How could the other side, upon making eye contact, immediately turn away and continue attacking other cavalry?

The Great King proceeded unimpeded to the finest building in the city, simply going to tour the tribal chief's residence—having come all this way.

Xianbei architecture differs from that of the Great Jin; they are no longer purely nomadic, having their own fixed settlement. Xianbei houses are stone‑wall constructions with tiny windows, closely related to the local climate.

This is a stone‑built city.

The Great King also had leisure to take a look; not bad, quite exotic.

The tribal chief's house is easy to find—it's the tallest one.

We've already fought; today's time is surely wasted, so we must gain something.

The Owl Cavalry stormed in, clearing out everyone inside; those who resisted were sent away, those who surrendered were bound, and the Great King finally got a hot meal.

Inside the city it was similar: women and children were locked together, elders locked together, and all the able‑bodied who surrendered were bound; the Great King regretted not having time and manpower to send them back to You Prefecture to mine.

Ling Yin guarded the Great King while Wei Shen, in high spirits, and Zhou Ke led a team to sweep through the city.

A group of twenty, with clear division of labor: some stood guard, some killed enemies, some were specially responsible for seizing property. The Great King said spoils could not be privately pocketed; aside from the war's expenses, whatever remained would be distributed according to merit upon return.

These people understood the Great King's generosity best.

The Xianbei people didn't have much property that was astonishing, but order and efficiency were both good.

The You Prefecture Army's military theory course repeatedly emphasized cautious action, and they had studied many cases of sure‑win situations turning into disasters. As for the war history they had heard, this group around the Great King might have listened to more than those who specially study such matters in the Great Jin.

It didn't take long before the cavalry had plowed through the entire city.

Wei Shen felt this experience was extraordinarily novel; he had never experienced anything like it in the Southwest Army.

This settlement had five or six thousand households; all discovered goods were handed over, and the newly caught baggage battalion gained over a thousand horses and countless sheep.

So why does everyone love war? Because if you win, you earn far more than you would by staying home, grunting over farming and herding sheep.

The Great King was gnawing a lamb leg in the chief's large courtyard when a soldier reported that some Great Jin people had been captured in the city.

Over three hundred people claimed to be Jin people, having been seized by the Xianbei and enslaved.

The Great King pondered, then said, "Those who can clearly state their household registration address shall be released to return south on their own. Wait, allow them to take their own belongings, and give them some dry rations."

Wei Shen finally swallowed a mouthful of meat and mumbled, "Just that?"

The Great King replied, "What then? I, the king, have no time to send them back."

Wei Shen shook his head: "No, I mean, what if someone pretends to be one of them?"

The Great King said, "Their accent will give them away; I don't believe they could escape and outrun our Black Wind Horses to spread the news. After resting two more hours, dawn will break and we will set off immediately."

As dawn just began to break, the Great King struck camp.

The settlement lay silent; all the living people were locked up, and the cavalry formed orderly ranks and set out.

The baggage battalion never rested; aside from sheep given to the soldiers to eat, the rest were slaughtered and left outside to freeze, with horse carts hung full of skinned sheep.

They had acquired a great deal more to carry away; besides the horses, the Great King took without hesitation any of the tribe's property that could be uncovered.

Otherwise, this trip would have cost money, and he would not let slip any chance to recoup the expenses!

Having ridden far away, the Great King turned back and glanced at the utterly silent city, which lacked even a glimmer of light, resembling a dead city.

Wei Shen worried that he was too young to understand, so he rose with compassion and said, "Although the doors and windows are sealed, they are merely stone houses; once we leave, with no one watching, they will start digging. The elders aren't tied up with ropes, so rest assured—they won't all die."

The Great King shook his head: "I have already done the utmost of benevolence and righteousness—what more do you want from sparing those who surrendered? I think, this city that you have scraped clean still has many dead; what do you say they will do if they cannot survive?"

"Hah, who knows! But if I were them, having witnessed the strength of the You Prefecture cavalry, I would only lead my clansmen to find a place far from You Prefecture to live."

Wei Shen was right; after they had left for half a day, the women with free hands broke apart the sturdy stone houses and rescued the still‑living people in the city.

Seeing the deserted streets and corpses on the ground, a young man flared up in anger, shouting for a southward march to take revenge—when will the Jin people ever be able to come here and flaunt their might!

As expected, he was scolded by the clan's elders.

"Go gather the corpses; those cavalry…… are not something we can resist. Did your precious saber cut through their armor? How many Jin people did you wound? In a battle where the enemy suffered not a single injury, you want to go for revenge—with what?"

"We'll go to the capital and tell the Great King……"

Shut up! Go pack up, this place can't be lived in, we will go seek refuge with the Qiu Mu Ling Clan.

After all, they fell down in the same place.

When your enemy is strong enough, the revenge hanging on your lips is just a joke.

It's going to change.