Chapter 770 - Mt. Zhuolu (1/2)

Translator: Legge

For some reason, Hassan felt that the closer they got to the Central Plains, the quieter his master became.

It was not hesitation or fear he sensed but more of a contradictory feeling.

Hassan knew his master had lived in the South before, but he knew nothing about what his master had experienced there.

He did not know why his master went to the grasslands, nor did he know why his master sought to establish a new dynasty there. Hassan always felt his master was hiding a lot of things.

Now, under Yan Liuyuan’s lead, the imperial court warriors were rushing towards Stronghold 176 to rescue their enemies, the Bulan and Kirghiz tribes.

At first, Hassan did not understand what Yan Liuyuan was trying to do because those people were their enemies.

But later, he and the other tribal chiefs realized Yan Liuyuan was much more magnanimous than they were. What he wanted was a complete grassland, a grassland that could lead them to greater heights. He was not looking to revel in the fragmentation of the nomads.

The Bulan and Kirghiz tribes contributed about three-quarters the number of the young and strong in the grasslands, and they also had countless women, children, and elderly among them. If the Bulan and Kirghiz tribes were to get annihilated in the Central Plains, the nomads would probably need close to 15 years to recover their numbers.

Yan Liuyuan did not want to wait that long. He wanted to bring his former enemies under control amid the flames of war.

After the Bulan and Kirghiz tribes were ambushed, they had no choice but to retreat towards Mt. Zhuolu under the pincer attack of their pursuers.

The nomads’ army mainly consisted of cavalry, so they were most afraid to encounter steep, mountainous terrains. Once they retreated into the mountains, they could not take advantage of their horses’ mobility, and their bows and arrows were no match for the firearms and explosives the Central Plains people carried. As a result, they could only wait for death inside the mountain range.

There was no other choice.

Just as Qing Shen had said, a lean camel was still bigger than a horse. No matter how badly Stronghold 176 had declined, they still had outstanding generals and rich combat experience to depend on.

Although their current mechanized troops were practically useless now, and their soldiers had been reduced from 40,000 to just slightly over 10,000, Stronghold 176 was still not someone the nomads could provoke.

This was the reason why Yan Liuyuan chose not to come to Stronghold 176.

Stronghold 176’s troops had split into two groups early on. One group was lying in ambush near Mt. Zhuolu while the other was circling around Mt. Yanqing to surround them.

By the time the Bulan and Kirghiz tribes stopped in front of Mt. Zhuolu, the troops of Stronghold 176 had cut off their path from behind.

Bulan Zir, the chief of the Bulan tribe, was standing in front of the mountain. He looked at the mountain path in front of him and eventually took out his dagger unwillingly and stabbed it into the neck of his horse.

The magnificent horse had been following him for many years, but now he had to kill it with his own hands.

The tall horse slowly fell to the ground as turbid tears flowed out of its eyes. Bulan Zir said in a low voice, “I was too stupid and sent you to die with me. I’m not likely to live for much longer either. Don’t worry, I’ll soon accompany you in Heaven. The breeze in the grasslands will reunite us once again.”

When his associates nearby heard this, they could not help but despair.

In reality, everyone understood that if the cavalry were forced into the depths of the mountains by the enemy, there would be no way out for them. Otherwise, they would definitely not have chosen to head into the mountains.

As Bulan Zir climbed his way up the mountain, Kirghiz Yan, the chief of the Kirghiz tribe, happened to look over. Initially, the two of them were competitors, but now they would only end up like dogs cast from their homes.

Kirghiz Yan said coldly, “This is just great. If we both die here on Mt. Zhuolu, that’ll be letting off that kid easy. After this, the entire steppe will belong to him.”