Zhang He simply loaded all the dead warhorses onto carts, preparing to send them to the army camp for the soldiers to supplement their meals.
After clearing away some stones blocking the valley, Zhang He led the civilians behind him and his two thousand soldiers, carrying the grain and fodder, slowly towards the Han Army camp.
Three days later!
Zhang He, leading his troops, arrived at the Han Army's main camp outside Gaoliu City without any hindrance.
Many soldiers watched as over a thousand warhorses, along with so much grain and fodder, arrived in a grand procession, their eyes filled with excitement.
It was well known that news of food shortages had been circulating in the camp recently, causing some panic among the ordinary soldiers.
Today, seeing so much grain arrive finally dispelled the panic in the hearts of many soldiers.
Inside the central camp, Liu Jin sat in the main seat, a smile on his face.
The other generals were seated on either side, as Zhang He, with an excited expression, slowly walked in.
Looking at the familiar figure in the main seat, he didn't hesitate, immediately kneeling on one knee, cupping his hands, and respectfully bowing!
"This subordinate greets the Marquis."
Liu Jin's eyes also showed excitement; the two had not seen each other for over half a year, and there was indeed a sense of longing in his heart.
He quickly walked down, helped Zhang He up, and said with concern!
"Junyi, long time no see."
"Your body is even more robust; it seems you've been eating well during this time. This Marquis is relieved."
Zhang He scratched his head, smiled, and felt satisfied seeing that the Marquis was as concerned about him as ever.
Cupping his hands, he respectfully said!
"Marquis, in the ambush, all two thousand Xianbei cavalry were annihilated, with only a few dozen escaping through the mountains and forests. Our army suffered over two hundred casualties."
"The gains were over two thousand weapons, over a thousand warhorses, and several hundred dead or wounded horses."
Liu Jin heard this, smiled, nodded, and praised loudly!
"Junyi, truly worthy of being a fierce general, this battle was brilliantly executed."
Upon hearing this, Zhang He became somewhat modest, quickly flattering him from the side!
"This subordinate dares not claim all the credit. This battle was won so brilliantly thanks to the soldiers' brave fighting, and the military strategists and advisors who brainstormed and devised such a perfect plan in the army, leading to this great victory."
Tian Feng, Min Chun, and others sitting nearby, heard this, smiled wryly, and looked at Zhang He with even greater approval.
He was neither arrogant nor impetuous, with a calm mind. Even when achieving merit, he had no desire to claim all the credit, truly deserving to be a great general capable of holding his own.
Liu Jin looked at the lively atmosphere in the large tent and smiled as he instructed the personal guards behind him!
"Today's great victory calls for a celebration. Tell the mess hall to turn all the dead horses into meat and distribute it, so the entire army can have a good feast."
Upon receiving the order, the personal guards bowed quickly, then withdrew to handle the matter.
Soon, the lively atmosphere in the army began to slowly resound.
Dozens of miles away, in the Xianbei army camp, Ke Bineng sat in the central tent, wiping the grease from his hands with a cloth.
He patted his round belly, feeling very comfortable.
The others were still heartily eating chunks of meat. Although they had come to the Han territory, the food they ate was still exactly the same as on the grasslands.
As tribal leaders, the treatment they enjoyed was naturally incomparable to that of ordinary soldiers.
When everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, a hurried sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the tent.
A scout, with a panicked expression, stumbled in, trembling.
Ke Bineng, sitting in the main seat, frowned and coldly shouted!
"What kind of decorum is this, being so flustered in the central tent?"
After being reprimanded, the scout quickly wiped the sweat from his forehead, temporarily suppressed his panicked expression, and said tremblingly!
"Leader, something terrible has happened!"
"We just scouted the Han Army camp a dozen miles away, and a Han Army force of two to three thousand men has arrived, bringing over a thousand warhorses, some dead horses, and a certain amount of grain and fodder."
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the tent instantly became noisy.
Many leaders looked at each other with shock, beginning to discuss amongst themselves.
Ke Bineng's face instantly darkened upon hearing this, and he felt a sense of foreboding in his heart.
How could these warhorses be from his two thousand cavalry?
Especially the grain and fodder, being transported unimpeded to the Han Army camp, indicated that the two thousand cavalry he sent had no reaction.
Comparing this to the intelligence, it was highly likely they had been annihilated.
Thinking of this, Ke Bineng clenched his hands tightly, his face showing anger, secretly cursing in his heart!
Terunhe was truly a good-for-nothing; he couldn't even handle this small matter and was instead annihilated by the Han Army, resulting in the complete loss of his two thousand cavalry.
However, he did not show it. If this matter were made public, the leaders sitting around would probably instantly panic and might continue to persuade him to leave.
Ke Bineng suppressed the anger in his heart, a smile on his face that was uglier than crying, and said!
"Everyone, there is no need to panic. It's just some civilians transporting grain and fodder. Perhaps they got lucky and Terunhe's cavalry didn't discover them."
"I believe this is only a one-time opportunity; later, the Xianbei cavalry will definitely intercept and cut off the Han Army's grain and fodder completely."
Upon hearing this, many leaders looked at him as if he were an idiot, secretly complaining in their hearts!
Did he really think they were all fools? Without even thinking, Terunhe's two thousand cavalry must have been annihilated by the Han Army.
Otherwise, how could two to three thousand civilians arrive with grain, along with over a thousand horses and some dead horses? This perfectly matched their two thousand Xianbei cavalry.
Thinking of this, the leaders had already decided to retreat. The two thousand Xianbei cavalry being annihilated was a significant blow to them.
Especially since the Han Army had increased by several thousand soldiers, they no longer had any advantage. If they delayed any longer, they might all perish here.
Ke Bineng saw the atmosphere in the large tent was somewhat low, and many people even showed panic.
He frowned, naturally knowing that this matter could not be hidden from them.
But if he retreated like this, he would definitely not be reconciled. He had confidently led the tribal leaders south to invade the Han, hoping to plunder it.
This would not only increase his prestige and reputation among the Xianbei but also gain a large amount of grain and population to increase his own strength.
Now, having suffered heavy losses and gained no benefits, just scurrying back like this.
His reputation on the grasslands would definitely plummet, and it would be impossible to contend with Budugen for the position of Xianbei Royal Court leader.
Therefore, no matter what, he had to stay here and either win a great victory or obtain sufficient benefits before he could leave.
