Chapter 240: Level The Wheels, Exterminate Without Mercy
“Your entire families are right behind you—where can you escape to?”
“Sanggar warriors, pick up your bow and arrow, and fight those devils to the death.”
Sanggar Hari wore a piece of old, earth-yellow leather armor, his pitch-black face full of ferocity, holding a spear, and shouted viciously.
After more and more Northern Frontier Cavalry rushed in from the breach, Sanggar Village was already in dire peril.
More and more Sanggar people were slaughtered and killed, but their bow and arrow, spears, and lances seemed utterly unable to harm the enemy.
The enormous disparity in combat power made many Sanggar people fearful at heart, preparing to flee.
Even after Hari, Song Lin, and others killed several deserters, they could not prevent the overall collapse.
At that moment, a squad of Northern Frontier Cavalry had noticed them.
“Those people look like Heluo Chuan chieftains.”
“Kill them.”
Fourth Garrison Centurion Hei Wa shouted loudly.
At this time, his yellow cotton armor all over his body had already been dyed red by the blood of Heluo Chuan people.
The blood-red sharpness of the hooked scythe spear gleamed under the sunset, like the scythe of the god of death, pointing toward Hari and the others.
“Boom boom boom boom~”
Dozens of war horses galloped, kicking up rolling yellow sand inside Sanggar Village, like an earth-yellow giant dragon charging toward the last resisting forces of Sanggar Village.
“Puff~”
A muffled sound of flesh rang out as Hei Wa gripped the hooked scythe spear and thrust it into a Sanggar man’s chest. With the impact of the war horse, the corpse was flung several meters away.
The cavalry behind him also swung their spears, killing Sanggar people like they were chickens.
Screams and wails rose and fell continuously.
“Die!”
Seeing his confidants dying one by one before him, Sanggar Hari’s face twisted in rage, his eyes flashing with bloodlust.
Gripping his spear, he mounted a war horse and thrust with all his strength toward the nearest soldier.
“Clang~”
Only a crisp sound of ironware was heard as the spearhead was blocked by the armor and could not pierce even a fraction further.
“What?”
“Damn it, what kind of armor is this?”
Hari was shocked in his heart; this armor looked like coarse cloth on the surface, yet it was incomparably hard, no different from iron armor.
It completely exceeded his understanding.
While Hari was shocked, Hei Wa not far away charged over with a ferocious expression.
“Old thing, you hurt my brother—you’re courting death.”
The previous soldier was not seriously injured; he had just been flung away by Hari’s strength, crashing heavily to the ground but only sustaining minor injuries.
But Hari’s arrogance greatly angered Hei Wa.
“Clang~”
In the instant they passed each other on horseback, another crisp sound of ironware rang out. Hari’s face showed terror as he looked at his spear, his eyes contracting sharply.
It broke!
In that brief clash just now, though neither had touched the other, his spear had been snapped by Hei Wa’s hooked scythe spear.
This shoddy workmanship spear was far inferior in hardness and toughness to the hooked scythe spear made of Hexi Steel.
It had first pierced the cotton armor plates, then clashed with the hooked scythe spear, already reaching its limit.
Taking advantage of this, the two personal guards right behind Hei Wa immediately followed up, thrusting their spears viciously toward Hari’s chest and back.
“Puff puff~”
Accompanied by two muffled sounds, Hari’s agonized scream rang out in Sanggar Village.
“Ahhhh~”
“Dad~”
Suder in the distance was still leading a dozen young and strong men in a final resistance. After hearing Hari’s voice, his expression became even more terrified.
“Run, run away~”
“Go to Huleqin Village.” Hari cried out miserably.
When others were fleeing, he had threatened them with their entire families’ lives.
But when it came to his own son, he only thought of making him escape.
Human selfishness and the ugly face of a ruler were revealed in full at this moment.
Suder saw his old dad covered in blood, dying under the Northern Frontier Army’s hooked scythe spear, and his whole body began to tremble.
The fear on his face grew stronger, his mouth unconsciously murmuring: “Good, good, flee!”
With that, completely ignoring his just-dead father, he turned and ran away.
But in the next second, a whistling sound came, and Suder’s body on horseback suddenly stiffened.
“Swish~”
With an incredulous expression, he looked down and saw an arrow that had pierced through his body, protruding from his chest.
“Urgh urgh urgh~”
“No~”
Suder’s terrified expression let out a despairing low roar. He was ultimately flung off the war horse, rolling into the yellow sand, slowly closing his eyes.
In the distance, Wang Cunxiao drew his bow again, aiming at another fleeing Heluo Chuan person.
Accompanied by the whistling of the arrow, another man died under his arrow.
Then, he shouted loudly to the surrounding officers and soldiers: “Do not let a single Heluo Chuan person escape.”
“Kill all the Heluo Chuan men.”
Northern Frontier Cavalry surrounded Sanggar Village on all four sides; the people inside could not escape.
Soon, Sanggar Songlin and other headmen all fell into the yellow sand and blood pools.
Sanggar Village’s spine was thoroughly broken.
The setting sun was like blood, dyeing the Gobi Desert a dark red.
The slaughter at the walls had ended; corpses lay scattered everywhere, blood staining the yellow sand.
More and more crows and vultures gathered, flapping their wings and emitting hoarse cries, circling above the village.
Hundreds of Northern Frontier Army soldiers rode tall war horses, charging into the village like a golden tide.
Their armor gleamed with eerie colors in the sunset, spears still stained with blood and minced meat.
“Giddyup giddyup giddyup~”
“Kill all the men in the village, capture all the women and take them away.”
“Roar roar roar~”
The cavalry let out beast-like howls from their mouths, kicking up waves of dust wherever they went.
An old Sanggar man could no longer draw his bow and arrow, so he could only sharpen knives and forge arrows for the warriors at the village entrance.
Seeing the cavalry surging in like a torrent, how could he not understand that the village had already been breached?
He immediately thought of his three sons at the walls—could they all be dead?
Before he could grieve, the old man turned to run back home.
But before he could run far, a Northern Frontier Cavalryman had already charged up behind him. The cavalry saber flashed coldly in his hand, directly severing half his head.
“Thud~”
The corpse smashed heavily to the ground, his round eyes still retaining pain. The cavalryman turned back upon seeing this, leaning over to pick up the head from the ground as military merit.
At the same time, Northern Frontier Cavalry conducted a blanket search of the houses in the village.
In the center of the village, several young men swung homemade spears in an attempt to resist.
Their faces were full of fear, but their eyes showed unwillingness.
However, facing the well-trained Northern Frontier Cavalry, their resistance seemed so feeble.
A soldier flung out a meteor hammer; the iron chain with spikes whistled through the air, smashing heavily onto a young man’s shoulder, instantly turning it into a mess of blood and flesh.
The young man screamed and fell, his spear dropping to the ground.
A Northern Frontier Cavalryman instantly charged up, swinging his spear from above and piercing him straight through.
The other cavalry followed, and another slaughter began. Moments later, all these young men lay in pools of blood.
“Clang~”
The room door was smashed open, and three cavalrymen entered.
Women’s shrill screams immediately rang out inside. A woman holding a child was cowering in the corner, trembling with terror.
The three casually scanned the room—it was very poor, without even a cabinet to hide in.
“Search~”
“See if there’s a cellar.”
The leading cavalryman said in a deep voice, sending his two subordinates to search while he strode forward to the woman.
“Born in a tribe like Heluo Chuan, she’ll definitely grow up to become a wolf cub.”
The story of Zhao’s orphans had always warned Northern Frontier officers and soldiers: when acting, one must cut the grass at the root and never be merciful, or there would be endless trouble later.
In Sanggar Hari’s courtyard, Hei Wa led men rushing in.
The scene before them made them slightly stunned.
In the corner of the courtyard lay a woman’s corpse, but her head had been severed and placed to the side, and her thighs were already gone.
In Heluo Chuan traditional beliefs, cutting off the head meant no need to worry about her turning into a vengeful ghost.
As for the severed thighs, they were to fill the belly.
Heluo Chuan was arid with little rain, so grain was a big problem.
As long as it wasn’t their own people’s corpse, Heluo Chuan people would follow the principle of no waste and make secondary use of it.
Hei Wa understood this but could not accept it.
“People who have eaten human flesh can no longer be called human—they should be called beasts.”
“Tell the brothers: no mercy toward Heluo Chuan people—kill them with the most ruthless methods.”
Hei Wa said in a cold voice.
As soon as the words fell, another soldier came out of a room: “Centurion, there’s a living woman inside.”
The woman was very young, not yet twenty, her hands and feet tightly bound with iron chains.
Her clothes disheveled, her face full of traces of tears mixed with mud.
Originally, she thought she was done for—after being abused by those cruel wildlings, she would be killed and eaten.
But she never expected that someone would really come to save her.
“What’s your name? Where are you from?”
Hei Wa ordered men to smash open the iron chains on the woman and asked curiously.
From the woman’s clothing, she was undoubtedly a Han person.
“I-I am Liu Ermei, from Tiger Village. I heard the prairie barbarians attacking Heishui City, so my man took our family to hide at relatives’ in Ganzhou City…”
The woman said in a timid manner, her voice trembling.
Completely unaware that the burly men before her were the prairie barbarians she spoke of.
But Hei Wa did not mind this; he only paid attention to the woman’s background, understanding the situation of these Han people looted back.
He ultimately learned that Liu Ermei’s husband had already been killed by Sanggar people at the Blackwater River.
Most of the other looted people were still alive—not out of Sanggar kindness, but to eat the meat slowly.
“Hmph, a bunch of clothed beasts!” Hei Wa said coldly.
Then, he comforted the woman: “Don’t be afraid—those Heluo Chuan people have all been killed by us. You’re safe now.”
“Losing a man is no big deal—my Northern Frontier Army has tens of thousands of men for you to choose from. Pick one you like and marry him.”
“Life still goes on.”
The woman was under twenty, quite attractive, and now a young widow whose husband had died.
In the Northern Frontier Army, she was an absolute premium resource—those beasts would surely fight over her.
So Liu Ermei had no need to worry about her future.
She nodded lightly, her dirty face covered in mud. She glanced at Hei Wa’s rugged appearance and then silently lowered her head.
At this moment, another soldier came to report: “Centurion, we’ve found the cellar entrance.”
This courtyard was Sanggar Hari’s home. When the Northern Frontier Army entered, aside from this woman, it was empty.
Definitely abnormal—Hei Wa judged there must be a cellar in the courtyard.
Sure enough, they found the entrance in the kitchen.
Pitch black inside, nothing visible.
The Northern Frontier officers and soldiers naturally would not enter easily.
For this, Hei Wa had only one tough attitude.
“Burn it!”
“If they won’t come out, let them stay inside forever!”
Soon after, rolling thick smoke rose from the kitchen, with faint agonized howls still audible.
Hei Wa left two soldiers to guard, then took men to another courtyard.
At this moment, the neighing of livestock, cries of people, clashes of weapons rose incessantly throughout the village.
The crackling of great fires intertwined, becoming Sanggar’s final swan song.
Soon after, the sun set, the last ray of afterglow dyeing the Gobi blood-red.
The once peaceful Sanggar Village had now become a human purgatory, littered with corpses, bloodstains, and burning debris. The air was filled with nauseating bloody smell and choking thick smoke, suffocating.
The Northern Frontier Army had personally sent these beasts to hell.
“Reporting to the Chiliarch, in this battle our army killed a total of 1,500 people and captured over 630…”
In Sanggar Village, torches lit up the starry sky. Wang Cunxiao rode on horseback, listening to his subordinate’s report with an expressionless light nod.
In this battle, the Northern Frontier Army had nearly slaughtered Sanggar Village clean.
All the men were killed; the remaining 630-plus were all young or underage girls.
They could still bear children, so they had utilitarian value to the Northern Frontier Army—that was their only capital for survival.
“Tell the brothers to interrogate those women tonight.”
“I want to know the locations of other Heluo Chuan villages and the water sources in this Gobi Desert.” Wang Cunxiao said in a deep voice.
Heluo Chuan Uyghur people were like rats hiding in dark corners.
Destroying them was not difficult; the difficulty was the time spent searching.
Most importantly, the water source problem—the further west, the farther from the Blackwater River.
Large-scale cavalry operations could not lack water sources most.
So, this required interrogation from the captives’ mouths.
“Right~”
Wang Cunxiao suddenly turned his head and beckoned to Huang Daquan.
“Chiliarch!”
Huang Daquan immediately rode over, dismounted, and looked at Wang Cunxiao with a slightly uneasy expression.
“Old Huang, you all worked hard in this battle.”
Wang Cunxiao pointed at him with his horsewhip and smiled lightly: “How many heads did you take just now?”
Huang Daquan immediately opened the bag at his waist, revealing six left ears inside.
“Six? Not bad.”
Wang Cunxiao nodded in satisfaction. He had noticed Huang Daquan during the previous battle.
This man fought bravely, a rare fierce warrior, so he had the thought of fully taking him in.
Turning to a general beside him, he instructed: “Record Huang Daquan’s military merit and issue the reward later.”
“Yes, Chiliarch.” The general nodded lightly.
He was the military judge of this Chiliarch’s office, responsible for military law and military merit statistics.
Hearing this, Huang Daquan immediately showed a delighted expression.
“This—is it real?”
“All to me?”
Wang Cunxiao immediately showed dissatisfaction, glaring at him fiercely.
“Of course all to you.”
“My Northern Frontier Army values fairness most—what’s due is due, not a single copper short.”
“And if you die unlucky later, your military merit will be given to your family.”
“Your son can inherit your position.”
“Right, you’ve killed six people—you’re no longer a slave.”
“Later, this Chiliarch will personally ‘promote your household to garrison’—from now on, you’re a proper Northern Frontier garrison soldier under this Chiliarch.”
Hearing this, Huang Daquan grinned and nodded: “Thanks, Chiliarch, thanks Chiliarch.”
“I’m no good with words—how about I kowtow to you!”
With that, Huang Daquan moved to kowtow but was kicked away by Wang Cunxiao.
Pointing at his nose with the horsewhip, he cursed: “You bastard, want to get me scolded?”
“Remember from now on: in my Northern Frontier, you don’t need to kneel to anyone.”
This rule was personally set by Li Xiao.
Northern Frontier men must stand tall and proud.
Kneel to heaven, earth, and parents, but not to officials.
If they couldn’t stand straight internally, how could they stand straight against external enemies?
So, if Li Xiao heard someone under Wang Cunxiao kowtowing to him, he’d surely kick him hard with his size-45 foot.
“Yes, yes, yes~”
“I was too excited.”
Huang Daquan chuckled sheepishly.
Mainly, in the previous Heishui Army, even military pay was deducted, let alone merit rewards.
Issuing one-third was already good.
But unexpectedly, the Northern Frontier Army issued full merit and full pay.
Huang Daquan suddenly saw a bright future, envisioning his family living good days.
Afterward, Huang Daquan was appointed temporarily as Wang Cunxiao’s personal guard. Once his name was reported to the Great Protector’s Mansion, he would become a formal garrison soldier.
Also to reward Huang Daquan and win hearts, Wang Cunxiao ordered a Sanggar woman thrown before him.
“Chiliarch, this is~” Huang Daquan was still a bit reserved.
After all, Heishui City hadn’t seen war for decades.
Memories of war and plunder had long faded.
“For you!” Wang Cunxiao patted his shoulder lightly and said with a hearty laugh.
“Though Heluo Chuan men are ugly, their women are truly beautiful.”
“Let loose tonight.”
“If you really like her, once you’ve saved enough money, you can redeem her and take her home as a concubine.”
With that, ignoring Huang Daquan’s embarrassment, he turned and entered his large tent.
As the supreme commander of the Sanggar battle, the women in Wang Cunxiao’s tent were naturally two of the most beautiful in the entire village.
The most beautiful, of course, was to be sent to the Great Protector.
Huang Daquan stood dazed in place, somewhat at a loss.
Looking at the trembling woman on the ground—over twenty years old, probably given birth, but her figure remained quite good.
Pretty face, fair skin, with distinct foreign race features.
Wang Cunxiao was right: Heluo Chuan men were short, skinny, and uglier than each other.
But the women were the complete opposite—each one beautiful.
Fair skin, big eyes, just like the Hu Ji that Huang Daquan had glimpsed from afar in Heishui City long ago.
Especially her current trembling state stirred even more excitement in his heart.
“Damn!”
“What did I fight so hard for?”
“Isn’t it for glory and wealth, to let my wife and kids live good days, and myself too?”
“One wife isn’t too few—I’m taking her.”
This honest man Huang Daquan quickly transformed, his eyes fierce as he directly hoisted the Heluo Chuan woman into the nearby room.
Soon after, most shadows in Sanggar Village disappeared, all entering tents.
The Northern Frontier Army’s laughter and women’s cries echoed in this Gobi village dyed red with blood, lingering for a long time.
The next day, much intelligence gathered in Wang Cunxiao’s hands.
All confessed by these Sanggar women under whip torture.
“The nearest village to us is a dozen li away, called Huleqin Village—always on good terms with Sanggar Village.”
“Heard they’re preparing a marriage alliance, with Sanggar Village set to marry Huleqin Village Master’s daughter.” Hei Wa said in a deep voice.
Heluo Chuan women were not as loyal as imagined.
Under dual torment of body and soul, many confessed too much intelligence.
Locations of most Heluo Chuan villages fell into Northern Frontier Army hands.
“A dozen li is simple, but water sources remain a big problem.” Wang Cunxiao said in a deep voice.
Almost no water sources between the two villages.
The only water source was the well in Sanggar Village.
Though all brackish, very bitter, but for army operations, it didn’t matter—non-lethal was fine.
Fortunately, it was now spring, with melting ice and snow raising groundwater levels.
In summer, the few wells in Sanggar Village probably couldn’t supply so many soldiers and war horses.
“Boltzi, take your men and stay in Sanggar Village to guard these women.”
Also to provide supplies for other troops.
Sanggar Village was like a transit station for the Northern Frontier Army in Heluo Chuan.
“Everyone else, fill all water pouches and set out immediately—breach Huleqin Village before sunset.” Wang Cunxiao ordered in a deep voice.
Hei Wa, Boltzi, and other Centurions all placed hands on chests and shouted heavily: “Understood.”
Soon, Wang Cunxiao led his cavalry out, galloping across the land like a yellow giant dragon.
But upon arriving at Huleqin Village, they saw a yellow sun and moon battle flag atop the walls.
Below the battle flag were several cavalrymen in yellow armor.
Seeing this, Wang Cunxiao was momentarily stunned—clearly, he was one step late; this village had already been taken by his own people.
Then, an officer from Huleqin Village led men out.
“Haha, Little Wang, you’re late—this village is already taken by your brother.”
A middle-aged Chiliarch from the same Fourth Garrison laughed heartily at Wang Cunxiao.
Wang Cunxiao chuckled: “Old Ding, you’re quick.”
“Heh, you’re not slow either.”
“Yesterday I saw you attacking the village behind, so I didn’t join. From your look, you must’ve taken it too.” Old Ding said.
“Small matter, not worth mentioning.” Wang Cunxiao said confidently.
Afterward, Wang Cunxiao’s soldiers replenished enough water in Huleqin Village, then continued to the next known target.
Ding Chiliarch’s troops did the same, heading to attack another village.
The various Chiliarch armies all split off to strike, determined to sweep flat all of Heluo Chuan, turning it thoroughly into just a place name.
