Chapter 1022

“Is that him, Dolgor?”

In the faint light of dawn, Gubat pointed somewhat helplessly at Dolgor’s corpse.

After a night of hard fighting, they had completely taken control of the tribal camp. Most of the Golden Tent cavalry were killed in action, while the remaining cavalry chose to surrender. The barbarians who were preparing to migrate with the Golden Tent also all chose to surrender.

The story of the three major tribes being massacred for resisting had already spread throughout the grassland. Now, the Great Yu Empire was not a weak and easily bullied lamb in their eyes but a terrifying, hungry wolf.

Some barbarians would even use Niu Ben’s name to scare disobedient children. It was in this fear that the barbarians chose to surrender obediently. Being a slave was, after all, better than losing one’s life.

“Absolutely true, I would recognize him even if he turned to dust,” Gubat said with certainty. After the battle ended, they began searching for Dolgor. After a search, they found Dolgor dead on the western defense line.

“To die just like that, it’s a bit of a shame,” Qi Guangyi said with a hint of regret. He had planned to use Dolgor to claim credit, after all, this was a great achievement.

But even so, Dolgor was dead, and this meant that the border troubles that had threatened the Empire’s north for a hundred years were finally completely resolved.

Gubat looked at the dead Dolgor, feeling a deep sense of powerlessness. He was now very glad that he had decided to submit to the Great Yu Empire. If he had made a single wrong move, he would probably be one of those lying with Dolgor now.

And now, he and his tribe might have a different future.

While thinking with such apprehension, Qi Guangyi suddenly gave an order, “Gubat, there are too many captives. Have your men cooperate with us to herd these captives to Raozhou. Now, Guandong needs people for railway and telegraph line construction, and thermal power plants also need people. We cannot waste so much labor.”

Gubat showed a cautious smile. He did not dare to disobey, after all, his fate still depended on him.

“Yes, General Qi Guangyi, leave this matter to us.” With that, he had his soldiers drive the captives east.

At the same time, Feng Dongjin was anxiously waiting for news from Qi Guangyi. Although this battle was a surprise attack, the number of barbarians was huge, so there were still great risks.

However, his worries disappeared in the afternoon. He saw through his binoculars that an endless stream of captives was following the cavalry in green uniforms, which meant that the harvest this time was indeed not small.

When Qi Guangyi returned to the camp, he immediately went up to him and said, “Commander, it seems you have gained a lot this time.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the large number of captives.

Qi Guangyi smiled. “This time, they finally didn’t disappoint me. Most of the barbarians in the Golden Tent have surrendered. More than 600,000 people are enough to alleviate the shortage of labor resources in Guandong.”

Feng Dongjin said with a smile, “Then I was worried for nothing. It seems these barbarians have finally learned to be afraid.”

Qi Guangyi also laughed when he heard this. This was their purpose, otherwise, how could they deter the small-minded?

After the two chatted briefly, Feng Dongjin remembered something. He said, “I have prepared a feast. Since we’ve had such a great victory, why don’t we have a drink?”

“Good! That’s what I was waiting for.” Dolgor was dead, and the barbarian threat was completely resolved. Now he could finally relax.

Dismounting, Qi Guangyi walked towards the bonfire. At this time, seeing the somewhat unnatural Gubat, he said, “Banner Head Gubat, come have a drink with us. This great battle was a great achievement for the banner head. When we return to Raozhou, I will definitely tell His Majesty about the banner head’s contribution.”

“General Qi, no, Commander Qi, thank you!” Gubat said with his fists clasped, his heart filled with excitement. This was exactly what he had been waiting for.

With Qi Guangyi’s invitation, Gubat became bold and went to the bonfire with the two of them. The soldiers were also assigned to their own bonfires to eat.

After raising their glasses and drinking, Gubat said, “Thank you both for your trust. Since you two are about to return victorious, may I ask you to hand this instrument of surrender to His Majesty?”

Qi Guangyi took the instrument of surrender. It was clear that Gubat had been preparing for more than a day to seek refuge with the Empire. He said, “That is not a problem. With this great victory, the overall situation in the north is settled. As long as Banner Head Gubat can serve the Empire and raise livestock, His Majesty will be very happy.”

“That is natural. As long as His Majesty needs it, I, Gubat, will definitely do my best. We are the best at herding, and we will surely provide a large number of cattle and sheep for His Majesty,” Gubat said.

Feng Dongjin and Qi Guangyi exchanged a look, and a smile appeared in their eyes. Although they did not like Gubat, who was a barbarian, he was, after all, a person whom the Emperor had personally decided to keep.

After a pleasant conversation with Gubat, he also gradually understood the Emperor’s intention. It was certainly satisfying to kill Gubat, but what benefit would that bring to the people’s livelihood of the Empire?

Rather than doing that, it was better to keep him and have him serve the Empire like the Cossacks served Tsarist Russia, raising livestock for the Empire and providing cavalry for the Empire.

In this way, the Empire could control the vast grassland at the lowest cost, without having to worry about being encroached upon by other nomadic tribes again.

While drinking and chatting, after three rounds of wine, the three of them went their separate ways. After a night of hard fighting, both Qi Guangyi and Gubat needed to rest.

As for Feng Dongjin, his tasks suddenly increased. So many captives were not so easy to manage.

After resting for a day, Feng Dongjin and Qi Guangyi woke up early the next morning, reorganized the army, and marched towards Raozhou with the captives.

With the Golden Tent annihilated, there was no need for them to stay on the grassland any longer. After all, every extra day they spent on the grassland would put more pressure on logistics. So they decided to return as soon as possible and at the same time, send this good news to Qingzhou.

…

Qingzhou.

After waiting for half a month, a battle report from the grassland completely ignited the atmosphere in Qingzhou City.

For many years, the barbarians had been a lingering nightmare in the hearts of the people of the country, but now, after more than ten years of war, the barbarians had finally been brought down under the foot of the Empire. From now on, they would no longer have to worry about being awakened by the sound of barbarian hooves in their sleep.

“In this battle, the Northwest Army not only defeated the Cossack cavalry but also gained a lot. Including the captured cavalry, a total of 640,000 people were captured in this battle. If we count the various tribes, large and small, during this period, we have captured about a million barbarians. This is not a small number.” Pang Yukun was both happy and worried.

Xiao Ming understood what Pang Yukun meant. He was worried that so many barbarians would reproduce and become a huge ethnic group again.

He said, “Chief Grand Secretary Pang, your worries are unnecessary. Their numbers are not small, but if we divide them up, they will disappear. Since there are so many captives this time, we will relocate 300,000 to Siberia and another 300,000 to Australia. The most important thing is that the women among these captives are not allowed to marry within their own race; they can only marry men of the Empire. The men among the captives are not allowed to marry women of the Empire.”

Fei Ji looked at Xiao Ming when he heard this. He had to say that this plan was very vicious; it was a plan of extermination.