Chapter 49: Ta Village Under Attack

At this time, it was afternoon!

Some people from Ta Village were grazing cattle and sheep on the pasture outside the village.

Although the Karluk rebellion hadn’t been resolved yet, the pressure from the Karluks had ceased to exist after the Battle of Sanhe Fortress.

Moreover, Ta Village was located in the western part of Jin Prefecture. If the Karluks wanted to come over, they would definitely be discovered by Hedong Fortress and Hexi Fortress.

So, the people of Ta Village relaxed and did what they needed to do.

After all, Ta Village had quite a few cattle and sheep, many snatched from Aslan’s tribe.

It was impossible to cut grass and bring it back to feed them for a long time!

But just when the herdsmen of Ta Village thought they were safe, looking after the cattle and sheep grazing all over the mountains and plains with smiles on their faces…

A burst of low hoofbeats suddenly sounded.

The herdsmen of Ta Village turned their heads to look one after another, and those sleeping also opened their eyes instantly, standing up directly from the ground.

“Who are those people?” a woman asked!

Some experienced men immediately changed their expressions drastically.

“It’s the enemy!”

“There are many people!”

Looking around, a cavalry unit appeared on the grassland in the distance at some point, numbering about two hundred people.

They were galloping fast, aiming exactly at the place where the herdsmen of Ta Village were grazing.

“Quick, leave immediately!”

“Everyone go back!”

Some men shouted loudly.

At this moment, whether men, women, or children on the pasture, all quickly mounted their horses.

Some women were reluctant to leave the cattle and sheep, but were picked up by rational men and thrown onto the horses.

“What time is it now, still caring about these cattle and sheep!”

“Life is the most important!”

“Go quickly~”

Men whipped their horses, quickly taking their families away from the pasture, running toward the village.

All cattle and sheep were ignored.

The enemy was powerful; just leave them for now!

Unlike nomadic peoples, cattle and sheep were everything to them.

Losing cattle and sheep only had three outcomes: starving to death, becoming someone else’s slave for a bite of food, or robbing someone else’s cattle and sheep.

But for Han people, without cattle and sheep, there was still grain, and they could still survive.

“Oooooh~”

“Kill~”

“Charge over, catch up with those Han people~”

Xia’erda led two hundred Čarlan cavalrymen, rushing over rapidly.

Faces showing rampant and excited laughter, constantly waving the spears and curved sabers in their hands, shouting and screaming forward like a troop of baboons on the grassland.

Most of these Čarlan cavalrymen wore leather armor, disheveled hair, and dirty looks, but exuded a sturdy aura.

And those cavalrymen without leather armor were slaves of the Čarlan tribe. Through battle, they might be able to gain the opportunity to become free people.

“Hahahaha~”

“Han people as timid as mice, they ran away, haha~”

“Chase them for me, kill all the men~”

“Snatch the women~”

The Čarlan cavalry laughed unscrupulously, accelerating their horses to charge and kill.

They didn’t even care about the cattle and sheep abandoned on the grassland.

Cattle and sheep couldn’t run away.

But if they couldn’t breach the Han village before sunset, they wouldn’t be able to enjoy the charming Han women tonight.

“Who are they?”

Zhao Dabao looked back while running, his face very ugly.

A man not far away said: “Looking at their appearance, they don’t seem like Karluks~”

“It’s impossible for Karluks to run to our Ta Village silently.”

“Are they from the west? Could they be from the Yin Mountain side?”

There were four administrative regions in the Northern Border: Jin Prefecture, Beihai, Yinshan (Yin Mountain), and Damo (Desert).

Each prefecture had a Xiangwen Office, which is the Governor-General’s Office, with a Khitan serving as the Governor-General.

But the status of Yinshan was the most special.

It was named ‘Yin Mountain’ because it was located north of the Tianshan Mountains.

Because after Yelü Dashi’s western expedition, he proclaimed himself emperor at Emili (Yemili), taking the title ‘Gurkhan’.

Emili was located in Yinshan!

Although Western Liao later moved the capital to Husi Ordu (Balasagun), the status of Emili remained very high.

It was called the ‘Eastern Capital’, the political center of the entire Northern Border.

The Eastern Capital Regency was located in Emili, responsible for managing the entire Northern Border.

So cavalry coming from the direction of Yin Mountain were most likely people from the Regency!

“Damn it, no matter who they are, daring to rob our Ta Village’s sheep, we absolutely can’t let them off.”

Zhao Dabao said angrily.

Not long ago, he followed Li Xiao, beating the Karluks and the people of Hou Village until they fled like rats.

Just when he was high-spirited, he was chased so wretchedly in the blink of an eye.

Zhao Dabao was furious!

“Return to the village first; talk about revenge later~” an elder of the Zhao family shouted.

“Hyah~”

The distance between the two sides got closer and closer, and the moat of Ta Village was right in front.

Xia’erda took the lead, fearless, waving his curved saber, and ordered loudly: “Follow me to kill inside~”

In his eyes, these Han people were just timid mice, not worth fearing.

Without the protection of battlements and moats, those Han people were like stripped women, allowing him to ravage them at will.

Xia’erda wanted to prove his bravery to everyone, telling his father and others in the tribe that he could lead the Čarlan tribe to become stronger.

But just as Xia’erda followed the herdsmen of Ta Village and rushed into the village in one go, the situation before him changed his face drastically.

He shouted in shock: “Iron-armored soldiers?”

After learning the news of the pasture being attacked, the people of Ta Village immediately began to gather troops to prepare for battle.

When Xia’erda rushed in, he happened to see seven figures wrapped entirely in armor.

They held spears, and even the warhorses under them were draped in iron armor. Speed getting faster and faster, charging toward Xia’erda and these Čarlan people entering the village.

Behind them, many light cavalry wearing leather armor followed.

Plus these herdsmen who were chased before, the people of Ta Village even outnumbered the Čarlan cavalry.

Most importantly, the entrance to Ta Village was narrow, with moats on both sides, and only one road in the middle could enter.

So in a short time, not many Čarlan people could rush in.

Only Xia’erda and a dozen others!

“Retreat~”

Xia’erda shouted in terror, his voice changing.

Facing the attack of heavy cavalry, completely unprepared, they dared not engage at all.

The best way was to dodge and slowly wear down the heavy cavalry with blunt weapons.

But Xia’erda rushed too hastily; only a dozen people beside him rushed into the village.

Couldn’t retreat, nor was there a place to hide.

In the end, they could only watch helplessly as the heavy cavalry rushed in front of them.

“Ah~”

Screams rang out, and the Čarlan people were instantly thrown off their feet.

Seven cavalrymen clad in heavy armor, holding long sabers, charged headlong.

Any spear couldn’t penetrate their armor; any curved saber hacking on their bodies was bounced off instantly.

Although the Čarlan people outside the village were still rushing forward desperately, they were firmly blocked by the seven heavy cavalrymen.

Arrows were constantly shooting from around~

Soon, a panicked voice rang out among the Čarlan people.

“The Young Chief is dead~”

“The Young Chief was killed by Han people!”

“What? Xia’erda was killed?”

Hearing this voice, the Čarlan people outside the village instantly began to panic.

Gazes were all looking for Xia’erda’s figure, but in the end, they only found Xia’erda’s horse.

The person had long been cut down from the horse and then trampled into pulp by chaotic horse hooves.

At this moment, the faces of all Čarlan people changed drastically.

They knew very well that Xia’erda was Nierdu’s favorite son and the future chief of the Čarlan tribe.

Now he actually died here because of recklessness.

Nierdu definitely wouldn’t spare them.

Thinking of that terrible consequence, these Čarlan cavalrymen instantly shuddered.

Now there was only one way~

“Kill them!”

“Avenge the Young Chief~”

“Kill all these Han people!”

Only by capturing Ta Village and killing all Han people to avenge Xia’erda might Nierdu forgive them.

So, these Čarlan people rushed forward frantically.

But this moat outside Ta Village seemed to become a chasm, completely blocking these Čarlan people.

Accompanied by a large number of arrows shooting out, more and more Čarlan people fell outside the moat.

“It looks like we killed an important figure of the enemy.”

Zhao Tiezhu looked at those excited enemies outside and couldn’t help guessing.

“That’s great. Let these bastards chase us; this is retribution. Ideally, kill them all,” Zhao Dabao said indignantly.

After following Li Xiao for two battles, his temper seemed to have become fierce.

“Hmph, what’s good about it!” Zhao Tiezhu glared at him.

“Those enemies outside are preparing to fight to the death.”

“And I saw two enemies leave; they definitely went to call for help.”

“Next, more enemies will arrive, and it will be a fight to the death~” Zhao Tiezhu said with a serious expression.

Zhao Dabao was stunned. Lacking experience, he didn’t think as much as his grandfather at all.

Thinking everything would be fine after driving these enemies away!

“You go to Hexi Fortress immediately to ask for help, let Da Long bring people over,” Zhao Tiezhu said to Dabao.

“Yes~” Zhao Dabao nodded heavily.

Changing to a fresh horse, he immediately ran toward the direction of Hexi Fortress from another exit.

In the distance, Nierdu stood on a high ground, looking at the location of Ta Village, watching the brave Čarlan warriors constantly attacking the enemy’s village.

Nierdu nodded with satisfaction.

Saying to the people around him: “Guess how long the Han people can last?”

“I guess the Han people will definitely come out to surrender before sunset.”

“I think it won’t take the time of a meal; those Han people won’t be able to hold on soon~”

…

Nierdu nodded laughing: “If those Han people can be sensible and voluntarily offer cattle, sheep, and women, I might forgive their ignorance.”

“Spare their lives and let them become our slaves!”

Listening to Nierdu’s words, everyone nodded deeply in agreement.

But soon, two fast horses arrived hurriedly. A Čarlan cavalryman shouted in panic to Nierdu.

“Chief, bad news~”

“The Young Chief was killed by Han people!”

Hearing this, the confidence and smile on Nierdu’s face stopped abruptly. He widened his eyes suddenly, looking disbelieving.

“What?”

The surrounding Čarlan people also looked stunned, looking at each other~

Then, Nierdu’s furious voice rang out on this high ground: “Kill all the Han people for me~”

Pfft~

“Chief, Chief~”

(End of this chapter)