Chapter 196: Tan Tai Ao's careful consideration? The ambush of the rebels is the real reason! (Subscribe)

"canyon?"

Looking at the canyon in front of him, whose narrowest point was only twenty or thirty feet wide, Cui Hao couldn't help but frown, having a bad feeling in his heart.

The canyon in front of them is extremely narrow and is the most suitable place for an ambush. If the rebels ambush on the cliffs on both sides at this time, they will not be able to escape.

"Did Tan Tai Ao and the other two fight?" Cui Hao secretly wondered in his heart, doubting their judgment.

Liu Jiuren also looked at Tan Tai Ao with surprise, obviously not expecting Tan Tai Ao to make such a decision.

Although the northern barbarians are not good at strategy, they should have this most basic common sense. And judging from their previous decisive retreat, Tan Tai Ao does not seem like the kind of person with a simple mind and strong limbs, right?

"I know you are worried that the rebels have already ambushed here, but how could I, Tan Tai Ao, be such a stupid person?" Tan Tai Ao saw the doubts in the two people's hearts, but instead had a complacent look on his face, with confidence in his tone.

As soon as he finished speaking, he blew a loud slogan, and scouts immediately ran down from the cliffs on both sides and came in front of the crowd.

The scouts were agile and breathless as they cupped their hands and said, "General, we have been guarding here. There is no sign of the rebels. It is very safe."

"General, what is this?"

This operation made Liu Jiuren confused for a moment. How could he know nothing about all this? Did Tan Tai'ao plan the retreat route from the beginning?
He was shocked, with disbelief in his eyes. When did these generals of the Northern Barbarians become so scheming and actually know how to prepare for a rainy day?

Tan Tai Ao smiled slightly, as if he had seen through Liu Jiuren's thoughts, and said with a bit of pride: "That's right, I have already arranged everything. Our scouts waiting here have already seen everything going on around them, and the rebels have no chance to ambush here."

“This general did this for two reasons. First, this is a shortcut to the North. Going from other places would take a long detour and increase the risk of exposure.

Although the canyon in front of us is very suitable for an ambush, it is also destined to not allow large-scale troops to pass through because of its narrowness. In this case, even if the rebels really catch up, how can a stream of floating troops be a match for our Northern Barbarians? "

At this point, his eyes sparkled with excitement, and he shouted excitedly: "If the rebels really dare to catch up, it will simply be their own destruction. I will let them know what it means to be trampled by iron cavalry!"

"When the Northern Barbarians take over the Central Plains in the future, I will definitely ask the Khan to give me Li Zhongwu's heart as a drink!"

"Yes, it is self-destruction."

Even Cui Hao, who always looked down upon the Northern Barbarians, could not help but flash a strange color in his eyes, and was greatly surprised. At this moment, a complex emotion surged in his heart, including surprise at Tan Tai Ao and worry about the rise of the Northern Barbarians.

He knew that Tan Tai'ao was right. Although the canyon was suitable for ambushes, it was also not conducive to the passage of large-scale troops. If they could really ensure the safety of the canyon in front of them, it would be a powerful weapon for them to escape the pursuit of the rebels.

But does this northern barbarian general really have such careful consideration?
"If all the generals under the Northern Barbarians were so proficient in strategy, wouldn't the world in the future be..."

Cui Hao's thoughts were churning in his heart. Although he tried his best not to believe that all this was true, he had to admit at this moment that Tan Tai Ao in front of him was far more far-sighted than he thought. His decisiveness and meticulous arrangements were terrifying to think about.

This forced him to re-evaluate this opponent whom he had once sneered at and looked down upon. If he did not guard against such an opponent, he would become his biggest threat in the future.

He glanced at the vast night behind him, pondered in his heart, and finally bowed and said: "General, what you said is very right. If this area is safe, we can pass through."

Seeing that Cui Hao finally recognized his judgment, Tan Tai Ao felt proud and smiled: "Now you can rest assured. A mere army of dozens of people want to stop my Northern Barbarian Cavalry? Wishful thinking!"

This was the first time that Tan Tai'ao had gained an advantage over the rebels. He was very happy. With a sneer of disdain on his face, he loudly ordered, "Brothers, go all out. The northern border is ahead. Once you reach the northern border and join the main army, you can eat some hot roasted lamb.

The first thing I will do when I get back is to invite you all to drink until you are drunk!"

"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison, their voices like thunder, shaking the canyon.

"You won't come home until you're drunk!"

"You won't come home until you're drunk!"

The few remaining soldiers roared together, their voices surged like a tide, and Tan Tai'ao's words gave them hope again, and everyone's eyes glowed with burning light again. It was a yearning for their hometown, and even more a desire for life.

Looking across the canyon, they seemed to have seen the beef and mutton just within reach, and everyone seemed particularly excited.

Just like that, under Tan Tai'ao's mobilization, this group of remnant soldiers regained their fighting spirit and rushed into the canyon in an endless stream.

Cui Hao stood aside and witnessed all this, feeling deeply moved.

In the past, he had underestimated these northern barbarians. He had thought that they were just vulgar people. He had never expected that under the leadership of Tan Tai Ao, they would show such strong morale and unity. Perhaps, the real enemy was not just the rebels, but himself who had underestimated the opponent.

"Maybe it's not maybe anymore." Cui Hao thought to himself that the northern barbarians had become the biggest rivals of the Han people in the Central Plains.

His thoughts could not help but drift to Lin Zhongyun, and he became more and more dissatisfied. If Lin Zhongyun was not so overbearing and resolute, perhaps everyone could unite to fight against foreign enemies, and the Cui family would not have fallen to such a state, and the Northern Barbarian Cavalry would not have been allowed to stand openly on the land of the Central Plains.

He knew very well that his current behavior was shameful and worthy of being despised by others, but his backbone as a scholar allowed him to find various reasons to convince himself in order to feel at ease.

Soon, the few remaining troops, less than 10,000 people, all entered the canyon.

The narrowest part of the canyon is only a few dozen feet wide, allowing only dozens of cavalrymen to pass side by side. In this situation, it is already very difficult to maintain the formation, let alone a cavalry charge.

If it were ordinary cavalry, they would probably be in chaos in such a narrow terrain, and even end up falling off their horses and colliding with each other.

In other words, the cavalrymen under Tan Tai'ao's command are all the elite among the Northern Barbarian Cavalry. Each of them is well-trained, so they can maintain their formation without any disorder in such a narrow terrain. Their movements are swift and coordinated, and it is obvious that they have been honed through thousands of trials and tribulations.

It can also be seen from here that the reason why the Northern Barbarian Cavalry has been able to dominate the world for so long is not in vain.

The more this happened, the more at ease Cui Hao felt. He no longer had to worry about the rebels catching up with him.

You know, the well-trained northern barbarian cavalry is like this, not to mention the rebels chasing behind? The so-called discipline is not something that can be formed by a few days of simple training. Behind it are ten years of hard work.

Although the rebel army was now unstoppable, most of the soldiers were poor people, and they were used to being lax. They could fight two enemies at a time, but it was wishful thinking to ask them to obey military discipline. In this way, they passed through the canyon safely.

"Hey, could it be that Tan Tai Ao has been playing dumb the whole time?"

At this time, Liu Jiuren sighed deeply, looked up at the extremely high cliffs on both sides, and his worries became even greater, and his brows frowned involuntarily.

To be honest, if Tan Tai Ao had not been well prepared and explored this place thoroughly, he would never have the courage to lead his troops through here, even if there were pursuers from the rebel army behind them.

With such a narrow valley bottom and such a high cliff, if the rebels set an ambush here and threw boulders or shot arrows from above, it could be said that they could be wiped out without any effort.

After all, they could still deploy their troops in the wide terrain outside, and there was still a glimmer of hope. But once they entered this canyon and encountered an ambush, they would be helpless and there would be no way out.

However, it was precisely because of this that he became even more wary of Tan Tai Ao.

When he was guarding the northern border before, he only witnessed the power of the Northern Barbarian Cavalry, so he made no achievements in guarding the northern border during these years.

However, he now discovered that the Northern Barbarians were not only fierce in their cavalry, but their generals were not as smart as before. Instead, they understood military tactics and were no worse than the Han people.

In the distance, the flames flickered.

In the dark night, it is like a bright lamp, so conspicuous.

Tan Tai Ao, who was at the front, couldn't help but burst into laughter when he saw this scene, his heart full of excitement and anticipation. "As long as we join forces with the main army, the righteous army and Lin Zhongyun will be nothing but chickens and dogs, and will not be able to withstand a single blow!"

"Brothers, charge!" Tan Tai'ao's voice was like a war drum, inspiring the hearts of every cavalryman. His horse's hooves thundered, and he ran towards the fire with fearless momentum. At this moment, he believed that it was the reinforcements sent by the Khan, and his heart was full of confidence and hope.

"Look, those are our reinforcements. It's the Khan coming to support us!" Tan Tai Ao shouted as he galloped on his horse, as if he had seen the dawn of victory.

This place is already very far away from the northern border. These are definitely reinforcements sent by the Khan. There is no doubt about it.

Along with Tan Tai'ao's roar like a loud bell, the Northern Barbarian cavalry responded in unison and rushed out of the canyon.

The dull sound of horse hooves echoed in the canyon, and everyone had an excited smile on their face. At this moment, they were no longer bloodthirsty and cold-blooded killers, but ordinary people who longed to go home and longed for warmth.

For a moment, the originally orderly sound of horse hooves began to become chaotic, and everyone had only one thought in their mind, which was to go back and have a good meal.

However, just as they were about to join the main army, an extremely piercing whistling sound was heard in the air.

Hearing the shrill howl, all the Northern Barbarian cavalry in the canyon were stunned and felt a creepy feeling.

"What's going on?" Even Tan Tai'ao, who was rushing in the front, stopped his horse at this moment, with a puzzled look on his face, "Could it be that the rebels have caught up with us?"

However, when he looked back, all he saw was endless darkness, without any sign of the rebels.

"boom!"

Just at this moment, he heard a muffled groan in his ears, followed by the sound of a body falling.

Tan Tai'ao was shocked. Was he ambushed? He turned his head quickly, but what caught his eyes was a dense rain of arrows that suddenly appeared under the dark night and shot towards them.

It turned out that the strange whistling sound in the air was not the pursuit of the rebels, but the crackling sound of feather arrows tearing through the air.

The direction of the arrow was neither at the rear where the rebels were pursuing, nor at the cliffs on both sides, but at the flickering fire that was only one step away from them.

"What's going on, Khan?" Some cavalrymen were shot by arrows and fell off their horses. They struggled in pain, their eyes full of disbelief, as if they couldn't believe what they saw.

How could they have imagined that the people they regarded as reinforcements could actually shoot such deadly arrows?

At this time, the flickering fire was getting closer and closer, and along with the dazzling fire came the sound of hurried horse hooves.

As their sight got closer, they suddenly discovered that under the reflection of the fire, a rebel flag was fluttering in the wind, and then more rebels appeared in front of them, completely surrounding the entire exit.

It turned out that the fire that they regarded as reinforcements was actually an ambush planned by the rebels long ago.

Tan Tai'ao's face turned pale instantly, he was completely dumbfounded, his eyes widened with disbelief. His heart was shaken violently, as if the whole world was collapsing in an instant.

"How could this be?" he muttered to himself, the fear and anger in his heart intertwined together, almost suffocating him.

"How could the rebels appear here? How could they guess our retreat route?" He was complacent before, but now, they became the rebels' prey, waiting to be hunted and killed. The gap between the two was hard for him to accept, and he collapsed completely.

"Quick, get back!"

As the King of Zhenbei, Liu Jiuren was the first to react. He yelled wildly, trying to stabilize the morale of the troops.

However, the Northern Barbarian cavalry had already lost their composure at this time. Shouts of fear rang out one after another, the horses ran around in panic, and the formation collapsed in an instant.

"Run!" Someone shouted heartbreakingly, his voice full of despair. Without Liu Jiuren's orders, the cavalrymen ran backwards one after another, trying to escape the sudden rain of arrows.

Arrows fell like raindrops, accompanied by the sound of tearing air, and the cheers of the Northern Barbarian cavalry instantly turned into desperate wails.

Some were shot by arrows and fell, their battle robes stained red with blood, but more people lost their minds due to fear and fled in all directions. The chaotic scene was like a hell on earth.

at the same time,

The cavalrymen who were turning their horses and fleeing frantically discovered that from where they had come before, clouds of black smoke were rising up, and flames were flashing in the sky...

(End of this chapter)