Chapter 16: Limited-Time Event?!

“Ha ha ha, so quick, so quick!”

Inside a certain Xiongnu grand tent, the commander of the hundred riders first pinched the fair, rounded curves of a beautiful woman beside him, then gently patted the delicate face of a young girl beneath him.

“I’ve always heard from the elders that Han women are different from our Hu daughters—gentle and obedient like water. I didn’t believe it before, but now I see I just didn’t find the right way.”

As the saying goes, when the spring breeze is favorable, the horse’s hooves fly swift. Riding over the girl, the commander couldn’t help but admire inwardly—he truly had chosen the right leader.

Tatara, the commander of the thousand riders, nephew to the King of Xiutu, was indeed fortunate. While other tribes were retreating after defeat, enduring arduous journeys, his unit was entrusted to stay behind and plunder the local lands—a coveted task.

Mrs. Wang dared not speak; her eyes fixed tightly on the saber by the bedside.

Unexpectedly, the commander noticed her gaze. The woman quickly withdrew her eyes, but instead of anger, he unsheathed the blade and handed it to her with a smile.

“Here, hold it. This is the treasured saber given to me by the commander of the ten thousand riders.”

He traced a finger lightly across his neck.

“One gentle cut and I’d be dead.”

Mrs. Wang understood the Xiongnu language, but with the sharp blade in hand, her fingers trembled uncontrollably, unable to move.

It wasn’t that she lacked skill or courage. Unlike the Taiyuan people who rarely saw Xiongnu raids, her hometown, Yunzhong Commandery, was on the border where diverse tribes mingled. The customs were fierce; not only were the men brave warriors, but even the women could wield spears and bows. Before marriage, she had once shot dead a Xiongnu thief who tried to steal sheep.

If it were possible, she truly wished to strike down the man who had violated her and her daughter with a single stroke. Yet—

“Heh heh, madam, you don’t want your sons’ heads to roll, do you?”

Mrs. Wang turned her head; the tears she had held back all night finally spilled forth. Truly, heaven was blind. Her two eldest sons, no older than nine, were tied together and guarded by two Xiongnu soldiers, forced to witness the commander’s wickedness all night.

The commander easily took back his saber and shoved the woman to the ground, grinning.

“Ha ha ha, that’s more like it! Come on, bend over. If your daughter didn’t do her part well, as her mother, you must take responsibility!”

Just as the commander was about to continue his assault, a soldier rushed in with news.

“Commander, scouts report a group of eleven riders heading straight for us.”

“Hmm? Eleven? Who are they?” The commander frowned.

“Looks like some fleeing soldiers from another tribe. Someone has already gone out to intercept and question them. We should have news soon.”

“Bah! And you come to disturb my fun? Get out of here! Don’t bother me unless it’s important!”

After a whole night taming this fiery woman, he had no time to waste with a bunch of defeated soldiers.

But this reckless attitude would soon bring the Xiongnu commander of the hundred riders a heavy price...

***

“Ah, General, spare me! We’re your own men! Let’s talk this through—don’t kill!”

Even now, the hundred riders’ commander, naked and trembling on his knees before Su Yao, still couldn’t comprehend whom he had offended.

He only remembered that shortly after sending a soldier out, the camp began to stir. Grumbling, he ordered his guards to investigate.

At the moment the soldiers parted the tent flap, he was thrown flying backward, followed by the thunderous sound of a towering white horse.

“Who dares storm my camp?!”

The commander didn’t even get to shout. He barely saw the approaching figure before two guards lost their heads silently.

Taking advantage of the shock inside the tent, Su Yao quickly pushed the woman aside and dropped to his knees, loudly begging for mercy.

“This damn thing—twelve plus? Go away! Who’s interested in a man’s backside?”

As he spoke, Su Yao kicked the glitching NPC away, rubbed his eyes, ignored the confused Wang mother and daughter, and swiftly left the tent to deal with the enemy.

That was the last memory the Xiongnu hundred riders commander had in this battle.

Outside, the still-chaotic Xiongnu saw Su Yao emerge, bloodied from head to toe. Before they could grasp what happened, they suddenly heard cries in Xiongnu tongue that the commander was dead, and surrender was the only way to avoid death. One by one, they dropped their weapons and yielded.

Thus, Su Yao’s impromptu raid ended swiftly.

“Thirteen killed, seventy-nine captured... our troops suffered zero casualties. A complete victory. Captain Cheng, your bravery and strategy inspire us all,” Cheng Lian reported, bowing respectfully. This young officer truly opened his eyes.

The surprising success of the raid caught everyone, including Su Yao, off guard.

Indeed, capturing seventy-nine men, including the hundred riders commander, was beyond Su Yao’s expectations.

Or rather, it was the joint achievement of Su Yao and his elite Bingzhou soldiers.

Originally, his plan was to use Hu clothing to deceive the enemy, strike quickly, and decapitate the enemy leadership. For this, Cheng Lian was ordered to wait outside the camp as backup.

After all, this was a hundred-man Xiongnu unit; he did not want his newly acquired elite troops to suffer losses.

Unexpectedly, Cheng Lian acted without orders, charging amidst the chaos soon after Su Yao entered, and even shouted in Xiongnu language, demanding surrender after Su Yao exited the camp.

“...”

What to do when your subordinates are too enthusiastic and steal your glory? Urgently awaiting advice.

This operation also unexpectedly revealed another feature of this squad: they all spoke Xiongnu fluently!

Upon inquiry, Su Yao learned these men were northern cavalry conscripted from Yunzhong Commandery.

Not only could they master the Xiongnu tongue, but once dressed in Hu clothing and silent in Han language, no one could tell they were Han at all.

“Shameful Han! Pretending to be our Hu people, deceiving us—sly, cunning, and shameless!”

***

The hundred riders commander knelt on the ground, wrapped in a curtain, his face swollen like a pig’s head, still defiant.

Before Su Yao could speak, a Han cavalryman in Hu clothing kicked him to the ground and spat.

“You still dare bark here? Has my lord given you permission to speak?”

“What’s their fuss about?” Su Yao asked.

“The snarling of a defeated general. No need to pay attention, Captain,” Cheng Lian replied.

Su Yao nodded, more interested in the intelligence extracted from the commander—

These Hu tribesmen were preparing to retreat! All pillaging squads had orders from superiors to regroup within five days and escort supplies back to the Xiongnu royal court at Xihe.

At first, Su Yao thought he misheard, but after asking several times, he roughly understood. This might mean his current operation was just a preliminary skirmish; the Xiongnu’s timed raiding event was about to expire!

So these monsters were not infinitely spawning after all?

As for another piece of information—the scattered raiding groups near Qixian all belonged to a leader named Kakaluote’s thousand riders. Su Yao paid it no mind. The name of a dying man meant nothing.

A minor timed event boss for a rookie—what mattered was what loot he could drop.

“He’s probably told us all he knows. What do you suggest we do?” Cheng Lian reported, seeing no more useful intelligence to extract.

“Release him. Since I promised not to kill him if he cooperated, I must keep my word.”

“This...” Cheng Lian trembled, biting his lip. “This Hu bandit’s hands are stained with Han blood. And the Wang mother and daughter... Are we really letting him go just like that?”

“My word is my bond, Captain Cheng. Do you want me to be the one who breaks it?”

“...Fine, release him, release him!” Cheng Lian threw his hands down in frustration.

The soldiers grumbled in anger but had no choice but to obey orders.

“Didn’t expect the captain to be so stubborn at such a young age. It’s infuriating.”

Stubborn? Ha.

As the hundred riders commander scrambled away, tail between his legs, a flicker of amusement passed through Su Yao’s eyes.