There was even a cavalryman who had taken two arrows to the chest. Trembling, he tried to get up, but just as he propped up half his body, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed again.
He was incredibly tenacious. After resting for a moment, he pushed himself up once more and spat out another mouthful of blood. This time, he managed to stay up. With a shaking finger pointing at Dong Si and the others, he gasped weakly, You... you... go... too... far!
As soon as the words left his mouth, he fell back with a heavy thud, dying with his eyes wide open.
Everyone was speechless.
The other surviving cavalrymen felt a deep sense of grief for their fallen comrade. Dragging their severely injured bodies, they crawled outward, coughing up blood as they muttered brokenly, A warrior can be killed, but never humiliated! You Han people push things too far!
Everyone remained speechless. Just because they learned a few words of Chinese, they really thought of themselves as Han? And warriors? Did they even count as true warriors?
Expressionless, Zhou Sui stepped forward and finished the men off.
He had fought battles his entire life and had seen countless soldiers killed or wounded by enemies playing dead on the battlefield. But this was the very first time he had seen enemies practically self-destruct because their comrades got their balls crushed. It was truly an eye-opening experience.
He could not help but cast a subtle glance at Dong Si. Was this guy a genius playing the fool, or just a fool who occasionally acted like a genius?
Their spoils this time were quite substantial. Not only did they acquire horses, bows, arrows, and swords, but they also scavenged over six strings of copper coins from the bodies.
It was just a pity that, likely for the sake of traveling light and pursuing quickly, neither the cavalrymen nor their warhorses were equipped with armor.
Armor was no light burden. Even a soldier's light armor started at roughly twenty kilograms, and horse armor was significantly heavier.
Jiang Jin, however, found herself in a dilemma. She had originally planned to leave immediately after taking care of the enemies, but now she could not bear to leave the two critically injured horses behind. That was a lot of good meat.
Zhou Sui suggested, My lady, why don't we do a quick, simple butchering of the horses and take the meat with us? About thirty miles ahead, there is a suitable place to set up camp. We can properly process the meat tonight.
Xie Nanxiao chimed in, Yes, I know that spot. It's quite spacious.
Jiang Jin's eyes lit up. Alright, let's do as you say. Handle it as quickly as possible.
This place was indeed no longer safe to linger in.
First of all, there were the corpses. Jiang Jin would have liked to bury them, but it was too massive an undertaking. With so few people, they simply lacked the time and energy.
Furthermore, this was still the territory of the Jiao people. Who knew if other Jiao soldiers might pass through? If a large battalion arrived, they would be in deep trouble.
Moreover, there was no way the ten of them could finish eating two entire horses at once. In this August heat, the meat wouldn't even stay fresh until tomorrow, let alone for a few days.
She couldn't openly use her spatial storage, so the best option was to turn the meat into jerky or smoke it.
That process would inevitably produce a strong smell. Their current temporary resting spot was too close to the main road, and if the scent drifted, it would easily attract the attention of other refugees and vagrants.
Wasting no time, Zhou Sui and Xie Nanxiao took charge of slaughtering the horses and harvesting the meat. The large chunks of meat were left to air out some moisture before being packed into hemp sacks, which the other horses would carry.
Meanwhile, Dong Si and the others moved the grain, clothing, and fabrics from Xie Nanxiao's cart into the hidden compartments of Jiang Jin's carriage.
From now on, Xie Nanxiao's cart would be used exclusively to store weapons. Any bloodstains on the weapons were scrubbed clean in the nearby stream.
Once everything was packed, Dong Si hitched the horses to the carriages. Feng Qingzhu hesitated for a moment before pleading with Dong Si to teach her how to drive a carriage.
Everyone in this group was proving their worth, but she didn't know how to do anything. She was terrified that Jiang Jin might abandon her.
Dong Si looked over at Jiang Jin.
Jiang Jin had already intended for the women to learn how to drive, so naturally, she didn't object.
Seeing her tacit approval, Dong Si nodded and began instructing Feng Qingzhu on the spot.
Luo Qingci and Liu Mi also hurried over to learn. Dong Si didn't hold anything back and taught them all earnestly.
By the time Zhou Sui and the others finished prepping the horse meat, bagging it, and loading it onto the horses, Feng Qingzhu and her fellow students had grasped the basics of carriage driving under Dong Si's guidance.
The convoy finally set off. Zhou Sui rode on horseback at the front, Chen Xi rode in the middle to manage the herd of horses, and Xie Nanxiao brought up the rear.
Jiang Jin, Dong Si, Feng Qingzhu, and Luo Qingci each drove a carriage.
Looking at the diligent yet overly cautious novice drivers, Feng Qingzhu and Luo Qingci, and then looking at Zhou Sui's trio, who had to protect the convoy while herding over forty horses...
For some reason, a phrase suddenly popped into Jiang Jin's mind: Women are used as men, and men are used as beasts of burden!
The great general Zhou Sui, the junior commander Xie Nanxiao, and the aristocratic heir Chen Xi had all been reduced to bodyguards and stable hands.
Meanwhile, the delicate imperial concubine Feng Qingzhu and the dignified daughter of a commandery governor Luo Qingci had become carriage drivers.
Thinking about it, Jiang Jin found the sight almost too pitiful to watch. Buying servants was becoming an urgent necessity.
She checked the time; it was already past four in the afternoon. Considering they had two novice drivers, the convoy was moving quite slowly.
Thirty miles was about fifteen kilometers. At their current pace, it would take roughly two hours to arrive.
Less than an hour after Jiang Jin and her group left the valley, a mob of over a hundred refugees arrived at the scene.
Seeing the corpses strewn across the ground, they froze for a second before erupting into wild ecstasy. With bloodshot eyes, they swarmed forward.
Though they instinctively feared the Jiao people, starvation had driven them to a madness that completely eclipsed their fear.
A few of them teamed up to drag a corpse away, and the rest quickly followed suit. In no time, the bodies on the ground were entirely scavenged, leaving behind nothing but a gruesome mess of bloodstains.
The location Zhou Sui and Xie Nanxiao had recommended was indeed excellent for spending the night.
It was about a mile off the main road, situated on flat terrain. Below it was a grassy slope, and at the bottom of the slope ran a small stream, making it easy to fetch water.
However, the spot was already occupied by a group of seventy or eighty people. The able-bodied men of their group stood on the perimeter, staring at Jiang Jin's horses and carriages with faces full of vigilance and shock.
They had been fleeing for so long and had never encountered so many horses. Just moments ago, they had thought barbarians were attacking and were scared half to death.
Only upon closer inspection did they realize the newcomers were Han Chinese, and not a very large group at that, which allowed them to relax slightly.
Some of them even stared at the horses and carriages with unconcealed greed.
Zhou Sui's expression remained neutral. Judging by their tattered clothes and the crude tools they held, they were clearly refugees who had fled from somewhere else.
He glanced back at Jiang Jin. She gave him a nod, confirming they would camp here for the night.
Though the other group had seventy or eighty people, only about twenty were able-bodied men. Most of them were armed with nothing but wooden sticks; they didn't even have more than a couple of wood-chopping axes among them.
Jiang Jin had just slaughtered elite Jiao cavalrymen; she certainly wasn't going to be intimidated by a group of ordinary commoners.
Zhou Sui looked toward an elderly man standing behind the younger men and called out loudly, We will set up camp over there. We won't interfere with you.
As he spoke, he pointed toward the far side of the area.
The old man followed his gaze to the spot, which was still several dozen yards away from their own camp. He bowed slightly and replied, Please, suit yourself.
Even though the newcomers were few in number, anyone traveling with that many horses and carriages was clearly not to be trifled with.
Especially the tall, imposing man who had just spoken. He looked incredibly fierce, held a sword, and clearly wasn't someone to cross. Because of this, the old man immediately adopted a highly respectful tone.
