Lin Yue commanded two thousand slave soldiers, all of whom were slaves rescued from various parts of the grasslands. The strong and young among them were chosen to serve as soldiers, thus these two thousand slave soldiers obeyed only Lin Yue and were deeply grateful to her. If Lin Yue told them to march, they would leap into mountains of blades or seas of fire without hesitation.
In times of chaos, a military force was the foundation for survival and prosperity, an eternal truth regardless of region.
Fortune is hidden in misfortune, and misfortune is supported by fortune; such is the nature of worldly affairs. These two thousand slave soldiers loyally guarded Lin Yue, but this also incited the jealousy of the Xiongnu noble Du Yongjian and others. However, during the great war and when they were in need of capable individuals, coupled with Prince Bian's dependence on her, Du Yongjian did not act against Lin Yue for the time being.
Not acting for the moment did not mean they would never act. Sooner or later, Lin Yue would confront Du Yongjian.
Lin Yue understood this perfectly, but there was nothing she could do at present. If Lin Yue were to hand over these two thousand slave soldiers now, Du Yongjian would immediately move against her. No matter how much Prince Bian relied on Lin Yue, it meant that whether she surrendered these two thousand slave soldiers or not, a dire fate awaited her. With these two thousand slave soldiers protecting her, Lin Yue was at least safe for the moment.
For Lin Yue, the only option was to tread carefully, taking one step at a time.
"Qimoni Niangniang!"
The two thousand slave soldiers formed ranks. Upon seeing Lin Yue approach, they all held their weapons, looking at her with reverence and cheering in unison from the depths of their hearts.
The fate of slaves was tragic, and their future bleak. The slaves had long lost hope, but Lin Yue saved them. From that moment on, Lin Yue became a god in their eyes. At the goddess's command, the slaves were willing to sacrifice their lives for her.
However, these two thousand slave soldiers were still slaves by status. Although Lin Yue did not treat them as such, it was due to the long-standing customs, rules, and deeply ingrained ideas of the grasslands. Lin Yue had considered abolishing slavery, but such a move would inevitably provoke strong opposition from various tribes on the grasslands, especially the nobles, who would unite to attack her. Lin Yue was utterly helpless in this regard.
For a long time, slaves had been their cattle, sheep, and horses. How easy could it be for cattle, sheep, and horses to rise up?
The two thousand slave soldiers came from all over the grasslands, including people from the Western Regions, Wusun, Jie, Di, Qiang tribes, and even Xianbei, as well as a few Han Chinese. All the strong and young were selected for military service. Each was robust and tall, and after the long and diligent training and years of warfare under Zhun Jin, they were proficient in formations, skilled in archery and horsemanship, and knowledgeable in martial arts. Coupled with their unwavering loyalty to Lin Yue, they had become a formidable force, greatly feared by Du Yongjian.
Who is Qimoni Niangniang? Is she a celestial being on the grasslands? Zhou Fugui glanced at these slave soldiers with excited, adoring expressions and muttered to himself before following Lin Yue and Zhun Jin into the camp.
"Moon Goddess, Qimoni Niangniang, Qin Du Ni has been awaiting you for a long time." Qin Du Ni, the Xiongnu shaman high priest, bowed respectfully at the camp entrance, greeting Lin Yue with utmost deference and a face full of flattery.
Given Qin Du Ni's status as a shaman high priest, he ought not to have behaved this way. However, Qin Du Ni had been elevated by Lin Yue, and coupled with some peculiar events, Qin Du Ni was now completely subservient to Lin Yue's command.
This was also one of the reasons why Du Yongjian was wary of Lin Yue. The people of the grasslands were all believers in gods, and how could the divine will be defied?
The old shaman Mo Qi attempted to harm Lin Yue with a secret corpse-disintegration technique but was instead consumed by the red light emanating from Lin Yue, causing Qin Du Ni and others to revere her as a celestial being.
"Great Priest, you have worked hard." Lin Yue, still mounted on her horse, did not dismount. She merely looked at Qin Du Ni and spoke before riding her horse into the camp.
When the Xiongnu army marched, shamans were indispensable for various rituals and divination of fortune.
"Not hard, not hard. It is Qin Du Ni's honor to serve the Princess Consort," Qin Du Ni replied joyfully, standing on the ground, and then trotted along behind Lin Yue into the camp.
Another dead shaman? Utterly persistent! No matter how fast Qin Du Ni trotted, he could not match a horse. Thus, Zhou Fugui, following Lin Yue into the camp, looked at the strangely dressed Qin Du Ni as he rode past and cursed inwardly.
Zhou Fugui had not forgotten the dead shaman from Xiao Jia Tun, that poisonous shaman. He had yet to settle the blood feud for his brother.
"Kid, what are you looking at me for?" Qin Du Ni also saw Zhou Fugui. He puffed out his chest, a look of arrogance on his face. His flattery immediately turned to arrogance as he asked Zhou Fugui, "Kid, what makes me look spirited?"
"You look spirited like a wild pheasant in the mountains," Zhou Fugui said with a grin, revealing his white teeth. Qin Du Ni, a Jie tribesman, did not understand that Zhou Fugui was mocking him. He asked a bit smugly, "Kid, where do I look spirited?"
"Like a wild pheasant in the mountains," Zhou Fugui said with a grin, revealing his white teeth. Qin Du Ni, a Jie tribesman, did not understand that Zhou Fugui was mocking him. He asked a bit smugly, "Kid, where do I look spirited?"
"Like a wild pheasant in the mountains," Zhou Fugui said with a grin, revealing his white teeth. Qin Du Ni, a Jie tribesman, did not understand that Zhou Fugui was mocking him. He asked a bit smugly, "Kid, where do I look spirited?"
Zhou Fugui, filled with hatred for Xiao Yuanshan, hated all shamans.
"This is madness! Go inside." Lin Yue was furious and scolded him sternly.
Zhou Fugui complied and obediently followed Lin Yue into the camp.
Who exactly is he? The Princess Consort seems to be quite close to him. Qin Du Ni thought in astonishment, sitting on the ground.
...
Inside the camp, of course, there was various training.
Lin Yue led Zhou Fugui and other guards on a tour of the various camps, and Zhun Jin, the commander of the slave army, naturally accompanied them throughout.
Zhou Fugui's so-called "Centurion of the Tent" was actually just a guard, still a soldier, not a general, with no soldiers under his command. What else could he be but a soldier?
So I am still a guard. It seems my life is fated to be with these darn guards, Zhou Fugui mused wryly while observing the training of the slave soldiers.
However, this was a golden opportunity for Zhou Fugui, allowing him to observe the characteristics of the Xiongnu army up close and carefully ponder their strengths and weaknesses.
The slave army, as Lin Yue's personal troops, was naturally part of the Xiongnu army.
Northerners were skilled riders, and the northern lands produced many fine horses. The Xiongnu army was primarily cavalry, and the main characteristic of cavalry was its speed and unparalleled mobility, covering a thousand li in a day, appearing and disappearing without a trace. Therefore, the Xiongnu army's main tactics revolved around "cavalry." Advancing when advantageous, retreating when not, swift raids, and long-distance assaults were all their key characteristics.
In this era, cavalry held a position of utmost importance, being the key to victory. It was difficult to defeat cavalry with infantry.
However, cavalry was not without its weaknesses. The key to cavalry lay in the rider and the horse. A fierce rider, a strong warhorse, and proper tactics could make them a formidable cavalry force. When cavalry lost their horses, they were less effective than an infantryman. Furthermore, cavalry was significantly affected by terrain. Mountains, forests, lakes, and rivers could greatly restrict cavalry mobility and thus affect their combat effectiveness.
This was also the main reason why the fierce northern cavalry could roam freely in the north, conquer cities, and break through any defenses, but when they ventured south, they often found themselves constrained, even suffering crushing defeats.
The defeat of Yan's campaign against Xia at Niuzhu Stream was also related to this.
Zhou Fugui had some understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of cavalry, but he still observed and pondered the slave army's cavalry.
"Know yourself and your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles." This is the principle. In all things, preparedness leads to success, unpreparedness to failure. Opportunity always favors the prepared.