Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors

He was thinking about being singled out by Lord Qin during the day.

Just thinking about it made him so excited that he could hardly sleep.

What was Tulikhan's status on the steppe? It could be said that he was second only to one and above tens of thousands.

However, the gap between him and Jie Li Khan was huge.

In this southern invasion, Tulikhan had some say, but not much, as he basically had to obey Jie Li Khan.

During the day on the battlefield, Lord Qin rode alone in front of the formation, displaying his vigor and flaunting his might, this formidable aura, as if it was destined by heaven, made all the Turkic people submit.

More importantly, Lord Qin actually publicly called out to Tulikhan, repeatedly emphasizing their brotherhood!

In reality, their brotherhood was at best "plastic brotherhood," for they had not sworn brotherhood face-to-face but through an envoy from the Liang Dynasty who had sworn brotherhood on behalf of Lord Qin when visiting the Turkic lands.

If we were to describe it in today's terms, it should be considered a "cloud brotherhood" or "online brotherhood."

But from Lord Qin's reaction, it seemed that he valued this brotherhood highly and even spoke at length about it in front of both armies, practically treating Tulikhan as a true brother.

This left Tulikhan greatly flattered.

Who didn't know Lord Qin's illustrious reputation for sweeping through the Central Plains and being undefeated in battle?

Being regarded as a brother and valued so highly by such a heroic figure stirred Tulikhan's spirit.

And most importantly, Lord Qin did not show such closeness to Jie Li Khan, who held a higher position, but instead continually rebuked him using nothing but diplomatic rhetoric, showing no respect for the Turkic leader.

This made Tulikhan even prouder.

If possible, Tulikhan actually wanted to visit Chang'an to meet Lord Qin in person and formally complete the brotherhood ceremony.

However, just then, there was suddenly a commotion outside the tent.

"Report to the Khan, it's not good!

"The Liang Army, the Liang Army is attacking!"

Tulikhan turned pale with shock, "What?!"

He quickly got up, left the tent, and leaped onto his horse.

By this time, the entire Turkic camp, stretching for miles, was in turmoil, and countless Turkic cavalry emerged from their tents in a panic, grabbing their weapons and mounting their horses.

After riding out of the camp on his warhorse through the pouring rain and muddy ground, Tulikhan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, the Liang Army had not arrived yet.

The Turkic scouts had discovered them in good time.

Jie Li Khan and Tulikhan, after all, were warriors of the steppe, and even in such times, they had not let down their guard but had dispatched scouts to keep a vigilant eye.

Otherwise, if the Liang Army had sneaked close to the camp undetected and launched an attack, then the vast army of over a hundred thousand might have been instantly destroyed.

And now, Liang cavalry was rapidly approaching the Turkic camp.

Tulikhan rode his warhorse to a high point and strained his eyes into the dark night.

He saw, not far off in a valley, the Liang Army advancing rapidly through the rain!

The leading Liang generals were all in full armor, which glistened as the rain washed over it; despite the heavy rain, a chilling gleam was faintly visible in the dim light.

Armor, broadswords, lances.

Under the arming of these weapons, the Liang Army, facing Turkic Cavalry whose armor rate was very low and primarily engaged in mounted archery, had a significant advantage.

Tulikhan looked behind him and saw a large number of junior leaders arriving with their Cavalry.

However, upon seeing the Liang Army advancing urgently despite the rain, all of them wore looks of horror and remained silent.

Clearly, they had not anticipated that the army would choose to attack at this time!

At midnight, during the torrential downpour, a regular army would not only be unable to fight, but likely struggle even to march normally.

In later generations, General Deng Yuanjing had once made his soldiers stand in a pouring rain for an entire day during training, and no one in the entire army moved an inch.

This shows how strict military discipline was and how strong their combat capabilities were.

At this moment, the Liang Army was not standing at attention in the pouring rain, but rather marching swiftly to fight a decisive battle against the Turkic people.

The oppressive feeling brought about by this behavior was far stronger than simply standing in the rain!

How could the Turkic people have ever seen such a scene before?

Soon, the Liang Army had rushed close, hovering within a dangerous range.

Tulikhan hurriedly shouted, "Where is Lord Qin?"

Among the Liang Army, a rider quickly came forward, "I am he!"

Tulikhan hurriedly said, "I am Tulikhan! Lord Qin, you spoke of our shared bond during the day, and I deeply believed it! Why has Lord Qin suddenly brought the Liang Army to my camp?"

Li Hongyun, who was acting as Lord Qin, was also in a dire state.

The consequence of advancing in the rain was that nearly every member of the Liang Army was drenched, and with the torrential rain, the raindrops hitting their helmets and faces made it difficult to see ahead.

The roads were muddy, and it was already quite difficult to have reached here.

Moreover, the most important point was that the Turkic people had arranged scouts nearby as a lookout, and they were now quickly getting ready, making it impossible to catch them off guard and charge directly into their camp for a severe attack.

If a battle really broke out at this time, although the Liang Army might still have some advantages, there were too many uncertainties, and it wasn't reliable.

Li Hongyun immediately said, "This land belongs to the Liang Dynasty, and our army moves freely. Why should we explain ourselves to the Turkic people?

"On the contrary, it is you who have raised troops to violate our borders, penetrated deep into the territory of the Liang Dynasty under the pretext of reaffirming our alliance, going so far as to show no intention of withdrawing troops.

"Tulikhan, considering our brotherhood, I now speak to you clearly about the stakes.

"The only reason you Turkic people remain here is to wait for the rain to clear and then continue your plundering! How could I be deceived?

"Now, with the rain continuing, the bowstrings are slack, and the roads are muddy, disadvantaging archers and horsemen alike. My Liang Army has shelter, nourishment, and sharp weapons, using rest to overpower fatigue, ensuring victory in an attack!

"I could have led my troops directly into your camp, leaving no survivors, but though you Turkic people have broken our agreement, the Liang Dynasty remains a nation of propriety.

"Therefore, I only give you one hour to consider!

"Go and see Jie Li Khan, tell him if he wants to fight, let's settle it tonight! Since it is you Turkic people who first broke the agreement, no matter the outcome of the battle, there will henceforth be a fight to the death between the Liang Dynasty and the Turkic!

"If you still wish to reaffirm our alliance, then immediately send envoys to arrange a ceasefire and withdraw your troops!"

Tulikhan hurriedly said, "Lord Qin, please calm down, I will notify Jie Li Khan immediately!"

With that, he whispered a few instructions to the people around him and immediately spurred his horse towards Jie Li Khan's camp.

Meanwhile, Li Hongyun and the Liang Army he brought with him stood silently in the rain, confronting the Turkic Cavalry.