After resting for the night, at dawn the next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, Yang Mingzhen sent out two thousand light cavalry as scouts to investigate the surrounding situation.
By the time daylight had fully broken and the soldiers had put on their iron armor, a squad of light cavalry came galloping back from the southeast.
"Report! There's a tribe fifteen li to the southwest!"
"How big?"
"Not very big. There should be two or three thousand people," the light-cavalry scout replied.
Yang Chengze grinned. "Then what are we waiting for? Brothers, follow me and kill our way over."
At his order, the soldiers of the right camp began howling one after another, urging their horses forward as they charged down the mountain.
Several thousand armored riders poured downward like a torrent, surging grandly as they killed their way toward the southeast.
"General, what about us?" The soldiers of the left camp looked at Yang Mingzhen, waiting for him to give the order.
Yang Mingzhen laughed loudly. "What's the rush? There must be other Hu tribes around. We'll let the brothers of the right camp have this round first!"
Sure enough, only moments later, another squad of light-cavalry scouts arrived and reported, "Report! Twenty li to the northwest, we discovered a tribe, roughly five thousand Hu tribespeople!"
"Haha! Brothers, we've got our provisions!"
Laughing loudly, Yang Mingzhen led the remaining cavalry straight toward the northwest.
The Alitan tribe was a medium-sized tribe. They belonged to the Chici Tribe and were a subordinate tribe of the Chici Tribe.
The entire Alitan tribe had a population of around five thousand, among whom there were more than sixteen hundred young and able-bodied men. However, some time ago, the Chici Tribe had drafted eight hundred of their young men