Establishing a thousand-year family from the nobles of the Western Han Dynasty

Chapter 25
After a brief preparation, the Donghu state machine was put into operation, and the 200,000-strong army was fully armed. Hu Duo was able to enforce a high-pressure strategy without causing internal chaos, which meant that he was capable and could fully control the entire tribal alliance.

If he had not been so greedy, he might have been able to accomplish what the Huns had not been able to do before.

"Great Chanyu, the spies reported that there are soldiers stationed about a hundred miles away, and they appear to be Han Chinese."

The tribal king came to report that there were a full 50,000 Han troops, so they naturally could not be hidden, and Xu Zhao did not think of escaping.

He cannot bring shame to the name of Jing Hou!

"I finally found it... Send a message to each tribe to send half of their best men to go with me! I have given you so many benefits before, and today is the time to repay you."

"We are willing to die for the Great Chanyu!" The tribal kings quickly expressed their loyalty. Over the years, Hu Duo has allocated a large amount of supplies and livestock from the Donghu main force to support them, and each tribe is the first to be selected in every expedition.

It can be said that he has eaten so much that his mouth is full of oil. If he does not make any effort at this time, he will be no different from an ungrateful person.

One hundred thousand Donghu cavalry set out in a mighty force, and under the leadership of the Great Khan Hu Duo, they charged towards the Han army camp a hundred miles away.

There is a plain outside Jicheng. Liu Ze was able to hold on for so long because of the solidity of the city. Outside is the cavalry's home ground, and the advantages of mobility and charging power are perfectly demonstrated.

"Soldiers, form a shield formation!"

As the messenger blew the horn, all the Han troops on the periphery immediately put up their sturdy shields. These shield soldiers were all tall and strong elite soldiers, and only they could hold up the heavy shields.

The first wave of Donghu soldiers also fought with the Han army.

These Han troops had received special training and knew the weaknesses of the cavalry. They relied on the protection of their shields to attack their lower body. A large number of Donghu people could not maintain their balance and fell off their horses.

Without horses, they would be lambs to be slaughtered.

"Archers, listen up! Release your arrows!"

The archers in the rear obeyed the order and shot arrows. Arrows rained down like raindrops. The Donghu soldiers were overwhelmed and were hit by arrows one after another.

"Chanyu, please stop for a while. The Han people's offensive is too strong. We can't stop them!"

The Donghu generals at the front line dragged their broken bodies to Hu Duo. These Han people were too cowardly and hid in their shells like turtles, waiting for the breaks in the battle before gradually pushing forward.

Hu Duo, who was used to being reckless, still felt that the other side was making a fuss. He had 100,000 troops, and the other side had at most 60,000, which was almost half! As long as he pushed forward regardless of everything, he could get all the troops out of the way once he crossed the swampy mountain area, and the other side's mere tens of thousands of people would not be able to stop him at all.

However, due to the impact issue, he still nodded: "I understand, then let the army rest for a while, and I will personally lead the troops to charge tomorrow morning."

At this point, Hu Duo's eyes turned dangerous: "When that time comes, I hope you won't keep saying bad things. I've given you some time to rest. Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed!"

The tribal king broke out in a cold sweat. He certainly knew the Chanyu's methods. He was simply a butcher! But he had no choice but to agree: "I will tell you."

As the horn sounded from the rear, the Donghu cavalry retreated immediately. The Han army did not pursue them. They left some troops to take turns defending, and the rest retreated back to the camp.

Their losses in this battle were not great, while the Donghu suffered thousands of casualties. They were simply helpless against Xu Zhao's defensive tactics.

Although this is the North China Plain, Xu Zhao still found a suitable terrain. It is close to Yanshan Mountain and there are a lot of swamps blocking the way. The 100,000 Donghu cavalry cannot be deployed at all and can only attack in batches. Because of the terrain advantage, they need to engage in close combat and avoid obstacles, which makes their advantages disappear.

Xu Zhao ordered the army to hold its position, use shield soldiers to cover the archers' harassment, and the infantry took the opportunity to reap the harvest, and then slowly advance forward to paralyze Hu Duo and make him think that his goal was to rescue Jicheng.

In fact, after advancing to a certain extent, the Han army would retreat accordingly, never leaving the reasonable terrain, and pinning down the Donghu army. Moreover, behind them were Zhao and Qi, and food could be transported in continuously, so there was no worry about lack of supplies, and even if they really couldn't win, they could retreat quickly.

This defensive formation could easily hold off an army of over 100,000 for half a month.

Wait until the army of King Zhao Liu Ruyi arrives before attacking! With this amount of troops, there is really no chance of winning.

But there is actually a hidden danger now, that is King Yan Liu Ze who is besieged in Jicheng!

"Brother, there is news from Jicheng."

Xu Zheng rushed in and interrupted Xu Zhao who was looking at the map.

He raised his head anxiously and said, "How is the situation over there with King Yan?"

Xu Zheng panted for a while and said hurriedly: "The King of Yan said that there is still enough food in the city. It should be no problem to hold out for another half a month. If it takes longer, I'm afraid it will be dangerous."

"Huh...not bad." After hearing this, Xu Zhao finally breathed a sigh of relief. What he was most worried about was the situation in Jicheng.

If Ji is lost, no one can predict how the war will go, because once the capital of Yan is lost, it will be difficult to defend the entire Yan area, and even if Taiyuan is taken back, it will not be of much help.

What needs to be done now is to stabilize Hu Duo, buy time for Liu Heng in Taiyuan, and then wait for the arrival of King Liu Ruyi of Zhao who organized the coalition of princes.

"I hope that no blind guy will take advantage of the opportunity to cause chaos." Xu Zhao felt inexplicably nervous for some reason. When the Donghu invaded massively before, Liu Xingju took the opportunity to raise the banner of rebellion. Fortunately, he was outnumbered, and his father Xu Zhen came to help in time, so no disaster occurred.

At dawn the next day, the Donghu army had completed its repairs, and Hu Duo personally led the charge. This time he took out his own elite soldiers. These troops were equipped with armor and weapons obtained from the Western Regions, and they had the highest armor rate.

Moreover, they were trained by him personally and were the foundation of the Donghu nation. Hu Duo was able to climb to the position of Chanyu largely thanks to them.

This elite cavalry unit only has 5,000 soldiers, but its effectiveness is comparable to that of an army of tens of thousands.

"My fellow warriors, if you kill one person, you will be rewarded with thirty slaves."

"Kill with me!"

At the Chanyu's command, five thousand elite Hu cavalry formed a cross and charged forward shouting.

Hu Duo rushed to the front with a big knife in hand. He was extremely brave and killed several Han soldiers directly. The indestructible defense line was torn open.

With five thousand elite troops in the front, the others in the rear were not idle either and immediately moved forward. For a moment, the morale of the Donghu was greatly boosted, and the Han army retreated again and again, and seemed to be defeated.

"Release the Rolling Stones!"

Just when Donghu thought the outcome was decided, a large number of flaming rolling stones and battering rams suddenly rushed down the slope.

The Han army was on an uphill slope, which was a naturally favorable terrain. Even the battle-hardened warriors were panicked in the face of this, and a large number of soldiers fell off their horses and were crushed to death.

"Damn it... retreat!"

Hu Duo felt sad for a long time every time a soldier died in these direct troops, so he quickly gave the order.

(End of this chapter)