Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 144: The Huns' Way of Fighting
The Qinshui River flows from north to east through Anze, Qinshui, Yewang, Huaixian, and Wude counties, and then merges into the Yellow River.

After Xiuwu and Shanyang, Wude was also quickly conquered.

Liu Bei led his army to attack the strong and destroy the weak all the way, making Huai County, the capital of Henei County, like a skinny man who had his clothes stripped off and trembling under the attack of the enemy. He knew he could not win but still tried to save face.

Zhang Yang should know that he cannot consume the Qingzhou army by relying on the city walls. If he wants to repel them, he can only fight a decisive battle in the wilderness.

Liu Bei left Bao Xin to guard Wude, Han Mu stationed his troops in Shanyang, and Zhao Zhen stayed in Xiuwu County.

He also ordered Chaiying to cut wood and build a bridge. Just as they crossed the Wude River and were about to attack Huai County along the river, someone claiming to be Sima from Wen County came with a letter.

When Liu Bei opened it, he couldn't help but laugh and cry. The letter claimed that Li of Huai County had secretly communicated with the Huns, so that the prefect Zhang Yang was kidnapped by the Huns' Chanyu Yufuluo. At present, the Huns had stolen all kinds of armor, bows and crossbows, and arrows from the armory. The Huns wanted to avenge the death of the Left Grand Commandant and had a decisive battle with Lord Xuande.

Liu Bei shook his head and laughed. He never expected that the one he would fight with in the end was not Zhang Yang, but the Huns' Chanyu.

He held up the letter and said to the generals, lieutenants, and staff, "Sima, a subordinate of Huai County, secretly sent someone to deliver a letter saying that Zhang Yang was threatened by the Xiongnu. How much do you think it is credible?"

"Oh, right. The book also says that the Xiongnu heard that I was going to cross the river, so they prepared to rush along the river with cavalry. There were as many as five or six thousand cavalrymen, and they had obtained more than a thousand armors. They wanted to fight a decisive battle with our army."

Everyone frowned when they heard this. Now there was a big river on the left and Qinshui River on the right. The Han army was between the two rivers. If they were surrounded and blocked by the Hu people, the consequences would be disastrous.

Guo Jia smiled and said, "Whether it is true or not, you can send scouts to investigate. If you encounter a large number of Hu people, it will be a good thing. Four hundred Wugang chariots will be enough to defeat the enemy."

Xun You also said: "Sir, use the Wugang chariots to form a battle array and use bows and crossbows to quickly shoot at the Xiongnu, and then find an opportunity to defeat the enemy."

Both of them suggested finding out the enemy's situation first and then changing the situation accordingly. Having followed the army for so long, they naturally had a tacit understanding and knew how to lead the army to the front to defeat the enemy.

Zhang Fan pondered for a while, then clasped his hands and said, "Lord Xuande, a few miles north of the river east of Huai County, the river has been flooding for many years, causing silt to accumulate. There are few passages. If something unexpected happens, the Xiongnu will find it difficult to escape on horseback."

"Fan thinks that the Xiongnu Chanyu is unlikely to march in this direction. It should be a strategy to suss out the enemy. It is best to have the scouts pay more attention to the Qinshui River. The Xiongnu may attack from here."

"Besides, the Huai County Li family can secretly communicate with the Xiongnu, so they will naturally be on guard against others sending messages to Lord Xuande. In this case, the grand march along the river must be a false alarm. After more than ten miles away, the Hu people will surely move north quickly."

Zhang Fan was very familiar with the terrain of Henei. If the Huns dared to ignore the marshes and march like this, Lord Xuande would only need to send the Huben Cavalry to wipe them out, unless Yu Fuluo had a mental problem and insisted on putting himself in a desperate situation.

"With Gongyi familiar with the terrain, Gongda and Fengxiao making strategic decisions, and Ziyi and Yide charging into the enemy's territory with spears, why should we worry about the Xiongnu being defeated?!"

Liu Bei said with a smile.

He then solemnly ordered the scouts to be divided into two groups, one to go to the bank of the river, and the other to go to the bank of the Qinshui River to scout for the Xiongnu cavalry.

Although Zhang Fan's analysis made sense, the Huns' way of thinking made him not want to take the risk. After the scouts crossed the river, they did not need to inquire about the other three directions and could just go directly west.

No matter which way you come from, I'm only going one way.

Then he ordered the entire army to have Wugang chariots as guards on both sides, auxiliary soldiers pushing baggage carts in the middle, Xiandeng Battalion as the vanguard, Shengshe Battalion parallel to the chariots, Tiejia Battalion as the center, Ruichong Battalion as the rear guard, and cavalry stationed on both sides, and advance along the Qin River as planned.

The role of the scouts was to allow the Han army to detect the Huns early so that they could take precautions.

As for where the Xiongnu Chanyu wanted to fight, that depended on when the Han army was willing to stop. If they had the guts, they could just come and attack the Wugang chariot formation. Liu Bei would welcome them.

……

In the open wilderness, the Xiongnu cavalry wearing pointed hats rode their horses and shouted loudly.

The Xiongnu Chanyu Yufuluo used flags made from captured Han women and held them high in the wind during the march.

Many Huns raised their hips slightly as they galloped on their horses at high speed to avoid friction and collision. Bows and arrows and blades were hung on the backs of their horses, but the spears found in the armory were not carried with them.

The most eye-catching thing was the five or six hundred tall cavalrymen wearing iron armor in the crowd. They were the personal cavalry of the Great Chanyu Luandi Yufuluo.

In order to surprise the Han army, only the herdsmen were left behind with their cattle and sheep, while they moved forward lightly, carrying dry food and meat. When they were hungry, they ate corn, and when they were thirsty, they drank river water. One person rode three horses and moved forward quickly.

The Xiongnu Zuo Da Danghu was the vanguard, and the sergeants, hundred commanders, thousand commanders, and captains under his command each led their tribes to brandish swords and ride horses, risking their lives to compete for the first merit.

At this moment, a horn sounded from the rear, and messenger cavalrymen shuttled between the tribes, shouting: "Send the order of the Great Chanyu, the whole army will rest along the river for a while, and then march again."

The Huns reined in their horses and gradually stopped, while the scouts scattered around, and some went further away to be alert to the surrounding situation.

The Hu people wearing iron armor and silk clothes lowered their heads and said to Fuluo: "Why don't you continue marching for a while and then stop to rest? After all, the faster you march, the more likely you are to attack the Han people."

Yu Fuluo, the Great Khan of the Xiongnu, who wore a golden crown with an eagle on top, with its wings spread out and about to fly, looked down and said with a smile: "I am not leading the army to seek death. Liu Xuande is a good fighter, and I have heard a lot about him in Hanoi."

"If we only care about hurrying on without maintaining the endurance of our people, even if we encounter the Han army being careless, how many people can we shoot and kill?"

"I heard that Liu Bei has 30,000 troops. Even if they cross the river in a short time, it will be difficult for them to cross. Moreover, they carry a large amount of food, supplies, armor, spears, etc. Their speed will definitely not be as fast as ours. The tribesmen can just use this opportunity to recuperate."

"Prime Minister, this is your first time marching with me. You still have a lot to learn. You must be cautious with the famous generals of the Han army."

"As long as we cross the Qin River, the Han army will inevitably be trapped in a desperate situation. There are rivers on both sides and there is no way to retreat. If we besiege Liu Xuande there, the Han army will be completely wiped out. This will be a good opportunity to avenge your brother."

Yu Fuluo said with a sinister smile.

Then he patted his other son who was with him, pointed at the Xiongnu nobleman not far away, and said patiently: "If you become the Great Khan one day, you must remember that no matter who you attack, whether it is the Han people, the Xianbei people, or the Wuhuan people, you must first ensure your own safety, just like the leader of the wolf pack to hunt prey, try to reduce the casualties of the tribe as much as possible, and then hunt for meat."

"If your attack fails, retreat first. If the enemy pursues you, consume their physical strength and food first, then turn around and bite them with your sharp fangs."

"We have no way of learning the Han people's military tactics, but we can always learn from wild beasts in the wilderness how to hunt prey."

Luan Dixiang nodded slowly.

　I'm stuck on writing. I don't know how to write about the Huns.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)