Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 453 Gongsun Zan: No one knows the defeat of cavalry better than me
Liu Bei reminisced about the past with Qian Zhao in Yinguan and after calming him down, he led his army northward and stationed in Shanwu County.

While waiting for news of the other troops' advances, he sent scouts to the north to inquire about the news of the Xianbei tribe.

We learned from the Xianbei herdsmen that Budugen's Khan's tent had evacuated the Bingzhou border half a month ago and is now missing.

Some Hu people said that the Khan went to Hexi to quell the tribal rebellion, while others said that the Khan heard that there were heavy troops stationed in Bing and You states and was afraid that the Han army would suddenly attack the border, so he led his troops to avoid the enemy's attack and retreated to the north.

Not only Budugen's Khan's tent, but also Kebi Neng, the Khan of another Xianbei tribe, migrated hundreds of miles to the north.

It was to prevent the Han army from making a feint, nominally attacking the Huns but actually rushing towards the Xianbei.

After all, the Xianbei tribes have been constantly harassing the Han border counties in recent years. For the Han people in Youzhou, their hatred for the Xianbei is even greater than that for the Xiongnu.

Now, several armies are jointly attacking the Huns, and the General of Cavalry of Youzhou has stationed his troops in Shanggu County. It is hard to say that there is no conspiracy behind such a large-scale action.

Not to mention the Xianbei people, even the Wuhuan Chanyu Tadun, Su Puyan, Wuyan, Louban and others in the northwest of Youzhou were intimidated by the Han army near Yuyang and dared not make any unusual moves.

Even Su Puyan was secretly contacting Lou Ban, suggesting that they rise up against Chanyu Tadun. The reason was that Tadun's position as Chanyu was granted by Yuan Shao through a forged decree, and he also married a daughter of the Yuan family. What was even more terrible was that Tadun had responded to Yuan's call and sent troops to oppose the current emperor, which undoubtedly brought great disaster to the Wuhuan.

Looking at the Xiongnu today, one can imagine what the fate of the Wuhuan will be in the future. Even though the Han emperor seems to be acting as if nothing has happened at the moment, he will definitely use this as an excuse to send troops to the Wuhuan tribe in the future.

You know, the Wuhuan are far weaker than the Xiongnu. Even if all the Youzhou cavalry come to kill them, it will be enough to give them a hard time.

Moreover, behind the Wuhuan tribe was Gongsun Du, who still ruled a certain area. After hearing that Gongsun Du's conditions for surrender were rejected by the Han, they took the initiative to cut off the road and stopped the connection between Liaodong and the Central Plains.

He established his own ancestral temple for the Han Dynasty, saying that Emperor Liu Xie had been killed by Liu Bei, and then proclaimed himself King of Liaodong. He also planned to support a young child of the Liu family as emperor to revive the Han Dynasty and ensure that the worship of Emperor Guangwu's lineage would not be interrupted.

Fortunately, the roads had been cut off and people and animals could not pass through, so the news had not yet spread beyond Liaodong.

It was under such circumstances that Su Puyan discovered that the Wuhuan were in an extremely difficult situation. With Tadun at the front and Gongsun Du behind, they could draw the attention of the Han army to the northwest of Youzhou.

If you don't want to go on the road with these people, you have to find a way to draw a line between you and them.

Therefore, Su Puyan risked being discovered and secretly contacted Qiuliju's son Louban, looking for an opportunity to eliminate the trouble for Wuhuan, make Louban the new Chanyu, and then lead the Wuhuan tribes in the three counties to surrender to the Han Dynasty.

Since the first year of Jianxing, when the Han Dynasty was unified again, it has been terrified by the Hu people with its unparalleled power.

It seems that quietly, the familiar new neighbors have not only added vitality, but have also gradually become unfamiliar.

……

As food and fodder were gradually delivered from various places, the various armies advanced rapidly into various parts of Bingzhou.

On February 28th, General Pingbei Gongsun Zan, General Anxi Ma Teng, and General Taoxi General Duan Wei brazenly encountered 27,000 cavalrymen under the Xiongnu King Zuo Wen Yudi more than 340 miles northwest of Lingzhou.

"Hi, hi, hi..." Tens of thousands of horses neighed and the Xiongnu tribe immediately blew the horn, preparing to encircle and annihilate the 3,600 cavalry and 5,000 infantry of the Han and Qiang tribes. Gongsun Zan ordered a thousand Han soldiers to walk out of the baggage wagons and form a circle with shields in front to cover the front. The cavalry guarded the two sides and gradually retreated. He secretly ordered the soldiers to hold crossbows and hide behind shields, waiting for the enemy cavalry to attack the left and right wings, and then shoot several rounds in the face.

"Bogui, isn't this too arrogant?" Ma Teng couldn't help but frowned and asked.

Most of the infantry at the back retreated, and with the cavalry on both sides retreating, the infantry in the front were all exposed to the range of the Huns' bows and arrows. When they were fired from both sides, the infantry simply did not have so many shields to protect themselves. If the morale of the infantry collapsed, the Han army in front would be wiped out.

Such a deliberately risky act, let alone Gongsun Bogui, even if Duan Wei was added, he could not afford the defeat and humiliation of the country, as well as the punishment from the emperor.

I have finally gained your Majesty's appreciation by conquering Han Sui and the Qiang and Hu. I hope that one battle will not destroy all the achievements I have worked so hard for.

It doesn't matter if you, Gongsun Zan, are demoted to a commoner. But I, the Youfufeng Ma family, am determined to restore the name of our ancestor General Fubo, and I don't want to become a commoner with you, the Gongsun family.

Seeing this, Ma Teng's heart began to beat.

He stared at Gongsun Zan ahead, heard Ma Teng's question, and looked at Duan Wei who was leading the cavalry in the distance. He knew that they were all a little scared, so he laughed loudly and said to comfort him: "Shoucheng, why should you be so panicked? Zan knows the habits of the Xiongnu people. They attack when they see an advantage and retreat when they don't."

"If we don't risk placing the infantry in the front, how can we lead the enemy to encircle us from both sides? The Xiongnu already knows that the Han army is advancing in various places, but the spring grazing has not yet stopped, and they will never allow our army to continue plundering livestock. They have been anxious for a long time, and their desire to defeat the enemy is growing day by day."

"Now that we have an opportunity to defeat the enemy, it is like putting fat meat on the table for the Xiongnu. Even though we know there are risks, we have to take the risk and swallow it."

"They will certainly have some of their cavalry surround our infantry, and then use the left and right wings to provide support to prevent our cavalry from attacking."

"The Xiongnu's intentions are similar to mine. They want to defeat one Han army first, and then concentrate all their efforts on dealing with the remaining armies."

"In this battle, as long as the crossbowmen in front can hold their ground, they will surely defeat Xiongnu Zuo Wen Yudi King and continue north along the river."

Gongsun Zan said with a smile.

During the nearly half-month attack, they conquered many tribes and captured a total of 46,321 donkeys, mules, cattle, sheep, and horses, and captured more than 5,000 Xiongnu herdsmen and women.

If King Zuo Wen Yudi could be defeated directly in this battle, there would certainly be even larger herds of livestock behind him. These rebellious tribes would not only be able to fill the vacancies in corvée labor in various places, but also gradually replace Han servants and slaves with Hu slaves.

As for the ferocious Hu people, they can be castrated just like they are castrated horses for sale.

According to Han law, those who committed treason should have been exterminated. Now the Han people have been merciful and spared their lives, only demoting them to slavery, which is already good enough.

Gongsun Zan thought silently: "Xuan De issued an edict, asking the nobles in various places not to detain slaves and maids, and to let them return home to reunite with their parents. But after the servants and maids are released, who will clean the houses and yards?"

"Now that we have captured the rebellious Xiongnu, we can kill two birds with one stone. Not only can we solve the problem of the Xiongnu in Bingzhou, but we can also save the people from being slaves. The court can also sell Xiongnu slaves to make up for the money and food for the troops. Isn't this just fighting to support the war?"

Gongsun Zan decided to submit a memorial to the emperor immediately after the war. He had a way to make the nobles and wealthy families release their slaves and also to satisfy the financial losses of the Han Dynasty's military operations. He just needed to be flexible.

Only if we can attack the grassland and gain profits, will we have a chance to propose rebuilding the Baima Yicong!
(End of this chapter)