Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 455 The last battle between Han and Xiongnu!
The attacking Han and Qiang cavalry charged in a fan-shaped pattern, splitting the Xiongnu vanguard into several small groups with overwhelming force, and then surrounded and killed them.

Some Xiongnu leaders shouted and organized the herdsmen to resist. They followed him to fight back, but were told to stay calm and not panic. Even if they retreated, they could not all retreat. Some people had to stay behind to shoot arrows to stop the enemy, otherwise they would be chased and killed by the Han army all the way, and that would turn into a great defeat.

The Xiongnu King Zuo Wen Yudi originally wanted to lead 10,000 cavalrymen from the rear army into the battlefield, find a way to defeat the Qiang people, and then deal with the Han army.

However, the scouts sent out earlier hurried back to report that more than 10,000 Han troops were on their way seven miles away, and they were still vigilant during the march. It was obvious that they were not easy to deal with.

Once the Huns were entangled by the Han army in front of them, with their current strength, if they had to fight a head-on battle with nearly 20,000 Han troops on the grassland, the entire tribe would be finished.

When King Zuo Wenyudi heard the scout's report, he got goose bumps all over his body and immediately ordered a retreat.

Little did they know that this was also a Xiongnu scout from Bingzhou, who mistook Gongsun Zan's auxiliary soldiers for combat troops. After all, they were at war with the entire Han Dynasty.

Isn't it normal that the Han army can mobilize troops from all over and arrive in a steady stream?

The Xiongnu in Bingzhou had long lost the courage they had in the past. They were like a frightened bird, restless day or night.

"kill!"

"Kill!"

When the Xiongnu herdsmen realized they could not control the situation, they immediately fled. The Han and Qiang cavalry took the opportunity to chase and kill them, taking their lives.

With flags fluttering and red feather helmets on their backs, the Han cavalry chased the Huns in grey hats. The cavalry of both sides marched across the vast plain like waves advancing forward...

Gongsun Zan hurriedly sent someone to tell Ma Teng and Duan Wei not to give the Xiongnu King Zuo Wen Yudi a chance to catch his breath, and to pursue and kill him closely, and to retreat immediately if they could create a gap.

This was to prevent the Huns from adjusting their cavalry and launching a counter-ambush.

Ma Teng and Duan Wei were also familiar with the tactics of the nomadic Hu people. They liked to lure the enemy deep into their territory and then lay siege with their superior numbers against the inferior ones.

So they chased them for several miles and killed more than 800 people. They also captured 400 Huns who fell off their horses while fleeing. Many of them were shot by arrows and fell to the ground, while others were injured by their horses' hooves.

Gongsun Zan, who learned of the situation, could not help but curse: "The Hu thieves are cowardly and can only run away in panic!"

Only two thousand people were killed in this battle. How could such a small achievement be shared among the three of them?

What's more, although King Zuo Wen Yudi suffered a loss this time, he will learn to be smarter next time.

"What a pity! If we could kill the Xiongnu King Wen Yudi and send his head to Your Majesty, perhaps Duan Wei and I could both be granted the title of Marquis of Duxiang." Ma Teng stroked his beard, feeling a little regretful.

If we want to revive the Youfufeng Ma family, we will have a long and arduous journey.

While Ma Teng was thinking to himself, he could not help but glance at the three brothers Ma Chao, Ma Xiu and Ma Tie who were returning from chasing the enemy. Among them, Ma Chao's sleeves were covered with blood from killing the Huns, and there were five or six heads hanging on the back of his horse. He returned home with a full load with a grin on his face.

Ma Xiu and Ma Tie didn't gain much, so they followed Ma Chao, feeling somewhat dejected.

Seeing this scene, Ma Teng immediately shook his head. Although his eldest son was brave, he could not change the Qiang style. His true nature was exposed once he killed someone.

However, Ma Xiu and Ma Tie lack military strategy, so it would be difficult to rely on them to revive the Ma family.

"It seems that we have to ask His Majesty to give us three places so that Mengqi and the others can study hard at the Imperial Academy."

In order to enable his sons to make contributions during the campaign against the Huns, Ma Teng placed all his sons in his personal guards, hoping that they could capture the enemy and be granted a title of nobility. Unfortunately, such good luck was elusive.

It would be better to give up completely and send them to the Imperial Academy to learn Confucian etiquette from the teachers for three or four years to cleanse them of the barbaric habits.

Ma Teng was not only worried about the future of the Ma family, he also felt a little anxious about how Ma Chao's sons would gain a foothold in Chang'an and Luoyang, which turned into a sigh that overflowed from his lips.

...On the third day of March, Xihe prefect Li Dian led Xiahou Yuan and Cao Chun with 12,000 infantry and cavalry and more than 600 Wugang chariots on the northern outskirts of Yuanyang County, where they encountered the Xiongnu left and right Zhanjiang Kings and the left and right Ruju Kings, who had more than 40,000 troops. The two sides were more than 20 miles apart and could see each other from a distance.

No one dared to attack rashly. The Huns were concerned about the Han army's Wugang chariots and thousands of powerful crossbows. What's more, they had their backs against the city wall, forming a semi-circular chariot formation. They didn't have to worry about being attacked by cavalry from behind and could instead display all their bows and crossbows, like a hedgehog that couldn't be bitten.

Li Dian also had his concerns. He only had 3,000 cavalrymen from the Hedong Xiongnu, 3,000 combat soldiers, and 6,000 auxiliary soldiers.

Moreover, he had never really seen the combat effectiveness of the Hedong Xiongnu cavalry. They were still wearing the same leather armor as the enemy. The only difference was that they wore Han army helmets on their heads. This made Li Dian a little nervous.

Xiahou Yuan and Cao Chun also suggested that since we are outnumbered by the enemy, it would be better to defend the city first. At present, all the troops are advancing towards the Xiongnu royal court Zuoguo City and they will be unable to graze their livestock. The Xiongnu should be the ones who are anxious.

The herdsmen ran back and forth in vain, and their cattle, sheep, horses and other livestock could not be grazed. The war horses and pack horses had to consume the fodder stored last year. As a result, either the Xiongnu would experience civil strife or fight a desperate battle with the Han army.

By that time, the men and horses were exhausted, and the Huns had little fighting power left. This shows that the kings were nothing more than dead bones.

After careful consideration, Li Dian decided to keep his troops in place and continue the stalemate with tens of thousands of Hun cavalry. During this period, he continuously sent out scouts to monitor the movements of the Hu cavalry day and night.

The scout battle lasted for five days. The Xiongnu kings could not bear to waste their time on this battle, so they broke away at night and rode northward.

The next day, Li Dian ordered the army to continue advancing along the river and to distribute the Hedong Hu cavalry fifteen or sixteen miles away from the main army, and to report any changes immediately.

On the ninth day of the third month, Gongsun Zan advanced his troops to Diannong City, which was also called Hu City by the Xiongnu people. He fought again with the troops of Zuo Wen Yudi King and beheaded more than 1,500 Xiongnu people. The Xiongnu continued to retreat northward.

On March 12, General Zhang Liao, who was in charge of the Southern Expedition, led Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, and Yan Yan with 4,000 infantry, 2,000 cavalry and 13,000 auxiliary soldiers, 400 Wugang chariots, 200 crossbow carts, and 1,600 baggage carts. They were surrounded by 80,000 cavalrymen from the Xiongnu tribes, including Dang Yugudu Hou, Hu Yangudu Hou, Lang Shigudu Hou, and the six-cornered kings in the south of Pingding, less than 150 miles away from the Xiongnu royal court Zuoguo City.

The Southern Xiongnu put all their efforts into annihilating the Han army that had penetrated the deepest part of their territory.

When the two armies were fighting fiercely, the sound of fighting shook the mountains and rivers, sharp arrows pierced bones, sand flew in the face, and the Han army fired thousands of crossbows at the same time. Arrows fell like rain and flew like locusts. As many as 400,000 arrows were consumed in a day.

"Kill... kill..." The sound of fierce fighting was like a river bursting, the heavy sound of drums, the sad neighing of war horses and the sound of Hujia issuing orders, all intertwined into one.

A strong wind blew from the east and howled over the hills.

When the battle reached a critical point, King Zuoguli and King Youriju and others personally took command and ordered the Xiongnu cavalry to surround the Han army from all sides. Even if they were injured, they had to bear the pain and risk their lives to fight against the Han army, gritting their teeth and trying to break through the dilapidated wall of chariots.

When all the arrows were shot and the chariot formation in front was in danger, there was a rumble of thunder in the distance and thousands of horses made deafening hoof sounds, roaring like a storm. The cavalry with flags of Zhao and Lu went straight to the rear of the Huns, killing the exhausted Huns like chopping melons and vegetables and making them lose their souls.

No longer caring about the tribal kings, they fled for their lives, and the Han cavalry also dispersed and continued to chase in a cone shape.

The Zhao and Lu cavalry pursued the Xiongnu, and soon another group of cavalry followed from the north.

As the sun sets, the slanting sunset illuminates a large soap-colored flag fluttering in the wind, with the word "Liu" clearly engraved on it.

Looking at the extremely familiar flag, the surviving soldiers in Zhang Liao's army found it somewhat unbelievable.

It turned out that when Liu Bei was suppressing the Huns near Dingxiang and Yunzhong, he waited for a long time but the Hun kings did not come to encircle him. He couldn't help but mutter in his heart, is it possible that the temptation of the Han emperor is not as great as that of the Han generals?
After finally suppressing the opposition of important officials in the court, he had the opportunity to lead the central army to war after ascending the throne. If he could not fight against the main force of the Huns, wouldn't it be a wasted trip?
He immediately sent scouts south to inquire about the movements of the Xiongnu tribes. After learning that the Xiongnu were all migrating to the southwest, Liu Bei guessed that someone must have advanced too quickly and was about to poke the Xiongnu's sore spot, which led the Hu people to send heavy troops to surround them...

He let Lu Bu lead the army in front and Zhao Yun followed behind. He also ordered Huang Quan, Cao Ren, Xiahou Dun, Chen Dao, Wu Yi, Ran Shu, Xu Huang and other generals to organize 42,000 soldiers and march directly south to attack the Xiongnu king's court, Zuoguo City.

As a result, they captured the city easily. After asking the old Xiongnu people in the city, they learned that the Xiongnu kings had discovered the Han army in the direction of Pingding County and had led their troops to attack it several days ago. They laughed and said that the Han army had been wiped out at this moment, and the kings were on their way back to the royal court. It would be better for the Han emperor to choose to stop fighting and make peace with the Xiongnu to avoid mutual defeat.

When Liu Bei heard this among his guards, he immediately yelled, "Bullshit!"

He then ordered the army outside the city not to stay, and sent Chen Dao, Wu Yi and Ran Shu to clean up the royal court.

He urgently ordered Lu Bu to lead the Bingzhou cavalry and Zhao Yun to lead the Huben cavalry to provide support, while he led the generals and captains to follow behind. At the same time, he reminded everyone not to be careless when advancing to avoid being ambushed by the Huns.

(End of this chapter)