Tiger Guards

Chapter 525 Famous
The Budugen group had to temporarily disband, but Sinpi was very curious about the upcoming decisive battle.

Despite his fatigue, Xinpi and the envoys sent by Budugen headed west along the north bank of the Yellow River.

Not long after leaving Xianyang, they entered the territory of Wuyuan County.

The most fertile area of ​​Wuyuan County lies between Shuofang and Yunzhong, on the north bank of the Yellow River.

In the southeast of the south bank was the residence of the Du Liao General, who was in charge of restraining and controlling the Southern Xiongnu. The Du Liao General's residence was in the south, which was Meiji in the northern part of Xihe Commandery. This was the original location of the Southern Xiongnu's royal court.

Unfortunately, the four border commanderies had to be abandoned, and the Southern Xiongnu also migrated into the interior to escape the attacks of the Xianbei.

Over the years, there have been various conflicts between the Xianbei and the Southern Xiongnu. These conflicts are more like routine battles between tribes for pastures and grasslands, or raiding battles, rather than wars of conquest between two racial alliances.

Furthermore, the Qiang and Hu tribes of the Three Commanderies were gradually growing stronger, and the Xianbei people also faced internal conflicts caused by the power struggle among Qianman, the son of the former ruler, making it difficult for the Xianbei people to unite their forces against external threats.

The Wuhuan people retreated into the Youzhou border region and did not participate in the conflict, which resulted in the more primitive eastern Xianbei having relatively ample space for production and living; Gongsun Du, the hegemon of Liaodong, also used his troops to defeat Goguryeo.

During Dong Zhuo's rise and fall, he also attracted too many Qin Hu and Qiang Hu mercenaries.

Due to a combination of factors, no large-scale wars of conquest have broken out between the various Qiang, Xianbei, Southern Xiongnu, Eastern Xianbei, and Wuhuan tribes in recent years.

Although Xin Pi hated Zhao Ji, he wished that lightning would strike Zhao Ji dead.

If he had a choice, he would also prefer Zhao Ji to severely damage Qianman and Wangting's forces before dying.

Currently, the son of the chieftain still has priority over Budugen in inheriting the throne, but it has now fallen into the hands of Qianman.

Since Tan Shihuai unified the Xianbei, the throne was first passed down from father to son, then from uncle to nephew... that is, Kui Tou seized the throne from the young Qian Man, which can also be understood as acting as regent or acting on behalf of the state.

In any case, Xinpi disliked Qianman, the son of the former king and Lian. Qianman's name was more legitimate and could unify the divided Eastern Xianbei.

The western and central Xianbei people today both developed from the eastern Xianbei, who were more savage and fierce.

After Tan Shihuai's death, the Xianbei royal court moved from Dai County to Shuofang, and lost its influence over the eastern Xianbei.

If the Xianbei were to achieve unification under Qianman, it would clearly be detrimental to the border defenses of Hebei.

With their own ulterior motives, Xin Pi and his group headed west and arrived in Wuyuan County at nightfall.

The envoys sent by Budugen also began to contact the various tribes... waiting for the Han army to display its might and severely damage the main force of the royal court, so that they could instigate and persuade the various tribes to move east, join Yunzhong, and merge with Budugen.

The scouts who crossed the river to scout south also brought back general intelligence, and Qianman and the main force of the royal court naturally noticed the Han army's movements.

However, Qianman and the main force of the royal court that supported him only attacked the temporary camp abandoned by the Han army. They did not mobilize the entire army to go east to help fight. It was clear that they had the intention of sitting back and watching the outcome, letting the Han army and Budugen wear each other down.

Now that the main force of the royal court has seen the situation is not good, it has burned the fodder around the temporary camp and retreated back to the area around Heyin City on the south bank.

The main force of the royal court can only be tied down in the vicinity of Heyin City. If they dare to withdraw, the main force of the Han army can easily move north across the frozen Yellow River and attack the various royal court units that are spending the winter on the north bank.

Even if a retreat is necessary, time must be bought to allow the women, children, the elderly, the weak, and the animals of each tribe to evacuate to the Shuofang region in the west.

After Kui Tou and the elite of the royal court were severely damaged and annihilated, the remaining main force of the royal court hastily assembled, and originally had the courage to clash with the main force of the Han army.

However, after the Han army's seventy-mile raid and defeat of Budugen's forces in the Battle of Huze last night, the main force of the royal court has clearly regained its composure and rationality. This time, they took the initiative to burn the fodder and retreat back to Heyin.

Xin Pi, holding a fire poker, sketched the terrain around the fire pit and analyzed to those around him: "Qianman has lost the will to win, and the morale of the royal court is exhausted. Otherwise, Zhao Yuansi's troops would be fatigued at this moment, and we should gather the army and launch a fierce attack in one fell swoop."

One of the accompanying officers shook his head: "That's not right. The Grand Marshal's troops rely on snow carts for their march. Even after a seventy-mile raid, they still have the strength to fight. This was unexpected, and it was not what Budugen expected either. That's why we were able to launch a surprise attack and defeat them in one battle. If the royal army had marched seventy miles, they would have been exhausted before the battle even started. On the contrary, the Grand Marshal would have been able to wait for the enemy to tire themselves out."

Sinpi listened without refuting, as he shared this view, but felt even more strongly that Qianman should lead the royal army to fight.

Even if Zhao Ji was able to rest and wait for the enemy to tire themselves out, the fact remains that the entire team was exhausted.

Moreover, the battlefield is located in the Huze area, which makes it convenient for Nabudugen to regroup his troops and coordinate with Qianman to launch a pincer attack.

In short, the retreat of the main force of the royal court would dampen the morale of the Xianbei people as a whole, but it would also stimulate Zhao Ji's troops, inspiring them to fight and attack with even greater enthusiasm. However, the retreat of the main force of the royal court would also give them the advantage of being able to wait in ambush.

Xinpi gently tapped the rough map with a fire poker in one hand, while raising his right hand to support his chin and lightly stroking his beard with his index finger.

He pondered for a moment, then said, “You said to wait in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out; it seems Qianman also has this idea. The specifics depend on whether the Grand Marshal’s entire army rests at Huze tonight or turns west. If I were him, I should turn west. Lingering around Huze would expose our weakness and embolden Budugen to fight again. If the entire army turns west tonight, we all know they are exhausted, but who would dare to fight?”

If Zhao Ji's troops turn back westward without stopping tonight, Budugen will be able to detect it. Will Budugen dare to provoke them again?

Putting himself in Xinpi's shoes, he certainly wouldn't want to fight again.

The more than 100,000 households of Xianbei people and their servants, including those from Wuyuan, Shuofang, and the Helan Mountains in the north, were enough to feed Zhao Ji.

Therefore, after Zhao Ji's victory, there was no reason for him to come to the east to cause trouble for Budugen; and if Zhao Ji were defeated by the royal court, and he himself were Budugen, he could simply find an opportunity to start a war with the old royal court of Qianman.

Previously, when Kui Tou was alive, the conflict could be suppressed, but now the struggle for the throne between Qian Man and Bu Du Gen can no longer be suppressed.

Another accompanying officer asked doubtfully, "Is it possible for the Grand Marshal to win?"

He subconsciously believed that Zhao Ji would turn back west tonight, which was consistent with Zhao Ji's usual image of being strong and swift.

Whether it was attacking Gao Gan last year, raiding Yuan Xi, or suddenly rushing to Lu Bu's aid in the decisive battle of Chenliu, Zhao Ji was very good at organizing troops to launch raids... especially the consumption of horses during raids, which Zhao Ji did not care about at all.

Too many Xianbei tribes were wiped out last night, and Zhao Ji stole at least 30,000 horses.

Based on Zhao Ji's consistent behavior, Xin Pi subconsciously believed that Zhao Ji would turn back westward and advance in victory.

Even if he knew that the main force of the Xianbei royal court was going to lure him there for a decisive battle, given the strength and confidence that the Grand Marshal had always shown, he would certainly dare to accept the challenge.

Xin Pi gripped the fire poker and tapped it hard at the riverbank: "As expected, it will be another quick battle. Either the Grand Marshal's troops will be invincible and defeat the Xianbei as soon as the battle begins, or their morale will collapse and they will be defeated, pursued, and annihilated by the Xianbei."

It all depends on the resilience of the main force of the royal court. If they can hold them off, they can stall until Zhao Ji is exhausted, and then the Xianbei's numerical advantage will come into play.

Given the current situation and the route, if Zhao Ji is defeated, the Han-Xiongnu allied forces that went out of Yulin Pass to fight will not be able to return alive, just like when the three routes of the campaign against the Xianbei were wiped out along with more than 10,000 Southern Xiongnu servants.

"If the Grand Marshal wins quickly, what will become of us?"

Another person asked with a worried expression, "Wuyuan City is already close to the battlefield of Heyin; Zhao Ji has won, and this place will definitely be a key target for the Han army to plunder. Even the Xianbei people can't escape much, let alone them."

In such a cold winter, the Xianbei people could not ride horses and drive their herds of animals away... No matter how many people and animals there were, they would all freeze to death in the face of wind and snow.

To evacuate safely, fodder must be supplied along the way, and various tents and supplies must be carried.

But here's the problem: the more cold-weather supplies you carry, the slower your evacuation will be, increasing the chances of encountering snowstorms and the probability of being captured by the Han army.

If you want mobility, you must be prepared to freeze or starve to death; otherwise, if you want to migrate normally, your luggage will be too heavy and you won't be able to go very far.

Xin Pi pondered for a moment, then threw away the fire poker, got up, and used his foot to rub away the marks he had drawn. He sneered, "This Grand Marshal Zhao has really chosen a good time. We can't stay here to die. If we fall into the Grand Marshal's hands, he won't show any mercy. Instead, he'll use it as an excuse to attack Lord Yuan. Let's retreat. This is a disaster for the Xianbei. They won't give up easily. Next year, with the Xianbei constantly invading, the Grand Marshal will have difficulty looking after the Central Plains and Hebei. That will be enough time for Lord Yuan to wipe out Gongsun Bogui!"

As he spoke, he looked around at the others, and they all looked the same, without uttering a word of rebuttal or refusal.

Dying here is nothing to be afraid of, but if Zhao Ji catches me, that would be a real disaster.

The more ruthlessly Zhao Ji kills now, the more united the Xianbei people will become after the war when they unify their thinking.

Given the size of the Xianbei people, they should be able to hold Zhao Ji back, buying Hebei time to break the deadlock.

After defeating Gongsun Zan and uniting with the Wuhuan of the three commanderies, both the infantry and cavalry have shown their strengths, and next year the navy will begin training at Bohai.

Once the navy is fully trained, what are we afraid of Gan Xingba for?

Even ten Gan Xingbas could be wiped out!
With almost no interaction with Budugen's envoys, Sinpi and his party set off overnight, heading east.

(End of this chapter)