My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Liu Bei took the battle report and examined it carefully.

Huchuquan led 40,000 cavalrymen south from the Chanyu's court three days ago, crossed the Yellow River at Lin County, and marched south along the east bank of the Yellow River. Then they changed course and headed west. Judging from their marching direction, they were heading towards Jiexiu Pass...

"Bowen, what is the meaning of calling for the kitchen spring?"

Liu Bei showed the urgent report to Xiao He.
Xiao He took it, glanced at it briefly, and sneered:
"Does Your Majesty still remember what I just said? Cao Cao and Xiahou Dun will certainly not sit idly by and wait for their doom. They will surely follow the old tricks of the Wuhuan in Youzhou and repeat them."

Liu Bei's eyes darted around a few times, then he suddenly realized something and hurriedly said:

"Bowen, do you mean that Cao Cao knows Xiahou Dun cannot withstand my 100,000 troops, so he wants to collude with the Xiongnu to enter Taiyuan Commandery and help them fight against our army?"

Xiao He nodded slightly.

Liu Bei frowned and said angrily:

"Although Cao Cao was a traitor to the Han Dynasty, he was still a ruler who dominated the Han lands. Yet he repeatedly colluded with the barbarians. How could such a hero have fallen to this state!"

Xiao He, however, was unconvinced and sneered:
"As the saying goes, no one gets up early without a reason. Besides, Huchuquan has always been extremely ambitious. How could he risk his life for Cao Cao without any benefit?"

"I predict that Cao Cao will go to great lengths to launch an attack on Huchuquan, and will at least cede the four commanderies of Xihe, Shangjun, Shuofang and Wuyuan to the Xiongnu as fiefdoms."

"Only in this way can we entice Huchuquan to become an enemy of His Majesty!"

Liu Bei's expression changed again, and he said in a deep voice:

"So it seems that Cao Cao was willing to cede territory and suffer national humiliation in exchange for the Xiongnu's assistance?"

Judging from Lao Liu's tone, he clearly still harbored some illusions about Cao Cao.

After all, the Xiongnu were different from other nomadic peoples.

The Han Dynasty and the Xiongnu fought a war that lasted for hundreds of years. It was only after the Han people paid the price of countless lives that they finally defeated the Xiongnu and made them surrender to the Han Dynasty.

You, Cao Cao, claim to be the legitimate ruler of the Han dynasty, yet you sought help from the Xiongnu by ceding territory.

Do you have any respect for the countless heroic souls of the Han soldiers who died fighting against the Xiongnu over the past few centuries?
"Cao Cao is not the emperor. For him, anything is worth sacrificing for survival."

"Let alone mere reputation?"

Has Your Majesty forgotten the precedent set by the Wuhuan people?

Xiao reminded him with a sarcastic expression.

Liu Bei suddenly realized the truth.

Looking back, in order to get the Wuhuan to send troops to help, Cao Cao instructed Tian Yu to cede the three counties of Yuyang in exchange for the Wuhuan's assistance.

Although Tian Yu claimed that the imperial edict was forged, this lame excuse was only meant to deceive the common people.

It is obvious to everyone that Cao Cao was both involved and had taken responsibility, and Tian Yu had his tacit approval.

Given Cao Cao's past record of ceding territory to the Hu people, what's so surprising about him ceding more territory to the Xiongnu to protect Bingzhou?

"Cao Cao, back then when we discussed heroes over wine, you said that the only heroes in the world were you and me."

"Now it seems you're worthy to be called a hero alongside me?"

Liu Bei sighed with emotion, his words filled with contempt.

"Your Majesty, regardless of whether Cao Cao ceded territory to the Xiongnu, it is a fact that Huchuquan led his troops across the river and advanced towards the border."

"The Xiongnu are even stronger than the Wuhuan, with 40,000 infantry and cavalry. They should not be underestimated."

"I believe that our attack on Jiexiu may have to be postponed."

Ma Su, however, calmly offered his advice.

Liu Bei nodded slightly, a hint of apprehension flashing across his brow.

Forty thousand Xiongnu are not a major concern, but forty thousand cavalry must be treated with caution. If the Han army currently has any weakness, it is only its cavalry.

Whether a cavalry is strong or not depends on whether there is land for raising horses.

Previously, the Han army's warhorses were mostly purchased from the sea off Liaodong, and the number was limited, so they could only be described as good but not strong.

Now that Youzhou has been recovered and the Wuhuan have been wiped out, the border has been pushed from the Yanshan Mountains to the grasslands. The Han Dynasty has acquired vast horse ranches, completely solving the problem of horse sourcing.

While warhorses were available, cavalry could not be trained overnight. Therefore, in less than a year, the number of Han cavalry units that could be expanded remained limited.

At present, Lao Liu has about 10,000 cavalrymen at his disposal.

The disparity between 10,000 and 40,000 is so great that it's no exaggeration to describe it as a huge one.

Considering this, Lao Liu naturally couldn't help but feel somewhat wary of the Xiongnu cavalry.

"Back then, the Wuhuan cavalry numbered 30,000 and came with great force, but they were still destroyed by our Han Dynasty."

"The Xiongnu cavalry only outnumbered the Wuhuan by ten thousand this time, so what is there to fear?"

Xiao He, however, scoffed and confidently cupped his hands in greeting:

"Your Majesty, the Xiongnu have come at the right time. Let us annihilate Huchuquan and his main Xiongnu force together."

"Once these 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry were wiped out, the Xiongnu were crippled and had no power to resist."

"After we recover Bingzhou, we can take advantage of the situation and solve the problem of the Xiongnu people troubling Bingzhou once and for all!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd erupted in excitement, their astonished gazes all turning towards Xiao He.

Liu Bei was also surprised.

My own Grand Marshal's thinking and vision are indeed beyond the comprehension of ordinary people!
Everyone was wary of the Xiongnu joining the war, but Xiao Fei was not. Instead, he saw an opportunity in it.

"Your Majesty, the Grand Marshal is right."

"Although the Xiongnu cavalry is fierce, we have the repeating crossbows forged by the Grand Marshal. If the repeating crossbows could defeat the Wuhuan people, why can't they defeat the Xiongnu?"

"Since the Southern Xiongnu migrated south and submitted to the Han Dynasty, they have been encroaching on Bingzhou for a century. Now their tentacles have penetrated deep into the heart of the Central Plains. They are truly a malignant tumor on our great Han Dynasty."

"After Your Majesty recovers Bingzhou and unifies the world, you will sooner or later eradicate the Xiongnu, this malignant tumor!"

"Now that the Xiongnu have delivered themselves to our doorstep, we have a legitimate reason to defeat them, eliminate them ahead of time, and completely remove the border troubles of Bingzhou!"

Ma Su was the first to understand Xiao He's deeper meaning and immediately echoed his sentiments excitedly.

The ministers were excited and nodded in agreement.

Liu Bei's mind was instantly cleared, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and his apprehension turned into a look of eager anticipation.

"Indeed, indeed, Bowen is absolutely right!"

"Since I can destroy the Wuhuan people, what are the Xiongnu people worth mentioning!"

A murderous glint flashed in Liu Bei's eyes as he looked towards the northwest and arrogantly declared:

"If Huchuquan dares to overestimate his abilities and oppose me, I will make him follow in the footsteps of the Wuhuan people and ensure that he and his 40,000 iron cavalry never return."

Having said that, Liu Bei surveyed his ministers and declared boldly:
"My lords, are you willing to join me in annihilating the main force of the Xiongnu and removing this malignant tumor from our ranks?"

The ministers' fighting spirit was instantly ignited, and they all responded generously, their fighting spirit soaring.

After his initial excitement subsided, Liu Bei regained his composure and looked at Xiao He:
"Although the Xiongnu are not to be feared, our repeating crossbows have now appeared. I'm afraid the pseudo-Wei will remind Huchuquan to guard against our repeating crossbows."

"Bowen, do you have a good strategy to defeat the Xiongnu cavalry?"

Xiao He's lips curled slightly, a knowing smile spreading across his face. (End of Chapter)