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

Hu Chuquan is shrewd; he's not as easily fooled as Tadun.

Back then, Tian Yu tricked Tadun into believing that Cao Cao had ceded the three counties of Yuyang to the Wuhuan with just a forged imperial edict, and Tadun led his army south to fight to the death for Cao Wei.

Huchuquan is different.

Xiahou Dun's forged imperial edict was not enough; he also wanted to take his two sons hostage, take control of the two prefectures of Shuofang and Wuyuan, and "collect money before delivering goods."

Clearly, Hu Chuquan's actions stemmed from his distrust of Cao Cao, and he wanted to add two layers of protection to ensure that Cao Cao would not betray him.

Xiahou Dun unconsciously clenched his fists.

The cession of four commanderies was his own decision, and Cao Cao would certainly not have acknowledged such a humiliating and detrimental agreement afterward.

If he doesn't admit it, Hu Chuquan will surely kill his two sons in a fit of rage.

He had a total of four sons. Two of them had already died at the hands of the Han army. If these last two sons were also killed, his lineage would be extinct!
Furthermore, if the two prefectures of Shuofang and Wuyuan are sent away now, it will be difficult to take them back later if we regret it.

At this moment, Xiahou Dun was caught in a dilemma, unable to make a decision.

"General, is it really impossible for you to grant me such a small request?"

"If that's the case, how can I believe in the sincerity of the Emperor of Great Wei?"

Seeing Xiahou Dun hesitate, Hu Chuquan's smile gradually disappeared, and his tone became clearly dissatisfied.

Xiahou Dun's body trembled slightly, and four words flashed through his mind in an instant:

The nation comes first!

If the nation's interests are paramount, then the Xiahou family's small household must be abandoned.

Xiahou Dun gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and forced a smile back onto his face, saying with a chuckle:
"Great Chanyu, you jest. A ruler's word is law. Once my emperor has spoken, how could he possibly go back on his word?"

"I was only slightly drunk just now. The Great Chanyu's two conditions are reasonable, so how could I refuse?"

Hu Chuquan's expression brightened, and he raised his wine cup again, laughing heartily:

“I knew it; no one in the world could match the magnanimity and breadth of mind of the Emperor of Great Wei.”

"Come, come, General, let's drink this cup again."

"From this day forward, we, Wei and Xiongnu, are one family. We should advance and retreat together, and fight against the treacherous Da'er!"

Xiahou Dun laughed heartily, raised his cup, and drank it all in one gulp.

His face was full of smiles, but the deep disgust in his eyes when he secretly glanced at Hu Chuquan was evident.

Despite his anger, Xiahou Dun could only swallow his bitterness and act according to the agreement.

He immediately sent the forged edict to Jinyang, ordering his two sons to go to the Xiongnu Chanyu's court to proclaim the edict and serve as hostages.

At the same time, he ordered the governors of Shuofang and Wuyuan to hand over the two prefectures to the Xiongnu who were heading towards them.

With the acquisition of the two commanderies of Shuofang and Wuyuan, along with the already effectively controlled Xihe and Shangjun, the four commanderies "bestowed" by Cao Cao are now under the actual control of Huchuquan.

Having secured the benefits, Hu Chuquan immediately declared that the 40,000 iron cavalry had completed their rest and were ready to be deployed by Xiahou Dun at any time.

Xiahou Dun finally straightened his back.

However, even with the help of 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry, he dared not underestimate the Han army and did not have the courage to lead his entire army in a decisive battle against Liu Bei.

Therefore, on Guo Huai's advice, Xiahou Dun ordered the Wei army to guard the border and rest, while sending Xiongnu cavalry south into Hedong to plunder the Han army's supply lines.

Guo Huai's plan was exactly what Hu Chuquan wanted to do.

To be honest, he had long heard of the strength of the Han army.

Even a powerful figure like Cao Cao, who dominated the entire north and commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers, was ultimately defeated by Liu Bei and reduced to the point of humbly begging him for troops.

The Wuhuan people, who dominated the Yanshan Mountains, were no less powerful than the Xiongnu people, yet they were still annihilated by Liu Bei.
Hu Chuquan was confident, but not arrogant or conceited enough to disregard such a powerful opponent.

If Xiahou Dun were to actually send him into a direct confrontation with Liu Bei, he would have to think it over carefully, and might even make excuses and refuse. Fortunately, Xiahou Dun only ordered him to raid the Han army's supply lines.

Hu Chuquan breathed a sigh of relief.

Looting was a specialty of the Xiongnu people.

While raiding the Han army in the south, they could also take advantage of the situation and sweep away the counties in Hedong.

After all, Hedong now belongs to the Han Dynasty, and he was raiding an enemy state, so Xiahou Dun probably had nothing to say.

Huchuquan gladly accepted the order and immediately dispatched his various minor kings to lead the Xiongnu cavalry south to launch a raid on the Han army's supply lines.

...

Yong'an City is located at the northern end of Hedong Commandery.

After the 100,000 Han troops withdrew from Jiexiu, they stationed themselves here.

Inside the imperial tent, Liu Bei, his brows furrowed, listened to a report on battle losses.

"Three days ago, the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu, Qubi, led 7,000 iron cavalry to launch a surprise attack on our army's ferry crossing south of Pingyang, killing more than 1,500 of our soldiers and civilians and looting 20,000 bushels of grain."

"Yesterday, Liu Bao, the Left Wise King of the Xiongnu, attacked our grain convoy at Gaoliangting, killing 800 of our soldiers and burning 30,000 bushels of our grain."

"The Xiongnu Left Guli King Tanzhe at Xiangling..."

Ma Su gave a detailed report on the battle losses of the past few days.

Liu Bei tapped his fingertips on the table, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, his face burning with anger.

This is the fifth time in the past seven days that the grain convoy has been robbed. The total amount of grain and fodder destroyed by the Xiongnu has reached nearly 100,000 bushels.

Ten thousand bushels of grain is not a crippling loss for the current strength of the Han Dynasty; he can afford to lose it.

However, Liu Bei could not tolerate the arrogance of the Xiongnu and their disregard for the Han Dynasty.

Moreover, given the current frequency of raids, even with the mighty Han Dynasty, the accumulated damage will eventually become unbearable.

"Bowen, it seems everything is as you predicted. Xiahou Dun indeed dared not lead his troops out of the pass to fight me. Instead, he took advantage of the Xiongnu cavalry's swiftness to launch a raid on my supplies."

"Bowen, what should we do next?"

Liu Bei suppressed his anger and turned his gaze to Xiao He.

Xiao He had anticipated the Hun's tactics and was prepared for them.

Xiao He remained calm and spoke slowly:
"The most effective way to break Huchuquan's strategy of raiding grain supplies is naturally to annihilate all 40,000 of his cavalry."

"If we want to annihilate the Xiongnu cavalry, we must first find a way to gather the scattered Xiongnu people who are plundering, and then finish them off in one battle!"

Liu Bei nodded slightly, deeply agreeing.

At this moment, Zhao Yun said:
"It would be ideal to gather and annihilate 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry."

"However, given the example of the Wuhuan people, Huchuquan knows that we have such a powerful weapon as the repeating crossbow, so he certainly won't dare to fight our army head-on."

"This should also be the reason why Xiahou Dun held firm at Jiexiu Pass and did not come out, but ordered Huchuquan to send Xiongnu cavalry to plunder our army's supply lines in different directions."

"Since the Xiongnu are wary and unwilling to engage in a decisive battle with our army, how can we gather them together and annihilate them?"

Liu Bei nodded slightly, acknowledging Zhao Yun's assessment, and then looked at Xiao He.

Xiao He gave a cold laugh, his eyes filled with amusement:
"That's why we let Huchuquan plunder our grain routes. Once he gets a taste of success, his appetite and audacity will only grow."

"When the time is right, we can release a huge bait to lure him to gather all his cavalry to seize it."

"At that time, wouldn't we have been able to annihilate 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry in one battle?" (End of Chapter)