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

Liu Bei and the others suddenly realized the deeper meaning behind Xiao He's recent series of arrangements.

They first retreated with their main force, abandoning their attack on Jiexiu, and retreated to Yong'an City.

This move serves two purposes.

One reason was to show weakness to Huchuquan, thus demonstrating his fear of the Xiongnu cavalry.

Secondly, it gave the Xiongnu cavalry the opportunity to cross the border and march south to plunder the Han army's supply lines.

Otherwise, with 100,000 Han troops blocking the entrance to Jiexiu Pass, and the Xiongnu also trapped inside the pass, they would be unable to leave the pass to fight.

How can you annihilate them if they don't leave the pass?

As for the grain transport routes.

Previously, Zhao Yun and others proposed to use a large force, including 10,000 cavalry, to protect the supply route, but Xiao He rejected the proposal.

Therefore, the Han army's grain transport teams maintained their original troop configuration.

Such a configuration was naturally no match for the Xiongnu cavalry and was bound to be defeated by the enemy, suffering heavy losses and food shortages.

Now everyone understands that this was Xiao He's deliberate act.

The purpose was to deliberately let the Xiongnu succeed in seizing the grain, thereby emboldening Huchuquan and making him less wary of the Han army.

Meanwhile, the Xiongnu people, having successfully seized grain and tasted the sweetness of victory, were bound to grow ever larger in their appetite.

So when the Han army sets up a heavy bait to lure him, Huchuquan, driven by greed, will surely send troops to seize it.

Heavy bait is always heavily guarded. If you want to succeed in seizing it, you will have to gather all your cavalry and go all in.

Your cavalry gathering is exactly what I wanted.

This is the motivation behind Xiao's series of recent moves.

"Bowen, I understand now. This is a strategy of feigning weakness to lure the enemy out, a tactic of retreating to advance."

Liu Bei looked at Xiao He with delight.

Xiao He had already said all that; how could he not see through Xiao He's intentions and plans?

Xiao smiled and nodded slightly:

"Your Majesty is wise; this is exactly what I meant."

Feeling more confident, Liu Bei asked with pleasure:
"Now that the fish has taken the bait, Bowen, how do you plan to reel it in?"

Xiao He was not in a hurry. He ordered his men to bring the map and spread it out in front of Liu Bei and his ministers.

"Your Majesty, please take a look."

Xiao He pointed lightly at the map:
"Fifty miles south of Yong'an lies Baibo Valley, an excellent place to set up an ambush."

"My suggestion is that Your Majesty may spread the word and mobilize 20,000 infantry and cavalry to escort 100,000 bushels of grain north to Yong'an in one go."

"Upon hearing the news, Huchuquan will surely succumb to the temptation of such a heavy bait and will undoubtedly gather 40,000 iron cavalry to detour south and rob these 100,000 bushels of grain."

"We will ambush them in Baibo Valley and wipe out their 40,000 cavalry in one fell swoop, achieving our goal in a single battle!"

Xiao He pointed to the map and offered his complete strategy.

Liu Bei stared intently at the map, his eyes growing increasingly excited, and then suddenly slapped the map:
"Alright, let's follow Bowen's plan. We'll sit in White Wave Valley and wait for Huchuquan to fall into our trap!"

...

The boundary is closed.

Inside the Guancheng government hall, Xiahou Dun was drinking and chatting happily with Huchuquan.

"The Xiongnu cavalry truly live up to their reputation. If this continues, the big-eared thief will surely run out of food and retreat within two months!"

"Great Chanyu, come, come, let me offer you a toast."

Xiahou Dun was grinning from ear to ear, toasting and praising Hu Chuquan.

Guo Huai and the others could all see that the general was genuinely happy and his praise of Hu Chuquan was heartfelt.

Xiahou Dun was naturally happy.

Forty thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen marched south and, in less than ten days, seized nearly one hundred thousand bushels of grain from the Han army.

Even if the Han state were vast and powerful, it couldn't withstand such intense losses. Liu Bei's retreat seemed inevitable.

The recapture of Hedong seemed to be a foregone conclusion.

With Bingzhou now safe and sound, it would be strange if Xiahou Dun wasn't overjoyed.

As the person who made the greatest contribution, Hu Chuquan naturally earned Xiahou Dun's heartfelt gratitude and praise.

Hu Chuquan laughed heartily, raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp, then sneered:

"Everyone says that the big-eared thief is a genius in military strategy, and that Xiao He is a brilliant strategist, but I think he's nothing special."

"General, rest assured, within a month, our Xiongnu cavalry will surely force that traitor with the large ears to run out of food and retreat, and help your Great Wei to recover Hedong!"

Xiahou Dun laughed heartily and quickly refilled Hu Chuquan's wine cup.

The two were about to clink glasses and drink again.

Footsteps sounded, and Wang Ling arrived excitedly, cupping his hands in greeting:

"General, Great Chanyu, this is the latest urgent report from our spies in Hedong."

"Nearly 20,000 Han infantry and cavalry, escorting 100,000 bushels of grain, have set off from Anyi and are heading north towards Yong'an City!"

100,000 bushels of grain and fodder!
Upon hearing this number, Xiahou Dun and Huchuquan were both invigorated, their eyes lighting up.

One hundred thousand bushels of grain and fodder—that's no small amount; it's enough for one hundred thousand Han soldiers for one or two months.

This batch of grain is more than all the grain the Xiongnu have looted in the past ten days!

If this batch of grain could be seized, it would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the Han army.

"The Great Chanyu..."

Xiahou Dun's slightly excited gaze quickly turned to Huchuquan.

Hu Chuquan smashed his wine cup and laughed:

"General, rest assured, this 100,000 bushels of grain will not be transported to Yong'an by that big-eared thief not even a single grain."

"I will immediately order the Left Wise King and his men to head south and launch a surprise attack!"

Xiahou Dun breathed a sigh of relief and his face lit up with joy.

At this moment, Guo Huai, however, looked cautious and reminded him:

"Great Chanyu, we must not underestimate the enemy this time."

"Previously, the Han army's grain convoys carried at most 20,000 to 30,000 bushels, but now they have suddenly increased to 100,000 bushels, and the grain escort troops number as many as 20,000 infantry and cavalry."

Huai believed that this must be because Liu Bei could not bear the disruption of the supply lines, so he decided to mobilize a large army to transport 100,000 bushels of grain northward in one go.

“If the Great Chanyu only sends a small force, I fear that not only will he fail to seize the grain, but he will also suffer heavy losses from the superior strength of the Han army.”

Xiahou Dun's body trembled, and he suddenly realized what was happening.

Xiahou Dun gripped his wine cup tightly, frowned, and cursed:
"That big-eared scoundrel! He actually came up with such a method to protect the grain supplies. This must have been Xiao He's idea!"

Hu Chuquan paused for a moment, then sneered dismissively:

"General, don't be anxious. It's just 20,000 Han infantry and cavalry. I will gather all my iron cavalry and personally lead the army south to seize 100,000 bushels of grain. Let's see how those mere 20,000 Han soldiers can resist!"

Xiahou Dun's eyes lit up, and his expression changed from gloomy to sunny.

Previously, when the Xiongnu raided grain supplies, each minor king would lead several cavalry groups to raid the grain supplies separately.

Now that Liu Bei has deployed a large force to protect the grain, the Xiongnu can completely change their strategy and gather their troops from all directions.

With 40,000 cavalry against 20,000 infantry and cavalry, the advantage still lay with the Xiongnu!

Thinking of this, Xiahou Dun smiled with delight:
"Very well, what the Great Chanyu says is absolutely right. Then I will trouble the Great Chanyu to make the trip in person. I will prepare a banquet at Jiexiu Pass and wait for the Great Chanyu's triumphant return to celebrate your victory!"

Hu Chuquan laughed heartily, downed the remaining wine in his cup in one gulp, jumped up, waved his hand, and shouted:
"Guards! Quickly order the Left Wise King and all the other tribes to assemble! I will personally lead the entire army south to seize the 100,000 bushels of grain from the Big-Eared Bandit!"

The Xiongnu people readily accepted the order.

At this moment, Guo Huai's eyes darted around a few times, but he quickly stood up and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Great Chanyu, I believe that this battle should be approached with extreme caution!" (End of Chapter)