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

Hu Chuquan's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

Xiao He's plan to destroy the Xiongnu was not just talk; he was actually going to put it into action.

Taking advantage of the fact that his main force was wiped out, they suddenly attacked Xihe and swept away the old, young, women and children he had left there.

This is taking advantage of his illness to kill him.

Liu Bei, however, wholeheartedly agreed, his eyes flashing with murderous intent once more, and he roared:

"Send word to Zilong, instructing him not to return to Yong'an to regroup, but to lead his cavalry immediately straight to Lin County, cross the river into Xihe Commandery, and completely wipe out the Xiongnu, thus eliminating the threat to Bingzhou forever!"

The Xiongnu people had many horses, so it was most appropriate to send Zhao Yun's 10,000 cavalry to sweep them away in order to prevent them from fleeing north.

Furthermore, in the upcoming attack on Jiexiu Pass, as well as the sweeping of Xiahou Dun's forces and the capture of the entire Bingzhou, cavalry will not be of much use for the time being.

"May the Emperor have mercy! May the Emperor have mercy!"

"I confess my guilt. The fault lies with Huchuquan, and has nothing to do with my Xiongnu people. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy and spare my people's lives!"

Terrified and desperate, Hu Chuquan prostrated himself on the ground and kowtowed desperately to Liu Bei, begging for mercy.

Liu Bei remained unmoved, merely flicking his hand dismissively:

"Men, take this thief into custody and bring him to Jiexiu Pass!"

The white-feathered guards on both sides rushed forward and dragged Hu Chuquan away like a dead dog.

Seeing that his pleas were in vain, Hu Chuquan's despair turned to grief and anger, and he cursed loudly:

"Liu Bei, you cruel ruler, you are unworthy to be the emperor of the Han Dynasty. Even your Emperor Wu of Han was not so cruel as to exterminate us Xiongnu. You cruel ruler..."

Chen Dao frowned, caught up with him, and punched Hu Chuquan hard in the face.

The shouting stopped abruptly.

Hu Chuquan was knocked unconscious by a punch and dragged away like a dead dog.

Liu Bei then looked back at his generals and soldiers and said boldly:

"My soldiers, follow me north once more, break through the Jiexiu Pass, and take Bingzhou in one fell swoop!"

The soldiers were filled with fervor and responded enthusiastically.

"Crush Jiexiu and take Bingzhou!"

"Crush Jiexiu and take Bingzhou!"

A roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami echoed between heaven and earth.

That same day, Liu Bei mobilized his main army and marched north from Yong'an City, heading straight for Jiexiu Pass once again.

...

The boundary is closed.

Inside and outside the city, 20,000 Wei soldiers were carrying soil and stones, working day and night to repair and reinforce the damaged city defenses.

Xiahou Dun stood atop the city wall, personally overseeing the repairs.

Perhaps due to the psychological trauma inflicted by Liu Bei, Xiahou Dun, despite his confidence in Huchuquan's journey, still had to make contingency plans.

After 40,000 Xiongnu cavalry marched south, there were only two things he could do.

First, we await good news from Huchuquan.

Secondly, he urged his soldiers to repair the city walls day and night, just in case.

What if the Xiongnu are defeated and Liu Bei returns to fight back?
He still needed to rely on this Jiexiu Pass to withstand the attack of 100,000 Han troops.

"Seven days have passed. This battle should be over by now..."

Xiahou Dun was clearly distracted. While he was urging the construction of the city walls, he was muttering to himself and glancing towards the south.

"General, I believe that Huchuquan has at least a 70% chance of winning and can burn 100,000 bushels of grain belonging to the Big-Eared Bandit."

"Even if the raid on the grain fails, as long as the Xiongnu Chanyu remembers the general's instructions and does not easily engage the Han army in direct combat, and guards against the Han army's repeating crossbows, I believe he can still retreat unscathed, at most suffering only minor losses."

"As long as the main force of the Xiongnu can be preserved, even if the Big-Eared Bandit attacks Jiexiu again, he will not dare to attack the city as recklessly as before."

Wang Ling noticed Xiahou Dun's worry, but instead offered a cold smile to comfort him.

Xiahou Dun's worry lessened slightly, and he nodded:

"As you said, I really have nothing to worry about. Even if Ichigo suffers a defeat..." Before he could finish speaking...

Several scouts on horseback galloped to the city walls, and before they even entered, they shouted:
"Han army! Han army is approaching from south of Jiexiu Pass!"

Xiahou Dun's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly raised his head, gazing intently southward.

really.

At the end of the south-facing avenue, billowing dust could be faintly seen rising from below the horizon.

Such a spectacle was clearly the result of a massive army marching.

In a short while, countless Han army battle flags and figures gradually came into view, becoming clearer from their initial blurriness.

"Reporting to the General, the Han army is approaching our Jiexiu Pass."

"Reporting to the General, Liu Bei's imperial banner has been discovered among the Han army!"

"Reporting to the General, the Han army numbers approximately 100,000..."

The scouts returned one after another, bringing back more accurate battle reports.

Xiahou Dun frowned deeply, his gaze filled with suspicion and unease as he turned to look at Guo Huai and Wang Ling.

Judging by this momentum, Liu Bei has led his main force to launch a counterattack!
But wasn't Liu Bei's main force forced to retreat to Yong'an City because of fear of the Xiongnu cavalry?

What gave Liu Bei the confidence to dare to return and fight again?
An ominous thought arose simultaneously in the minds of Xiahou Dun and his generals.

"Could it be that Liu Bei lost his guard after the failed raid on Huchuquan, which is why he dared to return to our Jiexiu Pass?"

Guo Huai revealed Xiahou Dun's suspicions.

Xiahou Dun's heart skipped a beat, and his nerves, which had just relaxed, tensed up again.

However, all of this is merely speculation and cannot be confirmed.

All Xiahou Dun could do was, with a heavy heart, order his soldiers to climb the city walls and prepare for battle, ready to meet the Han army's attack.

then.

More than 20,000 Wei soldiers had no choice but to abandon the construction of the city wall and were hurriedly rushed to the city wall to prepare for battle.

South direction.

One hundred thousand Han troops rolled in, and in less than half a day they had completed the siege of the city and set up camp, once again establishing a powerful presence over Jiexiu Pass.

Campsite setup is complete.

Emperor Liu Bei, sword in hand, appeared before the camp gate.

Gazing at the familiar fortress in the distance, Liu Bei's lips curled into a cold smile, and he flicked his whip:
"Go! Slay that barbarian dog Huchuquan at the Jiexiu Pass!"

The order was passed down.

Chen Dao, who was already prepared, led a convoy of carriages and horses out of the camp.

Inside the carriage cage, Hu Chuquan sat slumped like a soulless zombie, waiting to die.

In an instant.

This group of men advanced to the front of the city under the bewildered gazes of the Wei soldiers on the city wall.

"Big-eared thief, what trick are you playing now?"

Xiahou Dun looked confused and bewildered. Driven by curiosity, he restrained his soldiers from firing arrows.

Guo Huai, Wang Ling, and the Wei soldiers throughout the city were all curious and confused by the Han army's inexplicable actions.

Xiahou Dun stared wide-eyed at the procession of carriages and horses.

The Han army stopped a few dozen paces in front of the city. The cage was opened, and a middle-aged man, dressed in rags and covered in blood, was dragged off the carriage and forced to kneel on the ground.

Then, a Han general drew his sword and held it to the middle-aged man's neck.

Xiahou Dun was dumbfounded.

Liu Bei sent a group of men over to execute a death sentence in front of him.
What's going on here?

Just as Xiahou Dun was confused, Guo Huai's expression changed drastically, and he pointed at the kneeling man, shouting in a trembling voice:
"General, that's... Huchu Spring!" (End of Chapter)