A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 181 Completion
The army of 100,000 men, which was ambushed in the mountains and valleys of Dai, was divided into three routes: left, rear, and right, to simultaneously outflank and encircle the Xiongnu cavalry.

The left (west) route consisted of 25,000 soldiers under Gongsun Ao, who set out from Wei County.

The rear (middle) route consisted of 50,000 main forces from the Weiqing Army, which had set out from Yuanping.

The right (east) route consisted of 25,000 soldiers from Zhao Ponu's troops who had set out from Fanshi.

Wei Qing's planned strategy was to have the main army encircle the Xiongnu in a fan shape, then engage them in a major battle, pursuing and killing them in one fell swoop, preventing the main force of the Xiongnu from escaping.

Gongsun Ao's army and Zhao Ponu's army searched for weaknesses in the enemy formation from the flanks to inflict maximum damage, and could make on-the-spot decisions on tactics.

The main force prioritized defense, and everything went as expected. The entire Xiongnu army turned their horses around and fought a desperate battle against them.

In areas characterized by mountains, hills, and river valleys, the high-drop advantage of the Xiongnu elite cavalry no longer existed. Even without fortresses and trenches, the Xiongnu army would be met head-on with the Han army forming a square formation to resist the enemy, and their momentum would be cut off.

Countless crossbow bolts flew over the heavy shields and into the Xiongnu army. No aiming was needed at all. The overwhelming barrage of bolts made the nomadic tribe realize the power of the steel torrent.

The soldiers and their horses were shot at at the same time, and countless Xiongnu warriors lost their lives. When the Xiongnu elite cavalry approached the Han army, unlike the previous defense, the Han army charged forward like suicide soldiers, wielding a double-edged long-handled sword.

This was a new type of weapon from the Han dynasty that the Xiongnu elite cavalry had never seen before. In the Han army, it was called "Mo Dao" or "Zhan Ma Dao".

As its name suggests, it has the ability to cut down horses.

With a single strike, both man and horse were shattered.

The massive cavalry force, moving like a cloud, encountered an unprecedented predicament; in short, it could no longer move.

At dawn, the Xiongnu army appeared to be in disarray.

Gongsun Ao and Zhao Ponu tacitly decided to seize the opportunity and launch a counterattack. They divided their troops into more than a dozen huge battle groups, each wedging itself into the white ocean.

At this time, the Han army had a force of just 100,000, while the Xiongnu cavalry had lost more than 10,000 cavalry during the all-night siege. With their forces nearly equal, when the two sides were divided and encircled, a massacre ensued.

Han soldiers wielding long-handled swords carried out a rare decapitation strike against the elite Xiongnu cavalry.

The system of recording decapitations as merits has been in place since the Qin and Han dynasties. However, in actual battles, especially in the Han-Xiongnu war, there were very few real battles involving fighting and decapitations.

As the arrogant and invincible elite cavalry of the Xiongnu, their valiant horses fell from grace. Even in defeat, the Xiongnu would not easily release the remains of their warriors to the Han army, and would do everything in their power to retrieve them.

This is the origin of the Xiongnu system where those who brought back deceased members of the tribe could inherit all the legacy of the deceased.

First, the Xiongnu revered the spirits of the dead; second, they did not want the Han people to display their military prowess with structures like the Jingguan (a mound of corpses), and even more so, they did not want the enemy to exchange their heads for wealth and honor.

Throughout history, there have been many instances of cavalry beheading infantry, but instances of infantry beheading cavalry are almost unheard of.

When the Han soldiers surged forth like a tidal wave, fearlessly splitting into countless giant dragons that churned the vast white ocean into numerous enormous whirlpools, the Xiongnu knights, who were already more focused on their own survival, instantly collapsed.

The defeat has occurred!

The Han dynasty had a specific description for this: "The army's defeat was like a mountain collapsing."

Some advanced, some retreated, and some wanted to retreat. In the chaos, their own troops clashed, trampled each other, and dragged others down with them... The Xiongnu army collapsed on its own!
According to the laws of the Han Dynasty, a Xiongnu head is worth ten gold pieces as a reward!

If it weren't for the suppression by Wei Qing, Gongsun Ao, Zhao Ponu, and other generals, the Han army would probably have already fallen into a "rush to claim the first kill".

General Han orders: Anyone who steals the head will be severely punished without merit!
Wei Qing's troops contained the main force of the Xiongnu, preventing them from scattering across the land. Meanwhile, the two central routes opened like giant iron pincers, relentlessly pursuing the Xiongnu banner cavalry. The three Han soldiers, like frenzied butchers, slaughtered the enemy.

Just then, the sun rose, and under the rosy dawn, the crimson Han army swept across the Dai region like a storm, while the white Xiongnu were like torn clouds, drifting helplessly in the sky.

Such a large-scale massacre involving hundreds of thousands of cavalry and infantry was unprecedented in the entire history of the Han-Xiongnu War.

A mass exodus began. The Han army encircled them.

Wei Qing looked at Gongsun Ao, who had turned into a blood-soaked figure, and asked, "Where is the Xiongnu Chanyu?"

This isn't his blood; it's all Xiongnu blood. Gongsun Ao shook his head and said, "They escaped!"

After the Han army wedged into the Xiongnu formation, he intentionally moved closer to the center of the formation until the left and right armies met. Gongsun Hong and Zhao Ponu then fought their way through the Xiongnu army, but the Xiongnu Chanyu Yizhixie was nowhere to be seen.

It is likely that not long after the great battle, Izhixie took advantage of the chaos to escape.

Not only did Yizhixie flee, but many chieftains of the Xiongnu tribes also fled. No one was a fool. After noticing the disappearance of the Great Chanyu, the chieftains shouted "Kill all the Han soldiers!" but they all stopped charging forward and instead charged backward, using the cover of their vision to escape along the mountains.

"Chase!"

Wei Qing gave the order.

He had promised the emperor's nephew that he would bring back the heads of Yizhixie and the chieftains of the Xiongnu tribes to Chang'an; if he missed even one, the promise would not be fulfilled.

Dai Commandery was Han territory, and the Xiongnu people already had very obvious characteristics. In addition, the Chanyu and chieftains had a unique noble air, making it extremely difficult for them to escape from the blockade of the Han.

"Yes, General!"

Gongsun Ao and Zhao Ponu accepted the order.

Under the flickering torches, the sounds of slaughter gradually subsided. Above, under a sky full of stars, Wei Qing gazed at this world and seemed to sense the presence of a "pulse".

That vibrant vitality.

For a long time in the past, this area was a strategically important northern pass of China, acting as a natural military barrier that severely hindered nomadic tribes that relied on cavalry.

The majestic and precipitous mountain ranges formed the first natural line of defense for the Dai region against the southward advance of foreign cavalry.

In addition, the Juma River, with the Yi River and Baigou River on its two sides, formed the river defense system in the southern part of Dai. The crisscrossing rivers obviously built a natural second line of defense for Dai to resist the southward advance of the northern cavalry.

In addition to the two natural defense lines, the Great Wall and the Five Passes, which were built as early as the Qin Dynasty, constituted an impregnable man-made defense line for the Dai region to resist the southward invasion of foreign cavalry.

During periods of national prosperity, it served as a bridgehead for the Central Plains regime to manage and control nomadic tribes.

During periods of national decline, it served as a stronghold for the Central Plains regimes to resist and fight against nomadic tribes.

For nomadic tribes, occupying the Dai region would completely change their passive situation in military struggles against the Central Plains regime.

Although nomadic regimes possessed strong military power, they lacked advanced cultural systems and stable financial resources.

Due to the limitations of their own political system, in the struggle against the powerful Central Plains regime, they could only achieve temporary military victories.

They were either completely defeated by the powerful Central Plains dynasty.

Once they occupy the Dai region, this situation will change completely. Through the Dai region, they will be able to access and acquire the most advanced aspects of the Central Plains civilization, adapt them for their own use, and become the long-term enemy of the Han Dynasty, and may even have the potential to end the Han Dynasty.

Such places, however, became something that the Han princes could freely exchange with the Xiongnu.

Unforgivable!
"General, we've captured Marquis Wu Shi!"

"Take them back to Chang'an!"

The play is over.

It's time for the ruler to take action!
(End of this chapter)