I did it all for the Han Dynasty!

Chapter 298 Raising a Tiger Will Inevitably Leave a Trouble Behind (Fourth Update)

Just a little bit!

Just a little bit closer!

This would allow them to execute Zhou Yu's tactics, bringing the war to a complete end in Hexi, while continuing to use Hedong as a springboard to launch a strategic leap towards Bingzhou and even Hebei.

Zhang Liao removed his iron helmet, his face filled with dejection.

However, Taishi Ci still comforted him, saying, "It's all about timing and fate! How can everything be perfect?"

"Although this battle failed to capture Yuan Tan, it at least proved another thing."

"What's the matter?"

Taishi Ci told Zhang Liao to turn around and look for himself.

Zhang Liao turned around and suddenly gasped.

The road we came from has completely lost its original color.

The crimson bloodstains stretched from the starting point to the final victory.

This battle thoroughly proved the power of heavy cavalry!

Especially its ability to break through dense enemy formations completely surpasses any previous tactic!
In large-scale battles on the plains, heavy cavalry... are truly deadly weapons!

"At least it proves that the money our lord spent to build this heavy cavalry was not wasted!"

Liu Miao never mentioned to his generals how much money a set of heavy cavalry equipment would cost.

However, judging from the pained expression on Lu Su's face whenever he mentioned heavy cavalry, it was definitely not a small number!
Now that the effects of this investment are finally showing, what reason is there to be dissatisfied?

With heavy cavalry, even though Liu Miao was in the south, he still had the ability to confront Yuan Shao head-on on the plains. Wasn't that a fortunate thing?
Although Zhang Liao was also shocked by the power of the heavy cavalry, he still felt regretful and heartbroken when he thought of Yuan Tan's escape!

"If General Liu punishes me for this matter, I am willing to accept the punishment!"

"Wen Yuan, you're really overthinking things! With your fierce and capable nature, our lord is too busy praising you to possibly punish you."

Even so, Zhang Liao remained uneasy, feeling that he might have let Liu Miao down...

When Liu Miao came here in person and inquired about what had happened, he immediately exclaimed in amazement: "Wen Yuan's bravery is truly comparable to that of Zhao Hu in ancient times!"

Zhang Liao said with shame, "But in the end, Yuan Tan still managed to escape."

"It's alright! If I can catch him once today, I can catch him a second time!"

Although Liu Miao felt regret that Yuan Tan had escaped, he ultimately did not take it to heart.

"Let's go! This battle has been a resounding victory; we should celebrate!"

Seeing that Zhang Liao still had a droopy face, Liu Miao smiled and used his two thumbs to forcefully pry the corners of his mouth up.

"Life is full of disappointments, eight or nine out of ten things are not as we wish! If we are sad about everything, won't weep until we look like a withered willow?"

"On the contrary, the truly satisfying things in life are only one or two out of ten! If you do encounter them, you should be overjoyed!"

"I've heard that Guanzhong has a lot of delicious food! If Wen Yuan were to eat a meal that tastes bland and tasteless, wouldn't that be a waste of this beautiful land?"

Zhang Liao stared blankly at Liu Miao.

Although Liu Miao was clearly advising him to enjoy himself, Zhang Liao could sense the unwavering determination in Liu Miao's words!

This unstoppable momentum was even more intense than that of Lü Bu!
The thoughts that Zhang Liao had forcibly suppressed earlier have resurfaced, and are even slowly turning into a firm resolve...

------

While the soldiers on the west bank of the river were being rewarded and enjoying themselves on the same day, the east bank of the river was completely silent!
When Wang Yi and Hu Chuquan, who were left to guard Hedong, heard the news of Yuan Tan's defeat, they were both dumbfounded.

"Young Master, how could he have lost? Didn't they say he had a smooth journey all the way from Hancheng to the gates of Linjin? Why is he like this now..."

Compared to Wang Yi, Hu Chuquan was not only dumbfounded, but also filled with endless anger and indescribable panic!

The battle reports from the front lines made it very clear.

Yuan Tan and Gao Gan returned, but Liu Qubei did not.

That was the Right Wise King of the Xiongnu!

That was Liu Qubei, whom the Xiongnu had managed to rescue from Xuchang with great difficulty, and now he's been captured again so quickly?
Moreover, the last time and this time are different.

Last time in Xuchang, at least Liu Qubei was there alone.

But now, what has been abandoned in Hexi is the entire Right Wise King's tribe of the Xiongnu!
Generally speaking, the Xiongnu were divided into the Shanyu tribe, the Left Wise King tribe, and the Right Wise King tribe.

In other words, this battle directly resulted in the loss of one-third of the Xiongnu's tribal strength!
How could Huchuquan, the Xiongnu Chanyu, explain this to his tribe and to the elders and women of the Right Wise King's tribe?

"Yuan Tan, you have annihilated my clan!"

Hu Chuquan disregarded the presence of Wang Yi, a Han Chinese, and immediately launched into a tirade against Yuan Tan!

Wang Yi glanced at Huchuquan and suddenly had a plan in mind.

"Does the Chanyu want to reclaim the Right Wise King's tribe?"

Hu Chuquan sneered, "Since we've been captured, how can we expect to get them back so easily?"

"Of course!"

Wang Yi glanced around cautiously and offered Hu Chuquan a plan—

"Since things have come to this point, we might as well just kill Yuan Tan, present his head to Liu Miao to win Liu Miao's favor, and then take the opportunity to demand the Right Wise King's territory. Liu Miao will surely agree!"

Kill Yuan Tan!
Hu Chuquan suddenly felt thirsty.

However, he did not refute this, but instead earnestly asked Wang Yi, "If that's the case, how could Yuan Shao spare me?" "Chanyu! This is now the entire Right Wise King's territory! At this point, how can we still care about Yuan Shao?"

"Moreover, once the Chanyu takes back the Right Wise King's territory, he will lead his troops north and flee to the borderlands. Do you think Yuan Shao would still send troops to attack you then?"

Wang Yi silently added a sentence in his mind—

You left Hedong, but Hedong will still be mine!
Hu Chuquan was suddenly intrigued and asked Wang Yi, "Then what should I do?"

"Yuan Tan has just suffered a defeat, his army's morale is low, and his fighting spirit is weak. If the Chanyu (Xiongnu ruler) strikes first, he will surely be able to defeat Yuan Tan decisively!"

"I can handle the rest and negotiate with them to ask them to release the Right Wise King's tribe!"

After weighing the pros and cons, Hu Chuquan finally decided to follow Wang Yi's advice and take action against Yuan Tan!

"Yuan Tan left Gao Gan's younger brother, Gao Rou, to command the remaining Bingzhou soldiers in Hedong. We must first trick him out of his military power!"

After discussing it with Hu Chuquan, Wang Yi immediately went to find Gao Rou.

"Now that the eldest son has just suffered a defeat, in order to prevent Liu Miao from pursuing us, we must lead our troops north as soon as possible!"

Wang Yi anxiously reached out to Gao Rou: "Wen Hui is not familiar with the terrain of Hedong. Why don't I lead the troops to rescue him!"

When Gao Rou heard Wang Yi ask her for military power, she refused without hesitation.

"The eldest son and my brother have not yet sent orders, which means that although the front line has collapsed, they are ultimately able to maintain the situation and do not need additional support!"

Seeing this, Wang Yi's words became more urgent: "Now that the front lines have been defeated and everything is in chaos, how can military orders be transmitted?"

"Moreover, the Xiongnu Chanyu Huchuquan has already agreed to send troops to rescue them! Does Wenhui want to displease Huchuquan?"

It would be better if we didn't mention Huchuquan.

The mere mention of Huchuquan sent alarm bells ringing for Gao Rou!
He then noticed that the guards behind Wang Yi had bulging bags in their arms, and judging from their shape, there was probably an 80-90% chance that they were short-bladed daggers!
Gao Rou's back was instantly soaked with sweat, but she remained calm and composed.

After feigning deep thought for a moment, Gao Rou immediately changed her tune: "In that case, I entrust the safety of the eldest young master to Wen Du!"

Wang Yi was about to be pleased when he saw Gao Rou suddenly clutch her stomach in embarrassment: "I'm sorry, the food in Hedong is not the same as in Bingzhou. I've had diarrhea for the past few days... Wendu, could you wait a moment while I finish dealing with this before I take you to get the military tally?"

Although Wang Yi was anxious, he still had some time.

With success seemingly within reach, Wang Yi nodded to Gao Rou: "Wenhui, hurry! Don't delay the time to rescue the eldest young master!"

"nature!"

Wang Yi watched Gao Rou leave, but in his heart he was already thinking about where he should send Yuan Tan's head and what reward he should ask for.

Money? Beautiful women? Or official positions?

Wang Yi hummed a little tune, already envisioning his wonderful future.

But one song after another, Wang Yi, who was practically a walking encyclopedia of folk songs in Hedong, sang all the songs he knew, yet Gao Rou still hadn't returned.

"What on earth did this person eat? How could they have such severe diarrhea?"

Wang Yi sent a guard to urge him on, but the guard rushed back in a panic as soon as he entered the latrine.

"Prefect! Gao Rou has escaped!"

Wang Yi jumped up and rushed to the outhouse.

The small ventilation window above the outhouse was open, but there was no trace of Gao Rou. Only the sound of the wind pounding against the windowpane, creaking and groaning as if mocking her.

"broken!"

Wang Yi hurriedly wanted to turn back to find Hu Chuquan, but before he could even leave the courtyard, a large number of soldiers surrounded the place.

Gao Rou, who had just escaped using the technique of feces, was now fully armored and looking at Wang Yi with regret.

"You really can't be considered smart!"

"If the eldest son is able to inherit the great cause in the future, then what are your few fields in Hedong worth?"

"To take advantage of the eldest son's defeat and kick him while he's down is truly short-sighted!"

Gao Rou ordered Wang Yi to be imprisoned and then went to find the Xiongnu Chanyu Huchuquan.

However, Huchuquan seemed to sense something was wrong. Before Gao Rou arrived, he led the Xiongnu cavalry out of the city and headed directly north to Hejin, where Yuan Tan was located.

However, Gao Rou had already informed Yuan Tan of Hu Chuquan and Wang Yi's plot to rebel.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan was terrified, but he still had no choice but to quickly reorganize his troops and set up an ambush at Jishan to defeat Huchuquan.

"You are the ruler of a country, how dare you be so faithless and treacherous?"

"You are an incompetent general who has caused the death of the entire army! My Right Wise King was defeated by you in Hexi. How can I abide by the old treaty?"

Hu Chuquan also cursed Yuan Tan, but seeing that he could not defeat Yuan Tan, he could only station his troops in Linfen and confront Yuan Tan.

"Raising a tiger will inevitably lead to disaster!"

When Liu Miao and Zhou Yu heard about what had happened in Hedong, they were both happy to watch the spectacle.

Zhang Xiu jumped out and shouted, "Look! Look! Look what I said! Believe those barbarians? You might as well believe that ox will run into a tree and die!"

Liu Miao nodded in agreement.

The barbarians fear power but do not cherish virtue.

Yuan Shao's heavy reliance on the Xiongnu and Wuhuan will eventually backfire on him!
However, Liu Miao currently has no time to deal with matters in Hedong.

Because news came from Chencang in the west—

Ma Teng and Han Sui have entered the pass!
　I feel I can manage seven chapters, and I'll even try my hand at eight, but I'll tentatively set it at seven for now.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)