Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

Twenty miles north of Gaochang Wall, the Xiongnu army is slowly moving north.

The procession stretched out in long lines, with a caravan laden with spoils and slaves herding cattle and sheep at the front, a supervisory force in the middle, and two thousand cavalry bringing up the rear. There were thousands of head of cattle and sheep, and over a hundred carts piled high with plundered grain and valuables, along with women bound hand and foot.

Subudanghe rode his horse among the rearguard, his face grim.

He looked back and saw that the Han cavalry, numbering about 2,500, had indeed caught up from the direction of Gaochangbi. They were trailing behind at a distance, neither attacking nor getting close.

"Your Majesty, the Han army is following us," a centurion whispered.

Xubudanghe sneered, "Let them follow. By the time they reach Dongqiemi, our reinforcements should be here. Then we'll join forces and fight these Han people to the death!"

He calculated in his mind: the Jinweishan royal court still had two thousand cavalrymen left behind, and with the various tribes sent out to plunder gradually being recalled, they could still muster two or three thousand men. At that time, they would have six or seven thousand troops, more than enough to deal with these two thousand Han soldiers.

However... these spoils slowed things down.

Xubudanghe looked at the long caravan ahead, somewhat hesitant. These grains, cattle, sheep, and women were the main spoils of his southern invasion; if he abandoned them, the trip would have been in vain.

"Send word to the front: speed up!" he ordered.

The order was passed down, and the Xiongnu troops sped up slightly, but their load was too heavy, so there was no limit to how fast they could go.

On Ma Chao's side, Deputy General Wang rode up to Ma Chao's side and asked, "General, the Xiongnu aren't moving fast. Should we just follow them like this?"

Ma Chao nodded: "Just follow. We'll use light cavalry, they'll be heavily armed. It'll be disadvantageous for them to drag this out. Once the Prince of Jin's army arrives, they'll be finished."

"What if the Xiongnu reinforcements arrive..."

"It's better that they've come," Ma Chao sneered. "We can deal with them all at once and save ourselves trouble later."

He looked north, calculating the distance in his mind. From Gaochangbi to Dongqiemi (near present-day Urumqi) was about three hundred li. The Xiongnu, carrying their baggage, could only travel forty or fifty li a day, and it would take them six or seven days. The Jin King's army, traveling light and quickly, should be able to catch up.

That will be the time for the decisive battle.

Ma Chao said to his personal guards, "Send out more scouts to keep a close eye on the movements of the Xiongnu, especially to see if any reinforcements are coming from the north."

"promise!"

The group continued north.

On the first day, the Xiongnu people traveled about forty li, and Ma Chao's army followed a few li behind, keeping a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

When setting up camp at night, the Xiongnu surrounded the chariots in the middle and deployed scouts on the outside to guard against a night attack by the Han army. Ma Chao, on the other hand, had his soldiers take turns resting to conserve their strength.

On the second day, the third day... the two sides continued to move slowly northward, one after the other.

Xubudanghe attempted to ambush Ma Chao several times to avenge Ma Chao's previous ambush, but Ma Chao was extremely cautious and deployed a large number of scouts, who always managed to discover the ambush in advance.

There were two small-scale encounters. The Han army used bows and crossbows for long-range shooting and did not engage in close combat. The Xiongnu's bows and crossbows were not as long or sharp as the Han army's, so they could not gain an advantage and had to give up.

On the fourth day, the Huns arrived at a river valley, a lush and fertile area traditionally used for summer pastures. Xubudanghe ordered a half-day rest there to allow the weary troops to catch their breath.

Ma Chao's army also set up camp three miles away.

Inside the central command tent, Ma Chao was discussing matters with his deputy general and others when a scout reported: "General, about two thousand Xiongnu cavalry have been spotted thirty li to the north, heading south. Judging from their banners, they are reinforcements from the Northern Xiongnu, heading towards Jinwei Mountain!"

The people inside the tent perked up.

Deputy General Wang said, "General, the Xiongnu reinforcements have arrived. They now have a total force of over six thousand men. What should we do..."

Ma Chao waved his hand: "So what if they number six thousand? We won't fight them head-on. Once the King of Jin's army arrives, we'll wipe out six thousand just the same."

He stepped outside the tent, looked north, and mentally estimated the time. The Prince of Jin's army should arrive within the next day or two; as long as they held on, victory was just around the corner.

"Order the entire army to strengthen defenses and set up more sentry posts," Ma Chao ordered. "If the Xiongnu attack, we will retreat. There's no need for a direct confrontation that would only result in casualties."

"promise!"

In the Xiongnu camp, Xubudanghe received news that reinforcements were about to arrive and was overjoyed.

"Good, Tuoba Wuer has arrived with two thousand cavalry!" he said to his generals. "Once the reinforcements arrive, we will have six thousand troops. Those Han soldiers only have a little over two thousand. We outnumber them three to one; we will surely win in one battle!"

A centurion hesitated and said, "Your Majesty, although the Han army is small, its fighting strength is formidable. Before, outside Liuzhong City, our thousand cavalry were ambushed by them, and seven hundred were killed or wounded..."

"That was an ambush! We were outnumbered!" Xubudanghe interrupted. "In a head-on battle, who are we, the Xiongnu cavalry, afraid of? Besides, we outnumber them!"

He paused, then continued, "Moreover, these Han soldiers marched lightly and quickly to relieve the Western Regions; they certainly didn't bring much food. If we trap them, we can wear them down!"

The generals listened and agreed, nodding in approval.

Xubudanghe continued, "Send word to Tuoba Wuer not to come directly to join them, but to circle around to the flank and rear of the Han army, cutting off their retreat. We will attack from both sides and annihilate this Han army!"

"Your Majesty is wise!"

Once the order was given, the Xiongnu began to actively prepare for war.

Xubudanghe even began to fantasize that after annihilating this Han army, he could seize their armor, horses, and iron weapons to arm his own troops. Then, he could turn around and break through Gaochang Wall, and this area would be completely his.

He even envisioned things going further: using the front and rear of Cheshi as a base to control the entire Western Regions and the Silk Road, and to recreate the glory of the Xiongnu of yesteryear…

However, what Subudanha didn't know was that while he was having his dream, an even more powerful army was rushing in from the east.

At the same time, two hundred li east of Gaochangbi, a cavalry force of four thousand men was galloping across the Gobi Desert.

It was the elite central force personally led by Lü Bu.

At the very front of the procession, Lü Bu rode Red Hare. Despite the long march, his complexion remained unchanged, showing no signs of fatigue. Behind him, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Dian Wei, Xu Chu, and other generals were also in high spirits.

"My lord, a scout reports that General Ma Chao has lifted the siege of Gaochang and is currently confronting the Xiongnu as he moves north." A courier rode up to report, "The Xiongnu number about four thousand, carrying a large amount of spoils of war, and they travel about forty li a day. General Ma Chao is following behind with two thousand five hundred cavalry, and has been following them for several days."

Lü Bu nodded: "Mengqi did a good job; just hold off the Xiongnu. Order the entire army to speed up and reach Gaochang Pass before sunset tomorrow!"

"promise!"

With the order given, the team sped up even more.

Zhang Fei rode up to Lü Bu's side, grinning, "My lord, this time I'll have a good fight! Those Xiongnu barbarians dared to kill our Han soldiers; I'll poke hundreds of holes in them!"

Guan Yu stroked his beard and said, "Yide, don't be anxious. You'll have the battle to fight. I've heard that Xubudanghe is the Left Dulu King of the Northern Xiongnu, and he has several thousand cavalrymen under his command. You'll have enough to kill."

Dian Wei and Xu Chu were also itching for a fight. They were both warlike and had been holding back all the way.

Looking at the high morale of his soldiers, Lü Bu was satisfied. This western expedition was not only to destroy the Xiongnu, but also to intimidate the states of the Western Regions and rebuild the Han court's authority in the region.

He looked westward, as if he could already see the battlefield.

"Pass down the order: no rest tonight, proceed through the night," Lü Bu commanded. "We will rest again when we reach Gaochang tomorrow."

"promise!"

Four thousand elite cavalrymen surged westward across the Gobi Desert like a black torrent. The sound of their hooves thundered, and dust billowed into the sky.

Meanwhile, Xubudanghe was still dreaming of annihilating Ma Chao's army and dominating the Western Regions, completely unaware that death was rushing towards him from the east.