Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

The Wuhuan tribe of Youbeiping.

The Wuhuan people of Youbeiping were unaware of the impending disaster.

All they knew was that their leader, Wuyan, had taken two thousand elite troops to Lulong Pass for a "meeting," saying that they would bring back good news about grain supplies and trade.

Most of those remaining in the tribe were the elderly, women, and children, along with a little over a thousand soldiers who stayed behind.

That afternoon, the Wuhuan herders suddenly saw billowing dust in the distance.

At first, I thought it was the leader returning, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was a white horse!

"Han army! Han army is here!" the sentry on the watchtower shouted hoarsely.

The entire tribe was immediately thrown into chaos.

The general who remained behind quickly organized the thousand Wuhuan warriors and called on the veterans who could still ride horses. At this point, they didn't care about age; the survival of the tribe was at stake, and anyone who could wield a sword had to go. They were ready to risk everything.

Liu Ce's army pressed in and arrayed itself outside the tribe.

He spurred his horse into battle and shouted to the tribe, "Listen! Qiuliju, Supuyan, and Wuyan have all been dealt with by me! If you surrender, you may live; if you dare to resist, you will die!"

He shouted loudly, and the message spread throughout the entire tribe.

The Wuhuan people heard it clearly and were immediately in an uproar.

The leader is dead? How is that possible?

The garrison commander gritted his teeth and roared at Liu Ce, "Stop your arrogance, you Han dogs! We swear we will never surrender!"

He turned to his people and shouted, "Warriors! For the tribe! Kill!"

More than a thousand Wuhuan warriors, along with several hundred veterans, charged out with roars.

Liu Ce sneered, "Stubborn fool, Gongsun Zan!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Gongsun Zan had been waiting impatiently for a long time.

Liu Ce pointed at the charging Wuhuan people and said to Gongsun Zan again, "Defeat them, but try not to kill too many. The prisoners will be useful."

"Try not to kill too many?"

"Yes," Liu Ce nodded, "capture them alive and get them to work."

Gongsun Zan said, "My lord, how can war be fought without killing people?"

"Try your best," Liu Ce repeated, "Go."

Gongsun Zan pulled on the reins: "White Horse Cavalry, follow me into battle!"

Three thousand white horses, like a white torrent, rushed towards the Wuhuan people.

Liu Ce said to the other generals, "You all go too, and make this a quick victory."

Dian Wei, Cheng Yaojin, and Huang Zhong received their orders and each led their troops to advance.

Liu Ce and the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun stayed behind to watch the battle; there was no need for him to personally intervene in a battle of this level.

On the battlefield, Gongsun Zan proved to be fierce.

He charged ahead, wielding his lance like a windmill, and wherever he passed, the Wuhuan people fell like wheat being harvested.

He was so excited; after holding back for so long, he could finally have a good fight.

But as the fight went on, Liu Ce realized something was wrong.

Is Gongsun Zan... in a killing frenzy?

He grew increasingly excited with each kill, shouting, "Kill! Kill! Kill! Soldiers, kill for me!"

The White Horse Cavalry followed their commander, each one more ruthless than the last.

The garrison commander, enraged by Gongsun Zan's massacre of his clansmen, charged forward, brandishing his scimitar: "That Han dog, die!"

Gongsun Zan, caught up in the heat of battle, grew even angrier upon hearing this: "You scoundrel, you deserve to die!"

He turned his horse around and rode to meet them.

The two exchanged blows for less than ten rounds.

"puff--"

The lance pierced his chest.

With a flick of his wrist, Gongsun Zan lifted the general up high.

"Who else?!"

With their general dead, the Wuhuan people were thrown into even greater chaos.

Some knelt and surrendered, some scattered and fled, and some fought desperately...

But it was useless.

Gongsun Zan and his White Horse Cavalry have gone completely berserk.

When Liu Ce hurriedly ordered the retreat, the battle was already nearing its end.

Most of the Wuhuan warriors were killed or wounded, and the rest knelt down and surrendered.

But the entire tribe... was already practically a living hell.

Liu Ce rode over and saw that Gongsun Zan was covered in blood, all of it the blood of the Wuhuan people. Looking around the tribe, corpses were scattered everywhere, and the cries of the dying filled the air.

Gongsun Zan, holding the general's head, grinned and said, "My lord, it's done!"

Liu Ce's heart skipped a beat when he saw the tragic scene.

He sighed.

sloppy.

"Bo Gui," Liu Ce said, looking at the excited Gongsun Zan, "you... killed a bit too many."

Gongsun Zan was taken aback and said, "My lord, I lost control for a moment... These Wuhuan people are too stubborn. If we don't kill them, they will kill us."

Upon hearing this, Liu Ce knew that things had come to this point, and he couldn't say anything, since he had given the order himself.

Liu Ce sighed and rubbed his forehead, saying, "Bo Gui... next time, leave a few survivors. I meant defeat them, not massacre them."

Gongsun Zan replied, "Yes! This humble general... got too excited from the killing and couldn't help himself."

Liu Ce waved his hand: "Forget it. Let's clean up the battlefield. Arrest the living; bury the dead."

"Yes, sir!" Gongsun Zan accepted the order and left.

Liu Ce shook his head.

It seems that the Wuhuan people of Youbeiping... don't have many left.

That's good, it saves on food.

...

Liaoxi, Liucheng

The six thousand cavalrymen led by Xue Rengui, Qin Qiong, Yuchi Gong, and Lü Bu arrived near Liucheng at dusk after two days of rapid march.

The Wuhuan people were a nomadic people and were not used to living in cities, so Liucheng, a city left over from the Han Dynasty, had long been abandoned.

Outside the city, there were tents stretching for miles—this was the royal court of the Wuhuan people in western Liaoning.

"General, the Wuhuan royal court in Liaoxi is just ahead," the scout reported.

Xue Rengui reined in his horse and observed carefully.

The tents stretched out in a row, with wisps of smoke rising from their chimneys, creating a peaceful scene.

However, the defense was a bit lax, after all, most of the elite troops had been taken away by Qiu Liju.

"The entire army shall rest and regroup," Xue Rengui ordered. "Tonight, we will launch a surprise attack on the Wuhuan royal court!"

"Here you go!"

The soldiers dismounted to rest, fed their horses, and conserved their energy.

Inside the royal court, the elders of the Wuhuan clan and the generals left behind were still dreaming.

Inside the main tent, the clan elder said worriedly, "I wonder if things went smoothly for you, sir..."

The general who remained behind laughed and said, "Elder, do not worry. Liu Ce has invited us to negotiate peace this time, and you have brought with you the most elite warriors of our clan, as well as allies from Liaodong and Youbeiping. We are sure to return with a full harvest!"

Another elder nodded and said, "Yes, I've heard that Youzhou has fine salt and wine, and that paper too... If we could bring it back, we could enjoy some good fortune."

The elder sighed and said, "Let's hope so. Otherwise, with winter approaching, who knows how many more young men will freeze or starve to death this year..."

As they were talking, they suddenly felt the ground tremble.

It was very faint, but very familiar; it was the sound of horses' hooves.

"Could it be that the master has returned?" The elder was overjoyed.

But the general who remained behind changed his expression.

He listened intently, and his face grew paler with each listen.

"No...no!" He jumped to his feet. "It's an enemy attack! Quick! Order the warriors guarding the royal court to prepare for battle!"

He rushed out of the tent and shouted, "Enemy attack! Warriors, mount your horses!"

Unfortunately, it's too late.

Xue Rengui and his 6,000 cavalrymen had already emerged from the darkness! They stormed into the royal court and killed anyone they saw.

......