Chapter Fifty-Seven: Luring the Snake out of its Hole

  As Liu Zhe had expected, several days later, the king of Wusun led 7,000 brave warriors to Baiyue Shanggu and was followed by the kings of Yutian, Qushi, Jumi, the princes of Khotan, Shache, and Wensu, and the princess of Pulei, each with an army of 2,000 to 6,000 men. Under Liu Zhe's leadership, nine tribes including the prince of Dayuan formed a united front after a blood oath alliance. All nine tribes handed over their military power and jointly elected Liu Zhe as commander-in-chief to direct the battle.

  At this time, Liu Ze's special agent also returned to Baigou Shanggu, passing on the news of the Xiongnu. The main force of the Northern Xiongnu was fighting fiercely with the Xianbei in the Wulun River area, and the battle between the two sides was now stuck. Due to the tight situation on the eastern front, the Xiongnu had transferred the surplus troops from the western front to the eastern front, so at this time, there were only about 5,000 Xiongnu defenders in Guishan City, and more than 1,000 Xiongnu soldiers in Hetian City.

  For Liu Ze, this is a great news. After the alliance of the nine major tribes, the total military strength has exceeded 30,000 people. Now that the Xiongnu are fighting on the eastern front, they have no time to look back, and it's the best time to recover the southern border and Dayuan. Liu Ze ended the troops' training and discussed with the leaders of the nine major tribes to attack Hetian City first. Liu Ze's proposal was unanimously approved by the nine major tribes.

  In the autumn of the fourth year of Guanghe, Liu Ze personally led an army of over 30,000 soldiers out of Baiguan Shanggu and directly attacked Hetian City. He appointed Guan Yu as the Left Wing General, Zhang Fei as the Right Wing General, each leading 5,000 cavalrymen, Wu Anguo led 3,000 soldiers as a reserve force, Pan Feng was in charge of the central army, and ordered him to be in charge of grain transportation first.

  The remaining Yu Xian troops, numbering only over a thousand, were besieged by the two armies of Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in the city of Hetian. They held out for less than two hours before the city was breached, and all the thousand or so Xiongnu soldiers were slaughtered. The city of Hetian was the first stronghold of the southern frontier and also the capital of the kingdom of Yutian. Liu Ze's army took only a few hours to capture the city of Hetian, and the dream of recovery that had been cherished for ten years became a reality today. The leaders of all the major tribes were all tearfully moved, and even the king of Yutian almost knelt down to Liu Ze.

  Liu Ze was calm and composed, his goal was not this small city of Hetian. Even if he took down Hetian City, it would not have much strategic value. Hetian is located in the southern wilderness of Xinjiang, where goods are scarce and cannot support the supply of food for tens of thousands of troops. His target was the ancient capital of Dayuan, Guishan City. From Ling Xian's mouth, Liu Ze learned that Dayuan was rich in products, with an abundance of rice and wheat, and was the only country in the Western Regions that emphasized both agriculture and animal husbandry. Before winter arrived, he had to take down Guishan City, otherwise, relying solely on the support of the nine major tribes of the southern mountains, this army of 30,000 people would fall into a food shortage. In the winter season in the Western Regions, the snow was several feet thick, and without the support of city walls, on the barren ice and snow-covered plains, this army would find it difficult to survive.

  After a brief rest, Liu Ze immediately ordered the whole army to break camp and start marching westward, and when they reached the city of Hetian, it would be handed over to the king of Yutian for disposal.

  After all, Heita and Kiyoshikajō are separated by more than 3,000 miles. Even if they march 50 miles a day, it will take at least two months to get there. Liu Ze not only strictly required the daily marching speed but also attached great importance to logistics support. After all, the farther westward, the longer the supply line is. The army and horses are not moving, and the grain and grass are already on their way. This is the primary condition for marching and fighting. Commander Lian's ability exceeded Liu Ze's imagination. This old man in his sixties seemed to have extremely vigorous energy and willpower. Under his meticulous organization and scheduling, the surplus food saved from the mouths of ordinary people was constantly supplied to the front line, providing a strong driving force for Liu Ze's army.

  In September, Liu Ze's army smoothly entered the territory of Dayuan and captured Ershi City, known as the southern gate of Congling. The year Emperor Wu sent General Li Guangli to conquer Dayuan in the west was defeated at Ershi City, forcing Dayuan to kill its king and sign a surrender treaty. However, today Ershi City is an undefended city, and the Xiongnu have withdrawn all their troops from the six garrisons in the original Dayuan territory, including Ershi, to the eastern front for the decisive battle with the Xianbei people. Now only Guishan City has 5,000 Xiongnu cavalry defending it.

  Liu Zhe led the Nine Nations Army to Ershi City, where they were warmly welcomed by local residents. They were originally native to Dayuan, and had suffered cruel exploitation and oppression at the hands of the Xiongnu people. Seeing their own army return to their homeland, the people offered them food and drink, treating the three armies with hospitality.

  The support of the local residents gave the allied forces, who were struggling to get supplies, a brief respite. However, the Xiongnu soldiers had emptied all the resources from the warehouses when they retreated, and the local residents' lives were extremely impoverished, making it difficult for them to continue providing supplies to the allied forces. Therefore, the top priority was still to capture Guishan City, which was also the only hope for the survival of the army. The war on the eastern front may last a long time or end quickly, but if they fail to capture Guishan City in time and the Xiongnu reinforcements arrive from the east, they will be attacked from both sides and may suffer a disastrous defeat.

  The weather in the Gobi Desert changes quickly in September. It's still very hot at noon, but by nightfall, the ground is already covered with a layer of white frost.

  Fortunately, the ratio of troops on both sides was six to one at this time, and our side had a numerical advantage. However, in terms of quality, Liu Ze couldn't guarantee that his 30,000-strong army could confront the 5,000 elite Xiongnu cavalry head-on. But now he has two trump cards, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, it seems that some strategy is still needed.

  The defender of Guishan City was Huheye, the left general of Xiongnu, who was also the younger brother of Chanyu Houton. He had a sturdy build and was known as one of the four greatest warriors of Xiongnu, with a very violent temper. At this moment, he was drinking heavily in the city, while the war on the eastern front was raging. He repeatedly asked to go into battle, but his brother Chanyu Houton refused, only asking him to defend Guishan City and hurry up to complete the autumn harvest, transporting grain to the eastern battlefield. Huheye had fought in countless battles, but now he was being used by his brother as a city guard and harvest collector, with no outlet for his pent-up anger.

  But the autumn grain collection was not an easy task, as the Huns were at war and this year's collection in Guishan City was a brutal extortion, which met with strong resistance from the native people of Dayuan, after all, the food was taken away, and this winter, do you want to let the common people live or die.

  Huhezha adopted violent and bloody means, having killed many people in the past few days. However, some villagers continued to resist and refused to hand over all their grain. Huhezha decided that tomorrow he would lead his troops out of the city and slaughter those villagers who refused to cooperate. As he drank, he cursed: "These worthless bones, if the tiger doesn't show its might, they think it's a sick cat!"

  At this time, the scouts returned to report: "Report to the general, the rebels in the south have occupied Ershi City."

  Huhe Zhai woke up halfway and said: "You came so quickly, who is the leader of the army?"

  The news of the defeat of the Xianbing at South Mountain had already been transmitted to this side, but the war situation on the Eastern Front was critical, and the Huns' main force couldn't even spare a thought for going to South Mountain to quell the rebellion. Who would have thought that these rebels would advance inch by inch all the way here? If it weren't for the war situation on the Eastern Front, which had transferred away the troops originally stationed in Ershi City, they probably would have clashed with the rebels at Ershi City already.

  The scout said, "He is a Han general, known to the nine tribes as the Envoy of the Sun God. He was the one who killed General Yu Xian. This time, more than 30,000 people from the nine tribes have joined forces, all under his command."

  The deputy general beside him said, "I heard that this man is young in years, but in the battle of Bai Leng Shanggu, he defeated Yu Xian's nearly two thousand men with just three hundred cavalrymen. He cannot be underestimated. Moreover, this man has gathered nine major tribes and more than 30,000 people. The general must be careful to guard against him."

  Huhe Xie burst out laughing and said, "A bunch of rabble, what's there to fear? If it weren't for my brother's orders to guard this precious mountain city, I would have led the army to trample Southern Mountain long ago, killing them all without leaving a single piece of armor behind. I'm doing them a favor by not seeking them out, and yet they dare to come knocking on our door, how perfect, sending themselves to their deaths!"

  Just as they were speaking, another scout came in to report: "Reporting to the general, the rebel army's three thousand cavalry are rushing towards Guishan City and are less than thirty miles away from the city."

  Huhe Zhaote stood up and shouted: "Come on! Give me three thousand soldiers, go out of the city to fight, and give them a show!"

  "General, the enemy has over 30,000 troops but only sent 3,000 as vanguard, be cautious of their strategy. The defenses of Guishan City are strong and we have ample food and supplies, as long as we hold our ground, once the reinforcements from the east arrive, we can attack from both inside and outside, and the rebels will surely be defeated." Bi Le was somewhat worried.

  Huhe Zha burst out laughing: "A few rebels, I haven't even put them in my eyes. In the past when I was galloping across the Western Regions, one million iron cavalry annihilated four countries and two million soldiers. These three thousand people are not enough to fill my teeth."

  Bie Le wanted to say something else, but Huhe Xie had already rushed out quickly, mobilizing 3,000 elite cavalrymen and killing his way out of the city.

  The vanguard of the coalition forces was Pan Feng, who led three thousand cavalrymen towards Guishan City at a steady pace. When they were only forty or fifty miles away from Guishan City, they saw a massive cloud of yellow dust rising in front of them, which must have been the Xiongnu army coming out to fight. Pan Feng halted his troops and drew his great sword, shouting towards the enemy: "Who comes? State your name and accept death!"

  The leader of the opposing side was Huhezhai, holding a large battle-axe, who didn't understand Pan Feng's words and charged forward with a loud roar. With one swing of his axe, he struck directly at Pan Feng's head. Pan Feng raised his sword to block it, but was shaken so much that his tiger-shaped hilt felt numb, thinking to himself that this Xiongnu general had great strength. After no more than three rounds, Pan Feng retreated and led his troops southward in defeat.

  Huhe Zhai burst out laughing and said to his deputy general Bi Le: "How's that? As soon as I took the field, these rebels fled in disarray. Men, charge forward! For every head you take, you'll be rewarded with a sheep; for every enemy general you kill, you'll get ten cows; and if you can kill that Sun God Envoy, you'll get a thousand households!"

  The cavalry was shocked, and they all fought bravely, chasing in the direction of the enemy's retreat. Pan Feng's army was defeated, and along the way, they abandoned their helmets and armor, fleeing in disarray.

  The Xiongnu cavalry pursued with their lives on the line, and in one breath they chased out nearly a hundred miles, and were less than a few dozen miles away from Beiping City.

  Bi Le took a look at the terrain and secretly thought it was unfavorable. He approached Huhe Zhai and said, "General, be careful of a trick!"