Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 489 Extra Chapter: Fierce Battle (Part 1)

A large number of Xiongnu cavalrymen who went out to plunder grain and supplies returned empty-handed.

It's really not their fault. The Han Chinese, who used to be as plentiful as cattle and sheep, had all fled into the county town. Not a single grain of food could be found in the villages. The houses and furniture were still there, though. Could they possibly steal beds and tables?

For the Xiongnu cavalry, money, food, women, and able-bodied men were the real spoils of war.

The young Xiongnu Khan, Motun, was furious and used his horsewhip to punish several of his men who returned empty-handed.

He became the Khan of the Xiongnu tribe just last year. Before that, he was the old Khan's most beloved youngest son, ruling over a large, fertile grassland with abundant water and grass. He commanded a force of 20,000 elite cavalrymen.

The Xiongnu were tribal, comprising over a hundred tribes of varying sizes. The Khan commanded all the tribes, but in peacetime, the tribes were scattered. When going to war, the tribal chiefs would accompany the Khan on campaign. The size of the army depended entirely on the number of cavalry under their command.

This time, the Xiongnu launched a large-scale military campaign. Moton Khan commanded 20,000 elite troops, and his three elder brothers each had several thousand. Several other tribal leaders had between one thousand and three thousand elite soldiers under their command. Those eight or nine people who had the authority to speak in the military tent were the only ones who truly held power.

There were also many minor leaders with only a few hundred cavalrymen under their command who could attend military meetings, but their main role was to listen and follow orders.

"Morton, this Emperor Zhaoyuan has unified the north and south, and his army is strong and powerful. He is not easy to deal with."

The one who spoke was Batel, the eldest brother of Morton Khan. He was over fifty years old, and his hair and beard were mostly white. Batel was more than ten years older than Morton and usually didn't take Morton seriously. He was also the most dissatisfied with the decision to send troops to the north: "Even the armies in Youzhou are getting stronger and stronger. Sending a large army to Youzhou was a mistake."

Morton's second brother, Xubu, was forty-six years old and spoke with Batel in unison: "Big brother is right. We're doing just fine on the grasslands, why should we come to Youzhou to fight? We should retreat back to the grasslands before the Pei family army arrives."

Morton's third brother, Huhanye, was the most shrewd. Seeing Morton Khan's face growing increasingly grim, he remained silent.

Sure enough, the next moment, Morton Khan coldly retorted: "We Xiongnu have dominated the grasslands for over a hundred years. When we lack food and clothing, we come to the north to plunder money, grain, and slaves. This has been our custom for decades. Before my father died, his biggest regret was that he was unable to kill Pei Qinghe."

"I have sent troops here for two reasons: first, to continue the glory of the Xiongnu tribe; and second, to bring Pei Qinghe away from the palace to the battlefield. I want to personally behead her and bring her head to my father's grave."

"Are you already afraid before the war has even started?"

"Are you still considered heroes of the Xiongnu tribe?"

Batel was furious. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly: "We have only brought limited supplies, enough to last two months at most. We're searching everywhere for food, but haven't found much. When the supplies run out, do you want our warriors to fight on empty stomachs?"

Xu Bu also sneered, "In the past, when we seized a lot of slaves, we could slaughter and boil them to make food for our army when we ran out of food. Now we can't even capture slaves. When the food runs out and the morale of the army collapses, we will be at the mercy of others."

Morton Khan sneered, "Money, grain, and slaves are all in the county towns. We'll send troops to conquer two or three, slaughter the towns, and then we'll have everything."

Batel frowned unhappily: "These counties are tough nuts to crack now. As soon as we send troops out, they will light beacon fires. In just a few days, the cavalry battalion of the Beiping Army will arrive."

"You're even afraid of the Beiping army?" Morton Khan stared at Batel and Xubu, his words extremely harsh: "Eldest brother and second brother are indeed getting old."

Bartel was immediately enraged and sneered, "I will send troops tomorrow. However, the county I capture will belong to me."

Xubu also said, "I will also send troops." Morton Khan looked at Huhanye and said, "You will also send troops. Their cavalry is limited. If they split their forces, they are no match for our fierce Xiongnu warriors. If they join forces to attack one of them, that force can retreat immediately. The other two forces can launch a fierce attack. After capturing the county, the money, grain, and women will all be yours."

Huhanye was somewhat troubled: "My cavalry have all been sent out to find provisions, and most of them haven't returned. We really can't send troops tomorrow. The Khan has the most elite troops, so it would be better for the Khan to lead the troops first."

A tribal chief immediately stepped forward: "How can we let the Khan's troops go first? If Huhanye won't go, I will."

This man was named Tuqi, and he was the most loyal follower of Morton Khan. He commanded 6,000 cavalrymen, whose strength was in no way inferior to that of Batel.

Morton Khan nodded in approval.

Both Bartel and Suebeth understood Morton's intentions: to deplete their forces through war and consolidate his own authority. There was nothing to complain about.

If they were the Khans, they would have done the same.

The Xiongnu warriors were born fighters, and their prestige was earned through battle. Since they had agreed to send troops, they were determined to win as many battles as possible, seize more grain, women, and slaves, and strengthen their reputation and power.

Without further ado, the next morning, Batelshub each led his cavalry, one heading east and the other west.

Tuqi then led his troops south.

That night, smoke signals were lit simultaneously from three directions.

"These Hun dogs are starting to get smarter," Meng Liulang sneered after receiving the battle report.

Li Chi frowned: "Should we split our forces?"

“If we attack one route together, we will surely win the battle,” Pei Xuan said. “If we split our forces into three routes, we can barely stop them from attacking the county town. However, the battle will definitely be difficult.”

Some things didn't need to be said explicitly; the northern generals all understood. Their cavalry, trained diligently for years, still suffered more defeats than victories against the same number of Xiongnu cavalry. To win battles, a numerical advantage was essential.

Dividing troops to provide support would be extremely risky.

If they launch a combined attack, which county's inhabitants should they save? And what about the other two counties? Should they just stand by and watch them be massacred and fall to the Xiongnu?
“Eight or nine years ago, this was not a problem at all.” Yang Hu, who had grown a beard, suddenly laughed: “In the past, when the Xiongnu sent troops, massacring entire cities and killing people was commonplace. We couldn’t resist them at all. If we could barely hold onto a city, that would be considered good.”

"Our cavalry has increased several times over, and our fighting strength is far superior to before. The Xiongnu barbarians are even trying to use tricks to force us to divide our forces. They are already afraid before our main army has even arrived. We will surely win this battle."

Therefore, they wanted to stall the Xiongnu barbarians as much as possible, waiting for the emperor to lead his troops to fight a decisive battle.

Meng Liulang, Li Chi, and Pei Xuan all understood and exchanged a glance: "That's right."

"General Yang, you stay behind. Tomorrow, the three of us will each lead an army to fight the Xiongnu barbarians!"

(End of this chapter)