Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The camp was a scene of bustle, the sound of trumpets echoing across the vast grasslands. Soldiers quickly assembled, intently arranging their equipment, their weapons gleaming coldly in the sunlight. Meanwhile, craftsmen frantically crafted simple equipment like ladders and battering rams. The sound of mallets striking wood intertwined with the clatter of soldiers' footsteps, playing a prelude to battle.

Suddenly, a cloud of dust flew up from the camp gate as a warhorse raced towards them like the wind. The soldiers, upon seeing this, immediately tensed up and raised their weapons in unison, pointing them at the approaching force. The warhorse, as if startled, charged without stopping, straight towards the camp.

Niu Jin, who was guarding the gate of the village, held a weapon in his hand and looked stern. He shouted loudly: "Stop! If you take another step forward, you will be killed without mercy!" The voice echoed in the open grassland, full of deterrence.

At this moment, the man on horseback shouted anxiously: "I am Hu Chier, don't do anything, I have urgent military information to report!" Niu Jin looked closely and found that it was indeed the Hu general who was usually careless but very reliable.

Niu Jin quickly put away his weapon, stepped forward to greet him, and said excitedly: "Hu Chier, why are you here?" As he said that, he wanted to go up and greet Hu Chier.

Hu Chi'er dismounted and hurried, unhooking the water bag at his waist and taking a few gulps, saying, "Hey, I have urgent information about Mr. Jia Xu to report to the king, so I really don't have time to catch up with you. Quickly give me some food. I'm exhausted from all this traveling." As he spoke, he wolfed down his dry food and anxiously asked Niu Jin, "Where is the king? Take me to see him."

Niu Jin didn't dare delay and quickly said, "The king is in the tent. I'll take you there." With that, he led Hu Chi'er and hurried toward the camp. Hu Chi'er hurried along the way, constantly urging Niu Jin to move faster. He knew the intelligence he brought was of great importance and must be delivered to the king as soon as possible. Niu Jin, understanding the urgency of the matter, quickly ran through the camp with Hu Chi'er, heading towards Ma Chao's tent.

Ma Chao and his generals were all ready to march. Just as Ma Chao was about to issue his orders, Hu Che'er suddenly appeared in the tent, looking delighted. He hurried into the tent and said, "Your Majesty, my brother Hu Chi'er is here!"

Ma Chao was stunned for a moment, then a look of joy appeared on his face, and he said repeatedly, "Please come in quickly!" Before he finished speaking, he walked towards the door of the tent to greet him.

Hu Chier and Niu Jin rushed to the tent. When Hu Chier saw Ma Chao, he quickly stepped forward and knelt down to greet him: "Your Majesty!"

Ma Chao looked at this brave general who had followed him for many years, his eyes flashing with joy. He took two steps forward to help Hu Chi'er up and said, "Chi'er, why are you here? I guess Mr. Jia Xu and Pang De are here too. How long will it take them to arrive?"

Hu Chier stood up and said with a grin, "Your Majesty, Mr. Jia Xu and General Pang De won't be here for a while."

Ma Chao was shocked when he heard this. He grabbed Hu Chier's arm and asked, "What happened? Did something happen to Wenhe and Lingming?"

Hu Chi'er quickly scratched his head and said, "No, no, no, Your Majesty, you misunderstood. In fact, Mr. Jia Xu said that we are now north of Langjuxu Mountain. After some exploration and analysis, he believes that Ordo City is now in a three-way melee. We only have 2 soldiers left, and even if we come, it will be a drop in the bucket. So Mr. Wenhe said that he wants to take us to attack Murong Xuepo's lair. He said this tactic is called encirclement... encirclement... rescue... "

At this time, Xu Shu's eyes lit up and he said, "Besiege Wei to save Zhao."

Hu Chi'er's eyes lit up as he said, "Ah, Mr. Yuanzhi still knows more. That's right, that's right. It's the tactic of besieging Wei to save Zhao. Mr. Wenhe said we should besiege Wei to save Zhao." He paused, then said, "He wants us to raid Murong Xuepo's lair to relieve the pressure on the king."

Ma Chao's worry finally subsided. He pondered for a moment and murmured, "Besiege Wei to save Zhao..."

Hu Chi'er, fearing Ma Chao might not understand, hurriedly continued, "Yes, Mr. Wenhe said that Murong Xuepo has wicked ambitions. If he captures Ordo City, it might be detrimental to Your Majesty, so Your Majesty must be extremely vigilant. He also said that Your Majesty must conserve your strength when attacking Ordo City, as Murong Xuepo is even more anxious to capture the city than we are."

Ma Chao nodded slightly, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. He said, "Wenhe's plan is brilliant. Murong Xuepo is very ambitious. If we don't take precautions, there will be endless trouble. However, attacking his lair will not be easy, so we must proceed with caution."

Xu Shu bowed and said, "My Lord, since Mr. Jia has made this plan, he must have considered it thoroughly."

Ma Chao looked at Hu Chi'er and said, "Chi'er, you have brought important intelligence and assisted Mr. Jia in planning this plan. Your contribution is not small. When the war is over, I will reward you handsomely."

Hu Chi'er scratched his head and smiled innocently, "Your Majesty, I don't seek any reward. I'm just happy to be able to serve you. I also want to win this battle with everyone else."

Ma Chao laughed heartily, patted Hu Chi'er on the shoulder, and said, "Excellent! Our army is fortunate to have a soldier like you. You've had a hard journey." Turning to Hu Che'er, he said, "Hu Che'er, quickly prepare some good food so your brother can eat and rest!"

After the Hu Chier brothers left, Ma Chao looked around at the generals who were looking at him and said solemnly, "Since Mr. Wenhe said that we don't need to go all out in this attack on Ordo City, there must be a deeper meaning behind it."

Xu Shu nodded slightly and took over, "My Lord, I believe Mr. Jia is worried that after taking Ordo City, with our current strength, we might not be able to deal with Murong Xuepo. So, he wants to let Murong Xuepo and Ke Bi wear each other down first, so we can profit from it. After all, when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits. This way, our army can reap the benefits, minimize our own losses, and better prepare for the subsequent situation."

Lu Su echoed, "That's right. Mr. Wenhe led his men into Murong Xuepo's territory and wreaked havoc there. This news will surely reach Murong Xuepo. You have to know that Murong Xuepo has just united many tribes, and these tribes are already divided. If the leaders of each tribe learn that their tribe is in trouble, they will surely be worried, and this will shake the morale of Murong Xuepo's army. Once the morale of the army is weakened, his army's combat effectiveness will naturally be greatly reduced."

Zhang Liao's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "If that's the case, Murong Xuepo won't pose much of a threat to us. Then, while both his army and Kebineng's are damaged, we can attack Ordo City in one fell swoop. After successfully capturing Ordo City, Murong Xuepo's army will be demoralized and morale will be low. Then, we can take advantage of the situation and attack Murong Xuepo. Wouldn't that be a piece of cake? This plan is brilliant!"

Ma Chao listened to the generals' analysis and secretly agreed with it. A pleased smile appeared on his face. He said, "You are all right. Mr. Wenhe is very thoughtful. This plan can kill two birds with one stone. It can reduce the pressure on our siege and weaken Murong Xuepo's power. However, the situation on the battlefield is changing rapidly, so we must not take it lightly."

Xu Shu bowed and said, "Rest assured, my lord. Our army can feign an all-out attack during the siege, conserving its strength while keeping a close eye on the movements of Murong Xuepo's army. If we detect signs of morale being shaken by the attack on their territory, we will seize the opportunity and launch an all-out attack."

Ma Chao nodded and said, "Alright, let's do as Yuan Zhi says. Commanders of all battalions, listen up and adjust your battle strategy immediately. When attacking the city, we must demonstrate our military's momentum while also conserving our strength. Also, arrange for elite scouts to closely monitor Murong Xuepo and Ke Bineng's movements. Report any signs of trouble to me immediately."

"Yes!" The generals responded in unison, their voices firm and loud, as if they had seen the dawn of victory.

After Agula returned to report, Murong Xuepo was extremely anxious, determined to capture Ordo City as soon as possible to establish his prestige on the grassland. Therefore, he could not wait to take the initiative to attack Ordo City.

War drums blared, and Murong Xuepo's army surged toward Ordo City like a tide, their cries of battle reverberating through the heavens. The cavalry, brandishing their long swords, charged the city gates, while the infantry, carrying ladders, struggled to scale the walls. The scene was incredibly intense.

Meanwhile, Ma Chao, following his agreement with Murong Xuepo, launched an attack southwest of Ordo City. However, heeding Jia Xu's advice, Ma Chao merely displayed a grand display, but in reality, it was all talk and no action, clearly intent on conserving his strength. While his soldiers shouted and cheered, they held back their attack, not going all out.

Wulan Da, a veteran of the battlefield, quickly realized that the Xiliang army's attack was not as fierce. He was secretly puzzled, but he did not dare to be careless. At this time, Murong Xuepo's attack was as fierce as a storm, and he had to urgently dispatch most of his troops to resist Murong Xuepo's attack to ensure the city's survival.

Murong Xuepo, intent on a swift victory, was unprepared for the fierce resistance of Wulanda. Though his soldiers bravely advanced, Wulanda's meticulous defenses repelled their attacks time and again. After a bitter battle, Murong Xuepo not only failed to breach the city gates, but also lost many of his men's lives. The battlefield was littered with corpses, blood staining the ground red. The wounded soldiers groaned in pain, a gruesome sight.

After all, the troops stationed in Ordo City were the elite troops of the Xianbei royal tent. They were well-trained, well-equipped, and thoroughly familiar with the city's defenses. Murong Xuepo's troops, while numerous and composed of the combined might of various tribes, were of varying quality and lacked unified and systematic training.

More importantly, the grassland people have always been good at fighting on the vast grasslands, but they are not good at complex and technically demanding combat methods such as siege.

When the Han army attacked the city, due to proper tactics and tacit coordination, Kebi Neng's side suffered heavy losses. Basically, it took two Xianbei warriors to replace one Han soldier. Although there were casualties, they were still within an acceptable range.

However, facing Murong Xuepo's attack, Kebineng's Golden Felt warriors displayed astonishing combat prowess. Raised on horseback, these warriors possessed exceptional skills in mounted archery and were exceptionally fearless in close combat. From their commanding position on the city walls, their familiarity with the terrain and their unwavering fighting spirit inflicted heavy casualties on Murong Xuepo's forces.

Every advance Murong Xuepo's soldiers made came at a heavy price. Typically, four or five of his men would be killed for every single Golden Felt warrior. The battle was incredibly brutal, and Murong Xuepo watched his soldiers fall, feeling both heartbroken and furious. However, he couldn't think of a better way to break through the city.