Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Hun soldiers fell in droves, but they continued their charge, stepping over the bodies of their comrades, unflinching. Liu Bao, wounded in several places, ignored them and charged forward. In this fierce, almost frenzied battle, the Huns, with their reckless ferocity, finally managed to forge a path through the Western Qiang's hold, breaking free and escaping the encirclement. They fled like a tide towards the mixed Qiang and Hu areas southeast of the Eastern Qiang.

When Liu Bao, the Left Wise King, shook off his pursuers, ordered his troops to rest and take a headcount, he discovered that only a meager 1 of the warriors who had fled with him remained. This campaign against the Western Qiang had cost Liu Bao's troops nearly 4 casualties, leaving them with nothing to gain. Most of the men who had escaped were seriously wounded, and faced the approaching harsh winter with grief, unsure how to survive this long and brutal time.

Ma Chao watched helplessly as the Xiongnu Zuoxian King and his men fled from the Western Qiang position. Although he felt resentful, he could do nothing about it. He knew that he had to completely eliminate the trapped Xiongnu before him. After all, their numbers were still too numerous, and even with his careful planning, it would be difficult to annihilate them all.

Ma Chao was still concerned about the war with the Eastern Qiang and the situation in Western Liang that was being harassed by the Xiongnu Chanyu. This made him extremely worried. Considering that he had already achieved a significant victory, further pursuit might not be worth the effort. He made a decisive decision and decided not to pursue them, but to quickly capture the Eastern Qiang.

With a look of shame on his face, Cheliji came to Ma Chao and said, "Dear brother, I'm so sorry. It was my men from Xiqiang who failed to successfully block the Huns' breakout and let them escape." Ma Chao hurriedly comforted his brother Cheliji, the spear king, "Brother, don't blame yourself. After all, there are too many Huns. The men from Xiqiang are already very brave and determined. After such heavy losses, I am very satisfied with such results. Brother, please let your brothers rest quickly. I still need you to lead the troops with me to attack Dongqiang." After hearing this, Cheliji no longer hesitated.

After receiving Ma Chao's comfort, Cheliji's guilt was slightly relieved. He immediately took action and ordered his Western Qiang soldiers to rest and count the casualties in an orderly manner.

When the casualty figures were tallied, Cheliji looked at them with a bitter taste in his mouth. Ma Chao was equally helpless. He knew that war was brutal and that casualties were inevitable. Even with his meticulous planning, his cavalry had lost nearly a thousand men, and the Beidi County troops had lost an additional fourteen thousand men since the Xiongnu attack. The Beidi army was severely weakened. Cheliji's Western Qiang warriors had also lost four thousand men.

However, the results were quite impressive. This time, the Xiongnu Zuoxian King came to Beidi County to plunder, leading 50,000 troops. Ma Chao, Cheliji and others left nearly 40,000 of them in Beidi County.

Ma Chao looked at the data and said to Cheliji, "Brother, we still have wounded soldiers here. You can arrange to transport all the spoils of this battle back to the tribe along with the wounded so that we can survive the winter. Brother, we will rest for a while, and then you will join me in launching a general attack on Dongqiang Midang. What do you think?"

After hearing Ma Chao's words, Cheliji was overwhelmed with gratitude for Ma Chao's generosity. Ma Chao not only didn't pursue the Western Qiang soldiers' strategic blunder, but also refused to accept any spoils of war, allowing them to return and strengthen their tribe. Deeply moved, Cheliji said, "Brother, I will always remember your kindness. I will follow your every command!"

His expression was serious, his eyes etched with a hint of solemnity. As he busily arranged various matters, he vowed to be even more valiant in the upcoming campaign against the Eastern Qiang alongside Ma Chao, to redeem himself from this blunder. The Western Qiang soldiers were also silent, silently carrying out Cheliji's orders. They too held their breath, hoping to prove their prowess in the coming battles and avenge their fallen comrades. Ma Chao, on the other hand, stood aside, his gaze fixed firmly into the distance, pondering the strategic plan for the next campaign against the Eastern Qiang, his sense of mission growing stronger.

Ma Chao and Cheliji's troops immediately took the opportunity to rest and recuperate. Ma Chao summoned Yang Qiu and, after commending him for his performance in the battle, said, "Don't recruit any more soldiers for now. Just focus on maintaining the current operations and stability of Beidi County. Beidi County won't be involved in the upcoming battles. We must hurry and restore the people's livelihood."

Yang Qiu said with embarrassment: "General, the Beidi army has been burned, killed and looted by the Huns, and the people have been displaced. Moreover, the situation in Wuwei, Xiliang is unknown. The supplies in Beidi County are tight, and I am afraid that the people will find it difficult to survive this winter." Ma Chao pondered for a while and thought to himself: Yes, there are still Huns in Zhangye County now, and I don’t know how far they have expanded from Zhangye County. After all, troops have been withdrawn from most areas. Now that I have not returned to support Xiliang, I don’t know what kind of pressure my father Ma Teng will face. I am afraid he will be unable to transfer supplies to support the post-war recovery of Beidi County.

Ma Chao pondered for a moment and said, "How about this? I'll have someone write you a letter, and you can have someone take it to Longxi County and ask them to allocate supplies to Beidi County first to help them get through the winter."

Ma Chao looked at Yang Qiu and continued, "The letter will detail the current situation in Beidi County and our urgent need for supplies. Tell Longxi County to take this matter seriously and provide assistance as soon as possible."

Yang Qiu nodded quickly and said, "I understand. General, don't worry, I will arrange this matter as soon as possible. However, will there be any difficulties in Longxi County?"

Ma Chao frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "No matter what, we can only ask them for help first. If they are also in trouble, we can think of other ways, but at least we have to try our best."

Yang Qiu replied seriously, "Yes, General, I will do as you request. I hope Longxi County can lend a hand to help the people of Beidi County through this difficult winter."

Ma Chao looked at Yang Qiu and said seriously, "I don't think it should be a big problem to ask Longxi County to provide supplies this time. After all, Dong Bai and I have a close relationship, and she will definitely not sit idly by."

Yang Qiu immediately nodded and said, "General, you are absolutely right. Miss Dong Bai and you have a deep friendship. I'm sure Longxi County will support us based on this relationship. General, rest assured. I firmly believe that Longxi County will lend a hand and help us Beidi County overcome this difficult time."

Ma Chao nodded slightly, his eyes revealing a hint of determination. He said, "Well, I also believe that Dong Bai will not let me down. But even so, the letter must be kept properly. I will clearly explain our difficulties and needs. We cannot rely solely on personal connections."

Yang Qiu replied solemnly, "I understand, General. I will make careful arrangements and take care of every detail. With your relationship with Dong Bai, and our well-founded request, I believe Longxi County will not turn a blind eye to our predicament."

Ma Chao sighed lightly and said, "I hope so. If Longxi County can provide timely support with supplies, the people of Beidi County will have a much better winter." Yang Qiu responded, "The general is kind-hearted and always thinks about the people. I will do my best to assist you in accomplishing this." Then, Yang Qiu followed Ma Chao's instructions and went to work hard to handle the relevant matters.

Ma Chao patted Yang Qiu's shoulder gently and said earnestly, "Thank you for your hard work, Yang Qiu. We must do our best to protect the people's lives and not let them suffer from hunger and cold after the war."

Yang Qiu bowed and said, "General, you are kind-hearted. I will do my best to live up to your trust."

After Yang Qiu left, he prepared a rich feast to reward the soldiers for their great victory. Meanwhile, Ma Chao quickly finished writing his letter. Thinking of Dong Bai, a wave of tenderness welled up in his heart. Although Dong Bai was probably still in Wuwei, since Lord Dong had entrusted Longxi County to him, he assumed the county would be willing to help him with this reasonable request.

After all was settled, Ma Chao and Cheliji celebrated their victory in their tent with the other leaders who had participated in the battle. As the wine flowed, they even ventured out of the tent to celebrate with the soldiers, creating a lively atmosphere. Ma Chao, having shaken off his long-standing fatigue, joined the soldiers in a hearty drink. After all, the situation with the Eastern Qiang remained unresolved, while Western Liang was still suffering at the hands of the Xiongnu. With the New Year approaching, Ma Chao secretly resolved to resolve the Eastern Qiang issue as quickly as possible and stabilize the situation.