Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

As for the more than 3,000 light cavalry who surrendered to the Tuoba tribe, Liu Bei divided them into three groups:

One thousand light cavalrymen were placed under the command of Tuoba Yizhan;

One thousand light cavalrymen were placed under the command of Tuoba Chekun;

The remaining thousand light cavalry were evenly distributed among the three young and valiant generals of the Tuoba tribe: Babapeng, Pulu, and Yiloujin.

In this way, the elite cavalry directly under the command of General Liu Bei were still able to maintain a total strength of one thousand.

Tuoba Qiudun and Tuoba Sihai, who were stationed at the foot of Langshan Mountain, increased their troop strength from the original 1,400 cavalry to more than 2,200 cavalry.

After replenishment and expansion, Tuoba Daxi's forces reached 1,700 cavalry—including 1,000 heavily armored cavalry and 700 light cavalry.

Tuoba Yizhan and Tuoba Chekun each had 1,700 cavalry, but they were all light cavalry.

The light cavalry led by Babapeng, Pulu, and Yiloujin each reached five hundred riders.

After absorbing the heavy and light cavalry of the Yanliyou tribe, the total number of the Tuoba army, led by Liu Bei as commander-in-chief, increased by more than 5,000.

However, facing the Zhijian tribe on the shores of Juyan Lake and the Luoluo tribe at the foot of Helan Mountain, Liu Bei still felt that his forces were insufficient.

So, in the name of Yan Liyou, he sent a special envoy with Yan Liyou's carved wood to the other four villages to give an explanation, and then conscripted five hundred soldiers from each of them.

Including the village where Yan Liyou lived at the foot of Langshan Mountain, a total of 2,500 light cavalrymen were newly recruited from the five villages.

After discussing the matter with the generals of the Tuoba tribe, Liu Bei, as the commander-in-chief, decided to personally lead 2,500 light cavalry. No one objected.

After all, the upcoming battles will still be quite challenging.

Due to a sudden change in the military situation, Liu Bei decided to hold a military conference in his tent at Yanliyou.

Those attending the meeting included five veteran Xianbei generals, including Tuoba Qiudun, as well as Jian Yong, Qian Zhao, Guan Yu, Lü Bu, Gao Shun, and several others.

As for the remaining generals, they all led their troops to guard the outer perimeter of the camp and the surrounding areas of the villages, in order to prevent any sudden changes.

Inside the tent.

As the commander-in-chief of the western expedition, Liu Bei naturally took the seat of honor.

The burly, imposing figure beside him held the white banner firmly, his eyes fixed straight ahead!

Liu Bei glanced at the generals in the tent and said in a deep voice:

"Now, the Zhijian tribe on the shore of Juyan Lake and the Luoluo tribe at the foot of Helan Mountain are aware of the westward expedition launched by our Tuoba army. They must be on guard."

"The military operation we planned to launch a surprise attack on the Yanliyou tribe from the Khan's tent at the foot of Gaoque Mountain has now been a complete success."

"The plan at the time was to integrate the surrendered troops after capturing Yanliyou tribe and put them to our use, and then divide our forces into two routes, heading west and south, to launch a surprise attack on Zhijian tribe and Luoluo tribe."

"Now it seems impossible. What do you all think we should do next? Please feel free to express your opinions."

Tuoba Qiudun spoke first:

"Unfortunately, I will not be able to join you all in the upcoming battles. I will be stationed at the Wolf Mountain stronghold to pacify the five villages of the Yanliyou tribe and to care for the seriously wounded soldiers."

"If the commander-in-chief feels that there are not enough men to attack the Zhijian and Luolu tribes, I can let my deputy Tuoba Sihai join the battle."

"I can be the only one to command the Wolf Mountain headquarters. I have 800 heavily armored cavalry and 1,400 light cavalry under my command. You can also allocate half of each force to Tuoba Sihai to lead as you continue your westward expedition."

Liu Bei pondered for a moment, then said:

"The quality of an army is more important than its quantity, and the wisdom of a general is more important than his bravery. Tuoba Qiudun! The Wolf Mountain stronghold is in a strategic location. Leaving you 800 heavily armored cavalry and 1,400 light cavalry is not much. You should not send any more troops to support our continued westward expedition."

"An urgent military order from the Khan's camp at Gaoque Mountain may arrive at any time. If there is any urgent military situation, you must immediately send a fast horse to deliver it to me."

"On the other hand, if anything happens in the Canhebei area to the east, you must urgently conscript the cavalry from the five major villages of the Yanliyou tribe and send them eastward to reinforce them. At the same time, send a fast horse to inform me, the commander-in-chief."

"After you leave the Wolf Mountain camp, Tuoba Sihai should still remain to oversee the troops, ensure military supplies and logistics, and support the eastern front campaign."

Upon hearing this, Tuoba Qiudun nodded and said:

"Hearing what the commander says, I realize that the responsibility between Tuoba Sihai and me is indeed very heavy. In that case, I will not divide the troops. The two of us will stay at the Wolf Mountain camp and ensure that you have all the necessary food, supplies and logistics."

Liu Bei also said:

"An army cannot move until its supplies are ready. Therefore, an army without baggage will perish, without food will perish, and without reserves will perish. Supplies and provisions should be stockpiled in large quantities before battle to facilitate rapid transport when needed."

"Next, our greatest enemy is not Zhijian, nor Luoluo, but Tanshihuai of Tanhan Mountain. With the two veteran generals stationed at the Wolf Mountain headquarters, we can begin preparing provisions and supplies from today onwards."

Tuoba Qiudun and Tuoba Sihai then said:

"I will obey the commander's orders."

Qian Zhaohu, who had been deep in thought with his head down, said:

"Commander! Since it is no longer possible to divide our forces and launch a blitzkrieg against the two divisions, why not concentrate our forces and advance westward to Juyan Lake to capture Zhijian's tribe in one fell swoop? Then we can march eastward to Helan Mountain, with our army pressing in and our forces reaching the front of Luoluo's camp."

"At that time, we can send an eloquent person to the Luoluo tribe. With just a few words, we can win them over and make them submit to the Tuoba tribe."

"Hmm. Zijing is right."

Guan Yu greatly agreed with Qian Zhao's strategy, "Commander! If we follow this plan, we will surely succeed. As for that eloquent man sent to the Luo Luo tribe, who else but Xian He could it be!? If Xian He is afraid, I, Guan Yu, can take my spear and accompany him into the Luo Luo camp."

Jian Yong was indeed somewhat afraid of walking through that thicket of blades.

However, with Guan Yu by his side, he became bolder.

So it goes:

"While my martial arts and archery skills are inferior to yours, your eloquence in debating with a group of scholars is unmatched. Commander! When the time comes, Jian Yong can serve as the envoy for the surrender and will surely be able to persuade Luo Luo to lead his troops to surrender."

Liu Bei listened and nodded silently.

He was quite familiar with Jian Yong's eloquence.

After all, they are inseparable childhood friends.

Liu Bei then looked at Lü Bu and asked:

"Fengxian, what do you think?"

Lü Bu immediately shouted:

"You are the commander-in-chief. Tell us how to fight, and Gao Shun and I will obey your orders without question."

"Whether it's the Zhijian tribe at Juyan Lake or the Luoluo tribe at the foot of Helan Mountain, in my opinion, they can both be wiped out in one fell swoop, just like the Yanliyou tribe was swept away."

Liu Bei was impressed by this, but because of his exceptional bravery and unparalleled strength in the entire army, he did not think it was just boasting.

He then looked at the three generals, Tuoba Daxi, Tuoba Yizhan, and Tuoba Chekun, and asked:

What do you three think?

Tuoba Daxi said in a deep voice:

"Zhijian is arrogant and will never submit to the Tuoba tribe unless he is conquered by force."

"Luo Luo is a cautious and honest person, and it is indeed possible to win him over with words. As long as we explain the advantages and disadvantages to him and show him the general trend, he will surely remember the feelings of being of the same origin and race as the Tuoba tribe in the Gaxian Cave of the Great Xianbei Mountain and sincerely submit to the Tuoba tribe."

"Therefore, I also agree with Zijing's plan."

As the commander-in-chief, Liu Bei had the authority to make overall decisions, so he said in a deep voice:

"Now, all the generals believe that in the upcoming battle, there is no need to divide the troops. We only need to advance westward to Juyan Lake and attack and kill the Zhijian tribe."

"Once the Zhijian tribe is subdued, four-fifths of the western Xianbei will belong to the Tuoba tribe. The remaining Luoluo tribe, facing this situation, has no choice but to submit to the Tuoba tribe."

"In this way, we've saved ourselves a tough battle."

"Next, we will rest for a day and a night at the foot of Wolf Mountain. Tomorrow at dawn, we will regroup and march west to Juyan Lake to attack the Zhijian tribe!"

Commander Liu Bei made the final decision.

The discussion has come to an end.

Following Liu Bei's military orders, Tuoba Qiudun, the newly appointed commander of the Yanliyou tribe, quickly directed his men to prepare all military supplies, including dried meat and arrows, before nightfall.

Meanwhile, 2,500 light cavalrymen newly recruited from the five villages of Yanliyou tribe also arrived at the vicinity of the Langshan camp from their respective villages.

These 2,500 light cavalrymen were personally commanded by Liu Bei. Therefore, he selected 25 men from Xu Wushan's 28 elite cavalrymen who had followed him for a long time to serve as centurions.

One person commands one hundred light cavalry.

The twenty-five men commanded exactly two thousand five hundred light cavalry.

Three of Xu Wushan's elite cavalrymen remained, but they were seriously injured. So they stayed at the camp at the foot of Langshan Mountain to recuperate and did not follow Liu Bei on his westward expedition to Juyanhai to establish the Jian tribe.

……

A lone rider seeks the border, passing through the vassal state of Juyan. Like a tumbleweed, he departs from the Han frontier; like a returning wild goose, he enters the land of the barbarians.

—Wang Wei, Tang Dynasty, "On a Mission to the Frontier"