Ji Han Liu Zhang

As a man of the Southern Xiongnu, although he no longer lived on the grassland but lived in Taiyuan County of the Han Dynasty, the Xiongnu scout Hulida's riding skills were still first-class and impeccable.

It's just that Hulida's riding skills were very good, and the enemy scouts on the opposite side were also first-rate riders. They galloped back and forth, and stopped on horseback, showing that their riding skills were not inferior to Hulida's, which surprised Huligai very much.

"This Shu army's cavalry is really good." Hu Lida, who was impressed by the Shu army's cavalry at first, found that the Shu army's cavalry were dressed very differently from Han people after getting close to them.

But seeing the Shu scouts on the opposite side had different armor and weapons, their clothes were left-breasted, and their hairstyle was not long. After a quick glance, Huligai concluded that they were a group of Qiang Hu cavalry.

"Pah." Huligai spat on the ground, pointed to the Qiang Hu in front, and said to the more than ten Xiongnu cavalrymen on his left and right: "The Qiang dogs in Longyou are not good people, but dogs for the Shu army."

Huligai completely forgot that as a Xiongnu, he was also fighting for the Yuan family and was doing the unbearable thing of being a dog for the Yuan family. He just shouted, "Come with me and kill these Qiang dogs who are spying on the battle situation for the Shu army."

With a loud shout and the order to charge, Huligai took the lead and rushed forward. He intended to kill these Qiang dogs and use their heads as a reward.

This was also Huligai's duty as a Xiongnu scout. His duties were not only to patrol and scout the enemy situation, but also to cut off the enemy's eyes and ears.

Just like now, Huligai wanted to kill the Qiang and Hu scouts on the opposite side to cut off the eyes and ears of the Shu army.

The Qiang and Hu scouts on the opposite side had already discovered Huligai and his group. When they saw Huligai and his group shouting and rushing forward, they did not lag behind and rushed forward waving their swords and spears, intending to engage in a fight with Huligai.

On one side were the Huns fighting for Yuan's army, and on the other side were the Qiang and Hu people recruited by the Shu army. One lived in Taiyuan County of Bingzhou, and the other lived in Longyou. These two types of Hu people, who should have had little interaction in life, started a fierce battle in Taiyuan County.

After one charge, several people from both the Xiongnu and Qiang Hu fell off their horses, and the battle was evenly matched. Then the two sides launched another round of charge, and after killing several people from the other side, they thought they could not easily defeat the other side, so they decided to retreat and retreated tacitly.

While retreating, Huligai did not forget to take away the bodies of his dead compatriots. Relying on fast horses, he and his group retreated to the Hun camp outside Jinyang city.

"Report to the Left Wise King." Huligai reported to the Left Wise King Liu Baotong: "Most of the Shu army's scouts are Qiang and Hu from Longyou. They have now penetrated deep into Taiyuan County and are scouting everywhere. I ran into a group of Qiang and Hu, killed a few of them, and retreated."

Liu Bao nodded, waved his hand to dismiss Huligai, and later went to the central army camp to inform Chanyu Huochuquan and Youxian Wang Qubei of the situation.

"The Shu army is coming quite fast." Huochequan said with a heavy face.

Qu Bei nodded and agreed: "The mountain rain is coming, and the wind is rising first. Once the Shu army scouts arrive, the battle will be imminent."

"Let's explain the situation here to General Gao and General Yan and see what they plan to do." Huochequan gave his opinion. As a mercenary group, they cannot act on their own, but need to act according to the expressions of Gao Gan and Yan Liang.

After saying this, he called Chuquan and Liu Bao to go to Jinyang city, while Qubei stayed behind to guard the Xiongnu camp.

A banquet was going on in the government office in Jinyang City. In other words, since Yan Liang and Gao Lan arrived in Jinyang, Gao Gan had been hosting banquets every day. Today's banquet was already the fourth one.

"General Yan, General Gao, please drink this cup to the full." Gao Gan looked happy and urged Yan Liang and Gao Lan to drink.

Gao Gan rushed to Jinyang from Shangdang and brought 4,000 troops with him. The Xiongnu troops gathered a total of 6,000 soldiers this time, plus the 8,000 troops brought by Yan Liang and Gao Lan who arrived later, they had a total of 18,000 soldiers.

As for the approximate number of Shu troops on the opposite side, Gao Gan estimated that there were about 10,000 of them. After all, the Shu army was busy building a city in Hedong on the one hand, and also had to raise military supplies for the invasion of Taiyuan on the other hand. The number of troops that could be gathered should not be too large.

At the same time, Gao Gan also sent spies and scouts to investigate the Shu army. Comparing the two, he found that the number of the Shu army was indeed only over 10,000. So, with the advantage in troop strength and the presence of brave generals like Yan Liang and Gao Lan, he felt relieved and did not take the Shu army seriously.

This is why, when the war is about to break out and the Shu army has not yet arrived, Gao Gan still has the mind to set up a banquet and drink and have fun with Yan Liang, Gao Lan and others.

Yan Liang was a little drunk, with a hint of red on his cheeks. He asked Gao Gan, "General Gao, do you know who the enemy general who is invading Taiyuan this time?"

"Gan Ning and Zhang Ren." Gao Gan revealed the identities of the Shu generals based on the information passed on by the Hedong spies: "These two are from Shu, and they are both long-time followers of Liu Zhang. They are known for their bravery and have often fought in battles and taken the lead in breaking through the enemy lines."

"Heh." Yan Liang said lightly, "Even though he is a Shu general, he has a reputation for being brave and sharp, but it is because he has never encountered a truly strong enemy. This time he has run into my Hebei troops, and I will teach him what it means to be fierce and sharp."

Gao Lanyang laughed and responded, "General Yan is right. Shu is a remote place. People born in this small place have never seen the world. The reputation of bravery spread by them cannot be taken seriously."

"What the two generals said is very true. Gan Ning and Zhang Ren are only famous in Shu. Looking at the whole world, they are not good enough. They can never compare to the fame of the two generals in the world." Gao Gan said happily.

Several people led a large army, and none of them took the upcoming Shu army seriously. Only General Guo Yuan was a little worried. He took advantage of the high spirits of several people and tactfully advised them, "General Gao, two generals, as the saying goes, a lion will use all its strength to fight a rabbit. Although the Shu army is not as strong as us today, the battle is dangerous and should not be underestimated."

"In addition." Guo Yuan talked about Zhang Ren's bravery: "Zhang Ren was sent by Liu Zhang in the past to join the expedition to Huainan. In Qiyang, he led the cavalry to break through the enemy's formation. He was very famous and should not be underestimated."

After the last defeat in Hedong, Guo Yuan did not think like Gao Gan that the defeat was caused by carelessness. Instead, he conducted a detailed analysis of the Shu army. On the one hand, he was amazed at the combat effectiveness of the Shu army, but on the other hand, he was also afraid of the fierceness of the Shu officers.

Therefore, although the Shu army that invaded Taiyuan County this time was small in number, Guo Yuan still held a cautious attitude. After all, there were many cases in the past where the few defeated the many and the weak defeated the strong.

Upon hearing this, Yan Liang waved his hand and said, "General Guo, have you become intimidated by the Shu army after the small setback they suffered in Hedong last time?"

After saying this, Yan Liang laughed a few times. He continued to speak drunkenly: "General Guo, please be at ease. With me here this time, I will make sure that the Shu army will not return."

When Guo Yuan heard this, his face suddenly turned ugly. After all, Yan Liang ridiculed him in front of everyone, so he couldn't save face. Although Yan Liang's words were made when he was drunk, it would damage his reputation if they were spread.

"General Yan, I am not afraid of the Shu army." Guo Yuan refuted firmly, "As the saying goes, arrogant soldiers will be defeated. We must not underestimate the Shu army before we defeat it."

"Hmm?" Yan Liang refuted Guo Yuan. He was about to speak out in a drunken battle, but Gao Lan, who was standing by, saw that the atmosphere at the banquet was a little subtle. He spoke over Yan Liang and said, "General Guo has a point." This sentence calmed Guo Yuan, who was angered by Yan Liang's drunken words. Gao Lan continued to speak loudly, "We should defeat the Shu army and take the heads of Gan Ning and Zhang Ren, and live up to your trust."

"Come, gentlemen, let's drink this cup for the sake of the wise king." Gao Lan brought up Yuan Shao and urged everyone to drink.

Upon hearing this, all the civil and military officials participating in the banquet picked up their wine glasses and drank a full glass heartily.

At this moment, the gatekeeper came in and reported to Gao Gan the news that the Xiongnu Chanyu Huochuquan and the Xiongnu Zuoxian King Liu Bao were coming to see him. Gao Gan had no objection and he ordered his men to let Huochuquan and Liu Bao in.

As soon as Huochuquan and Liu Bao entered the government hall, they were invited by Gao Gan to sit down and drink. At the same time, Gao Gan did not forget his business. He asked Huochuquan, "What's the situation with the Great Chanyu?"

Since the Huns were good at riding and shooting, and could move back and forth quickly, few Han people could defeat them, so Gao Gan gave the task of scouting the enemy to Huochequan, and asked Huochequan to send out scouts to scout the enemy and report immediately.

Huochuquan drank a glass of wine first, then he saluted and said, "General Gao, the Shu army scouts have penetrated deep into Taiyuan and are investigating everywhere in Taiyuan. My men have already engaged the Shu army scouts and killed several of them."

The news that the Shu army scouts had penetrated deep into Taiyuan County did not arouse Gao Gan and Yan Liang's vigilance. Yan Liang simply stroked his hand and praised: "It's a good thing that you came. We should gather our troops and horses tomorrow and march south to fight against the Shu army. We should defeat the enemy in one battle."

Yan Liang, who had been feasting for several days, still remembered business. When he heard that the Shu army had arrived, his fighting spirit was boiling. His drunkenness dissipated by three or four points, and he sobered up.

"Great Chanyu, your tribe should be the vanguard." As the commander-in-chief, Yan Liang assigned the task to Huochequan, intending to use the Huns to test the combat effectiveness of the Shu army.

"Yes." As the Chanyu, Huchuquan now submitted to the Yuan family, so he responded to Yan Liang's orders without any disobedience.

……

Xudu.

Shangshu Ling Xun Yu, who usually looked calm and composed, had a hint of annoyance between his brows at the moment, and his pace was a little faster than usual. He walked to the meeting room of Sikong Mansion, sighed at the door, and stepped inside.

"Wen Ruo is here." When Cao Cao saw Xun Yu coming in the conference room, he stood up to greet him and expressed his respect for Xun Yu, the head of the civil officials.

"Mingsir." Xun Yu saluted in a serious manner. His actions caught Cao Cao's attention, and Cao Cao quickly said, "Wen Ruo, I have told you several times that there is no need for you and me to be so polite. Please take a seat."

Xun Yu heard this, but he did not sit down. Instead, he bowed to Cao Cao and asked, "Mingsir, regarding the rebellion of Dong Cheng and Wang Zifu, how do you plan to deal with it?"

"It is a serious crime of treason and the three clans should be exterminated." Cao Cao probably realized Xun Yu's intention and said affirmatively.

"That's right." Xun Yu nodded, but he did not excuse Dong Cheng, Wang Zifu and the others. He only asked one more question: "Are you also planning to kill Dong Cheng's daughter, Concubine Dong?"

"The law is merciless." Cao Cao replied firmly.

Xun Yu said solemnly: "Mingsir, now that Concubine Dong is pregnant with the heir to the throne and has not participated in the rebellion, we should be merciful and forgive her and let her go."

Faced with Xun Yu's advice, Cao Cao looked somewhat helpless. Emperor Liu Xie had pleaded with him many times about whether to execute Concubine Dong, but he refused every time.

In Cao Cao's eyes, the reason why Dong Cheng rebelled was mostly for the royal heir in Dong Guiren's belly. After all, if Dong Cheng planned well and the emperor regained power, the royal heir in Dong Guiren's belly would surely be invaluable.

If it wasn't for the immense wealth, why would Dong Cheng risk the extermination of three clans!
Furthermore, Dong Cheng was plotting a rebellion. If he kept Concubine Dong and let her give birth to the baby in her womb, the baby would certainly regard him, Cao Cao, as an enemy, which would cause future troubles.

So even though the emperor pleaded many times, Cao Cao just ignored him and was determined to kill Concubine Dong.

Seeing Cao Cao remained silent, Xun Yu continued, "You have served the emperor and supported the royal family. The world regards you as a loyal minister and a righteous man. Therefore, many people from all over the country have come to Xudu to help you accomplish great things."

"But now Dong Cheng and Prince Fu are plotting treason. You will definitely implicate and investigate Dong Guiren's crime. This will inevitably make the people of the world feel hesitant. They will be afraid of you because you are harming the heir to the throne and bullying the emperor."

"Secondly, if we accuse Concubine Dong, I'm afraid Liu Zhang of Guanzhong and Liu Biao of Jingzhou will blame us for this and send envoys to Xudu to hold them accountable. By then, there will be a lot of trouble."

Xun Yu concluded his speech by saying, "If you do not pursue the crime of Concubine Dong, firstly, it will show mercy to the world, secondly, it will not live up to the reputation of harming the royal heir. Thirdly, I heard that the emperor has pleaded for Concubine Dong several times. If you release Concubine Dong, the emperor will surely be touched and harmony can be achieved between the monarch and his subjects."

Cao Cao remained silent. After a few breaths, he finally responded, "What Wen Ruo said is indeed reasonable. Lady Dong, I can let her go."

"Your Excellency is benevolent and virtuous." Xun Yu quickly bowed and praised Cao Cao.

Then Xun Yu stepped back, turned to the palace, and came to the left wing palace where the emperor was.

"Your Majesty." Xun Yu entered and knelt down to pay respect to the emperor.

Emperor Liu Xie seemed to be deep in thought at the moment. He was startled by Xun Yu's words and looked a little flustered at first. But when he saw that it was Xun Yu, he calmed down a little and said, "It's Xun Qing."

Ever since Cao Cao took control of the government, few officials, both high and low, had been able to meet Liu Xie, and few were loyal to him. As for Shangshu Ling Xun Yu, in Liu Xie's eyes, although he worked for Cao Cao, he was relatively respectful to him and showed some respect.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister believed that Concubine Dong was pregnant with the royal heir, so it was inappropriate to punish her. This time, Concubine Dong's fault has been pardoned, and she will be released back to the palace soon." Xun Yu reported.

Upon hearing this, Emperor Liu Xie showed a delighted expression. He said in surprise: "I will definitely remember Sikong's kindness in my heart." (End of this chapter)