Ji Han Liu Zhang

Taiyuan County, Zhongyang County.

The Southern Xiongnu troops who had surrendered to the Yuan family, following the orders given by Gao Gan, the governor of Bingzhou, and Yan Liang, one of the Four Pillars of Hebei, took the lead in fighting against the Shu army as the vanguard.

Therefore, since the beginning of September in the fourth year of Jian'an, scenes of fighting have been staged every day in Zhongyang County. The two sides involved in the war were the troops of the Southern Xiongnu and the Qiang and Hu tribes in Longyou. Both sides were mercenaries of barbarians under their own autonomy.

Just as Gao Gan and Yan Liang had planned, Gan Ning and Zhang Ren of the Shu army also sent Qiang and Hu as vanguards to test the enemy's combat effectiveness.

Therefore, the Xiongnu and Qiang Hu, who lived in different areas and should have had little interaction with each other, killed each other in Zhongyang County until the sky was dark and the sun and moon lost their rays.

Although as mercenaries the two sides did not have much fighting spirit, once the battle started and there were casualties, the Huns and Qiangs could not help but get really angry and the fighting became particularly fierce.

Just like today, a group of more than a hundred Xiongnu cavalrymen collided with a group of more than a hundred Qiang and Humen. The two sides had been fighting for some time and had deep hatred for each other. When they met, they didn't need to say much, they just attacked directly.

"Follow me." The Xiongnu centurion shouted, commanding his men to launch a charge, intending to defeat or kill all the Qiang and Hu troops on the opposite side. In addition to giving orders and shouting, as a centurion, he was no less capable and charged forward, with several elite cavalrymen accompanying him.

When the Qiang and Hu centurion on the opposite side saw this, he stayed where he was, as if he was overwhelmed by the momentum of the Huns' charge, and even stood there in a daze. The Qiang and Hu men under his command just lined up and raised their shields to defend themselves.

"There is a chance." The Xiongnu centurion showed a happy expression. He saw the cowardly attitude of the Qiang Hu on the opposite side, neither advancing nor retreating. He thought that the Qiang Hu on the opposite side were soft persimmons. He could make some gains today and use the heads of this group of Qiang Hu to exchange for military merits.

The Xiongnu centurion was in high spirits. He boasted: "My men, go ahead and kill these Qiang and Hu people. I will give you wine to drink and meat to eat tonight."

Hearing this, the morale of the Hun cavalry suddenly soared. Those who were originally lagging behind the Hun centurion urged themselves to dismount their horses and move forward to take the credit of breaking through the enemy's formation.

The war horses galloped as fast as the wind and lightning. Soon, a group of Xiongnu cavalry arrived thirty steps in front of the Qiang and Hu formation. At such a close distance, with just a charge, the Xiongnu cavalry could break through the Qiang and Hu formation and massacre this group of Qiang and Hu at will.

The Xiongnu centurion looked at the Qiang and Hu who were so close to him as if he was looking at a red apple. He only needed to stretch out his hand to pick a victory and return to the Xiongnu camp in Zhongyang County with his military exploits.

The Hun centurion, whose eyes revealed a desire for military merit and whose expression was extremely excited, suddenly felt that something was not right. As his team of cavalry approached, the Qiang and Hu formations on the opposite side were still very solid, showing no signs of collapse due to the overwhelming pressure from the cavalry.

With some hesitation in his heart, the Xiongnu centurion slowed down the speed of his horse and let his men rush in front of him. His eyes were fixed on the Qiang and Hu people opposite, wanting to see clearly how they would respond.

Just when the front Xiongnu soldiers approached the Qiang Hu more than ten steps away, the Xiongnu centurion finally noticed something was wrong. He saw the Qiang Hu on the opposite side swung out a strong crossbow with a string from under their shields. The bowstring was pulled like a full moon, and the sharp arrow flashed a deadly light.

"It's a disaster." The Hun centurion quickly reined in his galloping horse and shouted, "Retreat, retreat, retreat." He called on his men to retreat.

However, how could the galloping horses stop? And how could the Xiongnu cavalry obey orders in a short time? So, more than a hundred Xiongnu cavalry still rushed towards the Qiang Hu formation.

On the Qiang and Hu side, under the order of the Qiang and Hu centurion, a group of Qiang and Hu people released the triggers and shot arrows filled with potential energy. Then, thunder-like sounds of strings resounded throughout the current battlefield, and arrows flashing with cold light collided head-on with the Xiongnu cavalry.

"Bang...bang...bang..."

There were countless sounds of people and horses colliding, and in front of the Qiang and Hu ranks, there was a scene of people and horses falling to the ground. Horses shot by arrows fell to the ground with a thud, and Xiongnu cavalrymen shot by arrows fell off their tall horses. The neighing of horses and the wailing of Xiongnu soldiers were heard continuously.

After the Qiang and Hu had fired a round of powerful crossbows, the momentum of the Xiongnu charge was curbed. After all, the Xiongnu men in the front team were thrown off their horses, and the men and horses were piled up together, becoming an obstacle to the advance of the Xiongnu men in the rear.

"Why are you all standing there? Pull the string and shoot with me. Let's shoot all these Hun dogs." The Qiang Hu centurion saw the good opportunity for the Huns to face a setback and ordered his Qiang Hu men not to stop but to continue shooting the Huns on the opposite side.

A group of Qiang and Hu people obeyed the order, put arrows on the crossbows, pulled the force to the maximum, and then pulled the trigger skillfully, throwing arrows at the Huns who had no time to disperse.

After several rounds of attacks from powerful crossbows, most of the Hun troops of more than a hundred people were killed. As for the remaining Huns, they fled far away under the leadership of the Hun centurion and dared not fight again.

Seeing the Huns fleeing far away, the Qianghu centurion showed a smug smile on his high-nosed and broad-faced face. After ordering his men to clean up the battlefield, collect property, and cut off the Huns' heads as proof of military merit, he also led his men to retreat.

Compared to the Qiang and Hu who retreated happily, the Xiongnu centurion who escaped had a sad face and looked listless. Most of his men were killed in this battle, and he, as a centurion, could not escape blame. When he returned to the camp, he would be demoted to an ordinary cavalryman at best, or face military law at worst.

"It's bitter." The Xiongnu centurion cried out inwardly, but he did not dare not return to the Xiongnu camp and take action to transport Gao Fei away. After all, the remaining men behind him all had unfriendly eyes.

And you know, the Huns are like wolves on the grassland. When the leader is strong, the pack will obey orders and dare not disobey. But if the leader is slightly weak, the wolves below will swarm up, bite and eat the leader, and then elect a new leader.

Now that this Hun centurion made a wrong decision and lost most of his men, in the eyes of the remaining Hun men under his command, he is no longer qualified to be the leader. The wolves below him will have the opportunity to compete for the position of leader.

After returning to the Xiongnu camp in Zhongyang County, the Xiongnu centurion came to his leader, Liu Bao, the Left Wise King, to plead guilty.

"Powerful crossbow? Do Qiang and Hu have powerful crossbows?" After listening to the Xiongnu centurion's explanation of the war, Liu Bao exclaimed in surprise. The Shu army actually dared to deploy such a powerful Han weapon as a powerful crossbow to the Qiang and Hu for use.

The Xiongnu centurion knelt on the ground. When he heard Liu Bao's doubts, he quickly responded: "It is a powerful crossbow. The Qiang and Hu are equipped with powerful crossbows. Otherwise, I would not have suffered such heavy losses."

The centurion made excuses for the defeat in the war. Since the Xiongnu and Qiang and Hu were similar in bravery, military equipment and weapons could widen the gap in strength between the two sides. This was a good excuse.

Liu Bao fell into deep thought. After thinking for a while, he gave the centurion a punishment: "Go down, receive forty strokes of the cane, and still serve as a centurion. This is a meritorious service for your crime."

"Thank you, King Zuo Xian, thank you, King Zuo Xian." The centurion was overjoyed when he heard this. He thought he would be severely punished this time, but he didn't expect to escape so easily. Naturally, he was very happy.

The centurion took a few steps backwards, then turned around and rushed out of Liu Bao's tent as if he had escaped from the sky, leaving Liu Bao alone in the camp. Liu Bao looked worried and paced in the tent. After a while, Liu Bao walked out of the tent and came to the central army camp where the Xiongnu Chanyu was, and informed Chanyu Huchuquan and Youxian Wang Qubei about the Qiang Hu carrying a powerful crossbow.

"The Shu army is truly generous." Qu Bei sighed after hearing this story.

Liu Bao nodded: "Who said it wasn't?"

Qubei and Liu Bao were talking to each other, and the real meaning of their words was their dissatisfaction with Gao Gan and Yan Liang. After all, Gao Gan and Yan Liang appointed them as vanguards, and apart from the necessary food and fodder, they were given very few advanced military equipment and weapons, which was far less generous than the Shu army to the Qiang and Hu.

This is also the reason why, when the number of Qiang and Hu people was smaller than that of Xiongnu, the two sides had been engaged in small-scale battles for more than ten days, and Qiang and Hu people had a slight upper hand, while Xiongnu was at a disadvantage.

After thinking for a while, Chanyu Huhuxuan said: "Send a letter to Jinyang, saying that we are at a disadvantage in the battle and need support. If there is no reinforcement, please retreat to Jinyang." Huhuxuan took the initiative to ask for help, and did not intend to continue fighting with the Qiang and Hu here.

"It should have been done a long time ago." Qu Bei responded, "We have been fighting with Qiang and Hu for more than ten days, and we have lost fifty to one hundred men every day. If we continue to fight like this, we will suffer a great loss this time. The little things Gao Gan and Yan Liang gave us are not enough to make up for our losses."

Liu Bao held the same attitude: "This time the Shu army and Yuan army fought for Taiyuan County, and we fought with Qiang and Hu for more than ten days, while the Shu army and Yuan army just sat and watched. There is no such thing in the world."

The Xiongnu Chanyu and the left and right wise kings reached a consensus on this.

……

Xudu, Sikong Mansion.

Cao Hong looked puzzled. He asked Cao Cao, "Brother, if it wasn't for Concubine Dong's help, how could the emperor and Dong Cheng get in touch? How can we let Concubine Dong go today?"

"Furthermore, Concubine Dong is pregnant with the heir to the throne. We must not keep this child. Otherwise, he will bring trouble to the future. We should kill him and eradicate the roots."

Cao Cao looked somewhat helpless, of course he also wanted to cut the weeds completely to prevent the situation from reviving again, but although he was in charge of the government and held great power, he could not do everything he wanted.

Take the current incident for example. Dong Cheng and Wang Zifu were guilty of treason, so it was reasonable to kill Dong Cheng and Wang Zifu's three clans, as well as Lady Dong.

But the law is not merciful is often just empty talk. In the final analysis, we still have to weigh the pros and cons, make judgments based on the relationship between the pros and cons, and make a decision that will bring the greatest benefit.

"Zi Lian, things are not that simple. Some things cannot be done." Cao Cao shook his head.

Cao Hong approached and asked, "Brother, Dong Cheng was conspiring for treason and his three clans were exterminated. Concubine Dong was among them. Why can't this be done? It is legal and compliant, and others can't say anything about it."

Cao Cao still shook his head, but he smiled and said, "If we kill Dong Cheng and Concubine Dong together, ignoring the heir in Concubine Dong's belly...what will Liu Zhang of Guanzhong and Liu Biao of Jingzhou do if they hear about this in the future?"

"As members of the royal family, Liu Zhang and Liu Biao will most likely consider the emperor and get involved, sending envoys to question him. They might even take the opportunity to stir up trouble and do something under the banner of supporting the emperor. This powerful vassal needs to be cautious."

"That's why," Cao Cao concluded, "Dong Cheng can be killed, but Concubine Dong cannot be killed."

"That's right, brother." Cao Hong nodded. Although the Han emperor did not have any power, the Liu clan members, such as Liu Zhang who occupied Guanzhong and Liu Biao who was eyeing Jianghan, were all powerful vassals in the world. He had to take these people's existence into consideration.

In addition, Liu Bei, who participated in the rebellion and fled abroad, was bound to cause trouble.

"Second?" Cao Cao stroked his beard and chuckled, "The future is unpredictable. You don't have to do things too drastically. If you do, you will cut off your own escape route."

After helping Cao Hong resolve his doubts, Cao Hong said goodbye and left. Cao Cao called Guo Jia and asked him about the situation in Hebei.

Guo Jia had previously gone to Hebei to seek refuge with Yuan Shao, and had worked under Yuan Shao for a while. He had some connections in Hebei and one or two secret agents, and was able to obtain intelligence about Hebei in a timely manner, which was highly valued by Cao Cao.

"My lord, Liu Zhang of Guanzhong has sent his generals Gan Ning and Zhang Ren to attack Taiyuan County. Yuan Shao has sent his generals Yan Liang and Gao Lan to resist them. Now the two armies have already engaged in battle in Taiyuan County." Guo Jia briefly reported the current situation.

Cao Cao clapped his hands and praised: "Liu Zhang is very brave. I thought he would avoid Yuan Shao's current attack, but I didn't expect him to dare to send troops to attack Taiyuan County. It can be said that a hero emerges from a young age."

"It is true that heroes emerge young." Guo Jia nodded with a smile and said, "Once the two armies of Yuan and Liu meet, you can sit back and watch the fight, recuperate, and store food and grass for a while."

Cao Cao and Guo Jia's words originally meant that they were happy that the Shu army had diverted Yuan Shao's attention. After all, compared with Liu Zhang who had the strategic advantage of Tongguan, Cao Cao, who was in the Central Plains, faced a completely different level of pressure from Yuan Shao.

This is because there are no strategic locations to defend in the Central Plains, and there are many river ferry crossings, which are far less than the Guanzhong area with its 120 Qin passes.

"But in my opinion, Liu Zhang is just attacking instead of defending." Guo Jia analyzed the situation for Cao Cao: "The Shu army went north to seize Taiyuan County, but more troops were used to build cities in Hedong and improve defense. This is an attempt to stop Yuan Shao in Hedong."

"Although Yuan Shao will send troops to attack Liu Zhang for a while, if he encounters setbacks in Hedong, he may take the easy route and then invade Yanyu." Guo Jia expressed his concerns.

Having served Yuan Shao in his early years, Guo Jia had some understanding of Yuan Shao's temper. Yuan Shao was not a man who would stick to his guns. If he ran into an obstacle in Hedong, he might turn around and attack the Central Plains.

"It is indeed worrying." Cao Cao nodded. (End of this chapter)