I, the prince, only want to be deposed.

Chapter 471 This time, I will capture the prince of the Han Dynasty! (Two in one)

Wu Shilu's words quickly spread throughout the army.

The Xiongnu army, which had been in a very depressed state, suddenly became much more stable.

After all, over the past three days, the hatred between the Huns and the Han army had accumulated a lot. In addition, Wu Shilu had previously promised to make the Huns who captured Liu Ju king or marquis, so there would surely be brave men under such a heavy reward.

As a result, the intensity and frequency of the Hun army's harassment also increased significantly.

And it was not just Wu Shilu who fell into the sunk cost dilemma. The Xiongnu soldiers also fell into the sunk cost dilemma. They had been carrying out such high-intensity harassment these days, which had caused great damage both mentally and physically.

In fact, the Han army was not having an easy time either.

Killing is also a very tiring thing.

What's more, the Han army had to be prepared at all times to deal with the harassment from the Xiongnu army that could be launched at any time, day or night. How could the Han army soldiers not be under mental and physical pressure?

But fighting a war is never easy.
It’s all because the Huns were not a good neighbor. They always relied on their horses to come and go freely. They have been invading the Han borders for nearly a hundred years. If they cannot be completely resolved, the Han Dynasty will still be overwhelmed in the future.

At this moment, Liu Ju fully understood what Liu Che always said:

"I will take care of the hard work, leaving you with the leisure time. Isn't that good?"

And Sang Hongyang's words:

"The affairs of this world will benefit future generations."

It’s not that Liu Ju likes fighting.

If at this moment the Celestial Empire has been stable since ancient times.

If the Silk Road was unobstructed, it would be as peaceful as it was during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty.

If there wasn’t a father like Liu Che who lived too long and became like a psychopath in his later years.

Even if he brought this full-level human copy with him after traveling through time, Liu Ju would definitely choose to be a quiet and beautiful prince. He would never think of seeking death or dethronement, let alone lead his army to this bitter and cold place.

Why bother?
Now the only thing that made Liu Ju feel at ease was that the Han army had been defending in the camp all the time. Although they were a little tired, there were almost no casualties.

The Huns had obviously taken the bait, and as time went on, casualties continued to increase.

The fishhook would only go deeper and deeper into the Hun's mouth until he could no longer stop.

Besides.

Liu Ju had already learned the basic situation of the Hun army from the wounded Hun soldiers who were captured and brought back to the camp.

The one leading the troops this time was indeed the Left Wise King Wu Shilu, and it was indeed the main force of the Xiongnu. What he caught was undoubtedly a big fish.

If we can win this battle, it will greatly deplete the Xiongnu's manpower.

After this battle, it would be very difficult for the Huns to organize a powerful counterattack, and at that time they would definitely have to seriously consider the issue of "moving westward".

As for the large yellow crossbow that he had ordered people to prepare, it has never been used.

Because Wu Shilu was not a reckless man, and the Xiongnu generals were not reckless men either.

Although the Xiongnu army has been constantly harassing the Han army camp so far, Wu Shilu has only inspected the front army camp at most, and most of the time he stays in the central army to control the overall situation, and those Xiongnu generals have not personally participated in the harassment.

Of course, this is because the Huns had suffered losses from the Han Dynasty's powerful crossbows, especially the Dahuang crossbow.

Although Liu Ju had never seen it with his own eyes, he knew that Flying General Li Guang had used the Dahuang Crossbow to perform remarkable feats when guarding the border. He sniped and killed Hun generals at a long distance, leaving the Hun army leaderless and forced to retreat.

"Your Highness, after the fierce battles of the past few days, the soldiers in the army are exhausted both physically and mentally. In addition, they have been unable to completely repel the Xiongnu army for a long time and have always been surrounded. Many soldiers are already worried. I am afraid that this is not a solution."

Zhao Po Nu could not help but come to Liu Ju in person to give him advice.

"Before Your Highness set out on this expedition, didn't you make an agreement with the general that if we encounter the Xiongnu army, we will use beacon fires as a signal. As long as Your Highness orders someone to light the beacon fires, the general will lead the army to attack the Xiongnu from both inside and outside."

"By then, the Xiongnu will not be able to take care of both ends and will surely be defeated and flee. Our situation of being besieged by the Xiongnu will also be resolved immediately."

"But now our army has been besieged by the Xiongnu army for three days. I wonder if Your Highness has not ordered the lighting of the beacon fire?"

Liu Ju heard this, but did not answer and asked:

"Who told you this?"

He remembered that this agreement between him and Wei Qing was not made public in order to prevent any Han soldiers from being captured by the Huns and unable to endure the torture and telling the Huns about it.

And once the Huns learned that Wei Qing's army was waiting outside, they would probably not take the bait too deeply.

"The general told me privately before the expedition. He ordered me to light the beacon fire immediately if I encountered the Xiongnu army."

If Liu Ju hadn't asked, Zhao Po Nu would have said nothing, but since Liu Ju had asked, he didn't dare to hide it, so he had to sell Wei Qing out without hesitation, and at the same time, he didn't forget to add,
"Although the general gave me an order, I always followed your Highness' lead and did not dare to act on my own. I was afraid that it would ruin your Highness's plan, so I came to ask your Highness's opinion."

"I wonder if Your Highness has not lit the beacon fire, but do you have any plan that I cannot figure out?"

After hearing this, Liu Ju realized what Wei Qing had done in private.

This uncle really took every possible measure to prevent accidents.

However, he would never have thought that even he, the great general, had been sidelined by himself, and his military orders had to be put aside in front of Liu Ju, and even a commander like Zhao Po Nu did not dare to act on his own.

"You have done well. You should take the credit this time. Report the victory to Chang'an. I will give you 10,000 Xiongnu heads as a reward."

Thinking of this in his mind, Liu Ju smiled admiringly at Zhao Po Nu.

"The general will not dare..."

How dare Zhao Po Nu take this credit?

The "specialties of the Western Regions" that Liu Ju had sent before were completely different from the credit for the 10,000 Hun heads. This was truly a blatant claim of credit, and if it got out, the entire clan would be exterminated.

What's more, Zhao Po Nu also has a bottom line in his heart, which is to never treat his leader as a friend.

Especially since Liu Ju was a prince and a member of the current emperor's family, he might even become the emperor in the future.

If the future emperor asks you to take credit, you should take credit, even if you two are in collusion with each other. But when he really becomes the emperor, I'm afraid he will inevitably doubt your character and loyalty...

Moreover, although thousands of Xiongnu cavalry had been shot and killed in the past three days, all the credit went to the generals of the Nuzhang Camp.

Liu Ju couldn't give this credit to him just because he wanted to, otherwise the soldiers in Nu Zhangying would be dissatisfied and might even make things worse.

"Don't worry, I'm just giving you a chance to kill the enemy. I'm just chasing after the defeated enemy troops. You have to take the credit yourself. I won't take credit for anything else."

Liu Ju seemed to have seen what he was thinking, and just smiled and continued,

"But you have to help me do some things, otherwise it would be difficult to form such a situation."

"Your Highness, please speak!"

Zhao Po Nu immediately straightened his chest and saluted.

"Don't be so serious. I need you to make up a white lie in the military."

Liu Ju said confidently,

"Just tell them that I have secretly sent someone to spread the news. Now the general has learned about the situation here and is leading tens of thousands of troops to rescue us and attack the Xiongnu from both inside and outside together with our army."

"This……"

Zhao Po Nu was stunned again. Was it really a good idea to deceive the Han soldiers who were fighting for their lives with the Xiongnu army?
But this should be a temporary solution, right?
Although there is no such allusion as "looking at the plum to quench thirst" now, after the Han army soldiers learned the news, they were able to immediately cheer up even though they were physically and mentally exhausted.

After hesitating for a while, Zhao Po Nu couldn't help but ask:

"When will Your Highness light the beacon to inform the general?"

"When the general arrives, he will be unstoppable... This is also my specialty for the general."

Liu Ju had a faint smile on his face, but there was a barely perceptible sadness in his eyes.

……

With both parties operating in this way.

Liu Ju's 10,000 Han troops and Wu Shilu's 60,000 elite Xiongnu troops were fully engaged. One side felt that the Han army was only one step away from reaching the end of its rope, and then it would be a great victory.

One side felt that the general was already on his way with a large army to provide support, so what could the 60,000 Hun cavalry do? They could not withstand the power of the Flying General of Longcheng, and it would surely be a great victory by then.

Okay.

This actually created a win-win situation, with both sides feeling they could win and feeling confident.

However, any discerning person can see at a glance that the current situation was brought about by Liu Ju alone. If there is anyone who is sure, it is naturally Liu Ju, the initiator, who is more sure.

So when the soldiers on both sides were exhausted both physically and mentally, the battle became more and more intense.

……

Two days later.

"The Han army still has arrows to shoot?"

Wu Shilu was already somewhat confused, with a puzzled look on his face.

"Including the past two days, the Han army has fired at least 500,000 arrows. Even if they brought more arrows this time, they should have been used up. How could there still be arrows left to shoot?"

"It's almost there, it should be soon, keep increasing the intensity!"

"Order people to keep exploring the direction of Gushi, and be careful of Wei Qing's troops who have not seen the Han Dynasty prince for a long time. If they notice the situation here, lead the army to rush to help!"

"We must break through this camp and capture the Han Dynasty prince alive before Wei Qing's troops arrive!"

……

Five days later.

"besides?!"

Wu Shilu felt like he was listening to a fairy tale.

So many arrows had been shot that he even suspected that among Liu Ju's 10,000 Han troops, 8,000 of them were craftsmen making arrows.

So they resisted the attacks while making arrows day and night?

But this doesn't make sense. Making arrows requires a lot of materials and supplies. Where can the Han army find these supplies?

And after each arrow is made, it has to be left for a while to wait for the glue and paint to dry before it can be used. Even if you work day and night to make arrows, you will definitely not be able to catch up.

"Keep harassing, it will be soon, it must be soon!"

"I admit that I underestimated the determination of the Han Dynasty to protect this prince, and I underestimated the arrows that the Han army carried this time."

"But that's all, unless the Han army can produce endless arrows out of thin air!"

……

Eight days later.

"Do you know how many arrows they have shot in total during these days?"

Wu Shilu looked at the old counselor who had offered him advice earlier with some uncertainty.
"The Han army has not shown any signs of fleeing until now. Why do you think this is the case? Is it because they still have enough arrows?"

Even he, who was indifferent to human life, could no longer sit still.

During these days, even if it was just harassment, the Xiongnu army's casualties had almost reached ten thousand, forcing Wu Shi Nu to withdraw troops from the central army to supplement the front and right armies.

Such a loss finally made him feel the pain.

If he continued like this, he was really afraid that he would no longer be able to control the panicked army under his command.

On the other hand, Liu Ju was better off.

They had sufficient food and arrows, and even if they were physically and mentally exhausted, they were better off than the Huns. After all, such a passive defense was always a way to wait for the enemy to tire, and there was no immediate danger to their lives.

the most important is.

The Han army officers and soldiers believed Liu Ju's lies and thought that Wei Qing was on the way to lead his troops to provide support.

The two places were thousands of miles apart, so eight days was naturally not enough for Wei Qing's army to arrive. Therefore, although the Han soldiers were tormented, they were still able to remain calm.

"My king, I don't understand it either..."

The old counselor was also very unconfident;
"It shouldn't be like this. The Han army has no reason to carry so many arrows. They just fell into the trap and came to support the captain of Zhao Xincheng. They are not going to stay here permanently."

"So what do you think we should do now?"

Wu Shilu glared and asked in an impatient tone.

The Han army was now like a hedgehog. Although it was surrounded by the Hun army, the Huns did not know how to attack it, and every time it was touched, it would get hurt.

But he absolutely cannot give up now.

After all, he had lost nearly 10,000 men in this expedition, but he hadn't even touched a hair of the Han army, and he was almost just giving away his lives unilaterally.

If he went back like this, he would become the laughing stock of the entire Xiongnu.

By then, not to mention whether his father would still protect him, the other Xiongnu nobles and kings would no longer look down on him.

In the tribal federal social structure of the Xiongnu, where the strong are respected, if this is the final result, even if his father insists on giving him the position of Chanyu in the future, the other kings will definitely not accept it and will not be able to keep their position.

"..."

The old counselor opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what to say.

Everything was too abnormal and beyond his understanding of the Han army.

What he actually wanted to say in his heart was that there must be something wrong when things were abnormal, so it would be better to withdraw troops first and stop the losses in time to avoid getting stuck deeper and eventually unable to extricate himself.

But he didn't dare say it.

As Wu Shilu's counselor, how could he not know who this Zuo Xian Wang was?

To suggest that he withdraw his troops at this time would be to ask him to admit that this military operation had completely failed. Anyone who dared to say such a thing in front of him would be seeking death.

Moreover, if the Xiongnu had 60,000 elite cavalry, they would not be able to shake even the 10,000 Han troops.

Not only Wu Shilu could not accept this, even Wuwei Chanyu could not accept it, and the entire Xiongnu could not accept it.

If this were to be spread out, it would be telling all the Huns:

"The Han army is invincible, let's surrender as soon as possible..."

So, in the eyes of Wu Shilu who was gradually showing murderous intent, the old counselor pondered:

"All of the previous actions were due to my misjudgment. After the battle, I am willing to accept the punishment from the Zuo Xian King. However, now, I suggest mobilizing all the troops and launching an all-out attack on the Han army."

"Our army now has more than 50,000 soldiers, while the Han army has only 10,000 soldiers."

"Even if all of them were crossbowmen, with a total of 10,000 crossbows, they could only shoot 10,000 arrows at a time."

"Let's not talk about how many of these 10,000 arrows can hit our soldiers. Even if every arrow hits, we can only kill 10,000 people at a time."

"Although the Han crossbows are powerful, it takes time to deploy them. If our army mobilizes all its troops to launch a general attack, the Han army's powerful crossbows can only shoot two or three arrows at most, and they will be rushed to the chariot camp walls that are not high enough and not strong enough."

"By then, our remaining troops will still be much larger than the Han army. Even if we are blocked by the camp wall, we can abandon our horses and crawl in."

"Once we enter the Han army camp and engage in close combat with the Han army, our army will have the advantage of being more numerous and will be able to defeat the Han army and capture the Han emperor alive."

"Even if this comes at a price, it is an unprecedented victory."

"After all, throughout the history of the Xiongnu, no one has ever captured or killed a member of the Han Dynasty royal family. Zuo Xian Wang is the first Xiongnu person who has never been seen before or since!"

Hearing this, the murderous intent in Wu Shilu's eyes finally disappeared. He immediately cheered up and stood up and shouted:

"It's settled. This time, I will capture the prince of the Han Dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)