【Found it.
】
Li Lian said in his mind: Use battlefield information kit.
【Ding!
Host has used battlefield information kit x1.
Host has been detected to be in the force – Zhou dynasty.
Battlefield location – Yanmen County.
Hostile forces are Xiongnu, Turks, and Xianbei.
Neutral force is Rouran.
Battlefield information kit has been successfully used.
】
Battlefield information kit means that the host can use the battlefield information kit to obtain unknown enemy action information, such as army deployment, reinforcement target and number of troops, etc.
【Ding!
They had successfully detected a group of Xiongnu and Turkic cavalry outside of Mufang County.
Number of troops: 200,000.
】
Mufang County!?
Li Lian stared at the location of Mufang County on the map.
He said in his mind: Continue to use battlefield information kit.
【Ding!
Host has used battlefield information kit x1.
Host has been detected to be in the force – Zhou dynasty.
Battlefield location – Yanmen County.
Hostile forces are Xiongnu, Turks, and Xianbei.
Neutral force is Rouran.
Battlefield information kit has been successfully used.
】
【Ding!
Successfully detected a Xiongnu cavalry five li outside Mufang County.
Number of troops: 30,000.
】
What!?
Mufang County!!
Li Lian's face suddenly changed.
He stood up.
"Damn it!
His target is the capital!!!
】
At the beginning of the previous dynasty,
The north was often threatened by foreign tribes.
Therefore, the capital was moved to Beiping and changed to the capital.
After the establishment of the current dynasty, Xiongnu, Turks, and other foreign tribes were restless. Therefore, Taizu also made the capital the capital to suppress foreign unrest.
And Mufang County was only three days away from the capital!!!
"What did you see!?"
He Qi and others heard the two words' capital 'and couldn't help but be anxious.
Li Lian couldn't explain how he knew that Hu Hanye sent people to attack the capital, so he immediately used his brain.
He tried to express his thoughts in other ways.
"Come!
Send scouts to check the number of people in the Xiongnu and Turks camp. "
He turned and gave the order.
"Also, send some fast horses to Mufang County and Dai County to investigate if there are any abnormalities!
"
He Qi was indeed a veteran who had been on the battlefield for a long time. He understood the meaning of the song just by listening to it.
She immediately guessed what Li Lian meant.
He said seriously, "Are you suspecting that Hu Hanye is using a diversion tactic?
"
Li Lian did not answer directly.
He asked rhetorically, "If it were General in charge of millions of soldiers who are good at fighting, how would you be able to win the war?
The general would disregard everything.
Stationed at Yanmen Gate and locked in a stalemate with Da Zhou's 800,000 soldiers?
"
Naturally, the answer was no!
It was really a stalemate at the Gate of Yan. Based on the military strength of both sides, it was enough to last for several years.
Thinking of this, the faces of the generals became even gloomier, and a bit of panic rose in their hearts.
If what Li Lian said was true, then Hu Hanye sending his army to capture Sufang Commandery, then even taking Shangjun and penetrating deep into Da Zhou's hinterland would not be the worst outcome.
They were afraid that Hu Hanye's troops would quietly take a detour from Dai County to Da Zhou's center — the capital!
Because of the northern expedition, the three most elite armies in the capital — Tientse Province, Lam Tin Tai Camp, and Fengtai Camp — had all been mobilized.
At present, there were only 20,000 soldiers left in the capital, 7,000 Imperial Horse Prison Guards, and many other forces left. There were no more than 30,000 soldiers who could fight.
General Pingbei Ying Jin hurriedly said, "Marshal, please give the order!
Let this general lead the army back to the capital! "
Regardless of whether Li Lian's guess was correct or not, the capital was too important. The emperor, retired emperor, and their families were all in the capital. They did not dare to take any risks.
"This general is willing to return to the capital together!"
General Xue Songfu cupped his fists and said.
Li Lian did not pay attention to them. He closed his eyes and pondered how to solve the current predicament.
War was not a child's play. If one was brave but not astute, how could one become a constant victor?
Li Lian was conferred the title of Marquis Champion, not only because of the two emperors' love for him, but also because of his unparalleled military strength. It was more because of his wisdom on the battlefield.
The capital was on the verge of crisis. He was more anxious than anyone else.
The retired emperor, Jia Xie, Little Chang Clan, Jia Hu, and other people Li Lian cared about were all in the capital.
He tried hard to calm his mind and carefully pondered over the two messages given by the system.
[Ding!
Successfully detected a cavalry composed of Xiongnu and Turks outside Mufang County, numbering 200,000 soldiers.
]
[Ding!
Successfully detected a cavalry composed of Xiongnu and 30,000 soldiers five li outside Dai County.
]
According to the system, there was a cavalry composed of Xiongnu and Turks outside Mufang County, numbering 200,000 soldiers.
These 200,000 soldiers were most likely attacking from the Helan Mountains in the west. That was why Yunzhong County in the east of Mufang County did not receive news of the Xiongnu Coalition Army passing by.
It seemed that Mufang County should have been surrounded by Xiongnu and Turks' 200,000 soldiers.
The reason why there was no news was probably because Xiongnu and Turks were controlling the main roads around Mufang County, preventing the garrison of Mufang County from leaving the city to ask for help or leaking news.
The 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry five li outside Dai County should have been a cavalry unit that was transferred out of the main camp when Hu Hanye sent his army to attack the city. That was why the spies that Xiao Zhi had planted in Xiongnu Coalition Army were distracted by the attack on the city and did not notice that a cavalry unit was missing.
Right now, the 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry were either planning to take a detour to attack the capital or to take down Dai County and cut off the connection between Yanmen and the capital.
Very quickly, Li Lian opened his eyes and decisively ordered, "Anbei General Fan Bu, Core General Xue Songfu, I order the two of you to immediately lead your troops to Dai County!"
Hu Hanye was not a person who took risks. Every time he did something, he planned it out before making a move. This time, he probably did not expect a mere 30,000 soldiers to be able to take down the capital.
Li Lian deduced that these thirty thousand cavalrymen wanted to take down Daijun in order to shake the morale of the Great Zhou Army. More importantly, they wanted to force his four hundred and fifty thousand soldiers to return and rescue the Emperor, to carry out the plan of besieging Wei to rescue Zhao.
"This general obeys!"
Anbei General Fan Bu and Core General Xue Songfu cupped their fists in unison.
Li Lian did not choose Pingbei General Ying Jin, who had recommended himself first, because Pingbei General Ying Jin's men were mostly infantry. In this race against time, it was not suitable for him to return to his division.
Anbei General Fan Bu was famous for his bravery, and Core General Xue Songfu was the best at field battles. With the two of them working together, along with the 40,000 soldiers under their command and the 30,000 defending troops in Dai County, it was enough to easily take care of the 30,000 Xiongnu cavalry.
As for Sufang County …
"Fenwei General Niu Jizong, Weilu General Gao Kegong, I order the two of you to lead your troops and pretend to charge out in the northwest direction to support Sufang County. In reality, you will join forces with the defending troops in Dingxiang County to go around the enemy's main camp and take the opportunity to burn their provisions!
Then work with the main army to pincer the enemy!
"
The art of war was deceitful.
To go far, pretend to go near; to go near, pretend to go far.
If you can fight, pretend you can't; if you want to fight, pretend you don't want to fight.
It could be real or fake, and the fake could be real.
Sufang County itself was an important city at the border, and there were many soldiers defending it. Furthermore, Li Lian had asked the emperor to send more troops to Sufang County. Currently, Sufang County had around 300 thousand soldiers defending it.
In a short period of time, Xiongnu and the Turks' 200 thousand cavalry would not be able to take down Sufang County.
Since that was the case, why not take care of the enemy's main force first before returning to assist Sufang County?
The Xiongnu alliance army had at least 800 thousand people outside of Yanmen City, and the amount of food they consumed every day was an astronomical figure.
Furthermore, be it Xiongnu, Turks, Xianbei, or Rouran, they were not a farming race.
The grasslands were dry and windy, and they were located in a cold area. As such, they were not suitable for most crops to grow. They could not grow food like the people of the Zhou dynasty and be self-sufficient.
The main source of food was the countless cows and sheep that followed behind the army. When it was mealtime, the people would kill the cows and sheep to provide food for the soldiers.
As long as they burned all of the Xiongnu alliance army's cows and sheep … no, as long as they burned 50 to 60 percent, Da Zhou would be able to gain the advantage and slowly eat up these 800 thousand people.
Niu Jizong looked rough, but he was actually very meticulous. He was able to take charge of an area and had the demeanor of a general.
Li Lian was very relieved to have him lead an army alone and assume this important responsibility.
"Yes, sir!"
Niu Jizong's eyes shone brightly. His body was like an iron tower, and his muscles were taut like he had an endless amount of energy.
His voice was not loud, but it had the power to shake one's eardrums. If a normal person heard it, their ears would be ringing.
Hu Hanye was only in his forties, and he was at the prime of his life.
At this moment, the overlord of the grassland was sitting in his tent, carefully looking at a map drawn on leather.
He was listening to the report of his subordinates.
"King, the scouts have discovered that the Zhou dynasty's reinforcements have entered Yanmen City.
Based on the flag and the report of our scouts in the Zhou dynasty, we can confirm that it is the Champion Marquis Li Lian of the Zhou dynasty. "
Hu Luyi said respectfully. His eyes were on the ground, and he did not dare to look at Hu Hanye.
Who knew if Hu Hanye did not hear him or if he had other thoughts, but he did not bother about him.
The smile on Hu Luyi's face became even more humble, but cold sweat slowly flowed down from the back of his head.
A drop?
A fool?
After a long while. "Go call the tribe leaders and generals over."
"Yes."
Hearing the order, Hu Luyi left the tent like he had been pardoned.
The entire Xiongnu felt that since the king returned from the Zhou dynasty, he had become even more mysterious.
Although the king of the past made people feel respect and was unfathomable, they could still make a rough guess.
Now, the king was becoming more and more unfathomable. No one knew what he was thinking, as if he had become an unfathomable abyss.
Hu Luyi, who had accompanied the king to the Zhou dynasty, knew the reason for the king's change, but he also knew that if he dared to reveal anything, he would definitely die without anyone knowing.
Hu Hanye looked at the map in fascination. The Xiongnu had not successfully entered the central plains for hundreds of years, and now he was personally leading a million warriors down south to establish a new dynasty, a dynasty that belonged to him, the Great Xiongnu.
One by one, the Xiongnu nobles wearing good armor walked into the tent.
The old tribe leaders started to exchange glances with each other, using some undetectable hand signals to exchange various meanings.
The Records of the Grand Historian recorded: "The Xiongnu people do not use books, and they use words to restrain themselves.
"
The Xiongnu people did not have their own written language, they only used oral language to restrain each other.
Since Hu Hanye came to power, he vigorously promoted the clansmen to learn Chinese, but some of the older Xiongnu nobles were still illiterate.
However, for many years, although the Xiongnu nobles did not know how to read, it did not prevent them from creating their own body language and passing it down from generation to generation.
Just as the last young Xiongnu general, Wuli Roll, gently lifted the curtain, the older Xiongnu nobles glanced at him with ambiguous eyes, and then they each made a few hand signals, their disdain obvious.
The younger peers glared at him with both envy and hatred. If they were not in Hu Hanye's tent, perhaps they would have started to "challenge" Wuli Roll again.
Wuli Roll was silent, lowering his head and sitting in the third seat to Hu Hanye's right.
Did he see that all the nobles were here?
When they all arrived, Hu Hanye suddenly stood up.
His eyes were like lightning, and he was wearing the goose feather chainmail that he had spent a lot of money to get. His strong arms and calluses between his thumb and index finger were proof that this king of the grassland could get on his warhorse at any time and raise the Tiger Head Clear Gold Spear to lead the warriors of the tribe into battle.
Under the pressure of this king's aura, regardless of what they were scheming in their hearts, all the Xiongnu nobles lowered their heads, bent down, and touched the ground with their foreheads, expressing their allegiance to this Wolf King.
"Ten years.
"
"Since that battle ten years ago, our great Xiongnu has not gone south for ten years.
"
"Is it because we are afraid?
No!
It is only because we need time to prepare.
But now!
Our preparations are complete, and we are about to have a rich harvest!!!
"
"Now in Yanmen City, in addition to the Zhou dynasty's Duke Zhao He Qi, there is also the Champion Marquis Li Lian who once beheaded Dong Muhe and killed tens of thousands of our great Xiongnu's warriors!
"
"Tell me!
Are you afraid!? "
"
"Not afraid!
Not afraid! "
The young generals on the right below said passionately.
On the contrary, the tribal chiefs on the left looked at each other with some hesitation in their eyes. No one knew what they were thinking.
The current Xiongnu could be roughly divided into two forces, the younger generation promoted by Hu Hanye and the nobles from the previous Great Lord Yi Lixie's era.
Needless to say, the younger generation who had been promoted by Hu Han Xie were naturally Hu Han Xie's most loyal supporters. They had talent, potential, and were full of vigor. However, due to the fact that they had only been in the clan for a short period of time, their overall power could not compete with the chiefs of other large clans.
The nobles from the previous Great Lord Yi Lixie's era were suspicious of Hu Hanye because the previous Great Lord Yi Lixie's death was unknown, and the former Right King Dong Muhe was captured and killed by the Zhou dynasty.
Unlike the younger generation facing the powerful Zhou dynasty for the first time, these tribal chiefs still remembered what happened ten years ago. Whether it was Li Lian's shocking killing of Xiongnu's warriors, or Hu Hanye's successful plot against the former Right King Dong Muhe, they were all vivid in their minds.
Hu Hanye knew that this group of old foxes might be a little afraid of Li Lian's cruelty, or a little afraid that he would take the opportunity to deal with the tribal chiefs who were not on his side. But more than that, they were waiting for him to distribute the benefits.
"Tell me!
Are all your bowstrings rotten?
Are your swords and sabers all curled up?
The barren grassland can no longer feed our cattle and sheep, and the greedy and incompetent Zhou people occupy the most fertile land!
"
"I promise that after we break the city, the army will burn, kill, and loot the city for ten days.
"
Hu Hanye didn't need to look to know that the tribal chiefs' eyes suddenly lit up and they were looking at him eagerly.
"Your Majesty is wise!
"
"That day, Li Lian killed our Xiongnu's warriors. Today, we should slaughter a city of the Zhou dynasty to avenge our humiliation!
"
"I fully support Your Majesty's decision and will follow Your Majesty's lead!
"
"When we attack the city tomorrow, we, the Uroland Tribe, are willing to be the vanguard!
"
No wonder they were suddenly so enthusiastic. What was the most attractive thing to them on the grassland? It was definitely not gold, silver, jewelry, antiques, or famous paintings. According to their importance, it was iron and women.
The Xiongnu people could raise the fattest cattle and sheep and the strongest horses, but they couldn't make even a small iron needle.
They didn't know how to smelt iron, nor did they produce iron. The iron they needed had to be imported from Da Zhou or other regions.
Da Zhou had closed the border markets for a long time and prohibited trade. Only a few smugglers who valued money more than their lives dared to sell small amounts of iron to the Xiongnu people.
As a result, iron pots became a rare item on the grassland. Without iron pots, the Xiongnu people couldn't even slaughter cattle and sheep and cook meat.
In Li Lian's eyes, iron nails and needles, which looked ordinary and worthless, were all necessities in short supply on the grassland.
Because the grassland's climate was dry and cold, it was difficult for young girls to survive. As a result, there were very few females in the tribe. Even those who were lucky enough to survive were below average in appearance. It was difficult for them to arouse the interest of the Xiongnu warriors.
Moreover, because the number of women had been scarce for a long time, a large number of Xiongnu men didn't have women to marry. Therefore, the beautiful female slaves of the Zhou dynasty were highly sought after in this market.
With Hu Hanye's promise, after conquering Yanmen County, the Xiongnu people could snatch all the iron they needed and the beautiful Zhou women …
Looking at the scene in front of him, Hu Hanye was very satisfied.
He had successfully aroused the desire for victory and greed of his subordinates. At this time, if anyone dared to stop them from advancing, then these hungry grassland wolves would mercilessly tear that person to pieces!
He had a feeling that tomorrow would be the real beginning of this war. At this time, he wanted these old foxes who only cared about profits to no longer preserve their strength.
In terms of the elites of the soldiers, Hu Hanye wasn't afraid to admit that the Zhou dynasty's army was indeed stronger than the Xiongnu's warriors.
However …
A motley crew wouldn't necessarily lose.
It only cared about the ability of the leader.
Li Lian …
Hu Hanye raised his head. His eyes were unfocused, as if he was in a daze. No one knew what he was thinking.