Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

Li Ji could not escape blame for the invasion of the Hu people.

This was because Li Ji had not expected that Han Sui, a figure whom he did not take seriously, could actually persuade the Xianbei, Qiang, Southern Xiongnu and Wuhuan to put aside their conflicts and invade Han territory from all directions at the same time.

Especially the Xianbei, the most powerful among the Hu people, have been plagued by internal conflicts since the death of the previous Chanyu Helian, and have even split into three groups.

Therefore, even if Cao Wei had opened up trade with the Xianbei before, Li Ji judged that the most Cao Wei could do was borrow troops from the Xianbei.

Unexpectedly, the Hu people seized the momentary flaw in the Han’s power and launched a large-scale military campaign.

However, even though Li Ji saw only Hu people, he knew that Luoyang would soon become an isolated city and be attacked by the Hu people, but he also knew that as long as he was not afraid and did not surrender, victory would belong to the Han Dynasty.

Even if the city was unfortunately breached and the prime minister died in Luoyang, it would surely arouse hatred among the entire Han Dynasty from top to bottom.

Liu Bei and his son will surely avenge themselves, and all the people will also avenge themselves.

The temporary rampage of these Hu people will inevitably result in the destruction of their entire race.

However, compared with Li Ji's calmness, Ma Chao, who was accompanying him, looked at the Hu people outside the city with anger and hatred in his eyes, and asked for a fight without hesitation.

"Prime Minister, the Hu people have just arrived and have not yet established a firm foothold. Why don't you let me lead the army out of the city to attack and defeat them, so as to break their spirit."

Li Ji asked after thinking for a while.

"The preliminary estimate is that there are 400,000 Hu people outside Luoyang City. Isn't Meng Qi afraid?"

"I wish I could kill all the barbarians in the world to avenge my father's blood. How could I be afraid at all?"

Ma Chao spoke through gritted teeth.

Even though Ma Chao himself was a mixed race of Han and Qiang, he had been exposed to Han culture since childhood and had always been proud of his ancestor Ma Yuan. How could he have any sense of identification with the Hu people?
"In that case, how many troops does Mengqi want?" Li Ji asked again.

"Three thousand cavalry will be enough," Ma Chao replied.

This answer obviously made Li Ji quite satisfied.

The purpose of charging out of the city at this moment was to boost the morale of their own side and strike a blow to the arrogance of the Hu people, rather than hoping to actually kill or injure a large number of Hu people.

Three thousand is the most appropriate number. Too few is useless, but too many is cumbersome and makes it easy to get trapped and unable to turn around.

This is enough to show that Ma Chao did not make the decision out of anger or loss of reason.

"Okay, since Mengqi has such ambition, I will grant Mengqi's request..."

After a pause, Li Ji then spoke.

"But Mengqi needs to agree to one condition of this Marquis."

"Please speak, Prime Minister." Ma Chao responded with a bow.

Li Ji said in a deep voice, "Exit from Guangyang Gate, then enter from Jinyang Gate, and the time it takes to leave the city and fight must not exceed one stick of incense."

Li Ji walked around the city wall, not only checking the city defenses, but also observing the Hu people outside the city.

The Hu people who besieged Luoyang consisted of three different ethnic groups. The Xianbei, Qiang, and Southern Xiongnu had different habits, beliefs, etc., so it was naturally impossible for them to join forces.

Therefore, the Xianbei, Qiang people, and Southern Xiongnu each blocked Luoyang in different directions.

The Xianbei are the strongest among the Hu people who are now approaching Luoyang, with a force of over 200,000 soldiers stationed at the north and east gates of Luoyang.
The Qiang people were the next in line, with a force of about 130,000 to 140,000 soldiers, stationed at the west gate;

The Southern Xiongnu was the weakest, with a force of about 80,000, distributed at the South Gate.

Ma Chao may not be good at literature or Confucianism, but that does not mean he does not know how to command troops. On the contrary, Ma Chao is a truly talented person in the art of commanding troops.

After a little thought, Ma Chao understood the deep meaning. Guangyang Gate was the west gate, and Jinyang Gate was the south gate, which meant that Ma Chao should go out of the city to kill the Qiang people, and then return to the city from the south gate where the Southern Xiongnu were.

The reason why he did not directly attack the weakest Southern Xiongnu was because Ma Chao was known as the "Mighty General" among the Qiang people and was deeply respected by them.

As long as Ma Chao raises the flag, the Qiang people will be intimidated before the battle even begins.

"The last general takes command!"

Immediately, Ma Chao received the military order and went down to prepare.

Li Ji also ordered Sun Ce to lead an elite force to prepare for support at Jinyang Gate, and be careful that the Southern Xiongnu might take the opportunity to attack the city gate.

Later, when Li Ji arrived at the Guangyang Gate Tower, Ma Chao had already selected 3,000 elite Xiliang cavalry and completed the morale boosting.

"Open the city gate."

At Li Ji's command, Guangyang Gate slowly opened, startling the Qiang people who were camping only a mile outside the city.

The next moment, Ma Chao led three thousand cavalrymen and rushed out from Guangyang Gate.

Ma Chao, who was also leading the way on a white horse, was not as elegant and light as Zhao Yun. Instead, he exuded an unstoppable domineering aura.

For the Xiliang cavalry, a one-mile area can be crossed in just a moment.

"The mighty general Ma Chao is here, who dares to stop me?!"

Ma Chao shouted his name loudly and led his men to charge towards the Qiang people who had no time to react.

Li Ji, standing on the city wall, looked out at Ma Chao charging left and right in the Qiang camp, which had not yet been fully established, causing chaos and killing.

"The horse is brave."

Li Ji couldn't help but praise him.

Perhaps Zhao Yun's ability to charge into the enemy's weak points is better, but Ma Chao's style is more open and aggressive, more domineering, and more able to undermine the morale of the army and make the enemy retreat.

However, a stick of incense doesn't last long.

Ma Chao's charge did not cause any serious damage to the entire Qiang army. In the distance, they could faintly see Qiang people gathering to support them.

Li Ji saw this and gave the order.

"Sound the gong, remind Meng Qi not to forget the time."

As the sharp sound of the horn reached Ma Chao's ears from afar, Ma Chao, who had been fighting bloody battles, quickly woke up. He led the Xiliang cavalry to break out to the south without any reluctance and headed straight towards the Jinyang Gate.

Along the way, Ma Chao did not forget to pick up some tents of the Southern Xiongnu, and only then did he return to the city smoothly with the help of Sun Ce.

This charge undoubtedly greatly boosted the morale of the Luoyang defenders, and dissipated much of the heaviness that was weighed down by the overwhelming force of 400,000 Hu troops.

However, Ma Chao's charge undoubtedly made many Hu generals outside the city very angry.

With an army of 400,000 approaching Luoyang, it was expected that the Han Prime Minister would be in a state of panic, but no one expected that they would dare to send troops out of the city to harass.

The Xianbei people, in particular, constantly mocked the Qiang people and the Southern Xiongnu, and ridiculed their incompetence.

However, after this battle, the Hu people no longer had the arrogance they had at the beginning. First the Qiang people and the Southern Xiongnu, and then even the Xianbei no longer dared to set up camp directly under the noses of Luoyang City, and chose to move three to five miles away.

The more than 400,000 Hu people spent a lot of time just setting up camp. Even among different tribes, there were disputes over places closer to water sources.

During these few days, Li Ji did not send troops out of the city to harass the city. This became the last quiet before the storm came in Luoyang. (End of this chapter)