Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 162 Stealing a Home
Huo Xian felt that the troops he had were sufficient for the time being, but considering the need to deploy troops on multiple fronts, the number of people would not be enough.

If Huo Xian needed it, Li Guangli in Dunhuang would be busy reorganizing the troops and transporting supplies. He would probably be eagerly looking forward to the opportunity to make achievements instead of just helping out in the rear.

Zhao Anguo left first with some soldiers and horses, and at this time the cavalry went first.

Huo Xian, who was guarding the central army, looked at the soldiers who were leaving one after another, and said to Li Ling with a smile, "Do you feel wronged?"

Li Ling quickly said, "Reporting to the Grand Marshal, I dare not."

Li Ling might be anxious to make achievements and establish his career, and he might feel a little anxious. The fate of the Li family was also a burden and pressure for him.

Fortunately, Li Ling was also sensible of the current situation. He was very clear about the current situation of the Han Dynasty. The power and status of the Grand Marshal and the General of Cavalry were too high, and Li Ling, the Marquis of Guannei, was not worthy of respect.

Huo Xian smiled and said comfortingly, "First you were the vanguard, and now you are the rear guard. This is how battle formations work. The vanguard becomes the rear guard, and the rear guard becomes the vanguard. How can battle formations remain unchanged?"

Li Ling had nothing to say about this. Although he still had some complaints and grumbles in his heart from time to time, it was more appropriate to obediently carry out some military orders at this time and not think too much about other things.

Moreover, Li Ling knew clearly that if Huo Xian insisted on besieging the city and attacking the reinforcements, a part of his troops would have to stay behind to besiege Jiaohe City.

If it was not Li Ling's troops, then this task would be carried out by someone else, which is obvious.

Since his troops were basically composed of infantry, it was no surprise that the task of besieging Jiaohe City fell on him. This was his fate.

The Han army began to move out and march southward, which seemed to give the Cheshi people some breathing space, but some people were also worried that their prospects might become even bleaker.

There is still a part of the Han army blocking the way, and it is now extremely difficult for the Cheshi people to escape from the city, leaving them with no chance to pass on any information.

Huo Xian also set off with his heavy cavalry, and the next step was naturally to prepare for battle.

Suddenly, a scout came to report, looking very excited, "Grand Marshal, Yanqi has sent out troops!"

This is good news. Yanqi can be considered a big country in the Western Regions. It is said to have 4,000 households and 30,000 people. The total number of soldiers and horses of various types is 6,000. This is considered the configuration of a strong country in the Western Regions.

Moreover, the Xiongnu's servant commanders often lived between Yanqi, Weixu and Yuli. This was the reason why Cheshi and other countries had previously united and attempted to attack the Han Dynasty's garrison. This was an area firmly controlled by the Xiongnu.

Huo Xian immediately asked, "How many troops did they send?"

The scout reported, "We have detected no less than 3,000 troops. The troops led by Marquis Yiqu will probably encounter the main force of the enemy on the north bank of the Tianbei River tomorrow."

Huo Xian immediately said to the scouts, "Order Yiqu Hou to fight head-on and make sure to hold them back."

The scouts immediately went to convey the military order, and Huo Xian continued to order, "Let the guard lieutenant and the guard pass lieutenant lead their troops to gather with me and go to the mountain country first."

Huo Xian's military orders were conveyed and executed as quickly as possible. There was no need to save horsepower now, and they had to start preparing for a thousand-mile raid.

It is actually a bit of an exaggeration to say that the raid was a thousand miles long. At most, it was only a few hundred miles, and that still includes the distance of the detour.

Yanqi and other countries are now busy heading north to support Cheshi, while Huo Xian's marching direction is south, going around the Shan State to behind the Yanqi reinforcements. This seems to be an attempt to catch Yanqi off guard.

Finally, reinforcements arrived. Yanqi was actually not far from Cheshi, but there had been no movement before. The Han army had besieged Jiaohe City for nearly half a month, and these reinforcements finally arrived.

They marched quickly all the way, but fortunately Huo Xian didn't feel too much pressure, and his soldiers were all elite, so there was no need to worry too much at this time, and everyone could hold on.

"Grand Marshal, the Marquis of Yiqu is occupying the northern river of Khotan!" The scout came again with a report, which was neither good nor bad. "There are many reinforcements from Cheshi. We have found out that there are Yuli, Weixu, and Yanqi, with a total of 5,000 soldiers!"

Huo Xian frowned slightly. Sure enough, the speed of information transmission was a little slow now. It seemed that these Western Region countries also wanted to have a big news. They were reluctant to move before, so they were preparing for a big move.

Five thousand reinforcements, plus the troops of Cheshi, the number of people is over ten thousand. If they attack from both sides, they might be able to defeat the Han army.

After thinking about it carefully, Huo Xian asked, "Can Yiqu Hou resist?"

The scout reported in a clear and neat manner, "Reporting to the Grand Marshal, Marquis Yiqu sent a small force to test the waters earlier, and they had a small victory!"

It seems that there is no need to worry too much. Although Gongsun Ao is not an outstanding general, he does have considerable experience. In addition, the number of soldiers and horses he has is not inferior to others, so he is more confident.

Since there was no need to worry too much, Huo Xian had an idea, "Let Yiqu Hou continue to delay and not send reinforcements to help Cheshi. There is no need to think about destroying the enemy immediately, just delay and don't let go."

Although they didn't know what Huo Xian was thinking, the scouts' job was to convey military orders, and sometimes it was not their turn to say much.

After the scouts left, Huo Xian looked at Kangda, Tian Ren and others, "Do you dare to follow me to destroy Yuanqu City?" Kangda and others were stunned for a moment, Yuanqu City was the capital of Yanqi. Now the Grand Marshal was not in a hurry to destroy the capital of Cheshi, nor was he in a hurry to attack the reinforcements, but was going to attack the capital of Yanqi!
Although they didn't quite understand, Tian Ren and the others were more excited. "The Grand Marshal has given the order, so why not?"

Huo Xian laughed, "Although there are soldiers in Yuanqu City, most of the main forces have gone out! If we seize the time to break the city, we will have the credit for destroying the country!"

Hearing Huo Xian's words, Tian Ren and others became even more excited. Cheshi must be destroyed, otherwise the prestige of the Han Dynasty in the Western Regions will be ruined, but if only Cheshi was destroyed, it would not be enough.

Sometimes reputation has to be established through military exploits. Destroying powerful Western Region countries like Cheshi and Yanqi, which are relatively strong, is the way to bring glory to the Western Region and let other Western Region countries know how powerful you are!

No one would think that military achievements are too much, and the merit of destroying a country is enough to make a person a marquis, even if it is just a small country in the Western Regions.

Tian Ren and others still had some guesses in their minds that Huo Xian wanted to break through Yuanqu City, maybe he was targeting the Xiongnu servant captain. Although he was only an official of the Xiongnu, he was also a high-ranking noble.

The capture of the Tongpu Duwei was a blow to the Xiongnu's influence in the Western Regions. This not only forced the Xiongnu to send troops, but also laid the foundation for the future governance of the Western Regions.

Huo Xian was in high spirits and said expectantly, "Rest well, we will set off in an hour."

After they began to rest, Chen Ju found Huo Xian and said, "Lord, we are all cavalry this time. It will not be easy to break into the city."

Huo Xian naturally understood this and asked, "Have you preserved the gunpowder I asked you to prepare?"

Feng Wu said first, "Don't worry, my lord. I have it with me all the time. The weather has been good these days, and the gunpowder is not damp."

"We will march quickly and arrive at Yuanqu City in the second half of the night." Huo Xian laughed and said, "Then we will give those people something good. It will be interesting then."

Huo Xian then said to Chen Ju, "Tell the troops to set fire to the city after it is captured. The more chaotic the better. If Yuanqu City is not captured, the next battle will be difficult to fight."

Chen Ju nodded repeatedly. He believed in Huo Xian's judgment and felt that capturing Yuanqu City would be a great achievement. This matter must not be ignored.

After a brief rest, Huo Xian led the army to continue advancing. Everyone worked day and night to rush towards Yuanqu City.

Kangda ran over holding a torch and said, "Sir, we are only thirty miles away from Yuanqu City."

"Send scouts to sneak over at night and dig more holes under the city wall." Huo Xian immediately gave the order, "The army should put out their torches and keep quiet."

Kangda had also fought against the Xiongnu in the past, and he had a deep memory of the huge breach in Guishan City that was blasted out overnight. And now, the Champion Marquis will once again take out that terrifying good thing.

Huo Xian smiled and immediately gave the order, "Take the time to rest. We will probably have to kill the enemy at dawn. Let the men eat and drink something."

Feng Wu ran over with four or five other people, so excited, "Sir, is it our turn now?"

"Be careful!" Huo Xian warned, "Remember to run back immediately after blowing up the city. If you dare to enter the city first, I'll show you how I'll deal with you!"

Feng Wu quickly assured, "Your Excellency, rest assured. We never dare to disobey your orders. If they light up, we will run away. Brother Zhao has taught us that!"

Zhao Congxiao and his fellow first-generation demolition soldiers also passed on some of their experiences to Feng Wu and others, so there is really no need to worry too much about some things, and everyone knows how to do these things.

This is naturally the best, some important tasks need to be given to one's own troops. But after all, they are family members, so Huo Xian cherishes them especially.

Li Ling, who was a hundred miles away, was still besieging Jiaohe City. Now he could only be more diligent and continue to besiege the Cheshi people. He would definitely have military merits, but it might be difficult for him to have the chance to be awarded a title of nobility.

However, Gongsun Ao never slept well. When he was leading troops outside, especially when fighting a war, he was exhausted and did not dare to be careless in the slightest.

These people from the Western Regions still have some fighting power, but unfortunately Marquis Guanjun has ordered not to allow a decisive battle, so Gongsun Ao can only lead his army to a stalemate with these people from the Western Regions.

As for some people in the Western Regions, they were probably also anxious. The Han army was too difficult to deal with as they could neither defeat them nor escape.

While these people were still having their own thoughts and ideas, some sneaky figures appeared under Yuanqu City, digging pits diligently.

Compared to Guishan City, which has more brick and stone structures, some cities in these Western Regions countries are mostly made of mud, grass, rammed earth, etc. Although they are usually very solid, they are not particularly difficult to dig.

Suddenly, torches were lit on the top of Yuanqu City, probably because they had sensed movement under the city wall.

But all these efforts may be too late.

(End of this chapter)