Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 171: Be careful when sailing the ship of ten thousand years

Huo Xian was very unhappy. Qie Mi's situation was not beyond everyone's expectations. After all, Qie Mi's situation was similar to Che Shi's.

These countries were close to the Huns from top to bottom, and followed the Huns' lead. Naturally, this meant that they were dissatisfied with the Han Dynasty in various ways, which was also normal.

Now the army began to prepare to continue advancing, and it was necessary to capture Qie Mi completely.

Li Ling suddenly appeared, looking very excited and angry, "Grand Marshal, Qie Mi has retreated back to the valley, leaving behind only an empty city and the old and weak!"

Huo Xian was stunned for a moment. "These people are really bold. They are planning to defend their positions and clear the countryside. They are planning to hold out against my stronghold!"

Li Ling couldn't help but say, "Grand Marshal, the Qiemi people probably know they can't defend the city, so they plan to retreat back to the valley."

This was an obvious thing, and the Qi people probably knew that they could not defend their royal city against the powerful Han army. They did not intend to defend it by force, and they could continue the stalemate in another way.

As mentioned before, although Qie Mi's overall national strength is not as good as Cheshi and Dayuan, this country's greatest advantage is that it can defend the valleys. This is truly a one man defense against ten thousand.

"These people are smart and they know our intentions." Huo Xian smiled and said, "The army has entered the city first. We must figure out what these people are planning."

Qie Mi was definitely not easy to defeat. They withdrew their elite troops directly into the valley, obviously intending to stalemate with the Han army.

Huo Xian said directly, "You lead your troops to block the valley entrance first, and do not enter the valley easily. You should also know that these people may be prepared."

Li Ling was naturally very clear that the Han army had a large number of soldiers and generals, but if they entered the valley, they would naturally not be able to deploy all their forces directly.

If the Han army entered the valley, Qie Mi might ambushed troops on both sides of the valley. At that time, there would be no need for heavy troops. A volley of arrows, rolling logs, etc. would cause heavy casualties to the Han army.

Underestimating the enemy and entering the valley, not only would Huo Xian not do such a thing, but no general would easily chase the enemy into the valley.

Li Ling asked with concern, "Grand Marshal, are we just blocking the exit of the valley?"

"It's the same now. Watch the situation carefully before making other preparations." Huo Xian reminded, "You must be careful. These people may have some tricks up their sleeves."

Li Ling was also a capable man, and he said confidently, "Don't worry, Grand Marshal. My troops are good at bows and crossbows. I will set up camp and will never give them a chance to launch a surprise attack."

This is the best approach, after all, it is safe. The Han army will not easily enter the valley, and naturally will not let Qie Mi's people rush out of the valley easily.

When it is time to be stable, you naturally need to be stable. Only after you have clarified some situations can you make the next series of arrangements.

You can't get the hot tofu if you are impatient. There is no need for Huo Xian to rush to do anything now. He already has enough advantages now, so he needs to maintain the current advantages.

If you start to act recklessly when you have an advantage in the early stage, you may end up in complete failure. You must not do such a thing. There are many precedents for this.

Huo Xian led the army into the royal city smoothly. After carefully looking around, he joked, "This is indeed rich and noble. Other things are fine, but this royal city is built for wealth and nobleness."

Zhao Anguo smiled and joked, "It's just that the weather is cool now, otherwise I would definitely go play in the water!"

There is no such thing as a pool of wine and a forest of meat, but one must not underestimate the enjoyment of some nobles. Even though Qie Mi was exploited by the Xiongnu, the royal palace was very luxurious and even had a huge swimming pool.

So don't think that ancient people didn't know how to enjoy themselves. King Qimi's way of enjoying himself was just a routine operation, and he was not the only noble who had a similar practice.

Huo Xian also joked, "So even if we stay here this winter, it won't be too cold."

Zhao Anguo analyzed, "We still need to divide our troops, otherwise it will be a bit crowded. Yuanqu City is not far away, and the conditions there are better, so we can station the central army there."

This is also the actual situation. Yuanqu City is larger and has better infrastructure. Moreover, the best place in Mi's royal city is the royal palace, and the conditions for ordinary people are very average.

Gongsun Ao said worriedly, "Grand Marshal, the Qiemi people are guarding the valley now. I'm afraid they want us to enter the valley and ambush us."

Huo Xian thought the same and said, "What we are most afraid of is an ambush. It would be fine if there were ambushes on both sides of the valley shooting down from a high position. But if the army really entered the valley, they would be unable to retreat if their retreat was cut off."

This possibility could not be ruled out, so Gongsun Ao said, "Then let's ask someone in the next few days, and then have the scouts investigate carefully. Maybe these people really have evil intentions."

Huo Xian approved of this approach very much. "We should send people to investigate everywhere, for fear that there are some ambushes hiding in the dark. I think it is a bit unusual that Kangju and the Xiongnu have not sent troops yet." The Cheshi and other countries may have been abandoned by the Xiongnu, who thought they were abandoned and not worth saving. This possibility naturally exists, and it is even very high.

However, it is not ruled out that the Huns wanted to play a big game and did not care about the loss of a Che division. They would not lose the big for the small.

The fundamental reason why the siege and attack on the reinforcements failed was that the bargaining chip of Cheshi did not seem to be enough. Only a few reinforcements from the Western Regions countries were mobilized, and the Huns had not made any moves. This was a worrying thing.

Gongsun Ao thought about it carefully, "If I really pass the valley, I might meet the Right Wise King."

According to the Xiongnu's division of tribes, if Huo Shan and others passed through the valleys and deserts, they might actually reach the territory of the Right Wise King directly, and the King of Ruju would be a small matter.

"Yes, we want to kill the Right Wise King, and those people might want to kill me as well." Huo Xian said, "Tens of thousands of troops may seem like a lot of people, but they are not that many either."

Gongsun Ao and Zhao Anguo could also understand that tens of thousands of troops were indeed not a small number, but whether for the Han Dynasty or the Xiongnu, mobilizing a large army of 100,000 people was not a particularly difficult task.

A hidden danger for the Han army now is that it does not have the advantage of time, place and people. Seasonal factors must be taken into consideration. This may not be friendly to either the Han army or the Huns, but the Huns are more accustomed to the bitter cold.

There is no need to say much about the geographical advantages. Having operated so many operations in the Western Regions, the Huns naturally have a better understanding of the terrain here. This is not a gap that the Han army can make up for by capturing some prisoners or having guides.

As for the relationship between man and nature, there is no need to think too much. Cheshi and other countries provoked the Han Dynasty and attacked it with allied forces. This was the most intuitive reaction.

The Han Dynasty had no ruling foundation in the Western Regions at all, and could not get any support from the countries in the Western Regions. This was the actual situation.

Huo Xian understood this principle, and Gongsun Ao, Zhao Anguo and others also understood this situation. These were naturally the reasons why they needed to worry now.

The Han army was trying to find ways to defeat the Huns, and the Huns were also thinking about defeating the Han army. It was not surprising that each side had enough ideas and thoughts about each other.

When the opportunity comes, both the Han and the Huns will fight to the death without any mercy, and everyone actually knows this very well.

Gongsun Ao said with some concern, "I think the Xiongnu may be planning to take this opportunity to attack our tribe. We must be on guard against this."

Huo Xian nodded and said confidently, "I have not launched a large-scale campaign yet because I am worried about these things. The Huns have not appeared, which is a hidden danger that we have to guard against."

This is the actual situation. The Huns have not made any moves, which makes people feel worried. This is also the reason why the Han army is now more cautious.

Zhao Anguo spoke up, uncertainly, "Sir, will the Huns take advantage of the winter to send out troops?"

Gongsun Ao shook his head and said, "I think it's unlikely. If the Xiongnu really send out troops, it will be in early winter at most. If they win, they can seize the baggage. If they lose, they will naturally flee thousands of miles away. This is also the Xiongnu's usual tactic."

If you can't win, just run away. This is indeed the most difficult thing about the Huns. It is really difficult to seek an opportunity for a head-on confrontation or a decisive battle with a large army.

Huo Xian also said, "Marquis Yiqu is right. I think if the Xiongnu want to send troops, it will probably be in these days."

After Zhao Anguo thought about it carefully, he said, "Sir, we shouldn't just guard these valley entrances. If the Xiongnu really want to send troops, they might have other routes."

Huo Xian said appreciatively, "I think so too. If the Xiongnu really want to send troops, they can send troops from all over. I dare not divide my troops now, for fear of being defeated one by one. If they really rush to help from all over, it will be inconvenient for us."

With an army of nearly 50,000, Huo Xian naturally would not worry about a decisive battle with the Huns. Ten or twenty thousand troops did not seem to be a big problem.

But they must not be dispersed too much, and the supply lines or garrisons must not be dispersed too much. The most important thing is not to be led by the Xiongnu, otherwise the hidden dangers will be too great.

The Han army now seems to be preparing to advance, but it also needs to be ready to adjust its formation and adopt a defensive posture at any time.

Be more cautious, and you can feel a little more at ease when you have the advantage, and you can have a strong fighting spirit.

But we should not let our guard down until the war is over. Even a lion will use all its strength to fight a rabbit, let alone the fact that the Han Dynasty may be facing the Xiongnu, so we should not be careless.

It seems that he has an all-round advantage, but Huo Xian must continue to prepare what he needs to prepare, and many details naturally need to be done well.

The supply of baggage needs to keep up, and it is also necessary to set up a good defense line. At the same time, scouts need to be sent out, not only near the main army, but even to expand the range.

After all, no one knows whether the Huns will send troops, and no one knows where they will send troops from!
(End of this chapter)