Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 177 The cunning old fox

It is inevitable to be nervous. With the lives of tens of thousands of soldiers in your hands, it is normal to have a lot of things in your mind.

Huo Xian kept asking about various situations, such as the routes of various troops, the preparations of various departments, etc. These were all things that needed to be inquired about carefully. Knowing yourself and the enemy is one thing, and being fully prepared is another.

Zhao Anguo hurried over and said, "Sir, the Huns are a little different from what we expected!"

Huo Xian couldn't help but complain, "If everything was as expected, the war would be easy to fight. The Xiongnu have been entrenched in the north for so many years, how can they be easily defeated?"

Since we set out on the expedition, many things have indeed exceeded our expectations, and many plans have therefore required a series of adjustments. This is a headache, but we have no choice but to accept it.

Zhao Anguo did not complain about anything else, and said, "My Lord, my men cannot rest. We must first go to the valley entrance to deploy defenses. It will take at least two days for Yiquhou's troops to arrive, so we must be cautious."

Huo Xian also understood this truth. "Now a large group of troops are gathering over there. I think we don't need to worry too much for the time being. The Xiongnu can't do anything even if they have more people."

This is really a case of different times. Previously in Qie Mi, the Han army did not dare to enter the valley entrance easily for fear of being ambushed, and the Han army's numerical advantage could not be demonstrated.

But now the situation has changed. Even though the Huns have an advantage in numbers, they are now unable to use it. This is really a case of changing fortunes.

"I have set up ambushes on both sides of the valley. You should take the time to arrange for the Yulin Army and Qimen Army to rest." Huo Xian arranged, "If there is a tough battle, you will have to fight it."

Zhao Anguo had no objection to this. The troops going on the expedition this time included the Northern and Southern Armies, as well as some border troops and local troops from various places.

But the real elite are naturally the Qimen Army and the Yulin Army. Even though everyone says that the Han Army is mighty, there are indeed some "levels" within the army. This is not just about the quality of equipment, but also about confidence.

The Yulin Army and the Qimen Army are truly good families, the best source of soldiers for the Han Dynasty. They have also undergone the most rigorous training, and their combat effectiveness is stronger than that of the Southern and Northern Armies, not to mention the local armies.

Huo Xian continued to make arrangements and said, "You just wait in the front. If there is any movement, you must immediately start to deploy the troops. Now the army has begun to gather and set up camp."

Zhao Anguo asked cautiously, "Lord, how many people do we have now?"

"Counting the ones you brought back, there are 8,000 cavalry, including 1,000 heavy cavalry." Huo Xian said with a smile, "4,000 infantry, 2,000 are setting up an ambush, and 2,000 are forming a battle formation with chariots and shields."

Zhao Anguo naturally felt some pressure. Now he was not at an advantage in terms of numbers, and it was difficult for his advantageous military forces to fully bring into play.

When fighting in narrow valley areas, it is actually difficult for heavy cavalry to bring out their advantages. In the final analysis, it is too crowded. The heavy cavalry cannot fully charge forward, and it is also difficult for the flanks to follow up and expand the results of the battle.

But there was no way around it. Since the Huns chose to fight in such a place, the Han army naturally had no choice but to respond. At least at this stage the battlefield seemed to be determined.

Zhu Yunhuan looked at Zhang Anshi and said, "You will follow Cong Biaohou and improve yourself with him. You have family background and talent, and you will be promoted after you have more military achievements."

Zhang Anshi hurriedly said, "Thank you, Lord, for your support."

Compared with Han Zeng and Zhao Chongguo, Zhang Anshi seemed to have a lack of presence, and was not considered a confidant, and even seemed a little out of place.

Han Zeng, needless to say, was from a powerful family, which could be considered a military family. Zhao Chongguo seemed to be from a relatively low family, but he was also from a good family, and was selected and trained by the Champion Marquis from the army.

As for Zhang Anshi, his father was Zhang Tang, who was in a high position of power in the past, but he also offended many people.

The most important thing is that Zhang Anshi did not come from a proper military background. If Huo Shan had not asked for him to be taken away by someone else, Zhang Anshi would have been just a civil servant now.

Huo Xian said to Zhao Anguo, "Don't let this guy go to the front. Although he has been trained in the Qimen Army, he still can't handle tough tasks. After all, he hasn't practiced martial arts since he was a child, so he lacks the ability."

Zhang Anshi was extremely embarrassed and a little ashamed. "I feel guilty. I will practice hard to kill the enemy and make military achievements as soon as possible, so as not to let you down!"

"Although personal bravery is important, you will be a general in the future." Huo Xian said with a smile, "It is enough to have enough ability to kill the enemy. Let your men have fewer casualties and kill more Xiongnu people, that's all!"

Not everyone is born with supernatural powers. Huo Xian is not born with supernatural powers, but his strength is much greater than that of ordinary people. With sufficient strength as a foundation, his ability to kill enemies is also relatively outstanding.

Zhao Anguo smiled and said, "I still think Zhao Chongguo and Zhang Anshi are better. They are calm and steady, while Han Zeng is a little arrogant."

Huo Xian was a little puzzled, "Is Han Zeng arrogant?"

Zhao Anguo said bluntly, "My Lord, who dares to be arrogant in front of you? Han Zeng is a capable man, but he is from a powerful family. In his eyes, I am nothing more than that."

If you really say so, there seems to be nothing wrong. Han Zeng is indeed from a powerful and noble family. Compared with Zhao Po Nu and Zhao Anguo, he has some background.

As for those arrogances in front of Huo Shan, they had to restrain them. In the court of the Han Dynasty, there were really few people who dared to put on the attitude of a powerful and noble family in front of him. Even the descendants of the founding nobles did not dare to be too ostentatious.

After the joke, Zhao Anguo took Zhang Anshi away. To be honest, some of the things were quite interesting.

That is, among the eleven heroes of Qilin Pavilion, the three who were pulled over by Huo Xian were older than Huo Xian and Zhao Anguo, especially Zhao Chongguo, who was more than ten years older.

However, in front of these two young military marquises, Zhao Chongguo and others never used age as an excuse and always placed themselves in the right position.

Chen Ju smiled and said, "My Lord, I think among these people, Zhao Chongguo and Zhang Anshi will be the most capable in the future. Han Zeng is not bad, but he is just so-so. Tian Ren, Ren An and the others are not worth mentioning."

Huo Xian asked jokingly, "Oh, you are so bold to say that. These people are all more capable than you, but you make it sound like you look down on them!"

"Of course they are capable, otherwise they would not be favored by you, my lord." Chen Ju said confidently, "I am not as capable as them, can't I say that? It's not difficult to see one's ability from these things." There is nothing wrong with saying this. Sometimes it is easy to see whether a person is capable or not. You can also make some comments on how the soldiers view the commander, etc.

People like Chen Ju have high standards, mainly because they have always been in contact with people like Huo Qubing, Wei Qing, Huo Shan, etc. Naturally, they look down on ordinary people.

As they were talking, Feng Wu came running over, "My Lord, it's said outside that Princess Jieyou's maid is here again."

Huo Xian's face changed, and he immediately said to Chen Ju, "Hurry up and send out weapons and arrows, and tell the kitchen staff in the rear team to start cooking, and the army should be ready for battle."

Chen Ju didn't waste any more words at this time, and didn't ask any other questions. He immediately ran away with a few soldiers and followed some messengers to convey the general's orders.

Huo Xian said to Feng Wu, "Hurry up and send someone to pick up Feng Ling. Is she coming alone, or is she with a large group of people?"

Feng Wu said, "The scouts said there were less than ten people, and one of them was her husband, the Wusun barbarian from last time."

Huo Xian complained, "You are so confused. That man is the grandson of the Wusun king, not Feng Ling's husband. You are such a random matchmaker. If the news gets out, aren't you afraid of being laughed at?"

Although Feng Wu was embarrassed, he was confident, "It's just that the Lord is laughing at me. The others are my brothers and sisters, they won't laugh at me."

Huo Xian smiled and said, "Well, let's just keep this a family matter. We should hurry up and do something to bring the person back. This is the big deal."

There is no time to make fun of Feng Wu. Now we should do serious things well, because the war may officially start at any time, and many things are likely to happen.

Feng Ling came hurriedly with Weng Guimi. They looked tired and a little panicked.

Weng Guimi spoke directly, looking extremely panicked and angry, "Grand Marshal, the Xiongnu gathered a large force and defeated Dalu's troops. The Xiongnu crossed the border from Wusun and headed straight for you, Grand Marshal."

Huo Xian remained calm while listening to these translations. These Wusun people were really cunning. It had already come to this point, and what these people were thinking about now was actually not to offend either party.

They may have been afraid of the Xiongnu army, so they chose to give way. Of course, it is more likely that they hoped to see the Xiongnu and the Han Dynasty fight each other.

However, seeing that the Huns were about to arrive and their whereabouts could no longer be concealed, the Wusun people immediately started to think of other ways and tried to do something to salvage the situation.

Huo Xian asked with an unpleasant expression, "Feng Ling, ask carefully how the Xiongnu crossed the border, which route they took, and how many troops they had!"

Although Feng Ling was also very angry in her heart, as an increasingly mature politician, she acted as if she was completely unaware of the situation.

Weng Guimi said, "The Xiongnu people are crossing the border along the mountains. The 10,000 troops of King Ruju are the vanguard. King Hujie, King Liwu, and King Ou Tuo each sent 5,000 troops to follow the 35,000 troops of King Youxian of the Xiongnu across the border!"

At this moment, Huo Xian's expression became solemn. He was not pretending. The situation was really serious. Although he thought about sending out a large army of Huns, he did not dare to underestimate their numbers.

But now it seems that the Huns have sent out at least 60,000 people. This scale is basically the scale of a decisive battle. The Right Wise King can be said to have sent out all his troops.

While translating, Feng Ling paid attention to Huo Xian's expression. Naturally, she was very nervous and worried, because all this happened rather suddenly, but the Huns also had too many troops.

Huo Xian looked at Weng Guimi and asked, "Did the Xiongnu cross the border from Dalu's territory and head straight for Jiaohe City, or did they come from somewhere else?"

Weng Guimi said, "Grand Marshal, judging from the signs of the Xiongnu, they should be trying to attack from the valley and attack Jiaohe City directly. Previously, the Grand Marshal was in Qiemi, and the Xiongnu might want to take a detour."

In fact, Weng Guimi was also very surprised, because he also thought that the Han army was in Qiemi. Everyone thought that the Han army was in Qiemi and was preparing to enter the valley to fight, but they didn't expect that the Han army suddenly appeared in Jiaohe City.

This must have been a bit of a pity for Weng Guimi. He hoped that both the Han army and the Huns would suffer heavy losses. Now that the Han army was waiting in Jiaohe City, it might not be realistic for the Huns to launch a surprise attack.

Huo Xian remained calm and continued to ask, "In that case, were Wusun defeated by the Xiongnu?"

This is a rather critical question, but it is not difficult for Weng Guimi. "The Xiongnu are powerful, and we Wusun cannot resist them. The Grand Marshal also knows that our Wusun forces are now scattered. After Dalu's defeat, we Wusun will unite our forces to defend ourselves."

Look, those who don’t know would think that the Wusun people are still victims now. They thought they just wanted to see the Han army and the Huns both suffer losses, and then the fishermen would benefit.

But now it seems that there is far more to it than that. Lie Jiaomi, the old and immortal thief, is even trying to trick his own son. It is very likely that Dalu has been kept in the dark this time.

Dalu was defeated by the Huns. Even though the loss was not great after just one blow, it did break the original three-way balance of power within Wusun. Dalu could no longer threaten Liejiaomi and Junxumi.

If the Wusun army started to gather forces under the pretext of the Xiongnu invading the border, Liejiaomi would regain full control of the country's military strength. Even if Dalu was dissatisfied after losing his military advantage, he could only be suppressed by his nephew Junxumi.

Those who play politics are indeed strong-willed. For many rulers, the death and injury of some soldiers and civilians in exchange for a smooth transfer of royal power and holding great power is not a psychological burden at all.

Huo Xian looked at Weng Guimi and said, "Did the Xiongnu cross the border a few days ago?"

Weng Guimi immediately replied, "Grand Marshal, it was about ten days ago that Dalu's troops were in a remote area, and the main force of the Xiongnu army passed through our Wusun territory seven days ago."

Huo Xianyue was sure that the old fox of Wusun was calculating the time. The Xiongnu would be here soon, within one or two days, but now the Wusun people came to report the news.

Those who were not aware of the situation thought that Wusun was on the same side as the Han army, but the reality was that the Han army was on guard and engaged in a brutal battle with the Xiongnu in the Western Regions!

There is no need to be angry. The Wusun will be dealt with sooner or later. It is true that those who are not of our race must have different hearts!
Fortunately, Liu Jieyou and Feng Ling were smart enough to get the news in advance, otherwise Huo Xian would have been in a panic and might have been successfully attacked by the Huns.

But now all this may not happen. Although it is a bit chaotic, fortunately, timely adjustments have been made. If the Huns want to launch a surprise attack now, they are more likely to be defeated by the Han army's "waiting for them to tire themselves out"!
(End of this chapter)