Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 183 Confrontation
Huo Xian rode his horse forward and soon arrived near the valley entrance. Zhao Anguo led the light cavalry and was ready for battle.

Zhao Anguo whispered, "My Lord, the Right Wise King is waiting in front."

Huo Xian nodded slightly, "These people have learned from their mistakes and now know that it is not appropriate to enter the valley."

Huo Xian was about to urge his horse forward, but Zhao Anguo hastily advised him, "Sir, I'm afraid the Xiongnu may have some tricks."

"Don't worry, I won't be too far away from the formation." Huo Xian said with a smile, "If we lose our momentum at this moment, we will be laughed at! I want to see what these people have to say and what they really think."

Seeing Huo Xian step forward, Chen Ju took the banner of "Marquis of Champion" without any hesitation and raised it. Feng Wu and others were also very excited, holding high the banner of "Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry".

When Huo Xian slowly led his men away from the Han army's formation, more than twenty people came out from the Huns.

Both Huo Xian and the Right Wise King were very cautious. They could shout in front of the battle, but they kept a certain distance.

Not only should they stay close to their own front, but they should also avoid being within the range of the enemy's arrows and crossbows. Courage is courage, and caution is caution. If the main general is shot dead, the army is likely to be in chaos.

Huo Xian was the first to speak, "You Xianwang of the Xiongnu, thank you for coming all the way here. The Champion Marquis of the Han Dynasty is waiting for you!"

Then the words came from the Xiongnu side, "Han Guanjun Hou has come a thousand miles to the Western Regions to kill, and my Right Wise King will warmly welcome you!"

Huo Xian continued, "The Right Wise King is really enthusiastic. He took the trouble to travel a thousand miles. I have known the Right Wise King for a long time, so I specially came here to welcome him. I thought the Right Wise King would come in person, but I didn't expect him to be just the inferior Rizhu King!"

The translator was translating loudly and in a high-profile manner, and he didn't care at all whether the Huns were furious or not.

The Xiongnu soon responded, "Don't be complacent, Marquis Guanjun. We have 50,000 troops, but Marquis Guanjun still surrenders. We, the Xiongnu, will definitely grant you the throne and territory."

The Xiongnu were really eager to recruit talented people. In history, Li Ling was named the Right School King, and Wei Lu was named the Dingling King. Li Guangli, who was in a high position in the Han Dynasty, had a higher status after his surrender, but he was eventually killed by the Xiongnu Chanyu as a sacrifice to the gods.

Even Li Xu, the commander of the frontier army, was reused and helped train the Huns' troops after he surrendered to them.

If Huo Xian, the Grand Marshal and General of Cavalry of the Han Dynasty, really surrendered, it would be the most special case in the history of the Han-Xiongnu War, no less than the previous capture of Zuo Xian Wang by the Han army.

Huo Xian laughed loudly, "A few years ago, Marquis Qie Di also tried to persuade me to surrender. Now he is eating and drinking well in Chang'an, but I haven't played the role of a good host to entertain him. Right Wise King, you should follow me to Chang'an and have a drink with Marquis Qie Di. When the time comes, I will host a banquet for you!"

The Right Wise King was very angry about Huo Xian's arrogance, and Di Hou had become a shame in the hearts of the Xiongnu people. Such an important figure was captured by the Han army, which was something that had never happened in the history of the Xiongnu.

A response came from the Xiongnu camp, "Marquis Guanjun, there is no point in talking any more. We have 50,000 Xiongnu cavalry waiting for you. Marquis Guanjun, do you dare to fight?"

Huo Xian laughed and said, "Didn't we fight a battle before? Do you want me to behead the thousands of Xiongnu people I killed and build a memorial for them? This way, the Right Wise King will understand better."

There is really no point in saying more. Both the Han and the Huns have no sincerity at all. They are just constantly provoking and provoking the other side, hoping that the other side will be unable to hold back and take action first.

This is the significance of the conversation before the battle. Do you really expect to make the enemy general surrender with just a few words?
Huo Xian and the Right Wise King each returned safely to their own camps, and this test and conversation basically ended in a bad mood.

As soon as he returned to the main camp, Huo Xian decisively ordered, "Let the men get ready. The Xiongnu will definitely not retreat willingly."

Zhao Anguo understood what he meant, but also felt a little worried, "Sir, we consumed too many arrows before, I'm afraid they can't withstand a few rounds of impact."

Huo Xian knew clearly, "We have already sent the baggage to the rear. There are too many of them chasing us this time. There is no need to worry. The Xiongnu do not have the confidence to attack us now. At most, they are just testing us."

There is no need to worry too much, as the Huns now do not have the confidence to start a desperate battle.

King Riju was defeated so cleanly that he didn't even know how many Han troops there were, he just knew that they were quite a lot.

In such a narrow terrain, the Right Wise King must have been cautious. If they were really confident and knew that the Han army was less than 10,000, they might have already started a real charge and a decisive battle.

Huo Xian looked ahead and suddenly said, "Beat the drum!"

The drums rumbled, and the light cavalry also began to move forward, but with the heavy cavalry behind them, their speed was not very fast. The same was true for the Xiongnu on the opposite side, and many cavalry began to move forward.

The test came just like that. Huo Xian and the Right Wise King returned to their respective camps and started testing and attacking at the same time. No one wanted to weaken their momentum.

For Huo Xian, it was not only important not to weaken the momentum, but more importantly, he had to bluff and never let the Huns know the strength of the Han army. He had to show an attitude of wanting to fight to the death.

The two armies began shooting at each other, while maintaining a certain distance. None of them could do anything to their opponents, and such probing seemed more like scratching an itch through a shoe.

Huo Xian observed carefully, and after a moment he said, "Stop the beating."

The army also began to stop attacking at this time, and just kept the formation stable. There was really no way to inflict more damage to the Huns now, so just keep it stable.

The contact area between the two sides was too narrow, just the width of the valley entrance. They could neither get in nor rush out, so they could only confront each other with dense rain of arrows.

Zhao Anguo observed carefully and said, "Sir, if we hold on for half a day, the troops behind us will arrive, and Marquis Yiqu will also be leading his troops here."

If Gongsun Ao led the infantry here, Huo Xian would still have a chance to confront the Right Wise King head-on, but the prerequisite was that there would not be too much loss when rushing out of the valley, but this possibility was not very high.

Huo Xian nodded, but was not optimistic. "The Xiongnu will definitely retreat. They lost thousands of soldiers this time. They will definitely not dare to continue fighting. If they continue fighting, I'm afraid they will be completely wiped out."

The loss of nearly ten thousand people was not a serious loss to the Xiongnu, but it was definitely a heavy loss. Both the Right Wise King and the Ruju King were trembling with heartache.

In addition, it is snowing continuously, so the pressure on the Huns is naturally increasing, and they will definitely not be able to fight for a long time.

Zhao Anguo said, "So, these people are probably going to retreat. Can we follow them and kill them?"

If the Xiongnu really started to retreat, it would definitely be an opportunity for the Han army. After all, the army could not withdraw all at once, and they would have to retreat in batches, and then the Xiongnu's military advantage would be gone. Huo Xian was still not so optimistic, and said helplessly, "If we really go after the enemy, we will not have the advantage. These people are not retreating, they can strike back at any time."

Zhao Anguo certainly understood this truth. If the Huns really retreated, they would definitely retreat in an orderly manner, not in a chaotic manner like they did when they were defeated. If the Huns really set an ambush and launched a counterattack, that was also possible.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help feeling a little depressed. There was an opportunity to fight, but unfortunately many things did not go as planned. So many Huns escaped right under my nose. This was really depressing.

The two armies were facing each other at the mouth of the canyon. The snow in the sky was getting heavier and heavier. Both armies remained vigilant and made some small attempts.

The Huns did not show any weakness, and it was almost impossible for the Han army to rush out of the canyon. The Han army also did not show any weakness, and did not give the Huns a chance to rush into the canyon in one breath.

The messenger suddenly came to report, "Grand Marshal, yesterday the Qiemi people and the Xiongnu tried to rush out of the valley, but they retreated after leaving behind more than 500 corpses."

Huo Xian didn't think there was anything surprising at all. The Qimi people cooperated with the Xiongnu people, and the two armies wanted to complete a pincer attack. This was his previous guess and inference, and now it was confirmed.

Fortunately, Li Ling's troops remained vigilant, controlled the key roads and repelled the enemy. This also prevented the Han army from being attacked from both sides and being exhausted. Now, by holding the key terrain, they can remain invincible.

Huo Xian then asked, "The Xiongnu retreated, it is impossible that they retreated just for a single test."

The messenger then said, "The captain has his men block the entrance to the valley. If the Huns want to continue their attack, they will surely be shot dead by our army at the bottom of the valley."

Two thousand soldiers were enough to guard the main road, because there were enough arrows and preparations had been made in advance. If the Huns really thought they could break out, they would have to pay a heavy price.

The messenger sent by Gongsun Ao also arrived, "Grand Marshal, the Marquis of Yiqu is leading a large army less than ten miles behind."

Huo Xian said, "Order Marquis Yiqu to lead his troops to quickly clear the valley and count the battle achievements, and send a thousand archers to help."

I will not move unless the enemy moves. Let's just stay in a stalemate for now. Anyone who rashly uses a large-scale military force will be in danger of defeat. Both Huo Xian and King You Xian are very clear about this. It just depends on who has better patience.

Huo Xian was very confident because his troops were guarding the key roads and now had the advantage of terrain. Even the weather was favorable to the Han army, and sufficient food and grass meant that they did not need to worry too much about the impact of the weather.

The snow in the sky was getting heavier and heavier. The two armies continued to confront each other, but Huo Xian slowly realized that the Huns were actually undergoing some changes.

Zhao Anguo also noticed it and said, "Sir, how can we let these people get away so easily?"

Huo Xian understood what Zhao Anguo meant and said, "Let Marquis Yiqu lead his troops to clear the valley bottom passage and set up an ambush on both sides to support our army."

Zhao Anguo immediately became excited and began to reorganize his troops and replenish supplies. The Right Wise King would definitely retreat slowly, but the Han army also wanted to take the opportunity to gain more military merits.

It is difficult to wipe out all of the Right Wise King's troops, but if we can kill more of them, then naturally we will kill more. There is nothing to hesitate about this, as long as we can gain military merit.

Now the Right Wise King has begun to arrange the withdrawal of troops. All of this cannot be hidden, but he does not seem to be particularly worried about the attack of the Han army.

It is still stable now, the Huns' formation is still neat, and there are always a considerable number of Huns cavalry guarding the front of the canyon. This is the confidence of the Huns to retreat.

Seeing the wind and snow getting stronger, Huo Xian became more and more calm. He couldn't let the early advantage go to waste when the situation was so good. He had to be calm when it was time to be calm.

They waited from morning to afternoon, or to be more precise, the head-on fighting started from early morning. There was almost no rest throughout the whole day, and naturally the entire army was somewhat exhausted.

However, war is like this, and you must persevere when you need to. Now you just have to grit your teeth. Only after fighting this battle will you have the chance to have a good rest.

Huo Xian arranged, "Have people prepare torches quickly. We will chase them at night and return immediately after chasing them for ten miles. All units must not advance rashly."

Zhao Anguo knew that there would be no problem in creating more chaos under the cover of night, and it was also natural to take the opportunity to expand the results of the battle.

Gongsun Ao hurried over and said, "Grand Marshal, I will lead the people to chase them, and you can just guard the retreat route."

Huo Xian looked at Gongsun Ao and asked with a smile, "Are you worried that your military achievements this time are not enough? I would say you don't have to worry. You have made a lot of contributions this time. You don't need to compete with others for credit."

Others might find this convincing, but when Huo Xian said this, not to mention Gongsun Ao, even Zhao Anguo couldn't help but want to complain.

Gongsun Ao had previously fought with Wei Qing, and most of the time he was the general in charge of the army. But after fighting with Huo Xian for a few times, it was always the general who wanted to rush to the front.

Huo Xian continued, "An Guo and I are young and energetic, and we are very aggressive in leading the army to pursue and kill. Yiqu Hou is calm and steady in his use of troops and has a steady personality. He is better at guarding the retreat route. I am afraid that the Xiongnu will set an ambush."

Since Huo Xian had said so much, Gongsun Ao naturally had nothing to say and could only accept such arrangements.

He could also understand Huo Xian's concerns. There were many generals who made rapid progress in the early stages, but were ambushed and defeated by the enemy when chasing the fleeing enemies.

Chen Ju and others were accustomed to this. In the past, he basically followed Huo Qubing and charged in the front. He was a general who liked to lead by example.

The soldiers and horses were basically in a relatively full state, and they would not lack strength if they continued to kill the enemies. Now was not their limit at all.

The Huns were still retreating. The once powerful Hun army was becoming smaller and smaller in number, and the constant sound of horse hooves was the best proof of this.

Huo Xian called Zhao Chongguo and asked, "Do you know which group the people in front belong to?"

Zhao Chongguo said quickly, "Grand Marshal, I'm afraid it's hard to tell, but they don't look like the elite Xiongnu."

That cannot be underestimated. The troops left behind are either cannon fodder or quite tough, so we really cannot be careless.

But no matter what, we should first gather our troops to create a local military advantage and then swallow up some Huns!

(End of this chapter)