Big man: I am the Champion Marquis!

Chapter 51: Nuisance
The Hun envoy left the camp safely, not because Huo Xian followed the custom of not killing envoys when two armies were fighting, but because there was no need.

Chen Ju joked, "Sir, I think the Xiongnu have no sincerity in surrendering."

Huo Xian also complained, "I think so too. He is probably here to challenge me. My head is valuable, I'm afraid they can't take it away!"

Huo Xian had not made any outstanding performance on the battlefield that was worthy of the Huns' fanfare, but if the title of Marquis of Champion was raised, it would mean that it would become a reason for some people to be afraid of him.

Or become the goal that some people desire to achieve!
Zhao Po Nu was a little worried. "It seems that we can't break out at night. The Xiongnu will definitely gather a large force."

Huo Xian also nodded. Plans cannot keep up with changes. It seems that he, as the champion marquis, has benefited from this. As long as he appears on the battlefield, he will become an object of fear by the Huns and a target that will never be allowed to escape.

Suddenly, there was a sound of cows mooing outside, and the low sound of horns whimpering.

Zhao Po Nu's expression was solemn, but he was used to it. "The Xiongnu have been like this for the past two days. Seeing that they can't break through the formation, they keep harassing us and consuming my arrows."

There was an agreement to fight again in three days, etc. The Huns would not give Huo Xian and others more time to rest.

In the eyes of the Xiongnu, Zhao Po Nu's 10,000 cavalrymen were like an unbreakable tortoise shell. They could only keep harassing the Han army, consuming their arrows and physical strength, and trying to wear down the army.

Huo Xian could also understand that there was hundreds of meters of open space between Zhao Po Nu's troops and the Huns.

This does not necessarily mean that the cavalry is to charge. The main reason is that both sides do not want the other side's large forces to get close. This area is covered by bows and crossbows, and if they rush in, they will definitely be greeted.

"Uncle Zhao, pick some elite and reliable men, and we should launch a surprise attack at night." Huo Xian said as he arranged his armor, "If we can't pass on the situation, the general will be in trouble."

Zhao Po Nu naturally understood that the possibility of the entire army breaking out was getting smaller and smaller, but it was still possible to do it by finding a way to send out a few messengers.

'Leaking from all sides' is the current situation of Huo Xian and Zhao Po Nu's troops. The enemy may launch an attack from all directions at any time, this time from the southwest.

"Han champion, listen up. I am the commander of the Zuoxian King's army!" A sturdy Xiongnu man sat on his horse with a show of strength. A knight beside him shouted, "Han champion, do you dare to fight?"

Zhao Po Nu's expression became more serious, "Xian'er, they invited you to fight, I'm afraid they want to consume you."

Huo Xian understood this truth, but he could do nothing about it. "If I don't fight, the morale will be even lower. If I don't fight, the Xiongnu people shouldn't just test me."

"The Xiongnu army has not made any rash moves. Do not let anyone shoot crossbows or arrows." Huo Xian smiled and said to Chen Ju, "Follow me into battle!"

Zhao Po Nu suddenly became anxious, "Xian'er, let me do it!"

"Uncle Zhao has to stay in the camp. This man wants to challenge me to a fight!" Huo Xian said, "I'll go!"

Zhao Anguo suddenly stepped out from the crowd and said, "Sir, he is just a small captain under the command of Zuo Xian Wang. How can you lead him into battle? I will lead fifty cavalrymen to fight!"

Zhao Po Nu immediately said, "An Guo is right. The Xiongnu only sent out a small captain. How can the great Han Dynasty send out a champion marquis?"

Huo Xian thought it made sense and said, "The army should be on guard. I'm afraid these people are trying to wear us down and dampen our spirits. It's enough to not put on heavy armor for now."

Use arrows sparingly, and armored cavalry also need to save their energy.

Zhao Po Nu and others were not panicked at all. They had fought with the Huns three times. Although they suffered some losses, they killed more enemies.

Zhao Anguo jumped on his horse and galloped away, "Sima Zhao Anguo, the general of the cavalry, is under the command of the Grand Marshal!"

Zhao Po Nu looked at his son's back, his eyes full of relief. Chen Ju and others congratulated Zhao Po Nu, thinking that their old comrade had a good son!

Fifty cavalrymen quickly approached the Hun squad. Zhao Po Nu and others took out crossbows and put arrows on them. The Huns also shot arrows on horseback.

"These people really want to consume us." Huo Xian frowned and said, "They think I am strong, so they can only use this trick."

The two light cavalry teams were almost constantly wandering in the open space between the two armies, all of which were so-called kite-flying and horse-riding archery. If Huo Xian led the heavy cavalry into battle, it would be difficult to capture these Xiongnu people.

Zhao Po Nu was not particularly worried. "Although these Xiongnu people wear armor, it's just not as good as ours." Huo Xian also knew this. The Xiongnu people were not completely without any craftsmanship. But compared with the Central Plains civilization, they were still far behind, especially afraid of the crossbows of the Han people.

Li Ling's 5,000 infantrymen were able to kill more than 10,000 Huns. Not only was it an army that was indeed good at shooting, but it was also because the Huns were clearly lacking in protective gear.

The characteristics of nomadic people are also somewhat "lax". When they are on horseback, they follow the leader to charge. When they get off the horse, they may be herders. Sometimes the so-called tens of thousands of troops are just the tribal leader with young and strong people.

After a brief confrontation, Zhao Po Nu led his troops back. Two cavalrymen fell off their horses and several were injured, but the Huns paid a greater price.

"It's not a good idea to keep wasting our time like this. We are outnumbered." Although they seemed to have won, Huo Xian was still worried. "These people are sure that we are exhausted and want to waste our time."

An officer under Zhao Po Nu suddenly asked, "General, how can it always be Young Lord who goes to battle? How can we avoid fighting and save our dignity?"

It was definitely not an option to just hang up the banner of not fighting. Faced with the Huns constantly sending small groups of troops to provoke them, Huo Xian and Zhao Po Nu could only cope with it temporarily.

"Let them waste time first, and mobilize the troops at night." Zhao Po Nu looked ahead and said to Huo Xian, "As long as the army arrives, our predicament will be solved."

Huo Xian also understood this. "I will lead my men to charge out at night. My heavy cavalry can be used."

Zhao Po Nu said worriedly, "I'll take some people over there."

"Uncle Zhao, it's difficult for you to mobilize my troops, and it's difficult for me to command your army." Huo Xian said with a smile, "We can fight from the weak points and send out a few teams of troops."

The two sides are still continuing to engage in confrontations between a small number of teams, which is actually a continuous consumption of the Han army to prevent these Han troops from escaping and resting.

Even though only a small number of troops are fighting now, the entire army needs to be highly nervous and alert.

Both Huo Xian and Zhao Po Nu understood that once their armies relaxed, the small-scale probing by the Huns would most likely turn into a decisive battle.

Huo Xian carefully wrote the Yin Fu, which was a kind of encryption of ancient military intelligence, so outsiders naturally could not understand it.

He hoped that Gongsun He would lead his troops to harass and prevent the Xiongnu from concentrating all their forces. At the same time, he also hoped that the army would be able to attack the Xiongnu army blocking the road to the south three days later, so that Huo Xian and others could counterattack and escape.

As for whether they could hold out until then, Huo Xian felt that they had to grit their teeth and persevere no matter what. As long as Wei Qing's army could arrive in time, the Huns would not dare to use all their troops to attack easily.

Even if it was Gongsun He's 5,000 troops, as long as they carried out harassment and avoided a head-on confrontation, the Huns would need to mobilize thousands or even tens of thousands of soldiers to defend themselves.

It seemed that after several battles, there was not much loss, and the sky began to darken.

"Not only is there no rain, there aren't even any clouds." Huo Xian couldn't help but complain, "Wait a minute, have someone prepare in the second half of the night."

Zhao Po Nu said, "I have selected three hundred men, all of whom are elite cavalry. When the time comes, you will lead the heavy cavalry to create chaos, and I will lead these men to scatter and break out."

Huo Xian asked, "Where should I attack from?"

"Attack southeast, there aren't many Xiongnu there." Zhao Po Nu said, "If we attack that side, the Xiongnu people around will definitely rush to help, so I can send people out."

Huo Xian nodded slightly, "Uncle Zhao, please make the arrangements first. I'll take a nap and rest for a while."

"You should take a rest first. You must be tired after fighting all day. I will call you later." Zhao Po Nu said, "We still have some horse meat and dry food. You can eat them later."

Huo Xian didn't care and just fell to the ground and fell asleep.

Chen Juze arranged for his family soldiers to take a rest, and he and Zhao Hexi and Liu Mo stayed by Huo Shan's side.

Tiny lights began to appear in the distance; the Huns were lighting fires for illumination, and perhaps even singing and dancing.

But the Han army was in complete darkness, and the atmosphere in the camp was still low. Even though Huo Xian's arrival seemed to boost morale a little, it could not change the situation that the army was about to run out of ammunition and food, and there was no hope of breaking out!
(End of this chapter)