Han officials

Chapter 230 A Two-Way Journey [22]

It is said that after learning about the upheaval at White Wolf Mountain, Nanlou did not actually hang himself on the tree of Tanhan Mountain.

While seeking help from Kebineng, he also contacted Budugen, another major Xianbei leader in the central region, requesting to become their vassal.

Nanlou's eyes turned sinister as he said:
"Since Kebineng doesn't follow the rules, then we don't need to give him any face."

“Budugen and his elder brother Fuluohan each command tens of thousands of followers, making them stronger than Kebineng. Since we are seeking refuge, we should entrust our safety to the strongest on the grasslands.”

Upon hearing Nanlou's words, Pufulu hesitated for a moment before finally gritting his teeth and nodding.

"Then so be it!"

"Let's do it!" Lou said with a ferocious expression, "This time, let that bastard Kebineng take the fall for us!"

After all, most of the tribes under Budugen and Fuluohan were located in the Taiyuan and Yanmen areas of Bingzhou.

Therefore, if Wei Zhe wants to pursue and kill them, he must first deal with the Kebineng garrison at Tanhan Mountain.

They acted immediately, and the three of them didn't even wait until the next day; they ran away that very night.

However, while Nanlou's idea was good, it also carried considerable risks.

Since Tanhan Mountain was Kebineng's territory, it was virtually impossible for them to slip away quietly.

So before the Han army even reached Danhan Mountain, the Xianbei and Wuhuan people started fighting each other.

The Wuhuan people fled, pursued by the Xianbei people, resulting in countless deaths and injuries along the way.

If Fu Luohan hadn't been nearby and led ten thousand cavalry to the banks of the Sanggan River to welcome them in time, Nanlou and his men would probably have met with disaster.

Not to mention how friendly and respectful the Wuhuan and Xianbei people were at the foot of Tanhan Mountain.

In Baitan City, after sending the wounded soldiers into the Great Wall for resettlement, Wei Zhe decisively set off again.

Things have come to this point, there is no other option but to fight!

He has done all he could; now it's a matter of who can break the deadlock first, him or Yuan Shao.

Fortunately, the Xianbei royal court at Tanhan Mountain did not disappoint Wei Zhe this time!
There was nothing they could do; Nanlou had fled with the Wuhuan people, and even if Kebineng was incredibly magnanimous, he wouldn't dare to raid the border at this time.

Therefore, he simply waited in comfort for the Han army to arrive at Tanhan Mountain.

He had already found out that the Han army that went beyond the Great Wall this time numbered only 10,000, so there was nothing to be afraid of.

As for the other ten thousand or so Wuhuan servants, Kebineng didn't take them seriously at all.

Fifteen years ago, the Han emperor sent 30,000 elite Han troops beyond the Great Wall, and they were all defeated by King Tanshihuai. Of course, he can do it too!

Kebineng was just as eager for this battle as Wei Zhe.

Because Kebineng believed that as long as he won this battle, he would gain immense prestige among the Xianbei tribes!
If he defeats Wei Zhe, he can save himself twenty years of hard work!

If he can win, he will be the next Tan Shihuai!

……

The second month of spring, on the day of Bingxu.

Three hundred li north of the Great Wall, at the foot of Tanhan Mountain, on the banks of the Chuqiu River.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

As a melodious horn sounded, the fully armed Xianbei cavalry charged towards the Han army with howls and screams.

Along the twenty-mile-long battlefront, the Xianbei, like a giant python, firmly trapped over twenty thousand Han cavalry and Wuhuan auxiliary cavalry in the center, constantly circling and firing arrows, attempting to shrink the Han army's operational area. It should be noted that Kebineng commanded a total of seventy thousand households of herdsmen, capable of conscripting over seventy thousand cavalry.

This is the source of Kebineng's confidence and strength.

No matter how the Xianbei people circled and howled on the outskirts, Wei Zhe's expression remained unchanged.

No matter how loud the shouts of battle were around him, Wei Zhe remained seated on his horse, unmoved as a mountain.

"Tadun, Supuyan"

"exist!"

"I hereby order you two to each lead your respective troops westward to seize the Yayu camp at Danhan Mountain!"

Although Tadun and Su Puyan frowned upon hearing this, they still bowed helplessly and said:
"...I obey!"

After saying this, the two led the young men of their respective tribes of Wuhuan toward the direction of Tanhan Mountain.

Seeing this, Kebineng under the wolf's banner couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"To relieve the siege of Wei by attacking Zhao?" Kebineng sneered, "That's an old trick from hundreds of years ago! Still using it? Do you really think the barbarians are uneducated?"

After saying this, he immediately ordered the tribal cavalry at the front to increase their attack frequency again, making sure to shrink the Han army's position.

Even if all the herdsmen around Tanhan Mountain die today, Kebineng will still crush this Han army!
Knowing both grassland tactics and Han military strategy, he understood the Xianbei people's advantages better than anyone else, which is why he tried to force the Han army into a defensive posture from the very beginning.

Once the Han cavalry loses its operational depth, Kebineng will exhaust the Han army, even if it means trapping them.

At the same time, seeing that Tadun and others' attack had not drawn away much of the Xianbei army, Wei Zhe immediately confirmed his opinion and ordered Yan Rou and Liu Yi to take action.

"Remember, target Kebineng directly; ignore all other targets!"

Upon hearing this, Yan Rou and Liu Yi gritted their teeth and nodded.

Immediately, four thousand Han cavalrymen plunged into the Xianbei's position like arrows released from a bow. With a loud crash, the two cavalry forces clashed violently. The Han cavalrymen, clad in armor and wielding spears and ring-pommel swords, fought desperately and quickly penetrated deep into the encircling Hu cavalry.

The Hu people, whose armor was thin, mostly consisting of leather armor and fur coats, often needed two or three people to fight against the Han cavalry. Even so, blood often splattered, and people died.

The saying "one Han man can fight five Hu barbarians" is never just about martial prowess.

Under the desperate offensive of Yan Rou and Liu Yi, the army suffered a minor rout, with many dead. This enraged Kebineng, who was behind the main formation. He immediately sent his personal guards to oversee the battle, and they killed dozens of fleeing soldiers before the rout was brought to a halt.

Even so, Kebineng's wolf flag did not move an inch.

To boost the morale of his Xianbei cavalry, he even moved his banner forward a hundred paces.

This move indeed boosted the morale of the Xianbei army, which had been somewhat shaken.

On the grasslands, a pack of wolves, led by a fierce alpha wolf, can even ambush and kill a small, isolated tribe.

Kebineng wanted to see if Wei Zhe could behead him while being protected by tens of thousands of Xianbei soldiers.

If the Han army persists in this, Kebineng will be happy to see it succeed, and may even be willing to act as bait.

After all, the best thing about wolf packs on the grasslands is to bleed their prey bit by bit while they are running, and then devour those prey that overestimate themselves.

For a moment, both seemed to understand their respective tactics, but neither cared.

The main strategy is for each of us to fight our own way, and it's a battle to see who can last the longest...

(End of this chapter)