Three Kingdoms: Start by buying a governor.

The three thousand Jingsai Iron Cavalry charged in a standard mass assault. Three riders formed a group, nine riders a squad, and they took turns providing cover as they charged, firing arrows, throwing spears, and slashing, their coordination as perfect as a single person. The Xianbei's crude leather armor and bone arrows were like paper against their gleaming armor and composite bows.

The battle... no, the massacre, lasted less than an hour.

The Xianbei tribe was turned into a living hell. Tents were set on fire, cattle and sheep scattered and fled, and the ground was littered with corpses—soldiers', the elderly's, and even women's and children's.

Liu Ce gave the order: leave no one alive.

It wasn't that he was cruel, but that he had to be.

Deep behind enemy lines, no survivors could be left to report. Women and children may seem pitiful, but in this era, they were also part of the tribe—they would cheer when the men went out to plunder; they would enjoy the spoils when the men brought them back.

Being kind to the enemy is cruel to yourself.

After the battle, Liu Ce reined in his horse and stopped it in the center of the tribe. The black horse snorted and pawed the ground restlessly—this horse was also bloodthirsty and became excited at the smell of blood.

Dian Wei and the others gathered around, all covered in blood, but their eyes were filled with excitement.

"Brother, the finishing blows are done! The cleanup is complete!" Dian Wei said in a muffled voice, "Over four thousand heads were taken, and... no prisoners were captured."

Liu Ce nodded and said, "Search! Take everything valuable, and burn what you can't take!"

The soldiers began cleaning up the battlefield—though there wasn't much to clean up. The Xianbei tribe was poor; besides cattle, sheep, and horses, they had only hides, bones, and rough iron tools. Gold and silver treasures? Forget about them; those would have to go to the royal court.

As they were searching, a fast horse came galloping from the south—it was a messenger from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

"My lord! Urgent report from Luoyang!" The messenger dismounted, knelt on one knee, and handed over a roll of yellow silk.

Liu Ce took it, unfolded it, and... laughed.

"I am hereby ordered to take command of all troops in Youzhou, Bingzhou, and Jizhou, and to drive the Xianbei and Goguryeo back..." He read the contents of the imperial edict, a smile playing on his lips. "Liu Hong is in a hurry."

Dian Wei leaned closer and asked, "My lord, what did His Majesty say?"

"It says we should fight well, and there will be a reward if we win." Liu Ce rolled up the imperial edict and stuffed it into his pocket. "Oh, and it also gives us full authority to command the troops of the three prefectures."

He thought for a moment, then said to the messenger, "Write this down, and go back and tell Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhang Liao, and the others that this is my order..."

Liu Ce paused, then, after clarifying his thoughts, said, "With Zhang Liao as the main general, and Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang as his deputies, leading approximately ten thousand soldiers from various battalions, plus the remaining three thousand Guiyi Camp Wuhuan cavalry, we will head to Bingzhou to block the Xianbei cavalry!"

"Tell Zhang Liao to take my order and mobilize the soldiers from Bingzhou and Jizhou, giving him full authority to handle the situation and jointly block the Xianbei cavalry! Tell him not to engage in direct combat, but to focus on delaying and harassing them. We'll deal with them in Bingzhou after I and Xu Da have finished our tasks here!"

"Tell Xun Yu and the others that the court says it will increase the grain levy for the border troops by three liters per mu—but this is forbidden. We in Youzhou will produce our own grain to supply the army."

The messenger wrote down each order, repeated it, and confirmed that it was correct.

"Go, urgent dispatch." Liu Ce waved his hand and said.

"Yes!" The messenger mounted his horse and rode off in a cloud of dust.

Liu Ce watched the messenger's departing figure, then looked south.

"Zhang Liao, oh Zhang Liao," he murmured, "the greatest general of the Three Kingdoms, defending Bingzhou shouldn't be a problem, right?"

He smiled.

Then he looked at the destroyed tribe in front of him, and his eyes gradually turned cold.

"The Xianbei royal court..." he murmured, "Speed ​​up."

Taishi Ci asked, "My lord, are we really going to raid the royal court? There are at least ten thousand men left there..."

"Ten thousand men is nothing!" Liu Ce laughed. "We have three thousand elite cavalry from Jingse, the Longxiang Battalion, the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun, and you fierce generals. Let alone ten thousand, even thirty thousand, we can take them all without hesitation!"

He turned his horse around and looked north: "Send the order to rest for an hour, then continue onward!"

"yes!"

More than 3,800 cavalrymen responded in unison, their voices echoing across the grassland.

In the distance, the setting sun dyed the grassland a blood red.

Further north, in the Xianbei royal court, Kui Tou's family and elders were still enjoying the comforts of summer, completely unaware that a death army from the south was rapidly approaching.

A few days later, in Zhuo County, at the governor's mansion.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu, Xun You, Zhang Liao and others gathered in the council hall, just as the messenger delivered Liu Ce's order.

"The lord has ordered General Zhang to lead 10,000 soldiers and 3,000 Guiyi Camp Wuhuan cavalry to Bingzhou to block the enemy..." Fang Xuanling read the order, then looked at Zhang Liao, "Wen Yuan, you have a heavy responsibility."

Zhang Liao clasped his hands and said, "This humble general obeys! I will certainly not fail my lord's trust!"

Du Ruhui added, "The lord also said that you should mobilize the soldiers from Bingzhou and Jizhou to handle the situation. Don't engage in direct combat; focus on delaying and harassing them—it seems the lord intends to first destroy the Xianbei's stronghold before dealing with them in Bingzhou."

Xun Yu pondered for a moment and said, "The situation in Bingzhou is complicated right now. Governor Zhang Yi is not very capable, and the border troops are terrified of the Qiang people... Wen Yuan's trip here will not only involve military matters, but also dealing with the local officials."

Xun You pointed to the map and said, "The 40,000 Xianbei cavalry will march south from the grasslands, and they will surely pass through Yanmen and Yunzhong. General Zhang can go to Yanmen first and rely on the pass for defense, while sending small groups of cavalry to harass and delay their advance."

Zhang Liao nodded, already having a plan in mind.

He was originally from Bingzhou and was familiar with the terrain there. Moreover, he was calm and composed, and skilled in defense—historically, in the Battle of Xiaoyao Ford, 800 men defeated 100,000, relying on defensive counterattacks.

"Rest assured, everyone," Zhang Liao said, "I will definitely keep the Xianbei cavalry tied up in Bingzhou until our lord has time to spare, then we will annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

That very day, Zhang Liao began to organize his troops.

More than 10,000 soldiers were drawn from various camps, while the 3,000 Guiyi Camp Wuhuan cavalry were newly reorganized, composed of surrendered Wuhuan warriors. Although their loyalty still needed to be tested, they were skilled horsemen and familiar with grassland warfare.

Four generals accompanied him: Yan Liang, Wen Chou, Cheng Pu, and Han Dang. Yan Liang and Wen Chou were brave and suitable for charging into battle; Cheng Pu and Han Dang were steady and suitable for defending the city.

One day later, the army was fully assembled.

Standing on the command platform, Zhang Liao looked at the thirteen thousand soldiers below and proclaimed loudly, "Gentlemen! Forty thousand Xianbei cavalry are marching south to plunder Bingzhou! Our mission is to stop them! To hold them off! We'll deal with them after our lord has raided their stronghold!"

"The journey to Bingzhou is long and arduous, and the enemy's forces are formidable! But our lord trusts us, entrusting the safety of Bingzhou to us! Can we betray his trust?"

"No!!!" the soldiers roared in unison.

"Good!" Zhang Liao drew his sword and pointed it to the sky. "Let's march! Target—Yanmen Pass in Bingzhou!"

"Marching to war! Marching to war! Marching to war!"

More than 10,000 troops set off westward.

On the city wall, Xun Yu and others watched the army depart into the distance.

Fang Xuanling said softly, "Wen Yuan is steady and reliable; there should be no worries about his journey."

Du Ruhui nodded and said, "The key issue is our lord's side... taking action against the Xianbei royal court and... the risks are too great."

Xun You smiled and said, "Don't worry, my lord never does anything he's not sure of. If he dares to go, he'll definitely succeed."

Xun Yu stroked his beard and looked north: "I hope so... If we win this battle, the northern frontier can be pacified for ten years."

In the distance, Zhang Liao's army had become a black line, disappearing on the horizon.

Further north, Liu Ce's raiding party was speeding across the grasslands, getting closer and closer to the Xianbei royal court.

In July, the grass on the grassland is lush and green.

But this year, the grasslands are destined to be stained red with blood.