Liu Xuande would never be a succubus of the Eastern Han Dynasty!

The cause was that Tan Shihuai established the Xianbei royal court, refused the imperial court's title of king, and sent troops to harass the Han border for years, especially in the early spring before winter, when almost the entire army pressed on to the border, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of atrocities.

However, the Han Dynasty was plagued by deep-rooted problems. The young Emperor Liu Hong had limited bargaining chips in his hands, so he had to promote eunuchs on the one hand and win over border generals on the other hand in an attempt to balance the power of the aristocratic families. The so-called "Party Imprisonment" was his first move, and now these four routes out of the border were his second move.

Xia Yu, Tian Yan and Zang Min are all veteran generals with considerable military achievements. The first two are capable generals under Sanming of Liangzhou and have excellent military qualities.

As a rising star, Liu Bei had made great military achievements in the south and his surname was Liu. Although his bloodline was weak, the emperor still attached great importance to this fact.

But the aristocratic families are not pushovers. They have been indulging in pleasure for many years, but when the emperor reached out to touch the cake of "power", they suddenly woke up and opened their eyes.

They had benevolence in their left eye and morality in their right eye. They shouted about righteousness, but their subordinates secretly colluded with Tan Shihuai and sent him a detailed military intelligence, even the Han army's food and fodder dispatch and marching route were clearly written.

Liu Bei was limited by his offensive route and had already captured Tan Shihuai's eldest son and Lian. Being cautious by nature, he chose to stay and train his troops, and then set out after being fully prepared.

This was undoubtedly a wise move - intelligence showed that Xia Yu, Tian Yan and Zang Min were too eager for quick success and immediately summoned their troops after leaving the border and attacked the Xianbei without any preparation. As expected, they were plotted against by the three leaders under Tan Shihuai.

First they ambushed in the valley, then they attacked from both sides, and with the help of an insider in the army who leaked the secrets, the three Han armies were now caught in a bitter battle, suffering heavy losses and facing the possibility of being wiped out at any time.

The battle seemed to be still going on, but in Liu Bei's view, the outcome had already been determined and it was just a formality.

Tan Shihuai, the overlord of the grassland, obviously did not intend to let Dingxiang County go.

His son led 10,000 cavalrymen but was beaten to a pulp by Guan Yu's 300 men. If this matter were to get out, where would he, the lord of the royal court, put his face?

The shame must be washed away with thundering measures.

So he personally led 40,000 cavalrymen, detoured from the northern base camp, and headed straight for Dingxiang County, with great momentum, vowing to avenge the previous humiliation.

-

Not long after, outside Dingxiang County, dust was flying and the sound of horse hooves was like thunder. Forty thousand Xianbei cavalrymen came like a dark cloud, overwhelming the sky and the earth.

War horses neighed, swords flashed, and the cold wind on the grassland blew up yellow sand, covering the sky and the sun.

Tan Shihuai rode on a tall horse, wearing a thick wolfskin robe, his hair and beard were all white, his face was rough as if carved by a knife, his eye sockets were deep, and his eyes showed a sense of experience and dominance. His eyes emitted a faint golden light, like an old but still ferocious grassland lion.

He was holding a scimitar in his hand, with blood still smeared on the blade. It was obvious that he had killed a few unlucky people on the road to vent his anger.

"Humph."

Tan Shihuai reined in his horse and looked towards the city wall of Dingxiang County with squinted eyes. His gaze fell on Liu Bei. He was first surprised by his appearance, and then the corners of his mouth rose slightly, revealing a meaningful smile.

"...It seems this is Liu Bei, the Marquis of Guannei?"

"Is that the 'Lord of the Royal Court' Tan Shihuai?"

Liu Bei stood on the top of the city wall, his green robe fluttering, two swords in his hands. His handsome face looked even more resolute against the backdrop of dark clouds. He and Tan Shihuai looked at each other across the city, and their eyes met, and sparks seemed to burst out in the air.

One is the overlord of the grassland, who has been active in the northern desert for decades, and his iron-blooded tactics have intimidated all quarters; the other is a rising star of the Han Dynasty, rising in Yangzhou, with both benevolence, righteousness and wisdom.

Although the two had never formally fought each other, Tan Shihuai had long known about Liu Bei's experience from the Han Dynasty families. He knew that this man had a good appearance, a deep background, superb martial arts, and was surrounded by talented people.

It sounds a bit funny, but Tan Shihuai felt a sense of mutual understanding at this moment.

He considered himself a hero of his generation, so naturally he would admire any enemy who was capable of being his opponent.

Unfortunately, the other side doesn’t think so.

"Tan Shihuai..." Liu Bei whispered, "He's just a mere bandit, why are you pretending?"

After saying that, he turned to look at Jia Xu beside him, "Wenhe, how is the city defense?"

Jia Xu, dressed in a purple dress, gently waving a feather fan, smiled charmingly: "Don't worry, my lord. The city walls are reinforced, the archers are in place, 30,000 infantry are guarding the positions, and 10,000 cavalry are on standby. If the Xianbei dogs want to bite us, we must first break their teeth!"

She paused, her eyes flickering. "But this old fellow brought 40,000 cavalrymen in one go. It seems he's really desperate."

"They say old dogs are the most impatient. Now that I see it, I think they're right."

Liu Bei nodded and glanced at the city.

In Dingxiang County, he had 30,000 infantrymen who had already built defensive positions - trenches, chevaux de frise, arrow towers, everything was available, and the city walls were densely packed with archers, with arrows like a forest.

The ten thousand cavalrymen were led by Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Lu Bu, Gao Shun and Zhang Liao, each leading two thousand men, and each guarding the city gates in different directions.

Liu Bei was not panicked at all by the current situation. Instead, he felt a little amused. He only had one thought in his mind: "Tan Shihuai, you should feel honored that these five generals are dealing with you alone."

"Humph."

Tan Shihuai jumped off his horse, and 40,000 cavalrymen lined up behind him, a black mass and full of murderous intent.

He squinted his eyes and looked at the city wall. Seeing the strong defense of the archers, the numerous arrow towers, and the unfathomable trenches, he could not help but snort coldly: "This kid really has some tricks up his sleeve. I'm afraid he will suffer if he charges head-on."

Although he was furious, he was not reckless. He turned to look at the black-robed military advisor beside him and whispered, "Military advisor, we can't just force it. We have to play some dirty tricks."

The military advisor, a gaunt figure wrapped in a black robe, twirled a bone bead in his hand, making a clacking sound. He said sinisterly, "Don't worry, Great Khan. The Han city walls may be strong, but they are not impenetrable... Let's first build siege engines to distract them, and then look for a flaw."

With a wave of his hand, the Xianbei cavalry quickly dispersed and set up their equipment on the spot.

The siege methods during the Eastern Han Dynasty were not complicated, but Tan Shihuai obviously did not intend to play by the rules.

He ordered his soldiers to cut down nearby trees and build simple ladders and battering rams. He also ordered people to dig tunnels in an attempt to launch a sneak attack from underground. What's more, he sent a team of cavalry to pretend to retreat, but actually went around the side of the city, secretly piled up hay and firewood, sprinkled kerosene on them, and prepared to set fire to the foundation of the city wall.

This move is insidious and cunning. If you are not careful, the city wall will collapse once it burns.

On the city wall, Jia Xu waved his feather fan and squinted his eyes to see what the Xianbei were doing. He pondered for a moment, then chuckled, "Oh, this old guy is quite adventurous. A tunnel? Burning the wall? Tsk, that's a good idea, but it's a pity he ran into me!"

She turned and gave the order, "Archers, prepare your arrows! Aim for those firewood piles and shoot them as soon as they catch fire! Infantry, hold the walls with spears and poke the tunnels as soon as they appear! Also, send men to pour golden broth into the trenches to flood their tunnels!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Bei nodded and said, "Wenhe is indeed thoughtful."

He stood on the top of the city wall, his eyes sharp as torches, watching Jia Xu's orderly response, and felt at ease.

"...Humph, prepare to attack the city!"

"Come on!"

At Tan Shihuai's command, the Xianbei cavalry immediately began to attack the city.

Hundreds of simple ladders were pushed towards the city wall, and the Xianbei cavalry climbed up, waving their scimitars and howling.

"Archers, ready, fire!"

But the archers on the city wall were well prepared. Arrows rained down like locusts, shooting the Xianbei soldiers on the ladders like hedgehogs, causing them to fall down screaming.

Occasionally, a few who were halfway up were stabbed down by the infantry with spears, leaving them in a bloody mess.

The battering ram rumbled towards the city gate, but Jia Xu had people reinforce the gate with iron chains and piled huge stones behind the gate. The battering ram hit the gate several times, but the gate did not move at all, but the wheels of the ram were broken into pieces.

Tan Shihuai squinted his eyes and cursed, "This bastard is really good at guarding!"

The situation on the other side of the tunnel is even worse.

The Xianbei soldiers dug for a long time before they finally reached the bottom of the city wall. As soon as they emerged, they were discovered by the defenders. They stabbed them with spears, and blood flowed back down the tunnel.

Jia Xu also ordered his men to pour golden soup into the trench, causing the water to flow back into the tunnel, drowning the Xianbei soldiers like drowned rats. When they climbed out, they were covered in stench and looked miserable, which caused great mental damage.

And the most sinister plan of burning the wall did not succeed.

The Xianbei cavalry had just piled up the firewood and lit the kerosene when rockets were shot down from the city wall. With a "boom", the fire spread back, burning the Xianbei soldiers to the ground and causing them to roll around and scream in pain.

Tan Shihuai was so angry that he slapped his saddle: "How come these Han people have prevented everything?!"

On the city wall, Jia Xu laughed so hard that his body shook with laughter: "Old man, you want to play dirty? You are still a little naive!"

She waved her feather fan and the archers fired another round of arrows. The Xianbei soldiers were killed or wounded, and the siege equipment was burned to pieces by the rockets.

Tan Shihuai reined in his horse and retreated, squinting his eyes at Liu Bei on the city wall, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "This kid is really not simple."

Although he suffered a loss at the beginning, he remained calm and said in a low voice, "Military Advisor, if we can't force them, we'll try harassment. Besiege the city, cut off their food supply, and starve them to death!"

The military advisor nodded, and the bone bead spun faster: "The Khan is wise."

Liu Bei stood on the top of the city wall, looking at Tan Shihuai, who was calmly commanding the army to retreat without being affected by his emotions, and thought to himself, "Tan Shihuai, his reputation is indeed well-deserved."

He turned to look at Jia Xu, "Wenhe, they probably want to lay siege to the city. I'm afraid it will be a protracted battle."

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Just waiting for them to do so."

Bingzhou: Chapter 19: Furious

In fact, generally speaking, it is not a wise choice for the Hu people to choose to besiege a city.

First, the tens of thousands of cavalrymen led by Tan Shihuai were far from the minimum number required for a 'siege'. Dividing the troops would make the army weaker and more easily dispersed. Second, this was the border of the Han Dynasty after all, and the food and supplies could be transported much faster than those of the Xianbei, and the Xianbei did not have the habit of carrying food with them at all times.

"It's obviously a feint."

Jia Xu narrowed his eyes and smiled as he said, "Since the siege is unsustainable, the Xianbei have only one option left - lure the enemy out of the city."

"Oh? What's the explanation?"

"...Can't you see that, my Lord? But this is common sense, my Lord."

"Wenhe, this is your common sense, not mine...Okay, stop pretending to be a riddle teller and keep talking, or I'll leave you hanging like a dead fox."

"Wow... Lord, that's really too much."

Jia Xu bit his lip, but didn't take it personally. He replied calmly, "The siege is just an attempt to confuse us. If we see through their intention and storm out, they'll immediately attack us. Most Xianbei cavalry can fight five to one, making it difficult for us to win."

"But if we choose to remain motionless, then... these Xianbei will undoubtedly bypass this area and completely destroy all the surrounding settlements." Jia Xu paused. "Of course, we've already transported the surrounding residents and supplies into the city, but... we're not the only ones here."

What she was referring to was naturally Shanggu County, located in the northeast of Dingxiang County. Originally, if the Xianbei cavalry wanted to go south, they would have to deal with this place first, but Tan Shihuai chose to take a detour and head straight for Dingxiang County, thus stranding it.

And what about the current situation in Shanggu County?

It's just a mess.

As a county directly bordering the Xianbei territory, Shanggu was constantly harassed by Xianbei cavalry, resulting in countless casualties over the years. The Xianbei did not choose to occupy the land not because they could not conquer it, but because they disliked the lack of place for grazing.

Therefore, the military strength of Shanggu County is only enough to protect itself. As for sending troops out of the city to join Liu Bei in attacking Tan Shihuai... let's not talk about whether the other party has the courage to do so. Even if they really send troops out, the defense of Shanggu County will be even weaker and more vulnerable.

It is obvious that Tan Shihuai will not gain any benefits in Dingxiang County, so he will undoubtedly invade Shanggu County. This can help him replenish his own food and war horses, and lure Liu Bei out of the city to fight. His intentions are sinister.

The most disgusting thing is that they left 10,000 people behind to pretend to be besieging the city... Who knows if there are tens of thousands of barbarian dogs hiding in the bushes outside and watching them.

"Although we have already informed Shanggu Commandery in advance," Liu Bei took over with a serious expression, "I have a feeling they can't hold out for much longer... well, after all, it's Tan Shihuai leading the troops personally."

The so-called talent of a general includes, first, the ability to command troops, second, the ability to command generals, and third, the ability to make decisions.

Unfortunately, Tan Shihuai possesses all three at the same time, and he also has a BUFF that is very helpful for him to appear - the Lord of the Royal Court.

What does this amount to?

It is equivalent to the emperor of the Han Dynasty leading the army in person.

To sum up, the morale and combat effectiveness of this Xianbei cavalry were very high. The reason why they failed to capture Dingxiang County was not because they were weak, but because Liu Bei was well prepared and Jia Xu had enough wisdom, but Shanggu County had nothing.

It's dangerous.

"Don't worry, my lord. I have another plan."

"Oh? Wenhe, please speak quickly."

Jia Xu remained calm and composed, saying softly, "Wasn't there a plague in Yanmen a few days ago? We could send our soldiers to collect the bodies and then throw them into the enemy ranks, forcing the Xianbei to... Ouch!"

Before she could even finish the word 'broken', Liu Bei tapped her with a finger. "Let's not even talk about the moral issues of this matter. Where can I find soldiers who are not afraid of the plague? And is Tan Shihuai a fool? He will definitely monitor our movements."

“…Woo woo, my lord, Emperor Gaozu once said: Hitting a girl on the head frequently will make her stupid.” Jia Xu pouted, his face full of a little grievance.

"Really? Then do you know what Grandpa Gaozu said?" Liu Bei replied with a smile, "Unless the other party is Zhang Zifang... and aren't you Mr. Zifang?"

"Thank you, my lord."

Upon hearing this, Jia Xu's expression changed slightly, and he immediately replied seriously, "I was just playing around with you to stimulate my thinking. Now I have a real trick..."

"Oh? Mr. Zifang, please speak quickly!"

Jia Xu smiled leisurely, "...Master Xuande, this move is very easy. All you need to do is stand on the high platform and shout to the sky: Master, save me!!!! And you'll break the deadlock."

"?????"

"...Just shut up! You went to see Fengxian this morning, and I don't understand what you're thinking."

Liu Bei rolled his eyes and suddenly said, "You saw the Xianbei's movements but weren't anxious. At the same time, you have the leisure to chat with me here. This means that you already have a plan... and it may have been implemented. And you didn't tell me because... Hmm? Could it be that this plan is harmful to others?"

"Pfft, cough, cough."

Jia Xu coughed violently several times and said with a wry smile, "My Lord, you think too much of me... Am I some kind of demon? Don't worry, my Lord, just wait a moment, and the Xianbei will fall on their own, hahahaha."

Liu Bei was too lazy to criticize this.

-

A little earlier in time, when Tan Shihuai led the Xianbei to launch an attack, Lu Bu led two thousand cavalrymen out of the city from the south gate and went around the mountain.

They did not carry any baggage, so they easily and quickly reached the front of the mountains. There was a group of about 300 people stationed there. Lu Bu stepped forward without any doubt and showed Jia Xu's token.

Afterwards, the three hundred people handed over about two hundred small wooden boxes.