Inside Hulao Pass, tens of thousands of Xiongnu troops were ready to attack at any time.
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong's method of harassing the Han army's food routes and forcing the Han army to leave the camp has initially achieved results.
Facing the raid by the Huns cavalry, the grain roads in the rear of the Han army were attacked one after another. Although the Huns cavalry had very limited casualties, they had basically blocked the Han army's grain and grass transportation from Xingyang to Hulao.
The Han army outside the pass was obviously getting frustrated. The Han army's cavalry went out of camp several times to expel the Huns' cavalry in an attempt to restore the safety of the grain road.
However, the number of these Han cavalry was too small to achieve complete victory.
The Huns cavalry followed the tactics of cruising and harassing, making it impossible for the Han cavalry to attack in armored formations.
The Huns Emperor Liu Cong was very satisfied with this effect.
"The thieves have blocked food routes, and the morale of the army will be in chaos!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong personally ran out of the pass to check the enemy's situation. He saw that the Han cavalry had lost its momentum as in the previous days. They were only on guard around the military camp and no longer cared about the food road behind them.
"Your Majesty, even if the thieves are mentally disturbed, there are still nearly 100,000 people. I'm afraid they are not easy to deal with!" Hu Yanyan, the cavalry general, said with some worry.
After the recent battle with the Han army, Hu Yanyan already had a good understanding of the Han army's cavalry.
Although the number of Han cavalry is small, they are all elite soldiers who rush to defeat the enemy. As for the Han infantry, they are probably not easy to deal with.
"I have ordered all the troops from Mengjin and Taigu to be transferred to Hulao. By then, I will have more than 70,000 troops in my hands!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong said confidently.
"My 70,000 strong warriors will surely win against the traitor's 100,000 disorganized troops!"
As long as Mengjinguan was to guard against enemy troops crossing the river on the north bank of the Yellow River, Liu Can, the Xiongnu chief in Pingyang, led his army south and was already threatening Hanoi County. There was no chance for the Han army in Hanoi to cross the river and go south.
As for Taigu Pass, it is to guard against enemies in the south. The pass is very dangerous and does not require too many people.
"Your Majesty, if King Dun of the Jin Dynasty in Jingzhou goes north, wouldn't it be dangerous?" Hu Yanyan, the general of chariots and cavalry, reminded with some worry.
"Wang Dun? Humph, if Wang Dun really dares to come, I will definitely defeat him in one battle!"
Liu Cong didn't care much about the Jin army in Jingzhou.
Soon, things developed as envisioned by the Huns Emperor Liu Cong.
A Hun soldier who had been captured by the Han army was released as a messenger.
When Liu Cong opened the letter of engagement from the Qingzhou thieves, he was already overjoyed.
"Haha, the thief must have no way to hold on anymore, so he is so anxious to fight me!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong said proudly to the generals next to him while holding up the letter.
Liu Yu, the bandit chief of Qingzhou, said in his letter that he hoped to have a showdown on the east bank of the Sishui River and was willing to retreat ten miles to give the Huns the opportunity and space to cross the river and form an array.
When the Xiongnu generals heard this, they were also overjoyed.
"Your Majesty, this thief is impatient. Let's send troops quickly. We will definitely defeat him in one battle!"
"Yes, His Majesty said that a quick victory was needed. Now the thief has fallen into His Majesty's plan!"
These Xiongnu generals seemed to have seen the embarrassment of the Han army and persuaded Liu Cong to send troops.
Anyway, at this time, all the Xiongnu soldiers and horses from Mengjin, Taigu and other places had arrived, and the gap in numbers between the two sides had been greatly narrowed.
However, the Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong did not agree immediately.
He shook his head slightly and said.
"It is said in the art of war that anyone who wants to attack must show the enemy to defend. Although I want to fight quickly, I can't follow the thieves' wishes!"
"Since the bandits are already impatient, I have to wait a little longer!
"
Some Xiongnu generals were secretly anxious when they saw this.
The recent news coming from Guanzhong is not very smooth.
The Liangzhou soldiers led by Sima Bao fought repeatedly with the Huns in the Yongzhou area, and both sides had their own victories and defeats.
However, the Huns' foundation in Guanzhong is still shallow after all. If Sima Bao and others cannot be driven out quickly, more and more powerful Jin people will rebel in Guanzhong.
The Huns were able to gain a foothold in Guanzhong, and one of the biggest means was their deterrence through repeated victories.
If this deterrence is gone, we will fall into a passive position surrounded by enemies on all sides.
"Your Majesty, how long will it take?"
"when?"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong smiled slightly when he heard this.
"Of course this is when the thief becomes completely anxious!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong did not make any reply to the letter of request for war sent by the Han Kingdom in Qingzhou, as if he had not received it at all.
Two days later, a group of Han cavalry suddenly appeared outside Hulao Pass.
These Han cavalrymen all had very loud voices. As soon as they appeared, they yelled at Hulao.
All they said were filthy words, mocking the Huns for their lowliness and cowardice, and they added some vulgarity to the rumors about Liu Cong's harem.
The Hun soldiers at Hulao Pass were furious when they heard this, and cavalry immediately went to expel them.
However, those Han cavalry were also very slick and did not engage in combat at all, and withdrew one after another.
After receiving the news, the Huns Emperor Liu Cong was not angry at all, but looked happy.
"The thief seems to have panicked, and he resorted to such despicable tricks!" Liu Cong said proudly.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. After defeating the thieves, the general will definitely pull out the tongues of those fake thieves!" Jin Zhun said angrily.
Jin Zhun was among those ridiculed by the Han cavalry, saying that he sold his girls for glory and was the home of slaves in a brothel!
"Wait a moment, the time is almost here!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong kept rubbing his hands and said.
His heart was already very excited. The situation in Guanzhong was becoming more and more critical. He must seize the time to deal with the enemies in Guandong and return to Chang'an to take charge.
However, the more times like this, the more he has to calm down and wait for the enemy to make mistakes.
"Pass my order to send all the scouts out. Always pay attention to the movements of the thieves. Once the thieves break camp, come and report them as soon as possible!" Liu Cong said again.
"General, I obey!" Jin Zhun immediately took the order and went down to make arrangements.
A few days later, the Hun Emperor Liu Cong, who had been waiting impatiently, finally got the news.
"Your Majesty, the bandit army has been making fire for food early this morning. Tan Ma reported that the bandit army seems to be about to break camp!"
Jin Zhun hurriedly ran to report to Liu Cong.
"Very good!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong was so happy that he even knocked down the food on the table when he stood up.
He didn't care about eating at all, so he immediately put on his armor and mounted his horse, leading hundreds of cavalry out of Hulao Pass to check on the enemy's situation.
Sure enough, when Liu Cong rushed to the outskirts of the Han army's camp, he had already seen the Han army starting to leave the camp.
Tens of thousands of Han troops began to form formation outside the camp.
"Your Majesty, it seems that the thieves are about to attack!" Jin Zhun said from the side.
"Well, great, the thief is finally giving me a chance!"
The Xiongnu Emperor Liu Cong immediately turned his horse's head and returned towards Hulao Pass.
After a while, the Huns army in Hulao Pass poured out towards the outside of the pass.
Liu Cong had already spotted a place that was most suitable to meet the invading enemy.
The terrain there is open and there is no terrain for the infantry to rely on to fight against the cavalry.
As long as the Huns cavalry use their charge to break through the Han army's array, it will be enough to achieve a great victory.
The movement of tens of thousands of Huns and horses filing out of Hulao Pass was quickly detected by the surrounding Han army rangers.
Several Han cavalry immediately returned to the camp to report.
"Your Majesty, Hulu has been released from Hulao!"
When Liu Yu heard this, he immediately asked.
"How many troops did the Hulu send?"
"When the general came back, more than 10,000 people had already come out. Looking at the smoke and dust from a distance, it seemed that there were still tens of thousands in Guanzhong!"
"It seems that Hu Lu has been waiting anxiously!" Liu Yu couldn't help but smile.
If the Huns were really not in a hurry, there would be no need to send troops to Hulao Pass. They only needed to guard the pass to make the Han army pay the price of a strong attack.
However, Liu Yu already knew that the situation in Guanzhong was very delicate.
Sima Bao's Liangzhou horses repeatedly defeated the Huns. At their most ferocious, they even invaded Fufeng County, which was only a hundred miles away from Chang'an.
Therefore, the Huns had no time to use Hulao Pass to consume themselves.
"Hulu is so aggressive that he seems determined to win!" Xi Jian said from the side.
"The terrain here is flat, which is very convenient for cavalry to attack. If our army is not prepared, it will be really dangerous!" Gongsun Sheng said with a serious face.
"Our army is running out of food and grass, and there is no way to continue the battle. The Hulu thought they had a plan, but they have already lost half of it!" Xun Sui said with a smile.
"Well, the wind has been blowing to the southeast in recent days, which is most conducive for boats to move against the current. As long as we defeat Hulu outside Hulu Pass, we can then use boats to bypass Hulao Pass. Under attack from both inside and outside, it will be easy to capture Hulao!"
It was this southeasterly wind that Liu Yu had been waiting for, otherwise it would be difficult for the Han army boats going upstream to penetrate behind Hulao Pass quickly.
If we go around the north bank, we won't be able to deceive the Huns on the other side of the river.
"No matter how you calculate it, you will have to rely on the sword and gun in your hand to defeat Hulu in the end!"
Not only the Huns, but Liu Yu had also been waiting for this moment for a long time.
However, for the large number of Han troops, the biggest obstacle to breaking out of camp and advancing was the inevitable chaos.
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