Lure the enemy deep into our territory, and ambush them from all sides.

Before dawn the next day, the cliffs on both sides of Broken Soul Valley were already covered with ambushes. General Li personally oversaw the operation, and the soldiers held their breath, gripping their bows and arrows, rolling stones, and logs, their eyes fixed on the direction of the valley entrance. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and a damp chill filled the valley. Only the rustling of the wind through the grass and trees made the surroundings even more silent.

At the same time, Zhao Wu led three thousand light cavalry, under the banner of the "vanguard battalion," and charged out of Yanmen Pass in a grand procession. When they reached a few miles outside Heifeng Slope, he ordered his men to deliberately loosen their formation, and the soldiers pretended to be exhausted, slowly moving towards the left flank camp of the Xiongnu.

"Enemy attack!" The sentries of the Xiongnu left wing quickly spotted them and immediately blew their horns. A commotion instantly broke out in the camp, and a moment later, Bolu, the commander of the Xiongnu left wing and the younger brother of the new Chanyu, led five thousand cavalrymen out in a fierce charge.

Bo Lu rode a tall camel, brandishing a spiked club. Seeing the scattered formation of Zhao Wu's light cavalry, his eyes were full of contempt: "Cowards from Da Jing, dare to provoke us? Brothers, follow me and charge forward, let's kill them all!"

Seeing this, Zhao Wu was secretly delighted, but on his face he pretended to be panicked and shouted, "Oh no! The main force of the Xiongnu is coming! Retreat!"

Having said that, he turned his horse around first and led his light cavalry at breakneck speed toward the direction of Broken Soul Valley. The soldiers also shouted in panic, deliberately slowing their horses down so that the Xiongnu cavalry could keep up.

Bo Lu fell for the trap as expected. Seeing Zhao Wu and the others fleeing in panic, he became even more smug: "Trying to run? Not so easy! Chase them! Don't let a single one escape!"

Five thousand Xiongnu cavalry surged forward like a tide, their hooves kicking up dust, relentlessly pursuing Zhao Wu's light cavalry. Zhao Wu spurred his horse on at breakneck speed, glancing back every now and then, deliberately keeping the Xiongnu cavalry within pursuit range, gradually leading them into the Valley of Broken Souls.

The moment the last Xiongnu cavalryman stepped into the valley, Zhao Wu's eyes flashed, and he shouted, "Brothers, speed up and get through!"

The three thousand light cavalry immediately quickened their pace and galloped towards the other end of the valley. Bo Lu led his cavalry into the valley and saw that the cliffs on both sides were steep. A sense of unease rose in his heart, but at this moment, with the arrow already on the bowstring, he had no time to think about it. He only wanted to catch up with Zhao Wu's troops as soon as possible and make the greatest contribution.

"put!"

Just as the Xiongnu cavalry had all entered the valley and were still unable to react, General Li on the cliff suddenly waved down his flag.

In an instant, the silent valley was shattered by deafening shouts of battle. Countless boulders and logs cascaded down the cliffs, crashing down on the Xiongnu cavalry like thunderclaps, their screams echoing throughout the valley. Then, a volley of arrows rained down, striking Xiongnu cavalrymen one after another, plunging the valley into chaos.

Bolu was both shocked and furious, and shouted, "Oh no! We've been ambushed! Retreat!"

However, the valley entrance had already been blocked by soldiers pre-positioned by General Li, with mountains of rolling stones and logs, making retreat virtually impossible. The Xiongnu cavalry, crammed into the narrow valley, were thrown about, their horses and men trampling each other, utterly unable to mount an effective counterattack.

After leading his light cavalry out of the valley, Zhao Wu immediately turned his horse around and joined the soldiers blocking the valley entrance, forming a pincer movement. Holding his spear, he charged back, shouting, "Brothers, charge back! Don't let a single one escape!"

The soldiers of Dajing, their morale soaring, charged into the valley and engaged in a fierce battle with the Xiongnu cavalry. The clash of swords, shouts of battle, the clanging of weapons, and screams of agony mingled together, echoing throughout the Valley of Broken Souls.

Bolu brandished his spiked club, trying to fight his way out, but was held back by several Dajing soldiers. He was hot-tempered, and the more he was in trouble, the more ruthless he became, but he also lost his composure. A Dajing soldier seized an opening and slashed his horse's leg with his sword. The camel crashed to the ground, throwing Bolu to the ground.

Seeing this, Zhao Wu spurred his horse forward, his spear pointing directly at Bolu's throat: "You treacherous Xiongnu general, why don't you surrender now!"

Bolu struggled to get up, but was held down firmly by the surrounding soldiers. His eyes widened in fury, and he roared, "I am the Xiongnu chieftain's younger brother, how dare you kill me?"

"I'm going to kill you, you traitor who aided and abetted evil!" Zhao Wu sneered, thrusting his spear forward and piercing Bolu's chest.

With Bolu's death, the Xiongnu cavalry completely lost their fighting spirit and surrendered one after another. In this ambush, the Dajing army won a great victory, annihilating more than 4,000 Xiongnu cavalry and capturing nearly 1,000, while suffering fewer than 500 casualties themselves.

After General Li and Zhao Wu finished clearing the battlefield, they immediately sent a messenger to deliver the victory report to Yanmen Pass. When Shen Qingci received the news, he was standing on the city wall gazing into the distance. Upon learning of the great victory at Duanhun Valley, a relieved smile finally appeared on his tense face.

"Good!" He slammed his fist heavily on the battlement. "Pass on my order to reward the entire army! At the same time, keep a close eye on the movements of the other four Xiongnu tribes, and be wary of them resorting to desperate measures!"

The wind outside the pass remained biting, but morale within Yanmen Pass soared. The soldiers knew that this victory was only the beginning; the real decisive battle was yet to come. Shen Qingci understood that to completely repel the 100,000-strong Xiongnu army, they would need to make even greater efforts and sacrifices.