Soon, Yuan Shao, Cheng Xu, and others arrived at the government office together.

After the guests and hosts were seated, Yuan Shao asked, "May I ask what brings you here, esteemed envoy?"

"In reply to General Yuan, I have come on the orders of the King of Wusun to pay my respects to Protector-General Liu Yu and to present tribute..."

Cheng Xu simply explained his purpose, without informing Yuan Shao that he had come to request assistance.

Upon hearing Cheng Xu's words, Yuan Shao smiled slightly, but a hint of coldness appeared deep in his eyes.

Shortly after Cheng Xu and the others set off, A Yue sent someone to deliver the news to Li Ru.

Li Ru also relayed the purpose of the Wusun delegation to Yuan Shao without reservation.

Upon learning that the other party had concealed something from him, Yuan Shao naturally felt a touch of displeasure deep down.

Soon, Yuan Shao snapped out of his reverie, looked at Cheng Xu with a warm smile, and said:

"The King of Wusun is kind, but unfortunately, Protector-General Liu is currently in Shanshan dealing with affairs of the states of Jingjue and Qiemo."

As you all know, our army has been locked in a protracted standoff with the Xiongnu, causing heavy losses to those countries. They urgently need proper resettlement!

"That's alright, I can go to Shanshan to pay my respects to Protector Liu!"

Upon learning that Liu Yu was in Shanshan, Cheng Xu immediately expressed his willingness to go there.

"Sigh!"

Yuan Shao sighed and looked at Cheng Xu with a helpless expression: "If it were before, your esteemed envoy could have gone, but now I'm afraid it's not possible!"

"Oh? Why is that?"

Cheng Xu was slightly taken aback and looked at Yuan Shao with a puzzled expression, thinking that the other party was unwilling to let him leave.

"Your Excellency is unaware of the situation. In Cheshi, shortly after Xie Zhiyu left, our army was preparing to take over when a Xianbei cavalry force arrived."

They not only occupied Cheshi, but also robbed our army of a large amount of food, equipment, weapons and armor.

Now, Xianbei cavalry are active everywhere around Gaochang.

"If your envoy leaves the city at this time, he will inevitably be discovered by the Xianbei."

"What? The Xianbei people have come too...?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Xu was also greatly alarmed.

Cheng Xu was also involved in the trade between Wusun and Tanshihuai.

Therefore, he was quite clear about the strength of the Xianbei people; they were a force far more powerful than the Xiongnu cavalry.

A mere tens of thousands of Xiongnu people had already wreaked havoc on the Western Regions, and now the even more terrifying Xianbei people have arrived, making the Western Regions even more vulnerable.

Cheng Xu, a native of the Western Regions, felt only cold hands and feet at this moment.

Now, the Xianbei people are in Cheshi, so even if he sees Liu Yu, it will be of no use.

Even a fool wouldn't abandon the enemy in front of him to rescue himself.

The thought that reinforcements were hopeless and that his mission was likely to end in failure put Cheng Xu under immense pressure, making it hard for him to breathe.

Seeing Cheng Xu sitting there with a blank expression, Yuan Shao couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

Just as Yuan Shao was about to speak and scare Cheng Xu again, a guard suddenly ran in from outside the hall.

"Report!!"

The guard clasped his hands in a salute to Yuan Shao and said urgently, "Reporting to the general, the Xianbei people stationed in Cheshi have dispatched 20,000 cavalrymen who are heading towards Gaochang. They are only ten miles away from the north gate!"

"What?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's expression changed, and he immediately stood up: "Go and see!"

After saying this, Yuan Shao strode out, and Zhang Xiu, Hua Xiong, and the others quickly followed.

Seeing this, Cheng Xu hurriedly chased after him.

Soon, the group arrived at the foot of the city wall at the North Gate.

The soldiers guarding the city, led by their officers, were constantly moving various defensive equipment.

Yuan Shao arrived at the city tower and looked north with a solemn expression.

Fifteen thousand elite cavalrymen from Gaoliu were lined up in a row and were galloping towards Gaochang City.

Accompanied by the thunderous roar of ten thousand horses galloping, a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky followed closely behind the Xianbei cavalry, like a storm in the desert, giving people an involuntary sense of oppressive doomsday.

Cheng Xu, who was standing beside Yuan Shao, was also frightened by the commotion made by the Xianbei people.

"General Yuan, what are they...?"

As Cheng Xu watched the rapidly approaching Xianbei cavalry, his voice trembled slightly.

Yuan Shao, however, calmly raised his hand and said, "Rest assured, Your Excellency, my Gaochang city has high walls and thick walls. No matter how powerful the Xianbei cavalry are, they cannot break through!"

As Yuan Shao finished speaking, the five thousand soldiers responsible for guarding the city were all in position. A large number of logs and stones were piled up behind the battlements, and specially made crossbows were aimed at the approaching Xianbei cavalry.

Seeing this, Cheng Xu, who was originally very nervous, felt much more at ease.

Before long, the Xianbei cavalry arrived outside Gaochang City and stopped 400 meters away, just outside the range of the crossbows.

A Xianbei knight rode up to the front of the formation and looked towards the city wall.

"Who on the city wall can make decisions?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao immediately stepped forward and loudly questioned, "I am Yuan Shao, the Deputy Envoy of the Protectorate of the Western Regions. Why have you invaded my city?"

"Greetings, General Yuan!"

The Xianbei knight on horseback bowed to Yuan Shao, then called out loudly:

"Reporting to the general, our troops were defeated by your army and have been stranded here. Our army is short of clothing and food. We hope that the general will be merciful and give us some cotton clothes and rations to survive!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao immediately frowned: "You have already plundered a lot of our army's grain and various supplies. Why are you asking for them again today?"

"General, you may not know this, but the grain and supplies are for our soldiers. My king's other 40,000 soldiers and 60,000 civilians are not far from here and urgently need supplies. I hope that you can allocate enough supplies for 100,000 men to get through the winter..."

"One hundred thousand troops?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao's expression changed, and he immediately said angrily, "My Gaochang city only has enough supplies for 50,000 people. How can I allocate them to you?"

"You defeated army dare to speak like this? If you have the ability, then come and break through the city to take it!!"

Seeing that his request was rejected, the Xianbei knight was not angry. Instead, he said loudly, "Since General Yuan is unwilling to allocate the supplies, then our army will have to take them ourselves. The Western Regions are rich, and we should be able to obtain enough supplies for our troops..."

However, I fear that doing so would leave the general with a reputation for refusing to come to the rescue, causing the Western Regions kingdoms to become disloyal to the Han Dynasty. I wonder if the general can bear this responsibility?

"Hmph, are you threatening me?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao snorted coldly and glared at the other party with an angry expression.

"That's right, it's a threat!!"

The Xianbei knight replied smugly, then called out loudly, "I hope the general will consider this carefully. If there is no reply in a quarter of an hour, our army will head west..."