How long will it take?

Upon hearing Yang Yan's answer, Liu Hong continued to ask questions.

Yang Yan thought for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, three days will suffice!"

"Very well, then Yang Qing will take charge of the matter of persuading them to surrender!"

"Here you go!"

Yang Yan agreed and retreated with a happy expression.

Then, Liu Hong looked at Huangfu Song, who was sitting at the head of the table, and asked, "Huangfu, what do you think about Ma Yi's sudden retreat?"

Huangfu Song respectfully said, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, Ma Yi's retreat is either to mislead our army and make us attack the camp so that he can take the opportunity to harass us."

Either Fengxian and his men have already succeeded, and Ma Yi's retreat has been cut off, forcing him to retreat!

"Then, Minister Huangfu, which possibility do you think is more likely?"

Huangfu Song: "I believe it is the second one!"

Liu Hong's brow furrowed: "Oh? Why?"

"Your Majesty, according to the report from the Xiliang cavalry, Ma Yi retreated in a calm and orderly manner, clearly because he was afraid that our army would pursue him!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong's expression shifted. "So, our army can now pursue Ma Yi?"

Huangfu Song said solemnly, "Yes, but we need to first subdue the Qiang soldiers in the camp and prevent them from moving around. Only then can our army pursue them with peace of mind!"

Liu Hong then turned to Yang Yan beside him: "Yang Qing, are you confident that you can prevent them from making any rash moves during the surrender process?"

"Yes!" Yang Yan replied without hesitation.

"How many people do we need?" Liu Hong asked again.

Yang Yan: "Only three hundred men from headquarters are needed!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Hong's brows furrowed, and he stared intently at Yang Yan.

Seeing Yang Yan's confident expression, Liu Hong nodded slightly.

"Very well, then Yang Qing will take charge of this matter!"

As he spoke, Liu Hong looked at the personal guards and staff officers beside him, "You all should also stay here to assist Minister Yang and do a good job of appeasing him!"

"Here you go!!"

All the advisors responded in unison.

"Minister Huangfu, you can now arrange the pursuit!"

"Here you go!"

Huangfu Song responded loudly, and then stood in front of Liu Hong's desk.

"Yu Jin, Xu Huang!"

"Your subordinate is here!"

Upon hearing Huangfu Song call their names, the two stood up excitedly.

"I hereby order you two to lead 20,000 Xiliang cavalry as the vanguard. You must keep a close watch on Ma Yi, preventing him from retreating with full force. When pursuing him, beware of enemy ambushes!"

"Here you go!"

The two men agreed, took the command token, bowed, and withdrew.

Subsequently, Huangfu Song assigned several generals to lead 20,000 Liaozhou troops to protect the supply lines.

The central army consisted of 20,000 Bingzhou soldiers and 10,000 Imperial Guard cavalry.

After making arrangements for all the generals, Huangfu Song turned around and bowed to Liu Hong.

"Your Majesty, how about you lead 20,000 Northern troops to oversee the main camp and command from the center?"

Liu Hong raised an eyebrow: "Is Minister Huangfu afraid that if I go with him, things will go wrong?"

"I am only worried about Your Majesty's safety. If Ma Yi were to launch a counterattack in a desperate situation, I fear something unexpected might happen..." Huangfu Song explained when he heard that the emperor seemed somewhat reluctant.

Liu Hong smiled and said, "Currently, the Ma Yi and Xiao Yuezhi tribes still have 80,000 troops, while the number of pursuers you arranged is only 50,000. Doesn't that make it easier for accidents to happen?"

If we add another 20,000 Northern troops, wouldn't we be more confident in pursuing the enemy?

Furthermore, do you, my dear minister, believe that these Qiang soldiers can compare to the elite Gaoliu troops of the Xianbei? Even the Gaoliu elite, who once dominated the grasslands, couldn't reach me; what are these mere Qiang people worth?

"this……"

Upon hearing this, Huangfu Song hesitated for a moment.

"My dear minister Huangfu, you should trust in the loyalty and bravery of my Han soldiers. With them here, my safety will not be in any danger!"

As he spoke, Liu Hong turned to look at the group of officers: "Gentlemen, what do you say?"

Upon hearing this, all the officers in the tent immediately shouted in unison, "We swear to protect Your Majesty to the death!"

Liu Hong smiled and nodded, then looked at Huangfu Song: "Huangfu, my dear minister, I want to go, I want to see with my own eyes the great feat of our Han soldiers in annihilating the enemy and reclaiming our lost territory!"

"In that case, Your Majesty may go, but you must not appear on the battlefield!"

Upon seeing this display of force, Huangfu Song agreed, but also made one last request.

"Okay!" Liu Hong nodded with a smile.

The next morning.

The sound of drums echoed throughout the camp, and squads of Han soldiers, leading their warhorses, gathered before their respective officers.

Yu Jin and Xu Huang led 20,000 Xiliang cavalrymen out of the camp and pursued the route Ma Yi's army had taken in retreat.

Following them were 20,000 Bingzhou soldiers and 20,000 Northern soldiers led by Huangfu Song.

Liu Hong was assigned to the middle of ten thousand Imperial Guards cavalry, surrounded by more than a dozen military officers.

The mobilization of the army was quickly discovered by the Qiang soldiers in the nearby camp.

Just as the Qiang general led his troops out of the camp to harass the enemy, Yang Yan arrived with three hundred men and stopped the twenty thousand Qiang soldiers outside the camp!

Seeing that Yang Yan had only brought three hundred men, the Qiang general immediately ordered his army to leave the camp and surround and kill Yang Yan.

However, despite the order being given, not a single Qiang soldier moved.

Aside from Yang Yan's impressive display of power yesterday, which intimidated them, the main reason was that Yang Yan's words yesterday persuaded them.

After a whole night of reflection, many Qiang soldiers became even more determined to no longer be slaves.

They want to live for themselves, to earn what belongs to them through their own efforts and hard work, rather than living their entire lives under the oppression and exploitation of others.

Just then, Yang Yan also rode his horse to the front of the two armies' generals.

Yang Yan glanced at the Qiang soldiers and said loudly, "Brothers, Ma Yi's rear has been breached by the Han army. Originally, His Majesty the Emperor planned to first break through the camp and eliminate the threat before pursuing Ma Yi."

It was I who pleaded with the Emperor to give you a chance to live.

If you are willing to lay down your weapons and surrender, I swear to God that you will be treated well, and everyone who goes to the Han Dynasty will be allocated their own house, pasture, and cattle and sheep.

No more toiling away my whole life like this, not only starving but also risking my life to protect the wealth of those wicked people!

Upon hearing this, a hint of interest appeared on the faces of the Qiang soldiers.

Although they desperately wanted to surrender to the Han Dynasty, none of them dared to express their intention to do so.

After all, they had been oppressed for too long. The idea of ​​rising up in rebellion and joining the Han Dynasty was something they could only dream of. If they were to actually do it, it would probably be quite difficult.

However, although no one dared to step forward and surrender, the Qiang soldiers all stayed put and abandoned their idea of ​​harassing the Han army's rear.