Upon hearing the words of the leader of the Segeng tribe, the others nodded in agreement.

These large tribes had dealt with Liu Zhong's tribe and others many times in the past, so they were naturally familiar with their opponents' situation.

In their view, since the other side was bluffing and falsely claiming to have an army of 100,000, they must be weak and wanted to scare off some of their troops. If they were afraid, then they would have truly lost the battle.

"Why didn't any of the people from those small tribes come?" After everyone calmed down, one of them suddenly asked.

"Hmph, they must have been scared by the enemy's strength. These cowards deserve a good beating!"

Speaking of those small tribes, the leader of the Segen tribe also let out a cold snort with an angry expression.

Several days ago, he sent people to notify those small tribes to bring their troops to assemble, but so far, not a single one has come, which naturally makes him feel very embarrassed.

“Those small tribes, though one or two are not a big deal, can be quite a force if they come together. Right now, we need manpower, so let’s not be too demanding.”

In my opinion, the reason they haven't moved is simply that they're observing; if we win, they will come of their own accord.

One of the leaders advised that although they looked down on those small tribes, they couldn't resist their large numbers.

Even if we can't expect them to win, it would be good if they could wear down the Han army.

Upon hearing this, the leader of the Segen tribe nodded, then looked at Gao Gan beside him and said in a deep voice, "Leader Gao Gan, how about you take the lead in this battle against the enemy?"

Gao Gan was seven feet tall, with an ugly face, and wielded a spiked club. Among the leaders, he was the most courageous and strong.

"no problem!"

Gao Gan readily agreed to the arrangement for the leader of the segeng tribe.

Soon, Gao Gan selected 10,000 men and left the camp, heading straight for the Han army.

Three days later, Liu Wen led his army and had just entered the border when they encountered the troops brought by Gao Gan.

When the two armies met, Gao Gan felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the enemy soldiers, all clad in armor and with robust physiques.

He originally thought that he was the most powerful in the tribe in terms of height and build, but now he saw that even an ordinary soldier in the enemy army was about the same size as him.

Turning his head to look at the group of disheveled, skinny men behind him, Gao Gan couldn't help but sigh.

This battle is probably hopeless. Even if the Han army is just bluffing, they would still be no match for 20,000 or 30,000 men.

Just as Gao Gan hesitated, a general suddenly rushed out from the Han army formation. This man was Donglai Taishici, a naval captain from Bangkok Port.

Taishi Ci stopped his horse three hundred paces in front of Gao Gan's army, raised his iron halberd, and shouted, "Barbarian thieves, do you dare to fight me to the death?"

The high-ranking official looked up and saw that the other person was no more than twenty years old. Although he was physically strong, his skin was even whiter than a woman's.

After weighing the options in his mind, Gao Gan also spurred his horse and rode off.

In his view, the opponent had a fair complexion and was not very old, so he must not have much combat experience. If he could win a battle, he would definitely be able to dampen the enemy's morale.

Thinking this, Gao Gan raised his spiked club and smashed it down on Taishi Ci.

Faced with the whistling spiked club, Taishi Ci neither dodged nor evaded, but directly raised his pair of iron halberds to meet it head-on.

Under the shocked gaze of the high-ranking official, Taishi Ci easily blocked his spiked club, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not advance an inch.

"What incredible strength!!"

The high-ranking official was also greatly alarmed upon seeing this.

It's like you suddenly launch a flying kick, only to be easily swatted away by someone. No one could accept that.

Just as the high-ranking official was in shock, Taishi Ci suddenly shouted, exerted force with both arms, flipped his iron halberd, hooked the spiked club with the small branch of the halberd, and swung it to the side.

Caught off guard by Taishi Ci's sudden movement, Gao Gan was sent flying along with the spiked club in his hand.

Before Gao Gan could get up after falling to the ground, Taishi Ci rushed over and placed his iron halberd on Gao Gan's shoulder.

"Well done, Taishi Ci!"

Liu Wen, who was at the front of the battle, saw that Taishi Ci had knocked the enemy general off his horse in just one round and couldn't help but cheer loudly.

"Your Highness, the enemy general has been captured. We should lead our troops to pursue and kill him!" Zhuge Liang reminded him from the side.

Liu Wen nodded and immediately drew his longsword: "Soldiers, kill!"

"kill!!"

The soldiers behind them were also in high spirits. With a roar, they charged towards Gao Ganjun.

Seeing their leader captured and the enemy troops charging towards them incredibly fierce, the soldiers brought by the high-ranking official turned tail and fled without a second thought.

The army pursued for half a day, only returning at sunset. In this battle, nearly two thousand enemy soldiers were killed and five thousand were captured. The enemy vanguard was practically crippled.

The first battle was a great victory, and Liu Wen was overjoyed. He immediately ordered a grand banquet and personally wrote a letter to Taishi Ci to commend him for his achievements.

"Everyone talks about the bravery of Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, and Sun Jian, but they never imagined that Ziyi's bravery was no less impressive!"

At the banquet, Liu Wen also praised Taishi Ci highly, directly comparing him to Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, Sun Jian and others.

"Your Highness flatters me. How dare this humble general compare himself to you generals?"

Hearing Liu Wen's praise, Taishi Ci was somewhat apprehensive, as the people above him were all notorious killers.

Taking Lü Bu as an example, over the years of his campaigns, at least tens of thousands, or even more, of barbarians and foreign tribes died directly or indirectly at his hands.

Furthermore, Lü Bu followed the emperor in his campaigns against the Kushan Empire and was granted the title of Marquis of Champion, a title that Taishi Ci could only look up to and naturally dared not compare himself to.

"Hey, Ziyi, don't underestimate yourselves. They're all getting old now, and they won't be able to fight for many more years. Who can say what the future holds? We're still young, and we have plenty of time and opportunities to surpass them. Don't you agree?"

Liu Wen smiled and waved his hand, saying confidently that these words were meant for Taishi Ci, as well as for himself and his advisors.

After all, the youngest of them, Lü Bu, is already over forty, and Huang Zhong is almost sixty. Their era has passed, and now it's time for the younger generation to take the lead.

Seeing Liu Wen's confident expression, Taishi Ci and the others nodded in approval.

Indeed, they were fortunate to be born in a great era.

Through the efforts of the current emperor and his officials over many years, a prosperous and militarily powerful nation has been built for them, allowing them to do whatever they want without restraint.

If we can't make a name for ourselves despite the solid foundation laid by our predecessors, then it would be a real failure.