Yuwen Mohuai, who was at the head of the table, glanced around at everyone and finally focused his gaze on his son, Yuwen Qi.

"Qi'er, has any news come from the Han Dynasty?"

Yuwen Qi shook his head: "Not yet. According to reports, a force led by Tan Shihuai is approaching Yunzhong. All of the Han Dynasty's garrison troops have been transferred there!"

Yuwen Mohuai's face darkened: "That Tan Shihuai only has a total of 80,000 to 90,000 soldiers. Now he is leading 70,000 troops to attack my troops. Where do we get so many troops to divide up and attack the Han?"

This is clearly a feint by Tan Shihuai; how could the mighty Han be fooled by such a clumsy tactic?

“Father, perhaps the Han army is unaware of Tan Shihuai’s true strength and weaknesses. Moreover, Tan Shihuai’s army only attacked our troops when the Han army was being mobilized.”

It was probably this intelligence gap that led the Han army to fall into the trap!

Yuwen Qi also stood from the perspective of the Han Dynasty and offered an explanation on their behalf.

After all, in his view, his brother-in-law and several officers of the Han were all here, and the Han had no reason to watch his tribe be destroyed by Tan Shihuai.

"Hmph, that treacherous Tan Shihuai...!"

Yuwen Mohuai couldn't help but curse under his breath, then asked, "How are the warriors of my troops?"

"Father, all 30,000 warriors of my army have assembled and are ready to depart at any time..."

As Yuwen Qi spoke, his voice lowered considerably, carrying a deep sense of helplessness.

Originally, the Yuwen tribe had 60,000 strong men, but unfortunately, half of them were lost during the campaign against the Wuhuan. During this period, many tribes were also plundered by the Wuhuan cavalry, resulting in the deaths and injuries of a large number of young and strong herders.

The Yuwen tribe can only muster 30,000 cavalry at present, which is already their limit.

But how could this hastily assembled force of 30,000 possibly withstand Tan Shihuai's 70,000-strong army?

If the casualties become too heavy again, then the Yuwen tribe will truly be finished...

"Hmph, for now, our only option is to move away from here and temporarily avoid the wrath of Tan Shihuai."

Go find Qian'er and have him send a message to the Han Dynasty, hoping they will have mercy and allow us to temporarily hide in the direction of Chengde or Liaozhou!

Yuwen Mohuai breathed a sigh of relief, placing his hopes on his son-in-law.

In his view, this battle was simply unwinnable, so he had no choice but to abandon his territory and flee for the time being. As long as he was still alive, there was still hope.

Yuwen Qi said solemnly, "But Father, Tan Shihuai arrived too quickly. I'm afraid he's already attacked before we've even received a reply from the Han Dynasty!"

Yuwen Mohuai said in a deep voice, "Then let's move now. I believe that with Qian'er's status, the Han Dynasty shouldn't refuse. By the time we arrive, the Han Dynasty's reply will be almost ready!"

Upon hearing this, Yuwen nodded immediately: "Yes, Father, I will go and talk to him right away!"

Just then, a guard rushed in from outside the tent.

"Chief, your son-in-law and Mr. Xi Zhicai are outside requesting an audience!"

"Quickly, invite them in!"

As he spoke, Yuwen Mohuai sat up straight and looked towards the entrance of the tent.

Soon, Xi Zhicai and Liu Qian walked in together and bowed to Yuwen Mohuai.

"Greetings, Great Chief!"

"Please, have a seat, no need for such formalities!"

Yuwen Mohuai raised his hand and pointed to the two seats next to Yuwen Qi.

"Thank you, Great Chief!"

Xi Zhicai and the other man thanked him in unison and then walked over.

After the two men sat down, Yuwen Mohuai said in a deep voice, "You two have come at the right time. Tan Shihuai is leading a large army to attack us. Our troops are preparing to move eastward to temporarily avoid his advance. I hope you two can explain the situation to His Majesty the Emperor to avoid any misunderstandings!"

Upon hearing this, Xi Zhicai and Liu Qian exchanged a glance and both frowned.

"What's wrong? Are you two having some kind of trouble?"

Upon seeing Liu Qian and Xi Zhicai's appearance, Yuwen Mohuai's heart skipped a beat.

Xi Zhicai said in a deep voice, "Great Chief, there is nothing wrong with relocating. The Great Han is fully capable of settling your tribesmen."

However, with so many people migrating together, their pace will inevitably be slow. What if that sandalwood tree catches up?

“This… if our tribe relocates, we will be handing over all our territories. Now that Tan Shihuai has occupied the grasslands, he shouldn’t attack us again, right?” Yuwen Mohuai asked hesitantly.

Xi Zhicai shook his head: "The Great Chief is mistaken. Now, Tan Shihuai not only occupies the area around Tanhan Mountain for thousands of miles, but also the former territory of the Xiongnu. Those places are enough for his tribes to multiply and graze."

However, he still insists on mobilizing a large army to attack your tribe. His real purpose is not some so-called territory, but to completely eliminate your tribe to prevent future troubles.

If you were to relocate your entire tribe, with men, women, and children all gathered together, and the warriors of each tribe needing to divide their forces for escort, this would undoubtedly give Tan Shihuai an excellent opportunity to annihilate your tribe in a single battle!

Upon hearing this, Yuwen Mohuai and everyone else in the tent changed their expressions.

In the past, conflicts between various tribes on the grasslands were all due to the struggle for pastures, water sources, and cattle and sheep.

As long as they can obtain these things, they generally won't go so far as to completely destroy the other party.

It was precisely because of this ingrained mindset that Yuwen Mohuai decided to abandon his territory in order to save his people.

However, after listening to Xi Zhicai's analysis, he finally understood.

Yuwen Mohuai said with a bitter expression, "However, Tan Shihuai led an army of 70,000 to attack, and our brave warriors were simply unable to resist!"

Xi Zhicai smiled and said, "Don't we still have the 20,000 Wuhuan cavalry and 20,000 Red Ribbon Army sent by our Great Han? In terms of troop strength, we are not lacking!"

"Our military strength is not bad, but the Wuhuan... but Tan Shihuai also has 40,000 elite Gaoliu troops under his command, who are known as the strongest army on the grasslands. I'm afraid we can't withstand them..."

Originally, Yuwen Mohuai wanted to criticize the Wuhuan cavalry, but after thinking about it again, he realized it was inappropriate, so he could only exaggerate the enemy to cover up his own shortcomings.

"Ha! They're just arrogant, claiming to be the strongest army on the grasslands. If they dare to come, I'll make sure they never leave alive!"

Xi Zhicai chuckled lightly, his words seemingly showing that he didn't take Tan Shihuai's army seriously.

"Could it be that Mr. Zhicai already has a brilliant plan to defeat the enemy?"

The speaker was Yuwen Qi, who had read some military books during the Han Dynasty.

He was particularly fascinated by the stories in military books about how to win with fewer troops and how to devise ingenious strategies.

Seeing Xi Zhicai in this state naturally piqued his great interest.

Xi Zhicai smiled and nodded, "Not bad!"

"I hope you will be so kind as to offer your guidance!"

Upon seeing this, Yuwen Qi was overjoyed and quickly bowed to Xi Zhicai, seeking his guidance.

"I hope you can enlighten me, sir!"

Upon seeing this, everyone inside the tent rose and bowed to Xi Zhicai.