Lü Bu, accompanied by his generals Ma Teng and Han Sui, as well as the Qiang cavalry of Qiang King Cheliji, a total of 70,000 troops, marched in a mighty procession toward Zhangye.

Ding Yuan's orders to Lü Bu were to recover the three commanderies of Hexi, expel the invading Xianbei people, and quell the rebellion in Zhangye.

Another option is to reopen the Protectorate General of the Western Regions.

The suppression of the rebellions of Beigong Boyu and Bian Zhang allowed Ding Yuan to establish a firm foothold in Liangzhou and greatly increase his strength.

In order to quell the rebellion, Ding Yuan had to temporarily abandon the three prefectures of Hexi and the Protectorate of the Western Regions, and he had to clean up the mess left behind.

Otherwise, people in the court might use these things to make a fuss.

Compared to his time in Bingzhou, Lü Bu has become a completely different person in just two months.

Looking at his vast and endless army, Lü Bu felt a surge of heroic spirit.

"Wen Yuan, Wen Yuan, you chose to leave your godfather back then, do you regret it now?"

At this moment, Han Sui heard Lü Bu's question and immediately replied:

"Once General Lü arrives, they have no choice but to kneel down and beg for mercy."

"This time when we go there, we will surely be able to annihilate the Xianbei cavalry in one fell swoop, recover the three prefectures of Hexi, and reopen the Protectorate of the Western Regions."

"I've heard that the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions are teeming with fine horses and beautiful women..."

Lu Bu narrowed his eyes. BMWs and beautiful women, who wouldn't love them?

"Good, speed up the march. The army must reach Zhangye in three days."

——

at the same time.

Di Qing sent 2,000 troops to reinforce the defense of Zhangye; Xue Rengui also sent out a large number of scouts to keep a close eye on the movements of the Liangzhou army in the direction of Wuwei.

Xue Rengui also went out of the city to inspect the area, choosing a place between Wulan and Shandan, next to the Qin Great Wall, by the Baishiya River as the battlefield.

On one side is the Mongolian Plateau, and on the other side are the Qilian Mountains.

This place is flat and open, perfect for selecting Xuanjia cavalry to charge into battle.

He decided to use the Xuanjia cavalry to snipe at the invading enemy from Liangzhou.

Once the enemy arrived and lost their footing, the Xuanjia cavalry terrified them.

Meanwhile, in Jiuquan County, 3,500 white-robed cavalrymen had caught up with Yuchi Jiong's 6,000 troops who were retreating from Juyan Lake.

Yuchi Jiong fled at the mere sight of the enemy.

Zhou Qing and three other generals successfully recovered the counties of Biaoshi, Leguan, Anmi, and Huishui in Jiuquan Prefecture, and pursued them all the way to the east bank of the Ming River (now the Shule River).

Next, we can enter Dunhuang!

However, Zhou Qing and others were worried about the lack of civil affairs officials.

They sought help from Xue Rengui, hoping he would send officials to take over Jiuquan.

Meanwhile, the two Loulan envoys in Zhangye City, seeing the mighty Han army, which consisted of heavily armored cavalry, and having received Xue Rengui's promise, were already quite reassured.

He left Zhangye that very day and rushed back to Loulan to report the situation to King Weiliao.

——

Meanwhile, Yuchi Gu, the leader of the Yuchi Xianbei tribe in Dunhuang, had already learned that his younger brother Yuchi Jiong had been defeated at Juyan Lake and then suffered another defeat at Jiuquan.

Han Chinese cavalry appeared in Jiuquan.

He understood that this Han army from the Hetao region intended to leave their Yuchi Xianbei tribe in Dunhuang, preventing them from returning to the northern desert.

"Your Majesty, there's not much to plunder in Dunhuang. Let's storm Loulan as soon as possible!"

"I've heard that Loulan is incredibly wealthy and has many beautiful women..."

“The brothers have eaten a lot of sand on their way from Juyan Lake to here, it’s time to enjoy themselves.”

The Xianbei generals nearby all tried to dissuade him.

"I have long had this intention!"

Yuchi Gu sneered, "Although we can't defeat the Han army in the Hetao region, these small countries in the Western Regions are still easy for us to control!"

"By order of the King, tomorrow we will divide our forces into two routes, passing through Yumen Pass and Yang Pass, to attack from both sides and take Loulan in one fell swoop."

"At the same time, notify Yuchi Jiong to lead his troops to the former Cheshi Kingdom, capture Yizhi, and open up the passage back to the northern desert."

"Although we lost many of our people, we returned with a full load."

In the past few days, Yuchi Gu has arrested and questioned many merchants traveling to and from Dunhuang. Based on his own understanding, he has devised a route back to the northern desert.

First, they captured Loulan, which was next to Puchanghai, and then headed along the Tarim River to Wulei and Kucha, before heading to the Ili River Valley to spend the winter.

When spring arrives next year and flowers bloom, we will bypass the Altai Mountains and return to the Ganwei River at the foot of the Yanran Mountains.

This is the stronghold of the Yuchi Xianbei, a thousand miles away from the Darhan City of the Tuoba Xianbei at the foot of Langjuxu Mountain.

In a short time, multiple forces from the three prefectures of Hexi and the Western Regions intervened, making a major battle inevitable.

——

Right now.

Inside Luoyang City.

Inside the Yongle Palace.

A series of crackling sounds followed by screams of agony.

The palace was in complete disarray.

"Get out! All of you, get out of here!"

Several eunuchs and palace maids fled in panic, covered in wounds.

Empress He was furious, her pretty face flushed red, the gold hairpins and earrings on her head trembled violently, and her high chest heaved.

Clearly, she was furious.

It turns out that Empress He learned that He Jin was behind her back, and the assassins that He Miao had sent to Hetao to carry out the assassination attempt completely failed.

Cui Hao and more than fifty assassins who were sent out were burned alive.

Moreover, rumors were rampant in Luoyang, and Cui Hao's confession was being circulated everywhere.

The common people dared not discuss it openly, but behind the scenes, there was already much gossip.

King Yunzhong drove out the Xiongnu and Xianbei and recovered the Hetao region, which not only aroused the suspicion of the He family, but also led to the sending of assassins to kill him.

The arrogance of the imperial relatives caused the people to sympathize with Liu Wei.

In a short time, Liu Wei's reputation in Luoyang grew day by day.

Empress He knew that rumors were rampant in Luoyang, and it was obvious that someone was secretly stirring things up.

They failed to deal with him when Liu Wei's power was weak, but now that he is growing stronger, he poses an increasing threat.

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