After two days of rest in the surrendered city, the Jinyiwei brought the latest news.
An imperial edict was drafted from Luoyang regarding his invasion of the Xianbei, and it was on the way.
Upon hearing the news, Lin Han ordered Xu Chu to garrison in Shoujiang City. He led 10,000 demon guards lightly armed and led Bai Qi to Jiluo Mountain to pursue Tugehu Liu Bao.
As long as he has not received the imperial edict, it is not considered an imperial edict.
When a general is away from the court, he may not obey the orders of the king.
The unfortunate Liu Bao had no idea from the beginning to the end that he was being used as a tool to clear the way.
The army was alone and deep in the desert, with no one to rely on. Any small Xianbei tribes they encountered along the way became targets of Liu Bao's looting, which was exactly what Lin Han wanted.
Lin Han's army advanced, following the route taken by Liu Bao, deep into the Xianbei.
In order to go deep into the desert and avoid getting lost, Lin Han found an experienced herdsman to be his guide.
What he saw along the way was beyond Lin Han’s imagination.
The remnants of the Tuguhu slaughtered all the small Xianbei tribes they encountered along the way, including the elderly, the weak, women and children. There were also Xianbei women who were raped and then killed, leaving the scene in a mess.
Lin Han was surprised by Liu Bao's cruelty, but that was just surprise.
This was originally his job, and Liu Bao just completed it for him.
Two days after Lin Han entered the desert, the imperial envoy arrived in Jiuyuan City.
"The imperial edict has arrived, Xiao Hange will receive it."
The messenger on horseback held up the imperial edict and shouted it in the military camp, but it only attracted the attention of many soldiers.
Xun Yu followed Xu Chu and the others out of the camp, clasped his fists and bowed, saying, "Sir, my general has led his troops deep into the desert, pursuing the Tuge Hu and has not yet returned. Please come inside and rest first."
Upon hearing this, the official was stunned.
"May I ask when General Xiao will return?"
"I don't know. The general has been out for many days, deep in the desert, chasing the remnants of the Tugehu. I don't know when he will return. Maybe he will come back after getting the head of the Tugehu leader." Xun Yu said.
"Where is General Xiao going?" the messenger asked anxiously.
"Shoujiang City, according to previous news, the general is marching towards Jiluo Mountain again, and may reach Longcheng." Xun Yu said.
The official delivering the imperial edict's decree looked gloomy.
There are Jiluo Mountain and Longcheng deep in the desert. If he had been brave enough to go there to deliver the imperial edict, he would not know how he died.
"You should quickly send someone to look for General Xiao and bring him back. The emperor has sent an urgent decree." said the messenger.
"Yes." Xun Yu responded.
He ordered several spies to leave the camp and head towards where Lin Han's troops were. Before leaving, he specifically instructed the spies to slow down, as this matter could be delayed as long as possible.
"Sir, I wonder what the order from Luoyang is about?" Xun Yu asked after he finished making arrangements.
"General Xiao led his troops into the Xianbei. Budugen sent an envoy to Luoyang to petition the Emperor to order General Xiao to withdraw his troops and to face punishment for disobeying the Emperor's order."
"How to resist the order?"
"General Xiao was ordered to come and attack the Tuge Hu, but he went north to attack the Xianbei."
"Sir, Tugehu fled to the Xianbei, and my general led his troops to pursue him. Is this disobeying an imperial order unjust?" Xun Yu immediately said, "Besides, sir, do you know where Budugen is now?"
"Where?" the messenger asked curiously.
"As far as I know, Budugen has defected to Daxia, which is now besieging Kebi Neng's tribe. The Xianbei nation may be destroyed soon," said Xun Yu.
The official who delivered the imperial edict was shocked.
Things on the border are indeed unpredictable.
Just now, Hu Dugen sent an envoy to Luoyang, demanding severe punishment for Xiao Hange, and then he defected to Daxia. It seems that the Xianbei will soon perish.
Xiao Hange could not return in a short time, so the messenger could only stay in Jiuyuan City.
…
Danhan Mountain.
Xu Huang, Jia Xu, Zhang He, Bo Cai, Yu Du, He Man, Guan Hai and others gathered in the tent.
Soon, the messenger came in to report that Budugen was outside the camp.
Here we come!
Budugen's letter of surrender had arrived a day earlier, and he led 4,000 cavalrymen to surrender.
Of the 100,000-strong army, the king's scheme was such that only a few thousand cavalry escaped.
Coming to Daxia, he still has to work for the king and cannot escape the clutches of the devil. How pitiful.
However, everyone kept a tacit understanding and kept silent about the matter, while secretly being shocked by the king's horrific methods.
When Budugen entered, all the generals gave him a warm welcome.
After the welcome, Xu Huang ordered Budugen to go down and rest, and everyone got down to business.
The purpose of this trip was to attack the Chanyu Court. More than 100,000 soldiers and horses were assembled in Danhan Mountain. The capture of the Chanyu Court would mean the end of the Xianbei.
"Everyone, what plans do you have?" Xu Huang asked.
He was the commander in chief in this battle, and he made the final decision on the siege plan.
"Without favorable weather and terrain, we can only attack with military force." Bo Cai said.
"A strong attack will incur huge losses. Even if we succeed, both sides will suffer losses." Zhang He said during the banquet, "If we continue to attack without success, morale will drop and we will be easily defeated by Ke Bineng. That's not a good idea."
This left everyone speechless.
That's true.
But now there is nothing he can do. Kebi Neng can only defend the city and attack by force.
"Why not wait a bit?" Jia Xu said. "We only need to besiege the Chanyu Court. We have a steady supply of food and fodder in the rear, so we don't have to worry about a standoff. But Kebi Neng only has the Chanyu Court. We can wait until Kebi Neng's food and fodder are cut off, and the Chanyu Court will fall without a fight."
"Will it take too long?"
"On the battlefield, we must seek help, but we also cannot rush it. In military affairs, the best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, and the worst strategy is to attack the city. One of our purposes in besieging Ke Bineng is to buy time for the king. The king, in the form of Xiao Hange, has already conquered Shoujiang City and is heading north to the desert. He will soon conquer Longcheng and seal off Wolf's Lair Mountain."
Jia Xu pointed at the map and introduced it to everyone.
When they saw Wolf Mountain, everyone's eyes widened and they were filled with anticipation.
"The siege of Wolf Mountain destroyed the Xianbei nation, their morale was low, and with food supplies in short supply, the Chanyu Court was no longer a problem."
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